Automatic driving position adjustment control system and method
First Claim
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1. An automatic driving position adjustment system for use in a vehicle, comprising:
- (a) a first adjustable component adjustable by an operator, the first adjustable component configured to adjust in a plurality of bi-directions;
(b) a plurality of additional adjustable components each configured to adjust in a plurality of bi-directions;
(c) a controller configured to receive vehicle signals and determine at least an interlocked state, wherein the vehicle is not considered to be moving, and a non-interlocked state, wherein the vehicle is considered to be moving, from the vehicle signals;
(d) a plurality of movement-distance sensors, one movement-distance sensor associated with each bi-direction that the first adjustable component can move, wherein the movement-distance sensors each generates an output signal indicative of a distance and direction moved to achieve a new position of the first adjustable component, wherein the controller, when in the interlocked state, is responsive to the output signal of the movement-distance sensors and is configured to compute a new position of each of the plurality of additional adjustable components on the basis of the distance and direction moved to achieve the new position of the first adjustable component, and based on each new position, calculates the distance and direction each additional adjustable component must move to achieve the new position, and wherein the controller, when in the non-interlocked state, is not responsive to the output signal of the at least one movement-distance sensor; and
(e) a motor associated with each bi-direction of each adjustable component, wherein the controller actuates each of the motors associated with the additional adjustable components when in the interlocked state, to move the additional adjustable components in the calculated direction the calculated distance to obtain the new positions.
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Abstract
An automatic driving position adjustment system and its method are disclosed in which a manual adjustment to a first adjustable component results in the automatic adjustment of a second adjustable component. When the position or angle of a seat or other first adjustable component is adjusted by the driver, a detector measures the relative change in position or angle of the first adjustable component. A controller computes the required change in position or angle of the second adjustable component by multiplying a prescribed coefficient by the relative change in position or angle of the first adjustable component.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. An automatic driving position adjustment system for use in a vehicle, comprising:
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(a) a first adjustable component adjustable by an operator, the first adjustable component configured to adjust in a plurality of bi-directions; (b) a plurality of additional adjustable components each configured to adjust in a plurality of bi-directions; (c) a controller configured to receive vehicle signals and determine at least an interlocked state, wherein the vehicle is not considered to be moving, and a non-interlocked state, wherein the vehicle is considered to be moving, from the vehicle signals; (d) a plurality of movement-distance sensors, one movement-distance sensor associated with each bi-direction that the first adjustable component can move, wherein the movement-distance sensors each generates an output signal indicative of a distance and direction moved to achieve a new position of the first adjustable component, wherein the controller, when in the interlocked state, is responsive to the output signal of the movement-distance sensors and is configured to compute a new position of each of the plurality of additional adjustable components on the basis of the distance and direction moved to achieve the new position of the first adjustable component, and based on each new position, calculates the distance and direction each additional adjustable component must move to achieve the new position, and wherein the controller, when in the non-interlocked state, is not responsive to the output signal of the at least one movement-distance sensor; and (e) a motor associated with each bi-direction of each adjustable component, wherein the controller actuates each of the motors associated with the additional adjustable components when in the interlocked state, to move the additional adjustable components in the calculated direction the calculated distance to obtain the new positions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An automatic driving position adjustment system for use in a vehicle, comprising:
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(a) a first adjustable component wherein the first component relates to the attitude of a driver and is movable by the driver in a plurality of bi-directions during a series of adjustment cycles; (b) a plurality of additional adjustable components each configured to move in a plurality of adjustment bi-directions; (c) movement-distance detecting means for detecting each distance and direction of the plurality of bi-directions that the first adjustable component is moved from its position during the previous adjustment cycle to its position in the current adjustment cycle; (d) control means for determining an interlocked state wherein the vehicle is not considered to be moving and a non-interlocked state wherein the vehicle is considered to be moving and, when in the interlocked state, computing a new position for each of the plurality of additional adjustable components on the basis of each distance and direction moved by the first adjustable component as detected by the movement distance detecting means and computing each direction and distance necessary to move each additional adjustable components to obtain the new position; and (e) drive means for moving the plurality of additional adjustable components the directions and associated distances to obtain the new position as computed by the control means. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for use in a vehicle to automatically adjust the position of a plurality of additional adjustable components in a plurality of adjustment bi-directions in response to the operator-actuated adjustment of a first adjustable component, comprising:
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(a) detecting each direction and an associated distance of operator-actuated adjustment for each of the plurality of bi-directions to achieve a new position of the first adjustable component; (b) determining an interlocked state wherein the vehicle is not considered to be moving or a non-interlocked state wherein the vehicle is considered to be moving; (c) when the interlocked state is determined, computing a new position of each additional adjustable component corresponding to the new position of the first adjustable component, each new position requiring directions and associated distances of adjustment for each of the plurality of bi-directions that the plurality of additional adjustable components are to undergo on the basis of the detected adjustment of the first adjustable component; and (d) moving the additional adjustable components each direction and associated distance of adjustment required to obtain its new position. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification