Vehicular seat and vehicle

Abstract

To provide a vehicular seat that is convenience for a user, whose rotation can be suppressed from being disturbed by an obstacle.SOLUTION: A vehicular seat comprises: a seat cushion; a rotating device that rotates the seat cushion around a shaft line in a vertical direction; a seating surface angle changing device for changing a seat surface angle from a normal angle at a normal position toward an angle in a forward ascending direction and in a forward descending direction; and a control device that controls the rotating device and the seating surface angle changing device. The control device controls the seating surface angle changing device on the basis of a rotation angle of the seat cushion, so that the seating surface angle is changed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat rotatable about a vertical axis and a vehicle having the vehicle seat.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle seat rotatable about a vertical axis. By rotating the seat, it becomes possible to arrange the seats so that the occupants in the vehicle can face each other and talk, or face the window and enjoy the scenery.

[0003] Also, Patent Document 2 describes that when rotating the seat, by tilting the seat back forward and raising the seat cushion upward, it is possible to suppress interference with the rotation of the seat by an obstacle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, there was a high possibility that the rotation of the seat would be hindered by colliding with an obstacle. In the invention described in Patent Document 2, in order to greatly raise the seat cushion upward, the seat cannot be rotated when the occupant is seated or when there is a load on the seat cushion. Also, it takes time to greatly tilt the seat cushion, and the convenience of the user is impaired.

[0006] In view of the above background, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat in which the rotation is not hindered by an obstacle and which is convenient for the user.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, an aspect of the present invention is a vehicle seat (1) provided on a floor (3) of a vehicle (V), having a seat cushion (4) that supports the user's buttocks from below, the vehicle seat (1) being provided on the floor (3) of the vehicle (V), and having a rotating device (8) that rotates the seat cushion around the vertical rotation axis of the vehicle, and a seat surface angle changing device (11) for changing the seat surface angle (θ), which is the angle formed by the floor surface (R) of the vehicle and the seating surface (S) of the seat cushion, from the normal position in the forward upward direction and the forward downward direction, and an input device (14) for setting the rotation angle by which the seat cushion is to be rotated, and a control device (16) that drives the rotating device so as to realize the rotation angle set by the input device or set at the occurrence of a predetermined event, and the control device is configured to control the seat surface angle changing device based on the rotation angle of the seat cushion to change the seat surface angle.

[0008] According to this aspect, when the seat cushion rotates, the seat surface angle is changed, so that it is possible to prevent the seat cushion from colliding with an obstacle during rotation. Further, since the seat surface angle is set based on the rotation angle, it is possible to prevent the seat surface angle from being changed excessively and taking a long time, or giving discomfort to the user sitting on it, and the convenience of the user is improved.

[0009] In the above aspect, the vehicle seat further includes an object sensor (19) that detects an obstacle (52) that should become an obstacle when the seat cushion (4) is rotated and outputs a detection result to the control device, and when the obstacle is detected, the control device (16) may change the seat surface angle at an angle necessary to prevent contact with the obstacle when rotating the seat cushion.

[0010] According to this aspect, by detecting an obstacle and changing the seat surface angle only as much as necessary to avoid the obstacle, the inhibition of the rotation of the seat cushion is suppressed, and the change of the seat surface angle is excessive. Is suppressed and the convenience of the user is improved.

[0011] In the above aspect, the control device (16) may avoid contact with the obstacle (52) by rotating the seat cushion (4) at a substantially constant speed and continuously changing the seat surface angle (θ).

[0012] According to this aspect, even when the user is seated on the seat cushion, it is possible to achieve both reduction of discomfort felt by the user during rotation of the seat cushion and suppression of collision of the vehicle seat with an obstacle.

[0013] In the above aspect, the control device (16) may change the seat surface angle (θ) during rotation of the seat cushion (4).

[0014] According to this aspect, the time required for the rotation process can be shortened as compared with the case where the seat surface angle is changed before the start of rotation.

[0015] In the above aspect, when the rotation angle of the seat cushion (4) is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the control device (16) may not change the seat surface angle (θ).

[0016] According to this aspect, when the rotation angle is small, there is a low risk that the vehicle seat will collide with an obstacle even if the seat surface angle is not changed. Therefore, by not changing the seat surface angle, the comfort of the user seated on the seat cushion can be maintained.

[0017] In the above aspect, the control device (16) may increase the absolute value of the seat surface angle (θ) as the rotation angle of the seat cushion (4) increases.

[0018] According to this aspect, when the rotation angle of the seat cushion is large, the vehicle seat is likely to collide with an obstacle. By increasing the absolute value of the seat surface angle, this possibility can be reduced.

[0019] In the above aspect, it further has a seating sensor (20) provided on the seat cushion (4), and the control device (16) is configured to receive a signal from the seating sensor and determine whether the user is seated on the seat cushion. When rotating the seat cushion, the control device may adjust the seat surface angle according to whether the user is seated on the seat cushion.

