METHOD OF CONTROLLING A VEHICLE SEATING ASSEMBLY

• US 20180297489A1
• Filed: 04/13/2017
• Published: 10/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Szawarski, Hubert, Rocha, Arlindo, Cuddihy, Mark A., Le, Jialiang
• Granted Patent: US 10,377,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/01 Arrangement of seats relative to one another
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0244 with logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0256 Arrangements for facilitating the occupant to get in or out of the vehicle, e.g. stowing a seat forward
• 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 2/067 by linear actuators, e.g. linear screw mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/28 Seats readily mountable on, and dismountable from, existing seats or other parts of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/0055 characterised by special measures to ensure that no seat or seat part collides, during its movement, with other seats, seat parts or the vehicle itself

Abstract

A vehicle includes a front seating assembly and a rear seating assembly. An occupant sensor senses occupancy of the front seating assembly. A proximity sensor senses an object in a footwell behind the front seating assembly. A rear door sensor senses the opening of a rear door. A controller activates an actuator to move the front seating assembly forward based on the sensed occupancy, a sensed object, and sensed door opening. A method of controlling a vehicle seating assembly includes the steps of: sensing the front seating assembly is unoccupied with the occupant sensor; detecting in the footwell behind the front seating assembly with the proximity sensor; sensing a rear door position with the door sensor; and moving the front seating assembly forward when the front seating assembly is unoccupied, an object is in the footwell, and the rear door is in an open position.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a vehicle seating assembly comprising the steps of:

sensing a front seating assembly is unoccupied with an occupant sensor;

detecting in a footwell behind the front seating assembly with a proximity sensor;

sensing a rear door position with a door sensor; and

moving the front seating assembly forward when the front seating assembly is unoccupied, an object is in the footwell, and the rear door is in an open position.

2. The method of controlling a vehicle seating assembly of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting an object in a footwell behind the front seating assembly with a proximity sensor further comprises the step of:

sensing a change in an infrared field by the proximity sensor.

3. The method of controlling a vehicle seating assembly of claim 1, wherein the step of moving the front seating assembly forward further comprises the step of:

pivoting a seatback in a forward direction.

4. The method of controlling a vehicle seating assembly of claim 1, wherein the step of moving the front seating assembly forward further comprises the step of:

sliding the front seating assembly forward.

5. The method of controlling a vehicle seating assembly of claim 1, wherein the proximity sensor performs the step of detecting an object in a footwell behind the front seating assembly with a proximity sensor from a rearward portion of a seat of the front seating assembly.

6. The method of controlling a vehicle seating assembly of claim 5, wherein the proximity sensor performs the step of detecting an object in a footwell behind the front seating assembly with a proximity sensor from a rearward portion of a seatback of the front seating assembly.

7. The method of controlling a vehicle seating assembly of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

returning the front seating assembly to a last-known position.

8. The method of controlling a vehicle seating assembly of claim 1, wherein the step of sensing a front seating assembly is unoccupied with an occupant sensor is performed with a weight sensor in the front seating assembly.

9. The method of controlling a vehicle seating assembly of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

measuring that a vehicle equipped with the vehicle seating assembly is stationary with a speed sensor.

10. A method of controlling a vehicle seating assembly comprising the steps of:

sensing a front seating assembly is unoccupied with an occupant sensor;

detecting in a footwell behind the front seating assembly with a proximity sensor;

sensing a rear door position with a door sensor;

detecting that the front seating assembly is rearward of a forward-most position with a fore-aft position sensor; and

moving the front seating assembly forward when the front seating assembly is unoccupied, an object is in the footwell, the rear door is in an open position, and the front seating assembly is rearward of the forward-most position.

11. The method of controlling a vehicle seating assembly of claim 10, wherein the step of detecting an object in a footwell behind the front seating assembly with a proximity sensor further comprises the step of:

sensing a change in a capacitive field by the proximity sensor.

12. The method of controlling a vehicle seating assembly of claim 10, wherein the step of moving the front seating assembly forward further comprises the step of:

pivoting a seatback in a forward direction.

13. The method of controlling a vehicle seating assembly of claim 10, wherein the step of moving the front seating assembly forward further comprises the step of:

sliding the front seating assembly forward.

14. The method of controlling a vehicle seating assembly of claim 10, wherein the proximity sensor performs the step of detecting an object in a footwell behind the front seating assembly with a proximity sensor from a rearward portion of a seat of the front seating assembly.

15. The method of controlling a vehicle seating assembly of claim 14, wherein the proximity sensor performs the step of detecting an object in a footwell behind the front seating assembly with a proximity sensor from a rearward portion of a seatback of the front seating assembly.

16. A vehicle comprising:

a front seating assembly;

a rear seating assembly;

an occupant sensor sensing occupancy of the front seating assembly;

a proximity sensor sensing an object in a footwell behind the front seating assembly;

a rear door sensor sensing opening of a rear door; and

a controller activating an actuator to move the front seating assembly forward based on the sensed occupancy, a sensed object, and sensed door opening.

17. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the actuator pivots a seatback of the front seating assembly forward when the front seating assembly is moved forward.

18. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the actuator slides the front seating assembly forward on a rail system when the front seating assembly is moved forward.

19. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the proximity sensor is positioned in a seat of the front seating assembly.

20. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the proximity sensor is positioned in a seatback of the front seating assembly.