Control of a seating arrangement

Abstract

A method for controlling a vehicle seating arrangement, wherein the seating arrangement comprises a seat (16, 18, 20) including an extendable calf support (27), the method comprising: receiving a signal indicating an angle of the calf support (27) relative to another vehicle component, or with respect to a defined position of the calf support (27); comparing the indicated angle of the calf support (27) with an angle limit, and setting an extension limit depending on whether the indicated angle of the calf support (27) is equal to or greater than the angle limit; and extending the calf support (27) to a first extension limit if the indicated angle of the calf support (27) is less than the angle limit, and extending the calf support (27) beyond the first extension limit to a second extension limit if the indicated angle of the calf support (27) is greater than the angle limit;and the method comprises extending the calf support (27) to the first extension limit, while the calf support (27) is oriented substantially orthogonally to a floor of the vehicle.

Description

TECHNICAL AREA The present disclosure relates to the control of a seating arrangement. In particular, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to the control of an extendable calf support of a rear seating arrangement of a vehicle, for example a sedan or a sport utility vehicle (SUV). Aspects of the invention relate to a method, a control unit, a computer program product, a non-transient computer-readable medium, and a vehicle. BACKGROUND The ample space available in a standard sport utility vehicle (SUV) allows a user to reconfigure the SUV's seating to accommodate passengers or a larger cargo. However, the ability to reconfigure seating in luxury SUVs, and luxury vehicles in general, is often limited because the seats tend to be more voluminous than those used in standard passenger cars, having been optimized for comfort at the expense of versatility. In particular, the relatively large size of the backrests or cushions of luxury vehicle seats restricts the extent to which they can be folded down. The materials and components used in the seating of luxury vehicles also do not allow for easy redesign of the seating. Additionally, rear seat assemblies in luxury passenger cars often include an armrest assembly located between the rear seats. The armrest is movable between a rearward-facing, generally vertical, stowed configuration and a forward-facing, generally horizontal, extended configuration. The presence of the armrest increases the complexity of the rear seat assembly in luxury vehicles and prevents the assembly from being easily reconfigured to increase the cargo space available to a user. As a result, it is usually impractical to fold down the rear seats in a luxury vehicle to increase the available cargo space, and thus the ability of a luxury vehicle to transport loads is more limited than that of an equivalent standard vehicle. US 2008 / 0007101A relates to a vehicle seat, an adjustment system, and a method for moving at least one vehicle seat arranged in a vehicle cabin, in particular of an aircraft, comprising interconnected or guided seat components, such as a seat section, a backrest, and a leg rest, the position and / or inclination of which is adjustable by means of at least one drive device, with an electronic device for collision-free movement and adjustment of the vehicle seat with respect to a coordinate system. US 2002 / 0113477A1 relates to a motorized passenger seat installed in a passenger cabin of vehicles such as airplanes, ships, and cars, in which the positions of the seat parts, such as the backrest, leg rest, and footrest, can be adjusted by motorized actuators, and a method for setting the reference positions of the seat parts. In addition to increased cargo space, luxury vehicles may require more functionality from the seats themselves. For example, it might be desirable for a rear seat to recline for added comfort. Furthermore, this movement could be automated by a system of motors controlled via a user interface. Such features are particularly relevant for luxury vehicles aimed at customers who prefer to be chauffeured. This invention was conceived with this background in mind. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The aforementioned objectives are at least partially achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments are the subject matter of the dependent claims, and the person skilled in the art will find further indications of suitable aspects of the present invention in the overall disclosure of the present application. According to one aspect of the invention, a method for controlling a vehicle seating arrangement is provided, wherein the seating arrangement comprises a seat including an extendable calf support. The method comprises the following: receiving a signal indicating an angle of the calf support; extending the calf support to a first extension limit when the indicated angle of the calf support is less than an angle limit value; extending the calf support beyond the first extension limit to a second extension limit when the indicated angle of the calf support is greater than the angle limit value; and extending the calf support to the first extension limit while the calf support is oriented substantially orthogonally to a floor of the vehicle. The angle of the calf support can be measured relative to any other vehicle component or, for example, relative to defined positions of the calf support. The first extension limit can be configured to prevent the calf support from striking the vehicle floor, for example, if the calf support is oriented substantially perpendicular to the vehicle floor. Alternatively or additionally, the procedure can include fully extending the calf support to the second extension limit if the displayed angle of the calf support is equal to or exceeds the angle limit. The method may include pivoting the calf support from an orientation substantially orthogonal to the vehicle floor to an extended configuration. Such embodiments may further include dynamically adjusting the second extension limit according to how the displayed calf support angle varies. The method may also include extending the calf support to the second extension limit while pivoting, or extending and pivoting the calf support in successive operations. The procedure may include adjusting the second extension limit to prevent the calf support from hitting the vehicle floor. In some embodiments, the seat comprising the calf support is a rear seat of the vehicle, in which case the method may include adjusting the second extension limit to prevent the calf support from striking a component of a front seat of the vehicle. In such embodiments, the method may include receiving a signal indicating the position of a front seat component and adjusting the second extension limit according to the indicated position of the front seat component. Such methods may also include moving a front seat component before extending the calf support. Extending the calf support may involve moving a cushion of the calf support relative to the seat, for example by moving the cushion of the calf support relative to a support structure of the calf support. The procedure may include monitoring for a jamming condition during the extension of the calf support. Further aspects of the invention provide: a control unit configured to control an extendable calf support of a vehicle seating arrangement according to the method of the preceding aspect; a computer program product comprising computer-readable code for controlling a data processing device for performing a method according to the preceding aspect for controlling the extension of a calf support of a vehicle seating arrangement; and a non-transient computer-readable medium comprising such a computer program product. Another aspect of the invention comprises a control unit for a vehicle seating arrangement, wherein the seating arrangement comprises a seat including an extendable calf support, the control unit comprising: an input configured to receive a signal indicating an angle of the calf support relative to the seat; a processing module configured to generate, depending on the signal, a control signal to extend the calf support to a first extension limit while the calf support is substantially orthogonal to a floor of the vehicle, and to extend the calf support beyond the first extension limit when the indicated angle of the calf support is greater than the angle limit; and an output configured to output the control signal. The input can include an electronic processor with an electrical input for receiving the signal indicating the angle of the calf support, and an electronic storage device electrically coupled to the electronic processor and containing instructions stored therein. The processing module can be configured to access the storage device and execute the instructions stored therein, thus enabling it to generate the control signal. The invention also extends to a vehicle which includes the control unit according to the above aspects. Within the scope of this application, it is expressly intended that the different aspects, embodiments, examples, and alternatives presented in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims, and / or in the following description and drawings, and in particular their individual features, may be considered independently of one another or in any combination. This means that all embodiments and / or features of any embodiment may be combined in any way and / or combination, provided that these features are not incompatible.The applicant reserves the right to amend any originally filed patent claim or to file any new patent claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed patent claim to depend on and / or incorporate any feature of any other claim, even if it was not previously claimed in this manner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a top view of a vehicle comprising a rear seat arrangement suitable for use in embodiments of the invention; Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an example of the rear seat arrangement of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 corresponds to Fig. 2, but shows a front view of the rear seat arrangement; Fig. 4 corresponds to Fig. 2, but shows a rear view of the rear seat arrangement; Fig. 5 corresponds to Fig. 2, but shows the rear seat arrangement in a partially folded configuration; Fig. 6 corresponds to Fig. 2, but shows the rear seat arrangement in a fully folded configuration; Figs. 7a to 7e show an example of a first seat of the rear seat arrangement of Fig. 1 by a series of phases of a sequence of folding the seat; Fig.Figure 8 is a side sectional view of an example of the rear seat arrangement of Figure 1, in which the armrest is in a stowed configuration; Figure 9 is corresponding to Figure 8, but showing the armrest in an extended configuration; Figure 10 is a perspective view of the rear seat arrangement shown in Figure 9; Figure 11 is corresponding to Figure 10, but showing a cover of the armrest in an open configuration; Figure 12 is a side view of an example of a seat of the rear seat arrangement in a reclined configuration; Figure 13 is a side view of a front seat of the vehicle in an intermediate stage of folding, with a screen aligned according to an angle of the seat backrest; Figure 14 shows an example of a first seat of the rear seat arrangement of Figure 1 through a series of stages of extending a calf support; Figure 15 is corresponding to Figure 14, but showing a retraction sequence for the calf support; FigureFig. 16 is a perspective view of an example of a headrest of the rear seat arrangement of Fig. 1; Fig. 17 is a perspective sectional view of an interface between the headrest of Fig. 16 and a backrest of the rear seat arrangement of Fig. 1, showing internal features of the backrest; Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the headrest of Fig. 16; Fig. 19 is a schematic perspective view of an example of the rear seat arrangement of Fig. 1, showing a motor system used to drive the movement of components of the seat arrangement; Fig. 20 is a schematic representation of an example of a control system used to actuate the rear seat arrangement of Fig. 1; Fig. 21 is a flowchart showing a method according to an embodiment of the invention for folding the seats of the rear seat arrangement of Fig. 1; Fig. 22 is a Gantt chart showing steps of the method of Fig. 21; Fig.23 is a flowchart showing a method according to an embodiment of the invention for reclining a seat of the rear seat arrangement of Fig. 1; Fig. 24 is a Gantt chart showing steps of the method of Fig. 23; Fig. 25 is a flowchart showing a method according to an embodiment of the invention for extending an armrest of the rear seat arrangement of Fig. 1; Fig. 26 is a flowchart showing a method according to an embodiment of the invention for stowing an armrest of the rear seat arrangement of Fig. 1; Fig. 27 is a flowchart showing a method according to an embodiment of the invention for extending a ski pass-through of the rear seat arrangement of Fig. 1; Fig. 28 is a flowchart showing a method according to an embodiment of the invention for extending a calf support of the rear seat arrangement of Fig. 1; Fig.29 is a flowchart showing a method according to an embodiment of the invention for extending a calf support of the rear seat arrangement of Fig. 1; Fig. 30 is a flowchart showing a method according to an embodiment of the invention for detecting the presence of a headrest; and Fig. 31 is a flowchart showing a method according to an embodiment of the invention for adjusting the position of a screen mounted on the back of a passenger seat. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Embodiments of the invention relate to methods and corresponding control systems for controlling the actuation of elements of a motorized seating arrangement for a vehicle. Due to the complexity of the seating arrangement, which comprises various movable elements, each movement must be carefully controlled to avoid collisions with other vehicle components and to ensure the comfort and safety of all vehicle occupants. Before proceeding to consider these embodiments in detail, a seating arrangement to which such embodiments are applicable will be described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 to 20, in order to correctly classify the invention. Fig. 1 shows a simplified top view of a luxury vehicle 6 comprising a rear seat arrangement 1 and a control system 3 for controlling the movement of components of the rear seat arrangement 1 according to embodiments of the invention. The rear seat arrangement 1 is located in a passenger compartment 2 of the vehicle 6, and a cargo space 4 is defined behind the seat arrangement 1. Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of an example of the rear section of the passenger compartment 2 and the cargo space 4 of the vehicle 6. In the following description, the terms "forward", "backward", "in front", "behind", "frontmost", and "rearmost" are used to describe positions or locations of features relative to the vehicle 6. For example, the terms "forward" and "frontmost" refer to locations or positions toward or closer to the front of the vehicle 6, and "backward" and "rearmost" refer to locations or positions toward or closer to the rear of the vehicle 6. The rear section of the passenger compartment 2 comprises the seating arrangement 1, shown in a standard configuration in Fig. 2. As can be seen most clearly in Fig. 2, in the illustrated example, the passenger compartment 2 is separated from the cargo space 4 by a partition 8 of the seating arrangement 1, which extends transversely between opposite sides of the vehicle 6 when the seating arrangement 1 is in its standard (folded-out) configuration. The cargo space 4 is commonly referred to as the 'trunk' or 'rear compartment' or 'cargo space' of a vehicle. Luggage and other items are typically loaded into the cargo space 4 by opening a hinged hatch or door (not shown) at the rear of the vehicle 6 to provide access to the cargo space 4.The partition 8 has a first surface 10 and a second surface 12, wherein the first surface 10 of the partition 8 faces the passenger compartment 2 and the second surface 12 faces the cargo space 4 when the seating arrangement 1 is in the standard configuration shown in Fig. 2. The seating arrangement 1 is shown from the front in Fig. 3 and from the rear in Fig. 4. Figs. 1, 2, 3 to 4 will now be described together. The seating arrangement 1 comprises a first seat 16, a second seat 18, and a separating section defining a middle seat 20, the middle seat 20 being located between the first seat 16 and the second seat 18. The partition 8 is located behind the first, second, and middle seats 16, 18, and 20. The first and second seats 16, 18 each comprise a seat cushion 22, a backrest 24, a headrest 26 and a calf support 27. The backrests 24 are arranged adjacent to the first surface 10 of the partition 8 when the seat arrangement 1 is in the standard configuration. The middle seat 20 comprises a middle cushion 28 and a backrest that is pivotable to function as an armrest 30. The armrest 30 is shown in Fig. 2 in an extended configuration, in which the armrest 30 is generally oriented horizontally. The armrest 30 is movable into a stowed configuration, which is described in more detail below, in which the armrest 30 is generally oriented vertically to form the separating backrest for the middle seat 20. Although not visible in Figures 1, 2, 3 to 4, the first, second, and middle seats 16, 18, 20 typically also include seat belt assemblies. For example, the first and second seats 16, 18 typically include conventional three-point seat belt systems, while the middle seat 20 may be provided with a two-point lap belt system. Each of these belt systems may include sensors configured to generate signals indicating whether the respective seat belt has been fastened or not, and thus whether the respective seat belt system is engaged or not. Additionally, the first, second, and middle seats 16, 18, 20 can each be equipped with one or more sensors arranged to detect the presence of an object, such as a passenger, in the respective seat. Such sensors are familiar to the expert reader and can, for example, be embedded in the seat cushions 22, 28. The sensors can form part of an occupancy detection system and can be arranged to generate signals indicating a load applied to the seat cushion 22, 28. The occupancy detection system can determine that the seat 16, 18 is occupied if, for example, the indicated load exceeds a threshold value. In the field, seating arrangement 1 is referred to as a 40-20-40 subdivision: the first seat 16 comprises approximately 40% of the seating space of seating arrangement 1, the middle seat 20 comprises approximately 20% of the seating space of seating arrangement 1, and the second seat 18 comprises approximately 40% of the seating space of seating arrangement 1. As best seen in Fig. 4, the partition 8 in the illustrated example includes a hinged opening that defines a ski pass-through 29, which can be opened when the armrest 30 is extended, allowing elongated objects such as skis 31 to extend from the cargo area 4 into the passenger compartment 2. Fig. 2 shows the seating arrangement 1 with the ski pass-through 29 in an open configuration, allowing the skis 31 to extend through it into the passenger compartment 2. Figs. 3 and 4 show the seating arrangement 1 with the ski pass-through 29 in a closed configuration. In some embodiments, the standard configuration of the seating arrangement 1 shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3 to Fig. 4, in which the backrests 24 are generally upright but not reclined, the cushions are in a generally rearward position and the calf supports 27 are stowed away, defines an exit configuration for each seat 16, 18 of the seating arrangement 1. Such an exit configuration is arranged to facilitate exiting or entering the respective seat 16, 18 by positioning the seat 16, 18 in an accessible arrangement, and it can be optimized for each vehicle model. Furthermore, the exit configuration can be individually adapted to the user, for example, by a vehicle infotainment system. Thus, the exit configuration may not exactly correspond to the standard configuration shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 to 4. The control system 3 can be arranged to control the movement of the components of the rear seat arrangement 1 in order to move the first seat 16 or the second seat 18 into its exit configuration when a vehicle door adjacent to the respective seat 16, 18 is operated. The second seat 18 may, for example, be in a reclined configuration when the door immediately adjacent to the second seat 18 is operated. An example of a reclined configuration is shown in Fig. 12 and involves the backrest 24 being tilted backward, the cushion 22 being pushed forward, and the calf support 27 being extended. In this situation, upon detecting the operation of the door, the control system 3 automatically reconfigures the second seat 18 to tilt the backrest 24 forward, push the cushion 22 backward, and stow the calf support 27, thus assuming the exit configuration. The exact way in which the components of the seating arrangement 1 are moved by the control system 3 will become clear from the following description. Activating a door can act as a trigger to initiate the movement of a seat 16, 18 into an exit configuration and can include the actuation of an internal or external door handle, as indicated by a door handle sensor, or the opening of a door, as indicated by a door sensor. In some embodiments, only the seat adjacent to the door or door handle being operated is moved into the exit configuration, but if necessary, both the first and second seats 16, 18 can be moved into their exit configurations when a door next to one of them is operated. If automated movement into the exit configuration is desired only for exiting the vehicle, the control system 3 can, if necessary, check whether the respective seat 16, 18 is occupied as soon as a door is opened. Such information can be collected for the respective seat 16, 18, for example, by an occupancy detection system. Such systems can include a sensor embedded in the respective seat cushion 22, which is arranged to generate a signal indicating a load applied to the seat cushion 22. If the load exceeds a threshold value, the occupancy detection system determines that the seat 16, 18 is occupied. Similarly, in such embodiments, the movement into the exit configuration can be deactivated when the respective seat 16, 18 is folded up, since a folded seat can be assumed to be unoccupied. It is understood that if the control system 3 is arranged to move seats 16, 18 into an exit position on occasions when a person enters the vehicle 6, it is not necessary to check the occupancy of seat 16, 18 or to check whether seat 16, 18 is folded down. The seating arrangement 1 is shown in Fig. 5 in a partially folded configuration. The partition 8 is asymmetrically divided into a larger partition section 17a and a smaller partition section 19a. Accordingly, the seating arrangement 1 is divided into corresponding sections: a larger section 17 and a smaller section 19. The larger section 17 comprises the second seat 18, the middle seat 20, and the armrest 30, as well as the larger partition section 17a. The smaller section 19 comprises the first seat 16 and the smaller partition section 19a. In the example shown, the seating arrangement 1 has a 40-20-40 division, which means that the larger partition section 17a and the smaller partition section 19a are typically arranged in a 60-40 division. The first, second, and middle seats 16, 18, and 20 are arranged such that the backrests 24 and the armrest 30 can each fold forward about an axis 33 that extends transversely through the vehicle 6 parallel to the plane of the partition 8. The partition 8 is also arranged to fold forward in conjunction with the seats 16, 18, and 20. It is noted, however, that the partition 8 is separate from the backrests 24 of the first and second seats 16, 18 and can therefore move independently. The exact operating modes will be described in more detail later, but at this stage it is noted that providing a partition 8 that can be folded independently of seats 16, 18, 20 increases the versatility of the seating arrangement 1. This configuration allows, for example, the partition 8 to be used as a base for moving the seat backrests 24, which is helpful given their relatively large size and weight, resulting from the increased level of comfort they are designed to provide. This arrangement also allows the partition 8 to continue separating the cargo space 4 from the passenger compartment 2 while the positions of the backrests 24 are being adjusted. In the partially folded configuration shown in Fig. 5, the first seat 16 is in a folded position, so that its backrest 24 rests on its corresponding seat cushion 22. The middle seat 20 and the second seat 18, i.e., the larger section 17a, are in a standard, unfolded configuration. In this configuration, the corresponding smaller section 19a of the partition 8 is folded forward to rest on the backrest 24, so that the first surface 10 of the smaller section 19a of the partition 8 generally faces the floor of the passenger compartment 2, and the second surface 12 of the smaller section of the partition 8 generally faces the roof of the passenger compartment 2.The partially folded configuration allows a long load 32 to be transported by the vehicle 6, while allowing the second seat 18 and the middle seat 20 to transport passengers. The seating arrangement 1 is shown in Fig. 6 in a fully folded configuration, in which both backrests 24 and the armrest 30 are folded forward about the folding axis 33, so that each backrest 24 and armrest engages its respective cushion 22, 28. In the fully folded configuration, both the smaller and the larger sections of the partition 8 are folded forward to rest on the backrests 24 and the armrest 30, so that the first surface 10 of the partition 8 generally faces the floor of the passenger compartment 2 and the second surface 12 generally faces the roof of the passenger compartment 2. The fully folded configuration allows a larger load (not shown) to be transported by the vehicle 6. Figures 7a to 7e are side views of the first seat 16 of the seating arrangement 1 and show a partition assembly 34 into which the partition 8 is integrated. Each of Figures 7a to 7e shows the partition assembly 34 and the seat 16 in successive phases of movement, during which the seat 16 and the partition assembly 34 are folded together under the control of the control system 3. The partition assembly 34 comprises an upper support structure 38 and a lower support structure 40, wherein the lower support structure 40 is connected to the upper support structure 38 by a pivotable connection 55. The upper support structure 38 includes the partition wall 8 and a partition wall bracket 46, on which the partition wall 8 is mounted. The seat cushion 22 is attached to the lower support structure 40. Specifically, the cushion 22 comprises opposing, laterally projecting rear pins 60 towards the rear of the cushion 22, which are received in slots 62 of the lower support structure 40 for linear lateral movement, and it is coupled to a pair of pivotable support arms 64 of the lower support structure 40 towards the front of the cushion 22, with one support arm 64 attached to each side of the cushion 22. Each support arm 64 couples to the seat cushion 22 by means of a laterally projecting front pin 66, which is received in a cushion slot 68 formed in a lower part 70 of the seat cushion 22. This arrangement provides two modes of forward and backward movement for the seat cushion 22: a first mode in which the support arms 64 pivot while the front pins 66 remain in fixed positions in their respective cushion slots 68 to move the seat cushion 22 in an arc-shaped forward motion that raises the seat cushion 22 to a certain degree; and a second mode in which the rear and front pins 60, 66 slide in their respective slots 62, 68 while the support arms 64 are held stationary, resulting in a purely linear movement of the cushion 22. Providing two modes of movement offers greater flexibility in configuring the seat cushion 22 for comfort. The folding sequence shown in Figures 7a to 7e uses the first mode of movement, but it is understood that the second mode of movement can be equally suitable for a folding operation. The backrest 24 is pivotally mounted on a pivot element 92, which is aligned with the axis 33 about which the backrest 24 pivots. The pivot element 92 is in turn supported by a backrest bracket 93, which is pivotally mounted on the pivotable connection 55. The pivot element 92 allows the angle of the backrest 24 relative to the seat cushion 22 to be changed by a passenger for comfort. The backrest bracket 93 can pivot relative to the pivotable connection 55 to move the backrest 24 relative to the partition assembly 34, thus providing further flexibility in repositioning the backrest 24 for comfort. Likewise, coupling the backrest 24 to the pivotable connection 55 by the backrest bracket 93 allows the backrest 24, together with the partition 8, to be folded around the pivotable connection. Fig. 7a shows the backrest 24 in a forward position, in which a space 94 is defined between the backrest 24 and the partition 8. The pivot element 92 is not moved from its rear position in Figs. 7a to 7e. By allowing the backrest 24 to pivot and move forward and backward independently of the partition 8, the arrangement shown in Fig. 7 allows a passenger to adjust the first seat 16 to his comfort without affecting the cargo space 4 which remains enclosed by the partition 8. A change in the configuration of the seat arrangement 1 between the standard, unfolded configuration and the folded configuration can be activated using the control system 3. In this respect, the control system 3 comprises one or more switches that control a set of electric motors (shown in Fig. 19), which in turn cause the movement of respective components of the rear seat arrangement 1. Pressing a switch generates an electronic request signal that activates the control system 3 to carry out the corresponding movement by appropriately operating the electric motors. In this example, when the control system 3 is activated by a corresponding switch that controls the folding of the seat assembly 1, the control system 3 takes appropriate measures. Specifically, if the pivot element 92 is moved, it returns to a rearward position, and the backrest 24 automatically reclines into a rearward position, eliminating the gap 94 and resting the backrest 24 against the partition 8, as shown in Fig. 7b. The restrained position is a starting position that the backrest 24 can assume to ensure that the partition assembly 34 is in the correct position to be reconfigured from the unfolded