DE102020213003A1 - Method for blocking seats in a motor vehicle, in particular an autonomously driving motor vehicle, and a seat control system and an autonomous motor vehicle for carrying out this method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for blocking seats in a motor vehicle (12), in particular an autonomously driving motor vehicle (12), and a seat control system (10) and an autonomously driving motor vehicle (12) for carrying out this method, an actuator ( 24) is actuated to adjust at least one seat component (50) in order to block a seat surface (54) of a seat (52) for unauthorized occupation by a passenger, the actuator (24) depending on a status signal (27) of a seat occupancy - Sensor system (26) and an input signal (41) of a seat booking system (40) is actuated.

Description

The invention relates to a method for blocking seats in a motor vehicle, in particular an autonomously driving motor vehicle, as well as a seat control system and an autonomous motor vehicle for carrying out this method according to the species of the independent claims.

State of the art

Foldable seats in vehicles to increase the cabin interior space in vehicles are from the U.S. 9,308,836 B2 famous. Furthermore, adjustable vehicle seats have become known, primarily for reasons of comfort, which are driven by electric actuators, as is the case, for example, in DE 10 2008 031 493 A1 is described. Furthermore, seat memory functions are known which can move the seat into previously stored positions.

The invention should make it possible for a passenger to be able to take his previously booked seat in an autonomously driving vehicle, such as a robot taxi, for example.

Disclosure of Invention

The method according to the invention for blocking seats in a motor vehicle, as well as the seat control system and the autonomous motor vehicle for carrying out this method according to the generic type of the independent claims have the advantage that the vehicle seats that are booked for a passenger by means of a seat - control system are blocked in such a way that no other passenger or object can occupy this reserved seat. To block the seat, a seat component is adjusted in such a way that a seat surface of the seat is not accessible to the unauthorized object. The seat component is actuated by an actuator that is controlled by a control unit. The decision as to which seat surfaces should be blocked is based on the one hand on an input signal from a seat booking system and on the other hand on the signal from a seat occupancy sensor, so that no object is unintentionally trapped when the seat components are adjusted.

Advantageous developments and refinements of the invention are possible as a result of the measures listed in the dependent claims. In order to prevent the reserved seat surface from being occupied by an unauthorized object, the entire backrest is advantageously tilted towards the seat surface as a seat component, so that the backrest covers the seat surface. Alternatively or additionally, the headrest can also be pivoted toward the seat surface, with the headrest also being able to be an integral part of the backrest. Since the backrest and the headrest are already part of a comfort adjustment of the seats in comfortable vehicles, no additional drives are required for the adjustment of the backrest and/or the headrest for the seat occupancy system. As a result, the invention can be implemented very cost-effectively—in particular exclusively in the control unit for the adjustment drives and/or the control unit of the seat occupancy system.

In an alternative embodiment, the seat can be adjusted accordingly by pivoting it—preferably up to the backrest—in the manner of a cinema seat. This also prevents an unauthorized passenger from sitting down on the seat, with the folding up of the seat surface possibly affording more freedom of movement for access to other seats.

In a further embodiment, for example, the armrest of the seat can be adjusted in such a way that it extends over the seat surface. For example, a support bracket can also be arranged on the seat backrest, which is pivoted from the backrest to the seat surface in order to block the seat surface, as is known, for example, from roller coaster seats.

If, for example, the entire vehicle seat with the seat surface as a seat component is shifted along the longitudinal direction of the seat - as is already the case today for a limited adjustment range in luxury vehicles using motorized longitudinal seat adjustment - the seat surface can be shifted so far forward that an unwanted passenger in the footwell cannot finds more space for his feet. This can prevent an unauthorized passenger from sitting on this seat surface.

The seat component can be adjusted in a particularly cost-effective manner using existing seat adjustment drives which, for example, have an electric motor with a gearbox connected thereto. So that the seat component is not willfully reversed by manual adjustment after the seat surface has been blocked, the adjusted seat component can be secured against further manual adjustment. On the one hand, this can be done directly by the self-locking of such a gear drive unit, or the locking can be performed by an additional electronic or mechanical actuator.

It is particularly favorable if the user can also reserve his seat wirelessly in the seat booking system. In particular, the user can use a mobile device to communicate with the seat booking system via the Internet in order to book or cancel seats. As a result, an occupancy plan for a specific trip of the vehicle can be created in the control unit, and the actuators for adjusting the seat components can be controlled accordingly.

When the authorized passenger enters the vehicle, they can authenticate themselves in order to unblock their reserved seat. The actuator for the relevant seat components is controlled accordingly by the authentication in order to make the seat surface accessible to the authorized passenger. For example, the authentication can be done again by a mobile terminal, which communicates with the control unit of the seat control system—in particular wirelessly.

If an electromotive drive unit is used as an actuator for the adjustment of the seat components, a control unit can already be integrated into it, which receives the corresponding control commands from the control unit. On the other hand, several electromotive drive units of a seat or several seats can also be controlled by a central control unit, as a result of which the number of electronic components in the drive units can be reduced. Such a central control unit can advantageously also receive signals from a pre-crash sensor system, as a result of which the seats can be quickly brought into an optimal position for safety-related restraint devices in the event of an imminent accident. An interior monitor is advantageously arranged in the vehicle, which can also monitor the occupancy of the individual seat surfaces. For example, an interior camera or a sensitive seat occupancy mat is used for such a seat occupancy sensor system. Likewise, pressure sensors or weight sensors can also be used as an alternative or in addition to detecting seat occupancy.

Such a seat occupancy sensor system can prevent objects from being trapped when the seat surfaces are blocked by adjusting the seat components. The adjustment of these seat components is therefore stopped and/or reversed when the sensor system detects that an unintended object is located on a seat surface or within the planned adjustment range of the seat components. This can prevent damage caused by people or other objects becoming trapped between the seat components and the seat bottom (or in the footwell).

The method according to the invention is implemented by a seat control system in which a control unit receives information about the seat surfaces to be blocked from a seat booking system. The control unit is connected to a control unit that controls the actuators for the seat components in order to block the seat surfaces. Such a seat control system can be very cost-effectively based on many hardware components of a comfort seat adjustment, with the method steps for controlling the actuators being generated electronically in the control unit. In principle, such a control unit of the seat control system can be implemented in electronics inside the vehicle or also virtually outside the vehicle. Since the control unit preferably communicates with the user's mobile terminals via the Internet, the control unit can also be implemented in a server that communicates with a control unit in the motor vehicle via the Internet. In such a system, it is therefore possible to decide very flexibly which components are arranged inside the vehicle and which components are physically arranged outside the vehicle.

The method and system according to the invention for blocking seats is used particularly advantageously in a motor vehicle that does not require a driver. In contrast to a normal taxi, a conflict can arise here if a reserved seat is already occupied by unauthorized people and objects. The control system according to the invention is intended to ensure that the authorized passenger always has direct access to his reserved seat. In addition, the blocking device of the seat can be designed in such a way that the seat surface is prevented from being soiled undesirably by the covering of the seat surface by means of the adjustable seat components. In this way, such a seat control system can help to ensure that the legitimate availability of seats in robot taxis or buses or rail vehicles is guaranteed for the entitled passenger.

The invention is explained in more detail below using examples, but without being restricted thereto.

• 1 eine schematische Darstellung des erfindungsgemäßen Verfahren und Systems zum Blockieren von Sitzflächen in einem Kraftfahrzeug, und
• 2 - 5 verschiedene erfindungsgemäße Ausführungen von verstellbaren Sitzkomponenten des Sitz-Kontrollsystems.

Show it

• 1 a schematic representation of the method and system according to the invention for blocking seat surfaces in a motor vehicle, and
• 2 - 5 various embodiments of adjustable seat components of the seat control system according to the invention.

In 1 a method for blocking seat surfaces in a motor vehicle (KFZ) by means of a seat control system 10 is shown schematically. A control unit 20 receives signals with the information as to which seats in a motor vehicle (motor vehicle) 12 are to be reserved for which users. This information is made available, for example, by a seat booking system 40 which can also be part of the control unit 20 . The seat booking system 40 communicates with potential users of the seats, with seats in the motor vehicle 12 for a specific journey being able to be booked and reserved, for example via the Internet, from a—preferably mobile—end device 30 . The seat booking system 40 then supplies an input signal 41 to the control unit 20, which represents a seat occupancy plan of the motor vehicle 12. The control unit 20, which can also be arranged at least partially outside of the motor vehicle 12, communicates with a control unit 22, which is preferably arranged in the motor vehicle 12 as an electronic unit. When a corresponding input signal 41 from the seat occupancy system 40 is present, the control unit 22 actuates one or more actuators 24 which adjust the seat components 50 of the motor vehicle seat 52 . If there is an input signal 41 for reserving a specific seat, the adjusted seat component 50 blocks a seat surface 54 of the motor vehicle seat 52, so that the seat surface 54 cannot be occupied by an unauthorized user. So that the blocking of the seat surface cannot be canceled by manual adjustment of the seat component 50, the seat component 50 can optionally also be secured against manual adjustment by means of a lock 28. For this purpose, for example, the control unit 22 can actuate an additional mechanical locking actuator 29 or electronically lock the actuator 24 for the adjustment of the seat components 50 against unauthorized adjustment. In order to prevent an object 36 from being pinched undesirably when the seat component 50 is adjusted, the seat surface 54 and/or the potential adjustment path of the seat component 50 is monitored by means of a seat occupancy sensor system 26 . This seat occupancy sensor system 26 supplies a status signal 27 to the control unit 22 which, when an obstacle 36 is detected, stops the adjustment process of the seat component 50 and, if necessary, reverses it in order to release the trapped object 36 again. The seat occupancy sensor system 26 can preferably have an interior camera or a seat occupancy mat or other weight and pressure sensors which, individually or in combination, detect an obstacle in the adjustment path of the seat component 50 to be adjusted or an unexpected object 36, such as a body part 36 or another object.

