JP2021123126A - Seat attitude control device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a seat attitude control device which can keep a seat in a substantially horizontal attitude according to a simple constitution.SOLUTION: A seat attitude control device 102 includes: a plurality of displacement mounts 31 and 32; one or more fluid pipes 41; one or more on/off valves (flow switching actuators) 51; and a control unit 80. The plurality of displacement mounts 31 and 32 are arranged at multiple spots between a vehicle seat 20 and a vehicle body 90, and the height of an upper surface is displaced according to fluid pressure of a fluid pressure space formed therein. The fluid pipe 41 connects the plurality of displacement mounts 31 and 32 together. The on/off valve (fluid switching actuator) 51 is provided in the middle of the fluid pipe 41, and a flow inside the fluid pipe 41 can be switched. The control unit 80 acquires information related to an inclination of the seat relative to a horizontal plane, and controls operation of the on/off valve (fluid switching actuator) 51 so as to restrict an inclination increase of the seat 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a seat attitude control device.

Conventionally, there has been known a seat attitude control device that keeps the posture of a vehicle seat substantially horizontal and enhances steering stability regardless of a change in the posture of the vehicle body.

For example, in the seat attitude control device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the front, rear, left and right legs of the seat are supported on the floor of the vehicle body by a hydraulic actuator, and the vehicle height is arranged on the hydraulic suspension mechanism of each wheel and each hydraulic actuator. From the signal of the sensor, the relative displacement amount of each mode of the roll, pitch, and bounce of the vehicle body and the seat is obtained by the relative displacement amount calculating means. Further, a control amount for suppressing the relative displacement of each mode of the vehicle body and the seat is obtained by the vibration control amount calculation means, and the amount of oil of each hydraulic suspension mechanism and each hydraulic actuator is adjusted according to the control amount.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-286507

According to the hydraulic circuit diagram of Patent Document 1, a pressure gauge, an accumulator, and a hydraulic control valve are required for each of the four hydraulic actuators at the lower part of the seat. Therefore, the configuration of the hydraulic circuit becomes complicated, and there is a great concern that the cost will increase.

The present invention has been created in view of these points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a seat posture control device capable of maintaining a seat posture substantially horizontally with a simple configuration.

The seat attitude control device of the present invention controls a plurality of displacement mounts (31-34), one or more fluid pipes (41-46), and one or more flow switching actuators (51-56, 60). A unit (80) is provided.

The plurality of displacement mounts are installed at a plurality of locations between the seat (20) and the vehicle body (90) of the vehicle, and the height of the upper surface is displaced according to the fluid pressure in the fluid pressure space formed inside. The fluid pipe connects a plurality of displacement mounts to each other.

The flow switching actuator is provided in the middle of the fluid pipe and can switch the flow of the fluid in the fluid pipe. One aspect of the flow switching actuator is composed of an on-off valve (51-56) capable of opening and shutting off the flow path of the fluid pipe. The flow switching actuator of another embodiment is composed of a positive and reverse rotating positive displacement fluid pump (60), and adjusts the distribution of fluid pressure of a pair of displacement mounts connected to both ends of the fluid pipe.

The control unit acquires information on the inclination of the seat with respect to the horizontal plane, and controls the operation of the flow switching actuator so as to suppress an increase in the inclination of the seat. For example, the control unit may predict the future inclination of the seat based on the information ahead of the vehicle in the traveling direction, and control the operation of the flow switching actuator by feedforward control. Alternatively, the control unit may control the operation of the flow switching actuator by feedback control based on the detection information of the seat posture sensor.

The seat posture control device of the present invention switches the flow of fluid in the fluid pipe by a flow switching actuator, and adjusts the fluid pressure balance of the fluid pressure space of a pair of displacement mounts connected to both ends of the fluid pipe to adjust the fluid pressure balance of the seat. Control the posture. Therefore, the posture of the seat can be maintained almost horizontally with a simpler configuration than the conventional technique.

