JP2018188082A - Vehicle seat position control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a taking-seat operation of a driver from being hindered when automatically adjusting a seat position.SOLUTION: A seat position control device 100 includes: a control section 1 for controlling a seat position; and a registration information storage section 3 in which driver registration information and seat position registration information are stored to be made correspond to each other. The control section 1 determines whether a seat position registered corresponding to a driver coincide with a present seat position detected by a seat position detection section 12 when face feature amount (driver specific information) extracted from the face of the driver photographed by a camera 10 exists in the driver registration information in the registration information storage section 3. When both the seat positions do not coincide with each other and a seating detection section 11 detects that the driver is seated on the seat, the control section 1 gives an instruction signal to a seat driving section 15 so as to move the seat from a present position to a registration position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a seat position control device that automatically adjusts a seat position according to a driver when the driver gets on a vehicle.

  In a vehicle, for example, when adjusting the front / rear position of a seat, conventionally, the seat position is adjusted by manually operating an operation unit provided in the vicinity of the seat and sliding the seat forward or backward. . On the other hand, in recent years, a seat position suitable for the driver's preference is registered in advance, the driver is identified when getting on, and the seat is automatically moved to the seat position corresponding to the driver. A vehicle has appeared.

  As an example of such a vehicle, for example, when a driver is identified from an ID set in an electronic key and a request switch for passive entry provided on a door handle or an engine switch is operated, a seat Is automatically moved to a pre-registered position. Also, Patent Documents 1 and 2 show an apparatus for automatically adjusting the sheet position.

  In Patent Document 1, the height of the driver is measured by the camera outside the vehicle, the face of the driver is photographed by the camera inside the vehicle, the height of the driver measured by the camera outside the vehicle, and the face of the driver photographed by the camera inside the vehicle The steering position and seat position are automatically adjusted based on the eye height.

  In Patent Document 2, an ID is read from a card or an ignition key to perform personal authentication of the driver, and automatically adjust seat belt mountability (winding torque) and seat position corresponding to the driver. I have to.

JP 2006-15872 A JP 2000-225921 A

  In a vehicle equipped with an automatic seat position adjustment function as described above, when the driver is identified and moved immediately, the seat moves even though the driver is not completely seated on the seat. As a result, there is a problem that the driver's seating movement is hindered.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a seat position control device that prevents a driver's seating operation from being hindered during automatic adjustment of the seat position.

  A vehicle seat position control device according to the present invention includes a control unit that controls the position of a seat, and a registration information storage unit that stores registration information related to the driver and the seat position. The control unit receives driver identification information for identifying the driver who has boarded the vehicle, seating information indicating that the driver is seated on the seat, and seat position current information indicating the current position of the seat, respectively. The unit controls the position of the sheet based on these pieces of information. The registration information storage unit stores driver registration information indicating a driver registered in advance, and sheet position registration information indicating a seat position registered in advance corresponding to the driver. The control unit determines whether or not the input driver identification information exists in the driver registration information stored in the registration information storage unit, and the driver identification information is included in the driver registration information. If it exists, it is further determined whether or not the seat position registration information corresponding to the driver registration information matches the input seat position current information. When the seat position registration information and the seat position current information do not match and seating information is input, the control unit moves the seat from the current position to the registered seat position.

  According to such a configuration, even when the driver identification information exists in the registration information storage unit, the seat does not move when the seating information indicating that the driver is seated on the seat is not input. Although the seat is not completely seated on the seat, the problem that the seat moves and hinders the seating operation of the driver can be solved.

  In the present invention, the control unit may determine whether seating information is input after determining that the seat position registration information and the seat position current information do not match.

  In the present invention, the control unit determines whether or not seating information is input after detecting that the driver has boarded the vehicle. If the seating information is input, the driver specifying information is It may be determined whether or not the user registration information exists.

  In the present invention, the control unit may detect that the driver has boarded the vehicle based on the unlocking of the vehicle door while the ignition switch for starting the engine provided in the vehicle is off. .

  In the present invention, the driver identification information may be a facial feature amount extracted from a face image obtained by photographing a driver's face.

  In the present invention, the driver identification information may be an identification number of the driver acquired through communication with an electronic key possessed by the driver.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the seat position control apparatus which prevented the driver | operator's sitting operation at the time of automatic adjustment of a seat position can be provided.

It is a block diagram of the sheet position control device according to the first embodiment. It is the schematic of the driver's seat of a vehicle. It is a figure explaining adjustment of a sheet position. It is the flowchart which showed operation | movement of 1st Embodiment. It is the figure which showed the table of registration information. It is the flowchart which showed the operation | movement of 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram of a sheet position control device according to a third embodiment. It is the figure which showed the table of registration information. It is the flowchart which showed the operation | movement of 3rd Embodiment. It is the flowchart which showed the operation | movement of 4th Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  First, the configuration of a vehicle seat position control device (hereinafter simply referred to as “seat position control device”) according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  In FIG. 1, the seat position control device 100 is mounted on a vehicle and includes a control unit 1, an image processing unit 2, and a registration information storage unit 3.

  The control unit 1 is composed of a CPU and the like, and controls the position of the sheet 50 shown in FIG. 2 according to a procedure described later.

  The image processing unit 2 includes a face detection unit 2a that detects a face from a driver image captured by a camera 10 to be described later, and a feature amount extraction unit 2b that extracts a feature amount of the face detected by the face detection unit 2a. have. The face feature amount extracted by the feature amount extraction unit 2b is given to the control unit 1 as driver specifying information for specifying the driver who has boarded the vehicle.

  In the present embodiment, the camera 10 also serves as a driver monitor camera. The driver monitor monitors the state of the driver based on the driver's face image taken by the camera 10, and issues an alarm or predetermined control over the vehicle when the driver is in a state of falling asleep or sudden illness. It is a device that performs. The control unit 1 has a function as a driver monitor in addition to the function of controlling the position of the seat 50.

  The registration information storage unit 3 is composed of a semiconductor memory, and as shown in FIG. 5, has a table 3a in which face feature amounts registered in advance and sheet positions registered in advance are stored in association with each other. ing. The face feature amount is driver registration information indicating a driver registered in advance, and the seat position is sheet position registration information indicating a seat position registered in advance. Here, the seat position represents the movement distance from the reference position (+ is forward movement, − is backward movement).

  Connected to the input side of the seat position control apparatus 100 are a camera 10, a seating detection unit 11, a seat position detection unit 12, an ignition switch 13, and a door state detection unit 14. A sheet driving unit 15 is connected to the output side of the sheet position control apparatus 100.

  The camera 10 includes an image sensor such as a CCD (charge coupled device). For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the driver A is installed on the instrument panel P of the driver's seat of the vehicle V and is seated on the seat 50. Shoot the face. The seat 50 is placed on the base 60 and includes a seat portion 51, a backrest portion 52, and a headrest portion 53. The vehicle V is, for example, an automobile.

  The seating detection unit 11 is a block for detecting that the driver A is seated on the seat 50 of the driver's seat. For example, the seating detection unit 11 includes a pressure sensor 21 provided on the seat 51 of the seat 50 as shown in FIG. I have. The output of the seating detection unit 11 is given to the control unit 1 as seating information indicating that the driver A is seated on the seat 50.

  The seat position detection unit 12 is a block that detects the current position of the seat 50, and includes a rotary encoder 22 that is coupled to the shaft of the seat drive motor 25 as shown in FIG. The output of the sheet position detection unit 12 is given to the control unit 1 as sheet position current information indicating the current position of the sheet 50.

  The ignition switch 13 is a switch for starting the engine of the vehicle V, and is turned on / off by operating an ignition key.

  The door state detection unit 14 includes a sensor (not shown) that detects the open / close state of the door of the vehicle V and the unlocked / locked state.

  The seat drive unit 15 is a block that moves the seat 50 forward or backward. The seat drive motor 25 shown in FIG. 3 and the slide mechanism 40 that moves the seat 50 in the front-rear direction in conjunction with the motor 25. And. The slide mechanism 40 includes a known mechanism including a feed screw and a nut. For example, when the seat drive motor 25 is rotated forward, the seat 50 is moved forward F by the slide mechanism 40, and when the seat drive motor 25 is reversed, the seat 50 is moved rearward R by the slide mechanism 40.

  The control unit 1 registers driver identification information (face feature amount) given from the feature quantity extraction unit 2b, seating information given from the seating detection unit 11, seat position current information given from the seat position detection unit 12, and registration Based on the driver registration information and the seat position registration information stored in the information storage unit 3 (table 3a), a command signal is output to the seat drive unit 15 to control the position of the seat 50.

