Seat Conditioning System

Abstract

To easily adjust a state of a seat without causing problems even when the seat is installed in a vehicle enabling switching between an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode.SOLUTION: A seat state adjustment system for adjusting a state of a seat 10 installed in a vehicle V enabling switching between an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode includes: an imaging section 3 capable of imaging a seated person seated on the seat 10; an acquisition section 2a acquiring image information imaged by the imaging section 3; and an adjustment section 2b performing control for adjusting the state of the seat 10 on the basis of an action of the seated person obtained from the image information acquired by the acquisition section 2b. The seat 10 is configured to enable adjustment of the state thereof through control preformed by the adjustment section 2b, and the control by using the adjustment section 2b is allowed when the vehicle V is in the automatic driving mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a seat conditioning system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a technology has been disclosed in which the movements and state of an occupant seated in a vehicle seat are photographed with a photographing unit such as a camera to obtain image information, and the state of the vehicle seat is adjusted based on the movements and state of the occupant determined from the image information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-30842 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-66213 [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication No. 2021-66211 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, there is a demand for the ability to adjust the state of seats even in vehicles that can switch between an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode. However, the technologies described in the above patent documents do not take into consideration the adjustment of the state of seats installed in vehicles that can switch between an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode. For example, in the autonomous driving mode, the seat occupant is freed from driving and operating the vehicle, and is therefore able to adjust the seat state with larger movements than would be possible in the manual driving mode, which is expected to greatly improve the comfort of the seat occupant. On the other hand, in the manual driving mode, from the perspective of ensuring safety, it is necessary to prevent the seat state from being adjusted unintentionally by the occupant.

[0005] The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its objective is to make it easier to adjust the state of a seat without any problems, even in the case of a seat installed in a vehicle that can switch between automatic driving mode and manual driving mode. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the invention described in claim 1 is a seat condition adjustment system that adjusts the condition of a seat installed in a vehicle that can switch between an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode, an imaging unit capable of imaging an occupant sitting in the seat; an acquisition unit that acquires image information captured by the imaging unit; an adjustment unit that performs control to adjust the state of the seat based on the movement of the seat occupant determined from the image information acquired by the acquisition unit, The seat is configured so that its state can be adjusted, When a trigger is input, a permission condition is satisfied, and within a certain period of time from the satisfaction of the permission condition, When the vehicle is in an autonomous driving mode The control of the seat by the adjustment unit It is characterized by being permitted.

[0008] Claim 2 The invention described in claim 1 is a seat condition adjustment system, The adjustment unit is characterized in that it cancels the permission condition when it determines that a series of actions of the seated occupant determined from the image information has ended within a certain period of time after the permission condition is established.

[0009] Claim 3 The invention described in claim 1 or 2 In the seat condition adjustment system described in The physical build of the seated occupant is identified from the image information, and if the physical build of the seated occupant is smaller than a reference value, the control of the seat by the adjustment unit based on the movement of the seated occupant is restricted.

[0010] Claim 4 The invention described in claims 1 to 3In the seat condition adjustment system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The seat includes a seating sensor that recognizes the seating state of the seat occupant and identifies the physique of the seat occupant, When the result of identification by the seating sensor indicates that the physique of the seated person is smaller than a reference value, the control by the adjustment unit based on the movement of the seated person is limited.

[0011] Claim 5 The invention described in , request request 2 from 4 In the seat condition adjustment system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the vehicle includes a plurality of the seats; The apparatus further comprises a trigger input unit disposed near one of the plurality of seats for inputting the trigger.

[0012] Claim 6 The invention described in claims 1 to 5 In the seat condition adjustment system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a distance sensor that detects a distance to an object located on the rear side of the seat is provided on the rear side of the seat, The control of the seat by the adjustment unit is stopped based on the detection result of the distance sensor.

[0013] Claim 7 The invention described in claims 1 to 6 In the seat condition adjustment system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The vehicle includes the seat disposed in the front and a rear seat disposed behind the seat, the seat is configured to be adjustable in position under the control of the adjustment unit, The rear seat is provided with a seating sensor, The range of seat position adjustment when the seating sensor detects the presence of an occupant in the rear seat is set to be narrower than the range of seat position adjustment when the seating sensor does not detect the presence of an occupant in the rear seat.

[0014] Claim 8 The invention described in claims 1 to 7 In the seat condition adjustment system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The vehicle includes a plurality of the seats arranged in front and behind the vehicle, The photographing unit is provided on the roof lining of the vehicle. , complex number of The aforementioned The seat is characterized by being arranged to correspond to the front seat and the rear seat, respectively.

[0015] Claim 9 The invention described in claim 8 In the seat condition adjustment system described in The photographing unit is characterized in that it is an omnidirectional photographing device provided on the roof lining of the vehicle.

[0016] Claim 10 The invention described in claims 1 to 9 In the seat condition adjustment system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The seat may further include a manual operation unit that adjusts the state of the seat by manual operation by the seat occupant.

[0017] Claim 11 The invention described in claim 10 In the seat condition adjustment system described in The seat includes a seat frame that forms a framework of the seat, an adjustment mechanism for deforming or displacing the seat frame, and an operating unit for operating the adjustment mechanism, The manual operation unit has a controller for operating the operation unit.

[0018] Claim 12 The invention described in claims 1 to 11 In the seat condition adjustment system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the control by the adjustment unit is stopped when the acquisition unit cannot acquire the image information; The control device may further include a notification unit that notifies that control by the adjustment unit has been stopped. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to the invention described in claim 1, it is possible to prevent the seat state from being adjusted unintentionally by the seat occupant while in manual driving mode. In other words, even in the case of a seat installed in a vehicle that can switch between automatic driving mode and manual driving mode, it is easy to adjust the seat state without any problems.

[0021] Also, Claim 1 According to the invention described above, once a certain time has elapsed since the permission condition is met by inputting a trigger, even if the acquisition unit acquires image information capturing the movements of the seated person, the adjustment unit will not control the seat, thereby preventing the seat state from being adjusted in a way that is not intended by the seated person.

[0022] Claim 2 According to the invention described above, the permission conditions can be cancelled without including the actions of the occupant after a series of actions by the occupant has been completed, thereby preventing unnecessary adjustments to the seat state that are not intended by the occupant.

[0023] Claim 3 According to the invention described above, it is possible to infer from image information that the seat occupant is a child, and the control of the seat by the adjustment unit based on the movements of the occupant presumed to be a child is restricted, thereby preventing the child from adjusting the state of the seat in a way that is not intended by the adult riding with them.

[0024] Claim 4According to the invention described in the above, it is possible to estimate that the seat occupant is a child from the detection result of the seating sensor, and the seat is controlled by the adjustment unit based on the movement of the seat occupant estimated to be a child. This restriction can prevent a child from adjusting the seat position without the intention of the accompanying adult.

[0025] Claim 5 According to the invention described above, a trigger can be input from a trigger input unit located near one of the seats, so that an occupant sitting in one of the seats or an occupant sitting in a seat close to the one of the seats, rather than an occupant sitting in a seat away from the trigger input unit, can decide whether or not to allow the adjustment unit to control the seat.

[0026] Claim 6 According to the invention described above, it is possible to prevent the seat from coming into contact with an object located on the rear side of the seat while the seat is being controlled by the adjustment unit.

[0027] Claim 7 According to the invention described above, when an occupant is detected in the rear seat by a seating sensor, the range of seat position adjustment can be uniformly restricted to a small range, thereby preventing the seat located in front from coming into contact with the occupant in the rear seat.

[0028] Claim 8 According to the invention described above, the occupant sitting in the seat located at the front and the occupant sitting in the seat located at the rear can both be the subject of photography by the photography unit, and therefore the seat located at the front and the seat located at the rear can both be the subject of control by the adjustment unit.

[0029] Claim 9 According to the invention described above, the occupant sitting in the seat located at the front and the occupant sitting in the seat located at the rear can each be the subject of omnidirectional photography by the photography unit, which is an omnidirectional photography device, and therefore the seat located at the front and the seat located at the rear can each be the subject of control by the adjustment unit.

[0030] Claim 10 According to the invention described above, even when the seat cannot be controlled by the adjustment unit, the state of the seat can be adjusted by manual operation of the manual operation unit by the seat occupant.

[0031] Claim 11 According to the invention described above, the operating unit for operating the adjustment mechanism to deform or displace the seat frame can be operated by a controller in the manual operation unit, so that even when the seat cannot be controlled by the adjustment unit, the state of the seat can be adjusted by manual operation by the seat occupant.

[0032] Claim 12 According to the invention described above, if the movements of the occupant cannot be captured from the image information, for example because the photographing unit is out of order or it is dark inside the vehicle, the adjustment unit stops controlling the seat and notifies the occupant of this through the notification unit, thereby preventing the seat state from being adjusted due to a malfunction. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0034] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a seat condition adjustment system; [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a seat condition adjustment system provided in a vehicle. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a seat provided with a seating sensor and a distance sensor. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a seat adjustment mechanism and sensors. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control for adjusting the state of a seat. [Figure 6] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a seat condition adjusting system including a trigger input unit; [Figure 7] 10 is a time chart showing an example of seat control when a trigger is input. [Figure 8]1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a seat condition adjusting system equipped with an automatic return means; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, although the embodiments described below are subject to various technically preferable limitations for carrying out the present invention, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.

[0036] First Embodiment The vehicle in this embodiment is an automobile (passenger car: vehicle V), and the seat 10 in the following description is a vehicle seat in which a driver and a passenger sit. However, the seat is not limited to this, and may be a vehicle seat for a ship, an airplane, a construction vehicle, a military vehicle, an industrial vehicle, a railroad vehicle, an agricultural vehicle, or the like.

[0037] The vehicle V in this embodiment is provided with a plurality of seats 10. The plurality of seats 10 are configured so that their positions can be adjusted. The seats 10 include a front seat 10F as a driver's seat and a passenger seat, and a rear seat 10R. The rear seat 10R may be a bench seat or a separate seat like the driver's seat and passenger seat. Even if the rear seat 10R is a bench seat, it may be configured so that the left and right seats recline separately.

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a seat condition adjustment system. The seat condition adjustment system of this embodiment adjusts the condition of a seat 10 installed in a vehicle V that can switch between an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode, and is linked to a vehicle control system that controls the entire vehicle V. The vehicle control system includes a driving control unit 1 that switches between an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode of the vehicle V, and also includes a configuration necessary for switching modes. The multiple seats 10 can be adjusted to different states during automatic driving and manual driving. The seat condition adjustment system also includes at least a seat control unit 2 for controlling the operation of the seat 10, and an imaging unit 3 for providing image information of the seat occupant to the seat control unit 2. In this embodiment, the system further includes a notification unit 5 for notifying information related to the control of the seat 10 by the seat control unit 2, and a manual operation unit 6 for adjusting the condition of the seat 10 by manual operation by the seat occupant. The components of the seat condition adjustment system and the vehicle control system are communicably connected via a wired or wireless communication network established inside the vehicle.

[0039] [About the operation control unit] The driving control unit 1 is configured by a microcomputer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. Also, the driving control unit 1 is connected to various devices such as brake lights, auxiliary devices (for example, turn signals, headlights, wiper devices, etc.), and actuators. The driving control unit 1 controls automatic driving by expanding a program stored in advance in ROM into RAM and executing it on the CPU, and controlling the operation of various devices, etc. The driving control unit 1 may be composed of multiple electronic control units.

[0040] Specifically, the driving control unit 1 controls switching between an autonomous driving mode in which the vehicle V is controlled based on the surrounding conditions of the vehicle V and the situation of the vehicle V, and a manual driving mode in which the vehicle is driven by a seated occupant. In the autonomous driving mode, the driving control unit 1 determines the vehicle and its surrounding conditions based on information obtained from surrounding condition detection means such as various sensors and surrounding image capturing cameras, in order to allow the vehicle V to drive autonomously. Then, based on the determination results, the driving control unit 1 performs autonomous driving control processing to control actuators that drive the accelerator amount, brake amount, steering angle, etc. In the autonomous driving control processing, a driving plan is generated based on the surrounding conditions of the vehicle V and map information, following a predetermined target route, and the driving is controlled so that the vehicle V drives autonomously according to the generated driving plan.

[0041] For example, while the seat occupant is manually driving the vehicle V, the driving control unit 1 can automatically start an automatic driving control process in accordance with the behavior of the vehicle V and the surrounding conditions to assist the seat occupant in driving the vehicle V. In this case, the driving control unit 1 outputs information indicating the start of the automatic driving control process. Also, in cases where the seat occupant instructs the vehicle to switch from manual driving by the seat occupant to automatic driving by the automatic driving control process, the driving control unit 1 outputs predetermined information indicating that the driving authority is being transferred, that is, information indicating the start of the automatic driving control process.

[0042] Furthermore, while the automatic driving control process is being executed, the driving control unit 1 can automatically terminate (cancel) the automatic driving control process depending on the behavior of the vehicle V and the surrounding conditions, and perform a process to encourage the occupant to manually drive the vehicle V. In this case, the driving control unit 1 outputs information indicating the end of the automatic driving control process to encourage the occupant to manually drive the vehicle V. Furthermore, in cases where the automatic driving process is switched from automatic driving to manual driving by the occupant at the instruction of the occupant, the driving control unit 1 outputs predetermined information indicating that the driving authority is being transferred, that is, information indicating the end of the automatic driving control process.

[0043] The driving control unit 1 may include a communication device that transmits and receives information about the surrounding conditions and the like between the vehicle V and the outside of the vehicle V. An example of the communication device is a communication device that receives road conditions through road-to-vehicle communication, such as a wireless communication device using short-range communication such as DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications). Furthermore, the information indicating the road conditions received through road-to-vehicle communication, which is the surrounding conditions, includes information indicating the shape and condition of the lane and road such as the curvature of the traveling lane and road surface cant, the positional relationship of the vehicle V to the lane, the positional relationship of other traveling vehicles, the surrounding traffic volume, etc. Furthermore, the driving control unit 1 may include a navigation system as an example of a device for obtaining the surrounding conditions.

