Autonomous vehicle with reconfigurable seats

• US 9,096,150 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2013
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Cuddihy, Mark A., Rao, Manoharprasad K., Le, Jialiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US14/085,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20150142245A1
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/01 Arrangement of seats relative to one another
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0224 Non-manual adjustments, e.g. with electrical operation
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0244 with logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0292 Multiple configuration seats, e.g. for spacious vehicles or mini-buses
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/06 slidable B60N2/12 , B60N2/2209 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/143 taking a position opposite to the original one
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/203 taking a position opposite to the original one
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/24 for particular purposes or particular vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3011 the back-rest being hinged on the cushion, e.g. "portefeuille movement"
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3056 along longitunal axis
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23161 specially adapted for protecting at least two passengers, e.g. preventing them from hitting each other
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/015 including means for detecting the presence or position of passengers, passenger seats or child seats , and the related safety parameters therefor, e.g. speed or timing of airbag inflation in relation to occupant position or seat belt use
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00

Abstract

A vehicle includes a passenger compartment and at least one seat located in the passenger compartment. The seat can be moved from a front-facing position to a rear-facing position for when the vehicle is operating in an autonomous mode. The vehicle may further include autonomous driving sensors and an autonomous controller that receives signals generated by the autonomous driving sensors and controls at least one vehicle subsystems according to the signals received.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a passenger compartment;

at least one seat located in the passenger compartment configured to be moved from a front-facing position to a rear-facing position for when the vehicle is operating in an autonomous mode; and

a motor operably attached to the seat and configured to move the seat to the rear-facing position.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the seat is configured to pivot from the front-facing position to the rear-facing position.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a console located in the passenger compartment of the vehicle between at least two seats, wherein the console is configured to slide toward a back of the vehicle when at least one of the seats is moved from the front-facing position to the rear-facing position.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising an airbag located in the passenger compartment between a front row of seats and a back row of seats.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the airbag is deployed only when at least one of the seats in the front row of seats is in the rear-facing position.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the seat includes at least one of a bucket seat, a captain'"'"'s chair, a bench seat, and a split bench seat.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the seat includes a back portion and a bottom portion, and wherein moving the seat to the rear-facing position includes pivoting the back portion about an axis defined by the bottom portion such that the back portion moves toward a front of the passenger compartment.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the motor is configured to move the seat to the front-facing position.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the motor is configured to move the seat when the vehicle is stopped.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the motor is configured to move the seat while the vehicle is moving and operating in the autonomous mode.

11. A vehicle comprising:

autonomous driving sensors;

an autonomous controller configured to receive signals generated by the autonomous driving sensors and control at least one vehicle subsystems according to the signals;

a passenger compartment; and

at least one seat located in the passenger compartment configured to be moved from a front-facing position to a rear-facing position for when the vehicle is operating in an autonomous mode.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the seat is configured to pivot from the front-facing position to the rear-facing position.

13. The vehicle of claim 11, further comprising a console located in the passenger compartment of the vehicle between at least two seats, wherein the console is configured to slide toward a back of the vehicle when at least one of the seats is moved from the front-facing position to the rear-facing position.

14. The vehicle of claim 11, further comprising an airbag located in the passenger compartment between a front row of seats and a back row of seats and is deployed only when at least one of the seats in the front row of seats is in the rear-facing position.

15. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the seat includes a back portion and a bottom portion, and wherein moving the seat to the rear-facing position includes pivoting the back portion about an axis defined by the bottom portion such that the back portion moves toward a front of the passenger compartment.

16. The vehicle of claim 11, further comprising a motor operably attached to the seat and configured to move the seat from the front-facing position to the rear-facing position and from the rear-facing position to the front-facing position.

17. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the motor is configured to move the seat when the vehicle is stopped.

18. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the motor is configured to move the seat while the vehicle is moving and operating in the autonomous mode.

19. A vehicle comprising:

autonomous driving sensors;

an autonomous controller configured to receive signals generated by the autonomous driving sensors and control at least one vehicle subsystems according to the signals;

a passenger compartment;

at least one seat located in the passenger compartment configured to be moved from a front-facing position to a rear-facing position for when the vehicle is operating in an autonomous mode;

a motor operably attached to the seat and configured to move the seat from the front-facing position to the rear-facing position and from the rear-facing position to the front-facing position;

an airbag located in the passenger compartment between a front row of seats and a back row of seats and is deployed only when at least one of the seats in the front row of seats is in the rear-facing position.