JPH08164039A - Condition adjusting method for vehicle seat and condition adjusting device for vehicle seat - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To reduce the load on the muscle of a hip joint or the like, by a method wherein the center of load of the user sitting on a vehicle seat is detected, and the condition of the vehicle seat is changed so that the center of load comes to the position of the most suitable center of load, which is previously determined according to the physique of the user. CONSTITUTION: The vehicle seat comprises a seat cushion 1 and a seat back 3. The seat cushion 1 is supported on a seat slide rail upper 21 by a front lifter 17 at the front and by a rear lifter 19 at the rear respectively serving as a condition adjusting means. The front lifter 17 comprises a front lifter motor 23 and a front lifter arm 25, and the rear lifter 19 comprises a rear lifter motor 31 and a rear lifter arm 33. The lower rotary shaft of the seat back 3 is connected to a seat back motor 41 attached to a seat back support arm 39. The front lifter motor 23, the rear lifter motor 31, and the seat back motor 41 are controlled by a controller 51 serving as a control means.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle seat condition adjusting method and device for automatically adjusting the condition of a vehicle seat in consideration of a load position of an occupant.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional state adjusting device for a vehicle seat of this type, there is one shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, for example (see Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-147065).

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a frame structure showing the arrangement of actuators and the like of a vehicle seat, and FIG. 21 is a control block diagram.

This vehicle seat comprises a seat cushion 1 and a seat back 3 as shown in FIG. A body pressure sensor 5 is provided on the seat cushion 1 and the seat back 3. Further, the seat cushion 1 is provided with a seat pan 9 driven by a pan actuator 7. The seat back 3 is provided with a lumbar support 13 driven by a lumbar actuator 11. The output signal of the body pressure sensor 5 is shown in FIG.
Is input to the control device 15.
The output signal of the control device 15 is supplied to both the actuators 7,
11 is output.

Then, each body pressure sensor 5 detects the body pressure of each portion and inputs a signal to the control device 15. The control device 15 calculates the average body pressure from the input data and compares it with a preset proper body pressure value or a desired body pressure value input by the occupant to control the actuators 7 and 11. In this way, the actuators 7 and 11 operate in a direction to correct the body pressure of each part to an appropriate body pressure value. Further, feedback control is performed so that the detected value of the body pressure sensor 5 always matches the proper body pressure value. Therefore, the occupant can always sit down with an appropriate body pressure value, and fatigue of the occupant can be reduced.

[0006]

However, the body pressure values when the occupant is seated on the seat are distributed with respect to the seat cushion 1 and the seat back 3, and the distribution state is the physique of the occupant and the seat slide. The position and the seat back position change with each condition. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately set the proper body pressure value in advance.

Further, even when the body pressure value is input according to the occupant's preference, it is not always possible to accurately select the optimum body pressure value when the occupant's body load, for example, the feeling of tightness in the thighs is seen. Absent. Therefore, even if the actuators 7 and 11 are controlled so that the detected body pressure value becomes an appropriate body pressure value, the reference body pressure value itself tends to be inaccurate, and there is a possibility that accurate control cannot be performed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat condition adjusting method and a vehicle seat condition adjusting device for changing the seat posture so as to minimize the body load of an occupant.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention of claim 1 is a method for adjusting the condition of a vehicle seat, which comprises a seat cushion and a seat back, wherein the seat cushion and the seat are provided. The load center position of the occupant seated on the back is detected, and the state of the vehicle seat is changed so that the load center position becomes an optimum load center position that is predetermined according to the physique of the occupant. And

According to the second aspect of the invention, as shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle seat CL3, which comprises a seat cushion CL1 and a seat back CL2, and the state of which can be changed, and the vehicle seat C.
State adjusting means CL4 for adjusting the state of L3 and state detecting means CL5 for detecting the state of the vehicle seat CL3.
And the seat cushion CL1 and the seat back CL
The load center detecting means CL6 for detecting the load center position of the occupant seated on the seat 2, and the state of the vehicle seat CL3 so that the load center position becomes the optimum load center position predetermined according to the physique of the occupant. The control means CL7 controls the state adjusting means CL4 to be changed.

