Adaptive Vehicle Seat Control Using Sensors and Adjustable Bladders
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle seats lack personalized comfort features that adapt to individual occupant needs, offering limited options and requiring manual input, and fail to consider the changing nature of vehicle usage due to autonomous technologies.
Innovation Solution
A seating system with integrated sensors, adjustable bladders, and a controller that adjusts seat components based on user data and feedback to provide personalized comfort, including dynamic support, heating/cooling, and massage, using machine learning for continuous adaptation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual input features are provided for seat adjustment, then occupant can control comfort functions, but the system becomes complex and difficult to navigate
Solution Approach 1:
The seat system automatically monitors occupant physiology through integrated sensors and adjusts comfort functions without manual input. The controller receives physiological data from sensors and autonomously controls heating, cooling, massage, and positioning to maintain optimal comfort, eliminating the need for complex manual controls while providing personalized adaptive comfort
2Adaptability or versatility
If generic seating solutions are designed for broad applicability, then seats can be used by various occupants, but personalized comfort and adaptability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The seat incorporates multiple sensors distributed across different zones (pressure sensors, temperature sensors, physiological sensors) that locally monitor occupant conditions in specific regions. The controller adjusts comfort functions locally based on zone-specific physiological data, providing personalized adaptability while maintaining a universal seat design that accommodates various occupants
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple comfort functions are integrated into the seat, then occupant comfort and wellness are improved, but the system complexity and difficulty of navigation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple comfort functions (heating, cooling, massage, positioning, lumbar support) into a unified automated system. All these functions are controlled by a single controller that receives physiological input from integrated sensors and coordinates adjustments across all comfort features simultaneously, reducing control complexity while maintaining comprehensive comfort functionality
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for automatic seat adjustment, the systems and methods including a seat frame, a plurality of seat cushions coupled to the seat frame, a plurality of adjustable bladders enclosed within the plurality of seat cushions, and a plurality of sensors enclosed within the plurality of seat cushions. The systems and methods also including a memory for storing user data and a plurality of seat adjustment programs for controlling the at least one of the plurality of adjustable bladders. The systems and methods further including at least one controller coupled to the memory, the plurality of adjustable bladders, and the plurality of sensors, the at least one controller configured to modify at least one of the plurality of adjustable bladders based on feedback from at least one of the plurality of sensors, the user data, and the seat adjustable programs.