A vehicle electric seat anti-pinch system and method

Abstract

This invention discloses an anti-pinch system for a vehicle's electric seat. The system includes an electric seat and a seat control module. The electric seat contains a motor that drives seat adjustment. The seat control module connects to and outputs control signals to each motor. A occupancy sensor is installed on the seat, and this sensor connects to and outputs a signal indicating whether the seat is occupied to the vehicle body control module. The seat control module controls the range of motion of the electric seat based on whether there is a passenger behind the currently adjusting electric seat. This invention leverages existing mature seat memory functions combined with software algorithms to determine the distance between seats. The accuracy of this software algorithm is set by the developer, allowing for higher and more accurate results. Furthermore, the system is developed based on existing vehicle modules, without adding any components, thus controlling overall vehicle costs. While providing anti-pinch functionality, it is unaffected by complex environmental factors such as people and objects inside the vehicle, significantly reducing the probability of false triggering.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of vehicle technology, and in particular to a system for intelligent anti-pinch and reminder functions for electric vehicle seats. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of the automotive industry, the functions of electric car seats are becoming more and more diversified, and the direction and range of seat adjustment are increasing accordingly. During the seat adjustment process, occupants are often pinched due to blind spots or limitations in seat memory recall, which prevent anti-pinch prediction.

[0003] Currently, there are many types of anti-pinch functions for electric seats on the market. For example, the published document CN109835217A, published on 2019-06-04, entitled "An Anti-Pinch Method for Electric Seats," discloses an anti-pinch method and system for electric seats, relating to the field of vehicle technology. The anti-pinch method for electric seats of this invention includes the following steps: when the seat cushion and / or backrest of the electric seat moves in a controlled direction, the distance between the back of the backrest and the nearest target object behind it is obtained. When the distance is less than a preset value, the movement of the seat cushion and / or backrest of the electric seat is restricted from continuing along the preset direction. The anti-pinch system for electric seats of this invention is installed at the electric seat and may include a distance sensor and a controller. The system and method of this invention control the movement of the motor based on the distance between the back of the electric seat and the target object behind it, and can automatically stop, eliminating the need for the user to judge whether rear passengers are being squeezed by sight or feeling, and automatically stopping the operation based on the judgment result.

[0004] Most of these methods use ultrasonic sensing technology, which is easily affected by the in-car environment (people or objects), and requires the addition of a separate ultrasonic sensor, increasing costs and increasing the risk of false pinch prevention. Some methods rely on pressure feedback for pinch prevention, which offers a poor user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to realize a system that makes seat anti-pinch more intelligent and accurate without increasing vehicle costs.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: a vehicle electric seat anti-pinch system, the system is equipped with an electric seat and a seat control module, the electric seat is equipped with a motor that drives the seat adjustment, the seat control module is connected to and outputs control signals to each motor, the seat is equipped with a occupancy sensor, the occupancy sensor is connected to and outputs a signal to the vehicle body control module indicating whether the seat is occupied, and the seat control module controls the range of motion of the electric seat according to whether there is a passenger behind the currently adjusted electric seat.

[0007] The seat control module includes a storage module that stores the limit positions of each electric seat adjustment, including the limit positions when there are passengers in the rear seats and the limit positions when there are no passengers in the rear seats. The limit positions change according to the current position of the rear seats.

[0008] The vehicle control module is connected to the entertainment media host via a CAN bus and uses the entertainment media host to execute anti-pinch alarm commands.

[0009] The motors driving the seat adjustment include a seat fore-and-aft adjustment motor, a seat height adjustment motor, a seat back angle adjustment motor, a seat lumbar adjustment motor, a seat cushion adjustment motor, a seat leg support adjustment motor, and a seat foot support adjustment motor.

[0010] Each of the motors is equipped with a Hall sensor, which is connected to and outputs a position signal to the seat control module. The electric seat has a memory seat function.

[0011] Based on the anti-pinch method of the vehicle electric seat anti-pinch system, when adjusting the electric seat, the parameter information of the seat behind the currently adjusted seat is obtained. The rear seat parameter information includes the rear seat position information and whether there is a passenger in the rear seat. Based on the rear seat parameter information, the safe adjustment limit position of the electric seat is obtained. When the electric seat is adjusted to the limit position, an alarm is issued to achieve anti-pinch.

[0012] When an alarm is triggered, the power seat will pause the current adjustment and allow the user to move beyond the limit position when the power seat is operated again.

[0013] An alarm is triggered by the entertainment media host sending a pop-up graphic and text prompt, as well as a voice prompt.

