Vehicle-mounted massage system

Abstract

The application relates to a vehicle-mounted massage system, which solves the problem that a large weight and a large volume of an existing mechanical massage device affect the arrangement of a seat skin by installing a plurality of lightweight vibration exciters on a mounting structure of a seat support main body, realizes miniaturization and integration convenience of the system, overcomes the defect of response delay of a traditional air bag type massage by using the quick response characteristics of the vibration exciters, and can realize diversified modes such as knocking massage which cannot be provided by an existing technical scheme by accurately controlling the waveform of a driving signal of the vibration exciters, so that the depth and comfort of a massage experience are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of vehicle seat technology, and in particular to a vehicle massage system and control method. Background Technology

[0002] With the upgrading of the automobile consumer market and people's increasing pursuit of driving and riding quality, car seats are no longer just basic components that meet the needs of riding, but important carriers that carry multiple functions such as comfort, health and intelligence. Among them, seat massage function, as a key configuration to improve driving and riding comfort and relieve fatigue during long-term driving, has gradually become popular from high-end luxury models to more ordinary family cars, and market demand is growing day by day.

[0003] Currently, there are two main technical solutions for implementing in-vehicle seat massage functions.

[0004] The first type is the airbag massage solution. This solution typically uses an onboard air pump, a solenoid valve assembly, and multiple airbags placed inside the seat back or cushion. During operation, the control box selectively inflates or deflates airbags at specific locations by controlling the opening and closing of the solenoid valves. The expansion and contraction of the airbags create pressure and squeeze on the occupant's body, simulating massage movements. However, this solution has several inherent drawbacks: First, its response speed is slow; the inflation and deflation process of the airbags takes a considerable amount of time, resulting in delays in the switching of massage movements and a less smooth experience. Second, its massage experience is relatively simple, mainly simulating pushing, kneading, and squeezing movements. Furthermore, the high-performance solenoid valve assembly used for precise airbag control is usually structurally complex and presents certain technological barriers in the industry.

[0005] The second type is the mechanical massage solution. This solution generally uses a motor-driven transmission mechanism to move the massage heads physically, achieving massage effects such as kneading and pushing. The massage intensity and depth of this type are usually superior to airbag massage, and the modes are also relatively more varied. However, its disadvantages are equally significant: First, the overall structure is complex and heavy, containing various mechanical components such as motors, gearboxes, linkages, and guide rails, which contradicts the current trend of lightweighting in the automotive industry; second, the large size of the mechanical structure and the difficulty in its arrangement can easily create hard spots in the seat foam, affecting not only the seat's comfort but also limiting the design and arrangement of the seat's front cover, thus compromising the flatness of the seat surface.

[0006] In conclusion, existing in-vehicle seat massage technologies, whether airbag-based or mechanical, have significant limitations in terms of response speed, lightweight design, ease of structural integration, and the richness and effectiveness of massage modes. Utility Model Content

[0007] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a vehicle-mounted massage system and control method that achieves lightweight and diverse deep massage effects.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, in a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a vehicle-mounted massage system, comprising: A seat support body, wherein the seat support body is provided with multiple mounting structures; Multiple vibration exciters are respectively fixed to multiple of the aforementioned mounting structures; A control box, which is electrically connected to a plurality of the vibration exciters; The control box is configured to receive control commands and generate drive signals according to the control commands to drive one or more of the vibration exciters to produce vibration.

[0009] Preferably, the seat support body is a seat foam body, and the mounting structure is a groove opened on the foam body; or, the seat support body is a seat suspension spring structure, and the mounting structure is a bracket for fixing the vibration exciter to the suspension spring structure.

[0010] Preferably, the control box is configured to generate the drive signal according to a preset massage program, the massage program defining the activation sequence, vibration frequency, vibration intensity and / or vibration waveform of one or more of the vibration exciters.

[0011] Preferably, the vibration frequency is controlled within the range of 35Hz to 50Hz.

[0012] Preferably, the vibration waveform sequentially includes a rising segment, a hammering segment, and a falling segment in the time domain; wherein, the rising segment includes a sequence of one or more rising waveform groups, and the vibration amplitude of the subsequent rising waveform group is greater than or equal to the vibration amplitude of the preceding rising waveform group; the hammering segment includes one or more hammering waveform groups, and the vibration amplitude of the hammering waveform group is maintained at a preset maximum value; the falling segment includes a sequence of one or more falling waveform groups, and the vibration amplitude of the subsequent falling waveform group is less than or equal to the vibration amplitude of the preceding falling waveform group.

[0013] Preferably, the individual mass of the vibration exciter is 50g to 108g.

[0014] Preferably, a plurality of the vibration exciters are arranged in a predetermined array, the positions of which correspond to the target massage area of ​​the human back or the seat foam body.

[0015] Preferably, the predetermined array has a varying lateral width along the vertical direction of the seat foam body.

[0016] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a control method for in-vehicle massage, applied to the in-vehicle massage system described in any embodiment of the first aspect, the method comprising the following steps: The control box receives a massage command; The control box determines a massage program for controlling one or more of the vibration exciters based on the massage command. The massage program defines the activation sequence, vibration frequency, vibration intensity, and / or vibration waveform of one or more of the vibration exciters; and the control box generates a drive signal according to the massage program to drive one or more of the vibration exciters to vibrate.

[0017] Preferably, the activation sequence of the vibration exciter is configured to sequentially activate multiple vibration exciters according to a predetermined path.

[0018] The in-vehicle massage system and control method designed in this application solves the problems of large weight and size of existing mechanical massage devices, which affect the arrangement of seat upholstery, by installing multiple lightweight vibration exciters on the mounting structure of the seat support body. This achieves system miniaturization and ease of integration. At the same time, by utilizing the rapid response characteristics of the vibration exciters, the system overcomes the shortcomings of the response delay of traditional air bag massage. Furthermore, by precisely controlling the waveform of the drive signal of the vibration exciters, it is possible to achieve diverse modes such as tapping massage, which are difficult to provide in existing technical solutions, thereby enhancing the depth and comfort of the massage experience. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the in-vehicle massage system provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the controller and multiple vibration exciters provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional arrangement of multiple vibration exciters provided in another embodiment of this application.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the vibration waveform provided in the embodiment of this application in the time domain.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the internal circuitry of the control box provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0024] The components include: seat support body 10, mounting structure 11, vibration exciter 20, wiring harness 21, control box 30, and communication interface 31. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The preferred embodiments of this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the preferred embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit this application.

[0026] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide an in-vehicle massage system, which aims to provide a lightweight, fast-response, and multi-mode in-vehicle comfort solution.

[0027] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the in-vehicle massage system of this embodiment is mainly used in car seats, and mainly includes a seat support body 10, one or more vibration exciters 20, and a control box 30. Among them, the seat support body 10 is provided with multiple mounting structures 11.

[0028] In a specific embodiment, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the seat support body 10 can be a seat foam body. In this case, the mounting structure 11 is specifically manifested as a series of grooves opened at predetermined positions on the seat foam body 10. These grooves can be prefabricated using a specific mold during foaming and molding, or formed after molding through post-processing methods such as cutting and hot pressing. The depth and contour of the grooves match the shape of the vibration exciter 20, ensuring that after the vibration exciter 20 is embedded, its outer surface remains flush with the contour of the seat foam body 10, thereby not affecting the overall shape and seating comfort of the seat.

[0029] In another alternative embodiment, the seat support body 10 can be a seat suspension spring structure, such as an S-shaped spring at the bottom of the seat or a serpentine spring in the backrest. In this design, the mounting structure 11 is specifically manifested as one or more brackets (not shown in the figure), which are designed to be securely fixed to the suspension spring structure. For example, one end of the bracket can be designed as a claw, hook, or clamp to hold or fasten to the metal suspension spring; the other end of the bracket provides a platform or fixing hole for mounting the vibration exciter 20, which is suitable for thin and light seat designs without large areas of foam filling.

