JP2012136146A - Power seat operation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operation device of a power seat capable of using parts in common regardless of an arrangement position of the seat such as a driver's seat or a front passenger seat with excellent operability.SOLUTION: An operation switch of the power seat 3 includes a foot switch 10 disposed on a vehicle floor F of a foot space of the power seat 3, and thereby an occupant can adjust a sitting attitude of the power seat 3 by operating the foot switch 10 in a foot placed state etc. As a result, the operability can be made excellent and the parts can be used in common regardless of the arrangement position of the seat such as the driver's seat or the front passenger seat.

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation switch for a power seat provided in a vehicle such as an automobile, and more particularly to a power seat operation device including an operation switch with good operability.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a vehicle seat, a power seat provided with a drive source for tilting the backrest and a drive source for moving the seat back and forth is used as means for adjusting the sitting posture. As shown in FIG. 15, such an operation switch 40 of the power seat 3 is normally disposed on a side surface of the seat cushion 3 a that is a seating portion, and is operated by a passenger by hand. For example, when tilting and moving the seat back 3b as the backrest, the occupant manually operates the reclining switch 40a, while the occupant manually operates the slide switch 40b when moving the seat back and forth. It is supposed to be. In addition, the following patent document is mentioned as a prior art document relevant to this invention.

JP 2009-298282 A

  However, such an operation switch 40 of the power seat 3 is disposed in a narrow space between the door trim (a resin member that covers the door panel 2 from the vehicle interior side) 2a and the seat cushion 3a. There is a problem that the operability is poor because it is impossible to visually check which switch of the switch 40a or the slide switch 40b is touching.

  Further, the operation switch 40 is disposed on the side surface of the seat cushion 3a on the door trim 2a side, that is, as shown in FIG. 15, in the passenger seat, on the right side surface of the seat cushion 3a, and in the passenger seat, the seat cushion 3a Since the configuration is arranged on the left side, the shape and arrangement of the reclining switch 40a and the sliding switch 40b are different between the driver seat and the passenger seat, and the operation switch 40 is used for the passenger seat and the passenger seat. However, there is a problem that the number of parts increases.

  Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a power seat operating device that has good operability and can share parts regardless of the position of a seat such as a driver seat or a passenger seat. .

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a power seat operation device including an operation switch for operating a drive source for adjusting a seating posture of a power seat provided in a vehicle, wherein the operation switch includes the power switch. The gist of the invention is that the foot switch is disposed on the vehicle floor in the foot space of the seat.

  According to the power seat operation device having such a configuration, the operation switch of the power seat includes the foot switch disposed on the vehicle floor in the foot space of the power seat, so that the occupant operates the foot switch with his / her foot. Thus, the seating posture of the power seat can be adjusted. As a result, the operability is good, and it is possible to share parts regardless of the position of the seat such as the driver's seat and the passenger seat.

  In this case, the foot switch may be configured to detect a footrest state of an occupant on the foot switch. As such a foot switch, a device provided with a plurality of push switches, a device provided with a plurality of load sensors such as strain gauges, a device provided with a plurality of proximity switches such as a capacitance sensor can be applied. is there. In addition, such foot switch can be placed on the foot with the toes on the heels, the toes with the heels on the toes, the entire feet on the feet, or the entire feet on the feet. For example, by making the foot switch detect such various footrest states, for example, the reclining operation of the backrest portion of the power seat or the sliding operation of the seating portion can be easily performed. Can do.

  Furthermore, it is preferable to provide a configuration in which a sheet adjustment start switch is provided so that the drive source can be operated only when the sheet adjustment start switch is pressed. According to such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the power seat from performing a reclining operation or a sliding operation due to an inadvertent operation on the foot switch, thereby ensuring safety. In this case, the ignition switch provided in the vehicle is turned off, the shift lever of the automatic transmission is in the parking position, the buckle switch for detecting the connection between the tongue plate attached to the seat belt and the buckle fixed to the power seat is turned off, etc. May be added to the conditions that enable the operation of the drive source provided in the power seat.

  According to the power seat operation device according to the present invention, the seating posture of the power seat can be adjusted by the occupant operating the foot switch disposed on the vehicle floor in the foot space of the power seat with the foot. In addition to good operability, it is possible to share parts regardless of the position of the seat such as the driver's seat and the passenger seat.