[0020] According to this aspect, since the seat surface angle is adjusted according to whether the user is seated on the seat cushion, when seated, priority can be given to the comfort of the user expecting the removal of obstacles by the user, and when not seated, control can be performed with priority given to avoiding obstacles.

[0021] In the above aspect, when rotating the seat cushion (4), if the control device (16) determines that the user is seated on the seat cushion, the amount of change in the seat surface angle (θ) may be made smaller than when it is determined that the user is not seated on the seat cushion.

[0022] According to this aspect, since the amount of change in the seat surface angle becomes smaller when the user is seated on the seat cushion, the discomfort given to the user when the seat surface angle is changed can be reduced.

[0023] In the above aspect, it further has an in-vehicle monitoring device (12) that detects information regarding the body type of the user seated on the seat cushion (4) and outputs the detection result to the control device (16). The control device is configured to determine the body type of the user based on the detection result of the in-vehicle monitoring device. When rotating the seat cushion, the control device may adjust the seat surface angle (θ) based on the body type of the user.

[0024] According to this aspect, since the seat surface angle during the rotation of the seat cushion can be adjusted according to the body type of the user, the discomfort of the user associated with the change in the seat surface angle is reduced.

[0025] One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle (V) having the vehicle seat (1) according to the above aspect, comprising a door (52) for the user to get on and off, and a door sensor (51) for detecting the open / closed state of the door and outputting the detection result to the control device (16). The control device is configured to determine the open / closed state of the door based on the detection result of the door sensor. When the control device determines that the door has been displaced from the closed state to the open state, the seat cushion may be changed to a downward-forward state.

[0026] According to this aspect, when the user opens the door, it is assumed that the user gets on and off the vehicle and sits on or leaves the vehicle seat. Since the seat cushion is in a downward-forward state, it becomes easier for the user to sit on the seat cushion and leave the seat cushion.

[0027] In the above aspect, the door (52) is disposed near the vehicle seat (1), the event includes the door being displaced from the closed state to the open state, and when the control device (16) determines that the door has been displaced from the closed state to the open state, the control device may set the rotation angle so that the seat cushion (4) faces the door directly and rotate the seat cushion.

[0028] According to this aspect, when the door is opened, since the seat cushion faces the door directly, it becomes even easier for the user to sit on the seat cushion and leave the seat cushion.

Advantages of the Invention

[0029] According to the above aspect, when the seat cushion rotates and the seat surface angle is changed, it is possible to suppress the seat cushion from colliding with an obstacle during rotation. Further, since the seat surface angle is set based on the rotation angle, it is possible to suppress the seat surface angle from being excessively changed and taking a long time, or giving discomfort to the seated user, and the convenience of the user is improved.

[0030] According to the aspect of detecting an obstacle, by detecting the obstacle and changing the seat surface angle only as much as necessary to avoid the obstacle, it is possible to suppress the inhibition of the rotation of the seat cushion and suppress the excessive change of the seat surface angle, thereby improving the convenience of the user.

[0031] According to the aspect of rotating the seat cushion at a substantially constant speed and continuously changing the seat surface angle, even when the user is seated on the seat cushion, it is possible to achieve both the reduction of the discomfort received by the user during the rotation of the seat cushion and the suppression of the collision of the vehicle seat with an obstacle.

[0032] According to the aspect of changing the seat surface angle during the rotation of the seat cushion, the time required for the rotation process can be shortened compared to the case of changing the seat surface angle before the start of rotation.

[0033] According to the aspect of not changing the seat surface angle when the rotation angle of the seat cushion is less than or equal to a predetermined value, when the rotation angle is small, there is a low possibility that the vehicle seat will collide with an obstacle even without changing the seat surface angle. Therefore, the comfort of the user seated on the seat cushion can be maintained by not changing the seat surface angle.

[0034] According to the aspect of increasing the absolute value of the seat surface angle as the rotation angle of the seat cushion increases, when the rotation angle of the seat cushion is large, the possibility of the vehicle seat colliding with an obstacle increases. By increasing the absolute value of the seat surface angle, this possibility can be reduced.

[0035] According to the aspect of performing seating determination and adjusting the seat surface angle according to the presence or absence of the user's seating, when the user is seated, priority is given to the user's comfort expecting the user to remove obstacles, and when the user is not seated, control that prioritizes obstacle avoidance can be performed.

[0036] According to the aspect of making the amount of change in the seat surface angle when seated smaller than the amount of change in the seat surface angle when not seated, the discomfort given to the user when the seat surface angle is changed can be reduced.

[0037] According to the aspect of adjusting the seat surface angle during rotation of the seat cushion according to the user's body shape, the discomfort of the user associated with the change in the seat surface angle is reduced.

[0038] According to the aspect of changing the seat cushion to a state of tilting downward when the door is opened, it becomes easier for the user to sit on the seat cushion and to get off the seat cushion.