[0044] The surrounding situation detection means includes multiple types of sensors, surrounding camera, etc., and detects the surrounding situation of the vehicle V in order to perform automatic driving by the driving control unit 1. The surrounding situation detection means detects, for example, imaging information from surrounding camera, obstacle information from radar, and obstacle information from LIDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), etc. as the surrounding situation of the vehicle V. The surrounding situation includes, for example, the position of the white lines of the lane relative to the vehicle V, the position of the lane center, the road width, the road shape, the situation of obstacles around the vehicle V, etc. Note that, examples of road shape include the curvature of the lane, changes in the gradient of the road surface that are useful for estimating the visibility of the sensor, undulations, etc. Furthermore, examples of the situation of obstacles around the vehicle V include, for example, information distinguishing between fixed and moving obstacles, the position of the obstacle relative to the vehicle V, the moving direction of the obstacle relative to the vehicle V, and the relative speed of the obstacle relative to the vehicle V.

[0045] [About the filming department] The photographing unit 3 is capable of photographing an occupant sitting in the seat 10, and employs a camera. Alternatively, a smartphone or tablet terminal with a camera function may be used instead. The cameras serving as the photographing unit 3 in this embodiment are provided on the roof lining of the vehicle V, and are arranged corresponding to the front seat 10F and the rear seat 10R. That is, in this embodiment, a plurality of photographing units 3 are provided at high positions inside the vehicle, and can photograph an occupant sitting in the front seat 10F (driver and passenger sitting in the front seat) and an occupant sitting in the rear seat 10R. The cameras serving as the photographing unit 3 may be provided not only on the front and rear sides but also on the left and right sides.

[0046] The image capturing unit 3 of this embodiment may be an omnidirectional image capturing device. The omnidirectional image capturing device is also called an omnidirectional camera or a spherical camera, and can capture images in all directions with the omnidirectional image capturing device at the center. The photographing unit 3, which is an omnidirectional photographing device, is provided on the roof lining of the vehicle V, but its position may be near the center of the roof lining, or it may be located near the rearview mirror so that it can photograph the occupants in the front seat 10F and the rear seat 10R from the front. When an omnidirectional imaging device is employed as the imaging unit 3 of this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the number of imaging units 3 used, which is advantageous in terms of cost. Furthermore, since both the seat occupant in the front seat 10F and the seat occupant in the rear seat 10R can be the targets of omnidirectional imaging by the imaging unit, which is an omnidirectional imaging device, it is possible to control both the seats located in the front and the seats located in the rear by the seat control unit 2. In addition, the photographing unit 3, which is an omnidirectional photographing device, can also be used as a drive recorder.

[0047] The photographing unit 3 of this embodiment photographs the body movements, physiques, gestures, etc. of the occupants seated in the front seat 10F and the rear seat 10R, and transmits and provides the photographed images as image information to the seat control unit 2. The photographed images may be still images or moving images.

[0048] [Seat control unit and seats] The seat control unit 2 is a control device that changes the position, orientation, and posture of the seat 10 installed in the vehicle V relative to the vehicle V, and operates various devices installed in the seat 10, i.e., adjusts the state of the seat 10, and is composed of a microcomputer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. Furthermore, the seat control unit 2 is connected to the driving control unit 1, and can perform control to adjust the state of the seat 10 in conjunction with control related to the driving of the vehicle V by the driving control unit 1. However, this is not limited to this, and the driving control unit 1 and the seat control unit 2 may be integrated into one control unit (for example, an ECU: Electronic Control Unit). The seat control unit 2 of this embodiment has various means necessary for adjusting the state of the seat 10, such as a memory means for storing various information and programs, an input means for transmitting the intentions of the seat occupant to the system, and an output means for transmitting various information to the seat occupant, although these are not shown in the figure.

[0049] The seat control unit 2 includes an acquisition unit 2a that acquires image information captured by the image capture unit 3, and an adjustment unit 2b that performs control to adjust the state of the seat 10 based on the movements of the seated occupant determined from the image information acquired by the acquisition unit 2a. In other words, the seat control unit 2 executes a program for acquiring the image information captured by the image capture unit 3 and a program that performs control to adjust the state of the seat 10 based on the movements of the seated occupant determined from the acquired image information. The acquisition unit 2a continuously or periodically (intermittently) acquires image information captured by the imaging unit 3. The acquired image information includes information such as the body movements, physique, and gestures of the seated occupant. The adjustment unit 2b controls the adjustment mechanism 20 provided in the seat 10 so as to adjust the state of the seat 10 in a plurality of patterns based on the movement of the seat occupant determined from the acquired image information. The control of the seat 10 by the adjustment unit 2b is permitted when the vehicle V is in the autonomous driving mode. In other words, the driving control unit 1 and the seat control unit 2 are linked and are capable of determining whether the vehicle V is operating in the autonomous driving mode or the manual driving mode, so the adjustment unit 2b can adjust the state of the seat 10 only when the vehicle V is in the autonomous driving mode. It is assumed that the operation / gestures that affect the state of the seat 10 are stored in advance in the seat control unit 2. The operation / gesture settings may be added later.

[0050] Furthermore, the control of the seat 10 by the adjustment unit 2b is stopped when the acquisition unit 2a cannot acquire image information. That is, if the movement of the seated person cannot be captured from the image information because, for example, the photographing unit 3 is out of order or the interior of the vehicle is dark at night, the control of the seat 10 by the adjustment unit 2b is stopped to prevent erroneous recognition of the image information.

[0051] The adjustment unit 2b can identify the physical build of the seated occupant from the acquired image information, and if the physical build of the seated occupant is smaller than a reference value, can limit the control of the seat 10 based on the movement of the seated occupant. That is, the adjustment unit 2b controls the adjustment mechanism 20 based on the movement of the seated person determined from the acquired image information, but since children are thought to move around more than adults, there is a possibility that the adjustment unit 2b may misidentify the movement of the seated person determined from the acquired image information. Therefore, if the physique of the seated person identified from the acquired image information is smaller than a reference value, the control by the adjustment unit 2b based on the movement of the seated person is limited. Here, the restriction is such that, even if the seated occupant performs a movement or gesture that significantly deforms or displaces the seat 10 among the movements of the seated occupant determined from the image information, control is not performed to adjust the state of the seat 10 based on that movement or gesture. In addition to this, for example, the restriction may be such that some patterns of adjusting the state of the seat 10 are permitted or prohibited, or the restriction may be such that the amount of deformation or displacement (movement range) of the seat 10 is narrowed. The reference value may be, for example, the sitting height (head position) or the area of ​​the body contour, and the numerical value may be set arbitrarily. Also, the reference value may be set for each of a plurality of seats 10.

