Vehicle Seat Sensor System for Adaptive Occupant Comfort
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current occupant support systems in vehicles lack the ability to effectively monitor and respond to the physiological and behavioral characteristics of occupants to enhance comfort and well-being, failing to provide personalized and adaptive solutions for improving occupant health and comfort.
Innovation Solution
An occupant support system that includes a sensor system to measure physiological and behavioral signals, and a control system to analyze these signals, determine occupant health and state data, and recommend activating vehicle systems and lifestyle amenities to improve comfort and well-being, while learning occupant preferences over time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a sensor system is added to monitor physiological and behavioral signals, then occupant comfort and well-being can be enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system performs multiple functions: it processes physiological signals, analyzes behavioral data, generates health assessments, creates personalized recommendations, and coordinates with various vehicle systems. This multi-functional approach consolidates what could be separate complex subsystems into a single integrated control unit, enhancing adaptability while managing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system acts as an intermediary between the sensor system and the various vehicle systems (climate control, seating, entertainment). It processes raw sensor data, interprets occupant needs, and translates these into appropriate system responses, thereby managing complexity by creating a structured communication layer between different system components.
2Adaptability or versatility
If real-time data analysis is performed to provide personalized recommendations, then adaptability to individual occupants is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system processes and stores occupant preference data and physiological baseline information during periods when intensive real-time processing is not required. By pre-processing data and establishing baseline profiles, the system reduces the computational burden during real-time operation, thereby lowering energy consumption while maintaining personalized adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides recommendations at varying levels of intensity and frequency based on the situation. Not all occupants require continuous monitoring and recommendations - the system adjusts the level of analysis and intervention accordingly, performing partial processing when full analysis is unnecessary, thus reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining adaptability when needed.
3Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are integrated to measure physiological and behavioral signals, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple sensors measuring different physiological and behavioral parameters are integrated into a unified sensor system with a single control unit that processes all inputs. This merging approach maintains high measurement precision across multiple parameters while managing complexity through centralized processing and a unified data architecture, avoiding the need for separate processing systems for each sensor type.
Data Source
AI summary
An occupant support adapted for use in a vehicle includes a sensory system and a control system. The sensor system is configured to generate signals indicative of at least one of a physiological characteristic of the occupant.