JP3341347B2 - Control device for vehicle seat - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control system for a vehicle seat in which the degree of restraint of a seated occupant is changed according to running conditions.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. Sho 61-90453 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Sho 62-225440 disclose that a side support portion of a seat is placed at a position where the degree of restraint is increased when lateral acceleration is large such as when turning a vehicle. A device is disclosed which controls and enhances holdability for a seated occupant.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the structure of such a device in a horizontal cross section of a seat back portion. The backrest 1 comprises a central body 2 and side support portions 3a and 3b on both sides thereof. Side support part 3
a and 3b are configured to be switchable between a non-constrained position shown by a solid line and a constrained position shown by a dotted line, are switched and driven by a driving mechanism 5 in accordance with a signal of a lateral acceleration detector 4, and the sitting posture during driving is lost. To prevent

[0004]

By the way, in such a device, there is a possibility that the freedom of the occupant's body is restricted frequently or for a long time depending on the running condition.
On the other hand, FIG. 7 shows a general tendency of the change in the degree of fatigue with respect to the sitting time when sitting for a long time in a physically restraint type (bucket type) seat and a general release type (normal type) seat. As can be seen from this figure, in the case of the restraint type seat, as the seating time becomes longer, the degree of fatigue increases as compared with a general seat. Therefore, in the above-mentioned conventional device, depending on the running conditions, the side support portions 3a and 3b may continue the restrained posture as viewed in dotted lines in FIG.

The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and provides a vehicle seat control device which can minimize accumulation of fatigue due to an increase in restraint time and restraint frequency. The purpose is to do.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems The first aspect of the present invention is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, a restraint degree adjusting means 11 for adjusting a restraint degree for a seated occupant by changing a state of a seat surface;
A restraint degree control means 12 for controlling the restraint degree adjusting means 11 so as to increase the restraint degree when a predetermined condition is detected, and a fatigue relaxation means 1 which operates to reduce fatigue of a seated occupant.
3 and a fatigue mitigation control means 14 for controlling the driving of the fatigue mitigation means 13 when the frequency or the ratio of the time when the restriction degree adjusting means 11 is controlled to increase the restriction degree exceeds a set value. It is characterized by doing.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a side support portion 15 provided on both sides of the seat and capable of switching between a restrained position and a non-restricted position, as shown in FIG. A side support unit driving mechanism 16 for switching and driving the unit 15, wherein the restraint degree control unit 12 controls the side support unit driving mechanism 15 in accordance with a lateral acceleration of the vehicle detected by a lateral acceleration sensor. 17, the fatigue relieving means 13 is constituted by a backrest movable mechanism 18 provided on a backrest portion of a seat to stimulate a seated occupant at the time of driving, and the fatigue relieving control means 14 is restricted by the side support portion 15. A calculating means 19 for calculating a frequency or a ratio of time when the position is controlled, and a result of calculation by the calculating means 19 exceeding a set value. The backrest moving mechanism 18 when
And a backrest-moving-mechanism control means 20 for controlling the driving of the vehicle.

[0008]

According to the control apparatus for a vehicle seat according to the first aspect of the present invention, when a predetermined condition is detected, the state of the seat surface is adjusted so as to increase the degree of restraint. If the switching frequency or the ratio of time to the state in which the degree of restraint is increased according to the running situation becomes larger than the set value, fatigue may be accumulated due to restraint of the body as it is, so the fatigue reducing means 13 is driven. You.

According to the vehicle seat control apparatus of the second aspect, when the lateral acceleration of the vehicle is large, the side support portion is switched to the restrained position so as to suppress the movement of the seated occupant. When the ratio of the restraint frequency or restraint time to the seated occupant becomes larger than the set value due to the running condition, the fatigue due to the restraint of the body may accumulate as it is, so the backrest movable mechanism 18 is driven,
Stimulates seated occupants to alleviate fatigue.