[0039] According to the aspect of further aligning the seat cushion with the door when the door is opened, it becomes even easier for the user to sit on the seat cushion and to get off the seat cushion.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0040]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0041] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the vehicle seat 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows a deformed state of the vehicle seat 1, FIG. 2 shows the configuration of a vehicle V including the vehicle seat 1, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a system 2 related to the vehicle seat 1. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the "front-rear direction", "left-right direction", and "up-down direction" mean the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction of the vehicle V. Also, a direction based on the vehicle seat 1, such as the "seat front-rear direction", means the direction as seen from a user seated on the vehicle seat 1.

[0042] <<First Embodiment>> As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle seat 1 is installed on the floor 3 in the vehicle interior of the vehicle V. The vehicle seat 1 includes a seat cushion 4, a seat back 5 supported at the rear of the seat cushion 4, and a headrest 6 connected to the upper part of the seat back 5. The seat cushion 4 supports the user's buttocks from below, the seat back 5 supports the user's back from the rear in the seat front-rear direction, and the headrest 6 supports the user's head from the rear in the seat front-rear direction. The seat cushion 4 and the seat back 5 each include a frame, a pad supported by the frame, and a skin material covering the surface of the pad on the user side (not shown).

[0043] A rotating device 8 is supported on the floor 3 via a slide device 7. The rotating device 8 rotatably supports a support member 9 with respect to the slide device 7 around a vertical axis Z passing through substantially the center in the seat front-rear direction and the seat width direction. The front end of the seat cushion 4 or the vicinity thereof is tiltably connected to the front end of the support member 9 around a tilt axis Y1 in the seat width direction. A seat surface angle changing actuator 10 that can expand and contract in its extending direction is connected at one end to a position below and / or behind the seat with respect to the tilt axis Y1 of the support member 9, and at the other end to a position behind the seat of the seat cushion 4 so as to be rotatable around an axis in the seat width direction. As the seat surface angle changing actuator 10, an electric cylinder, an air cylinder, or a hydraulic cylinder having a motor may be used.

[0044] The angle that varies around the tilting axis Y1 formed by the reference plane R (floor surface) orthogonal to the vertical direction and the seating surface S of the seat cushion 4 is defined as the seating surface angle θ (thigh angle). The support member 9 and the seating surface angle changing actuator 10 constitute the main part of the seating surface angle changing device 11 that changes the seating surface angle θ. Since the seating surface S deforms during actual seating, strictly speaking, it is set with reference to the seat frame. When viewed from the side of the seat, the tilting axis Y1 and the two rotatable connection points to the support member 9 of the seating surface angle changing actuator 10 and the seat cushion 4 are not arranged on the same straight line, that is, they are arranged to form the vertices of a triangle. Therefore, when the seating surface angle changing actuator 10 expands and contracts, the seating surface angle θ is changed. The seating surface angle changing device 11 can tilt the seat cushion 4 around the tilting axis Y1 between a state where the front end of the seating surface S is tilted downward with respect to the reference plane R (the state where the seating surface angle θ is negative, see Fig. 1(A)) and a state where the front end of the seating surface S is tilted upward with respect to the reference plane R (the state where the seating surface angle θ is positive, see Fig. 1(C)).

[0045] In the illustrated example, the tilting axis Y1 is arranged at the front end of the seat cushion 4, but the tilting axis Y1 may be arranged at any position from the front end to the rear end of the seat cushion 4, and the seating surface angle changing device 11 may have a configuration that allows the seat cushion 4 to tilt with respect to the reference plane R.

[0046] As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the system 2 includes an in-vehicle monitoring device 12 that acquires information in the vehicle interior, an out-of-vehicle monitoring device 13 that acquires information outside the vehicle, an input / output device 14 that receives and provides information to the user, a vehicle state monitoring device 15 that acquires information regarding the state of the vehicle V, a control device 16 that receives information from the in-vehicle monitoring device 12, the out-of-vehicle monitoring device 13, the input / output device 14, and the vehicle state monitoring device 15 and transmits the information to the input / output device 14, and a plurality of controlled devices 17 controlled by the control device 16.

[0047] The in-vehicle monitoring device 12 includes one or more in-vehicle cameras 18 that image the interior of the vehicle, a plurality of object sensors 19 provided on the vehicle seat 1, a seating sensor 20 provided on the seat cushion 4, a biological sensor 21, and a seat surface angle sensor 22.

[0048] The in-vehicle camera 18 is disposed at a position where it can image the user and the periphery of the vehicle seat 1. The in-vehicle camera 18 may be constituted by a CMOS image sensor. The in-vehicle camera 18 is preferably constituted by a compound eye camera including a plurality of imaging elements and capable of distance imaging based on triangulation such as stereo measurement or the optical cutting method.

[0049] The object sensor 19 is a sensor that detects objects inside the vehicle, and may be a proximity sensor, a lidar, an ultrasonic sensor, or the like. Alternatively, the object sensor 19 may be constituted by a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor module that includes a light source and a detector and performs distance measurement by acquiring the time until the light emitted from the light source reaches the detector. The object sensor 19 may be disposed, for example, along the outer peripheral surface of the seat cushion 4, or may be provided at an appropriate position on the headrest 6. Also, the object sensors 19 may be arranged side by side in the front-rear direction on the door panel or the floor 3.

