An adjustable seat system for use with a vehicle, with the system including a cushion associated with a passenger seat of the vehicle. The cushion includes a support structure and a bladder encapsulating the support structure, wherein the support structure is formed from a porous foam material. The system also includes an actuator in communication with the bladder, wherein the actuator is configured to selectively adjust the hardness of the cushion by inflating and deflating the bladder.

A seat adjustment system for a vehicle seat is provided. The seat adjustment system includes a seat body; at least one actuating unit, configured to adjust a support of the seat body; a sensing unit, configured to obtain and provide seat information and body shape data of a back of an occupant; and a control unit, configured to control the at least one actuating unit; wherein when one parameter of the seat body changes, the control unit makes a portion of the body shape data of the occupant in a pre-defined range via the at least one actuating unit.

An actuator includes a first hinge assembly and a second hinge assembly. The actuator has a first dimension and a second dimension, the first dimension extending through the hinge assemblies. An outer skin is connected to the hinge assemblies. The outer skin defines a first actuator side, a second actuator side residing opposite the first actuator side, and a cavity. Shape-memory material (SMM) members are connected to the opposed hinge assemblies. At least one spring member is positioned within the cavity and structured to exert forces on the opposed first and second actuator sides tending to urge the sides away from each other along the second dimension. When an input is provided to the SMM members, the SMM members change their configurations and cause the actuator to morph into an activated configuration in which the first dimension decreases and the second dimension changes inversely to the first dimension.

Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for controlling a vehicle seat so as to control a seat back and a neck pillow based on a sound. The apparatus includes the vehicle seat installed in a vehicle and including a seat back and a neck pillow, a detector for detecting vehicle information and seat information, and a processor connected to the vehicle seat and the detector, wherein the processor determines a vehicle state and a seat sitting posture based on the vehicle information and the seat information, analyzes a sound being reproduced in the vehicle, determines a haptic pattern and a haptic pressure based on the vehicle state and the seat sitting posture, and the analysis of the sound, and controls the seat back and the neck pillow based on the determined haptic pattern and haptic pressure to provide a haptic effect.

A seat assembly may include a seat, a seat actuator, a sensor assembly, and an electrical control unit (ECU). The seat actuator may be configured to adjust the seat. The sensor assembly may be connected to the seat and may be configured to detect a pressure applied to the seat. The ECU may be operatively connected to the seat actuator and the sensor assembly. The ECU may be configured to reduce soft tissue stress in soft tissue of a user via adjusting the seat with the seat actuator.

A device for reducing a kinetosis-related disorder in a driving mode of a vehicle includes a vehicle seat with a headrest and an actuator system. The vehicle seat and/or the headrest is adjustable by the actuator system to position the headrest relative to a head of an occupant on the vehicle seat. A support region of the headrest includes a material which is elastically switchable and the material is solidifiable when a pressure is exerted on the material such that the material stiffens when the head of the occupant sinks into the support region.

An autonomous driving control apparatus that achieves autonomous driving by controlling a driving operation of a subject vehicle, based on a situation around the subject vehicle is provided. The autonomous driving control apparatus includes: a driving operation determination part that determines a detail of the driving operation of the subject vehicle, based on the situation; a driving operation control part that controls the driving operation in accordance with the detail; and a driving information output part that shifts a footrest portion of a footrest at a seat on a driver seat side of the subject vehicle by driving a driving part provided on the footrest, to output the detail as driving information. The driving information output part varies a frontward inclination angle in accordance with a level of acceleration or deceleration of the subject vehicle, to output the driving information.

A kinetic seat cushion assembly that rotates based on a force applied on an occupant seated therein is provided. The kinetic seat cushion assembly includes a primary seat cushion frame, a secondary seat cushion frame, a seat cushion tilt mechanism coupling the secondary seat cushion frame to the primary seat cushion frame such that the secondary seat cushion frame is movable with respect to the primary seat cushion frame, and a front pivot mechanism that pivotally couples a front portion of the primary seat cushion frame to a front portion of the secondary seat cushion frame.

The object of the invention is to provide a vehicle seat which can improve degree of freedom in the design of the vehicle seat. A vehicle seat with a seat cushion and a seat back includes: right and left side frames 20 constituting right and left frames of the seat back; a pressure-receiving member 40 disposed between the right and left side frames 20 and configured to receive a load from an occupant; and a driving mechanism 50 disposed at each of right and left sides of the pressure-receiving member 40 and configured to cause a right end portion or a left end portion of the pressure-receiving member 40 to move from an initial position to an advanced position that is located frontward of the initial position or to move from the advanced position to the initial position, wherein the driving mechanism 50 includes a linkage (drive link member 100 and contact link member 200) configured to be connected to the pressure-receiving member 40 and a driving source 52 configured to actuate the linkage, and wherein the linkage is configured to operate when a load equal to or greater than a predetermined amount is input from the occupant to the pressure-receiving member 40 to cause the pressure-receiving member 40 to move to a backward position that is located rearward of the initial position.

A seat part which includes a cushion foam spanned by a seat cover is part of a seat system having an adjusting device by which flexibility of the seat part is variable. The adjusting device includes at least one guy device, disposed in a guy trench of the seat system, having a guiding element attached to an outer area of the seat cover and movable relative to the cushion foam between a first position relaxing the seat cover and a second position tensioning the seat cover or varying the flexibility of the seat part.