[0030] The actuators, which generate high-frequency vibrations, are fixed to their respective mounting structures 11. When installed in the groove, the vibration exciter 20 is preferably fixed by adhesive bonding. This ensures both a strong connection and effective transmission of vibration energy, while avoiding any abnormal noises or foreign body sensations that might occur with a rigid connection. To achieve overall vehicle weight reduction, the vibration exciter 20 in this embodiment is preferably designed to be lightweight, with its individual weight controlled within the range of 50g to 70g.

[0031] like Figure 2As shown, the control box 30 is electrically connected to all the vibration exciters 20 via wiring harness 21. In this embodiment, the control box 30 typically integrates a microcontroller (MCU), power amplifier circuit, and communication interface. In this embodiment, the main function of the control box 30 is to acquire a control command and generate a corresponding drive signal based on the command to drive one or more vibration exciters 20 to vibrate according to a specific pattern. It should be understood that the method of acquiring the control command can be varied.

[0032] In one implementation, the control box 30 receives control commands from an external source. Specifically, the control box 30 includes a communication interface 31, which can be a CAN bus interface or a LIN bus interface. This communication interface 31 is used to communicate with the vehicle's body control module (BCM) or infotainment system, or other in-vehicle bus systems, to receive the user's massage commands in real time. This approach achieves a high degree of integration between the massage system and the overall vehicle intelligence.

[0033] In another alternative implementation, control commands can also be generated internally by the control box 30. For example, one or more fixed massage programs can be pre-installed in the internal memory of the control box 30. In this case, the control box 30 can be configured to automatically start a default massage program upon power-on, or to allow the user to cycle through different built-in programs via a simple local trigger switch connected to the control box 30, such as a physical button. This design allows the massage system to operate as a functionally independent module, reducing the complexity of communication matching with specific vehicle models and improving product versatility.

[0034] In some embodiments, the control box 30 is configured to generate the drive signal according to a preset massage program, the massage program defining the activation sequence, vibration frequency, vibration intensity, and / or vibration waveform of one or more of the vibration exciters 20. In this embodiment, in order to achieve a therapeutic effect of deep muscle relaxation, the vibration frequency is preferably controlled in the range of 35Hz to 50Hz.

[0035] In specific implementation, such as Figure 4 As shown, the vibration waveform sequentially includes a gradual rise segment, a hammering segment, and a gradual fall segment in the time domain, to simulate the tapping or hammering sensation during massage.

[0036] Specifically, the gradual rise phase is used to simulate the process of massage intensity from light to heavy. It includes a sequence of one or more gradual rise waveform groups, whose amplitude envelope shows a step-increasing trend, that is, the vibration amplitude of the later gradual rise waveform group is greater than or equal to the vibration amplitude of the previous gradual rise waveform group.

[0037] The hammering section is used to simulate a powerful blow and includes one or more hammering waveform groups, the vibration amplitude of which is maintained at a preset maximum value. Specifically, the number of hammering waveform groups is adjustable from 2 to 5, and the interval pause time between hammering waveform groups is adjustable from 50 to 3000 ms.

[0038] The descent phase simulates the transition from heavy to light massage intensity, comprising a sequence of one or more descent waveforms. The amplitude envelope of these waveforms decreases in a stepwise manner, meaning the amplitude of each subsequent descent waveform is less than or equal to the amplitude of the preceding one. In this embodiment, the start and end times of the ascending and descending phases are adjustable from 300 to 3000 ms, the number of waveforms is adjustable from 2 to 5, and the start-end interval pause time is adjustable from 50 to 300 ms.