[0050] The seating sensor 20 may be a membrane switch or an electrostatic sensor provided on the seat cushion 4. The seating sensor 20 detects the pressure applied to the seat cushion 4, and the control device 16 that receives the detection result determines whether the user is seated on the vehicle seat 1. A seat belt reminder (SBR) system that issues an alarm when the user is seated on the vehicle seat 1 but not wearing the seat belt is adopted, and the seating determination using the seating sensor 20 is performed to determine whether an alarm is required.

[0051] The biological sensor 21 may be a heart rate sensor, a respiration sensor, a pressure sensor, or an electroencephalogram sensor. The heart rate sensor is provided on the front surface of the seat back 5, and is preferably disposed at a position corresponding to the user's heart. The heart rate sensor is a sensor that detects the user's heart rate. The heart rate sensor may be based on any of a touch type, an optical type, or an electrocardiogram type. The respiration sensor is a sensor that detects the user's respiration rate and the depth of respiration. The respiration sensor may be of a type that, for example, detects the pressure applied from the user at a position corresponding to the user's lungs on the front surface of the seat back 5 and reads the pressure change caused by the user's respiratory movement. The respiration sensor may be based on a method in which two sheet-like electrodes are provided along the front surface of the seat back 5 and the change in capacitance between the electrodes due to the movement of the person's chest is detected. The pressure sensor is a sensor used to detect the user's posture based on the pressure applied to the seat cushion 4 and the seat back 5. The pressure sensor is provided in a planar shape on the surfaces of the seat cushion 4 and the seat back 5 facing the user, measures the in-plane distribution (pressure distribution) of the pressure applied to them from the user, and detects the user's posture. The electroencephalogram sensor includes a magnetic sensor provided at a position facing the user's head in the headrest 6. The magnetic sensor detects the magnetic signal associated with the activity of the user's brain cells. The electroencephalogram sensor calculates the user's electroencephalogram based on the magnetic signal. As the electroencephalogram sensor, a magnetic sensor provided at a position facing the user's head in the headrest 6 may be used, and the control device 16 may calculate the user's electroencephalogram based on the magnetic signal.

[0052] The seat surface angle sensor 22 is provided between the support member 9 and the frame of the seat cushion 4 or in the seat surface angle changing actuator 10, and detects the seat surface angle θ (see FIG. 1) or information for calculating the seat surface angle θ.

[0053] The outside vehicle monitoring device 13 includes one or more outside vehicle photographing cameras 23 and a plurality of radars 24 and / or lidars 25 (LiDARs).

[0054] The outside vehicle camera 23 images the surroundings of the vehicle V, including objects existing around the vehicle V (e.g., surrounding vehicles and pedestrians), guardrails, curbs, walls, median strips, the shape of the road, road markings drawn on the road, etc. The outside vehicle camera 23 may be, for example, a digital camera using a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD or CMOS. The outside vehicle camera 23 is provided, for example, on the ceiling inside the vehicle compartment and images the outside of the vehicle compartment through the windshield, rear window, or side windows. The outside vehicle camera 23 may be, for example, a stereo camera.

[0055] The radar 24 emits radio waves such as millimeter waves around the vehicle V and detects the position (distance and direction) of an object by capturing the reflected waves. The lidar 25 irradiates light such as infrared rays around the vehicle V and detects the position (distance and direction) of an object by capturing the reflected light. The radar 24 and / or the lidar 25 are attached outside the vehicle compartment of the vehicle V. The radar 24 and / or the lidar 25 include, for example, those that irradiate radio waves / light forward of the vehicle V, those that irradiate radio waves / light rearward of the vehicle V, and those that irradiate radio waves / light laterally of the vehicle V. The outside vehicle compartment monitoring device 13 may include a sonar.

[0056] The input / output device 14 receives input operations by the user and notifies the user of various information by display or sound. The input / output device 14 may include, for example, a touch panel 26 that performs both input and output. In addition to or instead of the touch panel 26, the input / output device 14 may include an input device (e.g., buttons, switches, and / or a microphone 27 that receives the user's voice input) and an output device (e.g., a display and / or a speaker 28 that notifies sound). A mobile terminal such as a smartphone may be communicable with the control device 16 wirelessly or by wire and used as the input / output device 14.

[0057] The vehicle state monitoring device 15 includes a vehicle speed sensor 29, a brake sensor 30, a steering angle sensor 31, a shift lever sensor 32, and a door sensor 33. The vehicle speed sensor 29 detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle V. The brake sensor 30 includes a brake pedal sensor that detects the depression amount of the brake pedal and a parking brake sensor that detects the operation amount of the parking brake lever. The steering angle sensor 31 detects the steering angle of the steering wheel. The shift lever sensor 32 detects the position where the shift lever is placed, such as parking (P), reverse (R), neutral (N), drive (D), etc. The door sensor 33 detects the open / closed state of the door of the vehicle V.

