CN111391735A

CN111391735A - Multi-position seat equipped with leg support

Info

Publication number: CN111391735A
Application number: CN202010001182.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 塞米尔·哈马迪; 菲利普·杜哈梅尔
Original assignee: Faurecia Sieges dAutomobile SAS
Current assignee: Faurecia Sieges dAutomobile SAS
Priority date: 2019-01-02
Filing date: 2020-01-02
Publication date: 2020-07-10
Also published as: FR3091216A1; FR3091216B1

Abstract

A multi-position seat (10) for a vehicle, particularly for an autonomous vehicle, comprising a leg support (20) comprising: -a flap (22) actuated by an operating device comprising at least one carrying arm (21) hinged so as to rotate at a distal end (28) of the seat portion and under the action of a first motor (30) to cause the flap to rotate and unfold from a folded position to an open position at the distal end of the seat portion (12) of the seat, -a sliding tray (23) of the seat-cushion support (23a) supported by the flap (22) and actuated by a second motor (31) to cause the sliding tray to slide between a retracted position and an extended position, wherein the open position is achieved by rotating the carrying arm (21) that deploys the flap (22) towards the direction that extends the seat portion of the seat, and wherein the extended position of the sliding tray (23) is reached by sliding the sliding tray on the flap at the end of the deployment of the flap, thereby moving the sliding tray further away from the seat portion (12) of the chair (10).

Description

Multi-position seat equipped with leg support

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a multi-position seat equipped with a leg support and a shank pad, and in particular to an automotive vehicle seat provided with a position for driving, working or relaxing.

Background

Currently, leg supports and devices already exist for use in seat calf pads such as recliners or wheelchairs. Such leg supports and shank pads are typically constructed from a single rotating baffle.

Technical problem

The known devices usually have kinematics that are only suitable for possibly 50% of the occupants, which means that a large part of the population still cannot sit comfortably. Furthermore, a known technical problem is that it is difficult for an occupant sitting on a seat with adjustable leg support devices to prevent pressure or sore weight on the heel under the lower leg by adjusting these devices. This is due to the kinematics of these devices and is therefore difficult to manipulate. The result is that the occupant cannot find a comfortable position on his seat. The present invention aims to improve this situation. The existing devices are not suitable for creating a car seat that provides a comfortable, relaxed position for most people.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the prior art, the present invention proposes a device designed to adapt to the body shape representing from 5%, 50% and up to 95% of the population of occupants of an autonomous car seat (in particular the driver seat).

To define a representative population, individuals of a reference population are measured and then counted and grouped in increasing order of size. The population is divided into hundreds of groups, each group containing the same number of people, each group constituting a percentile. The median (50 percentile) is the scale value that divides the population into two segments with the same number.

On this background, the invention aims to achieve a multiposition seat equipped with a leg support and a shank cushion, which is able to comfortably support the legs of a person and provide the crowd with positions for driving, working or relaxing having different sizes.

More specifically, the present invention provides a multi-position seat for a vehicle, in particular for an automotive vehicle, comprising a leg support and a calf pad (hereinafter leg support), wherein the leg support comprises:

-a flap actuated by a manipulation device comprising at least one carrying arm articulated to rotate at a distal end of the seat portion of the seat and under the action of a first motor to deploy the flap from a folded position to an open position at the distal end of the seat portion of the seat,

a seat-supported sliding tray supported by the flap and actuated by a second motor, the sliding tray sliding between a retracted position and an extended position,

wherein the open position is achieved by rotating the carrying arm that deploys the flap towards a direction that extends the seat portion of the chair, and wherein the sliding tray is moved further away from the seat portion (12) of the chair (10) by sliding the sliding tray on the flap to reach the extended position of the sliding tray (23) at the end of flap deployment;

and wherein the seat is connected to a computer having control electronics configured for controlling the first and second motors and for adjusting the rotation of the carrying arm and the extension of the tray in dependence on the inclination of the seat and the physique parameters of the seat occupant.

The present invention allows for the adjustment of the position of the leg pad to provide a comfortable position for occupants of different sizes.

Preferably, said flap is connected to said carrying arm by first and second rods constituting deformable parallelogram means hinged from said carrying arm, the flap being formed on one side of the parallelogram substantially parallel to the carrying arm, said deformable parallelogram means being configured to move said flap away from said seat portion during rotation of said carrying arm to the open position.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the computer synchronizes the rotation of the carrying arm with the increase in the inclination of the seat at least partially, so that the flap moves into the open position.

According to an additional or alternative embodiment, the computer at least partially adjusts the rotation of the carrying arm in accordance with the stored body shape of the occupant in order to position the flap.

According to a preferred embodiment, the computer controls the sliding of the tray to the extended position according to the stored physique of the occupant.