to the folded configuration.This provides the control system 3 with an output reference point from which the folding movement of the seat 16 and the partition assembly 34 can be controlled, thus ensuring that the folding is completed in the correct position. Similarly, the seat cushion 22 can also return to an initial, rearward position corresponding to the position shown in Fig. 7b if the seat cushion 22 is positioned lying in front of its initial position when the folding is activated. Using the pin-and-slot arrangement, the seat cushion 22 can be moved forward by rotating the support arms 64 in a forward direction relative to the lower support structure 40, as shown in Fig. 7c. As noted above, this corresponds to the first mode of movement for the seat cushion 22. The forward position of the seat cushion 22 provides additional space—indicated by the shaded area 96 in Fig. 7c—into which the backrest 24 can pivot. Without the forward movement of the cushion 22, the cushion 22 would obstruct the pivoting movement of the backrest 24. Accordingly, the shaded area 96 represents a first collision zone 96, within which, if the cushion 22 were located, an attempt to fold the backrest 24 would cause a collision between the backrest 24 and the cushion 22. Fig. 7d shows the seat 16 and the partition assembly 34 in an intermediate stage between the unfolded and folded configurations, as they pivot together about the pivoting link 55, and Fig. 7e shows the components of the larger section of the partition assembly 34 in the folded configuration once the folding process is complete. In the folded configuration, a section of the backrest 24 fills the shaded area 96 shown in Fig. 7c. As shown in Fig. 8, Fig. 9 to Fig. 10, in some arrangements the middle cushion 28 is moved when the armrest 30 repositions itself from the stowed configuration to the extended configuration. Fig. 8 shows a side view of an example of the middle seat 20 of the seating arrangement 1 with the armrest 30 in the stowed configuration. The armrest 30 is mounted on a pivot 116, which allows the armrest 30 to pivot between the stowed and extended configurations. In the stowed configuration, the armrest 30 and the middle cushion 28 are generally aligned with the backrests 24 and seat cushions 22 (shown in Figs. 9 and 10) on both sides of the armrest 30 and the middle cushion 28, so that the middle seat 20 can be used as a passenger seat. Figures 9 and 10 show an example of the seating arrangement 1 with the armrest 30 in the extended configuration. Figure 9 is a side view of the middle seat 20, whereas Figure 10 is a perspective view that also shows the backrests 24 and the seat cushions 22 of the first and second seats 16, 18 adjacent to the middle seat 20. The seat arrangement 1 in the illustrated embodiment is configured to change the position of the central cushion 28 when the armrest 30 switches between the stowed and extended configurations. The central cushion 28 rotates about a central cushion pivot 135. Alternatively, the central cushion 28 can be mounted on a movable attachment configured to reposition the central cushion 28 when the armrest 30 switches between the stowed and extended configurations. The armrest 30 rotates forward around the pivot 116 as it moves from the stowed configuration to the extended configuration. At the same time or earlier, the center cushion 28 lowers into a recessed position, creating a gap between the seat cushions 22 to accommodate the armrest 30. This allows the armrest 30 to overlap the seat cushions 22, achieving a comfortable armrest position, as shown by the hatched area 136. This creates the visual appearance of an armrest that is fully integrated into the adjacent seats. Such an integrated appearance according to the present embodiment of the invention is best seen in Fig. 10. As shown, a section of the armrest 30 is arranged between the seat cushions 22 of the first seat 16 and the second seat 18, giving the appearance that the armrest 30 forms a unit with the seats 16, 18. Fig. 11 shows an example of the armrest 30 in its extended configuration and in an open configuration, in which a cover 72 of the armrest 30 is open. This provides access to an internal compartment 76, defined within the armrest beneath the cover 72, which in the illustrated example includes cup holders 74 defined by cylindrical recesses formed in a lower part of the compartment 76. To expose the compartment 76, the cover 72 of the armrest 30 is pivoted from a closed configuration, in which the cover 72 is generally flush with an upper surface of the armrest 30, to a generally upright orientation as shown in Fig. 11, which defines an open configuration for the cover 72. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 11, the armrest 30 further comprises a retractable cover 75 which can slide horizontally over the cup holders 74 into a closed configuration when they are not in use, and can be retracted into the body of the armrest 30 and into an open configuration when access to the cup holders 74 is required. The movement of the retractable cover 75 between its open and closed configurations can be driven by a motor for the retractable cover, which is arranged inside the armrest 30. If an attempt is made to close the retractable cover 75 while a cup or other object is in one of the cup holders 74, the retractable cover 75 will encounter resistance as it engages the cup or other object. This resistance can be detected as a jamming condition (indicating, for example, that an object is trapped between the moving retractable cover 75 and another component), whereupon the movement of the retractable cover 75 can be aborted and / or automatically reversed in response. Fig. 12 shows an example of the second seat 18 of the seating arrangement 1 in a reclined configuration. In the reclined configuration, the backrest 24 pivots backward into engagement with the partition 8, while the cushion 22 is moved forward using the first movement mode, so that it is positioned forward and slightly raised relative to its standard configuration. This configuration of the backrest 24 and cushion 22 corresponds to that of Fig. 7c. In this case, however, the configuration is not considered a preliminary stage to folding, but rather represents a configuration designed to provide maximum comfort. As shown in Fig. 12, the calf support 27 comprises a support structure including pivotable arms 78, which are attached and rotatable about a pin 81 relative to the lower support structure 40 of the partition assembly 34 of the second seat. The calf support arms 78 carry a calf support pad 80, which is linearly displaceable along the arms 78, so that the calf support pad 80 can be moved towards or away from the pin 81, which is located under the cushion 22 of the second seat 18. Moving the calf support pad 80 away from the pin 81, and thus away from the seat cushion 22, is hereinafter referred to as extending the calf support 27, whereas pivoting the calf support arms 78 is referred to as tilting or pivoting the calf support 27. When the second seat 18 is in such a reclined configuration, the calf support 27 is pivoted and extended into a fully extended configuration, as shown in Fig. 12, in which the calf support pad 80 is positioned to provide leg support to an occupant of the second seat 18. The method by which the calf support is extended is described in more detail below with reference to Fig. 14. To allow the calf support 27 to be extended, a front passenger seat 82 of the vehicle 6 can be moved into a folded configuration, as shown in Fig. 12, if it is unoccupied. The folded configuration of the front seat 82 generally corresponds to the folded configuration of a rear seat 16, 18, as described above with reference to Fig. 7e. Specifically, a backrest 84 of the front seat 82 is pivoted forward into engagement with a cushion 86 of the front seat 82. A headrest 88 of the front seat 82 is shown in a standard configuration in Fig. 12, but the headrest 88 may tilt forward if necessary to avoid impact with a dashboard of the vehicle 6. Moving the front seat 82 into the folded configuration ensures that no part of the front seat 82 falls into a second collision zone 98, which is shown by dashed lines in Fig. 12. The second collision zone 98 represents an area within which the calf support 27 moves during its extension, and in which a collision between the calf support 27 and the front seat 82 could therefore occur if a component of the front seat 82 is located within the second collision zone 98 during such extension of the calf support 27. Although the front seat 82 shown in Fig. 12 is structurally similar to the seats 16, 18 of the rear seat arrangement 1, it is understood that the front seat 82 may be constructed differently. In particular, it is noted that, although the front seat 82 shown in Fig. 12 has a partition 100 and a backrest 84, the backrest 84 and the partition 100 are not separable, unlike the seats 16, 18 of the rear seat arrangement 1. Thus, the partition 90 merely acts as a protective backrest for the backrest 84 of the front seat 82. Fig. 12 also illustrates how a display device, for example an entertainment device such as the screen 102 mounted on the back of the seatback 84 of the front seat 82, tilts to compensate for the folding of the front seat 82. As is evident from Fig. 12, the screen 102 is held in an upright position even though the seatback 84 of the front seat 82 is pivoted forward. Fig. 13 shows the front seat 82 in a different configuration, in which the seatback 84 is in an intermediate stage of folding and the screen 102 is again generally oriented vertically. Adjusting the angle of the screen 102 relative to the backrest 84 to maintain a substantially constant orientation relative to the floor of the vehicle 6 ensures that the screen 102 remains clearly visible to an occupant of the second seat 18 when the configuration of the front seat 82 is changed. Although the screen 102 is shown in a generally vertical orientation in both Fig. 12 and Fig. 13, alternatively, the position of the screen 102 can be controlled so that it can always be oriented towards the headrest 26 of the second seat 18, thus optimizing the viewing angle for an occupant of the second seat 18. Alternatively, the orientation in which the screen 102 is held can be user-adjustable, for example, via an interface such as an infotainment system. The screen 102 is supported by a screen mount 104, which is pivotable relative to the backrest 84 of the front seat 82. For greater flexibility of movement, the screen 102 can also pivot relative to the mount, for example, to allow linear movement of the screen 102 relative to the backrest 84 of the front seat 82. A pivoting movement of the screen mount 104 and / or the screen 102 relative to the screen mount 104 is driven by one or more screen motors integrated into the screen mount 104 and / or the backrest 84 of the front seat 82. A sensor 83 embedded in the front seat 82 provides a signal indicating the position of the front seat backrest 84. The position of the front seat backrest 84 can include its orientation as well as its longitudinal position within the vehicle 6, taking into account that the position of the front seat 82 is adjustable forwards and backwards as usual. The signal indicating the position of the front seat 82 is transmitted to the control system 3 and used to determine the correct position for the screen 102. The position of the screen 102 includes its angle relative to the backrest 84 of the front seat 82 and, optionally, a displacement of the screen 102 from the backrest 84 of the front seat 82 in embodiments where the screen mount 104 is configured to move the screen 102 toward and away from the backrest 84. Once the desired position is determined, the control system 3 operates the motors that control the movement of the screen 102 and the screen mount 104 to position the screen 102 as required. In this way, the control system 3 works to adjust the position of the screen 102 relative to the position of the backrest 84 of the front seat according to a predefined relationship between the angle of the screen and the angle of the backrest, in order to maintain an optimized viewing angle for an occupant of the second seat 18 when the front seat 82 is reconfigured. Figs. 14 and 15 each schematically illustrate successive phases of the extension and retraction movement of a calf support 27 of the second seat 18. In Fig. 14, a calf support 27 is shown extending from a stowed configuration, in which the calf support 27 generally extends downwards from a leading edge of a seat cushion 22 orthogonally to the floor of the passenger compartment 2, to an extended configuration and a fully extended configuration, in which the calf support 27 provides support for the legs of a passenger occupying the second seat 18. In some embodiments, extending and retracting the calf support 27 may be separate, independent operations. Thus, the extended configuration and the stowed configuration refer only to the orientation of the calf support 27 and not to the extent to which it has been extended. In the extended configuration, the calf support 27 is inclined by approximately 15° with respect to a horizontal plane, whereas in the stowed configuration, the calf support 27 generally extends vertically downwards from the edge of the seat 18. When the calf support 27 is extended, the calf support pad 80 is moved away from the seat 18 by a linear movement along the calf support arms 78 that support the calf support pad 80, so that the calf support pad 80 can be positioned under the calves of the passenger's legs for maximum comfort. It may not be possible to extend the calf support 27 to its maximum extension while it is in its stowed configuration, as attempting to do so could cause the calf support pad 80 to strike the floor of the passenger compartment 2. Conversely, extending the calf support 27 after it has been raised into its extended configuration, and thus already potentially supporting the passenger's legs, could cause discomfort to the passenger. Accordingly, the calf support 27 can be extended and retracted in stages. Fig. 14 shows one of many possible implementations. In a first phase, shown at the top of Fig. 14, the calf support 27 is in its stowed configuration. When the user requests extension of the calf support 27, for example by pressing a button on a user interface control panel of the adjacent vehicle door, the calf support pad 80 moves downwards along the calf support arms 78 into a first, almost fully extended position, in which the calf support 27 is extended to a first extension limit without striking the floor of the passenger compartment 2. This step is shown as the second phase of Fig. 14 and reduces any further extension that can be performed once the calf support 27 has been raised, thus minimizing any discomfort for the user.In some embodiments, this first position can be achieved by extending the calf support 27 as far as possible without hitting the floor of the passenger compartment, in order to minimize any further subsequent extension. It is also noted that when the calf support 27 is in the stowed configuration, the calf support pad 80 can be positioned below the pad 22 of the second seat 18 and engage with the underside or the front edge of the pad 22. Accordingly, the step of extending the calf support 27 downwards before beginning to tilt the calf support 27 moves the calf support pad 80 out of engagement with the seat pad 88, thus preventing a collision between the two during the subsequent pivoting of