Headrest control apparatus and method
First Claim
1. A headrest control apparatus, comprising:
- a rear state detection device that detects a following vehicle;
a collision determination device that determines, based on the result of the detection by the rear state detection device, whether the possibility of collision between the following vehicle and a subject vehicle is high and outputs a start-up signal if the possibility of collision is high;
a headrest drive mechanism that supports a headrest and drives the headrest relative to the subject vehicle in the longitudinal direction of the subject vehicle;
a motor that produces a force for driving the headrest in the longitudinal direction;
a head position detection device that detects the position of the bead of an occupant relative to the headrest; and
a headrest control portion that controls the longitudinal position of the headrest by activating the motor in accordance with the output of the collision determination device, wherein the headrest control portion executes a forward drive control that starts to drive the headrest forward by activating the motor in response to the start-up signal from the collision determination device and then finishes the forward drive of the headrest by stopping the motor when detecting, from the signals from the head position detection device, that the positional relation between the head of the occupant and the headrest has reached a predetermined positional relation, the headrest control portion, after the forward drive control, executes a hold control that holds the motor in a stopped state for a predetermined hold time, and the headrest control portion, after the hold control, executes a backward drive control that drives the headrest backward by activating the motor to rotate in a reverse direction.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A headrest control apparatus has a rear radar sensor, a PCS-ECU, a headrest drive mechanism that supports a headrest and drives the headrest relative to the vehicle in its longitudinal direction, a motor, a capacitance sensor, and a headrest control portion that controls the motor. The headrest control portion executes a forward drive control in which the headrest starts to be driven forward in response to a start-up signal from the PCS-ECU and the motor is stopped in response to the positional relation between the occupant'"'"'s head and the headrest reaching a predetermined positional relation. After the forward drive control, the headrest control portion executes a hold control in which the motor is held in a stopped state for a predetermined hold time. After the hold control, the headrest control portion executes a backward drive control in which the headrest is driven backward.
22 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A headrest control apparatus, comprising:
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a rear state detection device that detects a following vehicle;
a collision determination device that determines, based on the result of the detection by the rear state detection device, whether the possibility of collision between the following vehicle and a subject vehicle is high and outputs a start-up signal if the possibility of collision is high;
a headrest drive mechanism that supports a headrest and drives the headrest relative to the subject vehicle in the longitudinal direction of the subject vehicle;
a motor that produces a force for driving the headrest in the longitudinal direction;
a head position detection device that detects the position of the bead of an occupant relative to the headrest; and
a headrest control portion that controls the longitudinal position of the headrest by activating the motor in accordance with the output of the collision determination device, wherein the headrest control portion executes a forward drive control that starts to drive the headrest forward by activating the motor in response to the start-up signal from the collision determination device and then finishes the forward drive of the headrest by stopping the motor when detecting, from the signals from the head position detection device, that the positional relation between the head of the occupant and the headrest has reached a predetermined positional relation, the headrest control portion, after the forward drive control, executes a hold control that holds the motor in a stopped state for a predetermined hold time, and the headrest control portion, after the hold control, executes a backward drive control that drives the headrest backward by activating the motor to rotate in a reverse direction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for controlling an active headrest including a headrest drive mechanism that supports a headrest and drives the headrest relative to a subject vehicle in the longitudinal direction of the subject vehicle and a motor that produces a force for driving the headrest in the longitudinal direction, the method comprising:
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detecting a following vehicle;
outputting a start-up signal if the possibility of collision between the following vehicle and the subject vehicle is determined to be high based on the result of the following vehicle detection;
activating, in response to the start-up signal, the motor to drive the headrest forward until the positional relation between the head of an occupant and the headrest reaches a predetermined positional relation;
holding, after driving the headrest forward, the motor in a stopped state for a predetermined hold time; and
activating, after holding the motor in a stopped state for the predetermined hold time, the motor to rotate in a reverse direction to drive the headrest backward. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification