Seat control device and seat control method

Abstract

To prevent safety of an occupant from being threatened by inversion operation of an electric seat when the electric seat is moved and thereby a person or an object is caught between seats.SOLUTION: A seat control device 2 includes control parts 21a and 21b for controlling operation of a seat 30, a catching detection part 22 for detecting that an object is caught during moving of the seat 30, and a seat detection part 9 for detecting whether or not an occupant seats on the seat 30. When the catching detection part 22 detects an object being caught and the seat detection part 9 does not detect that the occupant seats on the seat, the control parts 21a and 21b move the seat 30 in a reverse direction by a predetermined amount. When the catching detection part 22 detects an object being caught and the seat detection part 9 detects that the occupant seats on the seat, the control parts 21a and 21b move the seat 30 in a reverse direction by an amount smaller than the predetermined amount.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for controlling an electric seat installed in a vehicle or the like, and more particularly to a seat control device having a function for detecting whether a foreign object has been caught. [Background technology]

[0002] Some vehicles, such as automobiles, are equipped with power seats in which the seat and backrest move forward and backward by rotating a motor. In such seats, the position of the seat and backrest has traditionally been adjusted by operating an operating unit located near the seat. Recently, however, vehicles equipped with an automatic driving function have appeared, in which the positions of the seat and backrest are pre-registered as target positions according to the user's preferences, and the seat and backrest are automatically moved to the target positions upon boarding.

[0003] In a vehicle equipped with such an automatic driving function, if the front seat cushion automatically moves backward (straight ahead) while there is a person or object between the front and rear seats, there is a risk that the person or object may become trapped between the front and rear seats, threatening safety. The same applies when the backrest of the front seat automatically moves backward (tilts). For this reason, the seat control device is required to have the function of quickly detecting the trapping and reversing the seat cushion or backrest in the opposite direction to the direction of movement to eliminate the trapping.

[0004] When pinching occurs, as the load on the motor increases, the current flowing through the motor increases and the motor rotation speed decreases. Therefore, by detecting the change (difference) in the motor current and rotation speed over a predetermined period and comparing the detected value with a threshold, it is possible to determine whether pinching has occurred. Patent Documents 1 to 6 disclose pinch detection techniques for seat position control. Patent Document 7 describes a method for controlling the seat position when pinching that occurs when the seat cushion is flipped up is detected. Patent Document 8 describes a technique for preventing the seat from becoming unable to drive by increasing the pinch detection threshold when an occupant is seated in the seat.

[0005] 8 and 9 show the basic operation when pinching occurs in an electrically operated seat 30. The seat 30 comprises a seat portion 31 that can move straight forward and backward, and a backrest portion 32 that can tilt forward and backward. Arrow F indicates the front, and arrow R indicates the rear. Hereinafter, the forward and backward movement of the seat portion 31 is referred to as the "sliding movement," and the forward and backward tilting movement of the backrest portion 32 is referred to as the "reclining movement."

[0006] 8 shows a case where pinching occurs during the sliding movement of the seat portion 31. (a) shows the state before the sliding movement, in which the front seat 30 (here, the driver's seat) in which the occupant 50 is seated is located at a certain distance from the rear seat 40 in which the occupant 60 is seated.

[0007] In this state, when the occupant 50 performs an automatic operation to automatically move the seat 31 to a predetermined position (target position) rearward R, the seat 31 slides in the P direction, as shown in (b), and the backrest 32 moves in conjunction with the seat 31. In other words, the entire seat 30 moves rearward R. At this time, if the target position is close to the rear seat 40, as shown by the dashed line a, part of the moving seat 30 will hit the legs of the rear seat occupant 60. As a result, the seat 30 will be unable to move any further, and the legs will become pinched between the seats 30, 40. X1 indicates the position of the seat 31 when pinching occurs. When this pinching is detected, the motor stops in the state shown in (b) and then rotates in the reverse direction. As a result, the seat 31 of the seat 30 will reverse from the pinching position X1 and move in the P' direction, which is opposite to the P direction, as shown in (c). This widens the gap between the seats 30 and 40, and prevents the legs of the occupant 60 from getting caught.

[0008] 9 shows a case where pinching occurs during the reclining operation of the backrest 32. (a) shows the state before the reclining operation, in which the front seat 30 with the occupant 50 seated is located at a certain distance from the rear seat 40. A baggage W is placed between the front seat 30 and the rear seat 40.

[0009] In this state, if the occupant 50 performs an automatic operation to automatically move the backrest 32 to a predetermined position (target position) rearward R, the backrest 32 will recline and move in the direction Q (the seat 31 will not move), as shown in (b). If the tilt angle of the backrest 32 is equal to or greater than a certain level, the moving backrest 32 will come into contact with the luggage W, as shown by the dashed line b. This will prevent the backrest 32 from moving any further, and the luggage W will become trapped between the seats 30, 40. Y1 indicates the position of the backrest 32 when the trapping occurs. When this trapping is detected, the motor stops in the state shown in (b) and then rotates in the reverse direction. As a result, the backrest 32 will reverse from the trapping position Y1 and move in the direction Q' opposite to the direction Q, as shown in (c). This will widen the gap between the seats 30, 40, and the trapped luggage W will be released.

[0010] However, in the case of Figure 8, if the amount of movement of the seat 31 after inversion is large, as shown in Figure 10, the movement distance C of the seat 31 from the pinching position X1 to the stopping position X4 becomes long, and as shown by the dashed line c, the legs of the front seat occupant 50 may become pinched between the dashboard 71 and the seat 31.

[0011] Also, in the case of Figure 9, if the amount of movement of the backrest portion 32 after inversion is large, as shown in Figure 11, the movement angle θc of the backrest portion 32 from the pinching position Y1 to the stop position Y4 becomes large, and as shown by the dashed line d, a situation occurs in which the front seat occupant 50 is pinched between the steering wheel 72 and the backrest portion 32. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0012] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2020-0065312 [Patent Document 2] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2020-0065302 [Patent Document 3] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2013-0039104 [Patent Document 4] Chinese Patent Publication No. 109278594 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-129449 [Patent Document 6] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-131138 [Patent Document 7] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-210159 [Patent Document 8] Patent Publication No. 2021-95085 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0013] An object of the present invention is to prevent the safety of an occupant from being threatened by the reversing movement of the seat when an occupant is pinched by the power seat. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] The seat control device according to the present invention is a control device for an electric seat that automatically moves to a target position based on a predetermined operation, and includes a control unit that controls the operation of the seat; backward The vehicle is equipped with a pinch detection unit that detects pinching of an object that occurs during movement, and a seating detection unit that detects whether an occupant is seated on the seat. If the pinch detection unit detects pinching and the seating detection unit does not detect an occupant seated on the seat, the control unit moves the seat by a predetermined amount. forward Furthermore, when the pinch detection unit detects pinch and the seating detection unit detects that an occupant is seated, the control unit moves the seat by an amount smaller than the predetermined amount. forward Move to.

[0015] In this way, when a pinch in the seat is detected, if an occupant is seated in the seat, the seat forward The amount of movement toward the seat is smaller than when there is no occupant in the seat. This prevents the seat from being pinched again by the seat reversal (Fig. 10, Fig. 11), ensuring the safety of the occupant.

[0016] As a first control mode of the present invention, a case can be considered in which the movement of a seat portion provided on a seat and capable of moving straight forward and backward is controlled by the first control unit. In this case, when the pinch detection unit detects pinch and the seating detection unit does not detect the occupant sitting on the seat, the first control unit moves the seat portion by a predetermined distance. forward Further, when the pinch detection unit detects pinch and the seating detection unit detects that an occupant is seated, the first control unit moves the seat by a distance smaller than the predetermined distance. forward Move to.

[0017] As a second control mode according to the present invention, the second control unit may control the operation of the backrest of the seat, which is tiltable in the front-rear direction. In this case, when the pinch detection unit detects pinch and the seating detection unit does not detect the occupant sitting on the seat, the second control unit tilts the backrest by a predetermined angle. forward Further, when the pinch detection unit detects pinch and the seating detection unit detects that an occupant is seated, the second control unit moves the backrest by an angle smaller than the predetermined angle. forward Move to. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present invention, when a pinch is detected, if an occupant is seated, the seat forward Since the amount of movement of the seat to the rear is limited, it is possible to prevent the safety of the occupant from being endangered by the reversing movement of the seat. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram of an electric seat system equipped with a seat control device according to the present invention; [Figure 2] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating the operation of the first embodiment when no one is seated in the front seat. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the operation when there is an occupant in the front seat in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the operation of the second embodiment when no one is seated in the front seat. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the operation of the second embodiment when there is an occupant in the front seat. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the second embodiment. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating pinching caused by movement of the seat portion. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating pinching caused by movement of the backrest. [Figure 10]FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the problem in the case of FIG. 8. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the problem in the case of FIG. 9. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, identical or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals. In the following, a seat control device mounted on a vehicle will be taken as an example.

[0021] FIG. 1 shows an example of a seat control device 2 according to the present invention and an electric seat system 100 using the same. The electric seat system 100 is mounted on a vehicle such as a four-wheeled automobile. The electric seat system 100 includes a slide operation unit 1a, a reclining operation unit 1b, a seat control device 2, a first motor drive circuit 3a, a second motor drive circuit 3b, a first motor current detection unit 4a, a second motor current detection unit 4b, a first motor rotation speed detection unit 5a, a second motor rotation speed detection unit 5b, a first motor 6a, a second motor 6b, a slide mechanism 7, a reclining mechanism 8, a seating sensor 9, and a seat 30. The seat 30 is an electric seat driven by the motors 6a and 6b.

[0022] The slide operation unit 1a is provided with two switches 11a and 12a. The first switch 11a is an automatic drive switch that is operated when automatically sliding the bottom portion 31 of the seat 30 to a target position in the α direction. The second switch 12a is a manual drive switch that is operated when manually sliding the bottom portion 31 to a desired position in the α direction.

[0023] The reclining operation unit 1b is also provided with two switches 11b and 12b. The first switch 11b is an automatic drive switch that is operated to automatically recline the backrest 32 of the seat 30 to a target position in the β direction. The second switch 12b is a manual drive switch that is operated to manually recline the backrest 32 to a desired position in the β direction.

[0024] The seat control device 2 includes a first control unit 21 a, a second control unit 21 b, an entrapment detection unit 22, a seating detection unit 23, a seat movement amount calculation unit 24, and a target position storage unit 25.

[0025] The first control unit 21a outputs a control signal to the first motor drive circuit 3a to control the rotation of the first motor 6a based on the operation state of each switch 11a, 12a of the slide operation unit 1a, the detection result of the pinch detection unit 22, the detection result of the seating detection unit 23, and the movement amount of the seat 31 calculated by the seat movement amount calculation unit 24.

[0026] The second control unit 21b outputs a control signal to the second motor drive circuit 3b to control the rotation of the second motor 6b based on the operation state of each switch 11b, 12b of the reclining operation unit 1b, the detection result of the pinch detection unit 22, the detection result of the seating detection unit 23, and the movement amount of the backrest unit 32 calculated by the seat movement amount calculation unit 24.

[0027] The pinch detection unit 22 detects whether an object is pinched by the seat 30 based on the currents of the second motors 6a and 6b detected by the current detection units 4a and 4b, respectively. Details of pinch detection based on motor currents are well known and will not be described here.

[0028] The seating detection unit 23 detects whether or not an occupant is seated on the seat 30 based on the detection signal of the seating sensor 9.

[0029] The seat movement amount calculation unit 24 calculates the amount of movement of the seat 31 and the backrest 32 based on the rotation speeds of the motors 6a and 6b detected by the motor rotation speed detection units 5a and 5b, respectively. The amount of movement of the seat 31 is a distance, and the amount of movement of the backrest 32 is an angle. The motor rotation speed detection units 5a and 5b are composed of, for example, rotation sensors that output pulse signals in synchronization with the rotation of the motors 6a and 6b.

[0030] A target position when the seat 30 is automatically driven by the first switches 11a, 11b of each operating unit 1a, 1b is set in the target position memory unit 25. After adjusting the position of the seat 31 or the backrest 32 to a desired position by operating the second switches 12a, 12b of each operating unit 1a, 1b, the position is stored in the target position memory unit 25 as the target position by operating a setting switch (not shown).

[0031] The seat control device 2 is composed of a microcomputer, and the functions of the first control unit 21a, the second control unit 21b, the pinch detection unit 22, the seating detection unit 23, and the seat movement amount calculation unit 24 are actually realized by software, but for convenience they are illustrated here as hardware blocks.

[0032] The first motor drive circuit 3a generates a drive voltage for rotating the first motor 6a and supplies this to the first motor 6a. The first motor 6a rotates using this drive voltage, causing the bottom portion 31 of the seat 30 to slide in the α direction via the slide mechanism 7. The slide mechanism 7 is connected to the first motor 6a and the bottom portion 31, and converts the rotational motion of the first motor 6a into linear motion.

[0033] The second motor drive circuit 3b generates a drive voltage for rotating the second motor 6b and supplies this to the second motor 6b. The second motor 6b rotates using this drive voltage, causing the backrest 32 of the seat 30 to recline in the β direction via the reclining mechanism 8. The reclining mechanism 8 is connected to the second motor 6b and the backrest 32, and transmits the rotation of the second motor 6b to the backrest 32 via gears or the like. The seating sensor 9 is, for example, composed of a pressure sensor provided in the bottom portion 31 of the seat 30, and outputs a detection signal corresponding to whether or not an occupant is seated.

[0034] Next, we will explain the operation when pinching occurs due to movement of the seat 30. Figures 2 to 4 show the operation of the first embodiment, which is the operation when pinching occurs due to movement of the seat portion 31. Figures 5 to 7 show the operation of the second embodiment, which is the operation when pinching occurs due to movement of the backrest portion 32.

[0035] First, the operation of the first embodiment will be described. Fig. 2 shows the operation when no passenger is seated on the seat 30 when pinching by the seat portion 31 occurs.

[0036] 2(a) shows the state before operation (i.e., the state before pinching occurs), in which the front seat 30, which has no occupant seated therein, is positioned at a certain distance from the rear seat 40. In this state, when the first switch 11a of the slide operation unit 1a is operated by an occupant outside the door or in the passenger seat, the seat portion 31 slides in the P direction toward the target position as shown in (b). (backward) At this time, the backrest 32 also moves in conjunction with the seat 31. If the target position is close to the rear seat 40 and the movement distance of the seat 31 becomes long, the legs of the rear seat passenger 60 will become pinched between the seats 30, 40, as shown by the dashed line a. X1 indicates the position of the seat 31 when pinching occurs (same as in Figure 8).

[0037] When the pinch detector 22 detects this pinch, the first controller 21a outputs a stop command signal to the first motor drive circuit 3a to temporarily stop the first motor 6a for sliding operation, causing the seat 31 to temporarily stop at the pinch position X1 shown in FIG. 2(b).

[0038] Thereafter, the first control unit 21a outputs a reverse rotation command signal to the first motor drive circuit 3a to rotate the first motor 6a in the reverse direction, so that the seat portion 31 is reversed from the clamping position X1 in FIG. (front) The seat 30 then moves a predetermined distance A to the stop position X2, and stops at the stop position X2. This widens the gap between the seats 30 and 40, and the passenger 60's legs are released from being pinched.

[0039] FIG. 3 shows the behavior of the seat 30 when an occupant is seated in the seat portion 31 when the occupant is pinched.

[0040] Figure 3(a) shows the state before operation, which is the same as Figure 2(a) except that an occupant 50 is seated in the seat 30. Figure 3(b) shows the state after entrapment has occurred, which is the same as Figure 2(b) except that an occupant 50 is seated in the seat 30.

[0041] When pinching is detected by the pinch detector 22, the seat 31 stops at the pinch position X1 in FIG. 3(b) as in the case of FIG. 2, and then reverses as in FIG. 3(c) to move in the P' direction. (front) At this time, the seat portion 31 moves from the pinching position X1 by a distance B, which is shorter than the distance A shown in FIG. 2(c), and stops at a stop position X3. This widens the gap between the seats 30 and 40, and the pinching of the legs of the occupant 60 is eliminated.

[0042] Here, the distance B is preferably selected such that a space is formed between the two sheets 30 and 40 that does not impede the movement or disembarkation of the rear seat passenger 60, and the distance is such that the front seat passenger 50 does not collide with the dashboard 71 or the steering wheel 72. By selecting the distance B in this way, even if the distance B is short (B < A), the movement or disembarkation of the rear seat passenger 60 is not impeded, and it is possible to avoid the occurrence of a new pinching of the front seat passenger 50 as shown in FIG. 10.

[0043] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the control procedure by the first control unit 21a of the seat control device 2 in the above-described first embodiment.

[0044] In step S1, when the first switch 11a of the slide operation unit 1a is operated, in step S2, the function of detecting pinching by the pinching detection unit 22 is activated. In the subsequent step S3, under the control of the first control unit 21a, the first motor drive circuit 3a operates and the first motor 6a rotates, and automatic driving is performed to move the seat portion 31 of the front seat to the target position.

[0045] Thereafter, in step S4, it is determined whether or not pinching due to the sliding operation of the seat portion 31 is detected by the pinching detection unit 22. If no pinching is detected, the process proceeds to step S11 to determine whether the seat portion 31 has moved to the target position. If it has not moved to the target position, the process returns to step S3 and the automatic driving is continued. When the seat portion 31 moves to the target position, the process proceeds to step S10, the first motor 6a stops, and the seat portion 31 also stops.

[0046] On the other hand, in step S4, if pinching by the seat portion 31 is detected, the process proceeds to step S5 to temporarily stop the first motor 6a and put the seat portion 31 in a stopped state. Subsequently, in step S6, the first motor 6a is reversed, and the reverse movement of the seat portion 31, that is, the movement in the P' direction in FIGS. 2 and 3 (front) is started.

[0047] Next, in step S7, it is determined whether or not an occupant 50 is seated in the front seat 30 based on the detection result of the seating detection unit 23. If the determination result shows that an occupant 50 is not seated in the seat 30, the process proceeds to step S8, where the seat portion 31 is moved forward (towards P') by a distance A (see FIG. 2(c)). Then, when this movement is completed, the process proceeds to step S10, where the first motor 6a is stopped, and the seat portion 31 is also stopped.

[0048] If the result of the determination in step S7 is that the occupant 50 is seated in the seat 30, the process proceeds to step S9, where the seat portion 31 is moved forward (toward P') by a distance B (see FIG. 3(c)). After this movement is completed, the process proceeds to step S10, where the first motor 6a is stopped, and the seat portion 31 is also stopped.

[0049] As described above, in the first embodiment, when pinching by the seat portion 31 is detected, if the occupant 50 is not seated, the amount of reversal movement (distance A) of the seat portion 31 is increased, and if the occupant 50 is seated, the amount of reversal movement (distance B) of the seat portion 31 is decreased. Therefore, when the occupant 50 is not seated in the front seat 30, sufficient space is secured between the seat 30 and the seat 40 by reversing the seat portion 31, making it easy for the rear seat occupant 60 to move or exit the vehicle. On the other hand, when the occupant 50 is seated in the front seat 30, even if the seat portion 31 is reversible, the movement distance is short, so it is possible to avoid a situation in which pinching occurs in the front seat as shown in FIG. 10 and ensure the safety of the occupant 50.

[0050] Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described. Fig. 5 shows the operation when the backrest 32 pinches the passenger and no passenger is seated on the seat 30.

[0051] 5(a) shows the state before operation (i.e., the state before pinching occurs), in which the front seat 30, which has no occupant seated therein, is positioned at a certain distance from the rear seat 40. Luggage W is placed between the seats 30 and 40. In this state, when the first switch 11b of the reclining operation unit 1b is operated by an occupant outside the door or in the passenger seat, the backrest 32 is reclined in the direction Q toward the target position as shown in FIG. 5(b). (backward) At this time, the seat 31 does not move. If the angle of inclination of the backrest 32 to the target position is large, the backrest 32 will come into contact with the luggage W during movement, as shown by the dashed line b, and the luggage W will become sandwiched between the seats 30, 40. Y1 indicates the position of the seat 31 when the sandwiching occurs (same as in Figure 9).

[0052] When the pinch detector 22 detects this pinch, the second controller 21b outputs a stop command signal to the second motor drive circuit 3b to temporarily stop the second motor 6b for reclining operation, causing the backrest 32 to temporarily stop at the pinch position Y1 in FIG.

[0053] Thereafter, the second control unit 21b outputs a reverse rotation command signal to the second motor drive circuit 3b to rotate the second motor 6b in the reverse direction, so that the backrest 32 is reversed from the clamping position Y1 in FIG. (front) The sheet 30 then moves by a predetermined angle θa to the stop position Y2, and stops at the stop position Y2. This widens the gap between the sheets 30 and 40, and the baggage W is released from being caught.

[0054] FIG. 6 shows the behavior of the seat 30 when an occupant is seated in the seat back 32 when the occupant is pinched by the seat back 32.

[0055] Figure 6(a) shows the state before operation, which is the same as Figure 5(a) except that an occupant 50 is seated in the seat 30. Figure 6(b) shows the state after entrapment has occurred, which is the same as Figure 5(b) except that an occupant 50 is seated in the seat 30.

[0056] When pinching is detected by the pinch detector 22, the backrest 32 stops at the pinch position Y1 in FIG. 6(b), as in the case of FIG. 5, and then reverses as shown in FIG. 6(c), moving in the Q' direction. (front) In this case, the backrest 32 moves from the pinching position Y1 by an angle θb that is smaller than the angle θa shown in FIG. 5(c) and stops at the stop position Y3. This widens the gap between the seats 30 and 40, and the baggage W is released from being pinched.

[0057] Here, it is preferable to select the angle θb so that a space is formed between the seats 30, 40 that allows for easy movement and removal of the luggage W, and so that the front seat occupant 50 does not collide with the dashboard 71 or the steering wheel 72. By selecting the angle θb in this manner, even if the angle θb is small (θb<θa), there is no difficulty in moving and removing the luggage W, and it is also possible to prevent the front seat occupant 50 from becoming trapped again as shown in FIG.

[0058] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control procedure performed by the second control unit 21b of the seat control device 2 in the second embodiment described above.

[0059] When the first switch 11b of the reclining operation unit 1b is operated in step S21, the pinch detection function is activated by the pinch detection unit 22 in step S22. In the following step S23, under the control of the second control unit 21b, the second motor drive circuit 3b operates to rotate the second motor 6b, and automatic driving is performed to move the backrest 32 of the front seat 30 to the target position.

[0060] Then, in step S24, it is determined whether or not pinching due to the reclining operation of the backrest 32 has been detected by the pinch detection unit 22. If pinching is not detected, the process proceeds to step S31, where it is determined whether or not the backrest 32 has moved to the target position. If the backrest 32 has not moved to the target position, the process returns to step S23, where automatic driving continues. Then, when the backrest 32 has moved to the target position, the process proceeds to step S30, where the second motor 6b is stopped, and the backrest 32 is also stopped.

[0061] On the other hand, if pinching by the backrest 32 is detected in step S24, the process proceeds to step S25, where the second motor 6b is temporarily stopped to temporarily stop the backrest 32. Subsequently, in step S26, the second motor 6b is reversed to rotate the backrest 32 in the reverse direction, i.e., in the Q' direction in Figures 5 and 6. (front) Start moving to.

[0062] Next, in step S27, it is determined whether or not an occupant 50 is seated in the front seat 30 based on the detection result of the seating detection unit 23. If the determination result shows that an occupant 50 is not seated in the seat 30, the process proceeds to step S28, where the backrest 32 is moved forward (in the Q' direction) by an angle θa (see FIG. 5(c)). Then, when this movement is completed, the process proceeds to step S30, where the second motor 6b is stopped, and the backrest 32 is also stopped.

[0063] If the result of the determination in step S27 is that the occupant 50 is seated in the seat 30, the process proceeds to step S29, where the backrest 32 is moved forward (in the Q' direction) by the angle θb (see FIG. 6(c)). After this movement is completed, the process proceeds to step S30, where the second motor 6b is stopped, and the backrest 32 is also stopped.

[0064] As described above, in the second embodiment, when pinching by the backrest 32 is detected, if the occupant 50 is not seated, the amount of reversal movement (angle θa) of the backrest 32 is increased, and if the occupant 50 is seated, the amount of reversal movement (angle θb) of the backrest 32 is decreased. Therefore, when the occupant 50 is not seated in the front seat 30, sufficient space is secured between the seat 30 and the seat 40 by reversing the backrest 32, making it easy to move or remove luggage W. On the other hand, when the occupant 50 is seated in the front seat 30, even if the backrest 32 is reversible, the angle of movement is small, so that a situation in which pinching occurs in the front seat as shown in FIG. 11 can be avoided and the safety of the occupant 50 is ensured.

[0065] In addition to the above-described embodiment, the present invention can employ various other embodiments as follows.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the cases where pinching occurs due to the sliding movement of the seat portion 31 and the case where pinching occurs due to the reclining movement of the backrest portion 32 were described separately, but the present invention can also be applied to the case where pinching occurs due to the sliding movement of the seat portion 31 and the reclining movement of the backrest portion 32 being performed simultaneously.

[0067] In the above embodiment, an example was given of a case where a person is pinched between the front seat 30 and the rear seat 40, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to a case where a person is pinched between the front seat and the middle seat, or between the middle seat and the rear seat, in a vehicle with three rows of seats (front, middle, and rear). Furthermore, the front seat is not limited to the driver's seat, but may also be the passenger seat.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the entrapment of the legs of the rear seat passenger 60 is taken as an example in Figures 2 and 3, but the object of entrapment may be luggage W as shown in Figure 5. Conversely, in Figures 5 and 6, the object of entrapment may be the legs of the rear seat passenger 60 as shown in Figure 2.

[0069] In the above embodiment, an example was given in which a pressure sensor was used as the seating sensor 9, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a heart rate sensor or a blood pressure sensor provided on the seat 30 to monitor the health condition of the occupant may also be used as the seating sensor 9. Alternatively, the presence or absence of an occupant may be detected based on an image captured by a monitoring camera installed inside the vehicle.

[0070] In the above embodiment, pinching is detected based on the motor current detected by the motor current detection units 4a and 4b. Alternatively, pinching may be detected based on the rotation speed of the motors 6a and 6b detected by the motor rotation speed detection units 5a and 5b.

[0071] 1, the motor drive circuits 3a and 3b are provided outside the seat control device 2, but these motor drive circuits 3a and 3b may be included in the seat control device 2. In addition, the motor current detection units 4a and 4b, the motor rotation speed detection units 5a and 5b, the seating sensor 9, and the like may also be included in the seat control device 2.

[0072] In the above embodiment, a seat control device mounted on a vehicle is taken as an example, but the present invention can also be applied to seat control devices used in fields other than vehicles. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1a Slide operation section 1b Reclining control 2 Seat control device 21a First control section 21b Second control section 22 Entrapment detection unit 23 Seating detection unit 24 Seat movement calculation unit 25 Target position memory section 3a First motor drive circuit 3b Second motor drive circuit 4a First motor current detection section 4b Second motor current detection section 5a First motor rotation speed detection unit 5b Second motor rotation speed detection unit 6a First motor 6b Second motor 7 Slide mechanism 8 Reclining mechanism 9. Seat sensor 30 sheets 31 Seat area 32 Backrest 50 crew members A specified distance B. Distance smaller than the specified distance θa Predetermined angle θb Angle smaller than a specified angle P backward P' forward Q backward Q' forward

Claims

1. A control device for an electric seat that automatically moves to a target position based on a predetermined operation, a control unit for controlling the operation of the seat; a pinch detection unit that detects an object being pinched while the seat is moving rearward; a seating detection unit that detects whether an occupant is seated on the seat, The control unit When the pinch detection unit detects pinch and the seating detection unit does not detect an occupant seated, the seat is moved forward by a predetermined amount; A seat control device characterized in that, when the pinch detection unit detects pinch and the seating detection unit detects an occupant seated, the seat is moved forward by an amount smaller than the predetermined amount.

2. The seat control device according to claim 1, The control unit includes a first control unit that controls the movement of a seat portion that is provided on the seat and that is capable of moving straight in the front-rear direction, The first control unit When the pinch detection unit detects pinch and the seating detection unit does not detect an occupant sitting on the seat, the seat is moved forward by a predetermined distance, A seat control device characterized in that, when the pinch detection unit detects pinch and the seating detection unit detects an occupant sitting in the seat, the seat portion is moved forward by a distance smaller than the predetermined distance.

3. The seat control device according to claim 1, the control unit includes a second control unit that controls the operation of a backrest unit that is provided on the seat and can tilt in the front-rear direction, The second control unit is When the pinch detection unit detects pinch and the seating detection unit does not detect a passenger seated on the seat, the backrest unit is moved forward by a predetermined angle, A seat control device characterized in that, when the pinch detection unit detects pinch and the seating detection unit detects an occupant seated, the seat back is moved forward by an angle smaller than the predetermined angle.

4. A control method for an electric seat that automatically moves to a target position based on a predetermined operation, a step of detecting an object being caught in the seat while the seat is moving rearward; detecting whether an occupant is seated in the seat; a step of moving the seat forward by a predetermined amount when pinching is detected and an occupant is not detected; and a step of moving the seat forward by an amount smaller than the predetermined amount when pinching is detected and an occupant is detected seated.

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