System for controlling a vehicle seat assembly

• US 9,383,872 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2014
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Yetukuri, Arjun V., Hein, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Torchinsky, Edward
• Application Number:
  US14/229,105
• Publication Number:
  US 20140210239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0228 Hand-activated mechanical switches B60N2/0229 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0239 using movement detection or gesture recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/12 Capacitive; Electric field
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A vehicle seat assembly has a vehicle seat with a seat base and a seat back. The vehicle seat has at least one actuator configured to move one of the seat back and seat base along a path between a first position and a second position. A sensor has a generally planar surface defining a sensing area. A controller is in communication with the actuator and the sensor. The controller is configured to, in response to receiving a sliding input on the sensing area, control the at least one actuator to move the one of the seat back and seat base along the path.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat assembly comprising:

a vehicle seat comprising a seat base and a seat back, the vehicle seat having at least one actuator configured to (i) raise and lower the seat base along a first path, and (ii) move the seat base along a fore/aft axis;

a head restraint supported by the vehicle seat;

a planar sensor array having a first zone with a sensing surface, the first zone having a first series of ribs extending outwardly from and across the sensing surface and a second series of ribs extending outwardly from and across the sensing surface, the second series of ribs being generally perpendicular with the first series of ribs; and

a controller in communication with the actuator and the sensor array, the controller configured to;

(i) in response to receiving a first sliding input in the first zone of the sensor array, control the at least one actuator to move the seat along the first path, and (ii) in response to receiving a second sliding input in the first zone, control the at least one actuator to move the seat base along the fore/aft axis, wherein the first sliding input is aligned with the first series of ribs, and the second sliding input is aligned with the second series of ribs.

2. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 wherein the at least one actuator is further configured to tilt the seat base about a transverse axis of the seat base;

wherein the planar sensor array has a second zone arranged in at least two columns and at least one row with the first zone; and

wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to receiving a third sliding input in the second zone, control the at least one actuator to tilt the seat base about the transverse axis.

3. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 2 wherein the first zone and the second zone are adjacent to one another;

and

wherein the sensor array comprises a protrusion positioned between the first and second zones.

4. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 2 wherein the at least one actuator is further configured to recline the seat back relative to the seat base;

wherein the planar sensor array has a third zone positioned in a third column and the at least one row; and

wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to receiving a fourth sliding input in the third zone of the sensor array, control the at least one actuator to recline the seat.

5. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 4 wherein the fourth sliding input includes two opposed curved sliding inputs;

and

wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to generally simultaneously receiving the two curved sliding inputs in the third zone of the sensor array, control the at least one actuator to recline the seat.

6. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 4 wherein the third zone has a series of ribs extending outwardly from a sensing surface of the zone, the series of ribs being curved.

7. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 2 wherein the at least one actuator is further configured to move the head restraint relative to the vehicle seat;

wherein the planar sensor array has a third zone positioned in a third column and the at least one row; and

wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to receiving a fourth sliding input in the third zone of the sensor array, control the at least one actuator to move the head restraint.

8. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 2 wherein the least one actuator is configured to move cushion bolsters on the vehicle seat in and out along a second path;

and

wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to receiving a pinching input in the first zone of the sensor array, control the at least one actuator to move the seat along the second path.

9. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 wherein the sensor array comprises a capacitive sensor;

and

wherein the sensor array is oriented on an outer surface of the seat base.

10. A vehicle seat assembly comprising:

a vehicle seat comprising a seat base and a seat back, the vehicle seat having at least one actuator configured to move one of the seat back and seat base along a first path between a first position and a second position and along a second path between a third position and a fourth position;

a sensor having a generally planar surface defining a sensing area;

a controller in communication with the actuator and the sensor, the controller configured to;

(i) in response to receiving a first sliding input on the sensing area, control the at least one actuator to move the one of the seat back and seat base along the first path, (ii) in response to receiving a second sliding input on the sensing area, control the at least one actuator to move the one of the seat back and seat base along the second path, and (ii) in response to receiving continuous input at a single point on the sensing area immediately after the first sliding input, control the at least one actuator to continue to move the one of the seat back and seat base along the first path;

a first series of ribs positioned on and extending across the sensing area indicative of a direction for the first sliding input on the sensing area; and

a second series of ribs positioned on and extending across the sensing area indicative of a direction for the second sliding input on the sensing area, the second series of ribs being generally perpendicular with the first series of ribs.

11. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 10 wherein wherein the first and second series of ribs intersect.

12. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 10 wherein the controller is configured to unlock the sensing area to receive one of the first and second sliding inputs in response to receiving an unlocking input from the sensor.

13. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 10 wherein the controller is further configured to control at least one of a speaker and a vibration module to provide an audible alert or a haptic alert in response to receiving one of the first and second sliding inputs and as the one of the seat back and seat base is moved along one of the first and second paths.

14. A vehicle seat assembly comprising:

a vehicle seat comprising a seat base and a seat back, the vehicle seat having at least one actuator configured for 22-way adjustment of the seat along eleven paths;

a planar sensor array having five adjacent zones arranged in at least five columns and at least one row, the planar sensor array configured to sense at least eleven sliding inputs in the five zones; and

a controller in communication with the actuator and the sensor array;

the controller configured to, in response to receiving one of eleven sliding inputs in a predetermined zone of the sensor array, control the vehicle seat to move along one of the eleven paths corresponding to the one of the eleven sliding inputs.

15. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 14 wherein the controller is configured to:

(i) in response to receiving first and second sliding inputs in the first zone, control the at least one actuator to move the seat along the first and second paths, respectively, (ii) in response to receiving a third sliding input in the second zone, control the at least one actuator to move the seat along the third path, (iii) in response to receiving fourth, fifth, and sixth sliding inputs in the third zone, control the at least one actuator to move the seat along the fourth, fifth, and sixth paths, respectively, (iv) in response to receiving a seventh sliding input in the fourth zone, control the at least one actuator to move the seat along the seventh path, and (v) in response to receiving eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh sliding inputs in the fifth zone, control the at least one actuator to move the seat along the eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh paths.

16. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 14 wherein the sensor array comprises a protrusion separating adjacent zones;

and

wherein each zone of the sensor array has a series of protrusions extending across a sensing area of the zone, the series of protrusions indicating a direction for a sliding input within the zone.

17. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 14 wherein the sensor array comprises a capacitive sensor.

18. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 14 further comprising a head restraint supported by the vehicle seat, the head restraint having another actuator to move the head restraint along a head restraint path;

wherein the planar sensor array has a sixth zone to sense a twelfth sliding input; and

wherein the controller is configured to, in response to receiving the twelfth sliding input in the sixth zone of the sensor array, control the head restraint to move along the head restraint path corresponding to the twelfth sliding input.