  Next, the operation of the above-described sheet position control apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In FIG. 4, in step S <b> 1, the control unit determines whether the ignition switch (hereinafter referred to as “IG switch”) 13 is not operated, that is, whether the door of the vehicle V is unlocked while the IG switch 13 is off. Determined by 1. Whether or not the door is unlocked is determined based on an output signal of the door state detection unit 14.

  If the door is unlocked with the IG switch 13 turned off (step S1; YES), it is determined that the driver A has boarded the vehicle V, and the process proceeds to step S2. In step S2, the camera 10 operates to start photographing the face of the driver A.

  Subsequently, in step S3, the face detection unit 2a of the image processing unit 2 detects the face of the driver A from the image captured in step S2. In step S4, the feature amount extraction unit 2b of the image processing unit 2 extracts a face feature amount from the face image of the driver A detected in step S3. Since the method for extracting the facial feature amount is known and is not a feature of the present invention, the description thereof is omitted.

  Next, in step S5, whether or not the face feature value extracted in step S4 is present in the face feature value stored in the table 3a (FIG. 5) of the registration information storage unit 3 is determined. Determined by 1. As a result of the determination, if the face feature amount extracted in step S4 exists in the table 3a (step S5; YES), the process proceeds to step S6. If not (step S5; NO), steps S6 to S10 are executed. The process is terminated without doing so.

  In step S6, the control unit 1 reads the seat position corresponding to the facial feature amount of the driver A extracted in step S4 from the table 3a of the registration information storage unit 3. Subsequently, in step S7, the control unit 1 confirms the current position of the sheet 50 based on the output (sheet position current information) of the sheet position detection unit 12.

  Thereafter, in step S8, the control unit 1 compares the sheet position read in step S6 with the current position of the sheet 50 confirmed in step S7, and determines whether or not both match. As a result of the determination, if both match (step S8; YES), it is determined that the movement of the sheet 50 is unnecessary, and the process is terminated without executing steps S9 and S10. If the two do not match (step S8; NO), it is determined that the sheet 50 needs to be moved, and the process proceeds to step S9.

  In step S <b> 9, the control unit 1 determines whether seating information is input from the seating detection unit 11, that is, whether the driver A is seated on the seat 50. As a result of the determination, if seating information is input (step S9; YES), it is determined that the driver A is seated on the seat 50, and the process proceeds to step S10. If seating information is not input (step S9; NO), it is determined that the driver A is not seated on the seat 50, and the process ends without executing step S10.

  In step S <b> 10, the control unit 1 transmits a command signal for moving the sheet 50 from the current position to the registered position to the sheet driving unit 15. Upon receiving this command signal, the sheet driving unit 15 rotates the sheet driving motor 25 (FIG. 3) in the normal direction or the reverse direction. Along with this, the seat 50 moves forward F or backward R by a predetermined amount, and the seat position is automatically adjusted.

  According to the first embodiment described above, the seating information indicating that the driver A is seated on the seat 50 is obtained even when the face feature amount that is the driver identification information exists in the table 3a of the registered information storage unit 3. When the seating detection unit 11 does not input the control unit 1, the seat 50 does not move. For this reason, although the driver A is not completely seated on the seat 50, the problem that the seat 50 moves and the seating operation of the driver A is hindered can be solved.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the second embodiment. The configuration of the sheet position control device according to the second embodiment is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 3).

  In FIG. 6, step S9 of the first embodiment (FIG. 4) is moved between step S1 and step S2. Therefore, after detecting that the driver A gets on the vehicle V in step S1, the control unit 1 determines whether or not the seating information is input from the seating detection unit 11 in step S9. If it has been input, it is determined whether or not the face feature amount exists in the registered information storage unit 3 in steps S5 through S2 to S4. Steps S2 to S8 and S10 are the same as those in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, when the ride of the driver A is detected, the photographing by the camera 10 is started after the driver A is seated on the seat 50.

  Also in the seat position control device of the second embodiment, when the driver A is not seated on the seat 50, the seat 50 does not move, and thus the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. it can.

  FIG. 7 shows a sheet position control apparatus 200 according to the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, the camera 10 of the first embodiment (FIG. 1) is replaced with an electronic key 20, and the image processing unit 2 is replaced with an authentication unit 4. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the registered information storage unit 5 stores a driver ID (driver registered information) registered in advance and a seat position (sheet position registered information) registered in advance in association with each other. A table 5a is provided. About another structure, it is the same as 1st Embodiment.

