JP2006008098A - Seat control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a seat control device capable of automatically controlling the seating comfort of a seat. <P>SOLUTION: A vehicular behavior prediction unit 11 predicts the vehicular behavior from the outputs of a navigation device 2, an acceleration sensor 32 and an camera 33 outside a vehicle, and an occupant state detection unit 12 detects the state of an occupant from the output of a camera 35 in the vehicle and a seat sensor 36. A seat control unit 13 sets the seating comfort of a seat by controlling a seat position adjusting mechanism 41, a back rest angle adjusting mechanism 42, a seat belt control mechanism 43, a lumber support adjusting mechanism 44, a cushion control mechanism 45, and a pendulum mechanism 46 based on the state of the occupant and the vehicular behavior. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a seat control device that controls the seat state of a vehicle, and more particularly, to a seat control device that can improve the sitting comfort of an occupant.

  Conventionally, various techniques have been devised in order to improve the ride comfort of a vehicle. For example, Patent Document 1 performs fuzzy inference based on signals from a vehicle speed sensor, an accelerator opening sensor, and a stop switch to determine at least one traveling mode during vehicle congestion or when the vehicle is stopped. In response to the above, a technique is disclosed for controlling the damper constant of the suspension of each wheel to improve the riding comfort in an extremely low speed traveling state while ensuring the stability of the vehicle.

  Further, Patent Document 2 calculates the lateral G change amount estimated value from the steering angle of the steering and the output of the vehicle speed sensor, and controls the damping of the shock absorber according to the lateral G change amount estimated value, thereby suppressing the roll. And technology to improve ride comfort.

  Furthermore, the suspension control device disclosed in Patent Document 3 is good in that it quickly responds to the lateral acceleration in the front / rear / left / right direction acting on the vehicle during traveling by controlling the shock absorbers on the left and right sides of the vehicle body according to the lateral acceleration change. Achieving a comfortable ride and maneuverability.

  In addition, Patent Document 4 prevents bottoming when traveling on roads with large irregularities or when suddenly accelerating or decelerating by changing the spring constant of the suspension when stopping or during normal traveling and sudden acceleration. A technology for improving ride comfort is disclosed.

  Furthermore, Patent Document 5 embeds an air bag in the seat cushion and seat back of the seat, and changes the damping coefficient of the air bag in accordance with the acceleration on the front wheel spring, thereby improving the riding comfort corresponding to the road surface condition. The technology to do is disclosed.

  Further, Patent Document 6 controls the damping characteristics of each shock absorber according to the vertical motion signal of the spring, thereby ensuring both riding comfort during straight traveling and steering stability during steering without using a steering sensor. A vehicle suspension system is disclosed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-131827 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-32268 JP-A-8-2231 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-60860 JP-A-6-24261 JP-A-9-109642

  In the above-described prior art, the ride comfort is improved by controlling the suspension and the like during traveling and reducing the influence of vibration caused by traveling on the vehicle body.

  On the other hand, factors other than vibrations that occur during travel, for example, the “sitting comfort” of the seat itself, such as the position of the seat, the angle of the backrest, and the stiffness of the cushion, have to be set manually by each occupant.

  Therefore, the realization of an in-vehicle device that automatically controls such “sitting comfort” and automatically provides “sitting comfort” that is comfortable for each occupant has been an important issue.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art and to solve the problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a seat control device capable of automatically controlling the seating comfort of the seat.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a seat control device according to the invention of claim 1 is a seat control device for controlling a seat state of a vehicle, and acquires a seating state of a passenger of a vehicle. An occupant state acquisition unit and a seat state control unit that controls the seat state of the occupant based on the occupant state acquired by the occupant state acquisition unit.

  According to the first aspect of the invention, the seat control device acquires the seating state of the vehicle occupant on the seat and controls the seat state of the occupant based on the acquired occupant state.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a seat control device according to the first aspect, wherein the seat state control means is a position adjusting means for adjusting a position of the seat in the front-rear direction, and a backrest angle for adjusting a seat backrest angle. Adjustment means, seat belt control means for adjusting the state of the seat belt, lumbar support control means for controlling the lumbar support for fixing the occupant's body in the vicinity of the occupant, and cushion control for controlling the state of the seat cushion At least one of a mechanism and a swing control mechanism for controlling the swing of the seat is provided.

