Patent Application
20230311718
This invention relates to seats for vehicles, and more specifically to improvements in adjustment of vehicle seats for enhancing operator experience during ingress and egress of work vehicles.
This disclosure relates generally to vehicle seat adjustment systems, and more particularly to a system and method for automatically adjusting the position of a vehicle seat based on operator absence.
Due to their size and configurations, many heavy duty vehicles, such as commercial semis, construction, and farm vehicles have operator seats placed in a manner that may make seats less ergonomic and convenient to enter and exit the seat and vehicle without effort. Although generally seats may be adjustable, many operators do not take the time to adjust the seat to make it easier for ingress or egress of the vehicle, especially if the operator will enter or leave again shortly.
Unlike in automotive vehicles, in work vehicles it is common for an operator to exit and enter the vehicle while the vehicle remains running. One reason this is done is to check or adjust features of the vehicle. Unfortunately, ergonomic exit and entry into these vehicles can be difficult based on the size of the vehicle, the position of the vehicle seat, and other vehicle components such as consoles. This lack of convenience and ergonomics felt by operators during ingress or egress can contribute to operator fatigue and general dissatisfaction.
Operator experience based on seat position during ingress and egress has not been addressed adequately in work vehicles. There is a need for an active automatic seat positioning adjustment system that provides maximum ease and comfort to an operator when they enter and exit the vehicle while it remains running.
The present disclosure is directed to a vehicle seat adjustment system that adjusts a seat position in comparison to a desired seat position in response to a signal as to whether an operator is present or absent in the seat. The vehicle seat position adjustment system comprises a vehicle seat, an operator presence detection device, a seat and component adjustment controller and a controllable actuator all in operable communication.
A method for running the system is also contemplated.
Other aspects will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and described in the following written specification. It is understood that no limitation to the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. It is further understood that the present disclosure includes any alterations and modifications to the illustrated embodiments and includes further applications of the principles disclosed herein as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains
The vehicle seat and component position adjustment system of the present disclosure provides an automatic and interactive system for adjusting seat and console positioning to maximize operator comfort during vehicle ingress and egress. A vehicle seat and component positioning adjustment system based on operator presence is disclosed. This system can be adapted to many different types of motorized seats. In an embodiment, a vehicle seat and component position adjustment system for use with a vehicle includes within communication with each other, a vehicle seat, a seat and component position controller, a controllable actuator and an operator presence detection device. The operator presence detection device is operable to transmit signals to the controller and the controller is operable to instruct the controllable actuators to adjust the position of internal vehicle components such as a seat or a console. This adjustment is dependent upon operator preference or preprogrammed values. Adjustable vehicle components in this system may include, but are not limited to, the fore-aft position of a seat, the height of a seat, and the position of a console.
As shown in
In certain embodiments, one or more seat and component position detection devices 14, 16, 18, 20 provide information regarding the position of the vehicle seat or vehicle component such as a console. In one embodiment, the seat and component position detection device is a fore-aft position detection device 14, capable of determining and communicating the fore-aft position of the seat. In that or additional embodiments, a seat or component position detection device is a seat height position detection device 16, capable of determining the seat height position of the seat. In yet another embodiment, a console position detection device 18 is a seat and component detection device. In still another embodiment, a seat swivel position detection device 20 is contemplated.
