System for controlling the operation of reversible motor-speed reducer modules for adjusting in position elements of motor vehicle seat structure

• US 5,965,993 A
• Filed: 10/02/1997
• Issued: 10/12/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ECIA - Equipements et Composants Pour L'Industrie Automobile
• Original Assignee: ECIA - Equipements et Composants Pour L'Industrie Automobile
• Inventors: Laporte, Pierre, Bak, Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Masih, Karen
• Application Number:
  US08/942,362
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: 318/65, 318/280, 318/34, 318/54, 318/286, 318/266
• US Class Current: 318/280
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02246 Electric motors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0228 Hand-activated mechanical switches B60N2/0229 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/14 Inductive; Magnetic field

Abstract

This system for controlling the operation of reversible motor-speed reducer modules for adjusting in position elements of a motor vehicle seat structure is characterized in that the motor-speed reducer modules (1,2) are connected in parallel to common supply means (3), whose output voltage direction is piloted by a control module (4), and to this control module (4) through a multiplexed network (5) for the transmission of data piloting said motor-speed reducer module to permit the actuation or non-actuation, in one direction of rotation or the other, of each motor-speed reducer module (1,2) for adjusting in position each element of the seat structure.

Claims

1. System for controlling operation of reversible motor-speed reducer modules for adjusting in position elements of a motor vehicle seat structure associated with said modules, said system comprising in combination:

a common supply means connected in parallel to said motor-speed reducer modules and supplying an output voltage having a direction,

a control module associated with said common supply means for controlling the direction of the output voltage of said common supply means, and

a data transmission multiplexed network connecting said control module to said motor-speed reducer modules for controlling said motor-speed reducer modules so as to permit a selective actuation and non-actuation in a selected direction of rotation of each motor-speed reducer module for adjusting each element of said seat structure in position.

2. System according to claim 1, wherein each reversible motor-speed reducer module comprises a motor-speed reducer associated with means forming a supply relay for the motor-speed reducer, and control means associated with said motor-speed reducer and connected to said multiplexed network for controlling operation of said motor-speed reducer.

3. System according to claim 2, wherein said control means are connected to a position sensor for detecting the position of the corresponding element of said seat structure.

4. System according to claim 3, wherein said position sensor is associated with the corresponding motor-speed reducer.

5. System according to claim 3, wherein said sensor is a Hall effect sensor.

6. System according to claim 4, wherein said sensor is a Hall effect sensor.

7. System according to claim 2, wherein said means forming a supply relay for said motor-speed reducer comprise a triac.

8. System according to claim 2, wherein said means forming a supply relay for said motor-speed reducer comprise an electromechanical relay.

9. System according to claim 1, wherein said control supply means comprise a voltage inverter connected to a power supply of said vehicle.

10. System according to claim 1, wherein said control module comprises a data processing unit connected to said multiplexed network and to a user interface provided with means for controlling the position of said elements of said seat structure which may be manipulated by a user.

11. System according to claim 10, wherein said control module comprises means for storing at least one preestablished position of said elements of said seat structure.

12. System according to claim 10, wherein said data processing unit comprises a micro-controller.

13. System according to claim 11, wherein said data processing unit comprises a micro-controller.

14. System according to claim 1, wherein said multiplexed network is selected from the group comprising CAN, VAN and I2C networks.