SEAT CONTOUR CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD
First Claim
1. A seat comprising:
- a cushion having a surface configured to support an occupant of the seat;
an adjusting mechanism arranged in said cushion, said adjusting mechanism selectively adjusting a contour and firmness of said surface;
a force sensor arranged on one of said surface, and between said surface and said adjusting mechanism, said force sensor measuring an actual force applied by the occupant to said cushion; and
a control unit receiving an actual force value from said force sensor, said control unit also having a predetermined desired force value, said control unit having an automatic mode comparing the actual force value with the desired force value, said control unit controlling said adjusting mechanism to drive the actual pressure value toward the desired force value in said automatic mode.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A seat with an adjusting mechanism for selectively changing a contour and firmness of the seat. A force/pressure sensor is arranged between the contour of the seat which is in contact with the occupant, and the adjusting mechanism. The force/pressure sensor measures the actual force/pressure with which the occupant presses upon the seat, and which force/pressure is adjustable by the respective adjusting mechanism. A control unit stores a desired force/pressure value for the seat, and controls the adjusting mechanism to drive the actual force/pressure towards the desired force/pressure. The seat also has an operator interface which receives input from an operator. The control unit has a manual mode where the adjusting mechanism is only controlled by the operator interface. The control unit in the automatic mode records the actual value from the force/pressure sensor when the operator adjusts the seat through the interface. The control unit then sets the desired force/pressure to the present value of the force/pressure sensor. Once the operator is finished changing the adjusting mechanism, the control unit continues in automatic mode and performs any changes to the adjusting mechanism to drive the actual force/pressure from the force/pressure sensor for the value of the new desired force/pressure.
19 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A seat comprising:
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a cushion having a surface configured to support an occupant of the seat; an adjusting mechanism arranged in said cushion, said adjusting mechanism selectively adjusting a contour and firmness of said surface; a force sensor arranged on one of said surface, and between said surface and said adjusting mechanism, said force sensor measuring an actual force applied by the occupant to said cushion; and a control unit receiving an actual force value from said force sensor, said control unit also having a predetermined desired force value, said control unit having an automatic mode comparing the actual force value with the desired force value, said control unit controlling said adjusting mechanism to drive the actual pressure value toward the desired force value in said automatic mode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification