CN118149946A - Weight calculation device, seat, and seat control device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a weight calculation device, a seat and a seat control device. The weight calculation device includes a detection unit that detects rotation of the motor, a control unit that controls the motor, and a storage unit. The memory unit stores a correspondence relationship between the duty ratio at the time point when the rotation of the motor is detected by the detection unit and the weight of the occupant. The control unit calculates the weight of the occupant (S5) based on the duty ratio and the correspondence relation at the time point when the rotation of the motor is detected (S3: yes).

Description

Weight calculation device, seat, and seat control device

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a weight calculation device, a seat, and a seat control device.

Background

Conventionally, in a vehicle or the like, a device capable of automatically calculating the weight of an occupant seated in a seat has been proposed. For example, patent document 1 discloses a vehicle seat in which the amount of consumed electric power of an electric motor required to move a seat body a predetermined distance is calculated, and the weight of an occupant seated in the seat body is calculated based on the amount of consumed electric power.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2013-18364

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, the vehicle seat of patent document 1 has the following problems: in order to calculate the weight of the occupant, it takes a time required to wait for the seat main body to move a prescribed distance along the slide mechanism.

An object of one embodiment of the present disclosure is to provide a weight calculation device, a seat, and a seat control device that can calculate the weight of an occupant.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above-described problem, a weight calculation device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a detection unit that detects rotation of a motor that drives the support mechanism; a control unit that controls the motor by outputting a control signal to a driving unit that drives the motor; and a storage unit that stores a correspondence between a value of an applied voltage to the motor, a value of an applied current to the motor, or a duty ratio corresponding to the value of the applied voltage to the motor, and a weight of the occupant supported by the support mechanism, in correspondence with the control signal at a point of time when the rotation of the motor is detected by the detection unit in a state where the occupant is supported by the support mechanism. The control unit calculates the weight of the occupant based on the applied voltage value, the applied current value, or the duty ratio corresponding to the applied voltage value at a time point when the rotation of the motor is detected by the detection unit, and the correspondence relationship stored in the storage unit when the support mechanism is caused to perform a predetermined operation.

Effects of the invention

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the weight of the occupant can be calculated.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a seat control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing operations of the reclining mechanism and the reclining mechanism of the seat control device according to the embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the seat control device according to the embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a graph showing a correspondence relationship between the weight of the occupant and the duty ratio of the motor.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of control performed by the seat control device according to the embodiment.

Detailed Description

The seat control device 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to fig. 1 to 5.

[ Structure of seat control device ]

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall structure of the seat control device 1. As shown in fig. 1, the seat control device 1 includes a seat 10. The seat 10 has a seat cushion 2, a seat back 3, a seat cushion frame 4, a back frame 5, a reclining mechanism 6, a reclining mechanism 7, and a weight calculating device 20. For convenience of explanation, the up-down direction, the left-right direction, and the front-rear direction of the seat control device 1 are defined as indicated by arrows in fig. 1.

The seat control device 1 is applied to, for example, a seat provided in a driver's seat of a vehicle. The seat control device 1 is not limited to the driver's seat of the vehicle, and may be applied to a front passenger seat and a rear seat. The seat control device 1 is not limited to a vehicle, and may be applied to a seat provided in an aircraft, a train, a ship, or the like.

The seat cushion 2 is a member for supporting the buttocks of the occupant P. At least a part of the seat cushion 2 is movable in the up-down direction with respect to the floor of the vehicle. The seat cushion 2 is supported by a seat cushion frame 4. The seat frame 4 is disposed inside the seat cushion 2.

The seat back 3 is a member for supporting the back of the occupant P. The seat back 3 is swingable in the front-rear direction with respect to the seat cushion 2. The seat back 3 is supported by a back frame 5. The back frame 5 is disposed inside the seat back 3.

The operations of the reclining mechanism 6 and the tilting mechanism 7 will be described in more detail below. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the operations of the reclining mechanism 6 and the tilting mechanism 7. As shown in fig. 2, the reclining mechanism 6 transmits a driving force to the back frame 5, thereby swinging the back frame 5 in the front-rear direction with respect to the seat cushion frame 4. Thus, the reclining mechanism 6 performs a reclining operation of swinging the seat back 3 in the front-rear direction with respect to the seat cushion 2 in the direction indicated by the arrow R. The reclining mechanism 6 is driven by the driving force of a reclining motor 16 (see fig. 3).

The reclining mechanism 7 is an example of a support mechanism that supports the occupant P. As shown in fig. 1, the tilting mechanism 7 has a tilting plate 8 that supports a front portion 21 of the seat cushion 2. The inclined plate 8 is attached to an upper portion of the seat cushion frame 4 in front of the seat, and swings in the up-down direction with respect to the seat cushion frame 4.

As shown in fig. 2, the tilting mechanism 7 performs a tilting operation of swinging the front portion 21 of the seat cushion 2 in the up-down direction with respect to the rear portion 22 in the direction indicated by the arrow T by swinging the tilting plate 8 in the up-down direction. The tilt plate 8 is driven by the driving force of a tilt motor 15 (see fig. 3).

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the seat control device 1. As shown in fig. 3, the seat control device 1 further includes an operation unit 9. The seat 10 further includes a tilt drive portion 11, a recliner drive portion 12, a tilt motor 15, and a recliner motor 16. The weight calculation device 20 includes a control unit 100, a detection unit 13, and a storage unit 14.

After the seat control device 1 is started, the weight calculation device 20 calculates the weight of the occupant P sitting in the seat 10 by the control unit 100 based on the correspondence relationship between the duty ratio d of the PWM (Pulse Width Modulation: pulse width modulation) signal at the time point when the rotation of the tilt motor 15 is detected by the detection unit 13 in the state where the occupant P is supported by the tilt mechanism 7 and the later-described correspondence relationship stored in the storage unit 14.

The operation unit 9 is, for example, an operation panel provided at a predetermined position of the seat back 3 and configured to receive various operations performed by the occupant P. The operation panel is provided with a switch for starting or stopping the seat control device 1, switches for adjusting the movement amounts of the respective mechanisms such as the reclining mechanism 6 and the reclining mechanism 7, and switches for driving the reclining mechanism 6 and the reclining mechanism 7 in a linked manner.

The occupant P can move the reclining mechanism 6 and the reclining mechanism 7 to the desired positions by operating the operating portion 9, and the seat cushion 2 and the seatback 3. Further, the occupant P can cause the reclining mechanism 6 and the reclining mechanism 7 to perform a predetermined sleep-inducing operation by operating the operation unit 9.

The tilt driving unit 11 is an example of a driving unit, and is configured by a switching circuit, for example. The control unit 100 outputs a PWM signal to the tilt driving unit 11, and controls driving of the tilt motor 15 by the tilt driving unit 11. The PWM signal is an example of a control signal.

The reclining drive section 12 is constituted by a switching circuit, for example. The control unit 100 outputs a PWM signal to the reclining driving unit 12, and controls driving of the reclining motor 16 by the reclining driving unit 12.

The tilt motor 15 is constituted by, for example, a DC motor, and has a rotor, a stator, a rotation shaft, and the like, although not shown. The tilt motor 15 is driven by the tilt driving unit 11, and supplies driving force to the tilt mechanism 7. The tilt motor 15 is not limited to a DC motor, and may be a stepping motor, for example.

The reclining motor 16 is constituted by, for example, a DC motor, and has a rotor, a stator, a rotary shaft, and the like, although not shown. The reclining motor 16 is driven by the reclining driving unit 12, and supplies driving force to the reclining mechanism 6. The reclining motor 16 is not limited to a DC motor, and may be a stepping motor, for example.

The detection unit 13 is constituted by, for example, a hall IC, and detects rotation of the tilt motor 15. The detection unit 13 is not limited to the hall IC, and may be a rotary encoder, for example. The detection unit 13 is disposed at least one at a predetermined position on the stator side facing the magnetic poles of the rotor in the tilt motor 15. The detection unit 13 outputs a pulse signal to the control unit 100 every time the rotation of the tilt motor 15 is detected.

Here, the rotation of the tilt motor 15 may be one rotation or less. The rotation of the rotation amount of one rotation or less is, for example, 1/2 rotation and 1/3 rotation. When the tilt motor 15 is a DC motor and the detection unit 13 is a hall IC, the detection of the rotation of the DC motor refers to a case where the hall IC detects that a predetermined position of the rotating rotor passes the vicinity of the hall IC.

The storage unit 14 is, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory). When the reclining mechanism 7 is operated by the control unit 100 in a state in which the occupant P is seated on the seat 10, the storage unit 14 stores in advance a correspondence relationship between the duty ratio d of the PWM signal at the time point when the rotation of the reclining motor 15 is detected by the detection unit 13 and the weight of the occupant P supported by the reclining mechanism 7 (see fig. 4).

Fig. 4 is a graph showing a correspondence relationship between the weight of the occupant P and the duty ratio d of the tilt motor 15. The chart of fig. 4 is created, for example, by the following procedure. First, the weights of a plurality of subjects are measured by an existing weight measuring device. Next, in a state where the subject is supported by the tilting mechanism 7, the tilting motor 15 is driven by the control unit 100, and the duty ratio d at the time when the rotation of the tilting motor 15 is detected by the detection unit 13 is recorded. The same process is repeated for a plurality of subjects, and the measurement value of the weight of each subject is plotted on the horizontal axis and the duty ratio d at the time point when the rotation of the tilt motor 15 is detected by the detection unit 13 is plotted on the vertical axis. Then, the graph of fig. 4 is created by approximating a plurality of drawing points once. The process of creating the graph of fig. 4 is not limited to the above-described process.

As shown in fig. 4, the duty ratio d at the time point when the rotation of the tilt motor 15 is detected by the detection portion 13 is larger in the case where the occupant P having a relatively heavy weight is seated on the seat 10 than in the case where the occupant P having a relatively light weight is seated on the seat 10. The correspondence relationship between the weight of the occupant P and the duty ratio d shown in fig. 4 is stored in the storage unit 14 in a first approximation.

The control unit 100 is configured by, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit: central processing unit) and the like, and is attached to the seat 10 (see fig. 1). The control unit 100 controls driving of the tilt motor 15 and the reclining motor 16 via the tilt driving unit 11 and the reclining driving unit 12 by executing a program stored in advance in the storage unit 14. Thus, the control unit 100 drives the reclining mechanism 6 and the reclining mechanism 7, and controls the postures of the seat back 3 and the seat cushion 2 (see fig. 2).

The control unit 100 is connected to an ECU (Electronic Control Unit: electronic control unit) mounted on the vehicle, not shown, and obtains the operating state of the vehicle from the ECU. The control unit 100 may be incorporated in the ECU.

[ Flow of control by control section ]

Next, a flow of control by the control unit 100 of the seat control device 1 will be described with reference to fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of control performed by the seat control device 1. In the present embodiment, a description will be given of a case where the seat control device 1 performs a sleep-inducing operation of inducing the occupant P to sleep in a short time, for example. The operation performed by the seat control device 1 is not limited to the sleep guidance operation.

In the flowchart shown in fig. 5, first, the control unit 100 starts the seat control device 1 based on the operation of the operation unit 9 by the occupant P (S1). After S1, the control unit 100 outputs a PWM signal to the tilt driving unit 11 at the duty ratio d of the initial value, thereby driving the tilt motor 15 by the tilt driving unit 11 (S2). The initial value of the duty ratio d of the PWM signal is set to, for example, 0. The initial value of the duty ratio d of the PWM signal may be other than 0, for example, 10%.

After S2, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the rotation of the tilt motor 15 is detected based on the signal of one pulse output from the detection unit 13 (S3). The control unit 100 gradually increases the duty ratio d of the PWM signal output to the tilt motor 15 via the tilt driving unit 11 (S4) before the rotation of the tilt motor 15 is detected by the detecting unit 13 (S3: no). Specifically, the control unit 100 increases the duty ratio d of the PWM signal by, for example, 1% each time.

Then, when the rotation of the tilt motor 15 is detected by the detection unit 13 (yes in S3), that is, when one pulse is output from the detection unit 13, the control unit 100 calculates the weight of the occupant P based on the duty ratio d of the PWM signal at the time point when the rotation of the tilt motor 15 is detected (S5).

In S5, the control unit 100 calculates the weight of the occupant P seated in the seat 10 and supported by the reclining mechanism 7 based on the correspondence relationship (see fig. 4) between the duty ratio d of the PWM signal at the time point when the rotation of the reclining motor 15 is detected by the detection unit 13 and the stored in the storage unit 14.

For example, when the duty ratio d at the time point when the rotation of the tilt motor 15 is detected by the detection unit 13 is 60%, the control unit 100 calculates that the weight of the occupant P is 66kg by referring to the correspondence relationship shown in fig. 4.

Then, the control unit 100 starts driving the reclining mechanism 6 and the reclining mechanism 7 based on the weight of the occupant P calculated in S5 (S6). In S6, the control unit 100 controls the rotation of the tilt motor 15 via the tilt driving unit 11, thereby swinging the tilt mechanism 7 in the up-down direction. Further, the control unit 100 controls the rotation of the reclining motor 16 via the reclining driving unit 12, thereby swinging the reclining mechanism 6 in the front-rear direction.

Specifically, the control unit 100 swings the front portion 21 of the seat cushion 2 in the up-down direction within a predetermined range by the reclining mechanism 7, and swings the seat back 3 in the front-rear direction within a predetermined range by the reclining mechanism 6. In this way, the seat control apparatus 1 performs the sleep-inducing action of inducing the occupant P to sleep in a short time.

At this time, the control unit 100 changes the rotational speeds of the tilt motor 15 and the reclining motor 16 according to the weight of the occupant P calculated in S5. For example, when the weight of the passenger P calculated in S5 is heavier than the standard weight, the rotation speeds of the reclining motor 15 and the reclining motor 16 are increased by setting the duty ratio d of the PWM signal to a large value, so that the reclining mechanism 6 and the reclining mechanism 7 are driven.

On the other hand, when the weight of the occupant P is lighter than the standard weight, the control unit 100 reduces the rotational speeds of the reclining motor 15 and the reclining motor 16, and moves the reclining mechanism 6 and the reclining mechanism 7. In this way, the reclining mechanism 6 and the tilting mechanism 7 can be moved at a constant speed regardless of the weight of the occupant P. Therefore, the reclining mechanism 6 and the reclining mechanism 7 do not rapidly move to give the occupant P a sense of incongruity, and the above-described sleep-inducing operation can be smoothly performed.

After S6, the control unit 100 determines whether or not a closing operation to stop the sleep guidance operation of the seat control device 1 is performed by the operation unit 9 (S7). When the closing operation of the seat control device 1 is performed by the operation unit 9 (S7: yes), the control unit 100 stops the swinging of the reclining mechanism 6 and the reclining mechanism 7 (S8).

In S8, the control unit 100 stops driving of the reclining motor 15 and the reclining motor 16 after moving the seat cushion 2 and the seat back 3 to predetermined driving positions. The driving position is a position of the seat cushion 2 and the seat back 3 suitable for driving the vehicle by the occupant P.

In S8, the controller 100 stops the swinging of the reclining mechanism 7 and the swinging of the reclining mechanism 6 at the same time, so that the waist of the occupant P can be suppressed from being compressed. In addition, the occupant P can easily recognize the end of the sleep guidance operation by the seat control device 1.