[0010]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control device for a vehicle seat according to an embodiment, and 30 is a seat. The seat 30 includes a cushion portion 32 and a backrest portion 34, and has a headrest 35 at an upper end of the backrest portion 34. The backrest portion 34 includes a main body portion 36 at the center in the width direction and side support portions 38a and 38b on both sides thereof.

The side support part 38 of the backrest part 34
a and 38b have airbags 40a for the occupant restraint mode which inflate to the side in contact with the seated occupant when compressed air is introduced.
40b is built in. Also, in the portion of the main body 36 that corresponds to the waist of the occupant, three air bags for the fatigue relaxation mode (backrest movable mechanisms 40c, 40d, and 40e) that inflate to the side in contact with the seated occupant when compressed air is introduced.
Is built-in.

Three air bladders 40c for a fatigue relaxation mode;
40d and 40e are supplied and discharged by compressed air,
It inflates and withers, thereby giving a moderate stimulus (massage) to the occupant's waist for alleviating fatigue, and is arranged at an interval above and below.

An air hose 47 extending from a solenoid valve device 45 is connected to the air bags 40a to 40e. The solenoid valve device 45 includes two air bladders 40 for the occupant restraint mode.
a, a single on-off solenoid valve 45a connected to 40b,
Three air bags 40c, 40d, 40 for fatigue relaxation mode
e, three open / close solenoid valves 45c, 4c respectively connected to
5d and 45e. The input port of the solenoid valve device 45 is connected to the discharge port of the compressor 47, and each air bag 4 is connected to the corresponding solenoid valve 45a, 45c, 45d, 45e.
Compressed air can be supplied to and discharged from 0a to 40e. The solenoid valve 45a connected to the airbags 40a and 40b for the occupant restraint mode has a secondary pressure (discharge pressure).
There is a pressure adjustment function that adjusts the pressure to three levels of “strong (high)”, “medium”, and “weak (low)”.

Each solenoid valve 45a, 45c, 45d, 45e
Is controlled by the controller 50 to open and close. An instruction from the operation panel 70 is input to the controller 50. On the operation panel 70, the degree of restraint for the occupant is "strong",
A manual SW (switch) 72 is provided for selecting either “medium” or “weak”. here,
Each of the “strong”, “medium”, and “weak” occupant restraint modes is referred to as a “side support mode”. In addition to the operation panel 70,
A set SW (switch) 74 for setting a memory of the selected side support mode is provided. Also,
The operation panel 70 is connected to an input instruction alarm 80 for prompting selection and setting of the side support mode.

On the other hand, the controller 50 includes an occupant restraint mode execution determination unit 51 and an occupant restraint mode execution control unit 52.
Are provided. Occupant restraint mode execution determination unit 51
Has a function of receiving a signal from the lateral acceleration sensor 90 for detecting a running state, determining whether the lateral acceleration g is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and issuing an execution command of an occupant restraint mode when the lateral acceleration g is equal to or greater than the predetermined value. Further, the occupant restraint mode execution control unit 52 performs an electromagnetic control to execute the side support mode set in the memory of the operation panel 70 based on a command from the restraint mode execution determination unit 51 or an operation signal from the set switch 74 of the operation panel 70. It has a function of controlling the valve 45a.

In addition, the controller 50 further includes:
A side support mode execution frequency calculation unit 53 and a fatigue relaxation control unit 54 are provided. The side support mode execution frequency calculation unit 53 includes a timer 92 for measuring a certain time.
Based on this signal, the ratio of the side support mode execution time to the predetermined time set by the timer is calculated, and when the calculated value is equal to or greater than the set value, a function for issuing the fatigue relaxation mode execution command is provided. The fatigue relaxation control unit 54 has a function of controlling the solenoid valves 45c to 45e to execute the fatigue relaxation mode based on a command from the side support mode execution frequency calculation unit 53.

