Seat apparatus for vehicle

• US 8,032,284 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2007
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Hozumi, Soichiro, Hattori, Koji, Maeda, Toshiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nolan; Peter D
• Application Number:
  US11/940,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20080119996A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 701/37, 701/38, 701/39, 701/45, 701/49, 296/63, 296/65.01, 297/284.9
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0248 with memory of positions
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/026 varying hardness or support of upholstery, e.g. for tuning seat comfort when driving curved roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/986 Side-rests B60N2/2872, B60N2/885 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/99 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/50 Inertial sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2220/20 using a deterministic algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network

Abstract

A seat apparatus for controlling a side support portion on the basis of a road shape includes a control program cooperating with a car navigation system, a self-directed control program, a sensor error detecting program, and a map matching error detecting program, wherein, during the side support portion is executed by the control program cooperating with the car navigation system, when the error is detected, the control program cooperating with the car navigation system is changed to the self-directed control program, and during the side support portion is controlled by the self-directed control program, when the error is not detected, the self-directed control program is changed the control program cooperating with the car navigation system.

Claims

1. A seat apparatus adapted to a vehicle and for controlling a side support portion of a seat on the basis of a road shape, the seat apparatus comprising:

control means that cooperates with a car navigation system and for controlling the side support portion of the seat on the basis of electronic map data from the car navigation system;

self-directed control means for controlling the side support portion of the seat on the basis of vehicle driving information;

sensor error detecting means for detecting a sensor output error from the car navigation system; and

map matching error detecting means for detecting that a map matching error occurs at the car navigation system, wherein,

while the side support portion of the seat is controlled by the control means that cooperates with the car navigation system, when at least one of the sensor error detecting means and the map matching error detecting means detects at least one of the sensor output error and the map matching error, the side support portion of the seat controlled by the control means that cooperates with the car navigation system is changed to be controlled by the self-directed control means, and

while the side support portion of the seat is controlled by the self-directed control means, when one of the sensor error detecting means and the map matching error detecting means does not detect the error, the side support portion of the seat controlled by the self-directed control means is changed to be controlled by the control means that cooperates with the car navigation system.

2. The seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the side support portion of the seat controlled by the control means that cooperates with the car navigation system is changed to be controlled by the self-directed control means, a control level of the side support portion of the seat controlled by the self-directed control means is equal to or more than a control level of the side support portion of the seat controlled by the control means that cooperates with the car navigation system.

3. The seat apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when the side support portion of the seat controlled by the self-directed control means is changed to be controlled by the control means that cooperates with the car navigation system, the control level of the side support portion of the seat controlled by the control means that cooperates with the car navigation system is equal to or more than the control level of the side support portion of the seat controlled by the self-directed control means.

4. The seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle driving information includes a vehicle speed detected by a vehicle speed sensor.

5. The seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle driving information includes a lateral acceleration of the vehicle detected by a lateral acceleration sensor.

6. A seat apparatus adapted to a vehicle and for controlling a side support portion of a seat on the basis of a road shape, the seat apparatus comprising:

an electronic control unit;

a control program stored in the electronic control unit and that communicates with a car navigation system to control the side support portion of the seat on the basis of electronic map data from the car navigation system;

a self-directed control program stored in the electronic control unit and that controls the side support portion of the seat on the basis of vehicle driving information;

wherein the electronic control unit performs

a sensor error detecting step of detecting a sensor output error from the car navigation system; and

a map matching error detecting step of detecting that a map matching error occurs at the car navigation system, wherein,

while the side support portion of the seat is controlled by the control program that communicates with the car navigation system, when at least one of the sensor error detecting step and the map matching error detecting step detects at least one of the sensor output error and the map matching error, the side support portion of the seat controlled by the control program that communicates with the car navigation system is changed to be controlled by the self-directed control program, and

while the side support portion of the seat is controlled by the self-directed control program, when one of the sensor error detecting step and the map matching error detecting step does not detect the error, the side support portion of the seat controlled by the self-directed control program is changed to be controlled by the control program that communicates with the car navigation system.