Vehicle seat adjustment assembly

• US 9,434,276 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2014
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Yetukuri, Arjun, Hein, David A., Locke, Gerald S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Jerrah
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH-STEWART, DEMETRA R
• Application Number:
  US14/300,450
• Publication Number:
  US 20140265477A1
• Time in Patent Office: 819 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 2/10 tiltable B60N2/12 , B60N2/2875 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/16 height-adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/224 Stepwise movement mechanisms, e.g. ratchets
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/232 provided with memory locks
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/806 movable or adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/809 vertically slidable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/838 Tiltable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/919 Positioning and locking mechanisms B60N2/16, B60N2/18, B60N2/22, B60N2/225 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/12 Capacitive; Electric field
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes

Abstract

A vehicle seat adjustment assembly has an actuator adapted to move a component of the vehicle seat assembly, and a generally planar sensor array in communication with the controller and accessible from an outer surface of the vehicle seat assembly. The sensor array has a plurality of adjacent sensors accessible from an outer surface of the vehicle seat assembly. A controller is in communication with the actuator for controlling the actuator and in communication with the sensor array. The controller is configured to control the actuator to move the component in response to receiving a signal indicative of a touch input of the sensor array by a user such that the movement of the component correlates with the input to the sensor array.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat adjustment assembly comprising:

at least one actuator adapted to move a component of a vehicle seat assembly along an arcuate path;

a generally planar sensor array accessible from an outer surface of the vehicle seat assembly, the sensor array having a plurality of adjoining sensors forming a first region and a second region; and

a controller in communication with the at least one actuator for controlling the at least one actuator and in communication with the sensor array, the controller configured to control the at least one actuator to move the component along the arcuate path in response to receiving a signal indicative of a first touch input by a user from the first region to the second region sequentially activating an arcuate pattern of adjacent sensors in the array.

2. The vehicle seat adjustment assembly of claim 1

wherein the at least one actuator is adapted to move the component along a linear path;

and

wherein the controller is further configured to control the at least one actuator to move the component along the linear path in response to receiving a second signal indicative of a second touch input by a user from the first region to the second region sequentially activating a linear pattern of adjacent sensors in the array.

3. The vehicle seat adjustment assembly of claim 2 wherein the first touch input intersects the second touch input;

and

wherein the linear path of the component intersects the arcuate path of the component.

4. The vehicle seat adjustment assembly of claim 2 wherein the at least one actuator is adapted to move the component along another linear path, the another linear path nonparallel with the linear path of the component;

and

wherein the controller is further configured to control the at least one actuator to move the component along the another linear path in response to receiving a third signal indicative of a third touch input by a user from the first region to the second region sequentially activating another linear pattern of adjacent sensors in the array, the second touch input nonparallel with the third touch input.

5. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 4 wherein the arcuate path of the component is about a first axis of the component, the linear path of the component is along a second axis of the component, and the another linear path of the component is along a third axis of the component;

and

wherein the first touch input is about a first axis of the sensor array corresponding to the first axis of the component, the second touch input is along a second axis of the sensor array corresponding to the second axis of the component, and the third touch input is along a third axis of the sensor array corresponding to the third axis of the component.

6. The vehicle seat adjustment assembly of claim 2 wherein the first touch input is nonparallel with the second touch input.

7. The vehicle seat adjustment assembly of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to control the at least one actuator to move the component along the arcuate path in a first direction based on the arcuate pattern being activated from the first region to the second region;

and

wherein the controller is configured to control the at least one actuator to move the component along the arcuate path in a second direction opposite to the first direction based on a reverse of the arcuate pattern of the adjacent sensors in the array being activated by a user as another touch input from the second region to the first region.

8. The vehicle seat adjustment assembly of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to control the at least one actuator to move the component a longer distance along the arcuate path in response to receiving the signal indicative of the first touch input by the user when a number of adjacent sensors activated in the arcuate pattern increases.