[0058] The control device 16 is a so-called Electronic Control Unit, which controls the vehicle seat 1 based on the information acquired by the in-vehicle monitoring device 12, the out-vehicle monitoring device 13, and the vehicle state monitoring device 15, as well as the information input by the user to the input / output device 14. The control device 16 is composed of a computer including a processor 34 constituted by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) etc., a storage device 35 including a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and an SSD (Solid State Drive) and / or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The control device 16 is connected to the in-vehicle monitoring device 12, the out-vehicle monitoring device 13, the input / output device 14, the vehicle state monitoring device 15, and the control target device 17 so that signals can be transmitted and received by signal lines or wirelessly. The control device 16 and the control target device 17 are connected to a power source (not shown) mounted on the vehicle V and receive power supply from the power source. The control device 16 can acquire information regarding the vehicle seat 1, such as the state of the seat surface angle θ (see FIG. 1), based on the information acquired by the in-vehicle monitoring device 12 and the control history for the control target device 17.

[0059] The controlled device 17 controlled by the control device 16 includes, in addition to the above-described slide device 7, rotating device 8, and seat surface angle changing device 11, a reclining device 36 that tilts the seat back 5, an airbag device 37 that protects the user during a collision of the vehicle V, a side support device 38 that changes the height of both side portions of the seat cushion 4, a seat heater 39 that warms the seat cushion 4, and a vibration device 40 that vibrates the seat cushion 4 to prompt the user's attention.

[0060] The control device 16 can calculate the seat surface angle θ from the detection value of the seat surface angle sensor 22. The seat surface angle sensor 22 may be, for example, an angle potentiometer provided between the support member 9 and the seat cushion 4. Further, the seat surface angle sensor 22 may be a stroke sensor that detects the length of the seat surface angle changing actuator 10, and the control device 16 may calculate the seat surface angle θ based on the length of the seat surface angle changing actuator 10. The control device 16 may also calculate the seat surface angle θ from the control history of the seat surface angle changing actuator 10.

[0061] The user can change the seat surface angle θ by operating the input / output device 14. The input / output device 14 outputs an operation signal corresponding to the user's operation to the control device 16. The control device 16 controls the seat surface angle changing actuator 10 based on the operation signal to change the seat surface angle θ to an angle within the changeable range. The changeable range is the range of angles in which the seat surface angle θ can be changed, and is defined by the minimum angle (see FIG. 1(A)) and the maximum angle (see FIG. 1(C)). The changeable range is set by the control device 16.

[0062] The reclining device 36 is a device that tilts the seat back 5 with respect to the seat cushion 4 around a tilting axis Y2 (see FIG. 1) extending in the seat width direction. The tilting axis Y2 extends to the rear end in the seat front-rear direction of the seat cushion 4 and the lower end of the seat back 5.

[0063] Figure 4 schematically shows the arrangement of the vehicle seat 1 in the passenger compartment of the vehicle V. The vehicle V is provided with a door 51 for the user to get on and off. The door 51 and the vehicle seat 1 are arranged so that a user seated on the vehicle seat 1 disposed near the door 51 can perform the opening and closing operation of the door 51. The vehicle seat 1 is rotatable 360° around the rotation axis Z. For example, the user can turn the vehicle seat 1 forward of the vehicle V, face it towards another vehicle seat 1, or face it towards the door 51. The vehicle seat 1 may be the driver's seat or any seat of other passengers.

[0064] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the control when the vehicle seat 1 is rotated around the rotation axis Z. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 3 to 5, the rotation control of the vehicle seat 1 around the rotation axis Z will be described.

[0065] First, the user uses the input / output device 14 such as the touch panel 26 to input the rotation angle of the vehicle seat 1 around the rotation axis Z (ST1). The input / output device 14 outputs the value to the control device 16, and the control device 16 sets the value as the angle by which the seat cushion 4 should be rotated around the rotation axis Z.

[0066] Next, the control device 16 determines whether the user is seated on the vehicle seat 1 based on the detection value of the seating sensor 20 (ST2). When the control device 16 determines that the user is seated on the vehicle seat 1 (Yes in ST2), it determines the body type of the user based on the video of the user taken by the in-vehicle camera 18 and the estimated weight of the user based on the detection result of the seating sensor 20 which is a pressure sensor. When the control device 16 determines that the user is not seated on the vehicle seat 1 (No in ST2), it does not perform ST3.