[0052] The seat 10, whose state is adjusted by the seat control unit 2, comprises, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the following components that make up the seat 10: a seat cushion 11 that supports the buttocks of the seated person, a seat back 12 whose lower end is supported by the seat cushion 11, and a headrest 13 that is provided at the upper end of the seat back 12 and supports the head of the seated person. 3 and 4, the seat 10 has, as an internal structure thereof, a seat frame (not shown) that forms the framework of the seat 10, an adjustment mechanism 20 for deforming or displacing the seat frame, and operating units 21a, 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a, 26a, and 27a for operating the adjustment mechanism 20. As a result, the seat 10 can be arranged in a plurality of states by the adjustment mechanism 20. The seat cushion 11 has a seat frame (seat cushion frame) supported on the floor surface of the vehicle body by a support mechanism 14. As shown in FIG. 3, the headrest 13 has a pillar 13a, and the pillar 13a is inserted into a headrest guide (not shown) provided on the seat back 12 (seat back frame).

[0053] The multiple states of the seat 10 include states suitable for manual driving and states unsuitable for manual driving. In this embodiment, at the timing when the driving control unit 1 switches from automatic driving to manual driving, the seat control unit 2 controls the adjustment mechanism 20 to change the state to one suitable for manual driving. On the other hand, when the driving control unit 1 switches from manual driving to automatic driving, the seat control unit 2 controls the adjustment mechanism 20 to change the state to one unsuitable for manual driving. That is, the state unsuitable for manual driving is the state of the seat 10 that is changed by the adjustment mechanism 20 operating under the control of the seat control unit 2 when the vehicle V is switched from manual driving to automatic driving by the driving control unit 1, and is a state that is easy to relax in.

[0054] There are a plurality of patterns of the state of the seat 10 that are not suitable for manual driving, and the operation of the seat 10 is controlled by the seat control unit 2 so that the state of the seat 10 is a pattern selected by the seated person from among these plurality of patterns. In order to be able to adjust the state of the seat 10 as described above, the seat 10 has a first angle change unit 21, a second angle change unit 22, a third angle change unit 23, a seat rotation unit 24, a seat slide unit 25, a seat temperature adjustment unit 26, an air blower 27, a seat state detection unit 30, a seating sensor 31, and a distance sensor 32 (see Figure 1).

[0055] The first angle change unit 21 is controllable by the seat control unit 2 and changes the angle of the seat cushion 11 relative to the floor surface of the vehicle body, and is incorporated into the support mechanism 14. The support mechanism 14 includes an operating unit 21a that drives a seat cushion frame that forms the skeleton of the seat cushion 11 to change the angle. In other words, the first angle change unit 21 is an angle change mechanism incorporated into the support mechanism 14, and the angle change mechanism is operated by the operating unit 21a. The support mechanism 14 that supports the seat cushion 11 is configured to be able to change the angle of the seat cushion 11. The angle of the seat cushion 11 can be changed between an angle suitable for manual driving and a flat state by the first angle changer 21. The left and right tilt can also be changed.

[0056] The second angle change unit 22 is a reclining mechanism that can be controlled by the seat control unit 2 to change the angle of the seat back 12, and has an operating unit 22a that drives the seat back 12 to rotate relative to the seat cushion 11. To explain in more detail, although not shown in the figure, the lower end of the seat back frame that forms the skeleton of the seat back 12 is rotatably connected to the rear end of the seat cushion frame that forms the skeleton of the seat cushion 11 via a rotation axis, and the seat back frame can be rotated around the axis of the rotation axis by an actuator that is the operating unit 22a. The angle of the seat back 12 can be changed by the second angle changer 22 between an angle suitable for manual driving and a flat state.

[0057] The third angle change unit 23 is controllable by the seat control unit 2 to change the angle of the headrest 13, and has an operating unit 23a that drives the headrest 13 to rotate relative to the seat back 12. The angle of the headrest 13 may be changed by changing the angle of the pillar 13a relative to the seat back frame, or by changing the angle of the headrest 13 relative to the pillar 13a. In the case of a pattern in which the angle of the pillar 13a relative to the seat back frame is changed, the headrest guide is rotatably connected to the seat back frame that forms the skeleton of the seat back 12 via a rotation axis, and the headrest guide can be rotated around the axis of the rotation axis by the actuator that is the operating part 23a. In the case of a pattern in which the angle of the headrest 13 relative to the pillar 13a is changed, the headrest frame that forms the skeleton of the headrest 13 is rotatably connected to the pillar 13a via a rotation axis, and the headrest frame can be rotated around the axis of the rotation axis by an actuator that is the operating part 22a. The headrest 13 is capable of changing the angle between a pillow-like upright state and a flat state by the third angle changing unit 23 when the seat back 12 is in a flat state.

[0058] The seat rotation unit 24 is controllable by the seat control unit 2 to rotate the seat cushion 11 (and by extension, the entire seat 10), and is incorporated into the support mechanism 14. The support mechanism 14 includes an operating unit 24a that drives to rotate a seat cushion frame that forms the skeleton of the seat cushion 11. In other words, the seat rotation unit 24 is a rotation mechanism incorporated into the support mechanism 14, and the rotation mechanism is operated by the operating unit 24a. The support mechanism 14 that supports the seat cushion 11 is configured to be able to rotate the seat cushion 11. The seat cushion 11 can be rotated by the seat rotation part 24 from a position suitable for manual driving to a position facing completely rearward.

[0059] The seat slide unit 25 is controllable by the seat control unit 2 and slides the seat cushion 11 (and thus the entire seat 10) in the front-rear and left-right directions, and is incorporated into the support mechanism 14. The support mechanism 14 includes mechanisms such as rails provided on the floor surface of the vehicle body and sliders that move along the rails, and an operating unit 25a that drives to slide the seat cushion frame joined to the mechanisms. In other words, the seat slide unit 25 is a slide mechanism incorporated into the support mechanism 14, and the slide mechanism is operated by the operating unit 24a. The support mechanism 14 that supports the seat cushion 11 is configured to be able to change the position of the seat cushion 11 in the front-rear and left-right directions. The seat cushion 11 is slidable by the seat slide portion 25 from a position suitable for manual driving to a position not suitable for manual driving.

[0060] The first angle change unit 21, the second angle change unit 22, the third angle change unit 23, the seat rotation unit 24, and the seat slide unit 25 can not only be controlled separately by the seat control unit 2, but can also be controlled simultaneously by the seat control unit 2.

[0061] The seat temperature adjusting unit 26 is a seat heater that is provided inside the seat 10 and warms the seat 10, and is mainly composed of a planar base material made of polyester fabric or the like, and a metal heater wire (also called an electric heating wire) that is adhesively fixed to the base material. The seat temperature adjusting unit 26 further has an operating unit 26a that switches on and off the power supply from the vehicle battery to the heater wire to operate the seat temperature adjusting unit 26. The sheet 10 is heated by the sheet temperature adjusting section 26, so that the thermal state of the sheet 10 can be adjusted.