the calf support arms 78. Next, the calf support arms 78 pivot forward to a second position, in which they are inclined at approximately 45° to the horizontal, as shown in the third phase of Fig. 14. At this point, the calf support cushion 80 may not yet have come into contact with the passenger's legs, and in some embodiments, sufficient space may remain in front of the calf support 27 for a passenger with legs of at least average length to comfortably keep their feet on the floor of the passenger compartment 2. In this second position, the calf support 27 is designed not to support the passenger's legs, and thus, further extension of the calf support 27 to a second extension limit at this point causes minimal discomfort.Furthermore, the calf support 27 can be extended further without the risk of impact on the passenger compartment floor if the calf support arms 78 are aligned at this angle. The calf support 27 can then complete its extension to the second extension limit in the fourth phase by moving into a third position before finally continuing the forward pivoting movement of the arms 78 to transfer the calf support 27 into the extended configuration in the fifth phase. As already noted, the sequence shown in Fig. 14 is provided only as an example, and many variations are possible. It is also possible to rotate the arms 78 simultaneously with the extension of the calf support 27, so that the extension and retraction take place in a single, continuous movement. Fig. 15 shows the reverse process, namely a retraction sequence in which the calf support 27 moves from an extended configuration to a retracted, stowed configuration. In contrast to extending the calf support 27 while supporting a passenger's legs, retracting the calf support cushion 80 towards the first seat 16 while supporting the legs is considered acceptable in terms of comfort. Therefore, in the example shown in Fig. 15, the retraction process is somewhat simpler than the extension process shown in Fig. 14, as it involves fewer phases. Specifically, the first phase of the retraction process shown in Fig. 15 features the calf support 27 in the extended configuration, which formed the end of the extension process shown in Fig. 14. Next, in the second phase, the calf support pad 80 is retracted towards the second seat 18 and stops just before reaching the tips of the calf support arms 78 to prevent it from impacting the pad 24 of the second seat 18, which could impede the rotation of the calf support arms 78. In the third phase, the calf support arms 78 are pivoted downwards to return to a vertical orientation, taking into account that the calf support pad 80 was sufficiently retracted in the second phase to avoid collision with the floor. The retraction process is completed in the fourth phase by pulling the calf support pad 80 upwards on the calf support arms 78 to return to its original position below the pad 24 of the second seat 18, according to the stowed configuration. In summary, the rear seating arrangement 1 can comprise the following: a folding partition 8, reclining seats 16, 18, extendable calf supports 27, an extendable armrest 30, and an extendable ski pass-through 29. The positioning of the components of the seating arrangement 1 into each of the configurations described above is automated using a system of motors and associated mechanisms and is controlled by the control system 3. Figures 16, 17 to 18 show an example of a headrest 26 of the rear seat arrangement 1 in further detail. As shown in Figure 16, the headrest 26 is supported by a pair of headrest supports in the form of curved headrest rods 108. When the headrest 26 is in a generally upright configuration, the headrest rods 108 first extend downwards from the headrest 26 and then curve in a generally circular arc to a generally horizontal inclination at their minimum extent. Figure 17 shows how the ends of the headrest rods 108 are received within sleeves 110 located within a backrest 24 of a rear seat, in this example the first seat 16. Returning to Fig. 16, the headrest 26 can be tilted between its generally upright configuration and a downward-facing folded configuration, for example, to allow the headrest 26 to fold out of the way when the seat 16 is moved into a folded configuration. The movement of the headrest 26 between the upright and folded configurations can be driven by a headrest tilting motor 112, which is embedded in the backrest 24 and acts to push the headrest rods 108 outward from the backrest 24, causing the headrest 26 to tilt forward due to the curvature of the headrest rods 108. The tilting of the headrest 26 can thus be controlled by the control system 3 in response to user requests, as described in more detail below. In addition to tilting, the headrest 26 can move both vertically and horizontally on the headrest posts 108, providing further flexibility in repositioning the headrest 26 for user comfort. The vertical and horizontal movement of the headrest 26 on the headrest posts 108 is each effected by a headrest vertical motor 118 and a headrest horizontal motor 120, respectively, which are embedded in the headrest 26, as shown in Fig. 18. The operation of the headrest motors 118 and 120 can, in turn, be controlled by the control system 3 in response to user requirements. Electrical current is supplied to the headrest vertical motor 118 and the headrest horizontal motor 120 via wiring routed within one of the headrest posts 108. The headrest post 108, which contains the wiring, in turn includes an electrical connection that is connected to an additional connection within the sleeve 110 of the backrest 24, in which the headrest post 108 is housed. Accordingly, when the headrest post 108 engages its respective sleeve 110, the headrest vertical motor 118 and the headrest horizontal motor 120 are electrically connected to the backrest 24 and, in turn, to the control system 3, and can thus be controlled according to user requirements. The detailed operation of the mechanisms for vertical, horizontal and tilting movement of the headrest 26 is already known and is not the subject of this invention, and is therefore not described further here. It is noted that the headrest 26 can be manually removed from the backrest 24 when the headrest 26 is tilted into its folded configuration. To remove the headrest 26, a user must lift the headrest 26 to retract the headrest rods 108 from the backrest 24 while pressing a release button on the backrest 24. It is undesirable to drive the headrest tilt motor 112 if the headrest 26 is not present, as driving the motor 112 under such circumstances can make subsequent reinstallation of the headrest posts 108 more difficult and consequently prevent the headrest 26 from being reinstalled. Therefore, when the control system 3 receives a request to drive the headrest tilt motor 112 to tilt the headrest 26, it is desirable to first verify whether the headrest 26 is present. Prior art arrangements include microswitches within the backrest 24 to detect the presence of the headrest posts 108 and thus prevent inappropriate activation of the headrest tilt motor 112. However, this approach has proven unreliable. Accordingly, embodiments of the invention employ a different approach in which the presence of the headrest 26 is determined using a plausibility check. In this check, the control system 3 attempts to drive the headrest horizontal motor 120 and / or the headrest vertical motor 118, which are arranged within the headrest 26, and measures a current flow at the electrical connection for the motor(s) 118, 120 to determine whether the headrest 26 is present or not. This method is described in more detail below with reference to Fig. 30, but at this stage it is noted that this approach advantageously allows the microswitches to be omitted while also providing a more reliable indication of whether the headrest 26 is present. The underlying structure and mechanisms of the seating arrangement that enable the automated reconfiguration described above are not the subject matter of this invention and are therefore not described in detail to avoid obscuring the invention. Examples of seating assemblies exhibiting these capabilities are described in more detail in some of the applicant's earlier applications published under GB2539501, WO 2016 / 202732 and WO 2016 / 202733. However, Fig. 19 schematically represents an exemplary group of motors incorporated into the seating arrangement 1 in order to provide an overview of at least some of the means by which the seating arrangement 1 is redesigned. The group of motors comprises a pair of calf support arm motors 130, one for each calf support. The calf support arm motors 130 are capable of providing a rotational force to cause the calf support arms 78 to rotate between the extended and retracted configurations. Each calf support arm motor 130 is coupled to the arms 78 of its respective calf support 27 by suitable connections. Each calf support cushion motor 132 is positioned below the cushions 22 of the first and second seats 16, 18. Each calf support cushion motor 132 is coupled to its respective calf support 27 by suitable connections to drive a linear movement to extend the calf support cushion 80 away from the cushion 22 of the respective seat 16, 18. Two further motors are installed under each cushion 22 of the first and second seats 16, 18. These include cushion displacement motors 134, configured to drive a sliding back-and-forth movement of the cushions 22 in the second movement mode, and cushion comfort motors 138, which operate to rotate the support arms 64 to drive the cushion 22 in the first movement mode. The first and second motors 140, 142 are arranged below the middle cushion 28. The first middle motor 140 is configured to drive the middle cushion in a jerky motion to raise and reposition the middle cushion 28 when the armrest 30 is stowed. The second middle motor 142 provides the opposite function, driving a downward motion of the middle cushion 28 to move it into its retracted position when the armrest 30 is extended. In some alternative embodiments, the functionality of the first and second middle motors 140, 142 could alternatively be provided by a single motor. The group of motors further comprises a pair of backrest motors 144, one for each backrest 24, wherein the backrest motors 144 are arranged to cause a forward or backward pivoting movement of the backrests 24, so that they move between the folded, the reclined and the standard configuration. Similarly, a pair of partition motors 146 are included to exert respective forces on each of the partitions 8 to rotate them between the folded, reclined, and standard configurations. The partition motors 146 are identical to the backrest motors 144 in this example, although they may differ in other implementations, for example, if different torque levels are required to fold the backrests 24 and the partition 8. In the upper corners of the seating arrangement 1, each seat 16, 18 includes a respective partition actuator 148, which, when activated, is operational to lock the partition 8 in place in its standard configuration. This ensures that each partition 8 is held tightly in place when the seating arrangement 1 is in its standard configuration, thereby providing secure partitions 8 between the passenger compartment 2 and the cargo compartment 4, as well as a secure basis for the movement of the backrests 24, and minimizing vibrations and thus noise generated by the partitions 8. Extending the ski pass-through 29 is somewhat simpler than extending other components of the seating arrangement 1, since the ski pass-through 29 is small and lightweight compared to, for example, the backrests and calf supports. Accordingly, the ski pass-through 29 is not directly moved by electric motors, but instead is spring-loaded and held in its closed, upright configuration by a ski pass-through actuator 150. The ski pass-through actuator 150 is controlled by a ski pass-through motor 152, which applies tension to a wire 154 to move the ski pass-through actuator 150 into its open configuration. The ski pass-through actuator 150 returns to a closed, spring-loaded state when the ski pass-through motor 152 releases the tension from the wire 154. Moving the ski pass-through actuator 150 to the open position releases the ski pass-through 29, causing it to pivot and extend forward under its spring tension into its open configuration. Once the ski pass-through 29 is extended, the ski pass-through motor 152 releases tension from the wire 154 to return the ski pass-through actuator 150 to the closed position, so that it is ready to lock the ski pass-through 29 when it is subsequently stowed manually. It should be noted that the armrest 30 has been omitted in Fig. 19, however the armrest motor 117, which drives the pivoting movement of the armrest 30, is shown schematically in Fig. 9. Fig. 20 schematically and in simplified form shows an example of the control system 3 for controlling the operation of the group of motors shown in Fig. 19 and in turn the movement of the components of the seat arrangement 1. In the example shown, the control system 3 comprises four control modules which are interconnected by a communication bus, such as a conventional vehicle CAN bus, which defines a vehicle network 156. Also connected to network 156 is an input module 158, for example, in the form of an infotainment system screen, which allows a user to input control requests. The input module 158 can communicate with the vehicle network 156 via an input 160, as usual. The input module 158 can, for example, be operated by the driver of vehicle 6, such as a chauffeur, allowing the driver to reconfigure any seat within vehicle 6 from the driver's seat. In the example shown, each control module is associated with a respective seat of the vehicle 6 and can be physically located within it. The four control modules in the example shown comprise the following: a driver seat module (DSM) 162, which is associated with the driver's seat; a passenger seat module (PSM) 164, which is associated with the passenger seat 82; a left rear seat module (RLSM) 166, which is associated with the first seat 16; and a right rear seat module (RRSM) 168, which is associated with the second seat 18. Each control module 162, 164, 166, 168 in turn communicates with a respective local switch package 170 via the vehicle network 156. Each switch package 170 comprises a group of switches that are installed, for example, in a door that is closest to the respective seat, which enables an occupant of the seat to make control requests to actuate the respective motors of the seat arrangement and thus move the seat as desired. Each of the control modules 162, 164, 166, and 168 is responsible for the movements of its respective seat in response to request signals received by the vehicle network 156. Each received request signal can be generated either by user interaction with the input module 158, with a switch package 170, or by one of the other control modules. For example, the PSM 164 can receive a request to fold forward from the RRSM 168 during a reclining operation. Each control module also has access to signals 163s, 165s, 167s, 169s generated by sensors, generally represented at 163, 165, 167, 169, which indicate the state of components of the vehicle 6. Such sensors 163, 165, 167, 169 may be attached to or embedded in respective components of the vehicle 6 and may be arranged to generate signals 163s, 165s, 167s, 169s that indicate, for example, one or more of the following: a position of the component; a load applied to the component; engagement of the component with another component of the seating arrangement; and the presence of the component in the seating arrangement.Signals indicating, for example, the presence of objects on the cushions 22, 28 of the first, second or middle seat 16, 18, 20 can be generated by sensors embedded in the cushion 22, 28 of the first, second or middle seat 16, 18, 20 and transmitted via the vehicle network 156 to the control modules 162, 164, 166, 168. Signals 163s, 165s, 167s, 169s may include signals indicating a failure of the component to be actuated, and may, for example, indicate a measurement of insufficient power supply. Additionally, each control module can transmit signals indicating the status of components under its control to the other control modules. Accordingly, each control module has an overview of the condition of various other vehicle components and can take this into account when implementing control requirements. The control modules 162, 164, 166, 168 of the example shown in Fig. 20 each operate according to a respective set of algorithms defined by a computer program product stored on a non-transient, computer-readable medium, as generally indicated at 171. In the illustrated embodiment, the computer-readable medium 171 is configured as a readable storage module hosted on the vehicle network 156, to which each control module 162, 164, 166, 168 has access. In other embodiments, each control module 162, 164, 166, 168 can be provided with an integrated local storage module on which a respective computer program product is stored to control the operation of the control module 162, 164, 166, 168. In the example shown, the RLSM 166 controls the operation of the upholstery shifting motor 134, the backrest motor 144, the calf support arm motor 130, and the calf support cushion motor 132, which are installed in the first seat. Furthermore, the RLSM 166 controls the headrest tilting motor 112 embedded in the backrest 24 of the first seat 16, as well as the headrest horizontal motor 120 and the headrest vertical motor 118 of each headrest 26 attached to the backrest 24 of the first seat 16. Similarly, the RRSM 168 controls the operation of the upholstery shifting motor 134, the backrest motor 144, the calf support arm motor 130, the calf support upholstery motor 132 and the headrest tilting motor 112 installed in the second seat 18, as well as the headrest horizontal motor 120 and the headrest vertical motor 118 of each headrest 26 attached to the backrest 24 of the second seat 18. In addition, RLSM 166 and RRSM 168 may each have responsibility for components beyond those associated with their respective seat. The RRSM 168 can, for example, control the partition motor 146 of the second seat 16, as well as the first and second middle motors 140, 142, and the armrest motor (not shown in Fig. 19) to control the folding and unfolding of the larger section 17 of the seat assembly 1. To distribute control responsibility across the system, the RRSM 166 can control the operation of the partition motor 146 of the smaller section 19a of the partition and also the ski pass-through actuator 150 to operate the ski pass-through 29. Furthermore, the RLSM 166 and the RRSM 168 can each control the operation of the partition wall actuator 148, which is connected to the respective seat 16, 18. The RLSM 166 and the RRSM 168 transmit status updates, indicating the status of each motor under their control, to the vehicle network 156 so that they can be read by the other control modules. As already mentioned, embodiments of the invention acknowledge that the movement of the elements of the seating arrangement 1 must be carefully controlled to avoid collisions between components and to prevent objects from becoming trapped. Various movement processes of individual components of the seating arrangement 1 are now described with reference to Figures 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 to 31. Before these processes are considered in detail, it should be noted that embodiments of the invention, generally speaking, avoid problems during movement by checking the condition of other vehicle components before movement begins. This provides a sophisticated, preventative approach to dealing with hazards to movement, unlike prior art arrangements that rely on feedback concerning jamming or other problems after movement has begun. The result is an intelligent control system 3 that optimizes the operation of the seat arrangement 1. Fig. 21 shows an example of a method 180 for folding the second seat 18 of the seating arrangement 1 together with its associated section of the partition 8. Fig. 22 generally corresponds to Fig. 21, but illustrates steps of the folding method 180 in a Gantt chart to provide an example of a possible sequence. It should be noted that, unlike Fig. 21, Fig. 22 includes steps for stowing the calf support 27 as part of the folding process; the method 180 shown in Fig. 21 assumes that the calf support 27 is already stowed. The following description specifically concerns the method 180 shown in Fig. 21, but the knowledgeable reader will easily understand the Gantt chart of Fig. 22 and be able to relate it to the steps of the method 180 described below. As noted above, this folding procedure 180 is controlled by the RRSM 168 in response to a request generated by a user interaction with the input module 158 or with a switch package 170, for example the switch package 170 installed in the vehicle door adjacent to the second seat 18, although the procedure can be controlled by any of the switch packages 170. In the following example, it is assumed that the seating arrangement 1 starts with the standard configuration, with the armrest 30 extended and the calf support 27 stowed away. In the illustrated example, the folding procedure 180 begins with the RRSM 168 performing preliminary checks in step 182 to determine whether any of the following conditions are true: - the ski pass-through 29 is extended, as indicated by a microswitch (not shown) connected to the ski pass-through 29, for example, via the RRSM 166; - the cover 72 of the armrest 30 is open, for example, in response to a signal generated by a sensor 169 installed in the armrest 30; - the second seat 18 is occupied, for example, by comparing a load applied to the seat cushion 22 of the second seat 18, as indicated by a sensor 169 embedded in the cushion 22, with a threshold value; or- the middle seat 20 is occupied, for example by comparing a load applied to the middle cushion 28, as indicated by a sensor 169 embedded in the middle cushion 28, with a threshold value. It is understood that attempting to fold down the second seat 18 would be undesirable if any of these conditions apply. In particular, folding down the second seat 18 would cause discomfort to the occupant if the second seat 18 or the middle seat 20 is occupied. Furthermore, it is likely that under these circumstances any requirement to fold the seat was generated by an error and should ideally not be followed. If one or more of these conditions are identified as being true, the RRSM 168 determines that it is not possible to fold the second seat 18 and generates a corresponding message at step 184. This message can be signaled to the user, for example, via the input module 158, or alternatively, it can be transmitted to the driver's mobile device to be displayed by a compatible application. The message can also be withheld from the driver entirely and instead used only internally as a control variable within the control system 3. If none of these conditions are met, the RRSM 168 then checks in step 186 whether a folding operation has been requested, which includes checking for a request to fold flat in the vehicle network 156. If not, the folding procedure 180 returns to the initial check step and continues to repeat the first two steps of procedure 180 until a folding request is detected or until one of the above conditions is met. By performing the initial checks before registering a request to fold down the second seat 18, the control system 3 is prepared to respond immediately to such requests. This principle applies to the preliminary checks that are part of all the procedures shown in Figs. 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 to 30. Once a folding request is detected, the RRSM 168 sends a request to the PSM 164 at step 188 to move the front passenger seat 82 into a safe position. Moving the front passenger seat 82 prevents a collision between the headrest 26 of the second seat 18 and the backrest 84 of the front passenger seat 82 when the second seat 18 is folded. In this regard, it is noted that, as is customary, the front passenger seat 82 is movable forwards and backwards and its backrest 84 is tiltable to provide comfort to its occupant. If the front passenger seat 82 is positioned too far back and / or tilted too far, it does not leave sufficient space within the passenger compartment 2 for the second seat 18 to fold down. This defines a second collision zone 98, namely an area that no part of the front seat 82 should occupy in order to avoid a collision with the second seat 18 during folding. The safe position for the front passenger seat 82 is defined as the rearmost position that leaves sufficient space for the second seat 18 to fold down, in other words, the rearmost position that lies outside the second collision zone 98. In this way, discomfort for an occupant of the front passenger seat 82 can be minimized. After the request has been transmitted, and, in some embodiments, while the passenger seat 82 moves into the safe position, the RRSM 168 checks at step 190 whether the cushion 22 of the second seat 18 is located in the first collision zone 96, namely in a configuration where the cushion 22 would interfere with the rotation of the backrest 24. If so, the cushion displacement motor 134 is operated at step 192 to move the cushion 22 forward using its second mode of movement, and the pivot element 92 is controlled to move the backrest 24 backward as required until they reach safe positions, as previously described with reference to Fig. 7c. As shown in the Gantt diagram of Fig. 22, the RRSM 168 can also be arranged to check that the calf support 27 and the head support 26 are in their respective stowed and folded configurations, and if not, to operate the calf support arm motor 130 and the calf support cushion motor 132 to move the calf support 27 into its stowed position (for example, as described above with reference to Fig. 15) and / or to operate the head support tilt motor 112, the head support horizontal motor 120 and the head support vertical motor 118 to move the head support 26 into its folded configuration. Referring again to Fig. 21, if the cushion 22 of the second seat 18 is not located in the first collision zone 96, or as soon as the cushion 22 and the backrest 24 have been moved into safe positions, the RRSM 168 then operates the armrest motor 117 at step 194 to stow the armrest 30. Next, the first middle motor 140 is activated at step 196 to cause a jerky upward movement of the middle cushion 28 so that it comes to rest essentially on the same level as the cushions 22 of the first and second seats 16, 18. The backrest 24 of the second seat 18 is then reclined at step 198 to engage with the partition 8 behind it. As already noted, this provides a consistent and predictable starting position for a movement to fold the backrest 24 and the partition 8, thus supporting the control system 3. As soon as the backrest 24 engages the partition 8, the associated partition actuator 148 is released at step 200. The RRSM 168 then checks at step 202 whether the backrest 24 and the cushion 22 of the second seat 18 have reached safe positions and, if not, the RRSM 168 waits until this condition is met. Once the safe positions are reached, the RRSM 168 operates the backrest motor 144 and the partition motor 146 at step 204 to fold the partition 8 and the backrest 24 together, in other words, to move the partition 8 and the backrest 24 into the folded configuration, as shown in Figures 7a to 7e. During the folding movement, the RRSM 168 continuously checks at step 206 for signals indicating one of the following conditions: - that the folding movement has been aborted by the user, either by the input module 158 or the respective switch package 170; - a jamming condition has been detected, for example, as indicated by an increase in electrical current drawn by either the backrest motor 144 or the partition motor 146; - the second seat 18 is occupied, for example, as indicated by a sensor embedded in the cushion 22; - an engagement of the seat belt system of the second seat 18; - or an occupancy of the middle seat 20. If signals indicate that one of these conditions has been detected, the RRSM 168 stops at step 208 during the folding motion and generates a notification that the folding process has been aborted. This notification is passed to the control system 3 and communicated to the user via the input module 158 or the driver's mobile device, similar to a notification resulting from the pre-checks. The RRSM 168 can then reverse the folding movement to return the partition 8 and the backrest 24 to their original positions, or it can wait for a signal indicating whether to proceed or return the partition 8 and the backrest 24 to their original positions. Otherwise, at step 210, the RRSM 168 checks, based on the displayed positions of the backrest motor 144 and the partition motor 146, whether the folding movement has been completed. If the folding has not been completed, the RRSM 168 repeats the check for any of the aforementioned conditions that would trigger an abort of the folding process. Once the folding process is complete, the RRSM 168, at step 212, stops operating the backrest motor 144 and the partition motor 146 and indicates that the second seat 18 is folded, for example via the infotainment system. This concludes procedure 180. The preceding procedure assumes that armrest 30 is extended when the folding operation is requested and notes that armrest 30 is extended by default. If armrest 30 is stowed when folding is requested, the steps associated with stowing armrest 30 can, of course, be omitted. Alternatively, a request to stow armrest 30 can still be issued, but it will be ineffective since armrest 30 is already stowed. It is also noted that the reason for ensuring that the armrest 30 is stowed away before the second seat 18 is folded is that, in this embodiment, the armrest 30 and the second seat 18 are mechanically connected in such a way that movement of the armrest 30 relative to the position of the second seat 18 is controlled. An alternative way of dealing with this configuration is to move the armrest 30 upwards simultaneously with the folding of the second seat 18, so that the armrest 30 remains stationary relative to the seat cushion 22. In other embodiments, there may be no such requirement to control the position of the armrest 30 in relation to the second seat 18, in which case the second seat 18 can be folded while the armrest 30 is extended, and in the folding sequence the steps of checking and controlling the position of the armrest 30 can again be dispensed with. Fig. 23 shows a “reclining-at-the-push-button” method 220 in which the second seat 18 and the front seat 82 are moved from their standard configurations to the configurations shown in Fig. 12 in a single operation that can be activated via a separate switch in a switch package 170 connected to the second seat 18. Alternatively, the reclining method 