JPH038297B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a seat posture support device for a vehicle that laterally supports the seated posture of a seat in a vehicle such as an automobile. It relates to something that supports the driver to maintain a correct driving posture against force. [Prior Art] Generally, when a car turns a curve, the centrifugal force of the car applies a force that pushes the passenger sideways. For this reason, not only does the riding comfort of the passengers suffer, but if the driver becomes difficult to maintain a correct driving posture, it becomes difficult to operate the vehicle, which may lead to a serious accident. Therefore, it is conceivable to use a seated posture support device for a vehicle that is configured to support the occupant from the side at all times by providing side supports protruding from both sides of the seat to support the sides of the occupant. [Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, although it is possible to use such a vehicle seating posture support device in a racing car,
If the rider is always supported from the side, the comfort of the ride will be significantly impaired and the rider will feel uncomfortable, especially when traveling over long distances.This is why it is important to adopt this type of vehicle seating posture support device in passenger cars. is inappropriate. The purpose of the invention is to remove the usual support and
To provide a seating posture support device for a vehicle that can automatically operate when a vehicle such as an automobile turns a curve and can support the seating posture of a passenger from the side. [Means for Solving the Problems] A seating posture support device for a vehicle according to the present invention includes a side supporter movably provided at both sides of a vehicle seat, and a side supporter that is movable from a normal position to a side surface of a seated person. The current position of the vehicle is recognized by the actuator that moves it to a supporting position that can be supported, and the output of the inertial navigation device, and the curvature of the curve that the vehicle is about to enter is determined in advance, and this curvature, the current vehicle traveling speed, and the preset and a controller for causing the actuator to move the side supporter to the support position before centrifugal force is applied when a predetermined relationship is established between the side supporter and the reference data. Seated posture support device. [Operation] According to the above-described means, the current position of the vehicle is recognized and the curvature of the curve about which the vehicle is about to enter is determined, and this curvature data, the current vehicle traveling speed, and the preset reference data are used to determine the curvature of the curve that the vehicle is about to enter. When this relationship is established, the side supports disposed on both sides of the seat are moved from their normal non-support positions to predetermined support positions. In other words, the necessity of lateral support for the driver is determined just before the car is about to enter a curve, and if necessary, support by side supports is provided before the centrifugal force that acts on the driver occurs when the car is turning the curve. It will be done. Therefore, the driver does not feel uncomfortable due to the force of overturning the vehicle when turning a curve, and can ensure safe driving by maintaining an appropriate driving posture. [Example] Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained according to an example shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a vehicle seating posture support device for a driver's seat of an automobile, which is an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken along the line of FIG. 1. In this embodiment, this vehicle seating posture support device includes side supports 2 movably disposed at both side positions of a seat 1 of an automobile driver's seat, and a side supporter 2 which is moved from a normal position which is an unsupported position. Servo motor 3 as an actuator for moving the driver's side to a position that can support it
Then, the current position of the car is recognized and the curvature of the curve the car is about to enter is determined, and when this curvature and the current traveling speed meet a predetermined relationship, the servo motor 3 is activated to support the side supporter 2. It is equipped with a controller 4 for moving the camera to the desired position. The controller 4 is configured to recognize the current traveling position by an inertial navigation device 5 for an automobile.
The inertial navigation device 5 for automobiles includes a direction sensor 6 that detects the direction of the turn by detecting the inertia of the car when turning, a distance sensor 7 that detects the travel distance from the number of rotations of the car's tires, and a sensor that detects the direction of the turn and the travel distance. A computer 8 that determines the current traveling position by
a driving trajectory display device 10 consisting of a CRT or the like, for displaying the current driving position output by the computer 8 as a driving trajectory on a map image projected on a screen through a transparent map sheet 9; The vehicle is provided with an adjustment operation input section 11 which is used for correcting an error when a human recognizes the difference between the calculated traveling position and the actual traveling position. The controller 4 includes an approach curve curvature determination section 12 for determining the curve and curvature of the curve about to be entered, a curvature storage section 13 for storing the curvature of the curve on the map sheet 9, and a curvature storage section 13 for storing the curvature of the curve on the map sheet 9. A speed sensor 14 to detect, a calculation unit 15 that calculates centrifugal acceleration in a curve based on the curvature from the curvature determination unit 12 and a speed from the speed sensor 14, and a centrifugal acceleration that is a reference for supporting by the side supports 2 as reference data. a reference data storage unit 16 that is preset and stored as;
A comparison unit 17 that compares the current data from the calculation unit 15 and the reference data from the reference data storage unit 16 and generates an output signal when the relationship between the two reaches a predetermined relationship; and an output signal from the comparison unit 17. a command and memory module 18 for instructing the servo motor 3 to operate, a position sensor 19 for detecting the position of the side supporter 2, and a support position setting for setting the optimal support position for the seated person of the side supporter 2. It is provided with an operation section 20 and is configured to realize the functions described below. Note that explanations of the configuration and operation of the analog signal processing section, the A/D conversion section that converts the analog signal into a digital signal, and the synchronization circuit section for synchronizing each component will be omitted. Both side supports 2 are formed into a columnar shape with a substantially arcuate cross section, and are slidably fitted into guide holes 21 formed on both sides of the seat 1, and are rotatable around a shaft 23 in a bracket 22. It is configured so that it can be entered and exited from the seat 1 by being pivotally supported by the seat 1. Side supporter 2
A screw mechanism 25 that expands and contracts by forward and reverse rotation is connected to the inner edge of the seat 1 through a bracket 24.
It is configured to be rotated forward and backward by a servo motor 3 which is rotatably supported inside the body via a pin 26 for telescopic operation. Next, the action will be explained. In normal conditions, such as when the vehicle is stopped or traveling in a straight line, the side supports 2 are drawn into the guide holes 21 and their surfaces form the same plane as the surface of the seat 1, as shown in FIG. maintained in storage. The driver sitting on the seat 1 sets in advance the support position of the side supporter 2 that is most suitable for him/her and stores the support position in the command and storage module 18. That is, when setting and storing this optimal support position, the support position setting operation section 20
By operating the servo motor 3 to properly rotate the servo motor 3 in the forward direction, the side supporter 2 is moved to protrude from the guide hole 21 to select the most suitable position for supporting itself, and this selected position is the position. It will be detected by the sensor 19 and automatically stored in the command and storage module 18 as the desired set position. When the setting and storage of the optimum support position is completed, the side supporter 2 is returned to its original normal position. When the automobile starts running, the computer 8 in the automobile inertial navigation system 5 calculates the current running position from the turning direction detected by the direction sensor 6 and the running distance measured by the distance sensor 7, and displays the running position on the screen of the running trajectory display device 10. The vehicle is displayed moment by moment in the manner of drawing a driving trajectory on a map displayed on the map. The approach curve curvature determination unit 12 in the controller 4 recognizes the curve that the driver is about to enter based on the travel position and the map displayed on the travel trajectory display device 10, and uses this curve and the map stored in the curvature storage unit 13. The curvature of the current curve is determined by comparing it with the curve on the sheet 9. For example, when attempting to turn a second curve R2 on the screen of the travel trajectory display device 10 shown in FIG. read out. The curvature thus obtained is input to one input terminal of the calculation section 15. The other input terminal in this calculation section 15 is connected to a speed sensor 14.
Data regarding the traveling speed detected by the system is inputted every moment. By the way, when an automobile turns a curve with a radius of curvature r at a running speed V, a centrifugal acceleration α calculated from the following equation (1) acts. Due to this centrifugal acceleration α, a centrifugal force F approximately proportional to the body weight is applied to the passenger, as shown by the following equation (2). In the following equation (2), W is the passenger's weight and g is the gravitational acceleration. α=V×V/r ……(1) F=W/g×α=W/g×V×V/r ……(2) This centrifugal force F causes a force pushing the curve outward and sideways. As a result, passengers experience a loss of riding comfort, and the driver has trouble operating the vehicle.
