Adjusting device for a headrest of a motor vehicle seat

• US 8,201,883 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2009
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft, Hallstadt
• Original Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft, Hallstadt
• Inventors: Wuerstlein, Holger, Hofmann, Tobias, Khemiri, Faouzi
• Primary Examiner(s): CRANMER, LAURIE K
• Application Number:
  US12/643,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20100231023A1
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: 297/216.12, 297/217.3, 297/410, 307/9.1, 307/10.1, 701/49
• US Class Current: 297/216.12
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0268 using sensors or detectors for adapting the seat or seat part, e.g. to the position of an occupant
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/829 characterised by their adjusting mechanisms, e.g. electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/865 providing a fore-and-aft movement with respect to the occupant's head
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/888 with arrangements for protecting against abnormal g-forces, e.g. by displacement of the head-rest

Abstract

An adjusting device for a headrest of a motor vehicle seat is specified. The adjusting device comprises, in a first variant, a capacitive proximity sensor integrated into or designed for integration into the headrest having at least three transmitting electrodes spaced apart vertically from one another and having a common receiving electrode. In a second variant of the adjusting device, the proximity sensor has at least three receiving electrodes spaced apart vertically from one another and has a common transmitting electrode. In both variants, the adjusting device also has an actuating drive for motorized vertical adjustment of the headrest relative to the vehicle seat, as well as a control unit. The control unit here is designed to drive the transmitting electrodes or transmitting electrode for emission of an alternating electric field to determine from the received electrical signals detected from the receiving electrode or the receiving electrodes, respective associated measured capacitance values that contain information about the capacitance produced between each of the transmitting electrodes or receiving electrodes and the common receiving electrode or transmitting electrode, and to drive the actuating drive to establish a vertical target position of the headrest relative to the head position of a vehicle occupant as a function of the measured capacitance values.

Claims

1. An adjusting device for a headrest of a motor vehicle seat, the adjusting device comprising:

a capacitive proximity sensor integrated into or configured to be integrated into the headrest, the capacitive proximity sensor having at least three transmitting electrodes spaced apart vertically from one another and having a common receiving electrode;

an actuating drive configured to vertically adjust the headrest relative to the vehicle seat; and

a control unit configured;

to drive the transmitting electrodes for emission of an alternating electric field;

to determine, from received electrical signals detected from the receiving electrode, respective associated measured capacitance values that contain information regarding a capacitance produced between each of the transmitting electrodes and the receiving electrode; and

to drive the actuating drive to establish a vertical target position of the headrest relative to a head position of a vehicle occupant as a function of the measured capacitance values.

2. The adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to drive the at least three transmitting electrodes sequentially in time.

4. The adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein all transmitting electrodes have the same spacing from the common receiving electrode.

5. The adjusting device according to claim 4, wherein the common receiving electrode is formed by at least one electrode area elongated in a vertical direction that extends over a vertical region of the headrest surface occupied by all of the transmitting electrodes.

6. The adjusting device according to claim 5, wherein each of the at least three transmitting electrodes comprises two electrode areas positioned at a same vertical height and spaced horizontally from one another, between which the common receiving electrode extends.

7. The adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein two of the at least three transmitting electrodes are located symmetrically above and below a center of the headrest on which a head of the vehicle occupant is intended to impact in the vertical target position, and wherein the control unit is configured to identify arrival at the target position by a comparison of the measured capacitance values associated with these two transmitting electrodes while taking into account at least one third measured capacitance value.

8. The adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to reduce a speed of actuation of the actuating drive continuously or in multiple steps upon approach of the headrest to the target position.

9. The adjusting device according to claim 8, wherein the proximity sensor comprises more than three, in particular five, transmitting electrodes or receiving electrodes spaced apart vertically from one another, and wherein the control unit configured to reduce a speed of travel of the actuating drive in steps when the magnitudes of measured capacitance values associated with adjacent transmitting electrodes or receiving electrodes cross.

10. The adjusting device according to claim 8, wherein the control unit configured to reduce the speed of actuation of the actuating drive when a measured capacitance value exceeds a threshold value.

11. The adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to adjust a position of the headrest to a stored default target position when no head position is detected in an entire actuation range of the headrest.

12. The adjusting device according to claim 1, further comprising an additional actuating drive for horizontal adjustment of the headrest, wherein the control unit is configured to drive the additional actuating drive to set a horizontal target position of the headrest in accordance with a comparison of at least one measured capacitance value with a stored threshold value after adjustment of the vertical target position.

13. The adjusting device according to claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to numerically compensate a system-caused dependence on the horizontal headrest position of the measured capacitance value that is used for setting the horizontal target position.

14. The adjusting device according to claim 13, wherein the control unit is configured to normalize for numerical compensation the measured capacitance value that is used for setting the horizontal target position to a stored system characteristic as a function of the horizontal headrest position.

15. The adjusting device according to claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to reduce the speed of actuation of the additional actuating drive continuously or in multiple steps upon approaching the horizontal target position.

3. An adjusting device for a headrest of a motor vehicle seat, the adjusting device comprising:

a capacitive proximity sensor integrated into or configured to be integrated into the headrest, the capacitive proximity sensor having at least three receiving electrodes spaced apart vertically from one another and having a common transmitting electrode;

an actuating drive configured to vertically adjust the headrest relative to the vehicle seat; and

a control unit configured;

to drive the transmitting electrode for emission of an alternating electric field;

to determine, from received electrical signals detected from the receiving electrodes, respective associated measured capacitance values that contain information regarding a capacitance produced between each of the receiving electrodes and the transmitting electrode; and

to drive the actuating drive to establish a vertical target position of the headrest relative to a head position of a vehicle occupant as a function of the measured capacitance values.

16. The adjusting device according to claim 3, wherein all receiving electrodes have the same spacing from the common transmitting electrode.

17. The adjusting device according to claim 16, wherein the common transmitting electrode is formed by at least one electrode area elongated in a vertical direction that extends over a vertical region of a headrest surface occupied by all of the receiving electrodes.

18. The adjusting device according to claim 17, wherein each of the at least three receiving electrodes comprises two electrode areas positioned at a same vertical height and spaced horizontally from one another, between which the common transmitting electrode extends.

19. The adjusting device according to claim 3, wherein two of the at least three receiving electrodes are located symmetrically above and below a center of the headrest on which a head of the vehicle occupant is intended to impact in the vertical target position, and wherein the control unit is configured to identify arrival at the target position by comparison of the measured capacitance values associated with these two receiving electrodes while taking into account at least one third measured capacitance value.

20. The adjusting device according to claim 3, wherein the proximity sensor comprises more than three, in particular five, receiving electrodes spaced apart vertically from one another, and wherein the control unit configured to reduce a speed of travel of the actuating drive in steps when the magnitudes of measured capacitance values associated with adjacent receiving electrodes cross.