Adjustment device for automatic seat position change in a vehicle

Abstract

An adjustment device for the automatic seat position change in a vehicle from an actual setting into a predefinable target setting including an electronic control unit for automatically setting at least one actuator for adjusting at least one seat-position-dependent adjustable vehicle component depending on detected vehicle occupant data. In this case, the control unit has an analysis unit for determining an efficiency-oriented adjustment space requirement for the adjustment of the actual setting into the target setting depending on the vehicle occupant data and the vehicle interior geometry.

Claims

1. An adjustment device for automatic seat position change in a vehicle from an actual setting into a predefinable target setting, comprising: an electronic control unit for automatically setting at least one actuator for adjusting at least one seat-position-dependent adjustable vehicle component depending on detected vehicle occupant data, wherein the electronic control unit comprises an analysis unit for determining an efficiency-oriented adjustment space requirement for the adjustment of the actual setting into the target setting depending on the vehicle occupant data and a vehicle interior geometry; and if an entire seat rotation is not presently possible, then the entire seat rotation is made subsequently possible via: a first preferred vehicle component adjustment that is a backrest adjustment, and/or a second preferred vehicle component adjustment that is a seat inclination adjustment.

2. The adjustment device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the analysis unit for determining the efficiency-oriented adjustment space requirement is designed such that an effective kinematic course of the seat-position-dependent adjustable vehicle component with respect to adjustment duration and/or energy consumption for the adjustment of the actual setting into the target setting is determinable thereby depending on the vehicle occupant data and the vehicle interior geometry.

3. The adjustment device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the analysis unit is designed such that a silhouette of a seat occupied by a vehicle occupant is computable with respect to the vehicle occupant data and seat-position-dependent adjustable vehicle components.

4. The adjustment device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the analysis unit contains a priority rule with respect to a plurality of the actuators.

5. The adjustment device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first preferred adjustable vehicle component is the entire seat, by which an entire seat rotation is executable for the adjustment from the actual setting into the target setting.

6. The adjustment device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a seat depth adjustment, a seat height adjustment, a seat length adjustment, and/or a seat transverse adjustment is/are executable.

7. The adjustment device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at most two of the actuators are adjustable simultaneously.

8. The adjustment device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the efficiency-oriented adjustment space requirement also corresponds to a minimal adjustment space requirement.

9. The adjustment device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an autonomously driving vehicle comprising at least one rotatable entire seat.

10. A method of operating an adjustment device for automatic seat position change in a vehicle from an actual setting into a predefinable target setting, the method comprising the steps of: automatically setting at least one actuator that adjusts at least one seat-position-dependent adjustable vehicle component wherein the automatic setting is carried out by: determining an efficiency-oriented adjustment space requirement for adjustment of the actual setting into the target setting, wherein the determining of the efficiency-oriented adjustment space requirement is dependent on vehicle occupant data and a vehicle interior geometry; and if an entire seat rotation is not presently possible, then the entire seat rotation is made subsequently possible via: a first preferred vehicle component adjustment that is a backrest adjustment, and/or a second preferred vehicle component adjustment that is a seat inclination adjustment.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the determining of the efficiency-oriented adjustment space requirement is carried out by: determining an effective kinematic course of the seat-position-dependent adjustable vehicle component with respect to one or more of an adjustment duration or an energy consumption for the adjustment of the actual setting into the target setting.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the determining of the efficiency-oriented adjustment space requirement includes the step of computing a silhouette of a seat occupied by a vehicle occupant using the vehicle occupant data.

13. The adjustment device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the analysis unit determines the efficiency-oriented adjustment space requirement without using a vehicle-internal sensor.

14. The adjustment device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the vehicle occupant data comprises at least one of an anthropometrical measurement, an anthropometrical proportion, and an anthropometrical classification.

15. The adjustment device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the automatically setting selecting the at least one actuator further depends on the adjustment duration and/or energy consumption of the at least one actuator.

16. The adjustment device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the at least one actuator is configured to perform an adjustment to a neighboring seat of the vehicle.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 schematically shows a rough overview of an adjustment device according to an embodiment of the invention.

(2) FIG. 2 shows a possible input unit for vehicle occupant data and the interfaces of the electronic control unit of an adjustment device according to the embodiment of the invention.

(3) FIG. 3 shows a silhouette illustration of an actual, an intermediate, and a target seat position for the determination of an adjustment space requirement and/or of a kinematic sequence.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(4) FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the components of an adjustment device according to the invention for automatic seat position change in a vehicle from an actual setting IST into a predefinable target setting SOLL comprising an electronic control unit 1 for automatically setting at least one actuator A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6 for adjusting at least one seat-position-dependent adjustable vehicle component, for example the entire seat GS, depending on detected vehicle occupant data PD. In this case, the control unit 1 has an analysis unit QSA for determining an efficiency-oriented adjustment space requirement for the adjustment of the actual setting IST into the target setting SOLL (see also FIG. 3) depending on the vehicle occupant data PD and the vehicle interior geometry FIG.

(5) The analysis unit QSA for determining the efficiency-oriented adjustment space requirement is designed, in particular programmed, such that the most effective kinematic course of the seat-position-dependent adjustable vehicle components with respect to the adjustment duration and/or the power consumption of at least one of the actuators A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6 for the adjustment of the actual setting IST into the target setting SOLL can be determined thereby depending on the vehicle occupant data PD and the vehicle interior geometry FIG.

(6) The analysis unit QSA can furthermore be designed such that preferably an overall silhouette FP, as it were a footprint, consisting of the seat GS and the vehicle occupant P located thereon having his corresponding vehicle occupant data PD, can be computed with respect to the vehicle occupant data PD and the seat-position-dependent adjustable vehicle components, in particular the entire seat GS, its seat surface SF, and/or its backrest LF (see also FIG. 3). The determination of the efficiency-oriented adjustment space requirement and/or the most effective kinematic course is therefore simplified. The silhouette can be determinable both two-dimensionally and also three-dimensionally. In the present exemplary embodiment, the silhouette FP is only shown two-dimensionally for simplification.

(7) The analysis unit QSA in FIG. 1 contains a priority rule R with respect to the activatable actuators A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6 of the seat GS, which rule can specify, for example the following sequence for the adjustment of the actuators and/or the adjustments linked thereto.

(8) In principle, a first preferred adjustable vehicle component is the entire seat GS, by which only an entire seat rotation GSD is executable for the adjustment from the actual setting IST into the target setting SOLL, if possible, if the adjustment space required for this purpose is available. This would be the most efficiency-oriented adjustment space, since this adjustment could be carried out most rapidly and with the least energy.

(9) If an entire seat rotation GSD is not possible, a first preferred vehicle component adjustment is the backrest adjustment LNV and/or a second preferred vehicle component adjustment is the seat inclination adjustment SNV, in such a manner that an entire seat rotation GSD is subsequently executable if needed. In the case of a small person, a backrest adjustment LNV could be sufficient (for example at the percentile PZ 5% woman). In the case of a large person, both a backrest adjustment LNV and also a seat inclination adjustment SNV could be necessary (for example at the percentile PZ 95% man).

(10) Preferably, only at most two actuators are activated simultaneously, i.e. here for example firstly A1 for LNV and A2 for SNV.

(11) Furthermore, as needed and in consideration of maximal efficiency, a seat depth adjustment STV, a seat height adjustment SHV, and/or a seat length adjustment SLV can be executable.

(12) A mobile terminal 2 is shown as a data carrier in FIG. 2. After recording of a photo by the mobile terminal 2 and the display of the photo on the touchscreen of the mobile terminal, at least the input of the torso length L.sub.O and the thigh length L.sub.S is requested, for example in that a (sliding) bar can be set to the desired position as a marking sign using a finger. By touching the right arrow forward, the input of the position of other body parts for the setting of other components can be enabled.

(13) After renewed actuation of the forward arrow, after the operator has considered all displayed bars to be correct, finally the input of the body size and preferably also the name are requested. By way of the input of the name, various profiles can be stored in the data carrier and/or in the control unit 1 so they are retrievable again.

(14) Depending on the vehicle occupant data PD thus transferred from the terminal 2 to the control unit 1, in the control unit 1 and/or in the analysis unit QSA, in which the vehicle occupant geometry data FIG are also provided, the silhouette FP consisting of seat geometry data FIG and of the data PD of the person P seated thereon, and also, depending thereon, the required adjustment space for the most efficient kinematic course is determined.

(15) In FIGS. 1 and 2, a possible association of the individual adjustments with the various actuators is illustrated solely for the sake of completeness.

(16) FIG. 3 shows a silhouette illustration of an actual setting IST, an intermediate setting, and a target setting SOLL. The silhouette determination is, as already described above, again the foundation for the determination of the adjustment space requirement and/or the kinematic course on the basis of the further vehicle interior geometry FIG, for example the fixed space boundaries and/or the other seats.

(17) FIG. 3 proceeds in a first case from a fixed other seat and in a second case from an adjustable other seat.

(18) The efficiency-oriented adjustment space requirement and/or the most efficient kinematic course can be in the first case a backrest adjustment SLV together with a seat inclination adjustment SNV, and therefore (as shown on the left and right in the middle), the seat surface SF is reduced to SF and backrest surface LF is reduced to LF, to also reduce the adjustment space requirement.

(19) However, as in the second case, if only a seat length adjustment SLV of the interfering neighboring seat is required, to be able to carry out an entire seat rotation GSD of the one seat thereafter, according to the invention, this would possibly be the more efficiency-oriented adjustment space requirement and the more efficient kinematic course.

(20) The vehicle interior geometry FIG can be stored, for example in a model-dependent manner in a characteristic map programming at the tape end in the control unit 1 or measured via vehicle interior cameras and provided as measured data to the control unit 1.

(21) The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.