Detection values for the seat position detection device values can be measured by a change in resistance or a change in magnetic field or by digital pulses or sonar. The skilled artisan understands that the type of measurement method or value of the measurement is not limiting as long as the measurement provides information relating to the actual position of the seat or component. For example, in one of the embodiments above, a potentiometer based on a sensor measures the position of the seat height. The sensor outputs a ratiometric voltage based on the supply voltage and sensor position. But other sensor outputs such as applicable current or digital outputs such as pulse width modulation (PWM), Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C), Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), controller area network (CAN), and Local Interconnect Network (LIN) are contemplated. As is understood by the skilled artisan, the seat and component position detection devices 14, 16, 18, 20 can be of a variety of types of detectors and can be integrated in a variety of ways as is known in the art. The only limiting factor is that the seat position and component detectors be able to sense the position of the seat in a fore-aft position, a height position, a swivel position or one or more of these positions, or be able to sense the position of a vehicle component such as a console. In one embodiment, a single detector will measure the position of the fore-aft and height position of the seat. In another embodiment, one detector will measure the fore-aft position of the seat and a separate detector will measure seat height. The number or type of detectors is not meant to be limiting. A single potentiometer detector may be advantageous in that it gives immediate precise feedback. In another embodiment, an accelerometer sensor may be used. However, in the embodiments where an accelerometer is used, because accelerometer data must be further converted for accurate position data, the data using an accelerometer may be off shifted from real time data. In yet another embodiment, several sensors can be used. Use of more than one sensor may be important when dealing with safety critical components and the potential of sensor failure are not acceptable. Examples include steer by wire or fly by wire systems.
The fore-aft position of a seat may be measured by the longitudinal position from a front end a of seat base to a reference point on vehicle floor towards the front of the vehicle (fore). However, other reference points can be used to measure a fore-aft position of vehicle seat, including any component in consistent movable relationship with the vehicle seat in combination with any component on or affixed to a static component of the vehicle.
Software or firmware within a processor, such as a processor within a vehicle seat and position adjustment controller 12, is configured to receive a signal from detectors 14, 16, 18, 20 whether a current or a voltage signal, and determine the presence of an operator in the seat and a position of the seat or vehicle component from that signal, or at least determine a value indicative of the presence of an operator and/or the position of the seat and/or a vehicle component. Controller 12 then calculates and converts this raw signal into an engineering value. To determine seat position, the raw signal may be voltage corresponding to distance, such as millimeters, or a percentage of travel.
In many embodiments, the controller will have a timer 21. A timer can account for situations where the operator gets out of a seat but still remains in the general operating area of the seat. It is also useful in situations where a large bump may trigger the operator presence device 10 because the operator temporarily leaves the seat. The timer value may be predetermined or user adjustable, or in certain embodiments, both. In embodiments with a timer, the timer value would need to expire before controller 12 directs the actuators to move to positions to aid ingress or egress. Example timer values include 0, 0.1, 0.25, 1, and 10 seconds, although these values are not meant to be limiting. Any value within this span is also contemplated. As are higher values, such as those that may be particularly advantageous for operators with disability. If the timer value expires and is reset, there is no requirement that the next timer value be the same value. This is also true if the timer value does not expire and the timer is reset. For example, the first timer value may be 10 seconds but the second timer value may be only 5 seconds.
Controller 12 can communicate with the various components of the system directly or indirectly. For direct communication, the components, such as detectors 10, 14, 16, 18 can be connected directly to controller 12 by appropriate wiring. Communication with controller 12 can be based on analog or digital signals and can follow a variety of communications protocols, such as LIN, CAN, UART, SPI and the like. Alternatively, the communication between controller 12 and certain components can be wireless using a variety of known wireless communication protocols.
As shown herein, a single controller 12 is disclosed. However, there is no limitation on the number of controllers in the system. For example, two controllers may be present such as a parent/child. In this situation, a controller may collect the data but wait for instruction from a master controller before directing movement of the actuators. And in yet another embodiment, one controller may collect the position information but another controller is responsible for directing movement of the actuators. In yet another embodiment, there may be one parent controller and several child controllers, i.e. in the event that the vehicle has more than a single seat.