  According to the invention of claim 2, the seat control device acquires the seating state of the vehicle occupant with respect to the seat, and based on the acquired occupant state, the position adjusting means for adjusting the position of the seat in the front-rear direction, the seat backrest Back angle adjustment means for adjusting the angle, seat belt control means for adjusting the state of the seat belt, lumbar support control means for controlling the lumbar support for fixing the occupant's body in the vicinity of the occupant side, the seat cushion It controls a cushion control mechanism that controls the state, a swing control mechanism that controls the swing of the seat, and the like.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a seat control device according to the second aspect of the invention, wherein the seat belt control means controls the seat belt by controlling the tightening strength of the seat belt and / or the fixing position of the seat belt. It is characterized by adjusting the wearing state.

  According to the invention of claim 3, the seat control device adjusts the binding state by changing the fastening strength and the fixing position of the seat belt based on the state of the occupant.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a seat control apparatus according to the third aspect of the invention, wherein the seat belt control means controls the belt height adjusting mechanism for controlling the attachment position of the seat belt to the pillar. It is characterized in that the fixed position of the is changed.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the seat control device controls the belt height adjusting mechanism for controlling the attachment position of the seat belt with respect to the pillar based on the state of the occupant, thereby adjusting the seat belt binding state. .

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a seat control apparatus according to the third or fourth aspect of the invention, wherein the seat belt control means controls the belt position adjusting mechanism for controlling the attachment position of the seat belt to the seat. The fixing position of the seat belt is changed.

  According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the seat control device adjusts the seat belt binding state by controlling the belt position adjusting mechanism for controlling the attachment position of the seat belt to the seat based on the state of the occupant.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a seat control device according to any one of the second to fifth aspects, wherein the swing control mechanism includes a hemispherical seat lower portion having a magnetic material, and a coil that generates a magnetic force when energized. And a seat support section having a seat, and the seat tilt is controlled and the seat is fixed by energizing the coil.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a seat control device is provided for energizing a coil with respect to a swing control mechanism having a hemispherical seat lower portion having a magnetic body and a seat support portion having a coil that generates a magnetic force when energized. Change the amount to control the tilt of the seat and fix the seat.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a seat control device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the seat state control means is configured such that when the occupant's operating frequency is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, The seat state of the passenger is changed based on the seating state.

  According to the seventh aspect of the invention, the seat control device changes the seat state of the occupant based on the seating state when the operation frequency is equal to or higher than a predetermined value.

  The seat control device according to claim 8 is the seat control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the occupant state acquisition means determines that the occupant is sleeping. In this case, the seat state of the occupant is changed based on the seated state of the occupant.

  According to the invention of claim 8, when the occupant is sleeping, the seat control device controls the occupant's seat based on the seating state.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the seat control device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the seat state control means controls the seat state so that the pressure applied to the occupant's seat is uniform. It is characterized by changing.

  According to the invention of claim 9, the seat control device acquires the seating state of the vehicle occupant on the seat, and controls the seat state so that the pressure applied to the occupant's seat is constant based on the acquired occupant state. To do.

  The seat control device according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is the seat control device according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, further comprising in-vehicle imaging means for imaging the interior of the vehicle, wherein the occupant state acquisition means is the in-vehicle imaging means. The seating state with respect to the occupant's seat is acquired from the photographing result of the above.

  According to the invention of claim 10, the seat control device photographs the interior of the vehicle, acquires the seating state of the vehicle occupant's seat from the photographing result, and controls the seat state of the occupant.

  The seat control device according to the invention of claim 11 further comprises a surface pressure sensor for detecting the surface pressure applied to the seat surface and / or the backrest of the seat according to any one of the inventions of the claims 1 to 10, The occupant state acquisition means acquires a seating state of the occupant on the seat from a detection result by the surface pressure sensor.

  According to the invention of claim 11, the seat control device detects the surface pressure applied to the seat surface and the backrest of the seat by the surface pressure sensor, acquires the seating state of the vehicle occupant on the seat from the detection result, and Control the seating status of the car.

  A seat control device according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention is the seat control device according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, further comprising vehicle behavior prediction means for predicting the behavior of the vehicle, wherein the seat state control means is the vehicle Seat control is performed to cancel seat swing caused by the behavior predicted by the behavior prediction means.

  According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the seat control device acquires the seating state of the vehicle occupant on the seat, predicts the behavior of the vehicle, and determines the seat state of the occupant based on the behavior of the vehicle and the state of the occupant. Control.

  The seat control device according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention is the seat control apparatus according to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, further comprising an out-of-vehicle photographing means for photographing the periphery of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle behavior predicting means is based on a photographing result by the out-of-vehicle photographing means. And predicting the vehicle behavior.

  According to the invention of claim 13, the seat control device photographs the periphery of the vehicle, predicts the behavior of the vehicle from the photographed result, and based on the behavior of the vehicle and the seating state of the occupant's seat, Control the state.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a seat control device according to the twelfth or thirteenth aspect of the present invention, further comprising an acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration applied to the vehicle, wherein the vehicle behavior predicting means is based on a detection result by the acceleration sensor. Based on this, the vehicle behavior is predicted.

  According to the fourteenth aspect of the invention, the seat control device detects acceleration applied to the vehicle by the acceleration sensor, predicts the behavior of the vehicle from the detection result, and based on the behavior of the vehicle and the seating state of the occupant's seat. Control the seat status of the passenger.

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the invention, in the seat control device according to the twelfth, thirteenth, or fourteenth aspect, the vehicle behavior predicting means obtains information related to a planned travel route of the host vehicle, and information related to the planned travel route. The vehicle behavior is predicted based on the above.

  According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the seat control device obtains information related to the planned travel route of the host vehicle to predict the behavior of the vehicle, and based on the behavior of the vehicle and the seating state of the occupant on the seat, Control seating status.

  According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a seat control device according to any one of the first to fifteenth aspects, wherein the occupant state acquisition means acquires a state for each of a plurality of occupants, and the seat state control means. Is characterized in that the state of the seat is individually controlled based on the state of the corresponding occupant.

  According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the seat control device acquires the seating state for each of the plurality of occupants and individually controls the seat state of each occupant based on the acquired occupant state.

  According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a seat control device according to any one of the first to sixteenth aspects, wherein the occupant identifying means for identifying the occupant, the occupant information identified by the occupant identifying means, and the seat state control. Storage means for storing the control state by the means in association with each other.

  According to the invention of claim 17, the seat control device acquires the seating state of the vehicle occupant on the seat, controls the seat state of the occupant based on the acquired occupant state, identifies the occupant, and identifies the occupant. The information and the state of the seat are associated and stored.

  According to the invention of claim 1, the seat control device acquires the seating state of the vehicle occupant with respect to the seat, and controls the seat state of the occupant based on the acquired occupant state. There is an effect that an improved seat control device can be obtained.

  According to the invention of claim 2, the seat control device acquires a seating state of the vehicle occupant with respect to the seat, and based on the acquired occupant state, a position adjusting means for adjusting a position in the front-rear direction of the seat, Backrest angle adjustment means for adjusting the backrest angle, seatbelt control means for adjusting the seat belt binding state, lumbar support control means for controlling the lumbar support for fixing the occupant's body near the occupant's side, seat cushion Since the cushion control mechanism for controlling the state of the seat and the swing control mechanism for controlling the seat swing are controlled, it is possible to obtain a seat control device capable of controlling the seating comfort automatically and in detail. .

  According to the invention of claim 3, the seat control device adjusts the binding state by changing the tightening strength and the fixing position of the seat belt based on the occupant's state. It is possible to obtain an adjustable seat control device.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the seat control device controls the belt height adjusting mechanism for controlling the position of the seat belt attached to the pillar based on the occupant's state, thereby adjusting the seat belt binding state. As a result, the seat control device capable of automatically adjusting the height of the seat belt can be obtained.

  According to the invention of claim 5, the seat control device adjusts the seat belt binding state by controlling the belt position adjusting mechanism for controlling the attachment position of the seat belt to the seat based on the state of the occupant. Therefore, there is an effect that a seat control device capable of automatically adjusting the fixing position of the seat belt can be obtained.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a seat control device for a swing control mechanism including a hemispherical seat lower portion having a magnetic body and a seat support portion having a coil that generates a magnetic force when energized. Since the seat inclination is controlled and the seat is fixed by changing the energization amount, there is an effect that it is possible to obtain a seat control device capable of controlling the swing and inclination of the seat.

  Further, according to the invention of claim 7, the seat control device detects the movement of the occupant and changes the seat state of the occupant based on the sitting state when the operation frequency is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. It is possible to identify a situation where the user feels that the seating comfort is bad and to obtain a seat control device that automatically improves the seating comfort.

  Further, according to the invention of claim 8, when the occupant is sleeping, the seat control device controls the occupant's seat based on the seating state, so that the occupant sleeps when the occupant is sleeping. It is possible to obtain a seat control device that automatically controls a state suitable for the vehicle.

  According to the invention of claim 9, the seat control device acquires the seating state of the vehicle occupant in the seat, and changes the seat state so that the pressure applied to the occupant's seat is constant based on the acquired occupant state. Since the control is performed, it is possible to obtain a seat control device that automatically determines a comfortable seat state for the passenger and controls the seat.

  According to the invention of claim 10, the seat control device captures the passenger compartment of the vehicle by acquiring the seating state of the vehicle occupant's seat from the photographed result, and controlling the seat state of the occupant. It is possible to obtain a seat control device that obtains the details in detail and automatically controls the sitting comfort.

  According to the invention of claim 11, the seat control device detects the surface pressure applied to the seat surface and the backrest of the seat by the surface pressure sensor, acquires the seating state of the vehicle occupant on the seat from the detection result, and Since the occupant's seat state is controlled, there is an effect that it is possible to obtain a seat control device that easily acquires the occupant's state and automatically controls the sitting comfort.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the seat control device acquires the seating state of the vehicle occupant on the seat, predicts the behavior of the vehicle, and based on the behavior of the vehicle and the state of the occupant, the seat state of the occupant As a result, the seat control device capable of preventing the deterioration of the sitting comfort due to the behavior of the vehicle can be obtained.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the seat control device photographs the periphery of the vehicle, predicts the behavior of the vehicle from the photographing result, and based on the behavior of the vehicle and the seating state of the occupant on the seat, Since the seat state is controlled, it is possible to obtain a seat control device capable of easily predicting the behavior of the vehicle and preventing the deterioration of the sitting comfort due to the vehicle behavior.

  According to the fourteenth aspect of the invention, the seat control device detects acceleration applied to the vehicle by the acceleration sensor, predicts the behavior of the vehicle from the detection result, and based on the behavior of the vehicle and the seating state of the occupant's seat. Thus, the seat state of the occupant is controlled, so that it is possible to obtain a seat control device capable of reliably detecting the behavior of the vehicle and preventing the deterioration of the sitting comfort due to the vehicle behavior.

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the seat control device obtains information related to the planned travel route of the host vehicle, predicts the behavior of the vehicle, and based on the behavior of the vehicle and the seating state of the occupant on the seat Since the seat state of the vehicle is controlled, it is possible to obtain a seat control device that can predict the behavior of the vehicle from the planned route and prevent the deterioration of the sitting comfort due to the vehicle behavior.

  According to the invention of claim 16, the seat control device acquires the seating state for each of the plurality of occupants and individually controls the seat state of each occupant based on the acquired occupant state. For each of the passengers, there is an effect that it is possible to obtain a seat control device that individually improves the seating comfort of the seat.

  According to the invention of claim 17, the seat control device acquires the state of the seated occupant with respect to the seat of the vehicle, controls the seat state of the occupant based on the acquired occupant state, identifies the occupant, and Since the identification information and the state of the seat are stored in association with each other, it is possible to improve the seating comfort of the seat by automatic control and to obtain a seat control device that can be reflected in the subsequent travel.

  Exemplary embodiments of a vehicle seat control apparatus according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle seat control apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the seat control device 1 includes a navigation device 2, an acceleration sensor 32, an outside camera 33, an occupant identification device 34, an in-vehicle camera 35, a seat sensor 36, a seat position adjustment mechanism 41, a backrest angle adjustment mechanism 42, The seat belt control mechanism 43, the lumbar support mechanism 44, the cushion control mechanism 45, and the pendulum mechanism 46 are connected.

  The navigation device 2 is a device that sets and guides the travel route of the host vehicle. Specifically, the navigation device 2 acquires the current position of the host vehicle by the GPS communication unit 31, specifies the road on which the host vehicle is traveling using the map data 21, and uses a display or a speaker (not shown). Perform route guidance.

  The acceleration sensor 32 detects acceleration applied to the host vehicle and outputs the detected acceleration to the seat control device 1, and the outside camera 33 captures an image around the host vehicle, particularly in front of the host vehicle, and the captured image is sent to the seat control device 1. Output.

  The occupant identification device 34 identifies an occupant on the vehicle by inputting from the occupant or inserting a predetermined recording medium. Further, the in-vehicle camera 35 captures images of the passenger compartment, particularly passengers, and outputs the captured images to the seat control device 1. Note that when the occupant identification device 34 identifies an occupant by image processing, an image taken by the in-vehicle camera 35 may be used.

  The seat sensor 36 is a sensor that is provided on the seating surface and the backrest of the seat and detects pressure applied to the seating surface and the backrest, and outputs a detection result to the seat control device 1.

  The seat position adjustment mechanism 41 is a mechanism that adjusts the position of the seat in the front-rear direction. The backrest angle adjustment mechanism 42 is a mechanism that adjusts the angle of the backrest of the seat. The seat belt control mechanism 43 is a mechanism that adjusts the binding state of the seat belt.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the seat belt control mechanism 43 has a belt height adjusting mechanism 43b that changes the height of the belt 43a with respect to the seat S1. And the seatbelt control mechanism 43 controls the binding state of a seatbelt by changing the fixing position of a seatbelt by this belt height adjustment mechanism 43b.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the belt height adjusting mechanism 43b may be slidably attached to the pillar P1 of the vehicle body.

  The configuration of the seat belt control mechanism 43 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is a configuration example suitable for controlling the seat belt in the driver's seat and the passenger seat. A similar configuration can also be applied to the rear seat. The seat belt control mechanism 43 may have other configurations.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a configuration in which a belt position adjusting mechanism 43c that slides with respect to the seat S2 may be provided, or a belt position adjusting mechanism 43c that rotates with respect to the seat S3 as shown in FIG. The structure which provides may be sufficient. Even in these configurations, the fixed position of the belt 43a can be changed and the bound state can be controlled as in the configurations of FIGS. Further, the seat belt control mechanism 43 realizes an optimum binding state by controlling the fastening strength of the seat belt 43 together.

  The lumbar support mechanism 44 is a mechanism that supports the occupant's body in the vicinity of the occupant's side and in the vicinity of the ribs and suppresses lateral acceleration, and supports the occupant's body h1 as shown in FIG. The cushion control mechanism 45 includes, for example, an air cushion provided in the seat and a compressor that controls the air pressure inside the air cushion, and is a mechanism that adjusts the hardness of the seating surface and the backrest. Further, the pendulum mechanism 46 is a mechanism for controlling the swing of the seat.

  A specific example of the structure of the pendulum mechanism 46 is shown in FIG. In the figure, the lower part of the seating surface of the seat is formed in a hemispherical shape, and a magnet 56 is embedded in the center of the lower part of the hemispherical shape. And the coils 52-55 are arrange | positioned in a seat support part, and control of the inclination of the seat surface 51 is controlled by supplying with electricity to these coils 52-55. That is, the position of the seat is fixed and the tilt is controlled by the ratio of electromagnetic force generated by energizing the coils 52 to 55. Although four coils are used in FIG. 7, the number of coils can be arbitrarily set.

  The seat control device 1 includes a vehicle behavior prediction unit 11, an occupant state detection unit 12, a seat control unit 12, and a storage unit 14 therein. The vehicle behavior prediction unit 11 predicts the behavior of the host vehicle based on the outputs of the acceleration sensor 32, the vehicle exterior camera 33, and the navigation device 2.

  That is, from the output of the outside camera 33, the road condition and the curve condition in front of the host vehicle can be acquired, and the occurrence of the vertical shaking and the lateral acceleration of the vehicle can be predicted in advance. it can. Similarly, the map data of the planned travel route can be acquired from the navigation device 2, and the occurrence of acceleration in the left-right direction can be predicted from the presence or absence of the curve and its curvature. Further, since the acceleration sensor 32 directly detects the acceleration applied to the vehicle, the vibration and acceleration at the seat position can be calculated from the acceleration applied to the vehicle body.

  The occupant state detection unit 12 detects the state of the occupant, that is, “the state where the occupant is moving”, “the state where the occupant is sleeping”, and the like based on the outputs of the in-vehicle camera 35 and the seat sensor 36. The body shape of the occupant is determined from the output of the in-vehicle camera 35, and the weight of the occupant is calculated from the output of the seat sensor 36.

  Then, the seat control unit 13 controls the seat state (seat position adjustment mechanism 41, backrest angle adjustment mechanism 42, seat belt control based on the prediction result by the vehicle behavior prediction unit 11 and the detection result by the occupant state detection unit 12. Control of the mechanism 43, the lumbar support mechanism 44, the cushion control mechanism 45, and the pendulum mechanism 46).

  Specifically, the seat control unit 13 changes the state of the seat in which the occupant is seated when the occupant operation frequency is equal to or higher than a predetermined value as a result of detection by the occupant state detection unit 12. As shown in FIG. 8, as a result of detection by the seat sensor 36 provided in the seat S4, when the surface pressure changes with high frequency, or when the passenger 50 photographed by the in-vehicle camera 35 operates with high frequency. There is a high possibility that the occupant 50 feels uncomfortable sitting.

  Therefore, the seat controller 13 improves the riding comfort of the occupant 50 by controlling the seat state in a direction in which the surface pressure applied to the seat sensor 36 becomes uniform. At this time, by calculating an appropriate seat state using the occupant's body shape and weight, a seat state suitable for the occupant can be easily obtained.

  For example, if the occupant is lying down, he / she determines that the seating comfort is poor, and examines the seating relationship between the occupant and the seat. For example, there is a large pressure on the seat surface part (buttock) of the occupant and the weight on the back part. If not, it is determined that the occupant and the seat are not well balanced, and the seat is raised to control the seat back so that the weight is applied to the backrest portion of the seat.

  Alternatively, as a result of investigating the seating relationship between the occupant and the seat, if the seat is tilted, the left and right elasticity of the cushion on the seat surface is controlled, or the seat is tilted by using the pendulum of the seat.

  Alternatively, as a result of examining the seating relationship between the occupant and the seat with a camera, if the body is larger than the seat size (the trunk is thick), the lumbar support is loosened.

  The purpose of the lumbar support mechanism 44 is to wrap the occupant with a seat. For this control, the support part on the side of the occupant is tightened and loosened, and the waist part of the occupant is floated and submerged. There are two types of methods to do. In either case, the result is that the occupant is wrapped in a seat.

  Therefore, for an occupant h2 having a large body (thick trunk), the occupant can be wrapped in a seat by controlling both the sides of the lumbar support mechanism 44 to loosen or float the waist as shown in FIG. For an occupant h3 having a small (the trunk is thin), as shown in FIG. 10, the occupant can be wrapped in a seat by controlling both sides of the lumbar support mechanism 44 or by sinking the waist.

  Whether the occupant's body is large is memorized based on the standard size of the person (area on the screen, etc.), and the size of the image of the occupant actually taken is compared. It may be determined whether or not.

  Alternatively, a load sensor may be provided on the seat, and the size may be estimated from the weight detection of the occupant.

  In addition, if the seat belt is not properly bound due to the difference in the size of the occupant's body (for example, if the height of the seat belt does not match due to the difference in the height of the back, or depending on the thickness of the trunk and the seat position) When the belt is away from the body), the seat belt control mechanism 43 is controlled so that an appropriate binding state, that is, the belt is applied to the occupant's shoulder and an appropriate tightening strength is obtained. Adjust the position of the belt as follows.

  When the passenger 50 is sleeping as a result of photographing by the in-vehicle camera 35, the seat control unit 13 makes the seat state suitable for sleep by increasing the angle of the backrest with respect to the seating surface, softening the cushion, etc. Change to

  Further, the sheet control unit 13 controls the sheet in parallel with the above-described uniform surface pressure control. That is, by performing control to offset the influence of the vehicle behavior predicted by the vehicle behavior prediction unit 11 on the seat, deterioration of the riding comfort / sitting comfort due to the vehicle behavior is prevented.

  For example, if it is predicted that the vehicle turns to the right based on the output of the acceleration sensor 32, the seat is tilted to the right by the pendulum mechanism 46 so that the occupant is not swung to the left. Similarly, if it is predicted that the car will turn to the left, the occupant can be prevented from being shaken to the right by tilting the seat to the left, and the occupant can be prevented from shaking.

  Therefore, when these are adopted, for example, when a large occupant is stiff, the state of the occupant is acquired, and if it is determined that no weight is applied to the back, the lumbar support is loosened and the seat is raised. If you try to turn further to the right when turning, tilt the seat to the right. If the occupant has a large body, the weight is estimated to be heavy. Therefore, the amount of tilting the seat may be increased to achieve balance. Further, at this time, the left and right portions of the lumbar support may be respectively adjusted (for example, when turning to the right, the left side of the lumbar support is fastened).