It is the side view which showed schematic structure of the power seat operation apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the power seat operating device of FIG. (A) is a top view of the foot switch according to the first embodiment, (b) is a top view of the foot switch according to the second embodiment, and (c) is a top view of the foot switch according to the third embodiment. It is the side view which showed the procedure for the reclining operation (seat back inclination movement) of the foot switch which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the side view which showed the procedure for the slide operation (seat cushion back-and-forth movement) of the foot switch according to the first embodiment. It is the side view which showed the procedure for the reclining operation (seat back inclination movement) of the foot switch which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is the side view which showed the procedure for slide operation (seat cushion front movement) which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is the side view which showed the procedure for slide operation (movement after a seat cushion) of the foot switch which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the footrest state to the foot switch which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is the side view which showed the procedure for the reclining operation (seat back inclination movement) of the foot switch which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is the side view which showed the procedure for the slide operation (seat cushion back-and-forth movement) of the foot switch according to the third embodiment. It is the side view which showed the procedure for the lift operation (seat cushion up-and-down movement) of the foot switch which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart (the 1) for demonstrating the operation procedure of a power seat operating device. It is a flowchart (the 2) for demonstrating the operation procedure of a power seat operating device. It is the top view which showed schematic structure of the power seat and the operation switch which were used conventionally.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a power seat operating device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the power seat 3 provided in the vehicle 1 includes a seat cushion 3a that serves as a seating portion for the occupant, a seat back 3b that is a backrest portion of the occupant and can tilt with respect to the seat cushion 3a, A headrest 3c that is assembled to the top of the seat back 3b and receives the back of the occupant is provided.

  The seat cushion 3a is connected to a floor (floor portion) F of the vehicle body via a slide mechanism (not shown). The slide mechanism includes a slide motor 5 as a seat cushion drive source. When the slide motor 5 is operated, the seat cushion 3a can slide back and forth.

  Further, the seat back 3b has a lower end connected to a rear end of the seat cushion 3a via a reclining mechanism (not shown). The reclining mechanism includes a reclining motor 6 as a seat back drive source. When the reclining motor 6 is operated, the seat back 3b is inclined and moved back and forth with respect to the seat cushion 3a with the lower end as a center. It is possible.

  The slide motor 5 and the reclining motor 6 are connected to a seat control device 7 and are actuated (driven) by signals from the seat control device 7.

  As an operation switch for operating the slide motor 5 and the reclining motor 6 of the power seat 3, a foot switch 10 operated by a passenger's foot is disposed on the vehicle floor F at the foot of the power seat 3 (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 2). The foot switch 10 is connected to the seat control device 7, and outputs an operation signal for operating the slide motor 5 or the reclining motor 6 to the seat control device 7.

  A seat adjustment start switch 20 is provided on the door trim (a resin member that covers the door panel 2 from the vehicle interior side) 2a. The seat adjustment start switch 20 is connected to the seat control device 7, and the operation signal is received by the seat control device 6 when pressed by an occupant. This sheet adjustment start switch 20 is an automatic return type switch that can be kept on only when pressed, and outputs an effective operation signal to the sheet control device 7 during the pressing operation, and slides by the sheet control device 7. The operation (drive) of the motor 5 and the reclining motor 6 is enabled.

  FIG. 3 shows the first to third embodiments of the foot switch 10, wherein (a) is a top view of the foot switch 10A according to the first embodiment, and (b) is a foot switch 10B according to the second embodiment. (C) is a top view of the foot switch 10C according to the third embodiment.

  First, the foot switch 10A according to the first embodiment and the operation method thereof will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 (a), 4 and 5. FIG. As shown in FIG. 3A, the foot switches 10A and 10A have a size corresponding to a foot (sole), and are provided in a pair of right and left for a right foot and a left foot. The foot switches 10A and 10A are provided with switches 11a, 11b, and 11c including three pressing switches on the front and rear sides. These switches 11 a to 11 c are automatic return type switches that can be kept on only when pressed, and output an effective operation signal to the seat control device 7 during the pressing operation.

  In this case, the switch 11a is disposed at a position corresponding to the toe portion 30a of the occupant's foot 30, the switch 11b is disposed at a position corresponding to the arch portion 30b of the foot 30, and the switch 11c is disposed at the position of the foot 30. It is arrange | positioned in the position corresponding to the collar part 30c.

  Next, an operation method of such a foot switch 10A (power seat operation device) will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. First, the ignition switch provided in the vehicle 1 is off, the shift lever of the automatic transmission is in the parking position, and the buckle switch for detecting the connection between the tongue plate attached to the seat belt and the buckle fixed to the power seat is off. Are confirmed (S1 to S3). In addition, these conditions are illustrations and can be changed as appropriate. Then, the sheet adjustment start switch 20 is pressed (S4), and the operation of the motors 5 and 6 by the sheet control device 7 is enabled (S5).

  When the power seat 3 is to be reclined, the switch 11a and the switch 11b are turned on the foot 30 as shown in FIG. 4A while maintaining the state where the seat adjustment start switch 20 is pressed (S6, S7). The toe part 30a and the arch part 30b are pressed simultaneously with the part 30c in a floating state (S8). When the seat control device 7 receives the operation signals from the switches 11a and 11b, the seat control device 7 operates the reclining motor 6 to tilt the seat back 3b forward (S9, S10). Similarly, while pressing the sheet adjustment start switch 20 (S6, S7), as shown in FIG. 4B, the switch 11b and the switch 11c are placed on the arch with the toe portion 30a of the foot 30 floating. By pressing simultaneously with 30b and the collar part 30c (S11), the seat back 3b can be inclined and moved back (S12, S13).

  On the other hand, when the power seat 3 is slid, the seat adjustment start switch 20 is pressed to enable the motors 5 and 6 to be operated by the seat control device 7 (S6, S7). ), The switch 11c is pressed by the toe portion 30a (S14). When receiving the operation signal from the switch 11c, the seat control device 7 operates the slide motor 5 to slide the seat cushion 3a forward (S15, S16). Similarly, while pressing the seat adjustment start switch 20 (S6, S7), as shown in FIG. 5B, by pressing the switch 11c with the collar portion 30c (S17), the seat cushion 3a is pressed. It can be slid backward (S18, S19).

  As described above, the foot 30 can be easily placed on the foot switch 10A as if it were a reclining operation of the power seat 3 or moved on the foot switch 10A as if it was a sliding operation of the power seat 3. The seating posture of the seat 3 can be adjusted.

  Next, the foot switch 10B according to the second embodiment and the operation method thereof will be described with reference to FIG. 3B and FIGS. As shown in FIG. 3B, the foot switches 10B and 10B have a size corresponding to a foot (sole), and are provided in a pair of right and left for a right foot and a left foot. The foot switches 10B and 10B are provided with switches 12a and 12b including load sensors such as two strain gauges in the front and rear. These switches 12a and 12b detect a load at the time of pressing to output an effective operation signal to the seat control device 7 during the pressing operation.

  In this case, the switch 12a is disposed at a position corresponding to the toe portion 30a of the occupant's foot 30, and the switch 12b is disposed at a position corresponding to the heel portion 30c of the foot 30.

  Next, an operation method of such a foot switch 10B (power seat operation device) will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. As in the first embodiment, first, the ignition switch provided in the vehicle 1 is turned off, the shift lever of the automatic transmission is in the parking position, and the tongue plate attached to the seat belt is connected to the buckle fixed to the power seat. It is confirmed that the buckle switch to be detected is off (S1 to S3). Then, the sheet adjustment start switch 20 is pressed (S4), and the operation of the motors 5 and 6 by the sheet control device 7 is enabled (S5).

  When the reclining operation of the power seat 3 is performed, the switch 12a is pressed with the toe portion 30a as shown in FIG. 6A while maintaining the state where the seat adjustment start switch 20 is pressed (S6, S7) ( S8). When the seat control device 7 receives the operation signal from the switch 12a, the seat control device 7 operates the reclining motor 6 to tilt the seat back 3b forward (S9, S10). Similarly, while pressing the seat adjustment start switch 20 (S6, S7), as shown in FIG. 6B, by pressing the switch 12b with the collar 30c (S11), the seat back 3b is moved. It can be tilted backward (S12, S13). Note that the seat control device 7 may be configured to control the operation speed of the motors 5 and 6 according to the magnitude of the load when the switches 12a and 12b made of load sensors are pressed. Specifically, when the switches 12a and 12b are stepped (pressed) strongly, the reclining operation is performed quickly, and when the switches 12a and 12b are stepped (pressed) weakly, the reclining operation is performed slowly. The operability of adjustment can be improved.

  On the other hand, when the power seat 3 is slid, the seat adjustment start switch 20 is pressed to enable the motors 5 and 6 to be operated by the seat control device 7 (S6, S7), as shown in FIG. The foot 30 is moved forward from the switch 12b side, so that the toe portion 30a first presses the switch 12b, then the foot 30 as a whole simultaneously presses the switch 12a and the switch 12b, and finally The collar part 30c presses the switch 12a (S14). When receiving the operation signals sequentially output from the switch 12a and the switch 12b, the seat control device 7 operates the slide motor 5 to slide the seat cushion 3a forward (S15, S16).

  Similarly, while pressing the sheet adjustment start switch 20 (S6, S7), as shown in FIG. 8, first, the heel part 30c is switched by moving the foot 30 backward from the switch 12a side. The seat cushion 3a can be slid backward by pressing the switch 12a, then pressing the switch 12a and the switch 12b simultaneously with the entire foot 30, and finally the toe portion 30a pressing the switch 12b (S17). Yes (S18, S19). In this case as well, the seat control device 7 may be configured to control the operation speed of the motors 5 and 6 according to the magnitude of the load when the switches 12a and 12b made of load sensors are pressed. Specifically, the slide of the power seat 3 is controlled by controlling the switch 12a, 12a to slide quickly when pressed (pressed) and to slowly slide when pressed (pressed) the switches 12a, 12b weakly. The operability of adjustment can be improved.

  As described above, the foot 30 can be easily mounted on the foot switch 10B as if it was a reclining operation of the power seat 3 or moved on the foot switch 10B as if it was a sliding operation of the power seat 3. The seating posture of the seat 3 can be adjusted.

  Next, a foot switch 10C according to a third embodiment and an operation method thereof will be described with reference to FIG. 3C and FIGS. As shown in FIG. 3C, the foot switches 10C and 10C have a size corresponding to a foot (sole), and are provided in a pair of right and left for a right foot and a left foot. The foot switches 10C and 10C are provided with switches 13a and 13b including two capacitive proximity switches on the front and rear sides. These switches 13 a and 13 b generate an electric field in the detection region, and can output an operation signal corresponding to the distance between the switches 13 a and 13 b and the foot 30 to the control device 7.

  In this case, the switch 13 a is disposed at a position corresponding to the toe portion 30 a of the occupant's foot 30, and the switch 13 b is disposed at a position corresponding to the heel portion 30 c of the foot 30. As shown in FIG. 9A, these switches 13a and 13b receive the first operation signal when the foot 30 is at a predetermined distance, for example, 50 mm or more, as shown in FIG. 9B. In addition, when the foot 30 is positioned within a predetermined distance, for example, 50 mm, the second operation signal is sent to the position where the foot 30 is in contact with the switches 13a and 13b (the most recent position) as shown in FIG. ), The third operation signal is output to the seat control device 7.

  Next, an operation method of such a foot switch 10C (power seat operation device) will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. As in the first and second embodiments, first, the ignition switch provided in the vehicle 1 is turned off, the shift lever of the automatic transmission is in the parking position, the tongue plate attached to the seat belt, and the buckle fixed to the power seat. It is confirmed that the buckle switch for detecting the connection is off (S1 to S3). Then, the sheet adjustment start switch 20 is pressed (S4), and the operation of the motors 5 and 6 by the sheet control device 7 is enabled (S5).

  When the power seat 3 is reclined, the toe portion 30a is placed on the switch 13a and the switch 13b as shown in FIG. 10 (a) while maintaining the state where the seat adjustment start switch 20 is pressed (S6, S7). By lifting the collar 30c above (S8), the third operation signal is output from the switch 13a and the second operation signal is output from the switch 13b, respectively. When the seat control device 7 receives the third operation signal from the switch 13a and the second operation signal from the switch 13b, the seat control device 7 operates the reclining motor 6 to tilt the seat back 3b forward (S9, S10). . Similarly, while pressing the sheet adjustment start switch 20 (S6, S7), as shown in FIG. 10B, the toe portion 30a is floated on the switch 13a and the collar portion 30c is placed on the switch 13b. (S11), the seat back 3b can be inclined and moved backward (S12, S13).

  On the other hand, when the power seat 3 is slid, the seat adjustment start switch 20 is pressed to enable the motors 5 and 6 to be operated by the seat control device 7 (S6, S7). ), By placing the collar 30c on the switch 13a (S14), the switch 13a outputs the third operation signal and the switch 13b outputs the first operation signal. When the seat control device 7 receives the third operation signal from the switch 13a and the first operation signal from the switch 13b, the seat control device 7 operates the slide motor 5 to slide the seat cushion 3a forward (S15, S16). . Similarly, while pressing the sheet adjustment start switch 20 (S6, S7), as shown in FIG. 11B, the toe part 30a is placed on the switch 13b (S17), and the first operation signal is sent from the switch 13a. By outputting the third operation signal from the switch 13b, the seat cushion 3a can be slid backward (S18, S19).

