Vehicle seat vibration suppression apparatus and method

Abstract

The vehicle seat vibration suppression device of the present invention includes a height adjustment actuator that adjusts the height of a seat, a reaction force determination unit that receives an excitation frequency of the seat as input and determines a reaction force for suppressing vibration of the seat, and a displacement command generator that determines a control displacement of the height adjustment actuator for achieving the reaction force determined by the reaction force determination unit and supplies the result to the height adjustment actuator. The vehicle seat vibration suppression device can employ a method to eliminate / relieve seat vibration.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a technology that can actively control vehicle seats to improve passenger comfort. Background Technology

[0002] During vehicle operation, the body and seats will vibrate due to their interaction with the road surface, which may cause discomfort and fatigue to the occupants.

[0003] The vehicle seat can be equipped with an active vibration control function to adjust the seat height and / or tilt angle. An actuator, including a motor, can be incorporated to achieve this function.

[0004] The information disclosed in the background section is only for understanding the technical background of this disclosure and should not be construed as disclosing prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The following overview simplifies some features. This overview is not exhaustive and is not intended to identify key or important elements.

[0006] This document describes systems, apparatus / devices, and methods for vehicle seat vibration suppression. A vehicle seat vibration suppression apparatus may include: a height adjustment actuator configured to adjust the height of a vehicle seat; a controller circuit configured to: receive an excitation frequency of the seat from a filter among a plurality of filters of a signal processor; and determine a reaction force for suppressing seat vibration based on the excitation frequency; and a displacement command generator configured to: determine a control displacement of the height adjustment actuator for implementing the reaction force based on the reaction force; and provide the control displacement to the height adjustment actuator to cause the height adjustment actuator to adjust the height of the vehicle seat.

[0007] Alternatively, a vehicle seat vibration suppression method may include: receiving the excitation frequency of the vehicle seat from a signal processor via a controller circuit; determining a reaction force for suppressing seat vibration based on the excitation frequency; determining a control displacement of a seat height adjustment actuator via a displacement command generator based on the reaction force; and controlling the seat height adjustment actuator based on the control displacement to adjust the seat height thereby realizing the reaction force.

[0008] These and other features and advantages will be described in more detail below. Attached Figure Description

[0009] The above and other objects, features and other advantages of this disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0010] Figure 1 This is a view illustrating the construction of a vehicle seat vibration damping device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0011] Figure 2 This is a view showing a model with a seat mass of m and a virtual mass of ma for the control system used to suppress seat vibration;

[0012] Figure 3 It is shown schematically. Figure 2 A view of the model shown;

[0013] Figure 4 It is a view showing a model of the road surface, vehicles, and seats;

[0014] Figure 5 This is a view illustrating the principle of eliminating seat vibration through the operation of a height adjustment actuator and a tilt adjustment actuator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0015] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a continuous control mode and an instantaneous control mode according to embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0016] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating a vehicle seat vibration suppression method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. This disclosure is intended to cover various alternatives, modifications, equivalents, and other embodiments / implementations within the spirit and scope of this disclosure as defined in the appended claims.

[0018] It should be understood that although this article may use terms such as "first," "second," etc., to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish different elements.

[0019] Unless the context clearly specifies otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “one,” and “the” used in this document should also include the plural forms.

[0020] It should be further understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” as used herein indicate only the presence of the stated feature, quantity, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, quantities, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0021] The expression “based on” as used in this document is intended to describe one or more factors that influence the determination or decision of an action or operation as described in the phrase or sentence containing the expression, and the expression does not exclude any other factors that influence the determination or decision of an action or operation.

[0022] Depending on the context, the expression "configured as" as used herein can have meanings such as "set as," "possessing the ability to," "modified as," "manufactured as," or "capable of." This expression is not limited to the meaning of "specifically designed in hardware for...". For example, a processor configured to perform a specific operation can refer to a general-purpose processor capable of performing that specific operation by executing software, or a dedicated computer that can be programmed to perform that specific operation.

[0023] Furthermore, it should be understood that if a component is “connected” or “coupled” to another component, the component can be directly connected or coupled to the other component, or indirectly connected or coupled to the other component with other components in between. Conversely, if a component is “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another component, there are no intermediate components between them.