[0039] Through precise control of this three-segment waveform, a rich and comfortable massage experience is provided that far surpasses that of traditional air bags or simple mechanical vibrations.

[0040] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, multiple vibration exciters 20 are arranged in a predetermined array, the positions of which correspond to target massage areas on the back of the human body or the seat support body 10, such as the scapular region, lumbar region, and buttocks. In a specific example, such as Figure 3 As shown, the predetermined array has a varying lateral width along the vertical direction of the seat support body 10, for example, presenting an hourglass shape that is narrow in the middle and wide at both ends, to better conform to the muscle contours on both sides of the human spine. In another alternative example, the array can also be a regular rectangular array.

[0041] In summary, in specific implementation, such as Figure 5As shown, the internal circuitry of the control box 30 mainly includes a power supply circuit (VIN module), a CAN signal transceiver circuit, an MCU control circuit, and an amplifier circuit. The power supply circuit receives 12V power from the vehicle and converts it into stable operating voltages required by the chips on the circuit board, such as 5V and 3.3V, via an internal low-dropout linear regulator (LDO). The CAN signal transceiver circuit includes a CAN transceiver, which serves as the physical interface between the control box 30 and the vehicle bus system. It receives advanced massage commands from the vehicle's main controller and transmits them to the MCU control circuit. The MCU control circuit is the core of the entire system. It contains a microcontroller (MCU) that parses the commands from the CAN signal transceiver circuit and generates digital signals in real time to define vibration waveforms, such as the aforementioned gradual rise, hammering, and gradual fall phases, according to a preset massage program. Since the signals generated by the MCU are digital signals, while the vibration exciter 20 requires analog signal drive, the MCU control circuit also includes one or more digital-to-analog converter (DAC) chips. The MCU outputs the generated digital waveform data to the digital-to-analog converter chip, which converts it into a precise, but lower-level, analog voltage signal.

[0042] Furthermore, to provide sufficient power to drive the vibration exciter 20 to generate powerful vibrations, the control box 30 also includes an amplification circuit. This amplification circuit may include a pre-amplification stage composed of operational amplifiers and a power amplification stage composed of audio power amplifiers. The low-level analog signal from the digital-to-analog converter chip is first pre-amplified and then sent to the audio power amplifier for power amplification, thereby generating a high-power analog signal with sufficient driving capability. Finally, the amplified high-power analog signal is sent to the corresponding vibration exciter 20 through multiple output channels of the control box 30, for example, 12 outputs, causing it to generate physical vibrations highly consistent with a preset waveform.

[0043] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a control method for in-vehicle massage, applied to the in-vehicle massage system described in any embodiment of the first aspect. To more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the execution flow of the method will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the in-vehicle massage system described in the first aspect.

[0044] The method includes the following steps: First, the control box 30 receives a massage command. This massage command is the initial input for initiating and defining the massage process. As described in the first aspect, the command can originate from an external vehicle main controller, or it can originate from a local trigger switch directly connected to the control box 30.

[0045] Subsequently, the control box 30 determines a massage program for controlling one or more of the vibration exciters 20 according to the massage command. The massage program defines the activation sequence, vibration frequency, vibration intensity, and / or vibration waveform of one or more of the vibration exciters 20.

[0046] Specifically, the internal memory of the control box 30 stores one or more massage programs, each corresponding to one or more massage instructions. Upon receiving an instruction, the microcontroller (MCU) in the control box 30 parses the instruction and locates the corresponding massage program in its program library. This includes: Activation sequence: Defines which vibration exciter(s) 20 are activated at what time, for how long, and in what order during the massage process.

[0047] Vibration frequency: Defines the core vibration frequency of the vibration exciter 20 when it is working, for example, it is set in the range of 35Hz to 50Hz in physiotherapy frequency.

[0048] Vibration intensity: Defines the amplitude of the vibration, corresponding to the peak voltage of the driving signal.