Therefore, when the centrifugal acceleration α becomes large, it is necessary to support the sides of the driver with the side supports 2 to maintain the correct driving posture. Then, the substantially lowest level of centrifugal acceleration α at which support by the side supports 2 should start is stored in advance in the reference data storage unit 16 as reference data. By the way, this reference data is the centrifugal acceleration α
To determine this, it is desirable to take into account various conditions such as the driver and passengers, the front seats and rear seats, the structure of the seats, single curves and S-shaped curves, unevenness of the road, etc. In addition, if the standard centrifugal acceleration α is too large, there is a risk that support by the side supports 2 may not be provided when necessary; There is a fear that this may occur and cause discomfort. Due to these circumstances, the standard centrifugal acceleration α
For example, 1.0 to 5.0 meters per second per second is considered to be appropriate, and in this case, the centrifugal force applied to the vehicle occupant at a curve is considered to be approximately 10 to 50% of the body weight. Now, the above-mentioned calculation section 15 is connected to the curvature determination section 12.
Based on the curvature data input from the curvature data and the current travel speed data input from the speed sensor 14, the centrifugal acceleration α generated in the curve about to be turned can be calculated using the above formula (1) or an appropriate correction thereto. Arithmetic processing is performed based on the relational expression in which . The other input terminal of the comparator 17 is inputted with data regarding the centrifugal acceleration α serving as a reference from the reference data storage unit 16. The comparison unit 17 compares the data regarding the current centrifugal acceleration α from the calculation unit 15 and the data regarding the reference centrifugal acceleration α from the reference data storage unit 16 according to a preset program, and determines that the relationship between the two is a predetermined relationship. When the following relationship is established, for example, when the value of the current centrifugal acceleration αn exceeds the value of the reference centrifugal acceleration α, a predetermined output signal is transmitted to the command and storage module 18. When the command and storage module 18 receives the signal from the comparator 17, it transmits a drive command to the drive control unit of the servo motor 3. This results in
The servo motor 3 rotates forward to cause the screw mechanism 25 to extend. By the extension of the screw mechanism 25, the side supporter 2 is slid through the guide hole 21 and moved forward to a desired support position that has been set and stored in advance. When it is confirmed by the detection of the position sensor 19 that the side supporter 2 has been moved forward to the desired support position that has been set and stored in advance, the command and storage module 18 are executed based on the input of the detection signal from the position sensor 19. A sudden stop command is sent to the drive control section of the servo motor 3. This results in
The servo motor 3 suddenly stops to maintain the extended state of the screw mechanism 25, thereby fixing the side supporter 2 at a desired optimal support position that has been set and stored in advance. When a car begins to turn a curve, centrifugal force acts on the occupants, causing the driver to be pushed sideways to the outside of the curve. However, at this time, the side supports 2 have already been set at the desired optimum support position, so the driver is supported by the side supports 2 against the force of overturning the vehicle. Therefore,
The driver can maintain a proper driving posture,
It is possible to continue driving safely without any hindrance to the operation of the vehicle. Also side supporter 2
Since the support position is the optimal support position selected in advance by the driver, the support of the side supports 2 is performed reliably and appropriately. When the vehicle completes a curve and an appropriate preset and memorized time elapses without receiving an output signal for the next curve from the comparator 17, the command and memory module 18 sends a reverse drive to the drive control unit of the servo motor 3. Send commands. As a result, the servo motor 3 rotates in the opposite direction to cause the screw mechanism 25 to shorten. By shortening the screw mechanism 25, the side supporter 2 is slid through the guide hole 21 and drawn into the seat 1. Side supporter 2
When it is confirmed by the detection of the position sensor 19 that the surface of the seat 1 has been restored to the retracted position where it substantially matches the surface of the seat 1, the command and storage module are 18 sends a sudden stop command to the drive control section of the servo motor 3. As a result, the servo motor 3 suddenly stops, the screw mechanism 25 maintains the shortened state, and the side supporter 2 is housed and fixed within the guide hole 21. Therefore, the driver is freed from the support of the side supports 2, so the driver can continue driving without being bothered by this, and can continue driving comfortably for a long time. According to this embodiment, the necessity of supporting the driver from the side is determined just before the car is about to enter the curve, and the side supports support the driver before the car enters the curve. The driver can be reliably supported from the side against the centrifugal force that acts when making a turn. Therefore, it is possible to alleviate the discomfort that the driver feels due to the force of overturning the vehicle, and it is possible to ensure safe driving by maintaining an appropriate driving posture. In addition, when the vehicle does not require support, such as when traveling in a straight line or stopping, the side supports are stored in a normal, unsupported position, thereby relieving the driver of the trouble of supporting the side supports. This makes it possible to drive comfortably and continue for long periods of time without fatigue. In addition, since the driver can set the support position of the side supporters in advance to the desired support position that is most suitable for him/her, the driver can ensure that the support by the side supports is performed reliably and appropriately, improving drivability and luxury. It can be further improved. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and may be modified without departing from the gist thereof.