[0024] For the purposes of this application and claims, the illustrative phrase “at least one of A, B, or C” is used, which means “at least one A, or at least one B, or at least one C, or any combination of at least one A, at least one B, and at least one C.” Furthermore, illustrative phrases used herein, such as “A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” “at least one of A, B, or C,” etc., may refer to each of the listed items or all possible combinations thereof. For example, “at least one of A or B” may mean (1) at least one A; (2) at least one B; or (3) at least one A and at least one B. “One or more” is synonymous with “at least one” herein.

[0025] In this disclosure, references to "units" generally refer to items that can be logically combined to perform one or a set of related functions. The same reference numerals generally refer to the same or similar components. Units may be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both. The aforementioned units and / or functions may be implemented and / or performed by one or more processors. For example, units may include processors, microprocessors, graphics processing units, logic circuits, application-specific circuits (ASICs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable array logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), controllers, microcontrollers, and / or other suitable hardware. Units may also include, for example, software control modules implemented using processors or logic circuits. These units may include or be able to access memory, such as one or more non-transient computer-readable storage media, such as random access memory, read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, flash memory / other storage devices, data registers, databases, and / or other suitable hardware. One or more storage media may include any or all tangible memory, or related modules thereof, in computers, processors, etc., such as various semiconductor memories, tape drives, disk drives, etc., which are always available for non-transient storage for software programming.

[0026] Furthermore, the terms "controller" or "controller" are broadly used to refer to a controller that controls a specific vehicle function, and do not refer to a general-purpose functional unit. For example, each control unit may include communication devices that communicate with other control units or sensors, memory that stores operating system or logic instructions and input / output information, and one or more processors that perform necessary judgments, operations, etc. A control unit / controller may include memory that stores the operating system, logic commands, and input / output information, and / or one or more processors that perform the judgments, calculations, and decisions required to perform the functions it is responsible for controlling. A control unit / controller may include, for example, a processor, central processing unit (CPU), microchip, logic circuit, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), memory, etc. A control unit / controller can manipulate and / or control other components in the system (e.g., the vehicle).

[0027] Any combination of the components disclosed herein can be included in the disclosure herein. These components may include any combination of features described herein and may be arranged in various ways. Concepts regarding their use and operation, as well as the structure and arrangement of the components, can be applied to any combination of embodiments, as well as the specific embodiments disclosed herein. Embodiments having various arrangements of features will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] Various embodiments of this disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals are used wherever possible to refer to the same or similar parts.

[0029] Reference Figure 1 According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a seat vibration suppression device may include: a height adjustment actuator 3 that adjusts the height of the seat 1; a reaction force determination unit 5 (e.g., a computing device, a controller) that receives the excitation frequency of the seat as input and determines a reaction force for suppressing seat vibration; and a displacement command generator 7 that determines the control displacement of the height adjustment actuator 3 to achieve the reaction force determined by the reaction force determination unit 5 and provides the result to the height adjustment actuator 3.

[0030] According to this embodiment, the seat vibration suppression device can use / based on the excitation frequency of the seat to determine the reaction force for suppressing (e.g., reducing / counteracting) the seat vibration, determine the control displacement of the height adjustment actuator 3 to achieve the reaction force, and control the height adjustment actuator 3, thereby suppressing the vibration acting on the seat.

[0031] In an embodiment, the vehicle seat vibration suppression device may further include an acceleration sensor 9 for detecting seat vibration, and a signal processing unit 11 (e.g., a signal processor, a signal filter) for processing the output signal from the acceleration sensor 9. The signal processing unit 11 may determine the excitation frequency of the seat based on the output signal, and / or output / send the excitation frequency of the seat to the reaction force determination unit 5 (e.g., as input to the reaction force determination unit 5).

[0032] The signal processing unit 11 can determine whether the frequency of the output signal from the accelerometer 9 meets a frequency standard (e.g., whether the frequency of the output signal is less than, equal to, or greater than a predetermined reference frequency, for example). Figure 1 (The 3 Hz value is used as an example only). Different filters are used to process the output signal of the accelerometer 9. The signal processing unit 11 can use the selected filter to process the output signal to determine the excitation frequency. The signal processing unit 11 can output the determined excitation frequency to the reaction force determination unit 5.

[0033] If the frequency of the output signal of the accelerometer 9 meets a frequency standard (e.g., less than a predetermined reference frequency), the signal processing unit 11 can pass the output signal of the accelerometer 9 sequentially through a moving average filter and a low-pass filter. If the frequency of the output signal of the accelerometer 9 does not meet a frequency standard (e.g., equal to or greater than the reference frequency), the signal processing unit 11 can pass the output signal of the accelerometer 9 through a band-pass filter. The signal processing unit 11 can output an excitation frequency (e.g., a signal having / indicating the excitation frequency) from the low-pass filter or the band-pass filter.

[0034] Here, the reference frequency can be determined / selected through multiple experiments and analyses (e.g., 3Hz as shown in the embodiment in the figure) in order to accurately determine the excitation frequency of the seat.

[0035] The reaction force determination unit 5 can determine the reaction force according to formula 1.

[0036] [Formula 1]

[0037]

[0038] F(s): Laplace transform of the reaction force

[0039] (s): Laplace transform of seat vibration (acceleration)

[0040] m a The virtual mass used in the control system to suppress seat vibration is a function of vehicle mass, seat mass, and tuning factor.

[0041] ζ α Damping ratio of the control system

[0042] ω a Seat excitation frequency

[0043] s: Laplace variable

[0044] Figure 2 The figure shows a seat with mass m and a virtual mass m for the control system used to suppress seat vibration. a The model can be expressed as the following equations of motion.

[0045] [Formula 2]

[0046]

[0047] [Formula 3]

[0048]

[0049] m: Seat mass

[0050] m a Virtual quality of the control system

[0051] c: Damping coefficient of the vehicle seat

[0052] k: Spring coefficient of the vehicle seat

[0053] c a Virtual damping coefficient of the seat control system

[0054] k a Virtual spring coefficient of the seat control system

[0055] If the virtual mass m of the control system is to be a The resulting reaction force is denoted as f. Figure 2 The model can be represented / illustrated as follows Figure 3 As shown. In this case, Figure 3 The equation of motion for mass m can be expressed as follows.

[0056] [Formula 4]

[0057]

[0058] Substituting Formula 2 into Formula 4, we get Formula 5.

[0059] [Formula 5]

[0060]

[0061] Substituting Formula 5 into Formula 3, we get Formula 6.

[0062] [Formula 6]

[0063]

[0064] Applying the Laplace transform to Equation 6 yields Equation 7.

[0065] [Formula 7]

[0066] F(s) = -m a s 2 X a (s)

[0067] Using formulas 2 and 3 to perform a Laplace transform, we can obtain formula 8.

[0068] [Formula 8]

[0069]

[0070] Using formulas 7 and 8, we can obtain formula 1 above, as shown below.

[0071]

[0072] Therefore, multiplying Formula 1 obtained above by the Laplace transform of the seat vibration (acceleration) yields... From (s), we can obtain the Laplace transform of the reaction force, i.e., F(s).

[0073] The displacement command generator 7 can determine the control displacement of the height adjustment actuator 3 by multiplying Equation 9 by the Laplace transform (F(s)) of the reaction force.

[0074] [Formula 9]

[0075]

[0076] U(s): Laplace transform of the control displacement of the height adjustment actuator 3

[0077] F(s): Laplace transform of the reaction force

[0078] m v Vehicle quality

[0079] c v Vehicle suspension damping coefficient

[0080] k v Vehicle suspension spring rate

[0081] ζ v Vehicle suspension damping ratio

[0082] ω vVehicle suspension natural frequency

[0083] Equation 9 can be derived by performing a Laplace transform on Equation 10.

[0084] [Formula 10]

[0085]

[0086] f: Reaction force

[0087] m v Vehicle quality

[0088] c v Vehicle suspension damping coefficient

[0089] k v Vehicle suspension spring rate

[0090] u: Height adjustment actuator displacement

[0091] like Figure 4 As shown, the seat according to this embodiment can be modeled as follows: the vehicle mass m v From the suspension damping coefficient c v and spring constant k v Supported on the road surface, the seat mass m is supported on the vehicle by the height adjustment actuator 3. This model can be expressed as Equation 11.

[0092] [Formula 11]

[0093]

[0094] Where d is represented as The disturbance, f is represented as The reaction force.

[0095] Using formulas 1 and 9, the control displacement of the height adjustment actuator 3 can be obtained, thereby realizing the reaction force.

[0096] The vehicle seat vibration suppression device according to this embodiment may further include: a tilt angle adjustment actuator 13, which can adjust the tilt angle of the seat 1; and a calibration force determination unit 15, which determines a calibration force for controlling the tilt angle adjustment actuator 13 to convert the horizontal component displacement of the seat according to the operation of the height adjustment actuator 3 into a vertical component.

[0097] For example, the calibration force determination unit 15 can determine the calibration force by multiplying the reaction force provided by the reaction force determination unit 5 by a predetermined calibration gain.

[0098] In the case where the active vibration control actuator installed on the seat 1 of the vehicle using this embodiment includes the height adjustment actuator 3 and the tilt adjustment actuator 13 of this disclosure, and the seat 1 moves not only up and down, but also back and forth (e.g., due to various reasons, such as structural reasons in the operation of the height adjustment actuator 3), thereby moving in a tilting manner (e.g., as Figure 5 In the case shown, the height adjustment actuator 3 can be operated to eliminate seat vibration, and the tilt adjustment actuator 13 can be operated (for example, simultaneously) to convert the horizontal component displacement generated by the operation of the height adjustment actuator 3. The vehicle's fore-and-aft displacement can be converted into vertical displacement, thereby achieving an appropriate seat vibration suppression effect.

[0099] The calibration gain can be determined by / based on several experiments and / or analyses so that the horizontal component displacement caused by the operation of the height adjustment actuator 3 can be correctly converted into vertical displacement by multiplying the reaction force applied to the height adjustment actuator 3 by a specific value of the calibration value.

[0100] The seat vibration suppression device according to this embodiment may further include and / or be configured to communicate with a front sensor 17 disposed in the vehicle to detect the road surface in front of the vehicle; and / or a controller 19, which determines a control displacement of the height adjustment actuator 3 based on the unevenness of the road surface detected by the front sensor 17, by means of / based on information received from the reaction force determination unit 5 and the displacement command generator 7. The controller may control the height adjustment actuator 3 according to the control displacement (e.g., by sending a control signal to the height adjustment actuator 3).

[0101] The front sensor 17 may include a camera, etc. The front sensor 17 may be located at the front of the vehicle (e.g., configured to take photos and / or videos of the road surface on which the vehicle is traveling).

[0102] When the seat 1 is equipped with a tilt adjustment actuator 13 that can adjust the tilt angle of the seat 1, the controller 19 can control the tilt adjustment actuator 13 according to the calibration force determined by the calibration force determination unit 15.

[0103] The controller 19 can implement continuous control mode and / or instantaneous control mode (e.g., depending on the mode selection, such as through a user interface associated with the controller 19).

[0104] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating continuous control mode and instantaneous control mode according to embodiments of the present disclosure. For convenience, Figure 6 The following explanation uses the steps executed by the processor circuit as an example. Figure 6 One, some, or all of the steps of the example method, or a portion thereof, may be performed by one or more other circuits. Figure 6One or more steps of the example method may be omitted, performed in a different order, and / or modified in another way, and / or one or more additional steps may be added.

[0105] See Figure 6 The control mode can be input (e.g., via a user interface associated with / communicating with the controller 19) (S60). It can be determined whether the input control mode is an instantaneous mode (S62). If the input control mode is not instantaneous (S62-No), for example, if a continuous control mode is input (e.g., selected by the vehicle driver), the continuous control mode can be activated (S64). In the continuous control mode, the acceleration sensor 9 can be activated (S64a) and the signal processing unit 11 can be activated (S64b), and seat vibration suppression control can be continuously implemented (S64c).

[0106] If the instantaneous control mode is selected / input (S62 - Yes), the instantaneous control mode can be activated (S66). In instantaneous control mode, data indicating road conditions can be acquired via the front sensor 17 (e.g., taking a photograph of the road surface in front of the vehicle) to detect road conditions (e.g., during vehicle travel) (S66a). Specifically, the data can be analyzed to determine whether the vehicle will be driving over an uneven road surface that may cause significant vibration (e.g., a speed bump or pothole ahead) (S66b). Based on the determination that there are no significant uneven surfaces in front of the vehicle that require vibration suppression (S66b - No), road conditions can continue to be detected; for example, data indicating road conditions can continue to be acquired (S66a). Based on the determination that there are uneven surfaces in front of the vehicle, such as speed bumps or potholes (S66b - Yes), the acceleration sensor 9 can be activated (S66c) and the signal processing unit 11 can be activated (S66d) to perform seat vibration suppression control (S66e). The data indicating road conditions can be analyzed repeatedly and / or continuously (S66f). If it is determined that road surface unevenness is still detected (S66f - Yes), then the accelerometer 9 can remain on and the signal processing unit 11 can remain on, and vibration suppression control can continue (S66e). If it is determined that there is no unevenness in front of the vehicle that could cause significant vibration (e.g., no obstacle, such as a speed bump or pothole, is detected) (S66f - No), then vibration suppression control can be turned off (S66g), and the accelerometer 9 and signal processing unit 11 can be turned off (S66h-S66i). Data can continue to be acquired to detect road surface conditions (S66a).

