Power seat control device and power seat

Abstract

To ease a shock felt by an operator without decreasing a slide speed of a seat cushion when a power seat is returned to an operation seat position.SOLUTION: A power seat control device 30 has: a slide mechanism 16 which slides a seat cushion 12 in an anteroposterior direction relative to a vehicle body floor part F; and a reclining mechanism 18 which rotates a seat back 14 in the anteroposterior direction relative to the seat cushion 12. The power seat control device 30 controls a power seat 10 which enables change of a seat position and includes a memory function for automatically returning the power seat 10 to an operation seat position registered in advance. When the power seat 10 is returned to the operation seat position along with sliding of the seat cushion 12 and rotation of the seat back 14, the seat back 14 is rotated to the opposite side of a slide direction of the seat cushion 12 immediately before the sliding of the seat cushion 12 is stopped.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a power seat and its control device.

Background Art

[0002] In the occupant posture control device for a vehicle described in Patent Document 1 below, the control unit outputs a control signal to drive the actuator in the RY-axis direction, thereby adjusting the angle of the vehicle seat. In normal times, the control unit rotates the vehicle seat so that a force acts in a direction to cancel the force received by the occupant due to the acceleration in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Further, the control unit predicts the occurrence of sway-back of the vehicle based on the signals input from the vehicle speed sensor and the X-axis acceleration sensor. When the control unit predicts sway-back, it quickly rotates the vehicle seat in the opposite direction before rotating it back to the reference angle. Then, the control unit slowly rotates the vehicle seat back to the reference angle. Thereby, when there is sway-back of the vehicle, the occupant's posture is appropriately adjusted.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a vehicle capable of autonomous driving, the driver can stretch their legs and assume a relaxed posture by, for example, sliding the seat cushion of the power seat backward significantly and reclining the seat back backward significantly. However, in, for example, level 3 autonomous driving, it is necessary for the driver to appropriately respond to a request to switch from autonomous driving to manual driving from the autonomous driving system. In that case, it is required to quickly return the power seat from the above-described relaxed seat position to the driving seat position. At that time, if the seat cushion is slid at high speed, the driver will experience a shock when the slide stops. In order to mitigate this shock feeling, if the slide speed is reduced, for example, immediately before the slide stops, a quick return to the driving seat position will be hindered.

[0005] In view of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to obtain a power seat operation device and a power seat that can mitigate the shock feeling received by the driver without reducing the slide speed of the seat cushion when returning to the driving seat position.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] A power seat control device according to a first aspect includes a slide mechanism that slides a seat cushion back and forth with respect to a vehicle body floor portion, and a reclining mechanism that rotates a seat back back and forth with respect to the seat cushion, and is a power seat control device that controls a power seat whose seat position can be changed. The power seat control device has a memory function for automatically returning the power seat to a pre-registered driving seat position. When returning the power seat to the driving seat position along with the slide of the seat cushion and the rotation of the seat back, the seat back is rotated to the side opposite to the slide direction of the seat cushion immediately before stopping the slide of the seat cushion.

[0007] According to the first aspect, there is provided a power seat having a slide mechanism for sliding a seat cushion back and forth with respect to a vehicle body floor portion and a reclining mechanism for rotating a seat back back and forth with respect to the seat cushion, and the power seat whose seat position can be changed is controlled by a power seat control device. This power seat control device has a memory function for automatically returning the power seat to a pre-registered driving seat position, and when returning the power seat to the driving seat position along with the slide of the seat cushion and the rotation of the seat back, immediately before stopping the slide of the seat cushion, the seat back is rotated to the side opposite to the slide direction of the seat cushion. Thereby, without reducing the slide speed of the seat cushion, the shock feeling received by the upper body of the driver can be alleviated.

[0008] In the power seat control device according to the second aspect, in the first aspect, when returning the power seat to the driving seat position, if the seat cushion and the seat back are located behind the driving seat position, the seat cushion is slid forward while the seat back is temporarily rotated forward of the driving seat position.

[0009] According to the second aspect, when the power seat control device returns the power seat to the driving seat position, if the seat cushion and the seat back are located behind the driving seat position, the seat cushion is slid forward while the seat back is temporarily rotated forward of the driving seat position. Then, immediately before stopping the slide of the seat cushion, the seat back is rotated to the side opposite to the slide direction of the seat cushion, that is, backward. Thereby, when the forward slide of the seat cushion stops, the shock feeling received by the upper body of the driver can be alleviated.

[0010] The power seat according to the third aspect includes a slide mechanism for sliding the seat cushion back and forth with respect to the vehicle body floor, a reclining mechanism for rotating the seat back back and forth with respect to the seat cushion, and the power seat control device according to the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0011] According to the third aspect, the power seat has a slide mechanism for sliding the seat cushion back and forth with respect to the vehicle body floor and a reclining mechanism for rotating the seat back back and forth with respect to the seat cushion, and the seat position can be changed. Since the power seat control device included in this power seat is the one according to the first aspect or the second aspect, the above-described effects can be obtained.

Advantages of the Invention

[0012] As described above, in the power seat control device and the power seat according to the present invention, when returning to the driving seat position, the shock feeling received by the driver can be reduced without reducing the sliding speed of the seat cushion.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Hereinafter, a power seat 10 and a power seat control device 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. Note that the arrow FR and the arrow UP shown in FIG. 2 indicate the front and the upper side of the power seat 10, respectively. The front-rear direction, the left-right direction (width direction), and the up-down direction of this power seat 10 coincide with the front-rear direction, the left-right direction (width direction), and the up-down direction of the vehicle (automobile) on which this power seat 10 is mounted. Hereinafter, when simply explaining using the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions, unless otherwise specified, it shall indicate the direction with respect to the power seat 10.

[0015] In FIGS. 1 and 2, the power seat 10 according to this embodiment is shown in a side view. This power seat 10 is a driver's seat of a vehicle capable of level 3 automated driving, and has a seat cushion 12 on which the driver sits and a seat back 14 that serves as the driver's backrest. This power seat 10 is, as an example, an 8-way power seat, and has a slide mechanism 16 that slides the seat cushion 12 back and forth with respect to the vehicle body floor portion F, a reclining mechanism 18 that rotates the seat back 14 back and forth with respect to the seat cushion 12, a lifter mechanism 20 that moves the seat cushion 12 up and down with respect to the vehicle body floor portion F, and a tilt mechanism 22 that changes the inclination of the seating surface of the seat cushion 12, and the seat position can be changed in various ways. This power seat 10 has a power seat control device 30 shown in FIG. 3, and its operation is controlled by the power seat control device 30.

[0016] The power seat control device 30 includes a seat ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 32 which is a control unit, an 8-way power seat switch 34, and a memory switch 36. The seat ECU 32 is composed of a microcomputer in which a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an input / output I / F (Inter Face) are connected to a bus. Various vehicle-mounted electrical components 38 such as various vehicle ECUs and a battery mounted on the vehicle are electrically connected to the input / output I / F of this seat ECU 32. The vehicle ECUs include an automatic driving ECU that controls the automatic driving of the vehicle.

[0017] Also, a slide high-speed motor 16A which is a drive source of the slide mechanism 16, a recline high-speed motor 18A which is a drive source of the reclining mechanism 18, a lifter motor 20A which is a drive source of the lifter mechanism 20, and a tilt motor 22A which is a drive source of the tilt mechanism 22 are electrically connected to the input / output I / F of the seat ECU 32. The slide high-speed motor 16A, the recline high-speed motor 18A, the lifter motor 20A, and the tilt motor 22A each have a hall sensor that outputs a pulse signal according to the rotational position of the output shaft of each motor. The seat ECU 32 detects the rotational position of the output shafts of the motors 16A, 18A, 20A, 22A based on the pulse signals from the hall sensors of the motors, and detects the positions of the seat cushion 12 and the seat back 14 based on the detection results.

[0018] The 8-way power seat switch 34 is electrically connected to the input / output I / F of the seat ECU 32. This 8-way power seat switch 34 has, for example, two operation knobs. The seat ECU 32 operates the slide high-speed motor 16A, the recline high-speed motor 18A, the lifter motor 20A, or the tilt motor 22A according to the operations of the two operation knobs. Thereby, the slide mechanism 16, the reclining mechanism 18, the lifter mechanism 20, or the tilt mechanism 22 operates.

[0019] The memory switch 36 is electrically connected to the input / output I / F of the seat ECU 32. This memory switch 36 is used when utilizing the memory function of the seat ECU 32. This memory function is a function that automatically moves the power seat 10 to a pre-registered (stored) seat position. This memory switch 36 has, for example, a "SET" switch, a "Memory 1" switch, and a "Memory 2" switch, and is capable of registering two seat positions. When registering a seat position, for example, while moving the power seat 10 to the seat position to be registered, press the "Memory 1" or "Memory 2" switch while pressing the "SET" switch. Thereby, the seat position to be registered is stored in the seat ECU 32. When the "Memory 1" or "Memory 2" switch is pressed thereafter, the seat ECU 32 moves (returns) the power seat 10 to the registered seat position.

[0020] In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the driving seat position shown in FIG. 1 (hereinafter referred to as the "driving position") is registered in the "Memory 1" switch, and the relaxation seat position shown in FIG. 2 (hereinafter referred to as the "relaxation position") is registered in the "Memory 2" switch. The driving position is a seat position where the driver can easily drive, and the relaxation position is a seat position where the driver can stretch their legs and relax. In the relaxation position, the seat cushion 12 is slid rearward from the driving position, and the seat back 14 is rotated (reclined) rearward from the driving position. In addition, in the relaxation position, the vertical position of the seat cushion 12 and the inclination of the seat surface are adjusted to a pre-registered state.

[0021] When the power seat 10 is in the relaxation position and there is a request to switch from automatic driving to manual driving from the automatic driving ECU, the seat ECU 32 controls the operations of the slide mechanism 16, the reclining mechanism 18, the lifter mechanism 20, and the tilt mechanism 22 to automatically return the power seat 10 to the driving position. When returning from the relaxation position to the driving position, the seat cushion 12 slides forward and the seat back 14 rotates forward. At this time, immediately before stopping the slide of the seat cushion 12, the seat ECU 32 controls the slide mechanism 16 and the reclining mechanism 18 so that the seat back 14 rotates in the direction opposite to the slide direction of the seat cushion 12.

[0022] The above control will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the seat cushion 12 and the seat back 14 are in the relaxation position. In FIG. 4, the position indicated by the two-dot chain line SL0 shows the position of the front surface of the seat cushion 12 when the seat cushion 12 is in the driving position. The position indicated by the two-dot chain line RC0 in FIG. 4 shows the position (angle) of the front surface of the seat back 14 when the seat back 14 is in the driving position. The position indicated by the one-dot chain line SL1 in FIG. 4 shows the position of the front surface of the seat cushion 12 when the seat cushion 12 is located midway between the driving position and the relaxation position. The position indicated by the one-dot chain line RC1 in FIG. 4 shows the position of the front surface of the seat back 14 when the seat back 14 is rotated slightly forward from the driving position.

[0023] When the seat ECU 32 slides the seat cushion 12 from the relaxation position to the position of the dashed-dotted line SL1 in FIG. 4, it rotates the seat back 14 from the relaxation position to the position of the dashed-dotted line RC1 in FIG. 4. Then, when the seat ECU 32 slides the seat cushion 12 from the position of the dashed-dotted line SL1 in FIG. 4 to the position of the two-dot chain line SL0, it rotates the seat back 14 from the position of the dashed-dotted line RC1 in FIG. 4 to the position of the two-dot chain line RC0. That is, when the seat ECU 32 returns the power seat 10 from the relaxation position to the driving position, since the seat cushion 12 and the seat back 14 are located behind the driving position, the seat back 14 is first rotated forward beyond the position (angle) of the driving position while sliding the seat cushion 12 forward. Then, immediately before stopping the slide of the seat cushion 12, the seat back 14 is rotated rearward, i.e., in the direction opposite to the slide direction of the seat cushion 12.