In this embodiment, a solenoid valve 45a and
The compressor 47 constitutes a side support drive mechanism, and the air bag 40a, 40b added thereto constitutes a restraint degree adjusting means. The air bag 40c, 40d, 40e,
The electromagnetic valves 45c, 45d, and 45e constitute fatigue relaxation means. Further, the controller 50 corresponds to a restraint degree control unit, a fatigue relaxation unit, a side support unit control unit, a calculation unit, and a backrest moving mechanism control unit.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, at step S1, the ignition switch is turned on.
The control is started when the (switch) is turned on. When the control is started, the process proceeds to step S2, and the input instruction alarm 17 for prompting the selection of the side support mode (selection of "strong", "medium", "weak") is turned on. Step S3
Then, it is determined whether or not the occupant has turned on the manual SW. When the occupant is prompted by the input instruction alarm 17 and turns on the manual switch, the determination in step S3 is YES.
In step S4, the side support units 3a and 3b are driven in step S4 according to the selected mode. That is, the side support mode is turned on, and the side support portions 3a, 3b
The compressed air of the pressure corresponding to the selected mode (strong, medium, weak) is supplied to the air bags 40a, 40b built in the, and the air bags 40a, 40b are inflated to test the seated occupant with the force according to each mode. Restrain.

When the occupant determines that the restraint degree is just right in the side support mode actually tested here, and turns on the set SW (step S5), the process proceeds to step S6. When the process proceeds to step S6, the input instruction alarm is released, the currently set side support mode (strong, medium, weak) is stored in step S7, and the test-executed side support mode is temporarily released in step S8.

Unless the set SW is turned ON in step S5, the process returns to step S3, and mode adjustment can be performed any number of times. Subsequent to step S8, the process proceeds to step S9, where the timer 12 for measuring a predetermined time is turned on, and measurement is started.

Next, the process proceeds to step S10, where the lateral acceleration is detected. If the detected acceleration g is equal to or greater than the predetermined acceleration G, it is determined that a high lateral acceleration is applied, and the process proceeds to step S11.
The stored side support mode (strong, medium, weak) is read out, and the stored side support mode is executed in step S12. That is, by controlling the solenoid valve 45a, the air bladders 40a, 4b incorporated in the side support portions 3a, 3b are controlled.
At 0b, compressed air having a pressure corresponding to the selected mode (strong, medium, weak) is supplied, and the air bags 40a, 40b are inflated to restrain the seated occupant with a force according to each mode. And
In step S13, as shown in FIG. 5, the side support mode is executed, that is, the time during which the air bags 40a and 40b are inflated is counted (the number of clock pulses is counted).
And memory.

If the lateral acceleration g is smaller than the predetermined acceleration G, it is determined in step S10 that the lateral acceleration is low, and the process proceeds to step S14. In step S14, it is determined whether or not the time measured by the timer has reached a predetermined time ΔT (given by the number of clock pulses). If the time has reached the predetermined time ΔT, the process proceeds to step S15. It returns to S10. Then, the determination of the level of the lateral acceleration (determination of whether to execute the side support mode) in Step S13 is repeated.

In step S15, the total execution time of the side support mode (here, the total number of clock pulse counts ΣT ') is obtained, and
That is, the body restraint frequency by the side support portion within a certain time is calculated by ΣT ′ / ΣT, and if the value is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount (set value) S, the ratio of the body restraint time is large and fatigue is accumulating. to decide. And step S
16, the solenoid valves 45 c, 45 d, and 45 e are operated to operate the air bag 40 embedded in the waist seat surface of the backrest 34.
By controlling the pressures c, 40d, and 40e for a predetermined period of time over time (this is referred to as a “fatigue relaxation mode”), the occupant's body is stimulated to reduce fatigue, and the process proceeds to step S17.

On the other hand, if the calculated value of the physical restraint frequency ΔT ′ / ΔT is smaller than the predetermined amount S, it is determined in step S15 that the physical restraint time is short and no fatigue is accumulated, and the fatigue relaxation mode is not performed. The process proceeds to step S17. In step S17, it is determined whether or not the ignition switch is OFF. If so, the control is reset and set in step S18, and the process ends. If not, proceed to step S19, turn off the timer, reset all the counters, and return to step S9 again.