A third aspect of the present invention is the vehicle seat condition adjusting apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the optimum load center position is a position that minimizes a moment around the hip joint of the occupant. And

A fourth aspect of the present invention is the vehicle seat condition adjusting apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the optimum load center position is both the moment around the hip joint of the occupant and the tactile sensation of the thigh. It is characterized by being specified from.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vehicle seat condition adjusting apparatus according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, wherein the vehicle seat state includes seat cushion angle, seat cushion height, and seat cushion height. It is characterized by being one of the back angles.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vehicle seat condition adjusting apparatus according to the fifth aspect, wherein the seat cushion angle, the seat cushion height, and the seat back angle are adjusted in this order.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vehicle seat condition adjusting apparatus according to any of the second to sixth aspects, wherein the load center detecting means is provided in front of and below the lower portion of the seat cushion. It is characterized by having a load sensor.

The invention according to claim 8 is the vehicle seat condition adjusting device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the load center detecting means detects the load on the floor below the heel of the occupant. It has a load sensor that operates.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vehicle seat condition adjusting apparatus according to the first aspect, further comprising pedal stepping amount detecting means for detecting that the occupant has stepped on the pedal and outputting a signal. The control means controls the state adjusting means so that the load center position becomes the optimum load center position when an output signal of the pedal depression amount detection means is received.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vehicle seat condition adjusting apparatus according to the ninth aspect, wherein the control means sets the optimum load center position to the pedal when the output signal of the pedal depression amount detection means is not present. The feature is that it is displaced from the optimum load center position when the pedal is depressed by an amount commensurate with the amount of depression.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle seat condition adjusting apparatus according to the tenth aspect, further comprising a mode discriminating means for discriminating a traveling state of the vehicle between a sports mode and a normal traveling mode, the control means. In the sports mode, the optimum load center position is shifted from the optimum load center position when the pedal is depressed.

[0020]

According to the invention of claim 1 of the above-mentioned means, first, the load center of the occupant seated on the vehicle seat is detected, and this load center is set to the optimum load center position predetermined according to the physique of the occupant. The state of the vehicle seat can be changed so that

According to the invention of claim 2, the load center detecting means detects the load center of the occupant seated on the seat cushion and the seat back. Then, the control means controls the actuator so as to change the state of the vehicle seat so that the load center position becomes the optimum load center position that is predetermined according to the physique of the occupant. The state of the vehicle seat is changed by driving the actuator. At this time, the state detection means detects the state of the vehicle seat. Therefore, the state of the vehicle seat can be changed so as to reduce the physical load on the driver.

According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the function of the invention of claim 2, the optimum load center position is a position where the moment around the hip joint of the occupant is minimized, and the load center position is controlled by the control means. The position where the moment around the hip joint of the passenger is minimized can be set.

According to the invention of claim 4, in addition to the operation of the invention of claim 2, since the optimum load center position is determined by both the moment around the hip joint of the occupant and the tactile sensation of the thigh, it is controlled by the control means. The center position of the load can be controlled so as to reduce both the moment around the hip joint of the occupant and the tactile sensation of the thigh.

According to the invention of claim 5, in addition to the operation of any one of claims 2 to 4, the state of the vehicle seat whose state is changed by driving the actuator is seat cushion angle, seat cushion height, seat back angle. Can be any of

According to the invention of claim 6, in addition to the operation of the invention of claim 5, the state of the vehicle seat is changed by adjusting the seat cushion angle, the seat back angle, and the seat cushion height in this order by the actuator. You can

According to the invention of claim 7, in addition to the functions of the inventions of claims 2 to 6, 2 provided at the front and rear of the lower portion of the seat cushion.
The load center can be detected based on the load detected by one load sensor. Therefore, in this structure, two load sensors may be provided in the front and rear of the lower portion of the seat cushion, and the structure is simple.

According to the invention of claim 8, in addition to the operation of any one of claims 2 to 6, the load center can be detected by a detection value from a load sensor for detecting the load on the floor below the heel of the occupant. it can. Therefore, it is only necessary to provide the load sensor on the floor below the occupant's heel.

According to the ninth aspect of the invention, in addition to the operation of the first aspect of the invention, the actuator can be controlled so that the load center position becomes the optimum load center position when there is an output signal from the pedal depression detecting means. it can. Therefore, it is possible to deal with the occupant load when the pedal is depressed.