It goes without saying that various changes can be made. For example, the comparison and output of the data of the curvature of the curve about to enter and the current traveling speed with preset reference data can be done in advance using the current curvature data and speed data, and the section of the detailed explanation of this invention. The current curvature and traveling speed data are set as shown in the table at the end of the table and compared with the table data stored in the reference data storage unit, so that the command output signal is generated under the conditions corresponding to the reference data. It can also be configured as Each component of the controller may be constructed from discrete circuits, or may be implemented as a microcomputer using an integrated circuit. The actuator is not limited to a servo motor, and a cylinder device or the like may be used. The specific structure of the side supporter, its driving structure, operation, etc. are not limited to the above embodiment. The side supports are not limited to the case where they act on both sides simultaneously, but may be configured so that they act only on the side that resists centrifugal force. In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the driver's seat of a car has been explained, but it can be applied not only to the driver's seat but also to other seats.
Furthermore, it can be applied to seats in general vehicles such as railways. [Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, the current position of the vehicle is recognized and the curvature of the curve about which the vehicle is about to enter is determined, and this curvature data, the current vehicle traveling speed, and the preset When a predetermined relationship is established between the seat support and the reference data, the side supports disposed on both sides of the seat are moved from a normal non-support position to a support position. Therefore, the necessity of lateral support for the driver is determined just before the vehicle is about to enter a curve, and if necessary, side supports are provided before the centrifugal force that acts on the driver occurs when turning the curve. Support is provided. Therefore, the driver does not feel uncomfortable due to the force of overturning the vehicle when turning a curve, and can ensure safe driving by maintaining an appropriate driving posture. In other words, according to the present invention, it is possible to support the seated person from the side against centrifugal force only when necessary without constantly restraining the seated person, and to continue driving comfortably and safely for a long time without impairing ride comfort. can do. 【table】

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken along the line of FIG. 1. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Seat, 2... Side supporter, 3... Servo motor, 4... Controller, 5... Automotive inertial navigation system, 6... Direction sensor, 7... Distance sensor, 8... Computer, 9... ... map sheet, 10 ... travel trajectory display device, 11 ... alignment operation input section, 12 ... curvature determination section, 13 ... curvature storage section, 14 ... speed sensor, 15 ... calculation section,
16...Reference data storage unit, 17...Comparison unit, 1
8... Command and storage module, 19... Position sensor, 20... Support position setting operation section, 21...
Guide hole, 22, 24... Bracket, 23...
Shaft, 25... screw mechanism, 26... pin.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A side supporter movably provided at both sides of a vehicle seat, an actuator that moves the side supporter from a normal position to a support position capable of supporting the sides of a seated person, and an inertial navigation system. The current position of the vehicle is recognized by the output of the vehicle, and the curvature of the curve about which the vehicle is about to enter is determined in advance. ,
A seating posture support device for a vehicle, comprising: a controller that causes the actuator to move the side supporter to the support position before centrifugal force is applied. 2. The controller recognizes the current position based on the output of the inertial navigation device and determines the curvature of the curve about to enter, the speed detection unit detects the current vehicle speed, and the curvature data and speed from the determination unit. Claim 1, further comprising a comparison section that compares the speed data from the detection section with preset reference data and generates an output signal when a predetermined relationship is established. Seating posture support device for vehicles. 3. The seating posture support device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the position of the side supporter supporting the side surface of the seated person can be set individually according to the seated person.