System for accommodating sitting attitude of vehicle occupant

• US 5,321,617 A
• Filed: 10/01/1992
• Issued: 06/14/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishiyama, Kunio, Mori, Takakazu, Hamada, Eiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCFADDEN, SUSAN IRIS
• Application Number:
  US07/953,673
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 364/424.05, 364/424.01, 296/63, 296/65.1, 244/122 R
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0244 with logic circuits

Abstract

A controller for a vehicle seat for optimally controlling the posture of a vehicle seat. An amount of a running condition of the vehicle is detected, and a controlled variable for a posture of the seat for appropriately holding an inertial force acting on an occupant seated in the seat is determined in correspondence with the amount of the running condition of the vehicle detected. In addition, an amount of displacement of a posture of the vehicle is detected, and the posture of the seat is controlled on the basis of the controlled variable for the posture of the seat and the amount of displacement of the posture of the vehicle. Since the posture of the seat is controlled in correspondence with not only the running condition of the vehicle but postural displacement of the vehicle, the holding characteristic of the driver'"'"'s seat improves and permits driving with a comfortable and more stable posture.

Claims

1. A system for accommodating a sitting attitude of vehicle occupants in accordance with a varied vehicle operating condition and vehicle attitude, comprising in combination:

means for sensing values of a vehicle operating condition;

means for sensing values of a vehicle attitude;

means for computing values of motion in a sitting attitude in correspondence with said vehicle operating condition and said vehicle attitude to determine an appropriate sitting attitude with respect to each seat in which occupants are seated, said computing means including means for calculating a controlled variable for said sitting attitude, storage means for storing a plurality of values of a corrected variable for correcting said controlled variable for said sitting attitude, selecting means for selecting an optimum value of said corrected variable from said storage means, said controlled variable being computed for said sitting attitude with respect to each seat in which occupants are seated based on said vehicle attitude and said corrected variable selected, said seats in which said occupants are seated are two seats including a driver'"'"'s seat, and said computing means determines said appropriate sitting attitude whose values differ with respect to respective seats; and

means for adjusting said sitting attitude in accordance with said values of motion determined by said means for computing to correspond to said appropriate sitting attitude based on said vehicle operating condition and said vehicle attitude.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said computing means determines said appropriate sitting attitude in such a manner that said controlled variable for said sitting attitude of a passenger become greater than said sitting attitude of said driver when a right-steering-wheel vehicle turns, and determines said controlled variable in such a manner that an opposite in true when a left-steering-wheel vehicle turns.

3. A system for accommodating a sitting attitude of vehicle occupants in accordance with a varied vehicle operating condition and vehicle attitude, comprising in combination:

means for sensing values of a vehicle operating condition;

means for sensing values of a vehicle attitude;

means for computing values of motion in a sitting attitude in correspondence with said vehicle operating condition and said vehicle attitude to determine an appropriate sitting attitude with respect to each seat in which occupants are seated, said computing means including comparing means for comparing said values of said vehicle attitude with a predetermined value and correcting means for correcting a controlled variable for said sitting attitude based on a result of a comparison by said comparing means, wherein said computing means corrects said controlled variable for said sitting attitude of each of said seats in a case where said values of said vehicle attitude sensed has exceeded said predetermined value; and

means for adjusting said sitting attitude in accordance with said values of motion determined by said means for computing to correspond to said appropriate sitting attitude based on said controlled variable for said sitting attitude as corrected by said correcting means which is based in turn on said vehicle operating condition and said vehicle attitude.

4. A system for accommodating a sitting attitude of a vehicle occupant in accordance with a varied vehicle operating condition and a vehicle attitude, comprising:

first sensing means for detecting a vehicle operating condition;

second sensing means for detecting a vehicle attitude;

computing means for computing values of motion in said sitting attitude in correspondence with said vehicle operating condition to determine an appropriate sitting attitude with respect to each seat in which said vehicle occupant is seated; and

adjusting means for adjusting said sitting attitude in accordance with said determined values of said appropriate sitting attitude based on said vehicle operating condition and said vehicle attitude.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein said computing means includes:

means for calculating a controlled variable for said sitting attitude based on said vehicle operation condition;

storage means for storing a plurality of values of a corrected variable for correcting said controlled variable for said sitting attitude; and

selecting means for selecting an optimum value of said corrected variable from said storage means, wherein said calculating means computes said controlled variable for said sitting attitude with respect to each seat in which occupants are seated based on said vehicle attitude detected by said second sensing means and said value of said corrected variable selected.

6. A system according to claim 4, wherein said computing means comprises:

comparing means for comparing said values of said vehicle attitude with a predetermined value; and

correcting means for correcting said values of motion based on a result of a comparison by said comparing means, and said adjusting means adjusts said sitting attitude based on said corrected values of motion for said sitting attitude.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein said computing means corrects said values of motion in said sitting attitude for each of said seats in said vehicle when said values of said vehicle attitude detected by said second sensing means exceed said predetermined value.

8. A system according to claim 6, wherein said second sensing means includes a stroke sensor associated with each wheel of said vehicle, wherein each stroke sensor outputs a signal corresponding to a displacement between a body of said vehicle and said associated wheel.

9. A system for accommodating a sitting attitude of vehicle occupants in accordance with a varied vehicle operating condition, comprising:

first sensing means for detecting a vehicle operating condition;

computing means for computing values of motion in said sitting attitude in correspondence with said vehicle operating condition to determine an appropriate sitting attitude with respect to each seat in which said vehicle occupants are seated; and

adjusting means for adjusting said sitting attitude in accordance with said determined values of said appropriate sitting attitude, wherein said seats in which said occupants are seated are two seats including a driver'"'"'s seat, and said computing means determines said appropriate sitting attitudes whose values differ with respect to said respective seats.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein said computing means determines said appropriate sitting attitude in such a manner that said values of motion for said sitting attitude of a passenger become greater than said sitting attitude of said driver when a right-steering-wheel vehicle turns, and determines said controlled variable in such a manner that the opposite in true when a left-steering-wheel vehicle turns.