  The electronic key 20 is a portable device used for unlocking and locking the door of the vehicle V, and is held by the driver A. The electronic key 20 stores an identification number (hereinafter referred to as “ID”) for identifying the driver A. The authentication unit 4 includes a communication unit 4a that communicates with the electronic key 20 and an ID verification unit 4b that performs verification of an ID acquired from the electronic key 20 via the communication unit 4a. The ID collated by the ID collating unit 4b and determined to be normal is given to the control unit 1 as driver specifying information for specifying the driver who has boarded the vehicle.

  The control unit 1 includes driver identification information (ID) given from the ID collation unit 4b, seating information given from the seating detection unit 11, seat position current information given from the seat position detection unit 12, and a registration information storage unit. Based on the driver registration information and the seat position registration information stored in the table 5 (table 5a), a command signal is output to the seat drive unit 15 to control the position of the seat 50.

  Next, the operation of the above-described sheet position control apparatus 200 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In FIG. 9, in step S <b> 21, as in step S <b> 1 of FIG. 4, the control unit 1 determines whether or not the door of the vehicle V is unlocked while the IG switch 13 is off. If the door is unlocked with the IG switch 13 turned off (step S21; YES), it is determined that the driver A has boarded the vehicle V, and the process proceeds to step S22.

  In step S22, communication is started between the communication unit 4a of the authentication unit 4 and the electronic key 20, and the ID of the driver A is acquired from the electronic key 20 in the subsequent step S23.

  Next, in step S24, it is determined whether or not the ID of the driver A acquired in step S23 is present in the driver ID stored in the table 5a (FIG. 8) of the registration information storage unit 5. It is determined by the control unit 1. As a result of the determination, if the ID of the driver A acquired in step S23 exists in the table 5a (step S24; YES), the process proceeds to step S25, and if not (step S24; NO), steps S25 to S29. The process is terminated without executing.

  In step S25, the control unit 1 reads the seat position corresponding to the ID of the driver A acquired in step S23 from the table 5a of the registration information storage unit 5. The subsequent steps S26 to S29 are the same as the steps S7 to S10 in FIG.

  In step S <b> 26, the control unit 1 confirms the current position of the sheet 50 based on the output (sheet position current information) of the sheet position detection unit 12. In step S27, the control unit 1 determines whether or not the sheet position read in step S25 matches the current position of the sheet 50 confirmed in step S26. As a result of the determination, if both match (step S27; YES), it is determined that the movement of the sheet 50 is unnecessary, and the process ends. If both do not match (step S27; NO), the movement of the sheet 50 occurs. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S28.

  In step S <b> 28, the control unit 1 determines whether seating information is input from the seating detection unit 11. If seating information is input (step S28; YES), it is determined that the driver A is seated on the seat 50, and the process proceeds to step S29. If seating information is not input (step S28; NO). Then, it is determined that the driver A is not seated on the seat 50, and the processing is terminated.

  In step S <b> 29, the control unit 1 transmits a command signal for moving the sheet 50 from the current position to the registered position to the sheet driving unit 15. Upon receiving this command signal, the sheet driving unit 15 rotates the sheet driving motor 25 (FIG. 3) in the normal direction or the reverse direction. Along with this, the seat 50 moves forward F or backward R by a predetermined amount, and the seat position is automatically adjusted.

  According to the third embodiment described above, the seating information indicating that the driver A is seated on the seat 50 is present even when the ID of the driver A, which is the driver identification information, is present in the table 5a of the registered information storage unit 5. When the seating detection unit 11 does not input the control unit 1, the seat 50 does not move. For this reason, although the driver A is not completely seated on the seat 50, the problem that the seat 50 moves and the seating operation of the driver A is hindered can be solved.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the fourth embodiment. The configuration of the sheet position control device according to the fourth embodiment is the same as the configuration of the third embodiment (FIG. 7).

  In FIG. 10, step S28 of the third embodiment (FIG. 9) is moved between step S21 and step S22. Therefore, after detecting that the driver A gets on the vehicle V in step S21, the control unit 1 determines whether or not the seating information is input from the seating detection unit 11 in step S28, and the seating information is When it is input, it is determined whether or not the driver ID exists in the registration information storage unit 5 in step S24 through steps S22 and S23. Steps S25 to S27 and S29 are the same as those in the third embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, when the ride of the driver A is detected, the communication with the electronic key 20 is started after the driver A is seated on the seat 50.

  Even in the seat position control device of the fourth embodiment, since the seat 50 does not move when the driver A is not seated on the seat 50, the same effect as in the case of the third embodiment can be obtained. it can.

