Cockpit of an automotive vehicle with a steering wheel and an adjustable seat

• US 7,552,000 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2004
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: C ROB Hammerstein GmbH & Company KG (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: C ROB Hammerstein GmbH & Company KG (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Beneker, Wilfried, Lingnau, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanglaud; Gertrude Arthur
• Application Number:
  US10/931,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20050043877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,756 Days
• Field of Search: 701/49, 701/1, 701/45, 701/41, 701/46, 180/268, 180/271, 280/734, 280/735
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0224 Non-manual adjustments, e.g. with electrical operation

Abstract

A passenger compartment (cockpit) of an automotive vehicle is equipped for the driver with a steering wheel (20), with an underbody (24), and with a seat (26). The seat (26) comprises an underframe (28) connected to the underbody (24), a seat pan (30) carried by the underframe (28), a seat back (32) and an adjusting device for adjusting the seat (26) toward the steering wheel (20) and away therefrom. A control circuit (56) is associated with said adjusting device.

Claims

1. A passenger compartment (cockpit) of an automotive vehicle comprising

a steering wheel,

an underbody, and

a seat,

said seat comprising

an underframe connected to said underbody,

a seat pan carried by the underframe,

a seat back,

a first adjusting device for adjusting the seat toward the steering wheel and away therefrom,

a control circuit associated with said first adjusting device,

an input means permitting to selectively bring the control circuit from a normally locked state into an activated state, wherein the first adjusting device of the seat is adjustable only in the activated state,

sensors located on the ring of the steering wheel and connected to the control circuit, at least one first sensor of these sensors being responsive to a first force exerted in the direction leading away from the seat toward the steering wheel and at least one second sensor of these sensors being responsive to a second force exerted onto the steering wheel in the direction opposite to said first force, said first sensor controlling an adjusting backward movement of the adjusting device which backward movement is a movement away from the steering wheel and said second sensor controlling an adjusting forward movement of the adjusting device which forward movement is a movement towards the steering wheel.

2. The passenger compartment in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the first adjusting device for the seat is one of a lengthwise adjustment device and/or an adjusting device for adjusting the tilt of the seat back and/or an adjusting device for adjusting the longitudinal position of a headrest and/or an adjusting device for adjusting the position of the seat pan in the longitudinal direction.

3. The passenger compartment in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the seat comprises more than one adjusting device and that the control circuit comprises either several control modes and is designed in such a manner that each of the adjusting devices can be addressed selectively via the input means or one control mode by means of which several adjusting devices of the seat are controllable simultaneously.

4. The passenger compartment in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the first sensor and the second sensor are disposed on the steering wheel so as to be within the range of the user'"'"'s hands holding the steering wheel.

5. The passenger compartment in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the input means comprises a sensor.

6. The passenger compartment in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the first adjusting device comprises either a releasable mechanical locking device or a drive with an electric motor.

7. The passenger compartment in accordance with claim 3, characterized in that the steering wheel comprises at least one third sensor and at least one further adjusting device for the seat, the adjusting movement thereof substantially occurring in a direction other than the direction leading toward the steering wheel and away therefrom.

8. The passenger compartment in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that either the at least one first sensor enables in the control circuit, upon actuation by the hand of a user, switching between an on-state and an off-state, or the at least one first sensor is a force sensor.

9. The passenger compartment in accordance with claim 8, characterized in that the force exerted onto the force sensor is evaluated in the control circuit in such a manner that the speed of the adjusting movement is also controlled, a larger force applied on the sensor resulting in a faster adjusting movement and vice versa.

10. The passenger compartment in accordance with claim 3, characterized in that it further comprises at least one additional part, wherein said at least one additional pan is associated with a second adjusting device, wherein said control circuit comprises an adjusting mode for actuating said second adjusting device and wherein at least one third sensor, which is provided on the steering wheel and can be identical to the first or second sensor, is associated with a control unit of said second adjusting device.

11. The passenger compartment in accordance with claim 10, characterized in that the at least one additional part is a mirror or a steering wheel adjusting facility.

12. The passenger compartment in accordance with claim 5, characterized in that the input means is a switch or a voice input.

13. A passenger'"'"'s compartment (cockpit) of an automotive vehicle comprising:

a steering wheel, said steering wheel comprising a ring, said ring having a front ring face and a back ring face,

an underbody,

a seat, said seat comprising an underframe connected to said underbody, a seat pan carried by the underframe, a seat back, a first adjusting device for adjusting the seat toward the steering wheel and away therefrom, the front ring face facing forward, the back ring face facing backward toward the seat,

a control circuit associated with said first adjusting device, characterized in that there is provided an input means

an input means permitting to selectively bring the control circuit from the normally locked state into an activated state, wherein the first adjusting device of the seat is adjustable only in the activated state,

sensors located on the a ring of the steering wheel and connected to the control circuit, at least one first sensor of these sensors being arranged on said back ring face, and being responsive to a first force exerted in the direction leading away from the seat toward the steering wheel and at least one second sensor of these sensors being arranged on said front ring face, and being responsive to a second force exerted onto the steering wheel in the direction opposite to said first force, said first sensor and said second sensor being disposed on the steering wheel so as to be within the range of the user'"'"'s hands holding the steering wheel, said the first sensor controlling an adjusting backward movement of the adjusting device which backward movement is a movement away from the steering wheel and said second sensor controlling an adjusting forward movement of the adjusting device which forward movement is a movement towards the steering wheel.

14. The passenger compartment in accordance with claim 13, wherein said first sensor is located directly opposite said second sensor.

15. The passenger compartment in accordance with claim 13, characterized in that the input means is not combined with the sensors, and that the input means is arranged at a distance from the sensors outside the user'"'"'s hand range holding the steering wheel.