JP2006096220A - Vehicle mounting seat device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically determine physical characteristics of an occupant, and to easily and suitably vary a seat position in accordance with them in an automobile V mounted with seats 2 to 5 capable of varying positions. <P>SOLUTION: When startup operation is performed for an automatic seat arrangement device (step S3), information of a carried object is read from an IC tag by a reader device 24 (S4), equipment information regarding the seat such as attachment of a child seat is taken into consideration (S5), and the physical characteristics are determined including whether the occupant is the person to be cared or the person not requiring to be cared. Optimum seat arrangement is set based on the determination result (S6). When the occupant is the person to be cared (S9:YES), automatic seat arrangement is performed before taking seat in an opportunity of opening of doors 5 to 7 (S10), and it is notified (S12). When the occupant is the person not requiring to be cared (S9:NO), automatic seat arrangement is performed when an operation button 25 is pushed within the predetermined time after taking seat (S11). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle on which a seat that can change the position of a seat cushion, the inclination of a seat back, and the like is mounted, and particularly in the technical field of information processing for appropriately and easily changing them according to the physical characteristics of an occupant. Belongs.

  Conventionally, information on passenger preference, such as the position of the seat cushion of an automobile and the inclination of the seat back, is recorded on a recording medium such as an IC card, and the user simply inserts the IC card into the reader when getting on. The one that can obtain the position is known.

  For example, in the in-vehicle profiling system described in Patent Document 1, information on the front / rear position, the height of the seating surface, the inclination of the seating surface and the backrest, etc. is set for each seat other than the driver's seat and recorded on the IC card. In addition, by automatically adjusting the position for each seat according to this information, it is possible to provide a comfortable seat environment for passengers other than the driver.

  In recent years, electronic or magnetic recording media (referred to as IC tags, electronic labels, electronic labels, etc.) on which various kinds of information are recorded on articles and their packaging can be directly pasted or incorporated. There is also a proposal to use such a recording medium for traffic safety.

That is, for example, the traffic safety support device disclosed in Patent Document 2 receives a signal transmitted from an information tag (IC tag) such as a pedestrian's carry-on item or a bicycle by a wireless receiver installed on the road side, This detects the position and movement speed of a pedestrian, etc., and when a collision with a vehicle such as the pedestrian is predicted, warns the vehicle occupant or activates an air bag device outside the vehicle. It is.
JP 2002-104105 A JP 2003-346297 A

  By the way, in general, a vehicle occupant is not only a person who can easily get on and off the passenger compartment, but also a person who needs assistance when getting on and off, such as an infant or a wheelchair user, or an elderly person. However, there is a person who wants to assist depending on the situation (hereinafter, both are also referred to as a person being assisted). In the case of such a person being assisted, an appropriate seat position (e.g., front / rear / right / left position of the seat cushion) This includes the height of the seating surface, the inclination of the seat back, and the overall position when the seats are folded and stored (hereinafter the same in this specification).

  In this regard, the system of the former conventional example (Patent Document 1) does not give any consideration to the person being assisted, so that it is easy to assist getting on and off of infants, wheelchair users, etc. The seat position cannot be changed so that children and the elderly can easily get on and off.

  Further, in the case of targeting not only the person being assisted but also other occupants, that is, occupants who do not need assistance and can act quickly (hereinafter also referred to as assistance unnecessary persons), It is necessary to set an occupant's preferred position determined for each seat and record it on the IC card, which is cumbersome, but is completely useless for an occupant who has not made such a setting.

  The latter conventional example (Patent Document 2) merely uses an IC tag for detecting a pedestrian or the like, and is not intended to deal with the above-described problems.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention automatically determines physical characteristics including whether or not a passenger is a person being assisted in a vehicle equipped with a seat whose position can be changed. Accordingly, the sheet position can be easily and appropriately changed accordingly.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a physical characteristic of an occupant is determined based on information obtained from an IC tag of a carried item, and a seat position is automatically adjusted based on the determination result. The adjustment was notified.

  The determination of the occupant's physical characteristics includes not only determination of the occupant's physique and body shape, but also determination of whether the occupant is a person being assisted as described above. Some people prefer to assist because they are clothes whose movement is restricted, such as Japanese clothes. Accordingly, the physical characteristics do not necessarily mean only the characteristics of the occupant's body itself, but are concepts including wearing clothing and equipment that restrict the movement of the occupant.

  Specifically, the invention of claim 1 is a vehicle equipped with a seat device capable of changing the seat position, and reading means for reading the information on the carry-on object from the recording means on which information on the carry-on object of the occupant is recorded. A determination means for determining the physical characteristics of the occupant based on the information on the carried object read by the reading means; and a seat position of the seat device is automatically determined based on the physical characteristics determined by the determination means. And control means for performing at least one control of adjusting the position or notifying the passenger about the adjustment of the seat position.