The vehicle seat position adjustment system according to the present disclosure is implemented through one or more controllable actuators 22, 24, 26, 28. Controller 12 signals an actuator to move a vehicle seat or a vehicle component relative to the vehicle floor in response to receipt of a signal from at least the operator presence detector. If an operator is not detected, controller 12 directs the actuator to move the vehicle seat to a set position relative to the vehicle floor. This position corresponds to a maximization of operator experience for entering and exiting the seat. This position can be a fore-aft position, height position, or swivel position or more than one of these positions. Generally any actuator, such as an electric motor, that results in automatic seat or component position adjustment upon receiving a signal from controller 12 is contemplated herein. In one embodiment, controllable actuators include power systems such as motors connected to a seat for moving the base of the seat. In other embodiments, controllable actuators include those power systems in association with power systems capable of raising or lowering seat height.
In one embodiment, depending on the type of vehicle, if the operator presence detector 10 determines that an operator is not present, this information is communicated to controller 12, and controller 12 signals actuators 20/22 to lower the seat and place it in its furthest aft position, i.e. away from the front of the vehicle. In a different embodiment, only the height of the seat is changed. For example, to make ingress/egress into the seat more convenient, a controllable slide actuator 22 may move a seat as far aft as possible when the operator presence detection device communicates to the controller that there is no longer an operator present in the seat. In many work vehicles, moving the seat completely back makes it more convenient for an operator to reenter the vehicle in the event they have left the vehicle while it is still running. In certain embodiments, the seat will continue to have power, which could be for a set period of time, regardless of the power status of the vehicle. However, it is to be understood that there is no requirement that the seat be moved to a completely aft position when an operator is no longer in the seat. Any position along which the seat may travel in fore-aft position may be chosen. Seat height and seat swivel may also be adjusted along a continuum.
Another actuator, which can adjust either independently or with a fore-aft seat actuator 22, includes a seat height actuator 24. Seat height actuators are well known in the art and will not be discussed in further detail herein. However, it should be understood that a seat height actuator may include one or more components used in a seat height adjustment, for example, a solenoid, compressor, or the like. A skilled artisan understands that any seat height actuator capable of responding to a signal from the controller and adjusting the height of the vehicle seat may be used.
Controller 12 signal is transmitted to actuators 22, 24, 26, 28 based on the presence or absence of an operator in the seat. In one embodiment, the controller signal is transmitted independently of the running status of the vehicle. In yet another embodiment, the controller signal may be transmitted manually by the operator through an input device, such as a knob or touch screen. Examples of knobs are demonstrated in
If an operator sets preferences for seat position in the system, those preferences may be stored in memory so that based on occupancy of the seat, a comparison is made to determine whether the desired position of the seat deviates from the current position of the seat. If the desired position is different, controller 12 signals to direct actuators 22, 24, 26, 28 to move the seat or vehicle component such as a console, to the desired position. Various settings may be storable within controller 12 and activated by the operator when desired. Storing various settings within the controller may allow more than one operator of the vehicle to store his/her respective desired seat settings.
If the seat position has been changed based on absence of the operator from the seat, when the operator again occupies the seat and his or her presence has once again been determined, the controller will compare the desired positions of the seat to the current positions and signal to controllable actuators to move the seat to the desired positions if there is a difference between the current positions and desired positions.
In one embodiment, controller 12 directs the steps according to the flowchart shown in
As shown in
In one example, the operator presence detector 10 signals to controller 12 a value indicative of the presence of a vehicle operator in the seat, rather than a lighter object on the seat such as a cat or a package. In this instance, controller 12 converts the signal from the operator presence detector 10 to a value that can be compared to a threshold value denoting an operator. This threshold value can be stored in a memory of controller 12.
If controller 12 determines that no operator is present, then there is no need to modify the height of the seat. If no operator is present, the seat height is not adjusted, and actuators 22, 24, 26, 28 are deactivated (Step 6).
In one embodiment, when the vehicle is on, controller 12 is configured to continuously run through the steps demonstrated by the flowchart loop of
The present disclosure should be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character. It is understood that only certain embodiments have been presented and that all changes, modifications and further applications that come within the spirit of the disclosure are desired to be protected.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/076,029, filed on Sep. 9, 2020, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US21/49455 | 9/8/2021 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63076029 | Sep 2020 | US |