Thus, the flow of control of the seat control device 1 by the control unit 100 shown in fig. 5 is ended. In S8, the control unit 100 may not stop the swinging of the reclining mechanism 7 and the swinging of the reclining mechanism 6 at the same time, and may stop the swinging of the reclining mechanism 7 first, for example.

According to the seat control device 1 including the weight calculation device 20 according to the embodiment described above, when the reclining mechanism 7 is caused to perform the reclining operation, the weight of the occupant P can be calculated based on the correspondence relationship between the duty ratio d corresponding to the voltage value applied to the reclining motor 15 at the time point when the rotation of the reclining motor 15 is detected by the detection portion 13 and the stored in the storage portion 14.

Accordingly, it is unnecessary to wait for the seat 10 to be moved a predetermined distance in order to calculate the weight of the occupant P as in the conventional technique, and the weight of the occupant P can be calculated promptly. In addition, since it is not necessary to provide the seat control device 1 with a dedicated load sensor for calculating the weight of the occupant P, it is possible to suppress the cost and calculate the weight of the occupant P with a simple structure.

In particular, the control unit 100 calculates the weight of the occupant P based on the duty ratio d at the time point when the rotation of the tilt motor 15 is detected by the detection unit 13, and thus can grasp the weight of the occupant P more quickly.

Further, since the detection unit 13 is constituted by a hall IC, the rotation of the tilt motor 15 can be reliably detected in accordance with the change in the magnetic field, and the detection unit 13 can be miniaturized.

The control unit 100 starts driving the reclining mechanism 7 and the reclining mechanism 6 based on the weight of the occupant P calculated in S5 (S6). Specifically, the control unit 100 can move the reclining mechanism 7 and the reclining mechanism 6 at a constant speed regardless of the weight of the occupant P by changing the rotational speeds of the reclining motor 15 and the reclining motor 16 according to the weight of the occupant P. This reduces the variation in the operation speeds of the reclining mechanism 7 and the reclining mechanism 6 due to the difference in the weight of each occupant P, and improves the comfort of the occupant P.

[ Other embodiments ]

In the seat control device 1 of the above-described embodiment, the control unit 100 calculates the weight of the occupant P based on the duty ratio d at the time point when the rotation of the tilt motor 15 is detected by the detection unit 13 when the tilting mechanism 7 is caused to perform the tilting operation, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

For example, the control unit 100 may calculate the weight of the occupant P based on the duty ratio d of the reclining motor 16 at the time point when the rotation of the reclining motor 16 is detected when the reclining mechanism 6 is caused to perform the tilting operation. The reclining mechanism 6 is another example of a support mechanism that supports the occupant P. The reclining drive portion is another example of a drive portion.

The control unit 100 may calculate the weight of the occupant P based on the duty ratio d at the time point when the rotation of the lift motor is detected when the lift mechanism for adjusting the height of the seat cushion 2 is driven. Further, the control unit 100 may calculate the weight of the occupant P based on the duty ratio d at the time point when the rotation of the slide motor is detected when the slide mechanism for moving the position of the seat cushion 2 in the front-rear direction is driven. The lifting mechanism is another example of a supporting mechanism that supports the occupant P. The elevation driving part driving the slide motor is another example of the driving part.

In the seat control device 1 of the above embodiment, the control unit 100 controls the rotation speed of the reclining motor 15 by changing the duty ratio d of the PWM signal via the reclining drive unit 11, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

For example, the control unit 100 may control the rotation speed of the tilt motor 15 by outputting a control signal corresponding to a voltage value or a current value applied to the tilt motor 15 via the tilt driving unit 11. In this case, the correspondence between the magnitude of the applied voltage value or the applied current value at the time point when the rotation of the reclining motor 15 is detected and the weight of the occupant P supported by the reclining mechanism 7 is stored in advance in the storage portion 14, and in S5 of fig. 5, the weight of the occupant P may be calculated by the control portion 100 based on the magnitude of the applied voltage value or the applied current value at the time point when the rotation of the reclining motor 15 is detected by the detection portion 13.