[0107] As described in this article, unevenness in front of the vehicle refers to obstacles such as speed bumps or potholes. These obstacles correspond to the required level / level change for seat vibration damping control, which can be determined through experimentation and analysis or artificial intelligence. Additionally, or alternatively, vehicle users can select the sensitivity level at which vibration damping control should be activated.

[0108] For reference, controller 19 may be a separate component, but may be configured to include one or more of signal processing unit 11, reaction force determination unit 5, displacement command generator 7, and / or calibration force determination unit 15. For example, controller 19 may include one or more processors and a memory, which, when executed by said one or more processors, cause controller 19 to perform the functions described herein performed by one or more of signal processing unit 11, reaction force determination unit 5, displacement command generator 7, and / or calibration force determination unit 15. Alternatively, one or more of signal processing unit 11, reaction force determination unit 5, displacement command generator 7, and / or calibration force determination unit 15 may be implemented as a device independent of controller 19.

[0109] The following describes a method for suppressing vehicle seat vibration based on embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 7 This is a flowchart of a vehicle seat vibration suppression method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For convenience, Figure 7 The following explanation uses the steps executed by the processor circuit as an example. Figure 7 One, some, or all of the steps of the example method, or a portion thereof, may be performed by one or more other circuits. Figure 7 One or more steps of the example method may be omitted, performed in a different order, and / or modified in other ways, and / or one or more additional steps may be added.

[0110] The seat vibration suppression method of this embodiment may include measuring seat vibration (S05). Based on the seat vibration, the excitation frequency of the seat can be received / determined (S10). The excitation frequency can be used as input to determine the reaction force for suppressing seat vibration by the reaction force determination unit 5 (S20). The control displacement of the height adjustment actuator 3 for realizing the reaction force can be determined by the displacement command generator 7 (S30). In addition (or optionally), the control displacement of the tilt adjustment actuator can be determined (S40). The height adjustment actuator 3 can be controlled by the controller 19 according to the control displacement, thereby eliminating / controlling the seat vibration (S50).

[0111] The signal processing unit 11 can process the signal output from the acceleration sensor 9, which is used to detect the vibration of the seat in order to determine the excitation frequency of the input reaction force determination unit 5 (S10).

[0112] The signal processing unit 11 can pass the output signal of the accelerometer 9 sequentially through a moving average filter and a low-pass filter if the frequency of the output signal of the accelerometer 9 meets (e.g., is less than) a predetermined reference frequency; or pass the output signal of the accelerometer 9 through a band-pass filter if the frequency of the output signal of the accelerometer 9 does not meet (e.g., is equal to or greater than) the reference frequency, thereby outputting an excitation frequency.

[0113] The reaction force determination unit 5 can determine the reaction force according to the following formula.

[0114]

[0115] F(s): Reaction force

[0116] (s): Seat vibration (acceleration)

[0117] m a The virtual mass used in the control system to suppress seat vibration is a function of the vehicle mass, seat mass, and tuning factor.

[0118] ζ α Damping ratio of the control system

[0119] ω a Seat excitation frequency

[0120] s: Laplace variable

[0121] The displacement command generator 7 can determine the control displacement of the height adjustment actuator 3 by multiplying the following formula by the Laplace transform of the reaction force.

[0122]

[0123] U(s): Control displacement of height adjustment actuator 3

[0124] F(s): Reaction force

[0125] m v Vehicle quality

[0126] c v Vehicle suspension damping coefficient

[0127] k v Vehicle suspension spring rate

[0128] ζ v Vehicle suspension damping ratio

[0129] ω v Vehicle suspension natural frequency

[0130] Alternatively, if a tilt adjustment actuator 13 capable of adjusting the tilt angle of the seat cushion 1 is provided, the calibration force determination unit 15 can determine the calibration force for controlling the tilt adjustment actuator 13, so that the horizontal component displacement of the seat is converted into the vertical component according to the operation of the height adjustment actuator 3.