The front view of the seat provided with the seat attitude control device according to 1st, 2nd and 4th embodiments. FIG. 1 is a view taken along the line II of FIG. 1 showing a side surface of a seat according to the first embodiment. The schematic perspective view of the seat attitude control device according to 1st Embodiment. FIG. 1 is an arrow view in the IV direction showing the side surfaces of the seats of the second and fourth embodiments. The schematic perspective view of the seat attitude control device according to 2nd Embodiment. The front view of the seat provided with the seat attitude control device according to the 3rd Embodiment. VII direction arrow view of FIG. 6 showing the side surface of the seat of the third embodiment. The schematic perspective view of the seat attitude control device according to 3rd Embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the seat attitude control device according to the fourth embodiment.

Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of the seat attitude control device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In a plurality of embodiments, substantially the same configuration is designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 1 is a front view of the seat 20 seen from the front of the vehicle common to the first, second, and fourth embodiments, and FIG. 6 is a similar front view according to the third embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of the seat 20 according to the first embodiment, FIG. 4 is a second and fourth embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a third embodiment. In each side view, the number and arrangement of "displacement mounts" or "fixed mounts" and "fluid pipes" are different. In FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, the illustration of the “flow switching actuator” provided in the middle of the fluid piping is omitted.

3, FIG. 5, FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 show the number of displacement mounts, one or more fluid pipes, and one or more flow switching actuators in the seat attitude control device 101-104 for each embodiment. The layout and the types of fluid switching actuators are schematically shown. These figures are views of the seat attitude control device 101-104 under the seat 20 from the front and above of the vehicle. "Right" and "left" in the figure indicate the direction seen from the occupant, which is the opposite of the left and right on the paper.

Common to each embodiment, the seat 20 has a cushion 25 and a backrest 26. Of the vibrations applied to the seat 20, the vibrations in the high frequency range are generally attenuated by the structure of the seat itself, cushions, springs, and the like. On the other hand, the damping of vibration in the low frequency range will be described later as the action and effect of this embodiment.

The plurality of displacement mounts 31-34 are installed at a plurality of locations between the seat 20 of the vehicle and the vehicle body 90. The bottom of the seat 20 is supported on the floor of the vehicle body 90 via seat rails 27, 28 and a plurality of displacement mounts 31-34. A fluid such as oil is sealed in the fluid pressure space formed inside the displacement mounts 31-34. Here, the reference numerals of the displacement mounts are described as "31-34" according to the first embodiment, and the second and third embodiments are read as "displacement mounts 31, 32". The displacement mounts 31-34 may be arranged between the bottom of the seat 20 and the seat rails 27 and 28, and between the seat rails 27 and 28 and the floor surface of the vehicle body 90.

As shown by the block arrows in FIG. 1 and the like, the height of the upper surface of the displacement mount 31-34 is displaced according to the fluid pressure in the fluid pressure space. The height of the seat 20 at the corresponding location changes according to the displacement of the height of the upper surface of the displacement mounts 31-34. In FIG. 1, when there is a difference in the heights of the upper surfaces of the left and right displacement mounts 31 and 32, the seat 20 tilts in the roll direction. In FIG. 2, when the heights of the upper surfaces of the front and rear displacement mounts 32 and 34 are different, the seat 20 is tilted in the pitch direction.

(First Embodiment)
Subsequently, a detailed configuration of the seat attitude control device 101-104 will be described for each embodiment. In the description, the reference numerals may be omitted where the description of the reference numerals becomes complicated. First, the seat attitude control device 101 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. As shown in FIG. 3, in the space between the seat 20 and the vehicle body 90, the seat attitude control device 101 of the first embodiment has four front row right side, front row left side, rear row right side, and rear row left side when viewed from the occupant. A displacement mount 31-34 is provided.

The four displacement mounts 31-34 are connected to each other by fluid pipes 41-46. The fluid pipe 41 connects the front row right displacement mount 31 and the front row left displacement mount 32, and the fluid pipe 42 connects the back row right displacement mount 33 and the back row left displacement mount 34. The fluid pipe 43 connects the front row right displacement mount 31 and the back row right displacement mount 33, and the fluid pipe 44 connects the front row left displacement mount 32 and the back row left displacement mount 34. The fluid pipe 45 connects the front row right displacement mount 31 and the back row left displacement mount 34, and the fluid pipe 46 connects the front row left displacement mount 32 and the back row right displacement mount 33.