[ Software-based implementation example ]

The function of the seat control device 1 (hereinafter referred to as "device") can be realized by a program for causing a computer to function as the device and for causing the computer to function as the control unit 100 of the device.

In this case, the apparatus includes a computer having at least one control device (e.g., a processor) and at least one storage device (e.g., a memory) as hardware for executing the program. The functions described in the above embodiments are realized by executing the program by the control device and the storage device.

The above-described program may be recorded on one or more recording media readable by a computer, instead of being temporary. The recording medium may or may not be provided in the apparatus. In the latter case, the program may be supplied to the apparatus via any transmission medium, wired or wireless.

Part or all of the functions of the control unit 100 may be realized by a logic circuit. For example, an integrated circuit formed with a logic circuit functioning as the control unit 100 is also included in the scope of the present disclosure. In addition to this, the functions of the control unit 100 may be realized by a quantum computer, for example.

The processes described in the above embodiments may be performed by AI (ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE:artificial intelligence). In this case, the AI may operate in the control device, or may operate in another device (for example, an edge computer, a cloud server, or the like).

The present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope indicated by the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in the different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

Description of the reference numerals

1. A seat control device;

2. a seat cushion;

3. A seat back;

6. a recliner mechanism;

7. A tilting mechanism;

9. An operation unit;

10. a seat;

13. A detection unit;

14. a storage unit;

15. A tilting motor;

16. a recliner motor;

20. a weight calculation device;

100. A control unit;

P occupant;

d duty cycle.

Claims (5)

1. A weight calculation device is characterized by comprising:

A detection unit that detects rotation of a motor that drives the support mechanism;

A control unit that controls the motor by outputting a control signal to a driving unit that drives the motor; and

A storage unit that stores a correspondence between a value of an applied voltage applied to the motor, a value of an applied current applied to the motor, or a duty ratio corresponding to the value of the applied voltage applied to the motor, and a weight of the occupant supported by the support mechanism, in correspondence with the control signal at a point of time when the rotation of the motor is detected by the detection unit in a state where the occupant is supported by the support mechanism,

The control unit calculates the weight of the occupant based on the applied voltage value, the applied current value, or the duty ratio corresponding to the applied voltage value at a time point when the rotation of the motor is detected by the detection unit, and the correspondence relationship stored in the storage unit when the support mechanism is caused to perform a predetermined operation.

2. The weight calculation device according to claim 1, wherein,

The control signal is a PWM signal,

A correspondence relationship between the duty ratio of the PWM signal and the weight of the occupant at a point of time when the motor rotates is stored in the storage portion,

The control unit calculates the weight of the occupant based on the correspondence between the duty ratio of the PWM signal at the time point when the rotation of the motor is detected by the detection unit and the stored in the storage unit when the support mechanism is caused to perform a predetermined operation.

3. A seat provided with the weight calculation device according to claim 1 or 2, comprising:

a support mechanism that supports an occupant;

A motor for supplying a driving force for driving the support mechanism;

a seat cushion supporting buttocks of the occupant; and

A seat back supporting a back of the occupant.

4. The seat according to claim 3, wherein,

The support mechanism is a reclining mechanism that swings the front portion of the seat cushion relative to the rear portion, or a reclining mechanism that swings the seat back relative to the seat cushion in the seat front-rear direction,

The motor supplies a driving force for driving the reclining mechanism or the tilting mechanism,

The control unit swings the reclining mechanism in the up-down direction or swings the reclining mechanism in the seat front-rear direction as the predetermined operation, and

The control unit drives at least one of the reclining mechanism and the tilt mechanism based on the weight of the occupant calculated by the weight calculation device.

5. A seat control device comprising the seat according to claim 4, wherein,

The seat control device further includes an operation portion that receives various operations performed by the occupant,

The seat control device is started or stopped when a predetermined operation by the occupant is received by the operation portion.