  According to the above configuration, first, information relating to the occupant's carrying object is directly or indirectly attached to the carrying article such as an IC tag or an electronic label by the reading means. As well as things that are independent of the items carried). Then, based on the physical characteristics of the occupant determined from the carry-on information, the control means automatically adjusts the seat position of the seat device, or notifies the occupant about the adjustment of the seat position. This makes it possible to easily obtain an appropriate sheet position.

  That is, based on the information obtained from the IC tag etc. of the carried items, the physical characteristics such as whether the occupant is a person being assisted or not requiring assistance, whether the occupant is large or small, and automatically The seat position suitable for the passenger can be determined based on the determination result. For this reason, an appropriate position can be obtained even if it is not the passenger | crew who set own liking beforehand. In addition, the seat position can be appropriately changed so that even if the occupant is a person being assisted, the passenger can easily get in and out of the passenger compartment, or can easily get in and out of the passenger compartment.

  Preferably, the determination means may determine the physical characteristics of the occupant on the basis of preset information on a carried item (invention of claim 2). That is, the physical characteristics of the occupant are not determined based on the information of all the items carried, but the information of the main items that are suitable for the determination, for example, the size of the occupant's clothing (S, M, L, etc.) By determining based on information such as whether or not you possess or wear a cane, reading glasses, hearing aid, wheelchair or gibbs with recording means, etc. More appropriate judgment can be made.

  Preferably, when the seat device is provided with an actuator for changing a sheet position, the control means drives the actuator to adjust the sheet position, and the seat position. It is sufficient to provide a notification control unit that notifies the passenger of the adjustment contents of the above (invention of claim 3).

  In this way, the actuator is driven by the drive control unit of the control means, the seat position is automatically adjusted, and the details of the adjustment are notified, so that the occupant can recognize the change in the seat position, which is very convenient. High nature.

  More preferably, it further comprises operation means for performing a predetermined operation for allowing automatic adjustment of the seat position, and the determination means selects the physical characteristics of the occupant from preset types, In addition, when the determination unit selects a plurality of types that are inconsistent with each other, the notification control unit notifies the adjustment contents of the sheet position based on at least one of the types. The drive control unit is configured such that when a plurality of types that are inconsistent with each other are selected by the determination unit, only when a predetermined operation is performed on the operation unit after the notification of adjustment contents by the notification control unit is performed. While the actuator of the apparatus is driven, when the type of the physical feature selected by the determination means is matched, the actuator is started to drive regardless of the presence or absence of the predetermined operation (invention of claim 4).

  In other words, for example, when the information on a carried item includes those of the person being assisted and those who do not need assistance, or items of clothing of different sizes and sizes, etc. Even when it is not possible to specify one of the types, it is possible to prevent erroneous adjustments by notifying the details of the adjustment of the seat position based on at least one of them and executing it after confirmation by the occupant.

  In addition, as described above, the determination means is a predetermined person who is desired to assist the passenger when getting in and out of the passenger compartment as a physical feature of the occupant based on the information on the carry-on object, or any other person who does not require assistance. If it is possible to determine whether or not there is information corresponding to both the person being assisted and the person not requiring assistance in the carry-on information, the occupant is the person being assisted It may be determined that there is (the invention of claim 7).

  In other words, if the information on the occupant's items includes information corresponding to both the person being assisted and the person not requiring assistance, it can be considered that both the person being assisted and the person not requiring assistance exist. The reason is that it is considered that the person who is actually getting in and out of the passenger compartment is the person being assisted, and the person who does not need assistance is providing assistance.

  Furthermore, in order to improve the determination accuracy of the occupant's physical characteristics, the determination means may determine the occupant's physical characteristics in consideration of information relating to the passenger compartment (invention of claim 5). The information related to the passenger compartment may be, for example, information specific to the vehicle whether or not the passenger compartment has a layout in which a wheelchair can be mounted. It may be information indicating whether a sheet or a care tool is installed (invention of claim 6).

  In addition to the above-mentioned configuration, the determination means is at least a predetermined person who is desired to assist at the time of getting on and off the vehicle as a physical feature of the occupant based on the information on the carry-on object, or other assistance is not required. In the case of determining whether the vehicle is a person, the control means may perform control only when the determination means determines that the occupant is a person being assisted (claim 8). (Invention) On the contrary, the control may be performed only when it is determined that the occupant is a person who does not need assistance (Invention of Claim 9).

  That is, if control such as automatic adjustment of the seat position is performed only when the occupant is a person being assisted, the passenger can easily get in and out of the passenger compartment, Convenience is high because there is no risk of unnecessary control being performed by mistake for those who do not require assistance. On the other hand, if control such as automatic adjustment of the seat position is performed only when the occupant is a person who does not require assistance, there is no possibility that the person being assisted will feel anxiety due to the operation of the seat, and there is a sense of security. high. Which one is more appropriate depends on the type of seat and the content of adjustment of the seat position in addition to the use of the vehicle, and may be set appropriately according to them.

  As described above, according to the present invention, in a vehicle equipped with a seat whose position can be changed, the physical characteristics of an occupant are determined based on information obtained from an IC tag or the like of a carried item. The seat position is automatically adjusted by the control means so that the appropriate seat position determined based on the vehicle seat or the passenger is informed about the adjustment of the seat position. However, an appropriate position can be obtained, and when the occupant is a person being assisted, an appropriate seat position that is easy to get on and off can be obtained.

  In that case, if the physical characteristics of the occupant are determined by taking into account not only the information on the carry-on items but also the information on the equipment in the passenger compartment and the care equipment, the accuracy of the determination can be improved (the effect of claim 2). .

  Further, when an appropriate seat position cannot be specified based on the information, the passenger is notified of the adjustment of the seat position, and the seat position is automatically adjusted only when a predetermined operation is performed on the occupant. By doing so, malfunction can be prevented (effects of claims 3 and 4).

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the following description of the preferred embodiment is merely illustrative in nature, and is not intended to limit the present invention, its application, or its use.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows mainly a seat layout of an automobile V (vehicle) according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the automobile V has a front seat facing the instrument panel 1 at the foremost part of the passenger compartment. The driver's seat 2 is arranged on the right side (the right side of the vehicle body, hereinafter the same unless otherwise specified), and the passenger seat 3 is arranged on the left side. The rear seats 4 and 5 arranged behind the front seats 2 and 3 are independent left and right captain seats in this embodiment, but are bench-type single seats for two to three people. There may be. In addition, the rear seats 4 and 5 are provided with a luggage compartment 6, but a third row seat that can be removed or stored under the floor may be disposed here.

  The front seats 2 and 3 can respectively move the seat cushion back and forth and up and down, and adjust the inclination of the seat back. The rear seats 4 and 5 can further move the seat cushion left and right. Each of the rear seats 4 and 5 can be folded and stored behind the front seats 2 and 3 by stacking the seat backs on the seat cushions and rotating them together in the forward direction. In this way, the luggage compartment 6 becomes very wide. Assist grips 2a and 3a are attached to the backs of the front seats 2 and 3, respectively.

  In this embodiment, actuators 19, 19,... (Not shown in FIG. 1) such as electric motors are provided corresponding to the respective sheets 2 to 5 so that the sheet position can be automatically adjusted as described above. As shown in FIG. 2, the operation of each actuator 19 is controlled by the controller 20. In other words, in the vehicle V, the front / rear / right / left position of the seat, the height of the seating surface, the inclination of the seat back, and the like are adjusted by the operation of the actuator 19 for each of the seats 2 to 5 and further folded and stored. The automatic seat arrangement apparatus A that can automatically perform such a seat arrangement is mounted.

  The configuration of the automatic seat arrangement device A is shown in FIG. 2, and the controller 20 is provided with a weight sensor or the like that is disposed on the sea cushion of each of the seats 2 to 5, and detects the seating of the occupant. The seating sensor 21 (sitting determination means) is connected. Further, as shown only in FIG. 2, the controller 20 is provided with door sensors 22 disposed on the doors 7 to 10 and the hatch gate 11 of the automobile V and detecting the open / closed state thereof. The on-board device 23 of the mounted keyless entry system is also connected and can exchange signals with each other.

  Further, as will be described later, the controller 20 is connected to a reader device 24 (reading means) for reading predetermined information by wireless communication from an IC tag (recording means) attached to an article in the passenger compartment or a carry-on object of the passenger. Has been. As shown in FIG. 1, the reader device 24 is disposed in a ceiling portion or a pillar, for example, corresponding to the doors 7 to 10 and the hatch gate 11, and the ceiling portion or the like corresponding to the luggage compartment 6. It is also arranged to be able to obtain information on items carried inside and outside the vehicle.

  Although only shown in FIG. 2, the controller 20 is connected to an operation button 25 (operation means) that is provided for each of the sheets 2 to 5 and performs a predetermined operation that allows automatic adjustment of the sheet position as will be described later. In addition, a notification device 26 is connected to notify the occupant about the adjustment of the seat position. The notification device 26 may be, for example, a speaker for performing voice guidance for adjusting the seat position, a buzzer for simply notifying that the actuator is in operation, or otherwise, an LCD or EL for displaying the sheet position adjustment procedure. A display device such as

  In this embodiment, the left and right front doors 7 and 8 adjacent to the front seats 2 and 3 are of a hinge type that opens and closes around a front hinge, while the rear seats 4 and 4 are opened and closed. The left and right rear doors 9 and 10 adjacent to 5 are slidable to be opened and closed by sliding back and forth along the outer surface of the vehicle body. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the doors may all be hinged doors. All may be sliding doors. Further, the hatch gate 11 is not limited to the upper hinge but may be a lateral hinge.

(Automatic seat arrangement device)
As a feature of the present invention, the automatic seat arrangement device A of this embodiment automatically determines the physical characteristics of the occupant from the information on the items carried, and automatically adjusts the seat position accordingly. Yes. That is, in recent years, IC tags (also called electronic labels, electronic labels, etc.) that record various information (for example, the type, size, weight, etc.) of articles and their packaging are directly pasted or built in. If the information of these IC tags is read by the reader device 24 mounted on the automobile V, the physique of the occupant and the type of clothes can be estimated based on this information.

  The IC tag generally has an antenna for wireless communication, receives radio waves from the reader device, is activated by electromagnetic induction, and transmits recorded information to the reader device. It has become. Therefore, the IC tag does not require a battery or the like, and can provide information in a non-contact manner within a predetermined distance from the reader device. Based on the information on the items carried, the passenger does not necessarily need assistance, such as an infant or a wheelchair user, who needs assistance when getting on and off, or an elderly person. If it is determined that the person who is moderately sluggish and it is desirable to assist in accordance with the situation, that is, the person being assisted, the seat position is set so that the passenger can easily get in and out of the passenger compartment. Change (Arrange).

  Hereinafter, the operation of the automatic sheet arranging apparatus A will be specifically described mainly based on the flowchart of FIG. 3. First, in step S 1 after the start, various data used for controlling the automatic sheet arranging apparatus A are input. . This is, for example, for confirming the current position of each seat 2 to 5 and the seating situation of the occupant, confirming whether a child seat is attached to the seat, or confirming whether the door is open. Then, in the subsequent step S2, for example, it is determined whether or not the passenger is seated on a predetermined seat such as the driver's seat 2 and the vehicle V is considered to be traveling. If there is, the process proceeds to step S3.

  In step S3, it is determined whether or not an activation operation for selecting activation of the automatic sheet arranging apparatus A has been performed. For example, when the unlock button of the remote controller of the keyless entry system is pressed twice in a predetermined time, or when the entry button provided near the door knob of the automobile V is pressed. When a preset startup operation is performed, it is determined that there is a startup operation (YES), and the process proceeds to step S4 (at this time, the startup lamp of the device A provided on the remote control or the like may be lit). Good). On the other hand, it returns to step S1 until it determines with YES.

  In step S4, the reader device 24 is activated to read the IC tag information, and this information (carrying item information) is stored in memory. For example, only the reader device 24 of the unlocked doors 7 to 10 of the automobile V may be operated for a predetermined time, or all the reader devices 2 may be operated for a predetermined time. You may make it make it. Also, instead of storing all of the information on the carried items, main items that are suitable for determining the physical characteristics of the occupant are set in advance, and this information (for example, the size and type of the occupant's clothing) is set. Or only information such as walking sticks, reading glasses, hearing aids, elderly ID cards, and casts worn on the body). Even if information on small items (accessories, watches, stationery, etc.) that are inappropriate for judgment is read, it is not stored.

  In the subsequent step S5, information on the mounting equipment relating to the seat is read and stored, such as whether a baby seat (infant seat), a child seat (infant seat, child seat), or a nursing tool such as a turn cushion is attached. To do. The turn cushion is a turntable placed on a seat cushion, and can be changed by turning the body from the front to the left and right so that the passenger can easily get on and off.

  Information on the seat mounting equipment may be set and input in advance in the controller 20 and stored, or may be read by the reader device 24 or a reader device installed in the vehicle compartment separately from the reader device 24. it can. It is also desirable to refer not only to information on seat mounting equipment, but also to information specific to the vehicle, such as whether the passenger compartment has a layout in which a wheelchair can be mounted.

  Subsequently, in step S6, an optimum sheet arrangement (sheet position) is determined based on the information acquired in steps S4 and S5. This optimum seat arrangement varies greatly depending on whether the occupant is a caregiver or a person who does not require assistance, and for those who do not require assistance, a comfortable seat position corresponding mainly to their physique and body shape is provided. On the other hand, the main purpose of the seat arrangement is to make it easier for passengers to get in and out of the passenger compartment (or to help them get in and out).

  In this embodiment, the passenger's physical characteristics are set in advance by adding the information on the passenger compartment to the information on the carry-on object as described above (large or small, whether the person is a caregiver or a person who does not require assistance). , Etc.), and then a seat arrangement preset for each type is adopted.

  More specifically, for example, the passenger's carry item does not include anything to be judged as a person being assisted, and no child seats or care devices are mounted on the seats 2 to 5. If not, it is determined that the passenger is a person who does not require assistance. Then, for example, if it is determined that the size is large based on the size of the occupant's clothes, the seat cushion is moved backward, and if it is determined that the size is small, it is moved forward.

  On the other hand, when the occupant carries reading glasses or a cane and is determined to be an elderly caregiver, or the occupant is wearing a cast or wearing a dress or kimono with a long hem, its movement is restricted When it is determined, the seat back is raised in a substantially vertical state so that the passenger can easily get on and off. The seat cushion is moved forward by a predetermined amount so as to grasp (see the phantom line in FIG. 5). These are preferably returned to their original positions in response to an operation of an operation button or the like provided in the passenger compartment after the passenger is seated. If the vehicle V does not have the assist grips 2a and 3a, the seat cushions of the rear seats 4 and 5 are lowered to widen the space between the front seats 2 and 3 and widen the feet. May be.

  Also, for example, even if a nursing tool such as a baby seat, child seat, or turn cushion is mounted on the seat cushion, there is no information on the items to be carried such as infants and the elderly, and no assistance is required. Cases in which the caregiver's items are not attached with an IC tag, etc. Therefore, at this time, it is considered that a person who does not need assistance is helping to get on and off a caregiver such as an infant or an elderly person.

  Therefore, it is determined that the occupant is a person being assisted, and if there is a baby seat on the seat, it is assumed that the baby will be placed backwards, and the seat cushion is moved forward by a predetermined amount so that it can be easily put on and off. . On the other hand, if there is a child seat on the seat, the seat cushion is lowered to widen the feet so that an infant can easily sit on the child seat.

  In the subsequent step S7, the current sheet arrangement is determined with respect to the optimum sheet arrangement set as described above. If the current seat arrangement is the same as the optimum seat arrangement, it is not necessary to change the seat arrangement. In this case, NO is determined in the subsequent step S8, and the process proceeds to step S14 to be described later. Is different from the optimum seat arrangement, it is determined that the change is necessary (YES) in step S8, and the process proceeds to step S9. In step S9, it is determined from the determination result of the physical characteristics of the occupant in step S6 whether the occupant is a person being assisted or any other person not requiring assistance.

  If it is determined that the occupant is a person being assisted (YES), it is determined whether or not the doors 7 to 10 are opened by a signal from the door sensor 22 in the subsequent step S10, and if the door is closed (NO), it is opened. The process proceeds to step S12 and outputs a drive signal to the actuators 19 of the sheets 2 to 5 to change the seat position so that the optimum seat arrangement is achieved, and the alarm device 26 changes the seat arrangement. Notify passengers. Subsequently, if the door is closed in step S13, the control is terminated and the process returns.

  That is, in this embodiment, when the occupant is a person being assisted, the seat position is changed before sitting on the seats 2 to 5 so that the passenger can easily get on and off (or easily assist the passenger in getting on and off). Therefore, control for seat arrangement is performed with the opening of the doors 7 to 10 as an opportunity. For this purpose, when the occupant approaches the predetermined range from the door and activates the automatic seat arrangement device, the occupant predicts the occupancy and immediately reads the IC tag information and the like based on this information. The target characteristics.

  Further, by performing the operation of changing the seat position only when the door is open, the occupant and the caregiver can visually confirm the operation status, and the safety is also high. Note that a cancel switch may be provided at a predetermined position (for example, a pillar trim) in the vicinity of the seat so that the change of the seat position can be stopped according to the operating state.

  On the other hand, in step S11, which has been determined to be NO for the person being assisted in step S9, the seating of the occupant is detected based on the signal from the seating sensor 21, and then within a predetermined time (for example, 60 to 120 seconds). It is determined whether or not the operation button 25 of the sheet has been pressed (is there a predetermined operation?), And if there is an operation, the process proceeds to step S12. If the operation button 25 is not pressed even after that, the process proceeds to step S14, the alarm 26 is activated, and it is informed that the seat arrangement is not performed (non-operation), and then the process proceeds to step S13.

  That is, if the occupant is a person who does not require assistance, it is not necessary to change the seat position before sitting on the seats 2 to 5, so the seat arrangement is detected after the seating is detected so that the occupant does not wait while standing. Like to do. In addition, the seat position is changed only after the operation button 25 is pushed by the occupant and the seat arrangement is permitted so that unnecessary seat arrangement is not performed.

  Even when the seat arrangement is permitted by the occupant's judgment, it is preferable to prohibit the seat arrangement while the automobile V is traveling. In addition, it is preferable that the operation of changing the seat position in step S12 is slower when the occupant is a person being assisted than when the person is not assisted. This is so that safety can be sufficiently confirmed. Furthermore, in step S14, not only that the seat arrangement is not performed, but also the reason may be notified.

  In the flow shown in FIG. 3, the control procedure of step S3 constitutes the predicting means 20a for detecting that the occupant approaches within a predetermined range from the door and predicting the boarding, and the control of steps S4 to S6. The procedure constitutes determination means 20b for determining the physical characteristics of the occupant on the basis of the information on the carried items read by the reader device 24 at the time of boarding prediction by the prediction means 20a and taking into account the vehicle compartment information. .

  The determination means 20b is capable of determining whether the occupant is a predetermined person who is preferably assisted when getting in and out of the passenger compartment, or is a person who does not need assistance. In the form, when the information on the carried items includes information corresponding to both the person being assisted and the person not requiring assistance, it is determined that the occupant is the person being assisted.

  The control procedure of steps S6 to S12 of the flow automatically adjusts the seat position of each seat 2 to 5 based on the physical characteristics of the occupant determined by the determination means 20b, and The control means 20c which performs the control for alert | reporting to a passenger | crew about adjustment is comprised. That is, the control unit 20c includes a drive control unit that drives the actuators 19 of the respective seats 2 to 5 to adjust the seat position, and a notification control unit that notifies the occupant of the adjustment contents of the seat position by the notification device 26. I have.

  In addition, when the determination unit 20b determines that the occupant is a person who does not need assistance, the control unit 20c performs seat arrangement after the detection of the occupant by the seating sensor 21 and after the operation button 25 is pressed. On the other hand, when it is determined that the occupant is a person being assisted, the control is performed before the occupant is seated on the seats 2 to 5 such as when the doors 7 to 10 are opened. ing.

  Next, a series of operations of the automatic seat arrangement device when the occupant gets on the vehicle V will be described with reference to the time chart of FIG. When an operation for selecting activation of the automatic seat arrangement device is performed at time t1 (corresponding to step S3 in the flow of FIG. 3, the same applies hereinafter), when an activation operation signal is input from the in-vehicle device 23 to the controller 20, Correspondingly, the carrying information and the mounting equipment information relating to the sheet are read (steps S4 and S5), and an information reading signal is input. Thereafter, the optimum sheet layout is set immediately (steps S6 to S9).

  If the occupant is a person being assisted, when any of the doors 7 to 10 is opened and a door sensor signal is input at time t2 (step S10), the seats 2 to 5 adjacent to the opened doors 7 to 10 are displayed. A drive signal is output to the actuator 19 to change the seat position, and a notification is made by the notification device 26. For example, when an elderly caregiver gets into the rear seat 5, the seat back is raised as shown by the phantom line in FIG. 5, and the seat cushion moves forward. As a result, the entire rear seat 5 appears in the door opening D, and the occupant can easily sit down on the rear seat 5 by grasping the assist grip 3 a of the front seat 3. Then, after the change of the seat position is finished at time t3, when the doors 7 to 10 are closed at time t5 (step S13), the control is finished.

  If the occupant activates the automatic seat arrangement device after opening the doors 7 to 10, the doors 7 to 10 have already been opened when the information has been read, as indicated by broken lines in FIG. Since it is open, a drive signal is immediately output to the actuators 19 of the sheets 2 to 5, and the seat arrangement is performed.

  On the other hand, if the occupant is a person who does not require assistance, after the optimum seat layout is set based on the information on the carrying items and the seat mounting equipment as described above, the occupant is seated on any of the seats 2 to 5 at time t4. Then, when the seating sensor signal is input, a timer count for a predetermined time is performed. When the operation button 25 of the seats 2 to 5 is operated at time t6 before the predetermined time elapses and an operation operation signal is input (step S11), a drive signal is output to the actuator 19 of the seats 2 to 5. Thus, the notification is performed by the notification device 26 while the seat position is changed. If the change of the seat position is completed at time t7, the doors 7 to 10 are already closed at this time (step S13), and the control is terminated.

  Therefore, according to the automatic seat arrangement device A according to this embodiment, the physical characteristics of the occupant are automatically determined based on information obtained from an IC tag or the like of the occupant's carry item, and determined based on the determination result. Actuator 19 is actuated to automatically adjust the seat position so that a proper seat arrangement can be achieved, so it is extremely easy for an occupant who has set preferences in advance to have an appropriate position according to their physique and clothing. Can get to.

  At that time, instead of using all the information of the passenger's carry-on items, based on the information of the main carry-on items (preset) suitable for determining the physical characteristics, Since the determination is made in consideration of whether or not a nursing tool such as a child seat or a turn cushion is attached, an appropriate seat arrangement can be determined by a highly accurate determination.

  Further, the seat arrangement or the like is performed at a predetermined operation time set in accordance with the physical characteristics of the occupant. That is, when the person being assisted gets into the vehicle V, the doors 7 to 10 are opened and the seat arrangement is performed at the same time, so that the person being assisted changes the position of the seat before sitting on the sheets 2 to 5 and gets on and off. It is possible to make it easy to remove (or to easily assist).

  In addition, by arranging the seats when the doors 7 to 10 are open as described above, the seat position changing operation can be visually confirmed by an occupant or an assistant, and further, the notification of the changing operation is performed. Therefore, not only convenience but also safety is extremely high.

  However, in order to arrange seats at such an early timing, the physical characteristics of the occupant must be determined before that. In this embodiment, in this embodiment, when the occupant approaches within a predetermined range from the door and activates the automatic seat arranging device A, the occupant is predicted to get on, and at this time, the information on the carried items is read immediately. Then, the physical characteristics of the occupant can be determined before the doors 7 to 10 are opened.

