SEAT CONTROLLING MECHANISM

• US 20110043018A1
• Filed: 08/18/2010
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: MAEDA, Misato, KASHIWABARA, Kazuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,444,224 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/340
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02246 Electric motors therefor
• 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 2/0272 using sensors or detectors for detecting the position of seat parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0277 characterised by the calculation method or calculation flow chart of sensor data for adjusting the seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1615 Parallelogram-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3031 in a longitudinal-vertical plane
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3065 in a longitudinal-vertical plane
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/36 into a loading platform B60N2/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/856 movable to an inoperative or stowed position
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2220/20 using a deterministic algorithm

Abstract

A seat controlling mechanism includes motors for actuating a plurality of seat sections, a position detecting apparatus detecting positions of the seat sections and a controlling apparatus controlling the seat sections to move to a predetermined position, wherein an interfering range, an interference avoidable range in which an interference avoidance control is executed and a normal operation range are set in the controlling apparatus, and when at least one of the seat sections positions in the interference avoidable range, the controlling apparatus prohibits the movement of the at least one of the seat sections toward the interfering range.

Claims

1. A seat controlling mechanism comprising:

motors for actuating a plurality of seat sections, respectively, the seat sections being movable on moving paths, respectively, the moving paths interfering with each other;

a position detecting apparatus detecting a position of each of the seat sections; and

a controlling apparatus controlling each of the seat sections so as to move to a predetermined position, wherein an interfering range, an interference avoidable range in which an interference avoidance control is executed and a normal operation range are set in the controlling apparatus, the interfering range being set on the basis of positions of the seat sections, the interference avoidable range being set so as to abut the interfering range, the normal operation range being set so as not to be included in the interfering range and the interference avoidable range, and when at least one of the seat sections positions in the interference avoidable range, the controlling apparatus prohibits the movement of the at least one of the seat sections toward the interfering range.

2. The seat controlling mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the position detecting apparatus detects the positions of the seat sections on the basis of rotation pulses of the motors, respectively.

3. The seat controlling mechanism according to claim 1, wherein each of the motors is a constant speed motor.

4. The seat controlling mechanism according to claim 1, wherein each of the interfering range and the interference avoidable range is set by a formula in which variable numbers indicating positions of the seat sections are used.

5. The seat controlling mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the interference avoidable range includes:

a first interference avoidable range in which movements of the seat sections in directions reaching the interfering range are prohibited; and

a second interference avoidable range, being set between the interfering range and the first interference avoidable range, in which a movement of one of the seat sections in any direction is prohibited, and a movement of the other of the seat sections in a direction reaching the interfering range is prohibited.

6. The seat controlling mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the seat sections include a first seat section and a second seat section, and the interference avoidable range includes:

a first interference avoidable range in which a movement of the first seat section toward a retracted position is prohibited, when each of the seat sections is moved to the retracted position; and

a second interference avoidable range, being set between the interfering range and the first interference avoidable range, in which a movement of the first seat section toward the retracted position is prohibited, and a movement of the second seat section in any direction is prohibited.

7. The seat controlling mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the seat sections include a first seat section and a second seat section, and the interference avoidable range includes:

a first interference avoidable range in which a movement of the second seat section toward a seating position is prohibited, when each of the seat sections is moved to the seating position; and

a second interference avoidable range, being set between the interfering range and the first interference avoidable range, in which a movement of the second seat section toward the seating position is prohibited, and a movement of the first seat section in any direction is prohibited.

8. The seat controlling mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the seat sections include a seat back member and a seat cushion member.

9. The seat controlling mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the first seat section is a seat back member and the second seat section is a seat cushion member.