[0067] Next, the control device 16 sets the seat surface angle θ when rotating the seat cushion 4 around the rotation axis Z (ST4) and sets the rotation speed (ST5). The seat surface angle θ may be set such that it increases with a positive value as the rotation angle increases (so that the seat cushion 4 rises forward) or decreases with a negative value as the rotation angle increases (so that the seat cushion 4 drops forward). The set seat surface angle θ may be the seat surface angle θ at that time, that is, a setting where the seat surface angle θ is not changed. Particularly when the rotation angle is small, the seat surface angle θ may not be changed. The rotation speed may be set to increase as the rotation angle increases. The rotation speed of the seat cushion 4 is preferably substantially constant during rotation. When the user is seated on the seat cushion 4, the seat surface angle θ is set to be closer to the normal angle, which is the angle when the seat cushion 4 is disposed at the normal position, compared to when the user is not seated, and the rotation speed may be set to be small. The allowable range of the seat surface angle θ set when the physique of the seated user is large may be a narrower range compared to the allowable range of the seat surface angle θ set when the physique of the seated user is small, taking into account the comfort of the user.

[0068] Next, based on the information detected by the in-vehicle monitoring device 12 such as the in-vehicle camera 18 and the object sensor 19, the control device 16 determines whether there is an obstacle 52 in the vehicle interior that the vehicle seat 1 will collide with when the seat cushion 4 is rotated at the set seat surface angle θ (ST6). When the control device 16 determines that there is no obstacle 52 (No in ST6), it controls the seat surface angle changing device 11 and the rotating device 8 to change to the set seat surface angle θ and rotate the seat cushion 4 around the rotation axis Z to the set rotation angle at the set rotation speed (ST7). Note that the seat surface angle θ may be changed before the rotation of the seat cushion 4 starts, or may be changed during the rotation of the seat cushion 4. The control device 16 controls the seat surface angle changing device 11 to return the seat surface angle θ to the angle before rotation after or near the end of the rotation of the seat cushion 4. Note that returning the seat surface angle θ to the angle before rotation may be performed preferably near the end of the rotation of the seat cushion 4 during the rotation of the seat cushion 4. Also, the seat surface angle θ after the rotation ends may be an angle set in advance according to the orientation of the seat cushion 4 after rotation instead of the angle before rotation. For example, when the seat cushion 4 faces forward, it may be the normal angle.

[0069] When the control device 16 determines that there is an obstacle 52 (Yes in ST6), it determines whether it is possible to avoid a collision with the obstacle 52 by changing the seat surface angle θ (ST8). When the control device 16 determines that it is possible to avoid (Yes in ST8), it resets the seat surface angle θ to an angle that can avoid the obstacle 52 (ST9), changes the seat surface angle θ to the reset angle, and rotates the seat cushion 4 around the rotation axis (ST7). Note that at this time, the seat surface angle θ may be the reset angle throughout the rotation of the seat cushion 4, or may be the reset angle within the range necessary to avoid the obstacle 52, and in other rotation ranges, it may be the angle set in ST4. In this case, it is preferable that the seat surface angle θ is changed continuously, that is, the angular velocity is made substantially constant during the change of the seat surface angle θ. The angle range of the seat surface angle θ that can be reset may be wider than the angle range that can be set in ST4.

[0070] When the control device 16 determines that it is impossible to avoid the obstacle 52 (No in ST8), it notifies the user of the presence of the obstacle 52 using the input / output device 14 such as the touch panel 26 and the speaker 28 (ST10). After the notification, when the obstacle 52 is removed within a predetermined time (Yes in ST11), the control device 16 returns to ST6 to determine the presence or absence of other entities. After the notification, when the obstacle 52 is not removed within a predetermined time (No in ST11), the control device 16 notifies the user to stop the rotation process of the seat cushion 4 using the input / output device 14 such as the touch panel 26 and the speaker 28 (ST12), and ends the process without rotating the seat cushion 4.

[0071] When the seat surface angle θ is changed during the rotation of the seat cushion 4, it is possible to suppress the seat cushion 4 from colliding with the obstacle 52 during rotation. In addition, since the seat surface angle θ is set based on the rotation angle, it is possible to suppress the seat surface angle θ from being changed excessively and taking a long time, or giving discomfort to the seated user, and the convenience of the user is improved.

[0072] Since the seat surface angle θ is changed according to the presence or absence of the obstacle 52, the amount of change in the seat surface angle θ is suppressed, and the convenience of the user is improved.

[0073] By continuously changing the seat surface angle θ, even when the user is seated on the seat cushion 4, the discomfort felt by the user during the change of the seat surface angle θ is reduced, and the convenience of the user is improved. When the seat surface angle θ is changed before the start of rotation of the seat cushion 4, the possibility of contacting the obstacle 52 is reduced. When the seat surface angle θ is changed during the rotation of the seat cushion 4, the time required for the process is shortened and the convenience of the user is improved.

[0074] Even when the seat surface angle θ is not changed before and during rotation, if the rotation angle is small, the possibility of the seat cushion 4 colliding with the obstacle 52 is small. In addition, by setting it in this way when the user is seated, the user is suppressed from receiving discomfort associated with the change in the seat surface angle, and the convenience of the user is improved.

[0075] The larger the rotation angle of the seat cushion 4, the larger the absolute value of the seat surface angle θ is made so that the length along the reference plane R (floor surface) in the front-rear direction of the seat becomes shorter, thereby suppressing the presence of the obstacle 52 with respect to the seat cushion 4 during rotation.