220 can be requested via another interface, such as the input module 158 or a mobile device application. Fig. 24 is a Gantt chart showing steps of procedure 220 for recreating Fig. 23, to illustrate a possible time sequence. The following description specifically concerns procedure 220 shown in Fig. 21, but the knowledgeable reader will easily grasp the Gantt chart of Fig. 22 and be able to relate it to the steps of procedure 220 described below. Since Procedure 220 involves reclining both the second seat 18 and the front seat 82, both the RRSM 168 and the PSM 164 play a role in implementing Procedure 220. The RRSM controls the overall operation of Procedure 220, but sends requests to the PSM 164 when movements of the front seat 82 are required. Procedure 220 for reclining begins with the RRSM 168 checking in step 222 whether there is a request to recline the second seat 18. If no such request is detected, the RRSM 168 repeats this initial step of the procedure until such a request is received. As soon as a reclining request is received, the RRSM 168 sends a request to the PSM 164 at step 224 for confirmation as to whether the front seat 82 is occupied. The PSM 164 gathers this information, for example by checking signals received from an occupant detection system or from sensors 165 of the front seat 82, and transmits a response to the RRSM 168 accordingly. For example, the PSM 164 can compare signals indicating that a load has been applied to the cushion 86 of the front seat 82 with a load threshold and determine that the front seat 82 is occupied if the indicated load exceeds the load threshold. If the front seat 82 is detected as unoccupied, for example if the displayed load on the front seat cushion 86 is below the load threshold, the RRSM 168 sends a request to the PSM 164 at step 226 to move the front seat 82 into its stowed configuration, as shown in Fig. 12. Otherwise, if the front seat 82 is occupied, the RRSM 168 sends a request to the PSM 164 at step 228 to move the front seat 82 into a safe position. The safe position is one that allows the second seat 18 more room to recline without compromising the comfort of the front seat occupant 82. For example, the safe configuration might involve the backrest 84 of the front seat 82 being generally upright and the front seat 82 being moved forward to some degree. The precise nature of the safe configuration is adaptable according to the specifications of each vehicle model and taking into account the results of human factor studies. Once the front seat 82 is in either its safe or stowed configuration, the RRSM 168 begins, at step 230, to reconfigure the second seat 18 into the configuration shown in Fig. 12 by actuating the cushion shifting motor 134 to move the cushion 22 forward, the backrest motor 144 to tilt the backrest 24 backward, and the calf support arm motor 130 to tilt the calf support 27 upward. Fig. 24 shows the precise timing of these actions: Specifically, the cushion 22 and the backrest 24 move simultaneously, while the tilting of the calf support 27 begins after the movement of the cushion 22 and the backrest 24 is complete. As shown in Fig. 24 and as described above with reference to Fig. 14, the RRSM 168 can actuate the calf support cushion motor 132 before actuating the calf support arm motor 130 to tilt the calf support 27, in order to move the calf support cushion 80 downwards on the calf support arms 78 into a first position at a first extension limit, in order to avoid a collision between the calf support 27 and the seat cushion 22 when the calf support 27 is tilted upwards. While the calf support 27 is being tilted, the RRSM 168 continuously checks the angle at which the calf support 27 is oriented, as indicated by a sensor 169 connected to the calf support arm motor 130. At step 232, the instantaneous calf support angle is compared to a threshold value, which generally corresponds to an angle at which the calf support 27 can be safely extended further without risking impact with the floor of the vehicle 6 or a component of the front seat 82. This threshold value can be expressed, for example, as an angle or as a ratio of the entire range of pivoting motion to which the calf support 27 is capable. In this example, the threshold is 80% of the range of motion, meaning that the calf support 27 must have been pivoted 80% of the way to its maximum tilt from its stowed configuration. This value is chosen because it prevents the calf support 27 from colliding with the floor or the front seat 82 when the calf support 27 is subsequently extended, and also optimizes the comfort of a second seat occupant 18. If the calf support inclination is below the threshold, the RRSM 168 continues to drive the calf support arm motor 130 to incline the calf support 27 upwards until the threshold is reached. Once the threshold is reached, the RRSM 168 stops operating the calf support arm motor 130 and begins extending the calf support 27 by driving the calf support pad motor 132 at step 234 to move it towards a second extension limit. While one of the aforementioned movements is being performed, including tilting and extending the calf support 27, the RRSM 168 waits at step 236 for an indication of a jamming condition, such as increased current consumption by the calf support arm motor 130 or the calf support pad motor 132. If a jamming condition is detected, the RRSM 168 stops the movement of the calf support 27 and "returns" to retract the calf support 27 from the cause of the jamming condition at step 238. This concludes the reclining procedure 220. If no jamming condition is detected, the RRSM 168 checks at step 240 whether the recline procedure 220 has been completed, for example, by the user releasing the corresponding button in the switch package 170. If so, the RRSM 168 sends a request to the PSM 164 to stop the movement of the front seat 82 at step 242, then stops the movement of any components of the second seat 18 that are performed at step 244, and then the recline procedure 220 ends. If the recline procedure 220 is still requested, at step 246 the RRSM 168 queries the PSM 164 to check whether any switches associated with the front seat 82 have been pressed. If the PSM 164 indicates that one or more such switches have been pressed, at step 244 any movements being made are stopped, since pressing the switch may indicate that a front seat 82 occupant wishes to reject the recline procedure. Because the recline procedure 220 affects a front seat 82 occupant, this step of procedure 220 advantageously gives that occupant some control over the process. If none of the front seat switches have been pressed, the RRSM 168 checks at step 248 whether a position defining an engine comfort position has been reached for each of the engines involved in the procedure. The comfort position is predetermined for each engine and is defined as a position corresponding to that in which the respective component of the second seat 18 is located in the proper position for the reclined configuration shown in Fig. 12. The position of each motor can be displayed by sensors connected to the respective motors. Each motor could, for example, be a stepper motor with an encoder that provides a real-time display of its position. In fact, it should be noted that each of the motors in the group controlling seat arrangement 1 could be a stepper motor with associated encoders to provide real-time displays of its respective position. When it is detected that a motor has reached its comfort position, the RRSM 168 stops the movement of the respective component at step 244. Once all motors involved in the reclining procedure 220 have reached their respective comfort positions, the procedure 220 ends. Until then, the checks are repeated until a jammed condition is detected, the reclining procedure is aborted, a front seat switch is pressed, or all motors reach their respective comfort positions. It is noted that eventually one of these conditions will be met. It is understood that, although only one group of the checks that take place during the movement is shown in Fig. 23, these checks are carried out as required during each phase of the movement. Figures 25 and 26 relate to the processes for extending and stowing the armrest 30. As already noted, these processes are controlled by the RRSM 168. In the following examples, it is assumed that the seating arrangement 1 starts with the standard configuration, with the armrest 30 stowed or extended as required. Starting at Fig. 25, a method 250 for extending the armrest 30 is shown. The method 250 for extending the armrest begins in step 252 by checking whether the middle seat 20 is occupied, and in step 254 by checking whether the seat belt of the middle seat 20 is engaged. As already described, this involves reading signals from the vehicle network 156 indicating these conditions, such signals being derived, for example, from one or more sensors 169, such as an embedded cushion sensor or a seat belt sensor. If any of these conditions are detected as true, the extension of the armrest 30 is deactivated at step 256 by updating a related variable in memory within the control system 3, and procedure 250 ends. Once deactivated, extension can no longer be requested by a user via the input module 158, a switch package 170, or an app on a mobile device. The respective switch or button in each of these interfaces can be deactivated in a way that indicates to the user that extension is not available. Otherwise, at step 258, the RRSM 168 checks for a request to extend the armrest 30. If no such request is detected, the procedure 250 returns to the beginning to repeat the initial checks. When a request is detected, the RRSM 168 controls the armrest motor at step 260 to initiate a downward pivoting movement of the armrest 30 towards the extended configuration. Simultaneously, the RRSM 168 controls the second center motor 142 to cause the center cushion 28 to "dive" down, creating a recess between the cushions 22 of the first and second seats 16, 18 to accommodate the armrest 30. During this movement, the RRSM 168 checks at steps 262, 264 and 266 for signals indicating one of the following conditions: - pressing a fold / unfold switch in one of the switch packages 170 or in the input module 158; a jammed state; - engagement of the seat belt of the middle seat 20; or - occupancy of the second seat 18. If one or more of these conditions are identified as being true, the RRSM 168 updates the control system 3 to cancel the extension at step 268 and stops the movement of the armrest 30 at step 270 before completing procedure 250. If none of the conditions are met, the RRSM 168 then checks the status of the armrest motor and the second center motor 142 to determine, at step 272, whether the armrest 30 is fully extended and the center cushion 28 is fully lowered. If not, the RRSM 168 performs the checks for the conditions listed above, which require stopping the extension process while the extension continues. When the armrest 30 and the middle cushion 28 are detected as being in their respective end positions, the RRSM 168 stops the operation of the armrest motor and the second middle motor 142 to halt the movement of the armrest 30 and the middle cushion 28. This terminates the armrest extension procedure 250. Continuing from Fig. 26, a stowing procedure 280 for stowing the armrest 30 is shown. The procedure 280 begins at step 282 by checking whether the cover 72 of the armrest 30 is in its open configuration. If the cover 72 is open, attempting to stow the armrest 30 risks damaging the armrest 30 and the partition 8 behind it. Accordingly, if the cover 72 is detected as open, the RRSM 168 disables stowing at step 284 by updating the relevant variable of the control system 3 and terminates the stowing procedure 280. Regarding the armrest extension feature, if stowing the armrest is inhibited, any associated switches that could trigger stowing can be deactivated, for example, in a manner that is clear to a user. Otherwise, if the lid 72 is in its closed configuration, the RRSM 168 then checks at step 286 whether the ski pass-through 29 is extended. The armrest 30 would collide with the ski pass-through 29 if it were stowed while the ski pass-through 29 is in its open configuration, and therefore stowing is deactivated at step 288 and the stowing operation 280 ends when the ski pass-through 29 is detected as extended. If the ski pass-through 29 is not extended, the RRSM 168 then checks at step 290 for a request to stow the armrest 30. If no such request is detected, the stowing process 280 returns to the beginning to repeat the checks of the status of the cover 72 and the ski pass-through 29. When a request is detected, the process advances to step 292 to determine if the retractable cover 75 is in its open configuration. If so, the RRSM 168 acts to close the retractable cover 75 at step 294. The retractable cover 75 can be equipped with sensors that indicate an obstruction to its closing, such as the presence of a cup in the cup holder 74. If such an obstruction is detected at step 296, indicating that an object is present in a cup holder 74, the RRSM 168 stops the movement of the retractable cover 75 at step 298 and returns it to its original position at step 300, thus ending the stowing operation 280. It should be noted that it is undesirable to stow the armrest 30 if a cup is present in one of the cup holders 74, especially if the cup contains a hot beverage. If no object is detected in the cup holder 74, or if the cup holder 74 was not originally open, the RRSM 168 proceeds to operate the armrest motor 117 to cause a pivoting movement of the armrest 30 toward the stowed configuration at step 302. Once the armrest 30 has begun to move upward, the first center motor 140 is operated at step 304 to move the center cushion 28 upward to be flush with the cushions 22 of the first and second seats 16 and 18. The RRSM 168 checks for signals on the vehicle network 156 indicating that a switch for folding / unfolding the armrest or a cancel switch has been pressed, or that a jammed condition exists. If such signals are detected at step 306, the RRSM 168 updates a corresponding variable within the control system 3 at step 308 to indicate that the stowage has been canceled and stops the movement of the armrest 30 and the center cushion 28 at step 310. The RRSM 168 can then return the armrest 30 to its original position, and the stowage process 280 then ends. If no signals that would abort the stowing movement are detected, the RRSM 168, at step 312, checks the state of the armrest motor to determine whether the armrest 30 is in the stowed state and the center cushion 28 has been raised. If so, the RRSM 168 stops any further movement of the armrest 30, and the stowing operation 280 ends. If it is detected that the armrest 30 is not in the stowed configuration, the operation repeats the steps of checking for signals that would abort stowing and checking whether stowing has been completed until operation 280 is either completed or aborted. Fig. 27 illustrates a method 320 for extending the ski pass-through, wherein the ski pass-through 29 is moved from its closed configuration to its open configuration. As noted above, the RLSM 166 controls the operation of the ski pass-through 29 and is therefore responsible for carrying out the method 320 for extending the ski pass-through. The following example assumes that seating arrangement 1 starts with the standard configuration. Procedure 320 for extending the ski pass-through begins at step 322 by checking whether a ski pass-through switch