  Further, the relationship between each seat and each occupant may be stored and read out at the next boarding to control the seat. Specifically, the seat control unit 13 associates the occupant identification information output from the occupant identification device 34 with the control state of the seat, and stores them in the storage unit 14 as occupant data 14a. And at the time of subsequent boarding, by reading the passenger | crew data 14a based on passenger | crew identification information and controlling a seat state, the state of a seat is controlled to the state adapted to each passenger | crew beforehand.

  For example, if occupant A gets on the driver's seat and occupant B gets on the passenger seat, the occupant A and the seat state of the driver seat, and the occupant B and the seat state of the passenger seat are stored in association with each other. If the occupant A or the occupant B gets on (for example, when the ignition key is turned on next time), the information stored last time is read and each seat is controlled.

  Next, the processing operation of the seat control device 1 will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining seat control based on the state of the occupant, and this processing flow is repeatedly executed during the operation of the seat control device 1.

  As shown in the figure, first, the occupant state detection unit 12 detects the occupant state based on the outputs of the in-vehicle camera 35 and the seat sensor 36 (step S101), and whether or not the occupant's operating frequency is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. That is, it is determined whether or not the passenger is intimidating (step 102).

  As a result, when the operation frequency of the occupant is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (step S102, Yes), the seat control unit 13 detects the occupant's seating state, and the surface pressure of the seat is made uniform based on the detection result. Seat control is executed (step S104), and the process ends.

  On the other hand, when the operation frequency of the occupant is less than the predetermined value (step S102, No), the occupant state detection unit 12 determines whether the occupant is sleeping next (step S103), and as a result, the occupant Is not sleeping (step S103, No), the process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if the occupant is sleeping (step S103, Yes), the seat control unit 13 controls the seat to be in a state suitable for sleeping (step S105), and ends the process.

  Next, the seat control based on the behavior of the vehicle will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This processing flow is repeatedly executed in parallel with the processing flow shown in FIG. 11 when the seat control device 1 operates.

  As shown in the figure, first, the vehicle behavior predicting unit 11 predicts the behavior of the vehicle based on the outputs of the navigation device 2, the acceleration sensor 32, and the outside camera 33 (step S201). Next, a control amount necessary for canceling the influence (swing and acceleration) on the seat is calculated from the predicted behavior (step S202), the seat is controlled (step S203), and the process is terminated.

  As described above, the seat control apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes the seat position adjustment mechanism 41, the backrest angle adjustment mechanism 42, the seat belt control mechanism 43, the lumbar support mechanism 44, the cushion based on the state of the occupant and the behavior of the vehicle. Since the sitting comfort of the seat is set by controlling the control mechanism 45 and the pendulum mechanism 46, the sitting comfort can be automatically improved.

  In the present embodiment, the operation has been described by taking a single seat as an example. However, when a plurality of passengers are on board, the passenger state is acquired for each passenger, and the seat on which each passenger sits. It goes without saying that the seating comfort can be improved for all passengers by individually controlling the vehicle.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the outputs of the acceleration sensor 32, the outside camera 33, the occupant identification device 34, the in-vehicle camera 35, and the seat sensor 36 used for detecting the passenger state and predicting the vehicle behavior are provided exclusively to the seat control device 1. It can be shared by various in-vehicle devices.

  Further, the information input to the seat control device 1 and the mechanism controlled by the seat control device 1 are not limited by the present embodiment, and any means can be used. For example, the vehicle speed or the driving operation state by the driver may be used for predicting the vehicle behavior, or the seat control device 1 may be configured to further control the suspension mechanism and the like.

  As described above, the seat control device according to the present invention is useful for vehicle seat control, and is particularly suitable for autonomously improving the sitting comfort for each occupant.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a seat control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the mechanism which adjusts the height of a seatbelt. It is explanatory drawing explaining a pillar and a belt height adjustment mechanism. It is explanatory drawing explaining the structure in the case of adjusting the fixing position of the belt with respect to a seat. (Part 1) It is explanatory drawing explaining the structure in the case of adjusting the fixing position of the belt with respect to a seat. (Part 2) It is explanatory drawing explaining the lumbar support mechanism shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the specific example of the structure of the pendulum mechanism shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining a passenger | crew's state detection. It is explanatory drawing explaining control of the lumbar support mechanism with respect to the passenger | crew with a big body. It is explanatory drawing explaining control of the lumbar support mechanism with respect to the passenger | crew with a small body. It is a flowchart explaining the seat control based on a passenger | crew's state. It is a flowchart explaining the seat control based on the behavior of the vehicle.