In a particular embodiment, the first motor and the manipulating device deploy the barrier in a rotational path of 0 ° to 50 °.

The second motor adjusts the length of the tray from a 0mm nominal starting position to an extension of 100 mm.

Preferably the extent of deployment of the leg support, including the inclination of the carrying arm and the length adjusted by sliding the tray of the leg support, is controlled by a selection means having at least three positions corresponding to body shape parameters of 5%, 50% and 95% proportion of a given occupant population.

The selection means comprises an intermediate position adapted to a population of persons of intermediate size.

According to a particular embodiment, the amplitude of deployment of the leg support, including the inclination of the carrying arm and the length adjusted by sliding the tray, is predefined by a biometric camera device having software adapted to recognize the physique of the seat occupant and/or a weight sensor (70) on the seat.

The amplitude of the deployment of the leg support, including the inclination of the carrying arm and the length adjusted by sliding the leg support, is controlled by selection means which retrieve the data stored in the computer according to the different inclination modes of the seat, including the driving position mode, the working position mode and the rest position mode, and the different physique pre-stored in the computer.

The selection means are symbolized on a touch screen connected to a user interface of the computer with a memory dedicated to preserving the shape of the occupant of the vehicle.

In a particular embodiment, the manipulator and the sliding tray are preferably dimensioned, given a possible occupant population:

-simple opening rotation of the flap makes the position of the leg support fit 5% of the crowd;

-full open rotation of the flap and partial extension of the tray so that the position of the leg support fits 50% of the crowd;

-full open rotation of the flap and maximum extension of the tray are such that the position of the leg support fits 95% of the population.

According to a particular embodiment, the multi-position seat comprises two carrying arms arranged at the sides of the flap, each carrying arm being connected to the flap by means of a parallelogram arrangement.

The invention also relates to a method for adjusting a leg support of a multi-position vehicle seat, comprising adapting the distance from the leg support to the seat and the position of the seat cushion of said leg support between the achilles tendon and the heel of the occupant to the distance from the leg support to the seat according to the build of the occupant by controlling the rotary unfolding movement of the flap carrying the seat-supported sliding tray and the translation of the seat-supported sliding tray, for most persons in proportion to 5%, 50% and 95% of a given population.

Drawings

Other features, details and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the detailed description and upon reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate some exemplary embodiments of the invention, and in which:

figure 1 is a schematic view of a seat equipped with a leg support according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a leg support according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a detailed perspective side view of the leg support shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the seat of the present invention in the rest position for a first type of occupant;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the seat of the present invention in the rest position for a second type of occupant;

figure 6 is a side view of the seat of the present invention in the rest position for a third type of passenger.

Detailed Description

The figures and the description which follow particularly contain elements that not only facilitate a better understanding of the invention, but also facilitate its definition where appropriate.

The present invention relates to the control of two motions that are at least partially synchronized in the deployment of a leg support and a shank pad (hereinafter leg pad) of a multi-position seat.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates an example of a multi-position seat suitable for use in an automobile. Such a chair 10 has a back 11 and a seat portion 12 hinged together. The seat is mounted to the rail 15 by

hinge pins

13, 14 for adjusting the longitudinal position of the seat.

In the present invention, the seat 10 includes a leg support 20. The leg support is fixed to the distal end of the seat 12, in other words, to the end of the seat portion corresponding to the backrest 11.

The leg support comprises a seat cushion 23a and is mounted on a tray 23 adapted to slide over the apron 22 and to which the seat part is attached by means as described in detail in figures 2 and 3.

In the example shown in fig. 2, the means for attaching the leg support first comprise a carrying arm 21 on the side of the leg support. The carrying arm is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the seat and has a first end 21a, which first end 21a is hinged to rotate on a crosspiece 28 fixed to the front of the seat part by a projection 19. The carrying arm is fixed to a steering shaft 27, which steering shaft 27 is offset along the arm with respect to the end hinged to rotate. The operating shaft 27 common to both arms 21 is driven by an electric motor 30 shown in fig. 3 by means of a device with a screw 33 and a rod 32 to move the arms 21 in rotation about their hinge on the crosspiece 28 and to lift the flap 22.

It should be noted that the two carrying arms may be replaced by a single central arm arranged along the longitudinal axis of the leg support, for example.

In this example, the carrying arm supports the flap 22 by means of a deformable parallelogram device comprising the carrying arm as a lower longitudinal bar, the flap as an upper longitudinal bar and

parallel bars

24, 25 forming uprights, each hinged by means of a pivoting connection to the carrying arm 21 and the flap 22.