[0024] Next, with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, the flow of the above control of the seat ECU 32 will be described. In FIG. 5, "SLIDE" is described for sliding, "RCL" is described for reclining, "LIFT" is described for the lifter, and "TILT" is described for tilting. As shown in FIG. 5, first, in step S1, the seat ECU 32 determines whether the switch of "Memory 1" is turned on. The switch of "Memory 1" is turned on not only when the switch is operated by the occupant but also when there is a posture switching request from the automatic driving ECU. If the determination in this step S1 is negative, the process proceeds to step S2, and if this determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S4.

[0025] When shifting to step S2, the seat ECU 32 determines whether the switch of "Memory 2" has been turned on. If this determination is negative, the process returns to step S1 and repeats the above-described process. If this determination is positive, the process shifts to step S3. When shifting to step S3, the seat ECU 32 appropriately operates the motors 16A, 18A, 20A, and 22A of each mechanism 16, 18, 20, and 22 to operate the power seat 10 to the relaxation position.

[0026] On the other hand, when shifting to step S4, the seat ECU 32 starts counting the pulse signals output from the motors 16A, 18A, 20A, and 22A and shifts to the next steps S5 and S8.

[0027] In step S5, the seat ECU 32 operates the reclining high-speed motor 18A of the reclining mechanism 18 to rotate the seat back 14 forward (reclining operation) and shifts to the next step S6. In step S6, the seat ECU 32 determines whether the seat back 14 has reached the position of the dashed-dotted line RC1 in FIG. 4. Specifically, the seat ECU 32 determines whether the difference from the position of the seat back 14 registered in the switch of "Memory 1" (i.e., the driving position) to the current position of the seat back 14 based on the pulse signal from the reclining high-speed motor 18A has become B (the distance from the position of the two-dashed-dotted line RC0 to the position of the dashed-dotted line RC1 in FIG. 4). If this determination is negative, the process returns to step S5 and repeats the above-described process. If this determination is positive, the process shifts to step S7. In step S7, the seat ECU 32 stops the forward rotation of the seat back 14.

[0028] On the one hand, in step S8, the seat ECU 32 activates the slide high-speed motor 16A of the slide mechanism 16 to slide (advance) the seat cushion 12 forward and proceeds to the next step S9. In step S9, the seat ECU 32 determines whether or not the seat cushion 12 has reached the position of the dashed-dotted line SL1 in FIG. 4. Specifically, the seat ECU 32 determines, based on the pulse signal from the slide high-speed motor 16A, whether or not the difference from the position of the seat cushion 12 registered in the switch of "memory 1" (i.e., the driving position) to the current position of the seat cushion 12 has become A (the distance from the position of the two-dot chain line SL0 to the position of the one-dot chain line SL1 in FIG. 4). If this determination is negative, the process returns to step S8 and the above-described process is repeated. If this determination is positive, the process proceeds to step S10. In step S10, the seat ECU 32 activates the recline high-speed motor 18A of the reclining mechanism 18 to rotate the seat back 14 rearward to the driving position (the position of the two-dot chain line RC0 in FIG. 4) and proceeds to step S11. The operating distance of the seat back 14 in step S10 is the distance indicated by reference numeral B in FIG. 4.

[0029] When the process proceeds to step S11, the seat ECU 32 determines whether or not the seat cushion 12 has reached the position indicated by the two-dot chain line SL0 in FIG. 4. Specifically, the seat ECU 32 determines, based on the pulse signal from the recline high-speed motor 18A of the reclining mechanism 18, whether or not the difference from the position of the seat back 14 registered in the switch of "memory 1" (i.e., the driving position) to the current position of the seat back 14 has become zero. If this determination is negative, the process returns to step S11 and the above-described process is repeated. If this determination is positive, the process proceeds to step S12. In step S12, the seat ECU 32 stops the sliding operation (forward movement) of the seat cushion 12. When the process in step S12 is completed, the process proceeds to the next step S13.

