Seat with fatigue lessening device

• US 5,127,708 A
• Filed: 07/12/1990
• Issued: 07/07/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Mochizuki, Akira, Kishi, Yoichi, Nagashima, Hideyuki, Yanagishima, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Peter R.
• Application Number:
  US07/551,360
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 297/284, 297/DIG. 3, 297/284 R, 297/284 C, 297/284 E, 297/284 B, 297/284 G
• US Class Current: 297/284.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6887 mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/66 Lumbar supports
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/914 Hydro-pneumatic adjustments of the shape
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 297/03 Pneumatic

Abstract

A seat having a fatigue lessening device functions to repeatedly expand and contract a given part of a seat occupant holding portion of the seat. A fatigue sensor is employed which issues an information signal representative of the fatigue of the occupant. A computer controls the operation of the device at intervals which are derived from the information signal. The fatigue sensor counts the number of movement of the seat occupant and uses the counted number as the factor for representing the degree of the occupant'"'"'s fatigue.

Claims

1. A seat control system comprising:

a seat with an occupant holding portion;

shape changing means located in said seat for changing the shape of said occupant holding portion;

detecting means located in said seat for detecting and counting a movement made by an occupant of said seat relative to said seat; and

control means connected to said detecting means and said shape changing means for controlling said shape changing means in accordance with a predetermined number of movements detected by said detecting means.

2. A seat control system comprising:

a seat with an occupant holding portion;

first means located in said seat for changing the shape of said occupant holding portion;

second means connected to said first means for controlling said first means at given intervals;

third means located in said seat for issuing an information signal representative of a movement and the number of movements made by an occupant of said seat relative to said seat; and

fourth means connected to said first, second, and third means for determining said given intervals in accordance with an information signal provided by said third means, which represents a predetermined number of movements made by said occupant to control said second means to change the shape of said first means.

3. A seat control system as claimed in claim 2, in which said first means comprises:

an air-pump;

a plurality of air-bags installed in given portions of the seat;

a plurality of pipes connecting the respective airbags to an outlet of said air-pump; and

electromagnetic valves mounted to the respective pipes to selectively open and close the same.

4. A seat control system as claimed in claim 3, in which said second and fourth means are incorporated with a computer.

5. A seat control system comprising:

a seat with an occupant holding portion;

shape changing means located in said seat for changing the shape of said occupant holding portion;

detecting means located in said seat for detecting and counting a movement made by an occupant of said seat relative to said seat; and

control means connected to said detecting means and said shape changing means for controlling said shape changing means in accordance with a predetermined number of movements detected by said detecting means,

wherein the count is reset to zero after said predetermined number of movements has been detected or after a predetermined interval.

6. A seat control system comprising:

a seat with an occupant holding portion;

first means located in said seat for changing the shape said occupant holding portion;

second means connected to said first means for controlling said first means at given intervals;

third means located in said seat for issuing an information signal representative of a movement and the number of movements made by an occupant of said seat relative to said seat; and

fourth means connected to said first, second, and third means for determining said given intervals in accordance with an information signal provided by said third means, which represents a predetermined number of movements made by said occupant to control said second means to change the shape of said first means,

wherein said third means is reset so that the information signal represents zero movement after said predetermined number of movements has reached or after a predetermined interval.

7. A seat control system comprising:

a seat with an occupant holding portion;

first means located in said seat for changing the shape of said occupant holding portion, said first means including an air-pump, a plurality of air-bags installed in given portions of said seat, a plurality of pipes connecting the respective air-bags to an outlet of said air-pump, and electromagnetic valves mounted to the respective pipes to selectively open an close the same;

second means connected to said first means for controlling said electromagnetic valves at given intervals;

third means located in said seat for issuing an information signal representative of a movement and the number of movements made by an occupant of said seat relative to said seat, said third means including a pressure sensor which is installed on a seatback portion of said seat at the position where the lumbar part of the occupant is to be placed, said pressure sensor detecting whether the occupant has moved by comparing the pressure detected with a predetermined comparison pressure; and

fourth means connected to said first, second, and third means for determining said given intervals in accordance with the information signal provided by said pressure sensor, which represents a predetermined number of movements made by said occupant to control said second means to change the shape of said first means,

wherein said second and fourth means are incorporated with a computer.

8. A seat control system as claimed in claim 7, in which one of said air-bag is positioned at said given part of the occupant holding portion of the seat, said given part being said position where the lumbar part of the occupant is to be placed.

9. A seat control system as claimed in claim 8, in which said third means includes counting means which counts the number of movements made by the seat occupant.

10. A seat control system as claimed in claim 9, in which said counting means calculates the number of movements made by the seat occupant from the information signal given by said pressure sensor.

11. A seat control system as claimed in claim 10, in which when the number of movements of the seat occupant reaches said predetermined number, said computer controls one of said electromagnetic valves to repeat ON-OFF operation for a given time, said one valve being associated with the air-bag positioned at said given part.

12. A seat control system as claimed in claim 11, in which said fourth means comprises a timer which determines the time within which the number of movements of the occupant calculated by said counting means reaches said predetermined number.

13. A seat control system as claimed in claim 12, in which said fourth means further includes another timer which functions to permit the substantial movement counting operation of said counting means after a given time from the start of said counting means.