In the parallelogram, one of the parallel bars, the bar 24 closest to the seat portion of the chair, has a pivotal connection on its side opposite the flap extending beyond it on the carrying arm. The extensions are connected to the attachment points on the crosspiece 28 by

links

26, 29. It serves as a lever arm for deforming the parallelogram during rotation of the carrying arm. Thus, the linkage/lever arm member moves the apron away from the seat portion 12 during rotation of the carrying arm to a position tangential to the seat portion which raises the apron, as shown particularly in fig. 4 and 5.

Still according to fig. 2 and 3, the flap 22 carries a tray 23, the support for the cushion 23a of the leg support being indicated by a dashed line in fig. 2. The tray 23 is translatably movable with respect to the shutter 22 by the action of a motor 31 and a worm 31a visible in fig. 3.

Returning to fig. 1, the actuating motors of the leg supports are controlled by a computer 40, which computer 40 is equipped with control electronics conventional in the field of adjustable seat control. The device of the invention is characterized in that the movement of the leg support is coordinated with the tilting of the seat. These movements include tilting and adjusting the extended position of the support so that the leg is comfortably supported without any stress, since the ideal position of the leg support is known to be under the calf between the achilles tendon and the heel.

The adjustment of the amplitude of the unfolding movement of the leg support, i.e. its inclination, and of the length of the tray 23 carrying the seat cushion 23a, can be controlled by selection means 50 having at least three positions or means having a memory with assigned

positions

1, 2 and 3 defining positions corresponding to a proportion of 5%, 50% and 95% of a given population, for example an adult population of a country, possibly with intermediate positions, according to the relative position of the seat selected by the occupant's shape.

In particular, the selection means can retrieve data stored in the computer in order to control the electric motor according to different inclination modes of the seat (driving position mode, working position mode and rest position mode) and different physiques previously stored in the computer.

The selection means may be represented on a touch screen of the driver interface of the vehicle or on a screen dedicated to each passenger. An interface connected to computer 40 managing one or more seats sends selected commands according to instructions entered by the seat user in the interface, causing computer 40 to adjust the seat and leg supports accordingly.

Control of the motors can be accomplished in a known manner using

stepper motors

30, 31 linked to the encoder disks so that the position of the flapper and the tray can be known when they are actuated.

The adjustment of the deployment movement can also be predefined by a biometric camera as schematically represented in fig. 4, which is connected in a known manner to a computer 40, which computer 40 is equipped with software for recognizing the build of the seat occupant or seat occupant. The adjustment of the deployment movement can also be controlled by means of a weight sensor 70 in the seat, for example a selection device with a memory for identifying a known occupant and adjusting the deployment of the leg support according to different modes (driving position, working position or rest position). When programming the computer, the test dummy may be used to program the devices according to different pre-stored body shapes.

As mentioned above, the tilting position is achieved by means of the first motor 30, while the length adjustment of the leg support is achieved by means of the second motor 31.

According to the invention, the device is adapted to the shape of the occupant and synchronized with the seat movements, as shown in fig. 4, 5 and 6, so that the comfort of the occupant in the driving position and in the working and resting positions is maximized.

For optimal ease of use, the device is designed to require only one control unit to obtain the three positions required, corresponding to 5%, 50% and 95% of the total population in the different driving modes.

For example, the design and dimensions of the system are designed to:

a simple opening rotation of the flap 22 provides an optimal position for 5% of the population;

a fully open rotation of the flap 22 and a partial extension of the tray 23 provide an optimal position for 50% of the population;

the fully open rotation of the flap 22 and the maximum extension of the tray 23 provide an optimal position for 95% of the population.

The main movements of the leg support and shank pad arrangement are as follows:

according to fig. 4, the flap 22 and the tray 23 carrying the leg supports and the leg pads are rotated and partially deployed for 5% of the small sized population 100. During deployment, the shutter performs a first translation under the action of the parallelogram and its links 26 (described in fig. 3);

according to fig. 5, for 50% of the larger sized persons 101, the flap 22 is fully deployed and complements the extension of the leg support movement by the partial translation of the tray 23 carrying the seat cushion 23 a.

According to fig. 6, the device is fully extended with the flap 22 fully deployed and the tray 23 fully extended, and fits 95% of the population 102.

Thus, the device enables the distance from the leg support to the seat to be adjusted according to the size of the occupant and the support to be placed between the achilles tendon and the heel of the occupant according to the needs of most of 5%, 50% and 95%.

To meet these criteria, it has been found possible to design the actuation system such that the rotational travel of the flap 22 follows a path of about 0 ° to 50 ° with the first motor 30, and the process of adjusting the length of movement of the tray 23 with the second motor 31 is a path of about 100mm starting from the 0mm position on the flap.