[0014] The system pre-tests to obtain the current power seat adjustment limit position for each power seat in different positions when the rear seats are occupied, and the current power seat adjustment limit position for different positions when the rear seats are unoccupied.

[0015] The entertainment media host has a virtual button interface for opening and closing the anti-pinch method.

[0016] This invention is based on the existing mature seat memory function combined with software algorithms to determine the distance between seats. The accuracy of this software algorithm is set by the developer, and the accuracy can be higher and more accurate. Moreover, the system is developed based on the existing vehicle modules, without adding parts, thus controlling the overall vehicle cost. While having anti-pinch function, it is not affected by the complex environment such as people and objects in the vehicle, greatly reducing the probability of false triggering. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The following is a brief explanation of the content represented by each figure in this specification:

[0018] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of the anti-pinch system principle;

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic diagram is provided for the extreme positions;

[0020] Figure 3 Flowchart for seat control in a five-seat, two-row vehicle;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the seat control process for a six-seat, three-row vehicle. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, details the specific implementation of the present invention, including the shape and structure of each component, the relative positions and connections between the parts, the function and working principle of each part, the manufacturing process, and the operation and use methods, to help those skilled in the art to have a more complete, accurate, and in-depth understanding of the inventive concept and technical solution of the present invention.

[0023] This invention's anti-pinch technology is based on existing seat position memory technology and combined with software algorithms. Compared to other sensor solutions, it is unaffected by the complex in-vehicle environment, making anti-pinch more intelligent and accurate without increasing vehicle costs. Furthermore, this solution combines anti-pinch technology with vehicle pop-up and audible alerts, avoiding the need to constantly monitor the rear for power seat adjustments.

[0024] Seats with electric adjustment and memory functions mainly have the following features:

[0025] 1. The vehicle seats must have electric adjustment functionality, with the motor drive handled by the SCU (Seat Control Module). Generally, each axis requires a corresponding directional adjustment motor, responsible for adjustment along each axis. The number of motors and axes depends on the vehicle configuration; it can be equipped with leveling (slide rails), height adjustment, backrest, seat cushion, leg rest, footrest, or even more axes and adjustment functions.

[0026] 2. The vehicle seats also need to support a memory function. Generally, each motor is equipped with a Hall sensor. The motor drives the Hall magnetic ring to rotate, converting the motor's rotation speed into a square wave voltage signal, which is then fed back to the SCU. The SCU uses Hall counts to determine the seat travel and position. Memory functionality can be implemented, but is not limited to, Hall sensor solutions.

[0027] 3. The seat needs to be equipped with an SBR (occupancy sensor), which is generally a pressure sensor. Different pressures correspond to different resistance values. The BCM is responsible for detecting the resistance value of the SBR and determining whether someone is sitting in the seat.

[0028] The seat control module (SCU) mainly has the following functions:

[0029] 1. Typically, communication is established between the CAN node and the BCM to receive external seat adjustment commands, control the seat motors, and thus move the seat. Depending on the load capacity of the module hardware design, one SCU can control one or more seats.

[0030] 2. Complete seat learning. To implement the seat memory function, a learning process must first be completed. For example, for horizontal axis learning, the SCU drives the horizontal axis slide rail motor to move the seat forward to its furthest point, causing the motor to stall. Then, the SCU drives the horizontal axis slide rail motor to move the seat backward to its furthest point, causing the motor to stall again. The SCU calculates the total Hall effect count between the two stall points, i.e., the total number of Hall effect counts for the entire stroke. The horizontal axis learning is then successful. Similarly, other axes need to complete the same learning steps.

[0031] 3. Collect Hall signals from the seat to obtain the seat travel and position, and send the seat position information to the BCM. Hall values ​​are generally large, so the number of Hall sensors for each axis can be divided into several parts. For example, the horizontal axis Hall number 'a' can be divided into n points, with the points from smallest to largest being point 1 (Hall number 0), point 2 (Hall number a / n-1), point 3 (Hall number 2a / n-1), point 4 (Hall number 3a / n-1), point 5 (4a / n-1), and so on. Each point is sent to the BCM via a CAN network signal. The size of 'n' depends on the seat travel and actual requirements; the larger 'n' is, the more accurate the position feedback for each axis of the seat. A multiple of 10 is generally recommended.

[0032] Infotainment Headquarters (IHU). It typically communicates with the Base Module (BCM) via CAN or Ethernet. Its main function is to receive prompts from the BCM and generate on-screen pop-ups and sound alerts.

