METHOD FOR OPERATING A MASSAGE DEVICE OF A SEAT

Abstract

A method for operating a massage device of a seat, in particular of a motor vehicle, having a massage drive with an unbalance which is driven by means of an electric motor, and an electrical line for operating the massage drive. By means of a component of the massage device, a change in capacitance due to a change in occupancy of at least one section of the seat is detected, and based on the change in capacitance, the energization of the electric motor is adjusted. A massage device of a seat and a vehicle seat of a motor vehicle as well as a component of a massage device of a seat are also provided.

Claims

1. A method for operating a massage device of a seat of a motor vehicle having a massage drive with an unbalance that is driven via an electric motor and an electrical line for operating the massage drive, the method comprising: detecting a change in capacitance, via a component of the massage device, due to a change in occupancy of at least one section of the seat; and adjusting the energization of the electric motor based on the change in capacitance.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the capacitance is detected following a user input.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein energization is increased if the detected capacitance corresponds to an occupancy of the section of the seat.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the capacitance between the component and a ground is calculated.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the capacitance between the component and a second massage drive and/or a second electrical line is calculated.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein a housing of the massage drive or a housing of the electric motor is the component.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrical line is used as the component.

8. A massage device of a seat of a motor vehicle, the massage device comprising: a massage drive that has an unbalance that is driven by an electric motor; and an electrical line for operating the masage drive, wherein the massage drive and/or the electrical line is assigned to a section, and which is operated according to the method according to claim 1.

9. The massage device according to claim 8, further comprising a third massage drive and/or a third electrical line, which are assigned to a second section.

10. A vehicle seat of a motor vehicle, in particular a driver's seat, comprising a massage device according to claim 8.

11. A system comprising a component of a massage device of a seat, in particular of a motor vehicle, as a capacitive sensor electrode for detecting the occupancy of at least one section of the seat, said massage device having a massage drive with an unbalance that is driven by an electric motor and an electrical line for operating the massage drive.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] 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:

[0032] FIG. 1 is a schematically simplified view of a motor vehicle with a vehicle seat comprising a massage device,

[0033] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the massage device with several massage drives,

[0034] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of one of the massage drives,

[0035] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the vehicle seat with the massage device,

[0036] FIG. 5 is a method of operating the massage device, and

[0037] FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate different operating modes of the massage device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a simplified schematic of a motor vehicle 2 with a vehicle seat 4. The vehicle seat 4 comprises a massage device 6, which is signal-connected with another BUS system 8. The further BUS system 8 is based on the CAN standard, and an onboard computer 10 as well as a further BUS devices 12 are each a part of the other BUS system 8. By means of the onboard computer 10, requests are transferred to the massage device 6 and the other BUS devices 12. Also, an exchange of operational data takes place via the other BUS system 8.

[0039] FIG. 2 shows the massage device 6, which has a control unit 14 and a first massage drive 16, a second massage drive 18, a third massage drive 20 and five other massage drives 22. The first massage drive 16 is electrically and signal-technically coupled with the control unit 14 by means of a first electrical line 24, and the second massage drive 18 is electrically and signal-technically coupled with the control unit 14 by means of a second electrical line 26. The third massage drive 20 is signal-technically and electrically coupled with the control unit 14 by means of a third electrical line, and the further massage drives 22 respectively signal-technically and electrically coupled by means of a further electrical line 30. Here, the electrical lines 24, 26, 28, 30 each serve for operating the respectively assigned massage drive 14, 18, 20, 22. The massage device 6 is composed of the massage drives 16, 18, 20, 22, the electrical lines 24, 26, 28, 30 and the control unit 14.

[0040] FIG. 3 illustrates the first massage drive 16, which is identical to the second massage drive 18, to the third massage drive 20 and to the other massage drives 22. The first massage drive 16 has an electric motor 32 with a housing 34 made of a metal sheet. An unbalance 36 is connected to an unillustrated shaft of the electric motor 32, which is accordingly driven by the electric motor 32. In a rotational movement of the electric motor 32 and thus a rotational movement of the unbalance 36, the first massage drive 16 is set into rhythmic motion. Further, the first massage drive 16 includes a control device 38, by means of which the electric motor 32 is energized. The control device 38 is in electrical contact with the first electrical line 24, and during operation, data is exchanged between the control unit 14 and the control device 38 via the first electrical line, wherein via another wire of the electrical line 24, an electrical current is supplied to the control device 38.

