Steering wheel position control system for a vehicle

• US 8,676,450 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2012
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kohara, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trivedi, Atul
• Application Number:
  US13/662,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20130166154A1
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 701/41, 701/45, 701/49, 116/31
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0272 using sensors or detectors for detecting the position of seat parts
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/181 with power actuated adjustment, e.g. with position memory

Abstract

A steering wheel position control system includes a head position acquisition part for acquiring a position of a head part of a driver, a seat movement detection part for detecting movement of a seat, on which the driver is seated, a steering wheel position calculation part for calculating a position of a steering wheel based on the position of the head part acquired by the head position acquisition part when the movement of the electric power seat is detected by the seat movement detection part, and a steering wheel position change part for moving the steering wheel to the position of the steering wheel calculated by the steering wheel position calculation part.

Claims

1. A steering wheel position control system for a vehicle having a steering wheel and an electric power seat for a driver, the steering wheel position control system comprising:

a head position acquisition part for acquiring a position of a head part of the driver, the head position acquisition part includes a camera mounted on a part of a steering device including the steering wheel for imaging the head part of the driver;

a seat movement detection part for detecting movement of the electric power seat;

a steering wheel position calculation part for calculating a position of the steering wheel based on the position of the head part acquired by the head position acquisition part, when the movement of the electric power seat is detected by the seat movement detection part;

a steering wheel position change part for moving the steering wheel to the position calculated by the steering wheel position calculation part; and

a check part for checking whether a combination of the position of the head part acquired by the head position acquisition part and the position of the steering wheel is within a predetermined allowable range,

wherein

the steering wheel position calculation part calculates, based on an image taken by the camera, the position of the steering wheel as a distance from a base of an arm of the driver to the steering wheel; and

the steering wheel position change part changes the steering wheel position only when the combination is determined to be outside the predetermined allowable range.

2. The steering wheel position control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the steering wheel position change part moves the steering wheel only when the vehicle is at rest.

3. The steering wheel position control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an input part for receiving an input of the driver indicative of an intention of the driver,

wherein the steering wheel position change part moves the steering wheel on condition that a predetermined operation is inputted to the input part.

4. The steering wheel position control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the head position acquisition part acquires a three-dimensional position of the head part of the driver.

5. The steering wheel position control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the check part checks the combination of the position of the head part and the position of the steering wheel with respect to a top part and a bottom part of the steering wheel; and

the steering wheel position change part changes the steering wheel position when the combination is determined to be outside the predetermined allowable range with respect to at least one of the top part and the bottom part.

6. The steering wheel position control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the check part checks the combination of the position of the head part and the position of the steering wheel with respect to a top part and a bottom part of the steering wheel; and

the steering wheel position change part changes the steering wheel position only when both the movement of the electric power seat is detected by the seat movement detection part, and the combination is determined to be outside the predetermined allowable range with respect to at least one of the top part and the bottom part.