Automatic headrest positioning apparatus for seat of motor vehicles

• US 4,797,824 A
• Filed: 04/14/1988
• Issued: 01/10/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ikeda Bussan Co., Ltd. (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Ikeda Bussan Co., Ltd. (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Fujiwara, Mikio, Sugiyama, Hiroshi, Ikeda, Chikamasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US07/181,522
• Time in Patent Office: 271 Days
• Field of Search: 364/424, 364/425, 318/466-468, 296/64, 296/65 A, 296/65 R, 297/61, 297/391, 297/410
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0224 Non-manual adjustments, e.g. with electrical operation
• 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 2/0277 characterised by the calculation method or calculation flow chart of sensor data for adjusting the seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0278 using sensors external to the seat for measurements in relation to the seat adjustment, e.g. for identifying the presence of obstacles or the appropriateness of the occupants position
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/22 Optical; Photoelectric; Lidar [Light Detection and Ranging]
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2230/30 Signal processing of sensor data

Abstract

An apparatus for detecting the position of a seat in a vehicle and position of eye of a sitter on the seat to thereby select an optimal position of a headrest on the basis of the detected position data. A plurality of data representing the seat position and the sitter'"'"'s eye position are stored in a memory means to be read out for allowing a control means to performs arithmetic operation on the data as read out. On the basis of the result of the arithmetic operation, the positions of the headrests for a plurality of sitters can be selectively determined on the basis of the positions of the seat.

Claims

1. An automatic headrest positioning apparatus, comprising:

a headrest provided on a seat which can be displaced by seat displacing means, said headrest being displaceable by headrest displacing means;

seat position detecting means for detecting the position of said seat;

eye position detecting means including light beam projecting means for detecting the position of the eye of a sitter on said seat;

memory means for storing seat position data obtained through said seat position detecting means and detected eye position data obtained through said eye position detecting means; and

control means for performing arithmetic operation on selected seat position data and the detected eye position data read out from said memory means to thereby cause said headrest to be displaced to an optimal position by driving the headrest displacing means on the basis of the result of said arithmetic operation.

2. An automatic headrest positioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said seat displacing means is composed of a seat-cushion displacing means for displacing selectively a seat cushion in vertical and horizontal directions and a seat-back displacing means for tilting selectively a seat back in forward and rearward directions.

3. An automatic headrest positioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the seat position data corresponding to a plurality of sitters are stored in said memory means at predetermined addresses through manipulation of switches constituting a switch array, said control means reading out selectively the seat position data corresponding to one sitter through selective manipulation of said switch array, to thereby drive said seat displacing means for displacing said seat to a corresponding position.

4. An automatic headrest positioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said memory means stores therein headrest position data corresponding to the detected eye position data and the seat position data, said control means selecting the headrest position data on the basis of the result of said arithmetic operation to thereby drive said headrest displacing means so that said headrest is displaced to an optimal position.

5. An automatic headrest positioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said memory means and said control means is constituted by a microcomputer.

6. An automatic headrest positioning apparatus, comprising:

a headrest provided on a seat which can be displaced by seat displacing means, said headrest being displaceable by headrest displacing means;

seat position detecting means for detecting the displacements of a seat cushion in up-down and in forward-rearward directions, and an inclination of a seat back;

eye position detecting means including light beam projecting means which project a plurality of different colors of light beam for detecitng the position of the eye of a sitter on said seat;

memory means for storing seat position data obtained through said seat position detecting means and detected eye position data obtained through said eye position detecting means; and

control means for performing arithmetic operation on the selected seat position data and the detected eye position data read out from said memory means to thereby cause said headrest to be displaced to an optimal position by driving the headrest displacing means on the basis of the result of said arithmetic operation.

7. An automatic headrest positioning apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said seat displacing means comprises of a seat-cushion displacing means for selectively displacing a seat cushion in vertical and horizontal directions and a seat-back displacing means for selectively tilting a seat back in forward and rearward directions.

8. An automatic headrest positioning apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the seat position data corresponding to a plurality of occupants are stored in said memory means at predetermined addresses through manipulation of switches comprising a switch array, said control means reading out selectively the seat position data corresponding to one occupant through selective manipulation of said switch array, to thereby drive said seat displacing means for displacing said seat to a corresponding position.

9. An automatic headrest positioning apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said memory means stores therein headrest position data corresponding to the detected eye position data and the seat position data, said control means selecting the headrest position data on the basis of the result of said arithmetic operation to thereby drive said headrest displacing means so that said headrest is displaced to an optimal position.

10. An automatic headrest positioning apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said memory means and said control means comprises a microcomputer.