In the middle of each fluid pipe 41-46, as a "flow switching actuator that can switch the flow and shutoff of the fluid in the fluid pipe", an on-off valve 51-56 that can open and shut off the flow path of the fluid pipe 41-46. Is provided. The on-off valve 51-56 opens and closes according to a command signal from the control unit 80. The on-off valve 51-56 of the present embodiment is composed of an electromagnetic on-off valve (that is, a solenoid valve) that opens and closes by energizing the coil, and has a quick operation response. For example, a solenoid valve used as a hydraulic control valve in an automatic transmission of a vehicle may be used for the on-off valve 51-56 of the present embodiment.

The control unit 80 acquires information on the inclination of the seat 20 with respect to the horizontal plane, and controls the operation of the on-off valve 51-56 so as to suppress an increase in the inclination of the seat 20. Normally, when the posture of the seat 20 is horizontal, the on-off valve 51-56 is opened to open the flow path of the fluid pipe 41-46. Hereinafter, sensors that detect information related to the seat posture, such as a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor, are collectively referred to as a "seat posture sensor". For example, the control unit 80 acquires the detection information fed back (“FB” in the figure) from the seat posture sensor, and when the seat 20 begins to tilt, the control unit 80 closes the on-off valve according to the tilt direction.

When the seat 20 is tilted in the roll direction, the control unit 80 closes the on-off valves 51 and 52 so as to block the flow paths of the fluid pipes 41 and 42 connecting the left and right displacement mounts. When the seat 20 is tilted in the pitch direction, the control unit 80 closes the on-off valves 53 and 54 so as to block the flow paths of the fluid pipes 43 and 44 connecting the front and rear displacement mounts. When the seat 20 is tilted in the roll direction and the pitch direction at the same time, the control unit 80 closes the on-off valves 55 and 56 so as to further block the flow paths of the fluid pipes 45 and 46 in the oblique direction.

When the seat 20 is tilted, the weight of the occupant moves to the lower side, so that the internal pressure of the displacement mount on the lower side rises, and the fluid tends to flow to the displacement mount on the opposite side, that is, the higher side. Therefore, by closing the on-off valve before the fluid moves, the internal pressure of the displacement mount on the lower side rises, and a reaction force that pushes up the seat 20 is generated. In other words, the holding force for maintaining the posture of the seat 20 in a substantially horizontal manner is increased. Further, when the on-off valve is closed, the vibration in the low frequency region is attenuated by the fluid resistance. Therefore, the occupant's body is less likely to tilt, and the shaking of the body is suppressed.

The above is an explanation of the action assuming feedback control. Alternatively or additionally, the control unit 80 may acquire forward information, which is information ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle, and perform feedforward (“FF” in the figure) control based on the forward information. In that case, the control unit 80 predicts the inclination of the seat 20 with respect to the horizontal plane at the point where the vehicle will reach in the future, and controls the operation of the on-off valve 51-56 so as to maintain the posture of the seat 20 horizontally.

Examples of forward information include map information including a dynamic map, road surface information by a camera, behavior information of a vehicle in front, and the like. When the road surface in front is inclined or uneven, it is predicted that the seat 20 will be inclined according to the road surface condition. Further, when the own vehicle turns left or right according to the navigation, or when the lane is changed due to the behavior of the vehicle in front, it is predicted that the seat 20 will tilt due to the lateral acceleration. By controlling the operation of the on-off valves 51-56 in advance based on these predictions, more active control becomes possible. When the vehicle is traveling backwards, the information behind the vehicle corresponds to the information ahead in the traveling direction.

The seat posture control device 101 of the present embodiment switches the flow of the fluid in the fluid pipe 41-46 by the on-off valve 51-56, and the fluid of the pair of displacement mounts 31-34 connected to both ends of the fluid pipe 41-46. The posture of the seat 20 is controlled by adjusting the fluid pressure balance in the pressure space. Therefore, the posture of the seat 20 can be maintained substantially horizontal with a simple configuration.

In particular, the seat attitude control device 101 of the first embodiment adjusts the fluid pressure balance of the four displacement mounts 31-34 by using the six on-off valves 51-56 provided in the middle of the six fluid pipes 41-46. , Suppress the increase in the inclination of the seat 20. Therefore, the seat 20 can be maintained substantially horizontal in the roll direction and the pitch direction.