[0049] Vibration waveform: Defines the specific shape of the vibration signal within one or more cycles, such as the waveform described in the first aspect embodiment that includes a gradual rise segment, a hammering segment, and a gradual fall segment.

[0050] Finally, the control box 30 generates a drive signal according to the massage program to drive one or more of the vibration exciters 20 to vibrate. The MCU generates a precise digital waveform data stream in real time according to the parameters defined in the massage program. This data stream is sent to a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) chip to be converted into an analog voltage signal, and then amplified by a power amplifier circuit to finally form a strong drive signal that can drive the vibration exciter 20 to work.

[0051] As a specific application example of this method, the activation sequence of the vibration exciter 20 is configured to sequentially activate multiple vibration exciters 20 according to a predetermined path. For example, for a group of vibration exciters arranged vertically on the back of a seat, the activation sequence can be set to activate them one by one from bottom to top, with each exciter vibrating for a short period of time before stopping and triggering the next exciter to start. That is, by adjusting the time interval between sequential activations and the duration of each exciter, the comfortable sensation of "waves" of different speeds and lengths brushing against the back can be simulated.

[0052] The in-vehicle massage system and control method provided in this application solve the problem of large weight and size of existing mechanical massage devices, which affects the arrangement of seat upholstery, by installing multiple lightweight vibration exciters on the mounting structure of the seat support body. This achieves system miniaturization and ease of integration. At the same time, by utilizing the rapid response characteristics of the vibration exciters, the system overcomes the defect of delayed response of traditional air bag massage. Furthermore, by precisely controlling the waveform of the drive signal of the vibration exciters, it is possible to achieve diverse modes such as tapping massage, which are difficult to provide in existing technical solutions, thereby enhancing the depth and comfort of the massage experience.

[0053] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "vertical", "up", "down", "horizontal", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0054] In the description of this application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "set," "install," "connect," and "link" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0055] Finally, it should be noted that the above descriptions are merely preferred embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted massage system, characterized in that, include: A seat support body, wherein the seat support body is provided with multiple mounting structures; Multiple vibration exciters are respectively fixed to multiple of the aforementioned mounting structures; A control box, which is electrically connected to a plurality of the vibration exciters; The control box is configured to receive control commands and generate drive signals according to the control commands to drive one or more of the vibration exciters to produce vibration.

2. The in-vehicle massage system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The seat support body is a seat foam body, and the mounting structure is a groove opened on the foam body; or, the seat support body is a seat suspension spring structure, and the mounting structure is a bracket for fixing the vibration exciter to the suspension spring structure.

3. The in-vehicle massage system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control box is configured to generate the drive signal according to a preset massage program, the massage program defining the activation sequence, vibration frequency, vibration intensity and / or vibration waveform of one or more of the vibration exciters.

4. The in-vehicle massage system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The vibration frequency is controlled within the range of 35Hz to 50Hz.

5. The in-vehicle massage system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The vibration waveform sequentially includes a rising segment, a hammering segment, and a falling segment in the time domain; wherein, the rising segment includes a sequence of one or more rising waveform groups, and the vibration amplitude of the subsequent rising waveform group is greater than or equal to the vibration amplitude of the preceding rising waveform group; the hammering segment includes one or more hammering waveform groups, and the vibration amplitude of the hammering waveform group is maintained at a preset maximum value; the falling segment includes a sequence of one or more falling waveform groups, and the vibration amplitude of the subsequent falling waveform group is less than or equal to the vibration amplitude of the preceding falling waveform group.

6. The in-vehicle massage system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The individual mass of the vibration exciter is between 50g and 108g.

7. The in-vehicle massage system according to claim 2, characterized in that, Multiple vibration exciters are arranged in a predetermined array, the positions of which correspond to the target massage area of ​​the human back or the main body of the seat support.

8. The in-vehicle massage system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The predetermined array has a varying lateral width along the vertical direction of the seat foam body.

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