HAPTIC SEATING SYSTEM

• US 20090015045A1
• Filed: 07/12/2007
• Published: 01/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Mujumdar, Arti Rohit, Singh, Sandhya, Nathan, John F., Karumathil, Santosh, Kennedy, Karl R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,141,947 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/217.300
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/976 massaging systems

Abstract

A haptic seating system for use in imparting a haptic sensation to a seat. The seating system being suitable for use in a vehicle or other environment having multiple network nodes with capabilities sufficient to issue instructions suitable to instructing a haptic element used to impart the haptic sensation. The system may include the network nodes issuing the instructions through signals carried over the network.

Claims

1. A haptic seating system for use in a vehicle having a passenger seat and a number of vehicle systems configured to control vehicle operations wherein the vehicle systems transmit signals over a vehicle network in order to coordinate vehicle operations, the system comprising:

a haptic element positioned within the seat, the haptic element including a motor to impart a haptic sensation to the seat and a decoder to decode signals carried over the network, the decoder decoding the signals for use in controlling the motor, and thereby, the imparted haptic sensation; and

wherein each of the vehicle systems are configured to communicate signals over the network sufficient for each vehicle system to separately instruct the haptic element to impart the haptic sensation.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one additional haptic element positioned within the seat and connected to the network, each haptic elements being separately controlled according to signals carried over the network.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein at least one haptic element is located on one side of the seat and another haptic element is located on another side of the seat, wherein the vehicle systems are configured control the haptic elements on both sides of the seats to impart the haptic sensation with the same intensity.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the vehicle systems are configured to provide directionality to the haptic sensation by turning off the haptic elements on one side of the seat so that only the haptic elements on the other side of the seat impart the haptic sensation.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein each haptic element is assigned a unique network address and the vehicle systems are configured to address signals to the unique network addresses in order to facilitate separately controlling the haptic elements.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein unique addressed addresses are assigned such that haptic elements may be added to the vehicle after the vehicle is manufactured.

7. The system of claim 3 wherein the unique network addresses allow the haptic elements to be separately controlled without requiring a control module to distinguish signals addressed for one haptic elements from signals addressed for another.

8. The system of claim 2 wherein the haptic elements are controlled without requiring connection of a module between the haptic elements and the network.

9. The system of claim 2 wherein the haptic elements are connected to the network with independent network connections.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the haptic element is controlled according to a highest priority vehicle system if multiple vehicle systems simultaneously attempt to control the motor.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the haptic element is unable to distinguish a highest priority vehicle system if multiple vehicle system simultaneously attempt to control the haptic element such that the vehicle systems execute a dispute resolution process to determine the highest priority vehicle system.

12. The system of claim 3 wherein only the highest priority vehicle system transmits signals over the network to control the haptic element.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the dispute resolution process includes determining the highest priority vehicle system as a function of a safety function performed by each vehicle system

14. The system of claim 1 wherein each vehicle system issues customized signals for controlling the haptic element so that each vehicle system can control the haptic element differently.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the motor is eccentrically weight to generate vibrations used to impart the haptic sensation.

16. A haptic seating system for use in a vehicle having a passenger seat and a number of vehicle systems configured to control vehicle operations wherein the vehicle systems transmit signals over a vehicle network in order to coordinate vehicle operations, the system comprising:

a haptic element connected to the network and configured to impart a haptic sensation to the seat as a function of signals received from the vehicle systems over the network; and

wherein each of the vehicle systems separately instruct the haptic element to impart the haptic sensation.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the haptic element is controlled without requiring connection of a module between the haptic elements and the network.

18. The system of claim 16 further comprising at least one additional haptic element wherein the haptic elements are connected to the network with independent network connections.

19. A haptic seating system for use in a vehicle having a passenger seat and a number of vehicle systems configured to control vehicle operations wherein the vehicle systems transmit signals over a vehicle network in order to coordinate vehicle operations, the system comprising:

a haptic element connected to the network and configured to impart a haptic sensation to the seat as a function of signals received from the vehicle systems over the network; and

wherein the haptic element is controlled according to a highest priority vehicle system if multiple vehicle systems simultaneously attempt to control the motor, the vehicle systems configured to execute a dispute resolution process to determine the highest priority vehicle system so that only the highest priority vehicle system transmits signals over the network to control the haptic element.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the dispute resolution process includes determining the highest priority vehicle system as a function of a safety function performed by each vehicle system.