[0041] FIG. 4 shows the driver's seat 4 in a perspective view but without a seat cover. The (driver) seat 4 comprises a backrest 40, which comprises a molded part 42 made of a cold foam, in which a metal holding structure 44 is embedded for purposes of stabilization. The control unit 14 is connected to the underside of a seat surface 46 of the seat 4. The molded part 42 has a number of recesses, wherein within each one of these, the first massage drive 16, the second massage drive 18, the third massage drive 20 and the further massage drives 22 as well as the electrical lines 24, 26, 28, 30 are disposed. The massage drives 16, 18, 20, 22 are spaced apart from each other, and the first massage drive 16 is assigned to a section 48 and the third massage drive 20 is assigned to a second section 50. The sections 48, 50 correspond in this case to the portions of the seat 4 which are bulged during operation of the respective assigned massage drive 16, 20 due to the respective unbalance 36. Each of the other massage drives 22 and the second massage drive 18 are assigned a section of the seat 4 not shown in detail. The respective electrical lines 24, 26, 28, 30 which serve for operating the assigned massage drive 16, 18, 20, 22 are in this case at least partially assigned to the respective section.

[0042] FIG. 5 shows a method 52 for operating the massage device 6, which is performed at least partially by means of the control device 14 and the respective control devices 38 of the massage drives 14, 18, 20, 22. In a first step 54, a user input 56 is detected, which is passed to the control unit 14 via the bus system 8. The user input 56 corresponds to a request of the user of the seat 4 to perform a massage function.

[0043] In a second step 58, a change in capacitance due to a change in occupancy of at least the section 48 of the seat 4 is detected. For this purpose, in one embodiment which is shown in FIG. 6, an electromagnetic field 60 is created by means of the housing 34 of the electric motor 32 of the first massage drive 16 as well as by means of the housing 34 of the second massage drive 18. The parameters of the electromagnetic/electrical field 60 are compared to values stored in the control unit 14 and the control devices 38 which do not correspond to any occupancy, that is to say if the user does not occupy the section 48 and is thus spaced therefrom. In other words, an electromagnetic field 60 is formed between the first massage drive 16 and the second massage drive 18, and the housings 34 of the two massage drives 16, 18 act as electrodes of a capacitor which is formed by means of the housings 34. For this purpose, the housings 34 are set to a certain electrical potential, which is, for example, constant or oscillates over time. As a function of the determined, occurring capacitance, which functions as a parameter of the electromagnetic field 60, a conclusion is thus possible as to whether the electromagnetic field 60 only substantially propagates in the air or near the body of the user of the seat 4. If the calculated dielectric constant corresponds to the user of the seat 4 and thus in particular deviates from the dielectric constant containing air, occupancy is recognized.

[0044] In a further embodiment, the electrical field 60 is created between the first line 24 and the second line 26. Thus, the capacitor is provided by the two electrical lines 24, 26. In summary, by means of a component of the massage device 6, the change in capacitance due to a change in occupancy of the section 48 of the seat 4 is detected, wherein either the housing 34 of the electric motor 32 of the first massage drive 16 or the first electrical line 24 are used as a component. In an alternative, the electromagnetic field 60 is created between one of the lines 24, 26 of one of the massage drives 16, 18 and between a further electrical line 24, 26. In summary, the capacitance between the housing 34 of the first massage drive 16 or the first electrical line 24 and the housing 34 of the second massage drive 18 and/or the second electrical line 26 is calculated.

