Vehicular entertainment stage

• US 8,983,634 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2012
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: John C. Yank III
• Original Assignee: John C. Yank III
• Inventors: Yank, John C. III
• Primary Examiner(s): KASENGE, CHARLES R
• Application Number:
  US13/365,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20120203378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 700/275, 700/9, 700/17, 700/19, 700/20, 700/65, 701/36, 701/49
• US Class Current: 700/65
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/01 Arrangement of seats relative to one another
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02246 Electric motors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02258 characterised by the mounting of the electric motor for adjusting the seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0244 with logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/14 rotatable, e.g. to permit easy access B60N2/10 , B60N2/2869 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/986 Side-rests B60N2/2872, B60N2/885 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/00 Sensor types, e.g. for passenger detection systems or for controlling seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2220/20 using a deterministic algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2230/10 Wired data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2230/20 Wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 3/06 of footrests

Abstract

Provided herein is a vehicular stage with individual seats and seat control system and method for controlling a movement of a seat, the seat control system including: a motor configured to move the seat in at least one direction; a control computer, which is disposed remotely with respect to the seat, and which is configured to output control commands for controlling the movement of the seat; and a microcontroller, which is connected to the motor and the control computer and configured to receive the control commands from the control computer and to control the motor to move the seat in the at least one direction based on the control commands received from the control computer.

Claims

1. A seat control system in a boat, the seat control system comprising:

a plurality of seats disposed on said boat;

a central control computer, which is disposed remotely with respect to said seats, and which includes a program that causes said central control computer to output control commands for controlling the movement of said seats while the boat is moving, wherein said control commands include commands to rotate the seats in a direction counter to a turning direction of said boat;

said plurality of seats each including;

a motor configured to move the corresponding seat in at least one direction;

a microcontroller, which is connected to the motor and the central control computer and configured to receive the control commands from the central control computer and to control the motor to move the corresponding seat while the boat is moving in the at least one direction based on the control commands received from the central control computer.

2. The seat control system of claim 1, further comprising a seatbelt sensor disposed at each seat and configured to sense whether a seatbelt of the corresponding seat is being used, and

the microcontroller is further configured to control the movement of the seat based on whether the seatbelt is being used.

3. The seat control system of claim 1, further comprising a stop button located at each seat and configured to receive a stop command from a user, and

if the stop command is received from the user, the stop button is configured to send a stop signal to the microcontroller, and the microcontroller controls the motor to stop.

4. The seat control system of claim 1, wherein the movement is a rotation about an axis extending through the seat in a vertical direction.

5. The seat control system of claim 4, wherein each seat further comprises a rotation indicator configured to receive a rotation status signal from the microcontroller and provide an indication of a state of rotation of the seat based on the rotation status signal received from the microcontroller.

6. The seat control system of claim 1, further comprising a speaker configured to receive an audio signal from the microcontroller and output sound based on the audio signal received from the microcontroller.

7. The seat control system of claim 1, wherein each seat further comprises a shaft, which is connected to the seat and driven by the motor, wherein the shaft corresponds to an axis of rotation about which the seat is rotatable.

8. The seat control system of claim 1, wherein each seat further comprises a frame for the seat, wherein the motor and the microcontroller are attached to the frame.

9. The seat control system of claim 1, further comprising a communication cable which connects the control computer to the microcontrollers.

10. The seat control system according to claim 1, wherein said boat is operable to spin on the water, and said control commands include commands to rotate the seats in a direction counter to the spinning direction of the boat so that said seats maintain substantially the same relative direction with respect to landmarks outside of the boat.

11. A method of controlling a plurality of seats from a central control computer located remotely from said seats in a boat, the method comprising:

sending a command from the central control computer to each of said seats, said central control computer including a program that causes said central control computer to output said commands, wherein said command includes at least one command to rotate the seat in a direction counter to a turning direction of said boat; and

at each of said seats;

receiving said command;

determining a control signal based on the control command received from the control computer;

outputting the control signal to at least one seat control circuit based on the determining of the control signal, while the boat is moving; and

controlling the seat with the at least one seat control circuit based on the output control fsignal, while said boat is moving.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one seat control circuit corresponds to a motor for moving the seat.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the moving of the seat comprises rotating the seat by a number of degrees based on the output control signal.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one seat control circuit corresponds to a speaker for outputting a sound from the seat.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein said boat is operable to spin on the water, and said command includes at least one command to rotate the seat in a direction counter to the spinning direction of the boat so that said seat maintains substantially the same relative direction with respect to landmarks outside of the boat.