  FIG. 12 shows a procedure for operating the foot switch 10C when the power seat 3 includes a lift mechanism having a lift motor 8 for raising and lowering the seat cushion (seat surface) 3a up and down. Yes. Also in this case, first, the seat adjustment start switch 20 is pressed so that the motors 5, 6 and 8 can be operated by the seat control device 7, and then the foot 30 is switched as shown in FIG. After floating on 13a and 13b and outputting the first operation signal from the switches 13a and 13b, the foot 30 is placed on the switches 13a and 13b, and the third operation signal is output from the switches 13a and 13b. When the seat control device 7 sequentially receives the third operation signal and the first operation signal from the switches 13a and 13b, the seat control device 7 operates the lift motor 8 to move the seat cushion (seat surface) 3a downward. Similarly, while pressing the sheet adjustment start switch 20, as shown in FIG. 12B, the foot 30 was placed on the switches 13a and 13b, and the third operation signals were output from the switches 13a and 13b, respectively. Later, the seat cushion (seat surface) 3a can be moved up by floating the foot 30 on the switches 13a and 13b and outputting the first operation signals from the switches 13a and 13b, respectively.

  In this way, by placing the foot 30 on the foot switch 10C as if it were a reclining operation or a sliding operation of the power seat 3, or by moving it on the foot switch 10C as if it was a lift operation of the power seat 3, It is possible to easily adjust the seating posture of the power seat 3.

  In the first to third embodiments described above, if the pressing of the sheet adjustment start switch 20 is released (S20), the adjustment is completed.

  According to the present invention described above, since the operation switch of the power seat 3 includes the foot switch 10 disposed on the vehicle floor F in the foot space of the power seat 3, the occupant operates the foot switch 10 with his / her foot. Thus, the seating posture of the power seat 3 can be adjusted. As a result, the operability is good, and it is possible to share parts regardless of the position of the seat such as the driver's seat and the passenger seat.

  In this case, the foot switch 10 may be configured to detect the footrest state of the occupant on the foot switch 10. Examples of such a foot switch 10 include those provided with push-type switches 11a to 11c (foot switch 10A), those provided with load sensors 12a and 12b such as strain gauges (foot switch 10B), and a capacitance sensor. The one provided with proximity switches 13a and 13b (foot switch 10C) or the like can be applied. In addition, such a foot-mounted state on the foot switch 10 includes a state where the toe 30a of the foot 30 is placed and the heel 30c is lifted, a state where the foot 30c of the foot 30 is placed and the toe 30a is lifted, and the entire foot 30 Examples include a state in which the foot 30 is lifted, a state in which the entire foot 30 is lifted, and the like. By causing the foot switch 10 to detect such various foot resting states, the seat back 3b of the power seat 3 can be reclined or the seat cushion 3a can be moved. A sliding operation can be easily performed.

  Further, the seat adjustment start switch 20 is provided, and the drive source (5, 6) of the power seat 3 can be operated only when the sheet adjustment start switch 20 is pressed. The careless operation prevents the power seat 3 from performing a reclining operation or a sliding operation, thereby ensuring safety.

  As mentioned above, although the embodiment of the power seat operation device concerning the present invention was described, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment at all, and can be carried out in various modes without departing from the gist of the present invention. Of course.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the reclining mechanism and the slide mechanism of the power seat 3 are mainly operated by the foot switch 10 has been described. However, the power seat 3 supports the lumbar portion of the occupant inside the seat back 3b. When equipped with a lumbar support mechanism that moves (swings) the lumbar support up and down and swings, and an ottoman mechanism that accommodates and moves the ottoman that supports the lower leg of the occupant (calf) from below, these mechanisms The above operation may be operated by the foot switch 10 and is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

  In this case, if a changeover switch for switching the operation of the reclining mechanism and the sliding mechanism of the power seat 3 and the operation of the lumbar support mechanism and the ottoman mechanism is provided in, for example, a door trim, all these mechanisms are connected to one foot switch 10. Can be operated easily.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 2 Door panel 2a Door trim 3 Power seat 3a Seat cushion 3b Seat back 3c Headrest 5 Slide motor 6 Reclining motor 7 Seat control device 8 Lift motor 10 Foot switch 11a-11c Switch (push type switch)
12a, 12b switch (load sensor)
13a, 13b switch (proximity switch)
20 seat adjustment start switch 30 foot 30a toe part 30b arch part 30c heel part F vehicle floor

Claims (3)

  A power seat operating device including an operation switch for operating a drive source for adjusting a seating posture of a power seat provided in a vehicle, wherein the operation switch is disposed on a vehicle floor in a space under the power seat. A power seat operating device comprising a foot switch.   The power seat operating device according to claim 1, wherein the foot switch detects a footrest state of an occupant on the foot switch.   The power seat operating device according to claim 1, further comprising a seat adjustment start switch, wherein the drive source can be operated only when the seat adjustment start switch is pressed.

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