  On the other hand, if the occupant is a person who does not require assistance, the seat arrangement is performed only when seated on the seats 2 to 5 and a predetermined operation is performed, and the occupant needs to stand and wait until the seat arrangement is completed. In addition, since there is no possibility of extra seat arrangement, the convenience is very high.

(Other embodiments)
In addition, the structure of this invention is not limited to the thing of embodiment mentioned above, It includes other various structures. That is, in the above embodiment, as shown in steps S4 to S6 of the flow of FIG. 3, not only the information on the passenger's physical characteristics read from the IC tag, but also information related to the passenger compartment such as the child seat is taken into account. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the determination may be made only with carry-on information.

  In addition, when there is inconsistency in the information acquired in the steps S4 and S5, for example, the information on the carry item includes items of infants and the elderly and those of those who do not require assistance, When information on clothes of various sizes is included, it is possible that only one type of occupant's physical characteristics cannot be selected in step S6, and therefore the optimum seat arrangement cannot be specified. At this time, the optimum seat arrangement is determined based on at least one of the plurality of types selected based on the acquired information, and this is notified, and the seat position is changed after confirmation by the occupant. You can do it.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, in steps S3 to S5 of the flow of FIG. 3, information in the carried item or the vehicle is read according to the input of the activation operation signal (time t1 in FIG. 7). Thereafter, in step S51 of the flow of FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not the information is inconsistent. If there is no inconsistency (NO), the process proceeds to step S6 of the flow of FIG. If it is determined that there is a mismatch, the process proceeds to step S52, where information is weighted based on a preset priority, that is, an optimal sheet layout is determined based on information with a high priority. .

  Subsequently, in step S53, the above-mentioned optimum seat layout is notified to the occupant for a predetermined time by the notification device 26 (time t2), and the operation button 25 is pressed during the predetermined time (for example, 60 to 120 seconds). For example, in response to the input of the operation signal (time t3), YES is determined in step S54, and the process proceeds to step S7 in FIG. 3, and automatic seat arrangement is executed with the opening of the doors 7 to 10 as in the above embodiment. (Time t4 to t5) On the other hand, if the operation button 25 is not pressed within a predetermined time, NO is determined in Step S54, and the process proceeds to Step S14 in FIG.

  In this way, even when there is inconsistency in the information on the carry-on object, it is possible to prevent the wrong seat arrangement from being performed by notifying the seat arrangement once and performing the automatic seat arrangement after confirming the occupant. In addition, even if there is no inconsistency in the information on the carried items, automatic seat arrangement may be performed after notifying the passenger and confirming it just in case.

  By adding the control procedure of steps S51 to S54 in FIG. 6, when the determination unit 20b selects a plurality of types of physical features that are inconsistent with each other, the notification control unit of the control unit 20c The content of adjustment of the sheet position based on at least one type is notified, and the drive control unit of the control unit 20c is configured to perform the notification control when a plurality of types that are inconsistent with each other are selected by the determination unit 20b. The seat arrangement is performed only when the operation button 25 is pressed after the adjustment content is notified by the unit. On the other hand, when the types of physical features selected by the determination unit 20b match, the operation button 25 may not be pressed. The seat arrangement will be performed.

  Furthermore, in the said embodiment, as shown to step S9-S11 of the flow of FIG. 3, although the passenger | crew is a person who is a caregiver or a person who does not need assistance, the timing which arranges seats differs, but it is not restricted to this. For example, as shown in the flow of FIG. 8, the seat arrangement may be performed when the doors 7 to 10 are opened regardless of the physical characteristics of the occupant. If it carries out like this, even if a passenger | crew is an assistance unnecessary person, a seat position will be changed before seating on the sheets 2-5.

  In the embodiment, both the automatic adjustment of the seat arrangement and the notification thereof are performed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the automatic adjustment of the seat arrangement is performed without notification. May be. On the contrary, it is also possible to only notify the occupant of the optimum seat arrangement. In this case, an appropriate seat arrangement can be realized by manually changing the seat position by an occupant's assistant or the like.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the contents and timing of the seat arrangement are changed depending on whether the occupant is a person who does not require assistance or a person being assisted, but this is not limiting, and the occupant is a person who does not require assistance. The seat arrangement may be performed only when the person being assisted is not performed, and conversely, the seat arrangement may be performed only when the occupant is a person who does not require assistance.

  That is, if the seat arrangement or the like is performed only for the person being assisted, there is no fear that troublesome unnecessary seat arrangement or the like may be erroneously performed for the person who does not require assistance, which is highly convenient. On the other hand, if the seat arrangement or the like is performed only for those who do not require assistance, there is no fear that the person being assisted will feel anxious about the operation of changing the seat position, and the sense of security is high. Which one is more appropriate depends on the use of the automobile V, as well as the type of seat and the content of adjustment of the seat position, and may be appropriately set according to them.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the operation button 25 is provided corresponding to each of the seats 2 to 5 so that an occupant or the like can determine whether or not automatic seat arrangement is permitted. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an operation button may be provided on the remote control of the keyless entry system, or when the unlock button of the remote control or the entry button near the doorknob is operated in a manner different from the normal operation, the automatic seat Arrangement may be allowed.