[0062] The air blower 27 is built into the seat cushion 11, seat back 12, and headrest 13 of the seat 10 to provide the seat 10 with an air blowing function, and has an operating unit 27a for switching on and off the power supply from the vehicle battery to the air blower 27 to operate the air blower 27. The sheet 10 can adjust the thermal state of the sheet 10 by blowing air from the air blower 27.

[0063] Although not shown, the seat state detection unit 30 includes a plurality of sensors that detect the position of each part of the seat 10 and a plurality of sensors that detect the operating states of the operating units 21a, 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a, 26a, and 27a of the seat 10, and the seat control unit 2 can calculate and derive the posture, position, and orientation of the seat 10 and detect the operating state based on detection signals from the plurality of sensors. In other words, after the state of the seat 10 is adjusted, the seat state detection unit 30 can grasp the state of the seat 10.

[0064] The seating sensor 31 is a sensor for recognizing the seating state of the seated occupant and identifying the physique of the seated occupant, and is arranged along the seating surface of the seat 10 as shown in FIG. The type of seating sensor in this embodiment is, for example, a pressure sensor that detects the pressure of an occupant seated on the seat 10. In this embodiment, a plurality of seating sensors 31 are provided along the seating surface of the seat 10. The seat control unit 2 executes a program that determines the physique of the occupant, thereby making it possible to determine the physique of the occupant based on the position and number of seating sensors 31 that detect the occupant.

[0065] If the seating sensor 31 identifies that the physique of the seated person is smaller than the reference value, the control by the adjustment unit 2b based on the movement of the seated person can be limited. That is, the adjustment unit 2b controls the adjustment mechanism 20 based on the movement of the seated person determined from the acquired image information, but since children are thought to move around more than adults, there is a possibility that the adjustment unit 2b may misinterpret the movement of the seated person determined from the acquired image information. Therefore, if the result of detection by the seating sensor 31 indicates that the physique of the seated person is smaller than a reference value, the control by the adjustment unit 2b based on the movement of the seated person is limited. Here, the restriction is such that, even if the seated occupant performs a movement or gesture that significantly deforms or displaces the seat 10 among the movements of the seated occupant determined from the image information, control is not performed to adjust the state of the seat 10 based on that movement or gesture. In addition to this, for example, the restriction may be such that some patterns of adjusting the state of the seat 10 are permitted or prohibited, or the restriction may be such that the amount of deformation or displacement (movement range) of the seat 10 is narrowed. The physical build of a seated person can be determined from image information as described above, but it may also be determined simultaneously from the results of identification by the seat sensor 31. If the determination results differ between determining the physical build from image information and determining the physical build by the seat sensor 31, it is necessary to set in advance which one to prioritize.

[0066] Furthermore, seating sensors 31 are provided on all seats 10. That is, not only on the front seat 10F but also on the rear seat 10R. The detection results of the seating sensors 31 are transmitted to the seat control unit 2 and used as information for determining whether to adjust the state of the seat 10. Therefore, the detection results of the seating sensors 31 provided on the rear seat 10R are also used as information for determining whether to adjust the state of the seat 10. More specifically, the range of position adjustment for the front seat 10F when the seating sensor 31 detects that an occupant is seated in the rear seat 10R is set narrower than the range of position adjustment for the seat 10 when the seating sensor 31 does not detect that an occupant is seated in the rear seat 10R. In other words, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the front seat 10F tries to recline to the flat position or slides until it contacts the rear seat 10R even though a person is seated in the rear seat 10R.

[0067] In this embodiment, a pressure sensor is used as the seat occupancy sensor 31, but the present invention is not limited to this and may use an electromagnetic wave seat occupancy sensor that can also detect the pulse wave of the seated person, or an infrared sensor that is widely used as a human presence sensor, etc. Also, multiple types of sensors may be used in combination.

[0068] The distance sensor 32 is provided on the rear of the seat 10 and is a sensor for detecting the distance to an object located on the rear side of the seat 10, and is arranged along the rear of the seat back 12 as shown in Figure 3. In this embodiment, the distance sensor 32 is, for example, an ultrasonic distance sensor that uses reflected ultrasonic waves. The control of the seat 10 by the adjustment unit 2b is set to be stopped based on the detection result of this distance sensor 32. In other words, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the front seat 10F comes into contact with the rear seat 10R or the front seat 10F tries to recline to the flat position even though a person is seated in the rear seat 10R. Whether or not a person is seated in the rear seat 10R can be determined not only by the distance sensor 32 but also by the seating sensor 31 provided on the rear seat 10R and image information, and these determinations may be made simultaneously. If the determination results from each means differ, it is necessary to set in advance which means is to be given priority.

[0069] [Regarding the Notification Unit] The notification unit 5 notifies information related to the control of the seat 10 by the seat control unit 2 (adjustment unit 2b), and in this embodiment, a display device provided in the vehicle V is used. The display device is for a car navigation system and includes a touch panel and other input means. Such a notification unit 5 can notify, for example, information such as whether the vehicle V is traveling in an autonomous driving mode or a manual driving mode, and information such as the operating status of the seat control unit 2. Furthermore, the notification unit 5, which is a display device, may display multiple states of the seat 10 in the autonomous driving mode (multiple deformation or displacement patterns) so that the seat occupant can select one. In other words, the seat condition adjustment system stores multiple options (multiple patterns) in advance, and the vehicle V is equipped with a selection means (input means) for selecting the state of the seat 10, allowing the seat occupant to select any pattern of the configuration of the seat 10 from the multiple options.

[0070] Furthermore, as described above, when the acquisition unit 2a cannot acquire image information, the control of the seat 10 by the adjustment unit 2b is stopped, but the notification unit 5 of this embodiment can notify such information. If the notification unit 5 notifies such information, it is possible to prevent erroneous recognition of the image information when it is difficult to capture the movements of the seated person from the image information, for example, because the photographing unit 3 is out of order or the interior of the vehicle is dark at night.

[0071] In this embodiment, the notification unit 5 is a display device provided in the vehicle V, but is not limited to this, and a speaker that outputs sound may also be used as the notification unit 5.

[0072] [Regarding manual operation] The manual operation unit 6 is used to adjust the state of the seat 10 by manual operation by the occupant, and specifically has a controller that operates the above-mentioned operating units 21a, 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a, 26a, and 27a to operate the adjustment mechanism 20. The controller includes switches for turning on and off the operating units 21a, 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a, 26a, and 27a, a switch for controlling the operating range of the seat 10, and a switch for adjusting the strength of the seat temperature adjusting unit 26 and the air blower 27. Such a controller (manual operation unit 6) may be provided so as to be visible on the surface of the seat 10, or may be provided in an interior member (for example, a door trim, a pillar trim, an instrument panel, etc.) of the vehicle V. Also, it may be displayed on the above-mentioned display device so that the state of the seat 10 can be adjusted manually on the display device.

