METHOD FOR OPERATING A VEHICLE SEAT DEVICE, VEHICLE SEAT DEVICE

Abstract

A method for operating a vehicle seat device for motor vehicles, which has a vehicle seat with a seat part and a backrest, associated with the seat part, and at least one actuator which is associated with the seat part and/or the backrest and by means of which the vehicle seat can be brought automatically into a sitting position and into a reclining position, wherein the movement takes place as a function of a desired position that can be specified by a user and of at least one detectable vehicle seat state. It is provided that a current temperature is monitored as the vehicle seat state and that if the monitored temperature falls below a limit temperature, the vehicle seat is brought into a sitting position or left in a current sitting position regardless of the desired position.

Claims

1. A method for operating a vehicle seat device for a motor vehicle, which has a vehicle seat with a seat part and a backrest associated with the seat part, and at least one actuator that is associated with the seat part and/or the backrest and via which the vehicle seat is adapted to be brought automatically into a sitting position and into a reclining position, the method comprising: specifying by a user a movement to take place as a function of a desired position and of at least one detectable vehicle seat state; and monitoring a current temperature as the vehicle seat state and if the monitored temperature falls below a limit temperature, the vehicle seat is brought into a sitting position or left in a current sitting position regardless of the desired position.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a temperature of the vehicle seat is monitored as the temperature.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a gear temperature of a gear of the actuator or a motor temperature of a drive motor of the actuator is monitored as the temperature.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sitting position is set as a function of a weight load on the vehicle seat by a user and/or as a function of a current angular position of the backrest.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the current angular position is compared with a predetermined limit position and the actuator is controlled as a function of the comparison.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein a detected weight load is compared with a predetermined limit weight and the actuator is controlled as a function of the comparison.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the limit temperature is specified as a function of a current angular position of the backrest.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the limit temperature is reduced with an increasing angular position of the backrest in the direction of the sitting position.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle seat is monitored for a weight load by a user and the limit temperature is specified as a function of the detected weight load.

10. A vehicle seat device for a motor vehicle, the device comprising: a vehicle seat with a seat part and a backrest associated with the seat part; and at least one actuator associated with the seat part and/or the backrest and via which the vehicle seat is adapted to be automatically brought into a sitting position and into a reclining position; and a control device that controls the actuator as a function of a desired position for the vehicle seat that is specified by a user and of at least one detectable vehicle seat state, wherein the control device is adapted to execute the method according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein:

[0018] FIG. 1 shows an advantageous vehicle seat device in a simplified illustration;

[0019] FIG. 2 shows a flowchart to explain a first method for operating the vehicle seat device; and

[0020] FIG. 3 shows a flowchart to explain a second advantageous method for operating the vehicle seat device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] FIG. 1 shows, in a simplified illustration, an advantageous vehicle seat device 1 in a side view. Vehicle seat device 1 has a vehicle seat 2 which has a substantially horizontally oriented seat part 3 with which a backrest 5 and a leg rest 6 are associated. Backrest 5 and leg rest 6 are shifted pivotably relative to seat part 3 in order to be moved between a vertically oriented sitting position and a horizontally oriented reclining position, shown in FIG. 1 with dashed lines. For this purpose, vehicle seat device 1 also has an actuator 7, which has a drive device 8, which is designed, for example, as an electric motor, and which is connected or coupled to backrest 5 and/or to leg rest 6 by a gear 9, which is only suggested here. In addition, vehicle seat device 1 has a control device 10 which is connected to actuator 7 for controlling it. Vehicle seat device 1 further has at least one temperature sensor 11 in order to detect a vehicle seat temperature T. In particular, for this purpose, temperature sensor 11 is associated with actuator 7, preferably with drive device 8 and/or gear 9.

[0022] Furthermore, vehicle seat device 1 optionally has a weight sensor 12 for detecting a weight load on vehicle seat 2 by a user and/or an angle sensor 13 for monitoring a current adjustment angle of backrest 5.

[0023] Control device 10 is designed to automatically bring vehicle seat 2 at the request of the user of vehicle seat 2 either into the reclining position, as shown by dashed lines, or into the sitting position, shown by solid lines, with the aid of actuator 7. For this purpose, the vehicle seat has, for example, an input device 14 by means of which the user can specify his desired seat position.

[0024] The control device is designed to follow the user's request only if the operating conditions allow a sufficiently rapid bringing of vehicle seat 2 into the sitting position.

[0025] For this purpose, FIG. 2 shows, in a simplified illustration, a first exemplary embodiment of an advantageous method for operating seat device 1, a method which is executed by control device 10. The method begins in a step S1 when the motor vehicle having vehicle seat device 1 is put into operation.

[0026] In a subsequent step S2, the seat temperature T is determined by means of temperature sensor 11. In a further step S3, the weight load M is detected by means of weight sensor 12. The current position or angular position a of backrest 5 is detected in a step S4 by means of angle sensor 13. Steps S2, S3 and S4 are carried out simultaneously or one after the other.

[0027] Subsequently, in a query S5, the temperature T is compared with a predetermined limit temperature T.sub.G, the detected backrest angle α with a predetermined limit angle α.sub.G, and the detected weight load M with a predetermined critical limit weight M.sub.G. The limit temperature T.sub.G, the limit angle α.sub.G, and the limit weight M.sub.G are predetermined in knowledge of the mechanical properties of actuator 7 such that if the temperature falls below the limit temperature T.sub.G, if the limit angle α.sub.G is exceeded, and if the limit weight M.sub.G is exceeded, it is then recognized that backrest 5, starting from its current position, cannot be brought rapidly enough into the sitting position by actuator 7 to rapidly ensure a sitting position for the user of vehicle seat 2 in particular in the event of a crash. If it is thus recognized in a step S5 that either the detected temperature T exceeds the limit temperature T.sub.G, the back angle a exceeds the limit angle α.sub.G, or the detected weight M exceeds the limit weight M.sub.G (y), thus in a step S6 actuator 7 is controlled by control device 10 to bring backrest 5 as a precaution into an upright sitting position, as shown in FIG. 1 by the solid line. In this regard, control device 10 controls actuator 7 even if only one of the above-mentioned conditions (T<T.sub.G, M>M.sub.G, α>α.sub.G) is fulfilled. If none of the conditions is fulfilled (n), then backrest 5 is left in the current position in a step S7 or the control device follows the user's request and adjusts the backrest to the desired reclining position.

[0028] FIG. 3 shows a further flowchart to explain a further exemplary embodiment of vehicle seat device 1 or the method described above. In this case, the case is considered in particular in which using input means 14 a user specifies a desired position of the backrest or of the vehicle seat which corresponds to a reclining position. The method thus begins in a first step S8 with the input of the desired position. This is followed by step S4, with which the current angular position a of backrest 5 is determined. In a subsequent query S9, the angular position α is compared with the critical back angle α.sub.G. If the backrest angle α is smaller than the predetermined limit value α.sub.G (y), control device 10 then controls actuator 7 to adjust the backrest in a step S10 in the direction of the reclining position according to the user's request. However, if the backrest angle a is greater than the limit angle α.sub.G (n), then the load weight M of vehicle seat 2 is determined in the following step S3, as described above. In a subsequent step S11, the detected weight M using the limit weight M.sub.G is divided into weight categories “light” and “normal” to “heavy.” In a subsequent query S12, the weight category to which the detected weight belongs is checked. If the weight load M falls into the weight class “light” (y) (below the limit weight M.sub.G), thus control device 10 controls actuator 7 in a step S13 to bring the backrest into the reclining position following the user's request.

[0029] However, if the detected weight load M does not fall into the category “light” (n), then the seat temperature T is subsequently detected according to step S2. In a subsequent step S14, the detected temperature T is compared with the predetermined limit temperature T.sub.G as previously described. If the detected temperature T is greater than the predetermined limit temperature T.sub.G (y), control device 10 controls actuator 7 in a step S15 to adjust backrest 5 into the reclining position, as requested by the user. In the event that the detected temperature T falls below the limit temperature T.sub.G (n), control device 10 prevents the adjustment of the backrest into the reclining position in a step S16 and for this purpose either leaves the backrest in the current position or shifts it even further in the direction of the safe sitting position.

[0030] The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.