[0076] By changing the setting of the seat surface angle θ depending on whether the user is sitting on the seat cushion 4 or not, the burden on the user can be reduced. By making the change amount of the seat surface angle θ when the user is sitting on the seat cushion 4 smaller than the change amount when not sitting, it is possible to suppress the comfort of the user from being impaired. By adjusting the seat surface angle θ according to the body type of the user, for example, by making the change amount of the seat surface angle θ smaller for a user with a large build who is likely to feel uncomfortable with a large change in the seat surface angle θ, it is possible to suppress the comfort of the user from being impaired.

[0077] Based on the detection result of the in-vehicle monitoring device 12, the control device 16 detects the presence or absence of the obstacle 52 before the start of rotation of the seat cushion 4. Therefore, when there is an obstacle 52, the user can select in advance whether to remove the obstacle 52 or stop the rotation of the seat cushion 4. If the rotation of the seat cushion 4 is stopped in advance, compared with the case where the rotation is stopped during the rotation of the seat cushion 4, the trouble of returning the seat cushion 4 to its original position can be saved.

[0078] Further, when the control device 16 rotates the seat cushion 4 around the rotation axis Z, the reclining device 36 may be controlled so that the angle of the seat back 5 with respect to the floor surface as the reference plane R does not change, or becomes perpendicular or acute with respect to the reference plane R. By displacing the seat back 5 in this way, it is possible to suppress the seat back 5 from colliding with the obstacle 52 during the rotation of the seat cushion 4.

[0079] In ST1, instead of the input from the user, the control device 16 may set a predetermined rotation angle when a predetermined event occurs. For example, the predetermined event includes that the door 51 is displaced from the closed state to the open state. When the control device 16 determines that the door 51 is displaced from the closed state to the open state based on the detection value of the door sensor 33, the control device 16 may set the rotation angle so that the seat cushion 4 faces the door 51. At this time, in addition to or instead of the rotation of the seat cushion 4 around the rotation axis Z, the control device 16 may control the seat surface angle changing device 11 so that the seat cushion 4 is displaced in the forward downward direction so as to facilitate the user's seating on or getting off the vehicle seat 1. When the seat cushion 4 is displaced in this way, it becomes easier for the user to sit on the seat cushion 4 and get off the seat cushion 4.

[0080] <<Second Embodiment>> Referring to FIG. 6, a control method for the vehicle seat 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The structures of the vehicle seat 1 and the vehicle V according to the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given (see FIGS. 1 to 4). The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the presence or absence of the obstacle 52 is determined while the seat cushion 4 is being rotated, and the presence or absence of the obstacle 52 is determined before the rotation of the seat cushion 4 starts.

[0081] Referring to FIGS. 1, 3, 4, and 6, the rotation control of the vehicle seat 1 around the rotation axis Z in the second embodiment will be described. ST1 to ST5 are the same as ST1 to ST5 of the first embodiment (see FIG. 5).

[0082] After setting the seat surface angle θ and the rotation speed, the control device 16 controls the seat surface angle changing device 11 and the rotation device 8 in the same manner as ST7 of the first embodiment (see FIG. 5) to change to the set seat surface angle θ and rotate the seat cushion 4 around the rotation axis Z at the set rotation speed to the set rotation angle (ST21).

[0083] During the rotation of the seat cushion 4, the control device 16 determines whether the vehicle seat 1 has collided with an obstacle 52 or is predicted to collide (ST22) (hereinafter, in the description of the second embodiment, the determination of whether a collision has occurred or is predicted to occur will be simply referred to as "collision determination"). The control device 16 may perform a collision determination based on the detection results of the in-vehicle monitoring device 12 such as the in-vehicle camera 18 and the object sensor 19. Further, the control device 16 may determine that the vehicle seat 1 has collided with the obstacle 52 when the load applied to the rotating device 8 increases or when the rotation of the seat cushion 4 stops despite the rotating device 8 being in operation.

[0084] When the control device 16 determines that no collision has occurred in the collision determination (No in ST22), the control device 16 repeats the collision determination until the seat cushion 4 reaches the set rotation angle (No in ST23). When the control device 16 determines that the seat cushion 4 has reached the set rotation angle (Yes in ST23), the control device 16 controls the seat surface angle changing device 11 in the same manner as in the first embodiment to change the seat surface angle θ to the angle before the start of rotation or a preset angle, and ends the process.

[0085] When the control device 16 determines that a collision has occurred in the collision determination (Yes in ST22), the control device 16 stops the rotation of the seat cushion 4 (ST24). When the control device 16 anticipates a collision, it is preferable to stop the rotation of the seat cushion 4 immediately before the collision with the obstacle 52. The control device 16 uses the input / output device 14 such as the touch panel 26 and the speaker 28 to notify the user that the obstacle 52 exists (ST25) and prompts the user to remove the obstacle 52. The control device 16 determines whether the obstacle 52 has been removed based on the detection results of the in-vehicle monitoring device 12, the load of the rotating device 8, and the operating status (ST26).