has been pressed or whether an extension of the ski pass-through has been requested via the input module 158 or a switch package 170. The ski pass-through switch can be located, for example, in a switch package 170, the input module 158, or an application on a mobile device. If there is no request to extend the ski pass-through on the vehicle network 156, procedure 320 returns to the beginning and repeats the check for an extension request. It is noted that the check for a request to initiate the ski pass-through procedure takes place before the preliminary checks to determine whether any conditions are present that would inhibit the procedure, in contrast to the previously described procedures where the preliminary checks are performed first. In practice, the order of the preliminary check steps and the detection of a request to initiate a procedure may differ for each procedure, and the order may differ for each procedure described here and illustrated in the figures. When a request to extend is detected, the RLSM 166 then performs preliminary checks at step 324 to determine if any of the following conditions are true: - the center seat 20 is occupied, as indicated, for example, by a center cushion sensor 167; - the center seat belt is engaged, as indicated, for example, by a seat belt sensor 167; and - the cover 72 of the armrest 30 is open. It is understood that it would be undesirable to extend the ski pass-through 29 if any of these conditions apply, in particular if there is evidence that a passenger is sitting in the middle seat 20, in which case extending the ski pass-through 29 would cause the passenger discomfort. Accordingly, if one or more of the foregoing conditions are found to be true, the RLSM 166 updates variables within control system 3 to disable the extension of the ski pass-through at step 326, thereby ending procedure 320. Any related switches or interfaces that allow a user to trigger the extension of the ski pass-through may also be disabled. Otherwise, if the preliminary checks are satisfied that none of the conditions that would trigger an abort of the extension procedure apply, the RLSM 166 indicates at step 328 to both the control system 3 and the user via an interface such as the input module 158 that the ski pass-through 29 can be extended. It is noted that the ski pass-through 29 cannot be extended when the armrest 30 is in its stowed configuration. However, since the control system 3 has the capability to extend the armrest 30 instead of checking whether the armrest 30 is stowed, the RLSM 166, in the illustrated embodiment, transmits a request to the RRSM 168 to extend the armrest 30 at step 330. In response, the RRSM 168 either indicates that the armrest 30 is in the extended configuration or, at step 332, performs the armrest extension procedure of Fig. 25 and then indicates that the armrest 30 is in the extended configuration once the folding process is complete. The RLSM 166 can request status updates from the RRSM 168 regarding the position of armrest 30 in order to determine when armrest 30 is extended at step 334.Alternatively, the RLSM 166 can simply wait until a notification is received from the RRSM 168 that armrest 30 has been extended at step 334. Once the armrest 30 is indicated as extended, the RLSM 166 then, at step 336, operates the ski pass-through motor 152 to move the ski pass-through actuator 150 to its open state, thus releasing the ski pass-through 29 and allowing it to extend. At step 338, the RLSM 166 verifies whether the ski pass-through 29 has been successfully released, for example, by checking the state of a microswitch connected to the ski pass-through 29 (not shown), and continues to operate the ski pass-through motor 152 until the release is confirmed. After the ski pass-through 29 has been confirmed as released, the RLSM 166 waits at step 340 for a predetermined configuration period to elapse, allowing the ski pass-through 29 time to extend under spring tension. At step 342, it releases tension from the wire 154, allowing the ski pass-through actuator 150 to return to its closed, spring-tensioned state. At step 344, the RLSM 166 then indicates that the ski pass-through 29 has been extended by updating a corresponding variable within the control system 3, thus ending the ski pass-through extension procedure 320. Fig. 28 shows a method 350 for extending the calf support, wherein a calf support 27 is moved from the stowed configuration to the extended and fully extended configuration through the phases shown in Fig. 14. The method 350 is described here as being applied to the calf support 27 of the second seat 18 and is thus controlled by the RRSM 168. It is understood that the RRSM 166 can implement a similar method for extending the calf support 27 of the first seat 16, although the extension method can be adapted when applied to the calf support 27 of the first seat 16 to take into account its position behind the driver's seat. Procedure 350 for extending the calf support can be triggered by a user by pressing a specific button in a switch package 170 or via another interface, such as the input module 158, or a mobile device application. Accordingly, procedure 350 begins at step 352 by checking whether an extension of the calf support has been requested. If not, procedure 350 returns to the beginning and continuously repeats the check for such a request. Once a request to extend the calf support has been received, the RRSM 168, in this embodiment, then controls the calf support cushion motor 132 to extend the calf support 27 at step 354, in order to move the calf support cushion 80 downwards into the first position shown in Fig. 14. As noted above with reference to Fig. 14, this movement phase allows the calf support 27 to pivot subsequently without colliding with the seat cushion 22 of the second seat 18. The RRSM 168 then checks at step 356 whether the front passenger seat 82 is occupied, as indicated, for example, by an occupant detection system comprising one or more of the sensors 169. If not, at step 358 the RRSM 168 sends a request to the PSM 164 to move the front passenger seat 82 into its stowed configuration, as shown in Fig. 12. As already noted, the stowed configuration corresponds to a configuration in which the front seat 82 is folded down and moved forward, and can therefore only be selected if the front seat 82 is unoccupied. Moving the front seat 82 into the stowed configuration maximizes the space behind it available for extending the calf support 27. Once the front seat 82 is in the stowed configuration, the RRSM 168 controls the calf support arm motor 130 to tilt the calf support 27 upwards into the second position at step 360. The RRSM 168 extends the calf support 27 into the third configuration at step 362, with the calf support 27 being, for example, fully extended, and then tilts the calf support 27 further at step 364 until it reaches its extended configuration. Referring again to step 356, in this embodiment the front seat 82 is not moved when the passenger seat 82 is detected as occupied. Instead, the extension of the calf support 27 is modified accordingly. In this situation, the calf support 27 is first tilted into a safe inclination at step 366 and then extended into a safe extension at step 368. The safe inclination and safe extension are arranged to prevent a collision between the calf support cushion 80 and the front seat 82, even when the front seat 82 is in a rearward, reclined configuration. While one of the aforementioned tilting or extension movements is being performed, the RRSM 168 waits at step 370 for an indication of a jamming condition, such as increased current consumption from the calf support arm motor 130 or the calf support pad motor 132. If a jamming condition is detected, the RRSM 168 at step 372 stops the movement of the calf support 27 and "returns" to retract the calf support 27 away from the cause of the jamming condition. This completes procedure 350 for extending the calf support. If no clamping condition is detected, the RRSM 168 checks at step 374 whether a position has been reached that defines a soft release, as indicated by sensors 169 connected to the calf support arm motor 130 and the calf support pad motor 132. As noted above, for example, the calf support arm motor 130 and the calf support pad motor 132 can be stepper motors that include encoders which provide an indication of the position of the respective motor at any given time. If the soft extension is detected as having been reached, the RRSM 168 stops the movement of the calf support 27 at step 376 and procedure 350 ends. Otherwise, if the calf support 27 has not reached the soft extension, the RRSM 168 checks at step 378 whether the extension was aborted, for example, by the user releasing the corresponding button in the switch package 170. If so, the RRSM 168 stops the movement of the calf support 27 and procedure 350 for extending the calf support ends. If the extension is not aborted, these checks are repeated until a jamming condition is detected, the calf support 27 reaches soft retraction, or the extension is aborted, with the understanding that one of these conditions will eventually be met. It is understood that, although only a group of the checks that take place during movement is shown in Fig. 28, these checks are performed as needed during each phase of movement. In summary, the RRSM 168 controls the extension of the calf support 27 to take into account surrounding components of the vehicle 6 at every stage and thus avoid any collisions. Accordingly, the RRSM 168 can monitor signals indicating an angle of the calf support 27 relative to the second seat 18 and / or relative to its stowed or extended configuration, and can use the displayed angle of the calf support 27 to determine an extension limit for the calf support 27 in all situations. The RRSM 168 can only extend the calf support 27 within the calculated extension limit. It is understood that in practice, the displayed angle for the calf support 27 with respect to the seat 18 may not be provided and may be monitored with respect to another vehicle component or with respect to the range of motion of the calf support 27 itself. For example, a signal received from an encoder of a stepper motor acting as the calf support arm motor 130 may simply indicate the position of the motor 130 with respect to its entire range of motion. Such signals nevertheless indicate the angle of the calf support 27 with respect to the second seat 18, since they can be directly converted into an angle with respect to the seat 18 based on the known geometric relationship between the seat 18 and the calf support arm motor 130 or any other component in question. The extension limit can be dynamically adjusted for the current orientation of the calf support 27, taking into account the positions of the vehicle floor and the front seat 82, to ensure that the calf support 27 does not collide with any other component during extension. Alternatively, the extension limit can be set in increments with respect to the calf support threshold angles. For example, the extension limit can be set depending on whether the displayed angle of the calf support is equal to or exceeds the threshold angle, where that threshold angle is measured with respect to the same reference point as the calf support angle, such as the seat 18 or the stowed configuration.In this situation, the calf support 27 can be extended to a first extension if the calf support angle is below the threshold angle, and to a second extension if the calf support angle is equal to or exceeds the threshold angle. The positions of the vehicle floor and the front seat 82 can be partially determined with reference to a vehicle type identifier, which indicates a type or model of the vehicle 6. The vehicle type identifier can, for example, indicate a wheelbase of the vehicle 6, which in turn provides information regarding the interior dimensions and the location of components within the vehicle 6. The knowledgeable reader will understand that, in order to effectively control the movement of the calf support 27, an extension limit must be known at all times in some form. It should be noted, however, that determining the extension limit is an element inherent in the extension procedure and not necessarily an explicit step. This applies to any operation involving the extension of the calf support 27, including the reclining procedure of Fig. 23 and an extension procedure described shortly below with reference to Fig. 29. The user can either fully extend the calf support 27 in a separate procedure as described above, or individually control the tilting and extension movements of the calf support 27 using specific buttons in the associated switch package 170 or via another interface such as the input module 158 or a mobile device application. Fig. 29 shows a method 380 for extending the calf supports, by which the RRSM 168 controls the extension of the calf support 27 of the second seat 18 in response to a user request. Similar to the procedure of Fig. 28, the procedure 380 for extending Fig. 29 begins at step 382 by checking whether an extension of the calf support has been requested via one of the possible interfaces such as those mentioned above, and repeats this check continuously until a request is received. Once a request to extend the calf support is received, the RRSM 168 then checks the angle at which the calf support 27 is currently oriented, as indicated by a sensor connected to the calf support arm motor 130. The instantaneous calf support angle is compared at step 384 to a threshold value, which generally corresponds to an angle to which the calf support 27 can be safely extended without risking impact with the floor of the vehicle 6 or another vehicle component. With respect to the threshold of procedure 220 for reclining, this threshold value can, for example, be expressed as an angle or as a ratio of the total range of pivoting motion to which the calf support 27 is capable. As with procedure 220 for reclining, in this example the threshold value is 80% of the range of motion. If the inclination of the calf support is below the threshold, the RRSM 168 then drives the calf support arm motor 130 at step 386 to incline the calf support 27 upwards until the threshold is reached. Once the calf support 27 is confirmed to be aligned at or above the threshold inclination, the RRSM 168 then checks at step 388 whether the front passenger seat 82 is occupied, as indicated, for example, by an occupant detection system. If not, at step 390, the RRSM 168 sends a request to the PSM 164, as for the preceding extension procedure, to move the front passenger seat 82 into the stowed configuration. Once the front seat 82 is in the stowed configuration, the RRSM 168 then controls the calf support cushion motor 132 to extend the calf support 27 at step 392 as long as the user continues to request an extension, until the calf support cushion 80 reaches a stop that defines its limit of movement. If the passenger seat 82 is detected as occupied, the extension of the calf support 27 is modified accordingly, as in the preceding extension procedure. Specifically, at step 394, the RRSM 168 extends the calf support 27 according to the user request, instead of extending it to its maximum extent until the predefined safe extension extension, referred to above, is reached, at which point the calf support 27 is no longer extended. While the calf support 27 tilts to the threshold angle or extends to its stop or safe extension length according to user requirements, the RRSM 168 