Adjustment device for ergonomically setting a vehicle seat with several adjustable seat components

• US 9,079,510 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2012
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Huber, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan K
• Assistant Examiner(s): King, Rodney P
• Application Number:
  US13/646,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20130090816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/49, 455/457, 455/566
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0248 with memory of positions
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0273 taking into account user data, e.g. knee height or physical state
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/037 for occupant comfort , e.g. for automatic adjustment of appliances according to personal settings, e.g. seats, mirrors, steering wheel

Abstract

An adjustment device has a control unit with a memory, in which vehicle occupant data is storable. The data enable an automatic setting of all adjustable seat components and/or vehicle components. A read-in unit allows the necessary vehicle occupant data to be read into the memory of the control unit from a mobile data medium. The data medium obtains the necessary vehicle occupant data as a defined two dimensional image from a digital image acquisition system. The control unit or the data medium has an algorithm that determines proportions of given body parts in relation to each other from the two dimensional image such that a certain, at least relative, automatic setting of the seat components and/or the vehicle components is derivable. An input unit, which is manually operable as a touch screen, sets defined body part positions using marks superposed in succession on the image.

Claims

1. An adjustment device for ergonomically setting at least one of a vehicle seat having adjustable seat components and defined vehicle components adjustable as a function of a position of the vehicle seat, the adjustment device comprising:

a control unit operatively configured to automatically set at least one of a selection for an adjustable seat component and a selection for a defined vehicle component as a function of vehicle occupant data;

wherein the control unit includes a memory in which the vehicle occupant data or data derivable from the vehicle occupant data is storable, said data enabling an automatic setting of at least one of the components;

a read-in unit, by which the data is readable into the memory from a mobile data medium separate from the vehicle, the mobile data medium obtaining the vehicle occupant data in a form of a defined two dimensional image from a digital image acquisition system, the image being taken in a predefined way; and

an input unit in a form of a manually operable touch screen on which defined positions of body parts are settable in a superposed manner on the defined two dimensional image shown on the touch screen via a user displaceable marking bar,

wherein the control unit comprises an algorithm configured to output the automatic setting of the at least one of the components based on determining proportions of the body parts from the defined two-dimensional image vehicle occupant data.

2. The adjustment device according to claim 1, wherein the touch screen of the input unit is a touch screen of a mobile terminal device having a photo function for creating the two dimensional image by photographing.

3. The adjustment device according to claim 2, wherein the mobile terminal device is operatively configured to execute an application program that enables input of the positions of the body parts using one or more of the user displaceable marking bars on the two dimensional image on the touch screen.

4. The adjustment device according to claim 3, wherein the mobile terminal device further comprises an executable application program that enables the input of the positions of the body parts via an automatic image recognition on the two dimensional image.

5. The adjustment device according to claim 3, wherein the application program additionally enables a user to select one or more predefined standard positions.

6. The adjustment device according to claim 4, wherein the application program additionally enables a user to select one or more predefined standard positions.

7. A computer product, comprising:

a computer readable medium having stored thereon program code segments that;

display, on a touch screen, a two dimensional image of a person acquired via a camera of a mobile terminal device;

respond to a user input on the touch screen to move at least one marking bar positioned on the two dimensional image on the touch screen as a function of a position of a body part of the person; and

calculate parameters of the person as a function of the two dimensional image and the at least one marking bar, said parameters being usable to ergonomically set at least one of a vehicle seat having at least one adjustable seat component and at least one vehicle component adjustable as a function of a position of the vehicle; and

transfer said parameters of the person to a read-in unit of the vehicle.

8. The computer product according to claim 7, wherein the computer readable medium further comprises program code segments that:

perform automatic image recognition on the two dimensional image to determine one or more positions of the body parts of the person.

9. The computer product according to claim 8, wherein the computer readable medium further comprises program code segments that:

allow a selection of predefined standard positions.