Automatic driving position adjustment control system and method

• US 20070119647A1
• Filed: 11/08/2005
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kusunoki, Kiichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,145,388 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/326
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0252 with relations between different adjustments, e.g. height of headrest following longitudinal position of seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/00 Sensor types, e.g. for passenger detection systems or for controlling seats

Abstract

An automatic driving position adjustment system and its method are disclosed in which a manual adjustment to a first adjustable component results in the automatic adjustment of a second adjustable component. When the position or angle of a seat or other first adjustable component is adjusted by the driver, a detector measures the relative change in position or angle of the first adjustable component. A controller computes the required change in position or angle of the second adjustable component by multiplying a prescribed coefficient by the relative change in position or angle of the first adjustable component.

Claims

1. An automatic driving position adjustment system for use in a vehicle having at least first and second adjustable components, wherein the first component is adjustable by an operator between a first and second position, comprising:

(a) a movement-distance sensor that generates an output signal indicative of the distance that the first adjustable component moves when adjusted by an operator between its first and second positions;

(b) a controller responsive to the output signal of the movement-distance sensor and adapted to compute a required distance that the second adjustable component is to move on the basis of the distance moved by the first adjustable component; and

(c) a motor that is actuated by the controller and is drivingly engaged to the second adjustable component to move the second component the required distance as computed by the controller.

2. The automatic driving position adjustment system of claim 1, wherein the first adjustable component is a driver'"'"'s seat, and the second adjustable component is selected from the group consisting of:

a steering wheel, door mirror, interior mirror and pedal.

3. The automatic driving position adjustment system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further adapted to compute the required distance by multiplying a prescribed coefficient by the distance that the first adjustable component has moved.

4. The automatic driving position adjustment system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further adapted to actuate the motor to move the second adjustable component when the vehicle is in a prescribed state.

5. The automatic driving position adjustment system of claim 4, wherein the prescribed state is selected from the group consisting of:

the vehicle speed is zero, the position of the shift lever is in park, the position of the shift lever is neutral, and the parking brake is on.

6. The automatic driving position adjustment system of claim 1, wherein the first adjustable component is a first mirror surface that moves through a range of angular positions when adjusted by an operator between the first and second positions;

and the second adjustable component is a second mirror surface a that is adjustable through a range of angular positions;

wherein the movement-distance sensor output is indicative of the change in the angular position of the first mirror surface.

7. A vehicle, comprising:

(a) a first adjustable component;

(b) a first motor adapted to move the first adjustable component in response to an operator-actuated signal;

(c) a movement-distance sensor operatively coupled to the first motor and adapted to output a signal indicative of the distance that the first motor moves the first adjustable component in response to the operator-actuated signal;

(d) a second adjustable component;

(d) a controller responsive to the output signal of the movement-distance sensor and adapted to compute a required distance that the second adjustable component is to move on the basis of the distance moved by the first adjustable component;

(e) a second motor actuated by the controller and drivingly engaged to the second adjustable component to move the second adjustable component the required distance as computed by the controller.

8. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the first adjustable component is a driver'"'"'s seat, and the second adjustable component is selected from the group consisting of:

a steering wheel, door mirror, interior mirror, and pedal.

9. The vehicle of claim 7 wherein the controller is further adapted to compute the required distance by multiplying a prescribed coefficient by the distance that the first adjustable component has moved.

10. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the controller is further adapted to actuate the second motor to move the second adjustable component when the vehicle is in a prescribed state.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the prescribed state is selected from the group consisting of:

vehicle speed is zero, the position of the shift lever is in park, the position of the shift lever is neutral, and the parking brake is on.

12. The vehicle of claim 7 wherein the first adjustable component is a first mirror surface;

wherein the first motor rotates the first mirror through an angular distance; and

wherein the movement-distance sensor output is indicative of the angular distance.

13. An automatic driving position adjustment system for use in a vehicle having at least first and second adjustable components, wherein the first component relates to the attitude of the driver and is movable by the driver during a series of adjustment cycles, comprising:

(a) movement-distance detecting means for detecting the distance that the first adjustable component has moved from its position during the previous adjustment cycle to its position in the current adjustment cycle;

(b) control means for computing the required distance that the second adjustable component is to move on the basis of the distance moved by the first adjustable component as detected by the movement distance detecting means; and

(c) drive means for moving the second adjustable component by the required distance as computed by the control means.

14. The automatic driving position adjustment system of claim 13, wherein the first adjustable component is a driver'"'"'s seat, and the second adjustable component is selected from the group consisting of:

a steering wheel, door mirror, interior mirror, and pedal.

15. The automatic driving position adjustment system of claim 13, wherein the control means computes the required distance by multiplying a prescribed coefficient by the distance moved by the first adjustable component as detected by the movement distance detecting means.

16. The automatic driving position adjustment system of claim 13, wherein the control means moves the second adjustable component when the vehicle is in an interlocked state.

17. The automatic driving position adjustment system of claim 16, wherein the interlocked state is selected from the group consisting of:

vehicle speed is zero, the position of the shift lever is in park, the position of the shift lever is in neutral, and the parking brake is on.

18. The automatic driving position adjustment system of claim 13, wherein the first adjustable component is a first mirror surface adjustable about an angle and the second adjustable component is a second mirror surface, wherein the movement-distance detecting means detects the angle that the first mirror is rotated.

19. A method for use in a vehicle to automatically adjust the position of a second adjustable component in response to the operator-actuated adjustment of a first adjustable component, comprising:

(a) detecting the distance of operator-actuated adjustment of the first adjustable component;

(b) computing the required distance of adjustment that the second adjustable component is to undergo on the basis of the detected amount of adjustment of the first adjustable component; and

(c) moving the second adjustable component by the required distance of adjustment.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first adjustable component is a driver'"'"'s seat, and the detected distance of adjustment is measured as distance traveled by the seat.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the first adjustable component is a mirror surface that is adjustable by rotation, and the detected distance of adjustment is measured as an angle through which the mirror is rotated.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the second adjustable component is selected from the group consisting of:

a steering wheel, door mirror, interior mirror, and pedal.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of computing the required distance of adjustment further comprises multiplying a prescribed coefficient by the detected distance of adjustment of the first adjustable component.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of moving the second adjustable component by the required distance of adjustment takes place when the vehicle is in a prescribed state.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the prescribed state is selected from the group consisting of:

the vehicle speed is zero, the position of the shift lever is in park, the position of the shift lever is in neutral, and the parking brake is functional.