[0073] Note that manual operation of the seat 10 by the manual operation unit 6 is permitted only when the vehicle V is in the automatic driving mode, but is not limited to this and may be permitted even when the vehicle V is in the manual driving mode. This allows the seat 10, which has been modified to a form suitable for manual driving, to be manually adjusted by the occupant, allowing the occupant to fine-tune the seat 10 themselves according to their physical characteristics and driving posture, thereby achieving a comfortable seating state. Furthermore, manual operation of the seat 10 by the manual operation unit 6 is possible even when the acquisition unit 2a is unable to acquire image information and control of the seat 10 by the adjustment unit 2b is stopped.

[0074] [How to adjust the seat condition] Next, a method for adjusting the state of the seat 10 using the seat condition adjustment system configured as above will be described. Although a method for adjusting the state of the front seat 10F will be described here, the method for adjusting the state of the rear seat 10R is assumed to be performed in substantially the same manner.

[0075] First, adjusting the state of the seat 10 requires that the vehicle V is in an autonomous driving mode. Although the photographing by the photographing unit 3 may be performed regardless of whether the vehicle V is in the autonomous driving mode or the manual driving mode, in this embodiment, the photographing by the photographing unit 3 is performed in the autonomous driving mode.

[0076] When the vehicle V switches from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, the photographing unit 3 photographs the seated person (step S1). If the acquisition unit 2a cannot acquire image information due to a malfunction of the photographing unit 3 or the interior of the vehicle being dark, the adjustment unit 2b stops controlling the adjustment of the state of the seat 10 (steps S2 and S3). Furthermore, the notification unit 5 notifies the user that the control of the adjustment of the state of the seat 10 has been stopped (step S4).

[0077] If no problem occurs in the acquisition unit 2a acquiring image information in step S2, the acquisition unit 2a acquires image information capturing the movements (gestures, etc.) of the seated person (step S5). The acquired image information is stored in the storage means of the seat control unit 2. Then, the seat control unit 2 identifies the physique of the seated occupant from the acquired image information (step S6). Alternatively, the physique of the seated occupant may be identified by the seating sensor 31 of the seat 10. If the physical build of the seated occupant does not meet a preset reference value, the control of the seat 10 by the adjustment unit 2b based on the movement of the seated occupant is limited (step S7).

[0078] If the physique of the seated person is equal to or larger than a predetermined standard value, or if the control of the seat 10 by the adjustment unit 2b based on the movement of the seated person is restricted, a check is then made to see if a person is seated in the rear seat 10R (step S8). When a person is seated in the rear seat 10R, even if control to adjust the state of the seat 10 is started, the range of position adjustment of the seat 10 is set narrower than the range of position adjustment of the seat 10 when no occupant is detected in the rear seat 10R by the seating sensor 31. In other words, when a person is seated in the rear seat 10R, the seat control unit 2 imposes a restriction so that the range of deformation or displacement of the front seat 10F is small (step S9).

[0079] If no one is seated in the rear seat 10R, or if the range of deformation or displacement of the front seat 10F is restricted to be small, control to adjust the state of the seat 10 is then started (step S10). How the state of the seat 10 is adjusted varies depending on the actions and gestures of the seat occupant, but may involve, for example, reclining the seat back 12 or sliding the seat 10 rearward. In such cases, the distance sensor 32 detects the distance to an object located on the rear side of the front seat 10F, such as the rear seat 10R or an occupant seated in the rear seat 10R. When the object approaches a predetermined distance and is detected by the distance sensor 32, control of the seat 10 by the adjustment unit 2b is stopped (steps S11 and S14).

[0080] If the distance sensor 32 does not detect an object, the control for adjusting the state of the seat 10 continues (step S12). The control to adjust the state of the seat 10 continues, and when the seat state detection unit 30 determines that the seat 10 has been adjusted to the state instructed by the movement or gesture of the seat occupant, the control of the seat 10 by the adjustment unit 2b is stopped (steps S13 and S14). When it is determined that the seat 10 has not been adjusted to the state instructed by the movement or gesture of the seat occupant, the control to adjust the state of the seat 10 continues (step S12).

[0081] In this manner, the state of the seat 10 can be adjusted. After adjusting the state of the seat 10, if a different action or gesture is captured, the control to adjust the state of the seat 10 again is performed in the above-described procedure. Furthermore, when switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, the adjustment unit 2b performs control to adjust the seat 10 to a state suitable for manual driving. When the seat 10 has been adjusted to a state suitable for manual driving and it is confirmed that the driver is seated in the seat 10, which serves as the driver's seat, with their hands on the steering wheel, the switch from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode is complete.

[0082] According to this embodiment, the following excellent effects are achieved. A seat condition adjustment system for adjusting the condition of a seat 10 (10F, 10R) installed in a vehicle V that can switch between an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode includes a photographing unit 3 that can photograph an occupant sitting in the seat 10, an acquisition unit 2a that acquires image information photographed by the photographing unit 3, and an adjustment unit 2b that performs control to adjust the condition of the seat 10 based on the occupant's movements determined from the image information acquired by the acquisition unit 2a, wherein the seat 10 is configured to be adjustable in its condition, and control of the seat 10 by the adjustment unit 2b is permitted when the vehicle V is in the automatic driving mode, thereby preventing the condition of the seat 10 from being adjusted unintentionally by the occupant during manual driving mode. In other words, even in the case of a seat 10 installed in a vehicle V that can switch between an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode, the condition of the seat 10 can be easily adjusted without hindrance.

[0083] Furthermore, it is possible to infer from the image information that the occupant of the seat 10 is a child, and the control of the seat 10 by the adjustment unit 2b based on the movements of the occupant presumed to be a child is restricted, thereby preventing the child from adjusting the state of the seat 10 in a manner not intended by the accompanying adult.

[0084] In addition, it is possible to infer from the detection results of the seating sensor 31 that the occupant of the seat 10 is a child, and the control of the seat 10 by the adjustment unit 2b based on the movements of the occupant presumed to be a child is restricted, thereby preventing the child from adjusting the state of the seat 10 in a manner not intended by the adult riding with them.

[0085] In addition, a distance sensor 32 is provided on the back of the seat 10 to detect the distance to an object located on the back side of the seat 10, and the control of the seat 10 by the adjustment unit 2b is stopped based on the detection result by the distance sensor 32, so that the seat 10 can be prevented from coming into contact with an object located on the back side of the seat 10 while the adjustment unit 2b is controlling the seat 10.

[0086] The vehicle V also includes a seat 10 (front seat 10F) disposed in the front and a rear seat 10R disposed behind the seat 10 (10F), the position of which is adjustable by control of the adjustment unit 2b, and the rear seat 10R is provided with a seating sensor 31. The range of adjustment of the seat 10 (10F) when the seating sensor 31 detects the presence of an occupant in the rear seat 10R is set narrower than the range of adjustment of the seat 10 (10F) when the seating sensor 31 does not detect the presence of an occupant in the rear seat 10R. Therefore, when the seating sensor 31 detects the presence of an occupant in the rear seat 10R, the range of adjustment of the seat 10 (10F) can be uniformly limited to a small range. This prevents the seat 10 (10F) disposed in the front from coming into contact with the occupant in the rear seat 10R.

