Apparatus for customizing a vehicle seat for an occupant
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An apparatus for customizing a vehicle seat, comprising:
- a stand;
a test vehicle seat on the stand having a cushion and a back coupled thereto, the test vehicle seat matching a surface contour and an adjustment mode set of the vehicle seat;
a plurality of force sensors in respective locations along the cushion and the back;
electronic circuitry coupled with the plurality of sensors and programmed to output a vehicle seat configuration compensating for forces sensed by ones of the plurality of force sensors within corresponding locations of the vehicle seat, the vehicle seat lacking such force sensors, wherein the electronic circuitry is programmed to output the sensed forces and associated areas as an image of the test seat with the sensed forces depicted within the image so as to correspond to the respective locations of the sensors;
a first video screen mounted on the stand in a position facing the test vehicle seat; and
a second video screen mounted on the stand in a position facing away from the test vehicle seat, the image being output to at least one of the first video screen and the second video screen and displayed thereon.
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Abstract
An apparatus for customizing a vehicle seat includes a seat having a cushion and a back coupled thereto and a plurality of force sensors in respective locations along the cushion and the back. The apparatus further includes electronic circuitry coupled with the plurality of sensors and programmed to associate forces sensed by ones of the plurality of force sensors with the respective locations thereof and to output the sensed forces and associated areas.
218 Citations
18 Claims
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1. An apparatus for customizing a vehicle seat, comprising:
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a stand; a test vehicle seat on the stand having a cushion and a back coupled thereto, the test vehicle seat matching a surface contour and an adjustment mode set of the vehicle seat; a plurality of force sensors in respective locations along the cushion and the back; electronic circuitry coupled with the plurality of sensors and programmed to output a vehicle seat configuration compensating for forces sensed by ones of the plurality of force sensors within corresponding locations of the vehicle seat, the vehicle seat lacking such force sensors, wherein the electronic circuitry is programmed to output the sensed forces and associated areas as an image of the test seat with the sensed forces depicted within the image so as to correspond to the respective locations of the sensors; a first video screen mounted on the stand in a position facing the test vehicle seat; and a second video screen mounted on the stand in a position facing away from the test vehicle seat, the image being output to at least one of the first video screen and the second video screen and displayed thereon. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for customizing a vehicle seat, comprising:
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obtaining data related to a weight distribution of an occupant over a test seat in a test configuration and including a cushion, a back, and a plurality of force sensors distributed along the cushion and the back, the data being obtained using the sensors; determining a custom configuration for a vehicle seat having a surface contour and an adjustment mode set matched by the test seat, the custom configuration being based on the weight distribution data of the occupant; outputting the configuration to a vehicle including the vehicle seat; and automatically adjusting the vehicle seat into the configuration. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A kiosk for providing a custom configuration for a vehicle seat, comprising:
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a stand; a test seat on the stand, the test vehicle seat matching a surface contour and an adjustment mode set of the vehicle seat and having a plurality of force sensors distributed adjacent a seating surface thereof; electronic circuitry coupled with the plurality of sensors; a control coupled with the electronic circuitry and operable to instruct the electronic circuitry to obtain force measurements from the sensors and to output a vehicle seat configuration compensating for the force measurements within corresponding locations of the vehicle seat, the vehicle seat lacking force sensors, and an image of the test seat with the sensed forces depicted within the image so as to correspond to the respective locations of the sensors; a first display mounted on the stand in a position facing the test seat and coupled with the electronic circuitry, the electronic circuitry operable to output information related to the might measurements thereon; and a second video screen mounted on the stand in a position facing away from the test vehicle seat, the image being output to at least one of the first video screen and the second video screen and displayed thereon. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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Specification