9. The vehicle seat adjustment assembly of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to control the at least one actuator to move the component a longer distance along the arcuate path in response to receiving the signal indicative of the first touch input by the user when a time of activation of one of the adjacent sensors activated in the arcuate pattern increases.

10. The vehicle seat adjustment assembly of claim 9 wherein the one of the adjacent sensors activated in the arcuate pattern is a last sensor activated by the user in the arcuate pattern.

11. The vehicle seat adjustment assembly of claim 1 wherein the planar sensor array is positioned on the outer surface of the vehicle seat assembly.

12. The vehicle seat adjustment assembly of claim 1 wherein the actuator is further adapted to move the component of the vehicle seat assembly relative to a remaining portion of the vehicle seat assembly.

13. The vehicle seat adjustment assembly of claim 12 further comprising a support structure of the vehicle seat assembly, the support structure being the remaining portion of the vehicle seat assembly.

14. The vehicle seat adjustment assembly of claim 13 further comprising a head restraint, the head restraint being the component of the vehicle seat assembly.

15. A vehicle seat adjustment assembly comprising:

at least one actuator adapted to move a component of a vehicle seat assembly along a first axis and along a second nonparallel axis;

a generally planar sensor array accessible from an outer surface of the vehicle seat assembly, the sensor array having a plurality of contiguous sensors in a first region and a second region, the array positioned on an outer surface of the vehicle seat assembly; and

a controller in communication with the actuator for controlling the actuator and in communication with the sensor array, the controller configured to control the actuator to move the component in response to receiving a signal indicative of a touch input of the sensor array by a user such that movement of the component correlates with the input to the sensor array, wherein the component moves along the first axis in response to a first touch input from the first region to the second region, and wherein the component moves along the second axis in response to a second touch input from the first region to the second region, the first touch input nonparallel to the second touch input.

16. The vehicle seat adjustment assembly of claim 15 wherein each sensor in the sensor array is a capacitive sensor.

17. The vehicle seat adjustment assembly of claim 15 wherein the at least one actuator is adapted to move the component about a third axis, the third axis nonparallel with the first and second axes;

and

wherein the component moves about the third axis in response to a third touch input from the first region to the second region, the third touch input nonparallel with the first and second touch inputs.

18. A vehicle seat assembly comprising:

a support structure;

a seat assembly component supported by the support structure and being movable relative to the support structure between a first position and a second position along a first path, and between a third position and a fourth position along a second path, the second path nonparallel with the first path;

at least one actuator connected to the component and adapted to move the component between the first position and the second position, and between the third position and the fourth position;

a controller in communication with the actuator and configured to control the at least one actuator; and

a generally planar sensor array in communication with the controller and positioned on an outer surface of the vehicle seat assembly, the sensor array having a first region and a second region adjoining the first region to sense (i) a first tactile input of the first region and second region being sequentially activated by a user, and (ii) a second tactile input of the first region and second region being sequentially activated;

wherein the controller is configured to receive (i) a signal indicative of the first tactile input from the sensor array and command the at least one actuator to move the component along the first path in response to the first tactile input by the user, and (ii) a signal indicative of the second tactile input from the sensor array and command the at least one actuator to move the component along the second path in response to the second tactile input by the user.

19. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 18 wherein the controller is configured to command the actuator to move the component at least a portion of a distance between the first and second position in response to receiving the signal indicative of the first tactile input.

20. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 18 wherein the seat assembly component is movable relative to the support structure between a fifth position and a sixth position along a third path, the third path being nonparallel with the first and second paths;

wherein the at least one actuator is adapted to move the component between the fifth position and the sixth position;

wherein the sensor array senses (iii) a third tactile input of the first region and the second region being sequentially activated;

wherein the controller is configured to receive (iii) a signal indicative of the third tactile input from the sensor array and command the at least one actuator to move the component along the third path in response to the third tactile input by the user; and

wherein the first tactile input, second tactile input, and third tactile input are nonparallel to one another.