[0086] When the control device 16 determines that the obstacle 52 has been removed within a predetermined time (Yes in ST26), it controls the rotating device 8 to resume the rotation of the seat cushion 4 (ST27), and repeats the collision determination until it is determined that the seat cushion 4 has reached the set rotation angle (ST22, ST23). On the other hand, when the control device 16 determines that the obstacle 52 has not been removed within a predetermined time (No in ST26), it uses the input / output device 14 such as the touch panel 26 and the speaker 28 to notify the user that the rotation process of the seat cushion 4 is to be aborted (ST28), and aborts the rotation process. After aborting the rotation process, the control device 16 may perform a new rotation process to return the seat cushion 4 to the position before the start of rotation.

[0087] In the second embodiment, since the obstacle 52 can be removed while rotating the seat cushion 4, a portion that the vehicle seat 1 has already passed through can be selected as a place to move the obstacle 52, or the obstacle 52 can be rotated together with the seat cushion 4 around the rotation axis Z to avoid the collision of the obstacle 52 with the vehicle seat 1, and the means for avoiding the obstacle 52 increases.

[0088] Also, when determining the collision of the obstacle 52 with the vehicle seat 1 based on the load and operating conditions of the rotating device 8, it is not necessary to install the object sensor 19, or the number of object sensors 19 can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the vehicle seat 1 can be reduced.

[0089] The description of the specific embodiments ends here. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be widely modified and implemented. For example, the vehicle seat 1 may be provided in a vehicle other than the vehicle V. The first embodiment and the second embodiment may be combined to detect an obstacle both before and during the rotation of the seat cushion 4 and perform processing based on the detection result.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0090] 1: Vehicle seat 2: System 4: Seat cushion 8: Rotating device 11: Seat surface angle changing device 12: In-vehicle monitoring device 14: Input / output device (input device) 16: Control device 18: In-vehicle camera 19: Object sensor 20: Occupancy sensor 22: Seat surface angle sensor 33: Door sensor 51: Door 52: Obstacle V: Vehicle R: Reference plane (floor surface) S: Seating surface Y1: Tilt axis of seat cushion Z: Rotation axis in the vertical direction Seat surface angle: θ

Claims

1. A vehicle seat having a seat cushion that supports a user's buttocks from below and is provided on a floor of the vehicle, a rotation device that rotates the seat cushion about a rotation axis in the vertical direction of the vehicle; a seat angle changing device for changing a seat angle, which is an angle between a floor surface of the vehicle and a seating surface of the seat cushion, from a normal position in a front upward direction and a front downward direction; an input device for setting a rotation angle by which the seat cushion should be rotated; a control device that drives the rotation device so as to realize the rotation angle that is set by the input device or that is set upon occurrence of a predetermined event; The vehicle seat is configured such that the control device controls the seat angle changing device based on the rotation angle of the seat cushion to change the seat angle.

2. The seat cushion may be rotated in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the seat.

2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein, when the obstacle is detected, the control device changes the seat angle by an angle necessary to prevent contact with the obstacle when rotating the seat cushion.

3. 3. The vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein the control device rotates the seat cushion at a substantially constant speed and continuously changes the seat surface angle to avoid contact with the obstacle.

4. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein the control device changes the seat surface angle while the seat cushion is rotating.

5. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein the control device does not change the seat surface angle when the rotation angle of the seat cushion is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value.

6. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein the control device increases an absolute value of the seat surface angle as the rotation angle of the seat cushion increases.

7. The seat cushion further includes an occupancy sensor provided on the seat cushion, The control device is configured to receive a signal from the seating sensor and determine whether the user is seated on the seat cushion; The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein the control device adjusts the seat surface angle when rotating the seat cushion depending on whether or not the user is seated on the seat cushion.

8. 8. The vehicle seat according to claim 7, wherein when rotating the seat cushion, if the control device determines that the user is seated on the seat cushion, the control device reduces the amount of change in the seat surface angle compared to when the control device determines that the user is not seated on the seat cushion.

9. a vehicle interior monitoring device that detects information regarding a body type of the user seated on the seat cushion and outputs the detection result to the control device; The control device is configured to determine the body type of the user based on the detection result of the vehicle interior monitoring device, The vehicle seat according to claim 7, wherein the control device adjusts the seat angle based on the body type of the user when rotating the seat cushion.

10. A vehicle having the vehicle seat according to claim 1, A door for the user to get on and off; a door sensor that detects an open / close state of the door and outputs the detection result to the control device; The control device is configured to determine the open / closed state of the door based on the detection result of the door sensor, When the control device determines that the door has changed from a closed state to an open state, the control device changes the seat cushion to a forward-downward state.

11. the door is disposed near the vehicle seat, the event includes the door transitioning from a closed state to an open state; 11. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein when the control device determines that the door has been changed from a closed state to an open state, the control device sets the rotation angle so that the seat cushion faces the door, and rotates the seat cushion.

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