Vehicle seat control device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle seat control device in which an operating sound of a motor during steady operation can be reduced.SOLUTION: When an occupant having a predetermined reference weight is seated on a vehicle seat and a switch is operated to indicate downward movement, an application voltage V2, which is lower than an application voltage V1, is applied to a motor. Here, regarding the application voltage V2, the application voltage V2 that provides a speed comparable to a raising speed is applied while the weight, which is one example of an occupant load, and the weight of the vehicle seat are taken into consideration. Note that the application voltage V2 may be determined by an optimum voltage deriving model that is constructed by training a learning machine through machine learning of a neural network or the like. In the machine learning, a plurality of kinds of occupant weights and application voltages which provide a predetermined operation speed at each body weight are used as teacher data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat control device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 proposes a motor control device for a power seat that includes a motor for moving a movable member, an operating switch for controlling the drive of the motor, a torque switching means having a limiting resistor that can limit the rotational speed of the motor by suppressing the voltage applied to the motor and switching the torque of the motor by inserting or removing the limiting resistor, and a switching control means that appropriately processes a signal from the operating switch to output a predetermined operating signal and controls the switching operation of the torque switching means based on the operating signal, and that accelerates and decelerates the motor in stages by intermittent operation of the torque switching means when the motor is started and stopped. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 05-116563 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In Patent Document 1, the motor is accelerated and decelerated in stages when starting and stopping, thereby suppressing shocks at the time of starting and stopping. Furthermore, because the motor is accelerated and decelerated in stages, operating noise at the time of starting and stopping can be suppressed.

[0005] However, the operating noise of the motor cannot be reduced during steady operation other than at the time of starting and stopping, so there is room for improvement.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat control device that can reduce the operating noise of a motor during steady operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A vehicle seat control device according to a first aspect includes a control unit that, when an instruction is given to move the vehicle seat downward, the movement speed of which becomes faster under the influence of an occupant load and a mass of the vehicle seat, controls the vehicle seat downward by limiting an applied voltage to a motor that moves the vehicle seat in the vertical direction to a voltage lower than an applied voltage when moving the vehicle seat upward. The control unit includes an acquisition unit that acquires the occupant's physique detected from a captured image of the occupant or the occupant's posture estimated from a weight distribution of a weight detection sensor as a detection result of the occupant load on the vehicle seat, a determination unit that determines an application voltage to be applied to the motor by inputting the detection result acquired by the acquisition unit into a trained model that is constructed in advance by machine learning based on the occupant load and an application voltage that results in a predetermined operating speed of the vehicle seat at the occupant load, and a drive unit that applies the application voltage determined by the determination unit to the motor to drive the motor. .

[0008] According to the first aspect, when the control unit is instructed to operate the vehicle seat in a downward direction, which increases the operating speed due to the influence of the occupant load and the mass of the vehicle seat, the control unit controls the vehicle seat to operate in the downward direction by limiting the voltage applied to the motor that operates the vehicle seat in the vertical direction to be lower than the voltage applied when operating the vehicle seat in the upward direction. The control unit includes an acquisition unit that acquires the occupant's physique detected from a captured image of the occupant or the occupant's posture estimated from the weight distribution of the weight detection sensor as a detection result of the occupant load on the vehicle seat, a determination unit that determines the applied voltage to be applied to the motor by inputting the detection result acquired by the acquisition unit into a trained model that has been constructed in advance by machine learning based on the occupant load and the applied voltage that results in a predetermined operating speed of the vehicle seat at that occupant load, and a drive unit that applies the applied voltage determined by the determination unit to the motor to drive the motor. This reduces the operating noise of the motor during steady operation compared to when the applied voltage is not limited during downward movement. Furthermore, it is possible to set the voltage applied to the motor when the vehicle seat is moved downward in accordance with the occupant's load, such as the occupant's weight, physique, and posture.

[0009] The vehicle seat control device of the second aspect is the vehicle seat control device of the first aspect, wherein the control unit applies an applied voltage to the motor at a speed corresponding to the operating speed of the vehicle seat when operating in the upward direction.

[0010] According to the second aspect, the vehicle seat can be moved downward at the same speed as when the vehicle seat is moved upward.

[0013] No. 3 The vehicle seat control device according to the embodiment is 1 Aspects Also, the second aspect In the vehicle seat control device according to the present invention, the trained model is a trained model that is constructed in advance based on the occupant load and an applied voltage that corresponds to the operating speed of the vehicle seat when it is operated upward at that occupant load.

[0014] No. 3According to this aspect, the vehicle seat can be moved downward at a speed equivalent to the speed at which it is moved upward, depending on the occupant's load, such as the occupant's weight, physique, and posture. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle seat control device that can reduce the operating noise of the motor during steady operation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle seat that is a control target of a seat ECU according to the present embodiment; [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system for a vehicle seat according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating an example of switch states, applied voltages to a motor, and operating speeds of a vehicle seat. [Figure 4] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processing executed by a seat ECU according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating operating noises during downward operation with and without control by the seat ECU according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system for a vehicle seat according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a seat ECU according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by a seat ECU according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] An example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a seat ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls the operation of a vehicle seat will be described as an example of a vehicle seat control device. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle seat that is a control target of the seat ECU according to this embodiment.

[0018] The vehicle seat 10 includes a seat cushion 12, a seat back 14, and a headrest 16.

[0019] A seat back 14 is provided on the seat cushion 12 so as to be able to recline, and a headrest 16 is provided on the upper part of the seat back 14.

[0020] The vehicle seat 10 is fixed to the vehicle body via seat rails 18, and the seat rails 18 allow the vehicle seat 10 to move in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

[0021] The vehicle seat 10 is equipped with a reclining mechanism, a slide mechanism, a lifter mechanism, etc., and is movable in three directions. The reclining mechanism moves the seat back 14 to adjust the angle of the seat back 14. The slide mechanism moves the vehicle seat 10 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, adjusting the position of the vehicle seat 10 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. The lifter mechanism moves the vehicle seat in the direction of the arrow in Figure 1, adjusting the height of the vehicle seat 10 in the up-and-down direction of the vehicle.

[0022] The vehicle seat 10 is also provided with a switch 22 and a motor 24. By operating the switch 22, the reclining mechanism, the slide mechanism, and the lifter mechanism are driven by the motor 24, thereby adjusting each part of the vehicle seat 10. In this embodiment, the drive control of the motor 24 by operating the switch 22 is performed by a seat ECU 20, which is an example of a control unit provided below the seat cushion 12. Although one motor 24 is shown in FIG. 1, multiple motors 24 may be provided. For example, a motor 24 may be provided for each mechanism.

[0023] (First embodiment) Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the control system of the vehicle seat 10 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the vehicle seat 10 according to the first embodiment.

[0024] The seat ECU 20 is configured as a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 20A, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 20B, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 20C, and an I / O (Input / Output Interface) 20D connected to a bus 20E.

[0025] The ROM 20B stores a program for controlling the motor 24, and the program stored in the ROM 20B is loaded into the RAM 20C and executed by the CPU 20A, thereby controlling the vehicle seat 10.

[0026] A switch 22 and a motor 24 are connected to the I / O 20D, and the voltage applied to the motor 24 is controlled by operating the switch 22 to drive the reclining mechanism, slide mechanism, lifter mechanism, and the like.

[0027] In the vehicle seat 10 configured as described above, when the lifter mechanism is operated downward, the operating speed and sound pressure during operation increase due to the influence of the occupant load and the mass of the vehicle seat 10. The increased operating speed makes it difficult to fine-tune the lifter mechanism to a desired position. The operating noise also becomes annoying. Adjusting the speed by changing the gear ratio or other means can reduce the upward operating speed, potentially resulting in immobilization. Conventional approaches to reducing operating noise include adding sound-absorbing material, but this increases costs and mass.

[0028] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the vehicle seat 10 is moved downward, which is influenced by the occupant load and the mass of the vehicle seat 10, the voltage applied to the motor 24 is limited to be lower than the voltage applied when the vehicle seat 10 is moved upward, thereby controlling the vehicle seat to move downward. In other words, by controlling the voltage applied to the motor 24 when the vehicle seat 10 is moved downward, the movement speed is adjusted to be equal to that of the upward movement, improving ease of adjustment and reducing operating noise.

[0029] Here, a description will be given of the control of the voltage applied to the motor 24 by the seat ECU 20. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the state of the switch 22, the voltage applied to the motor 24, and the operating speed of the vehicle seat 10.

[0030] In this embodiment, when an occupant of a predetermined reference weight is seated in the vehicle seat 10 and the switch 22 is operated to instruct an upward movement, an application voltage that causes the vehicle seat 10 to rise at a predetermined speed is applied to the motor 24. That is, when the switch 22 is operated to instruct an upward movement, an application voltage V1 is applied to the motor 24, as shown in the upper and middle parts of Fig. 3. This causes the vehicle seat 10 to rise at a predetermined movement speed.

[0031] On the other hand, when an occupant of a predetermined reference weight is seated in the vehicle seat 10 and the switch 22 is operated to instruct the vehicle seat 10 to move downward, an applied voltage V2 lower than the applied voltage V1 is applied to the motor 24, as shown in the upper and middle parts of Fig. 3. At this time, the applied voltage V2 is set to a value that will result in the vehicle seat 10 moving at the same speed as when it is raised, taking into account the weight of the occupant as an example of the load on the occupant and the weight of the vehicle seat 10. As a result, the vehicle seat 10 moves downward at the same speed as when it is raised, as shown in the lower part of Fig. 3.

[0032] Next, a specific process performed by the seat ECU 20 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the process performed by the seat ECU 20 according to the present embodiment. The process in Fig. 4 starts, for example, when an occupant seated in the vehicle seat 10 operates the switch 22 to instruct the operation of the lifter mechanism.

[0033] In step 100, the CPU 20A determines whether the direction is downward. This determination determines whether the downward operation of the lifter mechanism has been instructed by the switch 22. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 102, and if the upward operation has been instructed and the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 104.

[0034] In step 102, the CPU 20A applies the downward voltage V2 to the motor 24, and then the process proceeds to step 106.

[0035] On the other hand, in step 104, the CPU 20A applies the upward voltage V1 to the motor 24, and then the process proceeds to step .

[0036] In step 106, the CPU 20A determines whether the switch 22 has been turned off. This determination is made, for example, by determining whether the height of the vehicle seat 10 has reached the desired height and the operation of the switch 22 has ended. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step 100 and the above-described process is repeated; if the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step 108.

[0037] In step 108, the CPU 20A turns off the applied voltage and ends the series of processes, thereby stopping the vertical movement of the vehicle seat 10.

[0038] By performing the process in this manner, it is possible to reduce the operating noise without causing any problems or increasing costs or mass. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 5, the operating noise during downward movement can be reduced with control by the seat ECU 20 compared to when there is no control. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the operating noise during downward movement with and without control by the seat ECU 20 according to this embodiment.

[0039] (Second embodiment) Next, the configuration of the control system of the vehicle seat 10 according to the second embodiment will be described. Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the vehicle seat 10 according to the second embodiment. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0040] In this embodiment, compared to the first embodiment, a weight detection sensor 26 is further provided, and the weight detection sensor 26 is connected to the seat ECU 20.

[0041] 1, the weight detection sensors 26 are provided between the vehicle seat 10 and the seat rails 18. In this embodiment, the weight detection sensors 26 are provided at four locations where the vehicle seat 10 and the seat rails 18 are joined. However, the number of locations is not limited to four, and the number may be less than four or may be five or more.

[0042] The weight detection sensor 26 detects the weight of an occupant seated in the vehicle seat 10 by detecting the load applied to the vehicle seat 10, and outputs the detection result to the seat ECU 20. That is, the weight detection sensor 26 detects the weight of the occupant as an example of the occupant load. Note that the posture of the occupant may be estimated from the weight distribution detected by the weight detection sensors 26 provided at four locations, and detected as an example of the occupant load. Alternatively, a camera or the like may be provided to photograph the occupant, and the physique of the occupant may be detected from the captured image as an example of the occupant load.

[0043] Next, a functional configuration of the control system of the vehicle seat 10 according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the seat ECU 20 according to this embodiment.

[0044] The seat ECU 20 according to this embodiment functions as a weight detection result acquisition unit 30, a voltage determination unit 32, and a motor drive control unit 36 ​​by the CPU 20A loading a program stored in the ROM 20B into the RAM 20C and executing it. The weight detection result acquisition unit 30 corresponds to the acquisition unit, the voltage determination unit 32 corresponds to the determination unit, and the motor drive control unit 36 ​​corresponds to the drive unit.

[0045] The weight detection result acquisition unit 30 acquires the detection result of the weight of the occupant from the weight detection sensor 26 and outputs it to the voltage determination unit 32.

[0046] The voltage determination unit 32 determines the voltage to be applied to the motor 24 using the detection result of the occupant's weight output from the weight detection result acquisition unit 30 and an optimal voltage derivation model 34 as an example of a trained model pre-stored in ROM 20B or the like.

[0047] That is, as a preprocessing step, an optimal voltage derivation model 34 is constructed that uses the occupant load as an input and derives an applied voltage that results in a predetermined actuation speed. For example, the predetermined actuation speed may be an actuation speed at the time of rising at the detected occupant load, or a predetermined target speed may be applied.

[0048] The optimal voltage derivation model 34 is constructed by performing machine learning using as training data a data set of occupant loads and applied voltages that result in predetermined actuation speeds. For example, the optimal voltage derivation model 34 is constructed by training a learner through machine learning such as a neural network using as training data multiple types of occupant weights and applied voltages that result in predetermined actuation speeds for those weights (for example, the same speed as the rising speed or a predetermined target speed).