It is noted that the device of the invention is preferably synchronized with the tilting movement of the chair obtained according to figures 4 to 6 by rotation 16 of the backrest 11 with respect to the seat portion 12 and by actuating the motorized support means 13 and 14 of the chair, which may be a conventional chair.

The invention is not limited to the described examples and, for example, the computer may consider more detailed data in defining the occupant's physique to accommodate the position of the leg support. In addition, the device for bearing the baffle plate can be provided with

Claims

1. A multi-position seat (10) for a vehicle, in particular for an autonomous vehicle, comprising a leg support (20), characterized in that it comprises:

-a flap (22) actuated by a maneuvering device comprising at least one carrying arm (21) articulated so as to rotate at a distal end (28) of the seat portion and under the action of a first motor (30) to deploy the flap from a folded position to an open position at the distal end of the seat portion (12) of the seat,

-a sliding tray (23) of a seat support (23a), supported by said flap (22) and actuated by a second motor (31), to slide between a retracted position and an extended position,

wherein the open position is achieved by rotating the carrying arm (21) which deploys a flap (22) towards a direction which extends the seat portion of the chair, and wherein the sliding tray is moved further away from the seat portion (12) of the chair (10) by sliding the sliding tray on the flap to reach the extended position of the sliding tray (23) at the end of flap deployment;

and wherein the seat is connected to a computer (40), the computer (40) having control electronics configured for controlling the first and second motors (30, 31) and for adjusting the rotation of the carrying arm (21) and the extension of the tray (23) depending on the inclination of the seat and the body shape parameters of the seat occupant.

2. Multiposition seat for a vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that said flap (22) is connected to said at least one carrying arm (21) by means of a first and a second rod (24, 25) constituting deformable parallelogram means (21, 22, 24, 25) articulated from said carrying arm, the flap formed on one side of the parallelogram being substantially parallel to the carrying arm (21), said deformable parallelogram means being configured to move said flap away from said seat portion during the rotation of said carrying arm to the open position.

3. The multi-position seat according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the computer at least partially synchronizes the rotation of the carrying arm (21) with the increase of the inclination of the seat (10) such that the flap is moved to the open position.

4. The multi-position seat according to claim 3, characterized in that the computer (40) adjusts the rotation of the carrying arm (21) at least partially to position the flap (22) according to the stored build of the occupant.

5. The multi-position seat according to claim 3, wherein the computer (40) controls the sliding of the tray (23) to the extended position according to the stored build of the occupant.

6. The multi-position seat according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first motor (30) and the maneuvering device deploy the shutter (22) in a rotation path of 0 ° to 50 °.

7. The multi-position seat according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the second motor (31) adjusts the length of the tray (23) from a 0mm nominal starting position to an elongation of 100 mm.

8. Multiposition seat according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the amplitude of deployment of the leg support (20) comprises the inclination of the at least one carrying arm (21) and the length adjusted by sliding the tray (23), is controlled by a selection device (50) having at least three positions corresponding to body shape parameters of 5%, 50% and 95% proportion of the population of a given occupant (100, 101, 102), respectively.

9. The multiposition seat according to claim 8, wherein the selection device (50) comprises a neutral position suitable for a medium sized group of people.

10. Multiposition seat according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the amplitude of deployment of the leg support (20) comprises the inclination of the at least one carrying arm and the length adjusted by sliding the leg support, the amplitude of deployment of the leg support being predefined by a biometric camera device (60) having software adapted to identify the physique of a seat occupant and/or a weight sensor (70) on the seat.

11. Multiposition seat according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the amplitude of the deployment of the leg support (20), including the inclination of the carrying arm (21) and the length adjusted by sliding the tray (23), is controlled by selection means (50) which retrieve the data stored in the computer (40) according to different inclination modes of the seat, including driving position mode, working position mode and rest position mode, and different physique pre-saved in the computer.

12. The multiposition seat according to claim 11, characterized in that the selection means are symbolized on a touch screen connected to a user interface of the computer with a memory dedicated to save the body shape of an occupant (100, 101, 102) of the vehicle.

13. The multiposition seat according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the manipulator and sliding tray are dimensioned, given a possible occupant population:

14. The multi-position seat according to claim 1 or 2, comprising two carrying arms arranged at the sides of the flap, each carrying arm connecting the flap by means of a parallelogram device.

15. A method for adjusting a leg support for a multi-position seat for a vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a majority of persons adapted to a proportion of 5%, 50% and 95% of a given population, by controlling the rotary unfolding movement of the flap carrying the cushion-supported sliding tray and the translation of the cushion-supported sliding tray, the adjustment of the distance from the leg-rest (20) to the seat and the adjustment of the position of the cushion (23a) of the leg support between the heel tendons and the heels of the occupants (100, 101, 102) is effected so as to adapt the distance from the leg support to the seat according to the physique of the occupants.