[0087] Furthermore, the vehicle V is equipped with a plurality of seats 10 (front seats 10F, rear seats 10R) arranged in the front and rear, and the photographing unit 3 is provided on the roof lining of the vehicle V and is arranged corresponding to each of the front seats 10F and the rear seats 10R of the plurality of seats 10, so that the occupant seated in the front seat 10F and the occupant seated in the rear seat 10R can each be subject to photographing by the photographing unit 3. This allows each of the front seat 10F and the rear seat 10R to be subject to control by the adjustment unit 2b.

[0088] Furthermore, since the photographing unit 3 is an omnidirectional photographing device provided on the roof lining of the vehicle V, the occupant sitting in the seat 10F located at the front and the occupant sitting in the seat 10R located at the rear can each be the subject of omnidirectional photographing by the photographing unit 3, which is an omnidirectional photographing device, and therefore the seat 10F located at the front and the seat 10R located at the rear can each be the subject of control by the adjustment unit 2b.

[0089] In addition, the seat 10 is further provided with a manual operation unit 6 that adjusts the state of the seat 10 by manual operation by the seated person, so that even when the seat 10 cannot be controlled by the adjustment unit 2b, the state of the seat 10 can be adjusted by manual operation by the seated person via the manual operation unit 6.

[0090] Furthermore, the seat 10 includes a seat frame that forms the framework of the seat 10, an adjustment mechanism 20 for deforming or displacing the seat frame, and operating units 21a, 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a, 26a, and 27a for operating the adjustment mechanism 20. The manual operation unit 6 has a controller that operates the operating units 21a, 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a, 26a, and 27a, so that the operating units 21a, 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a, 26a, and 27a for operating the adjustment mechanism 20 for deforming or displacing the seat frame can be operated by the controller in the manual operation unit 6. As a result, even when the adjustment unit 2b cannot control the seat 10, the state of the seat 10 can be adjusted by manual operation by the seated person.

[0091] Furthermore, the control by the adjustment unit 2b is stopped when the acquisition unit 2a cannot acquire image information, and the device is further provided with a notification unit 5 that notifies that the control by the adjustment unit 2b has been stopped, so that if the movement of the seat occupant cannot be captured from the image information because, for example, the photographing unit 3 has malfunctioned or it is dark inside the vehicle V, the control of the seat 10 by the adjustment unit 2b is stopped and the seat occupant is notified of this via the notification unit 5. This makes it possible to prevent the state of the seat 10 from being adjusted due to a malfunction.

[0092] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. For ease of explanation, the same reference numerals will be used to designate parts common to the first embodiment, and the description will focus on parts that are different from the first embodiment.

[0093] As shown in Fig. 6, the seat condition adjustment system in this embodiment further includes a trigger input unit 4. The trigger input unit 4 is a means for inputting a predetermined trigger to the seat control unit 2. When the trigger is input, a permission condition is met, and as shown in Fig. 7, control of the seat 10 by the adjustment unit 2b is permitted within a certain time period after the permission condition is met.

[0094] Here, the trigger refers to information, signals, data, etc. that is input to the seat control unit 2 when the seat occupant attempts to adjust the state of the seat 10. More specifically, triggers in this embodiment include a signal generated when a switch dedicated to trigger input is turned on, image information from the image capture unit 3 that includes a gesture recognized as a trigger, and audio data relating to a specific utterance of a seated occupant collected by a microphone installed in the vehicle V.

[0095] The switch dedicated to trigger input is provided, for example, on the seat 10 or an interior member (door trim, pillar trim, instrument panel, etc.) near the seat 10. Therefore, it is placed within reach of the seat occupant. When the switch is turned on, the trigger signal is input to the seat control unit 2, and the permission condition is established. In this case, a switch dedicated to trigger input functions as the trigger input unit 4. The switch dedicated to trigger input may be provided on a display device for a car navigation system, and may be displayed as an object on a touch panel.

[0096] Image information including a gesture recognized as a trigger is captured by the image capturing unit 3. Therefore, when the seat occupant sits in the seat 10 and performs a specific gesture, the trigger, which is the image information, is input to the seat control unit 2, and the permission condition is established. In other words, when the seat occupant adjusts the state of the seat 10, the image capturing unit 3 captures the image in two steps. In this case, the photographing unit 3 functions as the trigger input unit 4.

[0097] The microphone is provided, for example, on the seat 10 (headrest 13), on an interior member near the seat 10 (door trim, pillar trim, instrument panel, sun visor, etc.), on the steering wheel, etc. Therefore, it is positioned within a range where the voice of the seated person can be heard. When a specific speech of the seated person is picked up by the microphone, a trigger, which is the voice data, is input to the seat control unit 2, and the permission condition is established. In this case, the microphone functions as the trigger input unit 4.

[0098] In this embodiment, any of the above-mentioned dedicated trigger input switch, the photographing unit 3, and the microphone may be used as the trigger input unit 4, or other means may be used as the trigger input unit 4. Any of the trigger input units 4 can input a trigger to the seat control unit 2 and establish the permission condition. Then, when the permission conditions are met, the adjustment unit 2b becomes able to perform control to adjust the state of the seat 10 based on the movements of the seated occupant determined from the image information acquired by the acquisition unit 2a.

[0099] The trigger input unit 4 is assumed to be disposed near one of the plurality of seats 10. The one seat 10 is preferably the front seat 10F, and more preferably the front seat 10F which is the driver's seat. This allows the driver or the passenger in the front passenger seat to have the authority to adjust the state of the seat 10, thereby preventing situations such as a child adjusting the state of the seat 10 on their own.

[0100] In the procedure for adjusting the state of the seat 10, the trigger is input at least at a stage before the acquisition unit 2a acquires image information. Explaining this in more detail with reference to Fig. 5, adjusting the state of the seat 10 is premised on the vehicle V being in the autonomous driving mode, and therefore the step of inputting the trigger is inserted after the vehicle V has switched from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode and before the acquisition unit 2a acquires image information. More preferably, the trigger is input before the photographing in step S1.

[0101] Furthermore, as described above, the permission condition is met when a trigger is input, and control of the seat 10 by the adjustment unit 2b is permitted within a certain period of time after the permission condition is met, but the permission condition is cancelled after the certain period of time has elapsed. In other words, when a seat occupant wants to adjust the state of the seat 10, as shown in FIG. 7, he or she must perform a specific action or gesture within a certain period of time (t1 to t2), have the image captured by the image capturing unit 3, and input the image information into the seat control unit 2 (i.e., the image information is acquired by the acquisition unit 2a). In this embodiment, the certain period of time is set to, for example, 30 seconds, but the set period of time can be changed as appropriate.

[0102] The adjustment unit 2bf cancels the permission condition when it determines that the series of actions of the seated person required from the image information has ended within a certain time from the establishment of the permission condition. In other words, even if the series of actions of the seated person required from the image information has ended within a certain time, the permission condition will no longer be established even if the seated person makes a movement or gesture. In order to establish the permission condition again, a trigger must be input.