11. A system according to claim 9, further comprising:

second sensing means for detecting a vehicle attitude,

wherein said computing means calculates said change in said position of each seat based on said vehicle operating condition detected by said first sensing means and said vehicle attitude detected by said second sensing means.

12. A system for accommodating a sitting attitude of vehicle occupant in accordance with a varied vehicle operating condition and a vehicle attitude, comprising:

first sensing means for detecting a vehicle operating condition;

second sensing means for detecting a vehicle attitude;

computing means for computing values of motion in said sitting attitude in correspondence with said vehicle operating condition to determine an appropriate sitting attitude of said occupant; and

adjusting means for adjusting said sitting attitude in accordance with said determined values of said appropriate sitting attitude, wherein said adjusting means inclines a seat in a direction in which said vehicle turns, and said adjusting means changes a degree of inclination of said seat in correspondence with a steering angle, an angular velocity of steering, and a vehicle speed.

13. A system for accommodating a sitting attitude of a vehicle occupant in accordance with a varied vehicle operating condition and vehicle attitude, comprising:

first sensing means for detecting a steering condition of a vehicle;

second sensing means for detecting values of a vehicle attitude;

computing means for computing values of motion is said sitting attitude for appropriately holding an inertial force acting on said occupant seated in said a seat in correspondence with said values of said vehicle attitude;

correcting means for correcting said values of motion in said sitting attitude in correspondence with said steering condition of said vehicle; and

adjusting means for adjusting said sitting attitude based on said values of motion in said sitting attitude corrected by said correcting means, wherein said correcting means corrects said values of motion in said sitting attitude to one of a predetermined value or below said predetermined value.

14. A system for accommodating a sitting attitude of a vehicle occupant in accordance with a varied vehicle operating condition and vehicle attitude, comprising:

first sensing means for detecting a steering condition of a vehicle;

second sensing means for detecting values of a vehicle attitude;

computing means for computing values of motion is said sitting attitude for appropriately holding an inertial force acting on said occupant seated in said a seat in correspondence with said values of said vehicle attitude;

correcting means for correcting said values of motion in said sitting attitude in correspondence with said steering condition of said vehicle; and

adjusting means for adjusting said sitting attitude based on said values of motion in said sitting attitude corrected by said correcting means, wherein said correcting means corrects said values of motion in said sitting attitude in correspondence with an angular velocity of a steering wheel and a steering period which is defined as a time period corresponding to an average of time durations during which said steering wheel passes through a neutral point over a predetermined period of time.

15. A system for accommodating a sitting attitude of a vehicle occupant in accordance with a varied vehicle operating condition and vehicle attitude, comprising:

first sensing means for detecting a steering condition of a vehicle;

second sensing means for detecting values of a vehicle attitude;

computing means for computing values of motion is said sitting attitude for appropriately holding an inertial force acting on said occupant seated in said a seat in correspondence with said values of said vehicle attitude;

correcting means for correcting said values of motion in said sitting attitude in correspondence with said steering condition of said vehicle; and

adjusting means for adjusting said sitting attitude based on said values of motion in said sitting attitude corrected by said correcting means, wherein said correcting means corrects said values of motion in said sitting attitude to one of a first predetermined value or a value below said first predetermined value when one of an angular velocity of a steering wheel corresponds to least a second predetermined value and a steering period, which is defined as a time period corresponding to an average of the time durations during which said steering wheel passes through a neutral point over a predetermined period of time, is at one of a third predetermined value or a value less than said third predetermined value or a yaw rate corresponds to at least a fourth predetermined value and said steering period is at one of a fifth predetermined value or a value less than said fifth predetermined value.

16. A system for adjusting a position of a seat, comprising:

first sensing means for detecting a vehicle operating condition;

second sensing means for detecting a vehicle attitude;

computing means for calculating a value for a change in a position of said seat so as to provide an appropriate sitting attitude of a vehicle occupant seated thereon, said value of said change in said position of said seat being based said vehicle operating condition detected by said first sensing means and said vehicle attitude detected by said second sensing means; and

adjusting means for altering said position of said seat in accordance with said value of said change in said position of said seat calculated by said computing means, thereby adjusting a sitting attitude of said vehicle occupant to an appropriate position based on said vehicle operating condition and said vehicle attitude.

17. A system for independently adjusting a position of a plurality of vehicle seats, comprising:

first sensing means for detecting a vehicle operating condition;

computing means for calculating a value of a change in a position of each seat so as to provide an appropriate sitting attitude in said vehicle occupant seated thereon, said value of said change in said position of each seat being based on said vehicle operating condition detected by said first sensing means and said value of said change being determined independently with respect to each of said vehicle seats; and

adjusting means for independently altering said position of each of said vehicle seats in accordance with said value of said change in said position of each seat calculated by said computing means, wherein said seats whose position is altered include a driver'"'"'s seat.

18. A system for accommodating a sitting attitude of a vehicle occupant in accordance with a varied vehicle operating condition and vehicle attitude, comprising:

first sensing means for detecting a steering condition of a vehicle;

second sensing means for detecting values of a vehicle attitude;

computing means for computing values of motion is said sitting attitude for appropriately holding an inertial force acting on said occupant seated in said a seat in correspondence with said values of said vehicle attitude;

correcting means for correcting said values of motion in said sitting attitude in correspondence with said steering condition of said vehicle; and

adjusting means for adjusting said sitting attitude based on said values of motion in said sitting attitude corrected by said correcting means.