[0030] In step S13, the seat ECU 32 activates the lifter motor 20A of the lifter mechanism 20 to operate the seat cushion 12 to the vertical position of the seat cushion 12 registered in the switch of "Memory 1". When the process in step S13 is completed, the process proceeds to the next step S14. In step S14, the seat ECU 32 activates the tilt motor 22A of the tilt mechanism 22 to operate the seat cushion 12 to the seating surface angle of the seat cushion 12 registered in the switch of "Memory 1". When the process in step S14 is completed, the process proceeds to the next step S15. In step S15, the seat ECU 32 stops counting the pulse signals output from each of the motors 16A, 18A, 20A, and 22A. When the process in this step S15 is completed, the seat ECU 32 ends the control process of returning the power seat 10 to the driving position.

[0031] As described above, the control when the seat ECU 32 returns the power seat 10 from the relaxation position to the driving position (that is, when the seat ECU 32 returns the power seat 10 to the driving position and the seat cushion 12 and the seat back 14 are located behind the driving position) has been explained. However, the control by the seat ECU 32 is not limited to this. For example, when the seat ECU 32 returns the power seat 10 to the driving position and the seat cushion 12 and the seat back 14 are located in front of the driving position, the seat ECU 32 first rotates the seat back 14 to a position behind the driving position while sliding the seat cushion 12 backward. Then, immediately before stopping the slide of the seat cushion 12, the seat back is rotated to the front side, that is, the side opposite to the slide direction of the seat cushion 12.

[0032] According to this embodiment, a power seat 10 having a slide mechanism 16 for sliding the seat cushion 12 back and forth with respect to the vehicle body floor portion F and a reclining mechanism 18 for rotating the seat back 14 back and forth with respect to the seat cushion 12 is controlled by a power seat control device 30. This power seat control device 30 has a memory function for automatically returning the power seat 10 to a pre-registered driving position, and when returning the power seat to the driving position with the slide of the seat cushion 12 and the rotation of the seat back 14, immediately before stopping the slide of the seat cushion, the seat back 14 is rotated to the side opposite to the slide direction of the seat cushion 12. Thereby, since the inertia acting on the upper body of the driver is alleviated, the shock feeling received by the upper body of the driver can be mitigated without reducing the slide speed of the seat cushion 12.

[0033] Further, according to this embodiment, when the power seat control device 30 returns the power seat 10 to the driving position, if the seat cushion 12 and the seat back 14 are located behind the driving position, the seat cushion 12 is slid forward while the seat back 14 is once rotated forward of the driving position. Then, immediately before stopping the slide of the seat cushion 12, the seat back is rotated to the side opposite to the slide direction of the seat cushion 12, that is, to the rear side. Thereby, when the forward slide of the seat cushion stops, the shock feeling received by the upper body of the driver can be mitigated.

[0034] In addition, in the above embodiment, the case where the power seat 10 has a lifter mechanism 20 and a tilt mechanism 22 has been described, but it is not limited thereto, and the power seat 10 may have other mechanisms such as a lumbar support mechanism, a tilt mechanism, an ottoman mechanism, and a side support mechanism.

[0035] In addition, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the gist thereof. Also, the scope of rights of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

Explanation of Symbols

[0036] 10 Power seat 12 Seat cushion 14 Seat back 16 Slide mechanism 18 Reclining mechanism 30 Power seat control device F Vehicle body floor

Claims

1. A power seat control device that controls a power seat having a slide mechanism for sliding a seat cushion back and forth with respect to a vehicle body floor portion and a reclining mechanism for rotating a seat back back and forth with respect to the seat cushion, and capable of changing a seat position, comprising a memory function for automatically returning the power seat to a pre-registered driving seat position, when returning the power seat to the driving seat position along with the slide of the seat cushion and the rotation of the seat back, immediately before stopping the slide of the seat cushion, the power seat control device rotates the seat back in a direction opposite to the slide direction of the seat cushion.

2. The power seat control device according to claim 1, when returning the power seat to the driving seat position, if the seat cushion and the seat back are located behind the driving seat position, the seat cushion is slid forward and the seat back is temporarily rotated forward of the driving seat position.

3. A slide mechanism for sliding a seat cushion back and forth with respect to a vehicle body floor portion, a reclining mechanism for rotating a seat back back and forth with respect to the seat cushion, a power seat control device according to claim 1 or claim 2, and a power seat having the same.

Images