SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ADJUSTING A SEAT USING BIOMETRIC INFORMATION

• US 20090273213A1
• Filed: 05/05/2008
• Published: 11/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Mukherjee, Maharaj
• Granted Patent: US 8,138,888 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/217.300
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 31/126 for chairs
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0639 with features for adjustment or converting of seats
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/06395 characterised by the arrangement of electric motors for adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/064 Adjustable inclination or position of seats

Abstract

A method for adjusting a seat that includes one or more adjustable physical features includes for each person within a plurality of persons, calibrating the seat by determining a preferred setting for each of the one or more adjustable physical features of the seat, utilizing the determined preferred settings to determine a cluster from among a plurality of clusters within which each of the plurality of persons is placed, identifying one of the persons; and for the identified person, adjusting each of the one or more physical features of the seat to the preferred setting depending on the one of the plurality of clusters that the identified person is placed in.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting a seat that includes one or more adjustable physical features, comprising:

for each person within a plurality of persons, calibrating the seat by determining a preferred setting for each of the one or more adjustable physical features of the seat.

utilizing the determined preferred settings to determine a cluster from among a plurality of clusters within which each of the plurality of persons is placed;

identifying one of the persons; and

for the identified person, adjusting each of the one or more physical features of the seat to the preferred setting depending on the one of the plurality of clusters that the identified person is placed in.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein calibrating the seat for each person further comprises:

for each person within the plurality of persons, collecting biometric information relating to one or more physical characteristics of each person within the plurality of persons;

correlating comfort information to the collected biometric information for each person within the plurality of persons; and

regression fitting the collected biometric information to determine the preferred setting for each of the one or more physical features of the seat, wherein the preferred setting for each of the one or more physical features relates to a comfort level for each person within the plurality of persons.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying one of the persons identifies the person from among the plurality of persons based on the cluster that the person is placed in.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a cluster from among a plurality of clusters for each person comprises comparing each of the preferred settings for each person to a one or more ranges of settings for each of the one or more adjustable physical features of the seat.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting for the identified person each of the one or more physical features of the seat to the preferred setting further comprises automatically adjusting each of the one or more physical features of the seat to the preferred setting.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein calibrating the seat includes collecting biometric information about a person.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising recalibrating the seat by redetermining a preferred setting for each of the one or more adjustable physical features of the seat, and utilizing the redetermined preferred settings to redetermine a different cluster from among a plurality of clusters within which each of the plurality of persons is placed.

8. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable computer program code for implementing a method for adjusting a seat that includes one or more adjustable physical features; and

instructions for causing a computer to implement a method, the method further including;

for each person within a plurality of persons, calibrating the seat by determining a preferred setting for each of the one or more adjustable physical features of the seat;

utilizing the determined preferred settings to determine a cluster from among a plurality of clusters within which each of the plurality of persons is placed;

identifying one of the persons; and

for the identified person, adjusting each of the one or more physical features of the seat to the preferred setting depending on the one of the plurality of clusters that the identified person is placed in.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein calibrating the seat for each person further comprises:

for each person within the plurality of persons, collecting biometric information relating to one or more physical characteristics of each person within the plurality of persons;

correlating comfort information to the collected biometric information for each person within the plurality of persons, and

regression fitting the collected biometric information to determine the preferred setting for each of the one or more physical features of the seat, wherein the preferred setting for each of the one or more physical features relates to a comfort level for each person within the plurality of persons.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein identifying one of the persons identifies the person from among the plurality of persons based on the cluster that the person is placed in.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein determining a cluster from among a plurality of clusters for each person comprises comparing each of the preferred settings to one or more ranges of settings for each of the one or more adjustable physical features of the seat.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein adjusting for the identified person each of the one or more physical features of the seat to the preferred setting further comprises automatically adjusting each of the one or more physical features of the seat to the preferred setting.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising recalibrating the seat by redetermining a preferred setting for each of the one or more adjustable physical features of the seat, and utilizing the redetermined preferred settings to redetermine a different cluster from among a plurality of clusters within which each of the plurality of persons is placed.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein calibrating the seat includes collecting biometric information about a person.

15. A system for implementing adjusting of a seat that includes one or more adjustable physical features;

comprising;

a computing network including a processing device in communication with one or more computer memory storage devices; and

the computing network further configured to implement a method for adjusting a seat that includes one or more adjustable physical features, the method further including;

for each person within a plurality of persons, calibrating the seat by determining a preferred setting for each of the one or more adjustable physical features of the seat;

utilizing the determined preferred settings to determine a cluster from among a plurality of clusters within which each of the plurality of persons is placed;

identifying one of the persons, and

for the identified person, adjusting each of the one or more physical features of the seat to the preferred setting depending on the one of the plurality of clusters that the identified person is placed in.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein calibrating the seat for each person further comprises:

for each person within the plurality of persons, collecting biometric information relating to one or more physical characteristics of each person within the plurality of persons;

correlating comfort information to the collected biometric information for each person within the plurality of persons; and

regression fitting the collected biometric information to determine the preferred setting for each of the one or more physical features of the seat, wherein the preferred setting for each of the one or more physical features relates to a comfort level for each person within the plurality of persons.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein identifying one of the persons identifies the person from among the plurality of persons based on the cluster that the person is placed in.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein determining a cluster from among a plurality of clusters for each person comprises comparing each of the preferred settings to one or more ranges of settings for each of the one or more adjustable physical features of the seat.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein adjusting for the identified person each of the one or more physical features of the seat to the preferred setting further comprises automatically adjusting each of the one or more physical features of the seat to the preferred setting.

20. The system of claim 15, further comprising recalibrating the seat by redetermining a preferred setting for each of the one or more adjustable physical features of the seat, and utilizing the redetermined preferred settings to redetermine a different cluster from among a plurality of clusters within which each of the plurality of persons is placed.