[0103] According to this embodiment, the following excellent effects are achieved. When a trigger is input, a permission condition is established, and control of the seat 10 by the adjustment unit 2b is permitted within a certain time from the establishment of the permission condition, so once the certain time has passed from the establishment of the permission condition by the input of the trigger, even if the acquisition unit 2a acquires image information capturing the movements of the seat occupant, the adjustment unit 2b will not control the seat 10. This makes it possible to prevent adjustment of the state of the seat 10 from being made in a way that is not intended by the seat occupant.

[0104] Furthermore, the adjustment unit 2b cancels the permission condition when it determines that the series of actions of the seated person determined from the image information has ended within a certain period of time after the establishment of the permission condition, so that the permission condition can be canceled without including the actions of the seated person after the series of actions of the seated person has ended. This makes it possible to prevent unnecessary adjustments of the state of the seat 10 that are not intended by the seated person.

[0105] Furthermore, the vehicle V is equipped with a plurality of seats 10 (front seat 10F, rear seat 10R) and further includes a trigger input unit 4 for inputting a trigger that is arranged near one of the plurality of seats 10 (10F, 10R) and is arranged near one of the seats 10 (10F), so that a trigger can be input from the trigger input unit 4 arranged near the one of the seats 10 (10F). As a result, an occupant sitting in the one of the seats 10 (10F) or a occupant sitting in a seat 10 (10F) close to the one of the seats 10 (10F), rather than an occupant sitting in a seat 10 far from the trigger input unit 4, can decide whether or not to allow the adjustment unit 2b to control the seat 10.

[0106] <Modification> The embodiments to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Modifications will be described below. The following modifications may be combined as much as possible. In addition, in the following modifications, elements common to the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted or simplified.

[0107] The seat 10 of this modified example includes a seat cushion 11 and a seat back 12, and the lower end of the seat back 12 is connected to the rear end of the seat cushion 11 via a reclining mechanism (that is, a second angle changer 22). The seat condition adjustment system in this modified example further includes an automatic return means 7 that returns the seat back 12 from the reclined state to the upright state when the seat back 12 is in a reclined state tilted further back than the upright state and a malfunction of the photographing unit 3 or the adjustment unit 2b is detected, as shown in FIG. 8.

[0108] The automatic return means 7 returns the adjustment mechanism 20 from a state unsuitable for manual operation to a state suitable for manual operation, and has the function of operating each of the operating parts 21a, 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a, 26a, and 27a of the adjustment mechanism 20. The automatic return means 7 is a program executed by the seat control unit 2, and when the program is executed, each operating unit 21a, 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a, 26a, 27a of the adjustment mechanism 20 is activated, and the adjustment mechanism 20, i.e., the seat 10, returns from a state unsuitable for manual operation to a state suitable for manual operation.

[0109] According to this modified example, if a failure is detected in the photographing unit 3 or the adjustment unit 2b, the automatic return means 7 can return the seat back 12 from a reclined state to an upright state (returning the seat 10 to a state suitable for manual driving), making it easier to ensure safety when the vehicle V switches from automatic driving mode to manual driving mode. [Explanation of symbols]

[0110] V vehicle 1 Operation control unit 2 Seat control unit 2a Acquisition part 2b Adjustment part 3. Filming Department 4 Trigger input section 5. Notification Department 6 Manual operation section 7 Automatic recovery means 10 sheets 10F front seats 10R rear seat 11 Seat cushion 12 Seat back 13 Headrest 14 Support mechanism 20 Adjustment mechanism 21 First angle change unit 21a Operating part 22 Second angle change unit 22a Operating part 23 Third angle change section 23a Operating part 24 Seat rotation part 24a Operating part 25 Seat slide section 25a Operating part 26 Seat temperature control unit 26a Operating part 27 Air blower 27a Operating part 30 Seat status detection unit 31 Seat sensor 32 Distance Sensor

Claims

1. A seat condition adjustment system that adjusts the condition of a seat installed in a vehicle that can switch between an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode, an imaging unit capable of imaging an occupant sitting in the seat; an acquisition unit that acquires image information captured by the imaging unit; an adjustment unit that performs control to adjust the state of the seat based on the movement of the seat occupant determined from the image information acquired by the acquisition unit, The seat is configured so that its state can be adjusted, A seat condition adjustment system characterized in that a permission condition is met when a trigger is input, and control of the seat by the adjustment unit is permitted within a certain period of time from the satisfaction of the permission condition and when the vehicle is in autonomous driving mode.

2. The seat condition adjustment system according to claim 1, characterized in that the adjustment unit cancels the permission condition when it determines that a series of actions of the seated occupant determined from the image information has ended within a certain period of time after the permission condition is established.

3. The seat condition adjustment system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the occupant's physical size is identified from the image information, and if the occupant's physical size is smaller than a reference value, the control of the seat by the adjustment unit based on the occupant's movements is restricted.

4. The seat includes a seating sensor that recognizes the seating state of the seat occupant and identifies the physique of the seat occupant, A seat condition adjustment system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that if the result of identification by the seating sensor indicates that the occupant's physique is smaller than a reference value, control by the adjustment unit based on the occupant's movements is limited.

5. the vehicle includes a plurality of the seats; 5. The seat condition adjusting system according to claim 2, further comprising a trigger input unit arranged near one of the plurality of seats for inputting the trigger.

6. a distance sensor that detects a distance to an object located on the rear side of the seat is provided on the rear side of the seat, 6. The seat condition adjustment system according to claim 1, wherein the control of the seat by the adjustment unit is stopped based on the detection result of the distance sensor.

7. The vehicle includes the seat disposed in the front and a rear seat disposed behind the seat, the seat is configured to be adjustable in position under the control of the adjustment unit, The rear seat is provided with a seating sensor, A seat condition adjustment system as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the range of seat position adjustment when the seating sensor detects the presence of an occupant in the rear seat is set narrower than the range of seat position adjustment when the seating sensor does not detect the presence of an occupant in the rear seat.

8. The vehicle includes a plurality of the seats arranged in front and behind the vehicle, The seat condition adjustment system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the photographing unit is provided on the roof lining of the vehicle and is arranged corresponding to each of the seats located at the front and the seats located at the rear of the plurality of seats.

9. 9. The seat condition adjusting system according to claim 8, wherein the photographing unit is an omnidirectional photographing device provided on a roof lining of the vehicle.

10. 10. The seat condition adjustment system according to claim 1, further comprising a manual operation unit that adjusts the condition of the seat by manual operation by the seat occupant.

11. The seat includes a seat frame that forms a framework of the seat, an adjustment mechanism for deforming or displacing the seat frame, and an operating unit for operating the adjustment mechanism, The seat condition adjusting system according to claim 10, wherein the manual operation unit has a controller for operating the operating unit.

12. the control by the adjustment unit is stopped when the acquisition unit cannot acquire the image information; The seat condition adjusting system according to claim 1 , further comprising a notification unit that notifies the driver that control by the adjustment unit has been stopped.

Images