[0033] The Body Control Module (BCM) mainly has the following functions:

[0034] 1. Receive seat position signals from the SCU;

[0035] 2. Determine the distance between seats:

[0036] The position information of each axis of the seat can be collected by the SCU and sent to the BCM via CAN signals, allowing the BCM to know the overall posture of the seat. In the initial design phase, all seat postures can be obtained through DMU motion simulation analysis. It is important to note that the number of points on each axis analyzed by the DMU must be the same as the number of position signals acquired by the BCM, and the positions must correspond one-to-one. For example, if the DMU analysis divides each axis into 10 points, then the BCM needs to acquire 10 points for each axis from the SCU. Furthermore, point 1 in the DMU analysis and point 1 acquired by the BCM on the same axis represent the same position, and the same applies to other points. As shown in Table 1, for example, a single seat with horizontal, height, backrest, seat cushion, leg rest, and footrest configurations has 6 axes, each divided into 10 points, resulting in 106 possible postures for the seat.

[0037]

[0038] Table 1

[0039] Two identical seats offer 106 × 106 = 1012 possible spatial posture combinations. By combining DMU motion simulation analysis and human-machine analysis, we can determine which combinations meet the human-machine requirements, thus allowing sufficient space to be reserved for the rear seats. Figure 2 Areas a and b. Which combinations do not meet the ergonomic requirements, i.e., provide less space for the rear seats?

[0040] like Figure 2 Area c. Which combinations of front and rear seats will result in near-miss collisions and interference, such as... Figure 2 Region d. The results of initial DUM analysis, human-machine analysis, and real-vehicle calibration verification should be incorporated into the BCM software strategy. The BCM will make corresponding judgments based on different combinations of signals:

[0041] (1) Send a seat adjustment command to the SCU;

[0042] (2) Acquire SBR signals;

[0043] (3) Send a prompt command to IHU.

[0044] The room function of this invention can also be used as an option to provide users with a way to turn this function on and off, such as by adding a soft switch to the large screen.

[0045] Example 1:

[0046] The following examples use the left-side seats of five-seat, two-row configuration models and six-seat, three-row configuration models as examples. The same principle applies to models with right-side seats and other additional seats.

[0047] like Figure 3Taking a five-seat, second-row configuration as an example, during the driver's seat retraction (including actions that encroach on rear space such as backrest and horizontal adjustment), the BCM receives the driver's seat's movement status and first determines whether there is an occupant in the second-row left seat via the SBR (Self-Rating Controller). If there is no occupant, the driver's seat continues to retract until it reaches its limit position. If there is an occupant, the BCM sends a reminder command to the IHU (Integrated Driver Controller), which displays a pop-up message "Driver's seat retraction" and issues an audible reminder. Simultaneously, the BCM monitors the spatial distance between the driver's seat and the second-row left seat in real time. When the distance between the driver's seat and the second-row left seat is too close and does not meet ergonomic requirements (…), the BCM will initiate a retraction process. Figure 2 In area c), the BCM sends a command to the driver's seat SCU to stop the driver's seat from moving backward, and at the same time, the BCM sends a reminder command to the IHU: "Please pay attention to the rear passengers when adjusting the seat."

[0048] Example 2

[0049] like Figure 4 Taking a six-seat, three-row configuration as an example;

[0050] During the driver's seat retraction (including actions that encroach on rear passenger space, such as backrest and horizontal movement), the BCM receives the driver's seat's movement status and first determines whether there is an occupant in the second-row left seat via the SBR of the second-row left seat. If there is no occupant, the driver's seat continues to retract until it is close to colliding with the second-row left seat. Figure 2 Area d). If there are occupants, the BCM sends a warning command to the IHU, which displays a pop-up message "Driver's seat moved back" and sounds an audible alert. While the driver's seat moves back, the BCM continuously monitors the distance between the driver's seat and the second-row left seat. If the driver's seat and the second-row left seat are about to collide (…),… Figure 2 Area d) or the distance is too small to meet the human-machine interface requirements. Figure 2 In area c), the BCM uses the third-row SBR to determine if there are any occupants in the left seat of the third row. If there are no occupants, the BCM sends a command to the second-row left SCU to move the second-row left seat back until it reaches its limit position. If there are occupants, the BCM sends a reminder command to the IHU, which displays a pop-up window saying "Second-row seats move back" and makes an audible reminder. Simultaneously, it sends a command to the second-row left SCU to move the second-row left seat back until the distance to the third-row left seat is too small to meet the human-machine interface requirements. Figure 2 In area c), the BCM immediately stops sending rearward movement commands to the driver's seat unit (SCU) and the second-row left SCU, terminating the rearward movement of both seats. Simultaneously, the BCM sends a reminder command to the IHU: "Please be aware of rear occupants when adjusting seats."