[0131] The calibration force determination unit 15 can determine the calibration force by multiplying the reaction force provided by the reaction force determination unit 5 by a predetermined calibration gain.

[0132] When the vehicle is equipped with a front sensor 17 to detect the road surface in front of the vehicle, the controller 19 can determine the control displacement of the height adjustment actuator 3 through the reaction force determination unit 5 and the displacement command generator 7 based on the unevenness of the road surface detected by the front sensor 17 to meet the conditions for vibration suppression, and control the height adjustment actuator 3 according to the control displacement.

[0133] The tilt adjustment actuator 13 can be controlled according to the calibration force determined by the calibration force determination unit 15.

[0134] This disclosure provides a vehicle seat vibration suppression device and method that can suppress vibrations acting on the vehicle seat using an actuator for implementing active vibration control functions of the seat, thereby improving the vehicle's ride comfort and marketability.

[0135] The aspects disclosed herein are not limited to those described above, and other aspects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

[0136] According to one aspect of this disclosure, the above and other objectives can be achieved by providing a vehicle seat vibration suppression device, the vehicle seat vibration suppression device comprising: a height adjustment actuator for adjusting the height of the seat; a reaction force determination unit for receiving the excitation frequency of the seat as input and determining a reaction force for suppressing the vibration of the seat; and a displacement command generator for determining a control displacement of the height adjustment actuator for realizing the reaction force determined by the reaction force determination unit, and providing the result to the height adjustment actuator.

[0137] The vehicle seat vibration suppression device may also include: an acceleration sensor configured to detect seat vibration; and a signal processing unit that processes the output signal of the acceleration sensor and outputs the excitation frequency of the seat input to the reaction force determination unit.

[0138] The signal processing unit can process the output signal of the accelerometer using different filters and output the excitation frequency based on whether the frequency of the output signal of the accelerometer is less than, equal to or greater than a predetermined reference frequency.

[0139] The signal processing unit can pass the output signal of the accelerometer through a moving average filter and a low-pass filter in sequence when the frequency of the output signal of the accelerometer is less than a predetermined reference frequency; and can pass the output signal of the accelerometer through a band-pass filter when the frequency of the output signal of the accelerometer is equal to or greater than the reference frequency, thereby outputting the excitation frequency.

[0140] The reaction force can be determined using the following formula:

[0141]

[0142] Where F(s): Laplace transform of the reaction force,

[0143] (s): Laplace transform of seat vibration (acceleration),

[0144] m a The virtual mass used in the control system to suppress seat vibration is a function of vehicle mass, seat mass, and tuning factor.

[0145] ζ α Damping ratio of the control system

[0146] ω a The excitation frequency of the seat, and

[0147] s: Laplace variable.

[0148] The displacement command generator can determine the control displacement of the height adjustment actuator by multiplying the following formula by the Laplace transform of the reaction force:

[0149]

[0150] Where U(s): the Laplace transform of the control displacement of the height adjustment actuator.

[0151] F(s): Laplace transform of the reaction force.

[0152] m v Vehicle quality

[0153] c v Vehicle suspension damping coefficient.

[0154] k v Vehicle suspension spring rate

[0155] ζ v Vehicle suspension damping ratio.

[0156] ω v : The natural frequency of the vehicle suspension.

[0157] The vehicle seat vibration suppression device may further include: a tilt adjustment actuator that adjusts the tilt angle of the seat; and a calibration force determination unit that determines a calibration force for controlling the tilt adjustment actuator to convert the horizontal component displacement of the seat according to the operation of the height adjustment actuator into a vertical component.

[0158] The calibration force determination unit can determine the calibration force by multiplying the reaction force provided by the reaction force determination unit by a predetermined calibration gain.

[0159] The vehicle seat vibration suppression device may also include a front sensor disposed in the vehicle to detect the road surface in front of the vehicle; and a controller that, based on the unevenness of the road surface detected by the front sensor that requires action, determines the control displacement of the height adjustment actuator through a reaction force determination unit and a displacement command generator, and controls the height adjustment actuator according to the control displacement.