(Second and third embodiments)
Next, the seat attitude control device 102 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 4, and 5. The seat attitude control device 102 includes two displacement mounts 31 and 32 on the right side and the left side of the front row when viewed from the occupant in the space between the seat 20 and the vehicle body 90. Fixed mounts 37, 38 having a constant height are provided in the rear row. One on-off valve 51 is provided as a "flow switching actuator" in the middle of the fluid pipe 41 connecting the right displacement mount 31 and the left displacement mount 32. Similar to the first embodiment, the control unit 80 acquires information on the inclination of the seat 20 with respect to the horizontal plane, and controls the operation of the on-off valve 51 so as to suppress an increase in the inclination of the seat 20.

In the second embodiment, one on-off valve 51 is used for the two displacement mounts 31 and 32, and the device configuration and the control configuration are further simplified by specializing in roll control having a large contribution to motion sickness. can do. Therefore, the function of maintaining the seat 20 substantially horizontally in the roll direction can be realized at low cost.

The seat posture control device 103 of the third embodiment shown in FIGS. 6-8 corresponds to a modified example of the second embodiment, and one fixed mount 39 is provided in the center of the rear row. The seat rail 29 is installed on the fixed mount 39 between the left and right seat rails 27 and 28. As described above, even in the configuration in which one fixed mount 39 is provided in the center of the rear row, the same effect as that of the second embodiment can be obtained. Further, as another modification of the second embodiment, a fixed mount may be arranged in the front row and a displacement mount may be arranged in the rear row.

(Fourth Embodiment)
Next, the seat attitude control device 104 of the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 4, and 9. FIG. 9 shows a configuration including two displacement mounts 31 and 32 as in the second embodiment, and will be described in comparison with the second embodiment. However, the configuration using the fluid pump described below may be applied to the seat attitude control device provided with the four displacement mounts 31-34 according to the first embodiment. Further, when the two displacement mounts 31 and 32 are provided, the arrangement of the fixed mounts may be as in the third embodiment.

In the fourth embodiment, a positive / reverse rotary positive displacement fluid pump 60 is provided as a "flow switching actuator" in the middle of the fluid pipe 41. For example, the fluid pump 60 is a positive displacement electric oil pump, and forward rotation and reverse rotation can be switched by switching the energization direction. In addition, the flow rate can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the current. Further, when the positive displacement fluid pump 60 is not operated, the flow path of the fluid pipe 41 is cut off, and the same situation as when the on-off valve 51 is closed is created.

A suction port 61 at the time of normal rotation of the fluid pump 60 is connected to the right displacement mount 31 side, which is one side of the fluid pipe 41. A discharge port 62 at the time of normal rotation of the fluid pump 60 is connected to the left displacement mount 32 side, which is the other side of the fluid pipe 41. When the fluid pump 60 is reversed, the roles of the suction port and the discharge port are switched, and the fluid pump 60 sucks the fluid from the suction port 62 and discharges the fluid from the discharge port 61.

The control unit 80 switches the flow direction of the fluid in the fluid pipe 41 by switching the forward rotation and the reverse rotation of the fluid pump 60, and distributes the fluid pressure of the pair of displacement mounts 31 and 32 connected to both ends of the fluid pipe 41. adjust. For example, when the information that the left side of the seat 20 is tilted is acquired, the control unit 80 rotates the fluid pump 60 in the normal direction to flow the fluid from the right displacement mount 31 side to the left displacement mount 32 side. Then, the fluid pressure of the right displacement mount 31 decreases and the upper surface is lowered, and the fluid pressure of the left displacement mount 32 increases and the upper surface of the left displacement mount 32 rises. As a result, the posture of the seat 20 changes so as to return to the horizontal position.

In the second embodiment using the on-off valve 51, only the flow of the fluid in the fluid pipe 41 is blocked. Therefore, if the on-off valve 51 is closed when the seat 20 begins to tilt, further tilting is suppressed, but the already generated tilt cannot be restored. On the other hand, in the fourth embodiment, the posture of the seat 20 can be maintained horizontally by flowing the fluid in the direction opposite to the inclination and actively adjusting the distribution of the fluid pressure of the pair of displacement mounts 31 and 32. .. Therefore, the effect of suppressing the shaking of the occupant's body is enhanced.

Similar to the above description, the control unit 80 may perform feedback control based on the information of the seat posture sensor, or may perform feedforward control by prediction based on the forward information. Further, feedforward control and feedback control may be used in combination. In particular, in the fourth embodiment, the actual seat posture is fed back during the operation of the fluid pump 60, so that overshoot and the like can be suppressed.