FIG. 5 is a time chart showing an example of the above control by simply turning right and traveling on a wide road.

That is, the side support mode is executed in (2) even when the vehicle is turning right in (1), and the timer is counted in (3). However, the time during which the lateral g is equal to or greater than a predetermined value is short (4), and the fatigue relaxation mode is not executed (5), (6).

When the vehicle is traveling on a wide road in (1), the count number in the side support mode is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, (2), (3), (4), and the fatigue relaxation mode is executed (5), (6). .

As described above, when the body restraint frequency is higher than the set value, the fatigue relaxation mode is executed, so that fatigue is not accumulated even if the restraint time increases. Therefore, the occupant's holdability can be ensured, and fatigue can be alleviated even if the restraint time is long, so that a comfortable running environment can be provided for a long time.

In the above embodiment, the air bags 40a to 40a-4
Although the restraint degree adjusting means is constituted by 0e, it may be replaced by a mechanical mechanism such as a movable plate. In particular, the means for alleviating fatigue is not limited to the air bag of the above embodiment,
Various things such as a mechanical vibrator can be adopted.

[0032]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when fatigue may be accumulated by controlling the degree of restraint according to the driving situation, measures are taken to alleviate fatigue. Therefore, it is possible to secure the holdability of the seated occupant while alleviating the fatigue.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the side support portion is frequently or for a long time controlled to the restrained position depending on the running condition, the backrest movable mechanism operates to reduce fatigue for the seated occupant. The seated occupant does not feel much fatigue while being held in a stable enough position by the side support portion.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the invention of claim 2;

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a control flowchart of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a time chart showing control contents of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a seat back in a conventional example viewed from above.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a change in a degree of fatigue with respect to a sitting duration due to a difference in physical restraint.

[Explanation of symbols]

34 Backrest portion 38a, 38b Side support portion 40a, 40b Air bag for occupant restraint mode (restraint degree adjusting means) 40c, 40d, 40e Air bag for fatigue relaxation (fatigue relief means, backrest movable mechanism) 45a Solenoid valve (side support) Part driving mechanism) 45c, 45d, 45e solenoid valve (backrest moving mechanism) 47 compressor (restraint degree adjusting means, fatigue relaxation means,
Backrest movable mechanism) 50 controller (restraint degree control means, fatigue relaxation control means, side support section control means, calculation means, backrest movable mechanism control means)

Continuation of the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A47C ^7/ 40-7/48 B60N 2/02-2/42

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A restraint degree adjusting means for adjusting a restraint degree for a seated occupant by changing a state of a seat surface, and a restraint means for controlling the restraint degree adjusting means so as to increase the restraint degree when a predetermined condition is detected. Degree control means, fatigue relaxation means operating to reduce the fatigue of the seated occupant, when the frequency or time ratio when controlling the restraint degree adjusting means to increase the restraint degree exceeds a set value A control device for a vehicle seat, comprising: a fatigue mitigation control means for driving and controlling the fatigue mitigation means. 2. The vehicle seat control device according to claim 1, wherein the restraint degree adjusting means is provided on both sides of the seat and can be switched between a restrained position and a non-restricted position. And a side support portion drive mechanism for switching and driving the portion, wherein the restraint degree control means comprises:
A side support control means for controlling the side support drive mechanism in accordance with the lateral acceleration of the vehicle detected by the lateral acceleration sensor, wherein the fatigue relieving means is provided on a backrest of a seat to stimulate a seated occupant during driving. A backrest movable mechanism, the fatigue mitigation control means, a calculation means for calculating a frequency or a ratio of time when the side support part is controlled to the restrained position, and a calculation result of the calculation means exceeds a set value. A vehicle seat control device comprising a backrest movable mechanism control means for driving and controlling the backrest movable mechanism.