CONTROLLER AND INTERFACE FOR VEHICLE SEAT

• US 20160280097A1
• Filed: 03/28/2016
• Published: 09/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Faurecia Automotive Seating, LLC (Forvia SE)
• Original Assignee: Faurecia Automotive Seating, LLC (Forvia SE)
• Inventors: Alvarez, Ignacio, Hotary, James T., Dexter, Brian R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,245,976 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0228 Hand-activated mechanical switches B60N2/0229 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0244 with logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/06 slidable B60N2/12 , B60N2/2209 take precedence

Abstract

A vehicle seat includes a seat bottom and a seat back coupled to the seat bottom to move relative to the seat bottom. The seat bottom is coupled to a floor of a vehicle and configured to move back and forth relative to the floor. The vehicle seat includes an electronic control unit configured to control movement of the seat bottom.

Claims

1. A controller and interface system comprising

an electronic control unit,

a human-machine interface,

means for integrating the electronic control unit with the human-machine interface and incorporating the combined electronic control unit and human-machine interface physically and electronically within a vehicle component.

2. The controller and interface system of claim 1, wherein electrical components of the electronic control unit and the human-machine interface are disposed on a common circuit board.

3. The controller and interface system of claim 2, wherein the vehicle component into which the electronic control unit and human-machine interface are incorporated is a vehicle seat side shield.

4. The controller and interface system of claim 3, wherein the side shield comprises a substrate and the side shield substrate is configured as the common circuit board.

5. The controller and interface system of claim 4, wherein the side shield comprises the substrate and a conductive layer coupled to the substrate.

6. The controller and interface system of claim 3, wherein a human-machine interface switch is molded into the side shield and coupled to the electronic control unit.

7. The controller and interface system of claim 1, wherein the combined electronic control unit and human-machine interface is coupled to a vehicle seat frame component and the connection is configured to create a heat sink from the vehicle seat frame component.

8. The controller and interface system of claim 1, wherein the human-machine interface is a touch screen.

9. The controller and interface system of claim 1, further comprising modules selected from motion engines, climate engines, microcontroller, sensors, and memory.

10. The controller and interface system of claim 2, wherein the circuit board is flexible.

11. The controller and interface system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle component comprises a substrate, switches molded to the substrate, flexible surface pads molded over the switches, and a conductive material at least partially surrounding the switches and extending through the substrate.

12. The controller and interface system of claim 1, where the vehicle component comprises plastics material configured to conduct electricity.

13. The controller and interface system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle component comprises a substrate and the substrate is doped.

14. A vehicle seat side shield comprising the controller and interface system of claim 1.

15. The vehicle seat side shield of claim 14, further comprising materials configured to perform the function of a circuit board, wherein electrical components of the electronic control unit and the human-machine interface are disposed on the circuit board.

16. The vehicle seat side shield of claim 15, wherein a human-machine interface switches is molded into the vehicle seat side shield and coupled to the electronic control unit.

17. The vehicle seat side shield of claim 14, further comprising plastics material configured to conduct electricity.

18. A method of manufacturing a vehicle seat side shield comprising

forming a side shield from a substrate,

disposing additional layers onto or within the substrate to form a printed circuit board, and

attaching an electronic control unit and a human-machine interface to the side shield configured as the printed circuit board.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising doping one or more of the additional layers.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the substrate includes plastics material configured to conduct electricity.