OCCUPANT-RECOGNITION SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE SEAT

• US 20170043681A1
• Filed: 08/12/2016
• Published: 02/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Faurecia Automotive Seating, LLC (Forvia SE)
• Original Assignee: Faurecia Automotive Seating, LLC (Forvia SE)
• Inventors: Seiller, Julien, Fitzpatrick, Robert C
• Granted Patent: US 10,046,671 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2/0029 for detecting the motion of the occupant
• 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 2/0252 with relations between different adjustments, e.g. height of headrest following longitudinal position of seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/026 varying hardness or support of upholstery, e.g. for tuning seat comfort when driving curved roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0268 using sensors or detectors for adapting the seat or seat part, e.g. to the position of an occupant
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0273 taking into account user data, e.g. knee height or physical state
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/914 Hydro-pneumatic adjustments of the shape
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/44 using fluids
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2220/10 using a database
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2220/20 using a deterministic algorithm

Abstract

A vehicle seat includes a seat bottom and a seat back. The seat back is coupled to the seat bottom and arranged to extend in an upward direction away from the seat bottom. The vehicle seat further includes an electronics system.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat for vehicle seat user recognition, the vehicle seat comprising

a plurality of pneumatic bladders,

a plurality of pressure sensors, wherein each of the pressure sensors is coupled to a corresponding pneumatic bladder, and

a seat controller coupled to the plurality of pneumatic bladders and the plurality of pressure sensors,

wherein the seat controller comprises an entry/exit detection module configured to detect user entry into a vehicle, an inflation control module configured to inflate the plurality of pneumatic bladders to a measurement pressure in response to detection of the user entry, and a pressure measurement module configured to measure, in response to inflation of the plurality of pneumatic bladders to the measurement pressure, a pressure value in each of the plurality of pneumatic bladders using the plurality of pressure sensors to generate a pressure map comprising a plurality of pressure map elements and each pressure map element includes the pressure value generated by a corresponding pressure sensor and identify a current user based on the pressure map.

2. The vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the seat controller further comprises a user preferences module configured to determine a vehicle seat setting associated with the current user in response to identification of the current user and a seat adjustment module configured to adjust the vehicle seat based on the vehicle seat setting.

3. The vehicle seat of claim 2, wherein the vehicle seat setting comprises an inflation setting, a position setting, or a comfort feature setting.

4. The vehicle seat of claim 3, wherein the plurality of pressure map elements is less than about 20 pressure map elements.

5. The vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the seat controller further comprises a user behavior module configured to identify a user behavior based on the pressure map and a seat adjustment module configured to adjust the vehicle seat based on the user behavior.

6. The vehicle seat of claim 5, wherein the plurality of pressure map elements is less than about 20 pressure map elements.

7. The vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pressure map elements is less than about 20 pressure map elements.

8. The vehicle seat of claim 7, wherein the plurality of pressure map elements is less than about 15 pressure map elements.

9. The vehicle seat of claim 8, wherein the plurality of pressure map elements is less than about 12 pressure map elements.

10. A seat controller for vehicle seat user recognition, the seat controller comprising

an entry/exit detection module configured to detect user entry into a vehicle,

an inflation control module configured to inflate a plurality of pneumatic bladders of a vehicle seat to a measurement pressure in response to detection of the user entry, and

a pressure measurement module configured to measure, in response to inflation of the plurality of pneumatic bladders to the measurement pressure, a pressure value in each of the plurality of pneumatic bladders using a plurality of pressure sensors to generate a pressure map, each of the pressure sensors is coupled to a corresponding pneumatic bladder and the pressure map comprises a plurality of pressure map elements, each pressure map element including the pressure value generated by a corresponding pressure sensor and identify a current user based on the pressure map.

11. The seat controller of claim 10, further comprising

a user preferences module configured to determine a vehicle seat setting associated with the current user in response to identification of the current user and a seat adjustment module configured to adjust the vehicle seat based on the vehicle seat setting.

12. The seat controller of claim 11, wherein the vehicle seat setting comprises an inflation setting, a position setting, or a comfort feature setting.

13. The seat controller of claim 12, wherein the plurality of pressure map elements is less than about 20 pressure map elements.

14. The seat controller of claim 10, further comprising a user behavior module configured to identify a user behavior based on the pressure map and a seat adjustment module configured to adjust the vehicle seat based on the user behavior.

15. A method for vehicle seat user recognition, the method comprising the steps of

detecting, by a seat controller, user entry into a vehicle,

inflating, by the seat controller, a plurality of pneumatic bladders of a vehicle seat to a measurement pressure in response to detecting the user entry,

measuring, by the seat controller in response to inflating the plurality of pneumatic bladders to the measurement pressure, a pressure value in each of the plurality of pneumatic bladders using a plurality of pressure sensors to generate a pressure map, wherein each of the pressure sensors is coupled to a corresponding pneumatic bladder and wherein the pressure map comprises a plurality of pressure map elements, each pressure map element including the pressure value generated by a corresponding pressure sensor, and

identifying, by the seat controller, a current user based on the pressure map.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of

determining, by the seat controller, a vehicle seat setting associated with the current user in response to identifying the current user and adjusting, by the seat controller, the vehicle seat based on the vehicle seat setting.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the adjusting step comprises at least one of the steps of adjusting an inflation setting of the vehicle seat, adjusting a position setting of the vehicle seat, and activating a comfort feature of the vehicle seat.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the plurality of pressure map elements is less than about 20 pressure map elements.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of identifying, by the seat controller, a user behavior based on the pressure map and adjusting, by the seat controller, the vehicle seat based on the user behavior.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of pressure map elements is less than about 20 pressure map elements.