  In addition, the present invention is applicable not only to RV vehicles such as the automobile V shown in FIG. 1 and hatchback vehicles, but also to open cars, trucks, buses, as well as 4-door sedans and 3-door compact cars. It is.

  As described above, the present invention automatically determines the physical characteristics of an occupant and makes it possible to easily perform an optimal seat arrangement according to the automatic determination. Therefore, the present invention is useful for an automobile seat device, and in particular, a seat. It is suitable for RV vehicles with a wide variety of arrangements.

It is a figure showing the schematic structure of the vehicles carrying the seat device concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of an automatic sheet | seat arrangement device. It is a flowchart figure which shows the control procedure of an automatic seat arrangement apparatus. It is a time chart figure showing operation of an automatic sheet arrangement device. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a sheet arrangement. It is a flowchart figure which shows a part of control procedure which concerns on other embodiment which made it alert | report that there exists inconsistency in information, such as a carrying thing. FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 according to another embodiment of FIG. 6. FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 according to another embodiment in which seat arrangement is performed when the door is opened regardless of a person who does not require assistance or a person being assisted.

Explanation of symbols

V Automobile (vehicle)
2,3 Front seat (sheet device)
4,5 Rear seat (sheet device)
7 to 10 Door 19 Actuator 20 Controller 20a Prediction means 20b Determination means 20c Control means 21 Seating sensor (seat determination means)
24 Reader device (reading means)
25 Operation buttons (operation means)
26 Alarm

Claims (9)

A seat device capable of changing the seat position;
Reading means for reading the information on the carried items from the recording means on which information about the items carried by the occupant is recorded;
Determination means for determining physical characteristics of the occupant on the basis of the information on the carried object read by the reading means;
Control means for controlling at least one of automatically adjusting the seat position of the seat device or notifying the passenger about the adjustment of the seat position based on the physical characteristics determined by the determining means; ,
A vehicle equipped with a seat device. In a vehicle equipped with the seat device of claim 1,
A vehicle equipped with a seat device, wherein the determination means is configured to determine a physical characteristic of an occupant based on preset information on a carried item. In a vehicle equipped with the seat device of claim 1,
The seat device is provided with an actuator for changing the seat position,
The control means includes a drive control unit that adjusts a seat position by driving the actuator, and a notification control unit that notifies an occupant of the adjustment contents of the seat position by a notification device. A vehicle equipped with the device. In a vehicle equipped with the seat device of claim 3,
An operation means for performing a predetermined operation for allowing automatic adjustment of the seat position;
The determination means selects the physical characteristics of the occupant from preset types,
The notification control unit is configured to notify the adjustment contents of the sheet position based on at least one of the types when a plurality of types inconsistent with each other are selected by the determination unit,
When a plurality of types that are inconsistent with each other are selected by the determination unit, the drive control unit is provided only when a predetermined operation is performed on the operation unit after notification of adjustment contents by the notification control unit. While driving the actuator of the apparatus, when the type of the physical feature selected by the determination means is matched, the actuator is started to drive regardless of the presence or absence of the predetermined operation. A vehicle equipped with a seat device. In a vehicle equipped with the seat device of claim 1,
A vehicle equipped with a seat device, wherein the determining means determines physical characteristics of an occupant in consideration of information relating to a passenger compartment. In a vehicle equipped with the seat device of claim 5,
A vehicle equipped with a seat device, wherein the information relating to the passenger compartment includes information on infant or child seats. In a vehicle equipped with the seat device of claim 1,
The determination means can determine whether the person is a predetermined person who is desired to assist when getting in and out of the passenger compartment as a physical characteristic of the passenger based on the information on the carry-on object, or other person who does not need assistance. When the information on the carry item includes information corresponding to both the person being assisted and the person not requiring assistance, the occupant is determined to be a person being assisted. A vehicle equipped with a seat device characterized by the above. In a vehicle equipped with the seat device of claim 1,
The determination means determines, as the physical characteristics of the occupant based on the carry-on information, whether the person is a predetermined person who is desired to assist at the time of getting on and off the passenger compartment, or other person who does not need assistance. Yes,
A vehicle equipped with a seat device, wherein the control means is configured to perform control only when the determination means determines that an occupant is a person being assisted. In a vehicle equipped with the seat device of claim 1,
The determination means determines, as the physical characteristics of the occupant based on the carry-on information, whether the person is a predetermined person who is desired to assist at the time of getting on and off the passenger compartment, or other person who does not need assistance. Yes,
The vehicle equipped with a seat device, wherein the control means is configured to control only when the determination means determines that the occupant is a person who does not require assistance.

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