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Method of controlling a side support for use with a vehicle seat and device for use in such method

  • US 4,924,162 A
  • Filed: 02/01/1989
  • Issued: 05/08/1990
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/01/1989
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A method of controlling a side support for use with a seat in a vehicle comprising the steps of driving a motor according to operating conditions of the vehicle to thereby move the side support between a closed position for supporting an occupant from both sides thereof to thereby prevent the occupant from losing his or her sitting position and an open position where the side support is kept spaced apart from the occupant;

  • setting an arbitrary support position manually by driving and controlling said motor by means of operation of a manual switch;

    automatically setting the closed and open positions, both adjoining said arbitrary support position, by driving and controlling said motor by means of operation of an automatic switch respectively;

    said motor including a rotation sensor and further comprising the steps of detecting the number of rotations of said motor by said rotation sensor;

    storing the number of rotations in a counter memory;

    driving said motor continuously if said manual switch is depressed to thereby set said arbitrary support position;

    resetting said counter memory when said arbitrary support position is set to thereby set the number of counts to zero;

    driving said motor in the direction of said closed or open position if a hard switch of a self-maintaining type or a soft switch of a self-maintaining type is depressed, until said number of counts reaches a pre-set value, to thereby set said closed or open position; and

    thereafter, driving said motor until said counter memory is set to zero if said hard or soft switch is depressed again to thereby set said arbitrary support position.

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