Explanation of symbols

1 Seat control device 2 Navigation device.
2a Map data 11 Vehicle behavior prediction unit 12 Occupant state detection unit 13 Seat control unit 14 Storage unit 14a Occupant data 31 GPS communication unit 32 Acceleration sensor 33 Out-of-vehicle camera 34 Occupant identification device 35 In-vehicle camera 36 Seat sensor 41 Seat position adjustment mechanism 42 Backrest Angle adjustment mechanism 43 Seat belt control mechanism 43a Belt 43b Belt height adjustment mechanism 43c, 43d Belt position adjustment mechanism 44 Lumber support mechanism 45 Cushion control mechanism 46 Pendulum mechanism 50 Crew 51 Seat seat surface 52-55 Coil 56 Magnet S1-S4 Seat P1 pillar

Claims (17)

A seat control device for controlling a seat state of a vehicle,
Occupant state acquisition means for acquiring a seating state of a vehicle occupant seat;
Seat state control means for controlling the seat state of the occupant based on the occupant seating state acquired by the occupant state acquisition means;
A seat control device comprising:   The seat state control means includes a position adjustment means for adjusting the position of the seat in the front-rear direction, a backrest angle adjustment means for adjusting a seat backrest angle, a seatbelt control means for adjusting a seatbelt binding state, Provided with at least one of lumbar support control means for controlling a lumbar support for fixing the occupant's body in the vicinity, a cushion control mechanism for controlling the state of the seat cushion, and a swing control mechanism for controlling the seat swing The seat control apparatus according to claim 1.   The seat control device according to claim 2, wherein the seat belt control means adjusts the binding state of the seat belt by changing the tightening strength of the seat belt and / or changing the fixing position of the seat belt.   4. The seat control device according to claim 3, wherein the seat belt control means changes a fixing position of the seat belt by controlling a belt height adjusting mechanism that controls an attachment position of the seat belt to the pillar. .   The seat control according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the seat belt control means changes a fixing position of the seat belt by controlling a belt position adjusting mechanism that controls an attachment position of the seat belt to the seat. apparatus.   The swing control mechanism includes a hemispherical seat lower portion having a magnetic material and a seat support portion having a coil that generates a magnetic force when energized, and controls the tilt of the seat and fixes the seat by energizing the coil. The seat control device according to any one of claims 2 to 5.   The said seat state control means changes the seat state of the said passenger based on the seating state of the passenger when the operating frequency of the passenger is a predetermined value or more. The seat control device according to one.   The said seat state control means changes the seat state of the said passenger based on the seating state of the passenger when it is determined that the passenger is sleeping. The seat control device described in 1.   The seat control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the seat state control means changes the seat state so that pressure applied to the seat of the occupant is uniform.   The vehicle interior photographing means for photographing the interior of the vehicle is further provided, and the occupant state obtaining means obtains the seating state of the occupant on the seat from the photographing result of the vehicle interior photographing means. The seat control device according to one.   The apparatus further includes a surface pressure sensor that detects a surface pressure applied to a seating surface and / or a backrest of the seat, and the occupant state acquisition unit acquires a seating state of the occupant on the seat from a detection result of the surface pressure sensor. The seat control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.   The vehicle behavior prediction means for predicting the behavior of the vehicle is further provided, wherein the seat state control means performs seat control that cancels out the swing of the seat caused by the behavior predicted by the vehicle behavior prediction means. The seat control apparatus as described in any one of -11.   The seat control device according to claim 12, further comprising a vehicle exterior photographing means for photographing the periphery of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle behavior predicting means predicts the vehicle behavior based on a photographing result by the vehicle exterior photographing means. .   The seat control according to claim 12 or 13, further comprising an acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration applied to the vehicle, wherein the vehicle behavior predicting means predicts the vehicle behavior based on a detection result by the acceleration sensor. apparatus.   15. The seat according to claim 12, 13 or 14, wherein the vehicle behavior prediction means acquires information related to a planned travel route of the host vehicle and predicts the vehicle behavior based on information related to the planned travel route. Control device.   The occupant state acquisition unit acquires a state for each of a plurality of occupants, and the seat state control unit individually controls the state of the seat based on the state of the corresponding occupant. The seat control device according to any one of 15.   The occupant identification means for identifying the occupant, and the storage means for storing the occupant information identified by the occupant identification means and the control state by the seat state control means in association with each other. The seat control device according to any one of 16.

Images