Vehicle Seat Adjustment via Pressure Map Habit Learning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle seat systems lack the ability to dynamically adjust to an occupant's preferred sitting positions based on their habits and comfort levels, leading to suboptimal seating configurations that may cause discomfort and reduce overall passenger experience.
Innovation Solution
A computer system integrated with the vehicle seat that utilizes pressure maps to create and update occupant profiles, classifying sitting positions as preferred or nonpreferred, and adjusts the seat's physical configuration, such as tilt, height, and lumbar support, to encourage the occupant to use more comfortable positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the seat configuration is manually adjusted by the occupant, then the seat can be positioned according to personal preference, but the system cannot adapt dynamically to changing comfort needs and habits
Solution Approach 1:
The seat system automatically monitors occupant position through pressure sensors and autonomously adjusts seat configuration based on detected habits and comfort patterns, eliminating the need for manual intervention while adapting to individual preferences over time
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors occupant sitting position via pressure maps and uses this feedback to learn habits and automatically adjust seat parameters, creating a closed-loop system that adapts to changing comfort needs
2Loss of information
If pressure sensors are added to monitor sitting positions, then the system can detect and learn occupant habits, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure sensor array serves multiple functions: detecting sitting position, monitoring occupant presence, analyzing comfort habits, and triggering automatic adjustments, eliminating the need for separate sensors for each function and reducing overall system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system combines pressure sensing, data processing, habit learning, and seat control into a single integrated system, where the pressure map data is processed by the existing vehicle computer to learn habits and automatically control seat actuators
3Ease of operation
If the seat automatically adjusts based on learned habits, then occupant comfort is enhanced, but energy is consumed for continuous monitoring and adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The system monitors occupant position continuously but performs habit analysis and automatic adjustments only when meaningful changes are detected or at periodic intervals, reducing energy consumption while maintaining comfort optimization
Solution Approach 2:
The system learns occupant habits and preferences in advance during normal use, so that when adjustments are needed, the optimal configuration is already determined, enabling quick, energy-efficient adjustments rather than continuous searching
Data Source
AI summary
A computer includes a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to receive a series of pressure maps indicating a respective series of sitting positions of an occupant in a seat, wherein the pressure maps include a current pressure map; update a profile of the occupant based on the pressure maps, wherein the profile includes a plurality of clusters of sitting positions and classifications of the clusters as preferred or nonpreferred, and updating the profile includes sorting one of the sitting positions into one of the clusters that is classified as preferred in response to the occupant remaining in that sitting position for greater than a threshold time; and adjust a physical configuration of the seat in response to the current sitting position being in one of the clusters that is classified as nonpreferred.