  In the present invention, the following various embodiments can be adopted in addition to the above-described embodiments.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the position of the seat 50 in the front-rear direction is adjusted is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to the case where the seat position in the vertical direction is adjusted in addition to the position adjustment in the front-rear direction. In this case, a seat drive motor and a slide mechanism for moving the seat 50 in the vertical direction are separately provided. Further, in the registration information storage units 3 and 5, the position in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction of the seat 50 is stored in advance as sheet position registration information in association with the driver.

  Further, in addition to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, the present invention can also be applied when, for example, the angle of the backrest 52 of the seat 50 is automatically adjusted. Therefore, the position control referred to in the present invention is a concept including angle control. In this case, a seat drive motor and a rotation mechanism for inclining the backrest 52 are separately provided. Further, in the registration information storage units 3 and 5, as the seat position registration information, the front-rear and vertical positions of the seat 50 and the inclination angle of the backrest 52 are stored in advance in association with the driver.

  In the above-described embodiment, the pressure-sensitive sensor 21 is taken as an example of the seating detection sensor in the seating detection unit 11, but an optical sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or the like may be used instead of the pressure-sensitive sensor.

  In the above-described embodiment, it is determined that the driver A has boarded the vehicle V based on the unlocking of the door of the vehicle V in a state where the IG switch 13 is not operated, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the seating detection unit 11 detects the seating of the driver A, it may be determined that the driver A gets on the vehicle V.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the example in which the camera 10 is installed on the instrument panel P of the driver's seat has been described. However, the camera 10 may be installed on the upper part of the windshield in front of the driver's seat.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the facial feature amount extracted from the facial image of the driver A is given as an example of the driver identification information that identifies the driver A who gets on the vehicle V. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Not. For example, information obtained by reading the fingerprint or iris of the driver A may be used as the driver specifying information.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the ID acquired from the electronic key 20 used for locking / unlocking the door is given as an example of the driver specifying information for specifying the driver A who gets on the vehicle V. It is not limited to. For example, an ID acquired from an ID card or an ignition key in which an ID is set as described in Patent Document 2 may be used as the driver identification information.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a seat position control device mounted on a four-wheeled vehicle has been described. However, the present invention is directed to a seat position control device mounted on another vehicle such as a bus or a truck. It can also be applied to.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Control part 2 Image processing part 3 Registration information storage part 4 Authentication part 5 Registration information storage part 10 Camera 11 Seating detection part 12 Seat position detection part 13 Ignition switch 14 Door state detection part 15 Seat drive part 20 Electronic key 50 200 Seat position control device A Driver V Vehicle

Claims (6)

A seat position control device for controlling the position of a seat mounted on a vehicle and on which a driver is seated,
Driver identification information for identifying a driver who has boarded the vehicle, seating information indicating that the driver is seated on the seat, and seat position current information indicating the current position of the seat are respectively input. A control unit for controlling the position of the sheet based on each information;
Driver registration information indicating a driver registered in advance, and a registration information storage unit that stores sheet position registration information indicating a seat position registered in advance corresponding to the driver,
The controller is
It is determined whether or not the input driver identification information is present in the driver registration information stored in the registration information storage unit,
If the driver identification information is present in the driver registration information, whether or not the seat position registration information corresponding to the driver registration information matches the input seat position current information. Judgment further,
When the seat position registration information does not match the seat position current information and the seating information is input, the seat is moved from the current position to the registered seat position. A vehicle seat position control device. In the vehicle seat position control device according to claim 1,
The controller is
A vehicle seat position control apparatus, comprising: determining whether the seating information is input after determining that the seat position registration information and the seat position current information do not match. In the vehicle seat position control device according to claim 1,
The controller is
After detecting that the driver gets on the vehicle, it is determined whether the seating information is input,
A seat position control apparatus for a vehicle, wherein when the seating information is input, it is determined whether or not the driver identification information is present in the driver registration information. In the vehicle seat position control device according to claim 3,
The controller is
A vehicle that detects that the driver has boarded the vehicle based on the unlocking of the door of the vehicle when an ignition switch for starting an engine provided in the vehicle is off. Seat position control device. In the vehicle seat position control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The vehicle seat position control device, wherein the driver identification information is a facial feature amount extracted from a face image obtained by photographing the driver's face. In the vehicle seat position control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The vehicle seat position control device, wherein the driver specifying information is an identification number of the driver acquired by communication with an electronic key possessed by the driver.

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