(Other embodiments)
(1) The on-off valve 51-56 is not limited to one that completely shuts off the flow path of the fluid pipe 41-46 when the valve is closed, and may be a valve that half-opens or is in a throttled state when the valve is closed. In this case, when the seat 20 starts to tilt and the valve is closed, the tilting operation does not stop completely, but the tilting speed increases slowly. Therefore, while avoiding a sudden change in the movement of the seat 20, the posture of the seat 20 can be maintained substantially horizontal as compared with the case where this control is not performed. Similarly, for the volumetric chamber fluid pump, the flow path in the pump does not have to be completely closed when it is not operated.

(2) The on-off valve 51-56 is not limited to an electromagnetic on-off valve that opens and closes by energizing the coil, and may be an on-off valve that can open and shut off the flow path of the fluid pipe by another drive method.

(3) In a configuration in which four displacement mounts 31-34 are provided on the right and left sides of the front and rear rows, as shown in FIG. 3, all displacement mounts 31-34 are connected to each other by six fluid pipes 41-46. Not limited to this, some fluid pipes may be abolished. For example, the fluid pipes 45 and 46 in the diagonal direction may be eliminated, and only the four fluid pipes 41-44 in the vertical and horizontal directions may be used. As a result, the number of parts, wiring, and control load can be reduced.

As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The controls and methods thereof described in the present disclosure are realized by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied by a computer program. May be done. Alternatively, the controls and methods thereof described in the present disclosure may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring the processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the control unit and method thereof described in the present disclosure may be a combination of a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions and a processor composed of one or more hardware logic circuits. It may be realized by one or more dedicated computers configured. Further, the computer program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transitional tangible recording medium as an instruction executed by the computer.

101-104 ... Seat attitude control device, 20 ... Seat,
31-34 ... Displacement mount,
41-46 ・ ・ ・ Fluid piping,
51-56: On-off valve (flow switching actuator),
60 ... Fluid pump (flow switching actuator),
80 ... Control unit, 90 ... Body.

Claims (7)

Multiple displacement mounts (31-34) that are installed at multiple locations between the vehicle seat (20) and the vehicle body (90) and whose top surface height is displaced according to the fluid pressure in the fluid pressure space formed inside. )When,
One or more fluid pipes (41-46) connecting the plurality of displacement mounts to each other, and
One or more flow switching actuators (51-56, 60) provided in the middle of the fluid pipe and capable of switching the flow of the fluid in the fluid pipe, and
A control unit (80) that acquires information on the inclination of the seat with respect to the horizontal plane and controls the operation of the flow switching actuator so as to suppress an increase in the inclination of the seat.
Seat attitude control device. The seat attitude control device according to claim 1, wherein the flow switching actuator is composed of an on-off valve (51-56) capable of opening and shutting off the flow path of the fluid pipe. The seat attitude control device according to claim 2, wherein the on-off valve is an electromagnetic on-off valve that operates by energizing a coil. The flow switching actuator is a positive / reverse rotary positive displacement fluid pump (60) in which a suction port (61) is connected to one side of the fluid pipe and a discharge port (62) is connected to the other side of the fluid pipe. ) Consists of
The control unit switches the flow direction of the fluid in the fluid pipe by switching the forward rotation and the reverse rotation of the fluid pump, and adjusts the distribution of the fluid pressure of the pair of displacement mounts connected to both ends of the fluid pipe. The seat posture control device according to claim 1. The control unit acquires forward information, which is information ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle, and obtains forward information.
A request for predicting the inclination of the seat with respect to the horizontal plane at a point where the vehicle will reach in the future based on the forward information and controlling the operation of the flow switching actuator by feed forward control so as to maintain the posture of the seat horizontally. Item 4. The seat attitude control device according to any one of Items 1 to 4. Any one of claims 1 to 5 provided with four displacement mounts (31-34) on the right side of the front row, the left side of the front row, the right side of the rear row, and the left side of the rear row when viewed from the occupant in the space between the seat and the vehicle body. The seat attitude control device according to. The seat attitude control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein in the space between the seat and the vehicle body, the two displacement mounts (31, 32) are provided on the right side and the left side when viewed from the occupant.

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