Apparatus and method for a vehicle massage function for a vehicle seat

• US 9,925,894 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2016
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lem, Jeroen, Boland, Brian, Hall, Amber LaVerne
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancho, Ronnie M
• Application Number:
  US15/208,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20180015853A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 701 36
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 15/0078 power-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0149 Seat or chair
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0207 heated
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0214 cooled
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5002 Means for controlling a set of similar massage devices acting in sequence at different locations on a patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/501 connected to external computer devices or networks
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5035 Several programs selectable
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5038 freely programmable by the user
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5046 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 23/02 with electric or magnetic drive
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 9/0078 with intermittent or alternately inflated bladders or cuffs mattresses for preventing bed-sores with alternated pressurized chambers A61G7/05776
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0244 with logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0248 with memory of positions
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/976 massaging systems

Abstract

A method for customizing a vehicular massage function includes providing massage element indicia, creating massage subroutines using the massage element indicia, selecting a vehicle that includes a seat having a massage element configuration, placing the massage subroutines in communication with the vehicle, adapting the massage subroutines to be compatible with the massage element configuration and activating the seat to perform at least one massage subroutine.

Claims

1. A method for operating a massage function of a vehicle, the method comprising steps of:

providing a user interface having a plurality of massage element indicia;

creating a plurality of massage subroutines by selecting patterns of massage element indicia from the plurality of massage element indicia, wherein selection of each massage element indicia corresponds to a massage instruction for a specific massage subroutine;

storing the plurality of massage subroutines in a portable memory in communication with the user interface;

selecting a vehicle to be occupied, wherein the vehicle to be occupied includes a seat having a plurality of massage elements placed in a massage element configuration;

placing the portable memory in communication with the vehicle to be occupied wherein the plurality of massage subroutines are in selective communication with the plurality of massage elements;

selecting a pattern of massage subroutines of the plurality of massage subroutines to be performed;

adapting the pattern of massage subroutines to be compatible with the massage element configuration, wherein each massage instruction of each specific massage subroutine is placed in correspondence with at least one massage element of the plurality of massage elements; and

activating the plurality of massage elements to perform the pattern of massage subroutines.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the massage element indicia corresponds to a representation of a user'"'"'s back exemplified within the user interface, and wherein the massage subroutines correspond to performance of a series of massage instructions relating to the representation of the user'"'"'s back.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle to be occupied is any one of a plurality of vehicles, wherein each vehicle of the plurality of vehicles includes a plurality of seating positions each having the massage element configuration, and wherein the step of adapting the pattern of massage subroutines includes selecting the seating position to be occupied.

4. A method for operating a massage function of a vehicle, the method comprising steps of:

engaging a user interface having a plurality of massage element indicia;

selecting patterns of massage element indicia from the plurality of massage element indicia, to define a plurality of massage subroutines, wherein each pattern of massage element indicia corresponds to a specific massage subroutine;

storing the plurality of massage subroutines in a portable memory in communication with the user interface;

selecting a vehicle to be occupied, wherein the vehicle to be occupied includes a seat having a plurality of massage elements;

placing the portable memory in communication with the vehicle to be occupied such that each massage element indicia of the plurality of massage element indicia corresponds to a massage element of the plurality of massage elements;

selecting a pattern of massage subroutines of the plurality of subroutines to be performed by the plurality of massage elements; and

activating the plurality of massage elements to perform the pattern of massage subroutines.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of selecting the vehicle to be occupied includes selecting the vehicle from a plurality of vehicles.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising steps of:

operating a massage element verification to determine if a configuration of the plurality of massage element indicia corresponds to the configuration of the plurality of massage elements; and

adjusting at least one of the plurality of massage element indicia and the plurality of massage subroutines where the configuration of the plurality of massage element indicia does not correspond to the configuration of the plurality of massage elements such that each massage element indicia of the plurality of massage element indicia corresponds to at least one massage element of the plurality of massage elements.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of vehicles include a plurality of massage element configurations, and wherein the plurality of massage subroutines includes configuration-specific massage subroutines that correspond to each massage element configuration of the plurality of vehicles.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each vehicle has at least two separate massage element configurations corresponding to specific seating positions within the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of massage subroutines are also stored within an internal memory of the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the user interface is a touchscreen for a portable computing device.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of vehicles are a set of fleet vehicles.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of vehicles are ride-share vehicles.

13. The method of claim 4, wherein each massage element indicia includes a user interface for selecting at least one massage instruction of a plurality of massage instructions, and wherein the step of selecting patterns of massage element indicia includes selecting the at least one massage characteristic as to each massage element indicia.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the massage characteristics include massage time, idle time, massage intensity and massage type.

15. A method for customizing a vehicular massage function comprising steps of:

providing massage element indicia;

creating massage subroutines using the massage element indicia;

selecting a vehicle that includes a seat having a massage element configuration;

placing the massage subroutines in communication with the vehicle;

adapting the massage subroutines to be compatible with the massage element configuration; and

activating the seat to perform at least one massage subroutine.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one massage subroutine includes a plurality of massage subroutines.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of creating massage subroutines includes storing the massage subroutines in a portable memory physically separated from the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the vehicle is one of a plurality of vehicles.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the massage element indicia corresponds to a representation of a user'"'"'s back exemplified within a user interface, and wherein the massage subroutines correspond to performance of a series of massage instruction relating to the representation of the user'"'"'s back.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of adapting the massage subroutines includes selecting massage elements in the massage element configuration of the seat to perform the series of massage instructions relating to the representations of the user'"'"'s back.