[0051] The present invention has been described above by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the specific implementation of the present invention is not limited to the above-described manner. Any non-substantial improvements made using the inventive concept and technical solution of the present invention, or the direct application of the inventive concept and technical solution of the present invention to other occasions without modification, are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle electric seat anti-pinch system, the system comprising an electric seat and a seat control module, wherein the electric seat contains a motor for driving seat adjustment, and the seat control module is connected to and outputs control signals to each motor, characterized in that: The seat is equipped with a occupancy sensor, which connects to and outputs a signal to the vehicle control module indicating whether the seat is occupied. The seat control module controls the range of motion of the electric seat based on whether there is a passenger behind the currently adjusted electric seat. The electric vehicles equipped with the anti-pinch system for electric seats are three-row, six-seat vehicles, with all three rows of seats being electric seats. During the process of moving the driver's seat backward, the movement of the front seats will be linked to the second and third rows of seats. Depending on whether there are people in the second and third rows and their positions, the second and third rows of seats will be coordinated to adjust as the front seats move backward. After receiving the driver's seat movement status, the BCM first determines whether there is an occupant in the second-row left seat via the second-row left seat SBR. If there is no occupant, the driver's seat continues to move backward until it is close to colliding with the second-row left seat. If there is an occupant, the BCM sends a warning command to the IHU and executes it. While the driver's seat moves backward, the BCM monitors the distance between the driver's seat and the second-row left seat in real time. When the driver's seat and the second-row left seat are close to colliding or the distance is too small to meet the ergonomic requirements, the BCM uses the third-row SBR to determine whether there is an occupant in the third-row left seat. If there is no occupant, the BCM sends a command to the second-row left SCU to control the second-row left seat to move backward until it reaches its limit position. If there is an occupant, the BCM sends a warning command to the IHU and executes it, while simultaneously sending a command to the second-row left SCU to control the second-row left seat to move backward until the distance to the third-row left seat is too small to meet the ergonomic requirements. At this point, the BCM immediately stops sending backward movement commands to the driver's SCU and the second-row left SCU, terminating the backward movement of the driver's seat and the second-row seats.

2. The vehicle electric seat anti-pinch system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The seat control module includes a storage module that stores the limit positions of each electric seat adjustment, including the limit positions when there are passengers in the rear seats and the limit positions when there are no passengers in the rear seats. The limit positions change according to the current position of the rear seats.

3. The vehicle electric seat anti-pinch system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The vehicle control module is connected to the entertainment media host via a CAN bus and uses the entertainment media host to execute anti-pinch alarm commands.

4. The vehicle electric seat anti-pinch system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that: The motors driving the seat adjustment include a seat fore-and-aft adjustment motor, a seat height adjustment motor, a seat back angle adjustment motor, a seat lumbar adjustment motor, a seat cushion adjustment motor, a seat leg support adjustment motor, and a seat foot support adjustment motor.

5. The vehicle electric seat anti-pinch system according to claim 4, characterized in that: Each of the motors is equipped with a Hall sensor, which is connected to and outputs a position signal to the seat control module. The electric seat has a memory seat function.

6. An anti-pinch method based on the vehicle electric seat anti-pinch system according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that: When adjusting the electric seat, obtain the parameter information of the seat behind the currently adjusted seat. The parameter information of the rear seat includes the position information of the rear seat and whether there is a passenger in the rear seat. Based on the parameter information of the rear seat, obtain the safe adjustment limit position of the electric seat. When the electric seat is adjusted to the limit position, an alarm is issued.

7. The anti-pinch method according to claim 6, characterized in that: When an alarm is triggered, the power seat will pause the current adjustment and allow the user to move beyond the limit position when the power seat is operated again.

8. The anti-pinch method according to claim 7, characterized in that: An alarm is triggered by the entertainment media host sending a pop-up graphic and text prompt, as well as a voice prompt.

9. The anti-pinch method according to claim 6, 7 or 8, characterized in that: The system pre-tests to obtain the current power seat adjustment limit position for each power seat in different positions when the rear seats are occupied, and the current power seat adjustment limit position for different positions when the rear seats are unoccupied.

10. The anti-pinch method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The entertainment media host has a virtual button interface for opening and closing the anti-pinch method.

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