[0160] The controller can control the tilt adjustment actuator based on the calibration force determined by the calibration force determination unit.

[0161] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a method for suppressing vehicle seat vibration is provided, comprising: receiving the excitation frequency of the seat as input by a reaction force determination unit and determining a reaction force for suppressing seat vibration; determining a control displacement of a height adjustment actuator for realizing the reaction force by a displacement command generator; and controlling the height adjustment actuator according to the control displacement by a controller to suppress seat vibration.

[0162] The method may further include: processing the signal output from the acceleration sensor that detects the vibration of the seat via a signal processing unit; and determining the excitation frequency of the input reaction force determination unit.

[0163] The signal processing unit can pass the output signal of the accelerometer through a moving average filter and a low-pass filter in sequence when the frequency of the output signal of the accelerometer is less than the predetermined reference frequency; and can pass the output signal of the accelerometer through a band-pass filter when the frequency of the output signal of the accelerometer is equal to or greater than the reference frequency, thereby outputting the excitation frequency.

[0164] The reaction force can be determined using the following formula:

[0165]

[0166] Where F(s): Laplace transform of the reaction force,

[0167] (s): Laplace transform of seat vibration (acceleration),

[0168] ma The virtual mass used in the control system to suppress seat vibration is a function of vehicle mass, seat mass, and tuning factor.

[0169] ζ α Damping ratio of the control system

[0170] ω a The excitation frequency of the seat, and

[0171] s: Laplace variable.

[0172] The displacement command generator can determine the control displacement of the height adjustment actuator by multiplying the following formula by the Laplace transform of the reaction force:

[0173]

[0174] Where U(s): the Laplace transform of the control displacement of the height adjustment actuator.

[0175] F(s): Laplace transform of the reaction force.

[0176] m v Vehicle quality

[0177] c v Vehicle suspension damping coefficient.

[0178] k v Vehicle suspension spring rate

[0179] ζ v Vehicle suspension damping ratio, and

[0180] ω v : The natural frequency of the vehicle suspension.

[0181] The method may further include: in the case of a tilt adjustment actuator for adjusting the tilt angle of the seat, determining a calibration force for controlling the tilt adjustment actuator by a calibration force determination unit to convert the horizontal component displacement of the seat according to the operation of the height adjustment actuator into a vertical component.

[0182] The calibration force determination unit can determine the calibration force by multiplying the reaction force provided by the reaction force determination unit by a predetermined calibration gain.

[0183] When the vehicle is equipped with a front sensor to detect the road surface ahead, the controller can determine the control displacement of the height adjustment actuator based on the unevenness of the road surface detected by the front sensor, which requires action, through the reaction force determination unit and the displacement command generator, and control the height adjustment actuator according to the control displacement.

[0184] The controller can control the tilt adjustment actuator based on the calibration force determined by the calibration force determination unit.

[0185] As described above, this disclosure provides a vehicle seat vibration suppression device that can suppress vibrations generated in the vehicle seat using an actuator for implementing active vibration control functions of the seat, thereby improving the vehicle's ride comfort and marketability.

[0186] The effects of this disclosure are not limited to those described above, and those skilled in the art can clearly understand other effects not mentioned above based on the foregoing description.

