SEAT-INTEGRATED OCCUPANT PRESENCE DETECTOR

• US 20140316660A1
• Filed: 04/18/2013
• Published: 10/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Le, Jialiang, Line, Johnathan Andrew, Rao, Manoharprasad K.
• Application Number:
  US13/865,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20140316660A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/003 characterised by the sensor mounting location in or on the seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0244 with logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0248 with memory of positions
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2220/20 using a deterministic algorithm

Abstract

A system includes a vehicle seat with an embedded presence detector that can detect a presence of an occupant and output a presence signal. A position controller is configured to receive the presence signal and adjust a position of the vehicle seat to a predetermined driving position in response to receiving the presence signal and prior to turning on a vehicle ignition.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a vehicle seat;

a presence sensor embedded in the vehicle seat and configured to detect a presence of an occupant and output an occupant presence signal;

a position controller configured to receive the occupant presence signal and adjust a position of the vehicle seat to a predetermined driving position in response to receiving the occupant presence signal and prior to turning on a vehicle ignition;

a wake-up sensor configured to detect when a vehicle door is in an open state and a closed state, and to output a door state signal representing one of the open state and the closed state; and

a wake-up circuit configured to receive the door state signal from the wake-up sensor, and to enable the presence sensor and the position controller when the door state signal indicates that the door is in the open state and before the vehicle seat is occupied.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the presence sensor is configured to detect the presence of the occupant prior to turning on a vehicle ignition.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the presence sensor is configured to detect when the occupant is sitting in the vehicle seat.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a climate control system, wherein the presence sensor is configured to enable the climate control system upon detection of the occupant and prior to turning on a vehicle ignition.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising an entertainment system, wherein the presence sensor is configured to enable the entertainment system upon detection of the occupant and prior to turning on a vehicle ignition.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the wake-up sensor comprises a door state sensor configured to identify and output a door state signal representing at least one of an open state and a closed state of a vehicle door.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the position controller is configured to receive the door state signal and adjust the position of the vehicle seat to the predetermined driving position in response to receiving the occupant presence signal and the door state signal prior to turning on a vehicle ignition.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the position controller is configured to wait a predetermined length of time after receiving the occupant presence signal to adjust the position of the vehicle seat to the predetermined driving position.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the position controller is configured to adjust the position of the vehicle seat to a predetermined park position after the vehicle is turned off

11. The system of claim 1, wherein adjusting the position of the vehicle seat includes moving the vehicle seat in at least one of the following directions:

forward, backward, up, and down.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein adjusting the position of the vehicle seat includes at least one of tilting and reclining the vehicle seat.

21. The system of claim 9, wherein the predetermined length of time enables the position controller to confirm that the occupant is fully seated in the vehicle seat.

4. (canceled)

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium tangibly embodying computer-executable instructions that cause a processor to execute operations comprising:

receiving an enable signal from a wake-up sensor, the enable signal indicating that a vehicle door is in an open state;

receiving an occupant presence signal after receiving the enable signal, and adjusting a position of a vehicle seat to a predetermined driving position in response to receiving the occupant presence signal and prior to turning on a vehicle ignition.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the occupant presence signal is received after the presence of an occupant is detected and prior to turning on a vehicle ignition.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the presence of the occupant is detected when the occupant sits in a vehicle seat.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, the operations further comprising:

receiving a door state signal representing a state of a vehicle door; and

adjusting the position of the vehicle seat to the predetermined driving position in response to receiving the occupant presence signal and the door state signal prior to turning on a vehicle ignition.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, the operations further comprising waiting a predetermined length of time after receiving the occupant presence signal to adjust the position of the vehicle seat to the predetermined driving position.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, the operations further comprising adjusting the position of the vehicle seat to a predetermined park position after the vehicle is turned off.

19. A vehicle comprising:

a vehicle seat;

a vehicle door corresponding to the vehicle seat;

a presence sensor embedded in the vehicle seat and configured to detect a presence of an occupant and output an occupant presence signal prior to vehicle ignition, the occupant presence signal indicating that the vehicle seat is occupied;

a wake-up sensor configured to detect when the vehicle door is in an open state and a closed state, and to output a door state signal representing one of the open state and the closed state;

a wake-up circuit configured to receive the door state signal from the wake-up sensor, and to enable the presence sensor prior to vehicle ignition, wherein the wake-up circuit is configured to enable the presence sensor when the door state signal indicates that the door is in the open state and before the vehicle seat is occupied; and

a position controller configured to receive the occupant presence signal and adjust a position of the vehicle seat to a predetermined driving position in response to receiving the occupant presence signal and prior to turning on a vehicle ignition,

wherein the position controller is configured to wait a predetermined length of time after receiving the occupant presence signal to adjust the position of the vehicle seat to the predetermined driving position and

wherein the position controller is configured to adjust the position of the vehicle seat to a predetermined park position after the vehicle is turned off.

20. The vehicle of claim 19, wherein adjusting the position of the vehicle seat includes at least one of tilting the vehicle seat, reclining the vehicle seat, and moving the vehicle seat in at least one of the following directions:

forward, backward, up, and down.