If an authorized user enters the motor vehicle, the blocking of his reserved seat is canceled by the actuator 24 moving the seat component 50 back and thus releasing the seat surface 54 . The authorized user preferably identifies himself by means of an authentication system 32, which recognizes the reservation for this user. In this case, for example, the user's mobile terminal device 30 communicates via the Internet with the authentication system 32 , which gives the control unit 22 the release signal 33 for the reserved seat surface 54 . The authentication system 32 can be configured virtually as part of the control system 20 or as part of the control unit 22—in particular physically in the motor vehicle.

In 2 For example, a motor vehicle seat 52 is shown, as it can be arranged in a motor vehicle 12, preferably an autonomously driving vehicle—such as a robot taxi or a driverless bus or a rail vehicle. The motor vehicle seat 52 has a seat surface 54 which 2 is freely accessible so that a passenger or user can sit on it. The motor vehicle seat 52 is attached to a floor 14 of the motor vehicle 12, for example via a rail 16 or other fastening elements 18. To block the seat surface 54 for unauthorized users, one or more seat components 50 per motor vehicle seat 52 can now be adjusted using the actuators 24 will. The seat surface 54 is formed on a base part 56 of the motor vehicle seat 52 which is also a seat component 50 of the motor vehicle seat 52 . In a first embodiment, in order to block the seat surface 54, the base part 56 as a seat component 50 can be adjusted by sliding it in the longitudinal direction 58 of the seat along the floor 14 to such an extent that foot space 60 for the passenger is taken up by the base part 56. In this case, a geared drive unit 25 of the longitudinal seat adjustment serves as the actuator 24 , which adjusts the entire motor vehicle seat 52 along the rail 16 in the longitudinal direction 58 of the seat via the base part 56 . By blocking the foot space 60, the use of the seat 54 is at least very severely restricted, so that this seat remains reserved for the authorized user.

In a further embodiment according to 3 the base part 56 is folded up to a seat back 62 as a seat component 50 . For this purpose, in particular the base part 56 is rotated about an axis of rotation 66 between the base part 56 and the seat back 62 in the manner of a cinema seat by an adjustment path 48 . This rotation takes place by means of the actuator 24, which is controlled by the control unit 22. In this embodiment, the front fastening element 18 is detached from the floor 14 so that the seat surface 54 - preferably completely - faces the seat back 62 or rests against the seat back 62 as a result of the pivoting of the base part 56 .

In 4 Another embodiment is shown in which the seat back 62 is folded as the seat component 50 toward the base part 56 so that its seat surface 54 is blocked by the seat back 62 . For this purpose, in particular the seat back 62 is rotated about the axis of rotation 66 between the base part 56 and the seat back 62 by the adjustment path 48 . This rotation takes place by means of the actuator 24, which is controlled by the control unit 22. In this embodiment, the seat surface 54 of the base part is covered—preferably completely—by the pivoting of the seat back 62, so that the seat surface is blocked for unauthorized use.

In a further embodiment according to 5 a support bracket 68 is pivoted as a seat component 50 from the seat back 62 in the direction of the seat surface 54 . The support bracket 68 can be designed as a kind of armrest on which the authorized user can rest his arms. In particular, the support bracket 68 is designed as an integral part of the seat back 62 , which is then rotated about a further axis of rotation 69 along the adjustment path 48 to block the seat surface 54 and is then arranged over the seat surface 54 . This rotation takes place by means of the actuator 24, which is controlled by the control unit 22. Alternatively or additionally, as a seat component 50, a headrest 64 can be pivoted toward the backrest 62 in order in this case to block the backrest 62 with regard to a comfortable sitting position. The headrest 64 can be rotated about an additional axis of rotation 65 along the adjustment path 48 . The headrest 64 can also be an integral part of the seat back 62 here. Here, too, the rotation takes place by means of the actuator 24 which is controlled by the control unit 22 .