[0049] As a result, it is possible to obtain an applied voltage that will result in a predetermined actuation speed for the occupant load by inputting the occupant load to the optimum voltage derivation model 34. That is, the voltage determination unit 32 inputs the occupant weight detection result acquired by the weight detection result acquisition unit 30 to the optimum voltage derivation model 34, thereby deriving an applied voltage that will result in a predetermined actuation speed.

[0050] In this embodiment, the optimal voltage derivation model 34 is described as deriving the applied voltage when operating in a downward direction, but it may also derive the applied voltage that results in a predetermined target speed when operating in an upward direction.

[0051] Next, specific processing performed by the seat ECU 20 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the seat ECU 20 according to the present embodiment. The processing in Fig. 8 starts, for example, when an occupant seated in the vehicle seat 10 operates the switch 22 to instruct operation of the lifter mechanism. Furthermore, processing that is the same as the processing in Fig. 4 is assigned the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0052] In step 96, the CPU 20A acquires the weight detection result, and the process proceeds to step 98. That is, the weight detection result acquisition unit 30 acquires the detection result of the weight detection sensor .

[0053] In step 98, the CPU 20A determines the applied voltage V2 and proceeds to step 100, whereafter the same processing as in FIG. 4 is carried out.

[0054] That is, in this embodiment, the voltage determination unit 32 derives the applied voltage V2 that results in a predetermined actuation speed by inputting the occupant weight detection result acquired by the weight detection result acquisition unit 30 into the optimal voltage derivation model 34. This makes it possible to set the applied voltage V2 for the downward direction that is to be applied to the motor 24 in step 102 described above.

[0055] By carrying out the process in this manner, similar to the above embodiment, it is possible to reduce the operating noise without causing any problems and without increasing the cost and mass.

[0056] The vehicle seat 10 according to this embodiment may be provided with a cover around the motor 24 to reduce noise emitted from the motor 24. To prevent noise from being generated by vibrations of the seat frame or the vehicle body, vibration-proof rubber may be added to the mounting portion of the motor 24 to the seat frame to reduce vibrations transmitted to the seat frame or the vehicle body. The number of coil turns in the motor 24 may be increased to increase torque, allowing the seat to operate even at low rotation speeds. Furthermore, the motor 24 may be made brushless to reduce the force required.

[0057] In the above embodiment, the seat ECU 20 controls the lifter mechanism of the vehicle seat 10, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, since the load of the occupant, such as the weight of the occupant, on the seat back 14 varies, the present invention may be applied to the control of the reclining mechanism.

[0058] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the processing performed by the seat ECU 20 has been described as software processing performed by executing a program, but this is not limited to this. For example, the processing may be performed by hardware such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). Alternatively, the processing may be a combination of both software and hardware. Furthermore, if the processing is software, the program may be stored in various storage media and distributed.

[0059] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 10 Vehicle seats 20 Seat ECU 22 Switch 24 motor 26 Weight detection sensor 30 Weight detection result acquisition unit (acquisition unit) 32 Voltage determination unit (determination unit) 34 Optimal voltage derivation model (trained model) 36 Motor drive control unit (drive unit)

Claims

1. a control unit that, when an instruction is given to operate the vehicle seat in a downward direction, the operation speed of which becomes faster under the influence of an occupant load and a mass of the vehicle seat, controls the vehicle seat to operate in the downward direction by limiting an applied voltage to a motor that operates the vehicle seat in the vertical direction to be lower than an applied voltage when operating the vehicle seat in the upward direction, The control unit an acquisition unit that acquires, as a detection result of the occupant load on the vehicle seat, the occupant's physique detected from a captured image of the occupant or the occupant's posture estimated from a weight distribution of a weight detection sensor; a determination unit that determines an applied voltage to be applied to the motor by inputting the detection result acquired by the acquisition unit into a trained model that is constructed in advance by machine learning based on the occupant load and an applied voltage that results in a predetermined operating speed of the vehicle seat at the occupant load; a drive unit that applies the applied voltage determined by the determination unit to the motor to drive the motor; A vehicle seat control device including:

2. The vehicle seat control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit applies to the motor a voltage that corresponds to an operating speed of the vehicle seat when operating in the upward direction.

3. 2. The vehicle seat control device according to claim 1, wherein the trained model is a trained model constructed in advance based on the occupant load and an applied voltage that corresponds to the operating speed of the vehicle seat when it is operated upward at that occupant load.

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