waits at step 396 for an indication of a jamming condition, such as increased current consumption from the calf support arm motor 130 or the calf support pad motor 132. If a jamming condition is detected, the RRSM 168 stops the movement of the calf support 27 at step 398 and retracts the calf support 27 away from the cause of the jamming condition. This ends the extension procedure 380. If no clamping condition is detected, the RRSM 168 checks at step 400 whether the hard end or soft end has been reached, as indicated by sensors connected to the calf support pad motor 132. If so, the RRSM 168 stops the movement of the calf support 27 at step 402 and the extension procedure 380 ends. If the calf support 27 has not reached the soft-extension position, the RRSM 168 checks at step 404 whether the extension was aborted, for example, by the user releasing the relevant button in the switch assembly 170. If so, the RRSM 168 stops the movement of the calf support 27 and procedure 380 ends. Otherwise, the RRSM 168 continues to extend the calf support 27 and repeats the checks until a jamming condition is detected, the calf support 27 reaches its stop, or the extension is aborted. In the procedure of Fig. 28, although only one group of the checks that take place during the movement is shown in Fig. 29 for the sake of simplicity, these checks are carried out as needed during each phase of the movement. Fig. 30 shows a method 410 for tilting the headrest to control the tilting movement of the headrest 26 in order to ensure that the headrest tilting motor 112 is not driven when no headrest 26 is present. As noted above, driving the headrest tilting motor 112 when no headrest 26 is present can prevent the headrest rods 108 from being reinserted into a backrest 24 and is therefore undesirable. Accordingly, the method shown in Fig. 30 determines whether the headrest 26 is attached to the backrest 24 by checking for the presence of at least one electrical component located inside the headrest 26 before actuating a tilting motor 112 to initiate a tilting movement of the headrest 26. In this example, the headrest 26 is attached to the first seat 16, and therefore the tilting procedure 410 is performed by the RLSM 166. The procedure 410 could be performed similarly by the RRSM 168 for a headrest 26 attached to the second seat 18. The headrest tilting procedure 410 begins at step 412 by checking, via the RLSM 166, whether a headrest tilting movement has been requested. Such a request can arise from user interaction with an interface, such as a switch package 170, the input module 158, or a mobile device application. Alternatively, a tilting request can be generated as part of another operation, for example, the folding of a front seat 82 during the push-to-recline procedure. In some embodiments, the headrest 26 can only be removed when it is in its folded configuration. Therefore, a problem can only arise if the headrest tilt motor 112 is driven from a position corresponding to the folded configuration to one corresponding to the unfolded or upright configuration, which will only occur in response to a request to unfold it. Accordingly, the RLSM 166 can only check for the presence of the headrest 26 when it receives the request to unfold it, and not when it receives a request to fold it. If no unfolding movement is requested, procedure 410 for tilting ends. The RLSM 166 then returns to the beginning to continuously repeat procedure 410. However, if a movement to unfold is requested, the procedure 410 for tilting the headrest begins a plausibility check, whereby the RLSM 166 attempts to drive each of the internal motors 118, 120 of the headrest 26 and determines that the headrest 26 is not present if neither the headrest vertical motor 118 nor the headrest horizontal motor 120 responds. Specifically, the RLSM 166 first attempts to drive the headrest vertical motor 118 at step 414 to move the headrest 26 downwards on the headrest posts 108 by applying an electrical voltage to a contact of the electrical connector inside the sleeve 110 of the backrest 24, corresponding to the headrest vertical motor 118. At step 416, the RLSM 166 compares the electrical current drawn at this contact for the headrest vertical motor 118 while the voltage is applied at a threshold value. In this embodiment, the RLSM 166 takes ten samples over a period of approximately 500 milliseconds, each sample involving the application of a voltage for a period of ten milliseconds, and measures the current drawn. An average current drawn over the ten samples is then determined. An average current draw below the threshold indicates a power supply scenario, where the current is lower than would be expected if the motor were consuming electrical power. A power supply situation typically indicates a faulty connection, for example, because the motor is not connected to the circuit or because the headrest 26 is missing. If the current drawn exceeds the threshold, it is assumed that the headrest vertical motor 118 is consuming current and therefore must be present. Consequently, the headrest 26 must be present. Accordingly, in this situation, at step 418, the RLSM 166 applies a reversing voltage to the headrest vertical motor 118 to return the headrest 26 to its original position and detects that the headrest 26 has moved downwards on the headrest posts 108 during the period the test voltage was applied. Afterward, once the headrest 26 has been detected as present, the RLSM 166 controls the headrest tilt motor 112 to unfold the headrest 26 at step 420 in response to the request, and the tilting procedure 410 then ends. Alternatively, if a power shortage is detected, the RLSM 166 then performs a similar test with the headrest horizontal motor 120. In step 422, the RLSM 166 attempts to move the headrest 26 forward by applying a corresponding voltage to a contact of the electrical connector inside the sleeve 110 of the backrest 24, corresponding to the headrest horizontal motor 120, and checks for a power shortage in step 424. As above, if the current drawn is above the threshold, this must mean that the headrest 26 is present. Therefore, in step 426, the RLSM 166 moves the headrest 26 backward to its original position and activates the headrest tilt motor 112 to fulfill the unfolding requirement before terminating procedure 410. If a power shortage is detected at both the horizontal headrest motor 120 and the vertical headrest motor 118, this is assumed to indicate that neither motor 118 nor 120 is present, and therefore the headrest 26 is not present. Accordingly, in this case, the RLSM 166 ignores the request to fold the headrest and terminates procedure 410 without taking any further action. It is noted that the RLSM 166 could only check one of the motors of the headrest 26 to attempt to determine whether the headrest 26 is present. However, a power shortage in only one motor could occur for reasons other than the absence of that motor. For example, the motor could have developed a fault, or there could be a fault in the electrical connection to the motor. However, it is very unlikely that a fault would develop in both motors simultaneously, and for this reason, both motors are tested, and a power shortage in both alone is sufficient to ignore a requirement to fold the headrest in this embodiment. Fig. 31 shows an example of a method 430 by which the position of the screen 102 mounted on the backrest 84 of the front seat 82 can be controlled. As noted above, the position of the screen 102 can be changed according to the position of the backrest 84 of the front seat 82 by a pivoting movement of the screen mount 104 relative to the backrest 84 and / or of the screen 102 relative to the screen mount 104. Such a movement can be driven by at least one screen motor integrated within the screen mount 104 and / or the backrest 84 of the front seat 82. The screen 102, the screen mount 104, the backrest 84 of the front seat, and the screen motor(s) are components of the front seat 82 and are therefore, in the illustrated embodiment, controlled by the PSM 164. Accordingly, the screen adjustment method 430 of Fig. 31 can be implemented by the PSM 164. In this way, the screen motor, the PSM 164, and the screen mount 104 constitute a positioning system configured to change the position of the screen 102. In the example shown in Fig. 31, for the sake of simplicity, only the angle of the screen 102 relative to the backrest 84 is adjusted, and the screen position is determined solely based on its dependence on the angle of the backrest 84. In other embodiments, the screen position can be adjusted to also accommodate a horizontal displacement of the front seat 82, and adjusting the screen position can involve a horizontal and a vertical displacement of the screen 102 instead of, or in addition to, a pivoting movement. The screen adjustment procedure 430 begins with the PSM 164 receiving a signal at step 432 indicating the angle of the front seat backrest 84. Such a signal can be received, for example, from the sensor 83 embedded in the front seat 82. Based on the displayed backrest angle, the PSM 164 then determines, at step 434, the required screen position to maintain a desired viewing angle for an occupant of the second seat 18. As previously discussed, the screen position can be adjusted to maintain the screen 102 in a substantially vertical orientation or to turn the screen 102, for example, towards the headrest 26 of the second seat 18. The screen position can also be adjusted to maintain a user-adjustable orientation. Once the required position for screen 102 has been determined, the PSM 164 then actuates the screen motor to drive a swiveling movement of screen 102 towards the required position at step 436. As with other movement processes described above, at step 438 the PSM 164 checks for a jamming condition while the screen 102 is moving, as indicated, for example, by a sharp increase in the electrical current demand of the screen motor. If a jamming condition is detected, at step 440 the PSM 164 operates the screen motor to stop the movement of the screen 102 and then retract it to return the screen 102 to its home position, thus releasing any object that may have become trapped between the screen 102 and the backrest 84 of the front seat 82. The screen adjustment procedure 430 then ends. If no jamming condition is detected, the PSM 164 checks at step 442 whether the screen 102 has reached a soft stop that defines the required position. If so, the PSM 164 stops the operation of the screen motor at step 444 to halt the movement of the screen 102. This ends procedure 430. If the soft shutdown is not achieved, the PSM 164 repeats the checks for a jamming condition and for achieving the soft shutdown until one of these conditions is met, at which point procedure 430 ends accordingly. Although specific embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail herein, this has been done by way of example and solely for illustrative purposes. The aforementioned embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. The inventors consider it possible that the invention may be subject to various substitutions, changes, and modifications without deviating from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. Although the arrangements and controls of the various components of the seating arrangement are described here as elements of a single seating arrangement, each can also be used individually and independently of others; it is further understood that the invention relates both to each individual element separately and in combination, regardless of whether they are described here separately or in combination.

Claims

A method for controlling a vehicle seating arrangement, wherein the seating arrangement comprises a seat (16, 18, 20) including an extendable calf support (27), the method comprising: receiving a signal indicating an angle of the calf support (27) relative to another vehicle component, or with respect to a defined position of the calf support (27); comparing the indicated angle of the calf support (27) with an angle limit, and setting an extension limit depending on whether the indicated angle of the calf support (27) is equal to or greater than the angle limit; and extending the calf support (27) to a first extension limit if the indicated angle of the calf support (27) is less than the angle limit, and extending the calf support (27) beyond the first extension limit to a second extension limit if the indicated angle of the calf support (27) is greater than the angle limit;and the method comprises extending the calf support (27) to the first extension limit, while the calf support (27) is oriented substantially orthogonally to a floor of the vehicle. Method according to claim 1, wherein the first extension limit is set to avoid the calf support (27) striking the floor of the vehicle while the calf support (27) is oriented substantially orthogonally to the floor of the vehicle. Method according to claim 1 or claim 2, comprising fully extending the calf support (27) to the second extension limit when the indicated angle of the calf support (27) is equal to or exceeds the angle limit value. Method according to a preceding claim, comprising pivoting the calf support (27) from an orientation substantially orthogonal to the floor of the vehicle to an extended configuration. Method according to claim 4, comprising, following the extension of the calf support (27) to the first extension limit, while the calf support (27) is substantially orthogonal to a floor of the vehicle, the dynamic adjustment of the second extension limit accordingly, as the displayed calf support angle varies. Method according to claim 4 or claim 5, comprising, sequentially, extending the calf support (27) to the first extension limit while the calf support (27) is substantially orthogonal to a floor of the vehicle, extending the calf support (27) to the second extension limit while the calf support (27) pivots. Method according to a preceding claim, wherein the seat (16, 18, 20) comprising the calf support (27) is a rear seat of the vehicle, the method comprising receiving a signal indicating a position of a component of a front seat (82) and adjusting the second extension limit according to the indicated position of the component of the front seat (82) in order to avoid the calf support (27) striking a component of the front seat (82) of the vehicle. Control unit for a vehicle seating arrangement, wherein the seating arrangement comprises a seat (16, 18, 20) including an extendable calf support (27), wherein the control unit comprises: an input configured to receive a signal indicating an angle of the calf support (27) relative to the seat (16, 18, 20);a processing module configured to compare the displayed angle of the calf support (27) with an angle limit value, and to set an extension limit depending on whether the displayed angle of the calf support (27) is equal to or exceeds the angle limit value, and, depending on the signal, to generate a control signal to extend the calf support (27) up to a first extension limit while the calf support (27) is substantially orthogonal to a floor of the vehicle when the displayed angle of the calf support (27) is less than the angle limit value, and to extend the calf support (27) beyond the first extension limit when the displayed angle of the calf support (27) is greater than the angle limit value; and an output configured to output the control signal. Vehicle comprising the control unit according to claim 8.

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