[0045] In a subsequent third step 62, the energization of the electric motor 32 of the first massage drive 16 is adjusted on the basis of the change in capacitance. In this case, energization is increased if the second work step 58 has ascertained that section 48 is occupied. If no occupancy of section 48 was detected, i.e., if the user is not touching section 48, the energization of the electric motor 32 of the first massage drive 16 is omitted or the electric motor 32 is operated in a certain range in which the emission of acoustic signals is reduced. In a further alternative of the invention, directly after detecting the user input 56, the energization of the electric motor 32 is initiated, and subsequently thereto, initially the second step 58 is performed. Depending on the subsequently detected capacitance, the energization is adjusted, which is created directly following the first step 54. Alternatively, first, before the electric motor 32 is energized, the capacitance is detected and only when the occupancy is detected is the electric motor 32 set into rotation.

[0046] Furthermore, the third massage drive 20 and/or the third electrical line 28 detects whether or not the second section 50 is occupied. If the second section 50 is occupied, this massage drive 20 is also energized and thus, the unbalance 36 of the third massage drive 20 is set in motion. If the second section 50 is not occupied, the electic motor 32 is not energized, or the electric motor 32 is operated within a predefined speed range. Also, by means of the second massage drive 18 and the further massage drives 22, the occupancy of the respectively assigned section is detected and as a function thereof, the respective electric motor 32 is energized.

[0047] FIG. 7 shows a modification of the massage device 6. In this case, the electromagnetic field 60 is created between the housing 34 of the first massage drive 16 or the first electrical line 24 and the holding structure 44 which is electrically connected to ground 64. In this case, ground 64 is provided by means of the body of the motor vehicle 2 and the holding structure 44 is in electrical contact with the motor vehicle body. Accordingly, the capacitance between the first massage drive 16 or the first electrical line 24 and ground 64 is calculated. Also, in each case an electrical field 60 is created between ground 64 and the second massage drive 18, the third massage drive 20, the further massage drives 22 or the second electrical line 26, the third electrical line 28 or the further electrical lines 30 and ground 64, wherein this is done, for example, successively. The evaluation of the capacitance expediently occurs by means of the control device 38 of the respective massage drive 16, 18, 20, 22.

[0048] In summary, the electric motors 32 or the electrical lines 24, 26, 28, 30 and optionally the support structure 44 are used as capacitive sensor electrodes for seat occupancy detection. This is done, for example, qualitatively or quantitatively. As long as it is recognized that the respective section 48, 50 is not occupied, i.e., if the person's back is not touching the backrest 40, the vibration in this section 48, 50 is set, resulting in protection of the electro motors 32. The measuring principle here is either a one- or two-electrode principle. In yet other words, each of the massage drives 16, 18, 20, 22 has a metallic housing 34, which is installed in the cold foam of the molded part 42. These housings 34 are used as electrodes in order to establish the electromagnetic field 60, which in particular is a capacitive field. The electromagnetic field 60 is in this case evaluated by means of the control device 38, and the electromagnetic field is created between two or more components 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 of the massage device 6 or between the components 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 of the massage device 6 and ground 64. In summary, either the electromagnetic field 60 is created only between components 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 of the massage device 6 or between the components 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 of the massage device 6 and ground 64.

[0049] By means of the method 52, it can be recognized whether the user perceives the respective massage drive 16, 18, 20, 22, and thus whether it is currently in use. Unused massage drives 16, 18, 20, 22, i.e., those massage drives of which the assigned section is not occupied, are either switched off or operated at an acoustically advantageous operating point. In addition, the massage drives 16, 18, 20, 22 and the electrical lines 24, 26, 28, 30 can determine a detailed seat occupancy, and additional components for detecting the seat occupancy are not required. If the electromagnetic field 60 is created only between the components 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 of the massage device 6, a special adjustment to other components of the seat 4 is not necessary, so that the assembly and design of the massage device 6 is simplified and is largely independent on the seat structure and in particular the support structure 44. As long as the electromagnetic field 60 is created between each component 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 of the massage device 6 and ground 64, each of the components 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 can be individually measured, resulting in a comparatively detailed seat occupancy detection.

[0050] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Rather, other variants of the invention can be derived therefrom by the person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, all individual features which are further described in association with the individual embodiments can also be combined in other ways without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0051] 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.