Vehicle seat drive control device

• US 4,812,838 A
• Filed: 10/30/1987
• Issued: 03/14/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation), Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation), Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Inventors: Taguchi, Masahiro, Nakano, Osamu, Onimaru, Sadahisa, Kuno, Akira, Ina, Toshikazu, Tashiro, Syuzaburou
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Ralph E.
• Application Number:
  US07/115,610
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.06, 318/466, 318/568, 364/424, 296/63, 296/65 R, 297/330, 297/341, 180/326, 180/329, 180/330, 320/13
• US Class Current: 340/3.42
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02246 Electric motors therefor
• 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 2/14 rotatable, e.g. to permit easy access B60N2/10 , B60N2/2869 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/21 State of charge of battery

Abstract

A drive control device for a seat in a vehicle has a driver entry detection unit, a battery capacity detection unit, a seat drive unit, and a controlling circuit unit for generating a seat drive control signal. The controlling circuit unit has a function of deciding whether or not the capacity of the battery is lower than a predetermined reference value when an entry is detected by the entry detection unit, a function of prohibiting the driving of the seat when the decision of the battery capacity decision function is affirmative, and a function of effecting the driving of the seat when the decision of the battery capacity decision function is negative. The controlling circuit unit can provide a door opening degree monitoring function and a rear monitoring function.

Claims

1. A drive control device for a seat in a vehicle commprising:

entry detection means for detecting an entry of a driver into said vehicle;

battery capacity detection means for detecting a capacity of an electric power source battery in said vehicle;

engine start detection means for detecting a start of an engine of said vehicle;

seat drive means for causing movement of said seat;

controlling circuit means for receiving signals from said entry detection means, said battery capacity detection means and said engine start detection means and delivering a drive control signal to said seat drive means, and for deciding whether the capacity of said battery is lower than a predetermined reference value when an entry is detected by said entry detection means, and for prohibiting said movement of said seat when the decision of said battery capacity decision function is affirmative and the detection of said engine start detection means is negative, and for enabling movement of said seat when the decision of said battery capacity decision function is negative.

2. A drive control device for a driver'"'"'s seat in a vehicle comprising:

entry detection means for detecting an entry of a driver into said vehicle;

battery capacity detection means for detecting a capacity of an electric power source battery in said vehicle;

engine start detection means for detecting a start of rotation of an engine in said vehicle;

first decision means for deciding whether the battery capacity detected by said battery capacity detection means is lower than a predetermined capacity when an entry of a driver is detected by said entry detection means;

first drive means for driving the seat to a predetermined first state when the decision of said first decision means is negative, said first state being a state suitable for the driver to sit down;

second drive means for driving the seat to a preliminary stored second state after said first driving by said first driving means, said second state being a state suitable for the driver to drive the vehicle;

second decision means for deciding whether the start of the rotation of the engine is detected by said engine start detection means when the decision of said first decision means is affirmative; and

means for by-passing said first driving means and carrying out the driving by said second drive means when the decision of said second decision means is affirmative.

3. A device according to claim 2, further comprising sitting detection means for detecting, sitting down of said driver on said seat, said device further having means for driving said seat to restore an original state of said seat when said sitting detection means detects the driver'"'"'s sitting down on said seat after said set is driven to said predetermined first state.

4. A device according to claim 3, further comprising door opening detection means for detecting an opening degree of a door of said vehicle, said device further having door-related seat driving prohibition means for prohibiting the driving of said seat to said predetermined first state when said door opening detection means detects the opening degree of the door to be less than a predetermined value.

5. A device according to claim 3, further comprising object approach monitoring means for monitoring an approach of an object to said vehicle, said device further having approach-related seat motion prohibition means for prohibiting the driving of said seat to said predetermined first state when said object approach monitoring means detects the approach of an object to said vehicle.

6. A device according to claim 2, wherein said second drive means includes means for driving said seat in a forward/backward direction.

7. A device according to claim 6, further comprising driver identifications means for identifying a driver of said vehicle, said preliminary storage of said second state of the seat being a preliminary storage of a second state for each of a plurality of drivers of said vehicle, said device further including means for controlling the driving said seat to the preliminary stored second state on the basis of the identification of a driver by said driver identification means.

8. A device according to claim 2, further comprising ignition detection means for detecting an OFF state of an ignition switch of said vehicle, and seat position detection means for detecting the position of a seat along the forward/backward direction, snad controlling means further including means for preliminary storing said second state of the seat for the identified driver by storing a position of the seat along the forward/backward direction detected by said seat position detection means when said ignition detection means detects a turning-off of the ignition switch.

9. A method for controlling a seat in a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

detecting an entry of a driver into said vehicle;

detecting a capacity of an electric power source battery in said vehicle;

detecting a start of an engine of said vehicle;

receiving, with a control circuit, signals depicting driver entry detection, battery capacity, and engine start;

deciding whether the capacity of said battery is lower than a predetermined reference value when a driver entry is detected;

prohibiting movement of said seat when the battery capacity is below said predetermined reference value and when said engine is detected as not having been started; and

moving said seat when said battery capacity is above said predetermined reference value.

10. A method for controlling a driver'"'"'s seat in a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

detecting an entry of a driver into said vehicle;

detecting a capacity of a battery in said vehicle;

detecting a start of rotation of an engine in said vehicle;

deciding whether or not the battery capacity is lower than a predetermined reference value when a driver entry has been detected;

driving the seat to a first position when the above deciding step is negative;

driving said seat to a preliminarily stored second position after said seat has been driven to said first position;

deciding whether or not the start of rotation of said engine has been detected when the decision in the previous decisions step is positive; and

driving said seat to said second state when the decision of the second decision step is positive.

11. A method according to claim 10 including the further steps of:

detecting the driver sitting down on said seat;

driving said seat to an original position when the driver is detected as sitting down on said seat after the seat has been driven to said first position.

12. A method according to claim 11 further including the steps of:

detecting an opening degree of door of said vehicle; and

prohibiting driving of said seat to said first position when the opening degree of the door is detected as being less than a predetermined value.

13. A method according to claim 11 further comprising the steps of:

monitoring an approach of an object to said vehicle; and

prohibiting the driving of said seat to said first position when an object is detected as approaching said vehicle.

14. A method according to claim 10, wherein the step of driving said seat to said second position includes the step of driving said seat in a forward/backward direction.

15. A method according to claim 14, further including the steps of:

identifying a driver of said vehicle;

preliminarily storing said plurality of said second states;

responding to a plurality of potential drivers of said vehicles; and

driving said seat to said second position based on the identification of the driver step.

16. A method according to claim 15, further including the steps of:

detecting an OFF state of an ignition switch of said vehicle;

detecting a position of said seat along the forward/backward direction; and

preliminarily storing said plurality of said second positions for the plurality of drivers by storing a position of the seat along the forward/backward direction detected when the ignition is detected as being OFF.