[0187] While the preferred embodiments of this disclosure are for illustrative purposes only, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications, additions, and substitutions may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure as disclosed in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device for suppressing vibration of a vehicle seat, comprising: A height adjustment actuator configured to adjust the height of the vehicle's seat; The controller circuit is configured as follows: The excitation frequency of the seat is received from a filter among multiple filters in the signal processor; and The reaction force for suppressing the vibration of the seat is determined based on the excitation frequency; and The displacement command generator is configured as follows: Based on the reaction force, determine the control displacement of the height adjustment actuator used to achieve the reaction force; and The control displacement is provided to the height adjustment actuator so that the height adjustment actuator adjusts the height of the seat in the vehicle.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: An accelerometer sensor configured to detect vibrations of the seat; as well as The signal processor is configured as follows: The output signal of the accelerometer, configured to detect vibrations of the seat, is processed; and The excitation frequency of the seat is output to the controller circuit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, The signal processor is configured as follows: Based on whether the frequency of the output signal of the accelerometer is less than a predetermined reference frequency, the output signal is filtered by one of the plurality of filters, thereby processing the output signal of the accelerometer; and Output the excitation frequency.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, The signal processor is configured to output the excitation frequency via one of the following: Since the frequency of the output signal from the accelerometer is less than the predetermined reference frequency, the output signal is sequentially passed through a moving average filter and a low-pass filter among the plurality of filters; or Based on the fact that the frequency of the output signal is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference frequency, the output signal is passed through a bandpass filter among the plurality of filters.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The controller circuit is also configured to determine the reaction force according to the following formula: Where F(s): Laplace transform of the reaction force, (s): Laplace transform of seat vibration (acceleration), m a The virtual mass used in the control system to suppress seat vibration is a function of vehicle mass, seat mass, and tuning factor. ζ α Damping ratio of the control system ω a The excitation frequency of the seat, and s: Laplace variable.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, The displacement command generator is configured to determine the control displacement of the height adjustment actuator by multiplying the following formula by the Laplace transform of the reaction force: Where U(s): the Laplace transform of the control displacement of the height adjustment actuator. F(s): Laplace transform of the reaction force. m v Vehicle quality c v Vehicle suspension damping coefficient. k v Vehicle suspension spring rate ζ v Vehicle suspension damping ratio, and ω v : The natural frequency of the vehicle suspension.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: A tilt adjustment actuator configured to adjust the tilt angle of the seat, wherein the controller circuit is further configured to determine a calibration force for controlling the tilt adjustment actuator to convert the horizontal component displacement of the seat according to the operation of the height adjustment actuator into a vertical component.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, The controller circuit is also configured to determine the calibration force by multiplying the reaction force by a predetermined calibration gain.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising: The vehicle's front sensor is configured to detect the road surface in front of the vehicle. The controller circuit is configured as follows: Based on the detected road surface unevenness and the displacement command generator, the control displacement of the height adjustment actuator is determined; and Based on the controlled displacement, the height adjustment actuator is controlled.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, The controller circuit is configured to control the tilt adjustment actuator based on a determined calibration force.

11. A method for suppressing vibration of a vehicle seat, comprising: The controller circuit receives the excitation frequency of the vehicle's seat from the signal processor. Based on the excitation frequency, a reaction force for suppressing the vibration of the seat is determined; Based on the reaction force, the control displacement of the seat height adjustment actuator is determined by the displacement command generator; as well as Based on the controlled displacement, the height adjustment actuator is controlled to adjust the height of the seat, thereby achieving the reaction force.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, Receiving the excitation frequency includes: The signal processor receives a filtered signal obtained by filtering an output signal from an accelerometer configured to detect vibrations of the seat; and The excitation frequency is determined based on the filtered signal.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The filtered signal, The output signal is filtered by a moving average filter and a low-pass filter because its frequency is less than a predetermined reference frequency; or The output signal is filtered by a bandpass filter based on the fact that its frequency is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference frequency.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein, Determining the reaction force includes determining the reaction force according to the following formula: Where F(s): Laplace transform of the reaction force, Laplace transform of seat vibration (acceleration) m a The virtual mass used in the control system to suppress seat vibration is a function of vehicle mass, seat mass, and tuning factor. ζ α Damping ratio of the control system ω a The excitation frequency of the seat, and s: Laplace variable.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, Determining the control displacement of the height adjustment actuator involves multiplying the following formula by the Laplace transform of the reaction force: Where U(s): the Laplace transform of the control displacement of the height adjustment actuator. F(s): Laplace transform of the reaction force. m v Vehicle quality c v Vehicle suspension damping coefficient. k v Vehicle suspension spring rate ζ v Vehicle suspension damping ratio, and ω v : The natural frequency of the vehicle suspension.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising: Based on the tilt adjustment actuator used to adjust the tilt angle of the seat, a calibration force is determined for controlling the tilt adjustment actuator to convert the horizontal component displacement of the seat into the vertical component displacement of the seat.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, Determining the calibration force involves multiplying the reaction force by a predetermined calibration gain.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein, The control displacement of the height adjustment actuator is also determined based on the unevenness of the road surface ahead detected by the vehicle's front sensors.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising controlling the tilt adjustment actuator based on the calibration force.

20. The method according to claim 11, wherein, Based on the controlled displacement, control of the height adjustment actuator is continuously executed.

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