Seat apparatus

• US 20070046074A1
• Filed: 08/29/2006
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Tomonori, Higashi, Hidemitsu, Satta, Hiroki, Mizuguchi, Masaya, Kato, Hideharu
• Granted Patent: US 7,695,058 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/15
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/01583 locking on transversal elements on the vehicle floor or rail, e.g. transversal rods
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0244 with logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3011 the back-rest being hinged on the cushion, e.g. "portefeuille movement"
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3065 in a longitudinal-vertical plane
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3079 in a recess
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/309 rods
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/891 with the head-rest being comma-shaped in side view
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/948 the actuation of the positioning or locking mechanism for one seat part being dependent on the position of another seat part, e.g. the seats floor lock being unlocked when the back-rest is inclined or the backrest can be tilted only when the seat is in its rear position

Abstract

A seat apparatus includes a seat cushion on which an operator is seated, a seatback for supporting the operator seated on the seat cushion, a seat drive device changing a position of the seat cushion and the seatback between a seating position and a storage position by operating the seat cushion and the seatback, and a control unit for controlling the seat drive device, the control unit controlling the seat drive device in a way that an operation starting time of the seat cushion does not coincide with an operation starting time of the seatback and an operating time of the seat cushion overlaps temporally an operating time of the seatback when the seat cushion and the seatback are moved between the seating position and the storage position such that an interference of the seat cushion and the seatback is restricted.

Claims

1. A seat apparatus comprising:

a seat cushion on which an operator is seated;

a seatback for supporting the operator seated on the seat cushion;

a seat drive device changing a position of the seat cushion and the seatback between a seating position and a storage position by operating the seat cushion and the seatback; and

a control unit for controlling the seat drive device, the control unit controlling the seat drive device in a way that an operation starting time of the seat cushion does not coincide with an operation starting time of the seatback and an operating time of the seat cushion overlaps temporally an operating time of the seatback when the seat cushion and the seatback are moved between the seating position and the storage position such that an interference of the seat cushion and the seatback is restricted.

2. The seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an operating speed of at least one of the seat cushion and the seatback is changed from an initial operating speed of the at least one of the seat cushion and the seatback while the seat cushion and the seatback are moving between the seating position to the storage position for restricting the interference of the at least one of the seat cushion and the seatback.

4. The seat apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a physical quantity detecting device directly or indirectly detecting physical quantity regarding at least one of a moved position, a moving amount, and an operating speed of at least one of the seat cushion and the seatback, wherein

the control unit comprises;

a position determining device determining if the moved position of the at least one of the seat cushion and the seatback reaches a predetermined position on the basis of the physical quantity detected by means of the physical quantity detecting device; and

a speed change command device outputting a command to the seat drive device for changing the operating speed from an initial operating speed when the position determining device determines that the moved position has reached the predetermined position.

5. The seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit outputs a command to the seat drive device for temporally overlapping the operation of the seat cushion and the operation of the seatback in a condition where the operation starting time of the seat cushion and the operation starting time of the seatback are temporally different.

6. The seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when a storing operation of the seat cushion and a storing operation of the seatback are performed from the seating position to the storage position, the control unit starts the storing operation of the seatback and starts the storing operation of the seat cushion within a period after a predetermine time has passed from a start of the storing operation of the seatback and before the storing operation of the seatback is completed.

7. The seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when a storing operation of the seat cushion and a storing operation of the seatback are performed from the seating position to the storage position, the control unit starts the storing operation of the seatback and starts the storing operation of the seat cushion within a period after the seatback has reached a predetermined intermediate position and before the storing operation of the seatback is completed.

8. The seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when a returning operation of the seat cushion and a returning operation of the seatback are performed from the storage position to the seating position, the control unit starts the returning operation of the seat cushion and starts the returning operation of the seatback within a period after a predetermined time has passed from a start of the returning operation of the seat cushion and before the returning operation of the seat cushion is completed.

9. The seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when a returning operation of the seat cushion and a returning operation of the seatback are performed from the storage position to the seating position, the control unit starts the returning operation of the seat cushion and starts the returning operation of the seatback within a period after the seat cushion has reached a predetermined intermediate position and before the returning operation of the seat cushion is completed.

10. The seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the seat drive device comprises:

a first drive device for driving the seat cushion; and

a second drive device for driving the seatback, the second drive device can be independently driven from the first drive device.

13. The seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when the seat cushion and the seatback are moved between the seating position and the storage position, the seat cushion and the seatback are moved without vertically flipping in a condition where the seat cushion is placed at a lower side ant the seatback is placed at the upper side.

14. The seat apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a headrest provided at the seatback for supporting a head of the operator; and

a third drive device for adjusting a position of the headrest relative to the seatback.

15. The seat apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

when the seat cushion and the seatback are operated from the seating position to the storage position, the control unit outputs a command to the third drive device for adjusting the position of the headrest in a direction in which an interference of the headrest is restricted.

16. The seat apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

when the seat cushion and the seatback are operated from the storage position to the seating position, the control unit outputs a command to the third drive device for driving the headrest in a direction of a headrest using position.

17. The seat apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a fourth drive device for adjusting a position of the seat cushion in a slide direction.

18. The seat apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

when the seat cushion and the seatback are moved between the seating position and the storage position, the control unit outputs a command to the fourth drive device for adjusting the position of the seat cushion by sliding the seat cushion in a direction in which the interference of the at least one of the seat cushion and the seatback is restricted.

19. The seat apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a signal generating portion which outputs a signal for changing the position of the seat cushion and the seatback between the seating position and the storage position.

20. The seat apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a lock device provided at least one of the seat cushion and a base body on which the seat cushion is provided, the lock device locking and unlocking the seat cushion at the seating position.

3. A seat apparatus comprising:

a seat cushion on which an operator is seated;

a seatback for supporting the operator seated on the seat cushion;

a seat drive device changing a position of the seat cushion and the seatback between a seating position and a storage position by operating the seat cushion and the seatback; and

a control unit for controlling the seat drive device;

the control unit controlling the seat drive device in a way that an operating speed of at least one of the seat cushion and the seatback are changed from an initial operating speed while the seat cushion and the seatback are moving between the seating position to the storage position for restricting an interference of the at least one of the seat cushion and the seatback.

11. A seat apparatus comprising:

a seat cushion on which an operator is seated;

a seatback for supporting the operator seated on the seat cushion;

a seat drive device changing a position of the seat cushion and the seatback between a seating position and a storage position by operating the seat cushion and the seatback;

a control unit for controlling the seat drive device,

the seat drive device including;

a first drive device for driving the seat cushion; and

a second drive device for driving the seatback, the second drive device being driven independently from the first drive device; and

the control unit controlling the second drive device to start a storing operation of the seatback and controlling the first drive device to start a storing operation of the seat cushion immediately after a completion of the storing operation of the seatback when the storing operation of the seat cushion and the storing operation of the seatback are performed from the seating position to the storage position.

12. The seat apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

when a returning operation of the seat cushion and a returning operation of the seatback are performed from the storage position to the seating position, the control unit controls the first drive device to start the returning operation of the seat cushion and controls the second drive device to start the returning operation of the seatback immediately after a completion of the returning operation of the seat cushion.