SEAT APPARATUS FOR VEHICLE

• US 20130253779A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 09/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: MAEDA, Toshiro, FUJII, Yuki, KINO, Hiroki
• Granted Patent: US 9,079,518 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0248 with memory of positions
• 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 2/0279 for detecting objects outside the vehicle, e.g. for user identification
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/919 Positioning and locking mechanisms B60N2/16, B60N2/18, B60N2/22, B60N2/225 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/929 linear
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/14 Inductive; Magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2230/20 Wireless data transmission

Abstract

A seat apparatus for a vehicle includes a seating surface adjustment mechanism provided with an actuator and moving a seating surface of a vehicle seat in an up-down direction, a seat position adjustment mechanism for moving the vehicle seat in a vehicle front-rear direction, a seat position detection portion for detecting a front-rear direction position of the vehicle seat, a vehicle egress intention detection portion for detecting an intention of an occupant of the vehicle to get off the vehicle, and a drive control portion for performing a vehicle egress seating surface control in a case where the vehicle egress intention detection portion detects the intention of the occupant to get off the vehicle, the vehicle egress seating surface control controlling the seating surface adjustment mechanism so that the seating surface is positioned at a seating surface position set to correspond to the front-rear direction position of the seat.

Claims

1. A seat apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a seating surface adjustment mechanism provided with an actuator and moving a seating surface of a vehicle seat in an up-down direction by means of an actuation of the actuator;

a seat position adjustment mechanism for moving the vehicle seat in a vehicle front-rear direction;

a seat position detection portion for detecting a front-rear direction position of the vehicle seat;

a vehicle egress intention detection portion for detecting an intention of an occupant of the vehicle to get off the vehicle; and

a drive control portion for performing a vehicle egress seating surface control in a case where the vehicle egress intention detection portion detects the intention of the occupant to get off the vehicle, the vehicle egress seating surface control controlling the seating surface adjustment mechanism so that the seating surface of the vehicle seat is positioned at a seating surface position that is set to correspond to the front-rear direction position of the vehicle seat which is detected at the seat position detection portion.

2. The seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drive control portion performs the vehicle egress seating surface control wherein the seating surface adjustment mechanism is drive-controlled so that the seating surface position of the seating surface of the vehicle seat when the vehicle seat is positioned at a first position in the vehicle front-rear direction is equal to or higher compared to the seating surface position of the seating surface when the vehicle seat is positioned at a second position that is positioned forward relative to the first position in the vehicle front-rear direction in a case where the vehicle seat is in a first set area that is predetermined in a front-rear movable range of the vehicle seat.

3. The seat apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the first set area is subdivided into a front area, a front change area that is set to be rearward in the vehicle front-rear direction relative to the front area and an upper limit area that is set to be rearward relative to the front change area, and

the drive control portion performs the vehicle egress seating surface control wherein the seating surface adjustment mechanism is controlled so that the surface position which is set to correspond to a foremost position of the vehicle seat in the vehicle front-rear direction in the front change area is maintained in a case where the vehicle seat is positioned in the front area and the seating surface adjustment mechanism is controlled so that the seating surface position which is set to correspond to a rearmost position of the vehicle seat in the vehicle front-rear direction in the front change area is maintained in a case where the vehicle seat is positioned in the upper limit area.

4. The seat apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the drive control portion performs the vehicle egress seating surface control wherein the seating surface adjustment mechanism is drive-controlled so that the seating surface position of the seating surface of the vehicle seat when the vehicle seat is positioned at a third position in the vehicle front-rear direction is equal to or lower compared to the seating surface position of the seating surface when the vehicle seat is positioned at a fourth position that is positioned forward relative to the third position in the vehicle front-rear direction in a case where the vehicle seat is in a second set area that is set to be rearward relative to the first set area.

5. The seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the seat position adjustment mechanism includes a front-rear driving actuator for moving the vehicle seat in the vehicle front-rear direction, and

the drive control portion performs a front rear movement control for controlling the seat position adjustment mechanism to move the vehicle seat rearward in the vehicle front-rear direction when the drive control portion performs the vehicle egress seating surface control.

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

a vehicle ingress intention detection portion for detecting an intention of a vehicle user to get on the seating surface of the vehicle seat;

a user identification portion for identifying the vehicle user on the basis of a communication between the user identification portion and a portable equipment carried by the vehicle user and transmitting an identification signal that is unique to the vehicle user; and

a memory portion storing the front-rear direction position of the vehicle seat when the vehicle user drives the vehicle, wherein

the drive control portion identifies the vehicle user by means of the user identification portion, and the drive control portion performs a vehicle ingress seating surface control in a case where the vehicle ingress intention detection portion detects the intention of the vehicle user to get on the seating surface of the vehicle seat, the vehicle ingress seating surface control drive-controls the seating surface adjustment mechanism so that the seating surface of the vehicle seat is positioned at the seating surface position that is set to correspond to the front-rear direction position of the vehicle seat which is stored at the memory portion.