It should be noted that with regard to the exemplary embodiments shown in the figures and in the description, a wide variety of possible combinations of the individual features are possible. For example, the actuator can be designed as an electric motor, in particular as a DC or as an EC motor, and can be combined with different gear designs. An electric motor in combination with a spindle gear, a planetary gear or a spur gear can preferably be used as the gear drive unit 25 . Preferably, drive units 25 can also be used for the seat control system 10, which are already used for the comfort seat adjustment. The actuator 24 can preferably adjust the seat component 50 in both directions, so that the seat surface 54 is also released by the motorized actuator 24 . Alternatively, the adjustment path can also be implemented in a first direction, for example by means of a preloaded spring, which is preloaded in the opposite adjustment direction by the actuator 24 . The seat occupancy sensor system 26 can be embodied as separate components, or it can also be integrated into the anti-trap function of the adjustment drives 25, in particular into the position detection of the seat components 50 to be adjusted. The control unit 22 can also be an integral part of the actuator 24, or as a central control unit 22 'Be designed for several electric drive units 25 (see 3 ). The method according to the invention can be used for blocking and releasing the seats in the motor vehicle 12 . The seat control system 10 is particularly suitable for driverless vehicles such as robo-taxis or ride-sharing vehicles.

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of documents cited by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent Literature Cited

• US 9308836 B2 [0002]
• DE 102008031493 A1 [0002]

Claims (14)

Method for blocking seats in a motor vehicle (12), in particular an autonomously driving motor vehicle (12), an actuator (24) for adjusting at least one seat component (50) being controlled in order to move a seat surface (54) of a seat (52) for to block unauthorized occupation by a passenger, the actuator (24) being actuated depending on a status signal (27) of a seat occupancy sensor system (26) and on an input signal (41) of a seat booking system (40). procedure after claim 1 , characterized in that a backrest (62) and/or a headrest (64) is folded down towards the seat surface (54) as the seat component (50). procedure after claim 1 , characterized in that as a seat component (50), the seat surface (54) is folded up towards the backrest (62). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an armrest or a support bracket (68) is folded over towards the seat surface (54) as the seat component (50). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a seat base (56) is displaced in the longitudinal direction (58) of the seat as the seat component (50) in order to block a foot space (60) for the passenger. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the seat component (50) to be adjusted is adjusted hydraulically, pneumatically or by an electric motor and then locked electronically or mechanically in order to secure the seat component (50) against manual adjustment. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the seat booking system (40) communicates with a user via the Internet - in particular via a mobile terminal (30) - in order to reserve or release a seat in the motor vehicle (12). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a seat reserved by the blocking by means of an authentication system (32) - preferably via the passenger's mobile terminal device (30) - can be released by the seat component (50) being adjusted back in order to to release the seat surface (54), in particular the input signal (41) of the seat booking system (40) can also be changed while the motor vehicle (12) is driving. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the actuator (24) is designed as an electromotive drive unit (25) which is controlled by means of a control unit (22) which is arranged inside the motor vehicle (12) - in particular a central control unit (22') controls several actuators (24) for several seat components (50). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the seat occupancy sensor system (26) comprises an interior camera or a pressure sensor or a weight sensor or a seat occupancy mat. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the seat occupancy sensor system (26) detects an obstacle (36) on the seat surface (54) or in the adjustment path (48) of the seat component (50), and an adjustment of the at least one seat component ( 50) stops or reverses to prevent the obstacle from being pinched by the seat component (50). Seat control system (10) for blocking and releasing seats in the motor vehicle (12), with a control unit (22) which adjusts at least one seat component (50) of the vehicle seat (52) in order to move a seat surface (54) of the motor vehicle seat (52) to block or release unauthorized occupation by a passenger, the control unit (22) communicating with a control unit (20) which uses a seat booking system (40) to provide a seat occupancy plan for the adjustment of the seat components (50). Seat control system (10) according to claim 12 characterized in that the control unit (20) and the seat booking system (40) are arranged at least partially outside the vehicle (12) and communicate in particular via the Internet with the control unit (22) arranged in the motor vehicle (12). Autonomously driving motor vehicle (12) with adjustable seat components (50) having vehicle seats (52) by means of the seat control system (10) according to one of Claims 12 - 13 and according to the procedure after claim 1 - 11 are adjustable in order to block or release reserved seating surfaces (54) of the vehicle seats (52) for passengers.

Images