System, methodologies, and components acquiring, analyzing, and using occupant body specifications for improved seating structures and environment configuration
First Claim
1. An occupant support system comprising a configuration control system for a seat, the configuration control system comprising:
- an interface configured to obtain occupant data associated with an occupant; and
computer means for receiving the occupant data, calculating a set of body ratios using the occupant data, calculating external body dimensions using the set of body ratios and the occupant data, calculating internal body dimensions using at least the external body dimensions, and calculating a best-fit body arrangement of the occupant using the internal body dimensions and predetermined criteria so that the occupant'"'"'s comfort and/or safety is increased when the occupant'"'"'s body is in the best-fit body arrangement, andan actuator adapted to move the seat to the best-fit body arrangement.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Equipment and processes generate a seating solution by obtaining occupant data, calculating body dimensions from the occupant data, and calculating a best-fit body arrangement for an occupant. Occupant data may be obtained in various ways using available computational devices and software or by manually measuring the relevant dimensions on the occupant. A user interface for inputting occupant metrics and/or occupant measurements may be provided in a mobile terminal included in the vehicle or separate from the vehicle, thus giving users increased flexibility while maximizing simplicity and usability for the user or other personnel obtaining the data. Once an occupant'"'"'s best-fit body arrangement is determined, it may be altered by changing the predetermined criteria to achieve optimum comfort, safety, and therapeutic benefit as well as used for providing improved comfort on a continuous basis and/or in response to detected or predicted vehicle, road, or atmospheric conditions.
80 Citations
27 Claims
-
1. An occupant support system comprising a configuration control system for a seat, the configuration control system comprising:
-
an interface configured to obtain occupant data associated with an occupant; and computer means for receiving the occupant data, calculating a set of body ratios using the occupant data, calculating external body dimensions using the set of body ratios and the occupant data, calculating internal body dimensions using at least the external body dimensions, and calculating a best-fit body arrangement of the occupant using the internal body dimensions and predetermined criteria so that the occupant'"'"'s comfort and/or safety is increased when the occupant'"'"'s body is in the best-fit body arrangement, and an actuator adapted to move the seat to the best-fit body arrangement. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. An occupant support system comprising:
-
a vehicle seat including a seat bottom configured to be mounted to a vehicle frame included in a vehicle for movement relative to the vehicle frame, a seat back coupled to the seat bottom to pivot about a seat-back pivot axis relative to the seat bottom, and a seat-movement system coupled to the seat back and seat bottom to control movement of the seat back and seat bottom; and a configuration control system including an interface configured to obtain occupant data associated with an occupant and vehicle data associated with the vehicle seat and a computer configured to provide means for receiving the occupant data and the vehicle data, calculating a set of body ratios using the occupant data, calculating external body dimensions using the set of body ratios and the occupant data, calculating internal body dimensions using an estimate of a thickness of the occupant'"'"'s flesh and the external body dimensions, calculating a best-fit body arrangement of the occupant using the internal body dimensions and predetermined criteria, calculating a best-fit seating solution using the best-fit body arrangement, the vehicle data, and the predetermined criteria, and communicating the best-fit seating solution to the seat-movement system to cause the seat bottom and the seat back to move to cause a best-fit arrangement of the vehicle seat to be established so that the occupant'"'"'s comfort and/or safety is increased when the vehicle seat is in the best-fit arrangement.
-
-
11. A method of generating and using a best-fit body arrangement for a body of an occupant in a seat, the method comprising:
-
obtaining occupant data associated with the occupant via an interface; calculating internal body dimensions using the occupant data; and calculating the best-fit body arrangement of the occupant in the seat using the internal body dimensions and predetermined criteria, moving the seat to the best-fit body arrangement to increase the occupant'"'"'s comfort and/or safety. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
-
Specification