According to the tenth aspect of the invention, in addition to the operation of the ninth aspect of the invention, the optimum load center position corresponds to the pedal depression amount when there is no output signal from the pedal depression amount detecting means, that is, when the pedal is not depressed. Only the center of the optimum load when the pedal is depressed can be shifted. Therefore, when the pedal is depressed, the load center position of the occupant can be matched with the optimum load center position when the pedal is depressed.

In the eleventh aspect of the invention, in addition to the operation of the tenth aspect of the invention, the mode discriminating means discriminates the traveling state of the vehicle between the sports mode and the normal traveling mode. And when the vehicle is running in sports mode such as mountain road running,
It is possible to shift the optimum load center position from the optimum load center position when the pedal is depressed by an amount commensurate with the pedal depression amount.
Therefore, when traveling in the sport mode, the load center position of the occupant can be matched with the optimum load center position when the pedal is depressed.

[0031]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 2 shows a vehicle seat condition adjusting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. First, the vehicle seat CL3 includes the seat cushion 1 (CL1) and the seat back 3 (CL2) as described above. The seat cushion 1 and the seat back 3 are configured so that their states can be changed. That is, in the seat cushion 1, the front side is the front lifter 1 as the state adjusting means CL4.
7, the rear side is supported on the seat slide rail upper 21 by the rear lifter 19.

The front lifter 17 is the front lifter motor 2
3 and a front lifter arm 25. The front lifter motor 23 is attached to the slide rail upper 21. The front lifter arm 25 is rotatably supported by the seat slide rail upper 21 and is linked to the front lifter motor 23.
The upper end of the front lifter arm 25 is rotatably supported by the front lifter bracket 27 on the seat cushion 1 side. The front lifter bracket 27 is provided with a front load sensor 29 as a load sensor forming a part of the load center detecting means CL6. Therefore, the load center detecting means C
The front load sensor 29 as L6 is the seat cushion 1
It is configured to be provided on the front side of the lower part of.

The rear lifter 19 also has the same structure as the front lifter 17, and is composed of a rear lifter motor 31 and a rear lifter arm 33. The rear lifter motor 31 is attached to the seat slide rail upper 21, and the upper part of the rear lifter arm 33 is a rear lifter bracket. A rear load sensor 37 is provided on the rear lifter bracket 35. By providing the rear load sensor 37, the load center detecting means C is provided at the rear of the seat cushion 1.
The load sensor that constitutes a part of L6 is provided.

The front and rear lifter motors 23,
The seat cushion angle and the seat cushion height can be changed as the state of the seat cushion 1 by simultaneous driving of 31 or separate adjustment driving.

A seat back support arm 39 is provided at the rear of the seat slide rail upper 21.
The seat back support arm 39 includes the seat back 3
The lower end of the is rotatably supported. The lower rotating shaft of the seat back 3 is interlocked with a seat back motor 41 as a state adjusting means CL4 attached to a seat back support arm 39. Therefore, the seat back 3 is rotated with respect to the seat back support arm 39 by driving the seat back motor 41, and the seat back angle is adjusted as the state of the seat back 3.

The seat back angle of the seat back 3 is detected by a seat back angle sensor 43. Therefore, the seat back angle sensor 43 constitutes a state detecting means CL5 for detecting the state of the vehicle seat.

The seat slide rail upper 21 is
It is supported by a seat slide rail lower 45 attached to the vehicle body floor F, and is configured to be movable and adjustable in the vehicle body front-rear direction. The longitudinal movement of the seat slide rail upper 21 is adjusted by a slide motor 47. A front and rear position of the seat slide rail upper 21 with respect to the slide rail lower 45, that is, a front and rear position of the vehicle seat is detected by a slide sensor 49.

The front lifter motor 23, the rear lifter motor 31, and the seat back motor 41 are controlled by the control means CL7.
Are controlled by the controller 51. The controller 51 changes the state of the vehicle seat so that the load center position of the occupant seated on the seat cushion 1 and the seat back 3 becomes the optimum load center position predetermined according to the physique of the occupant. 23, the rear lifter motor 31, and the seatback motor 41 are controlled. The relationship between the load center position of the occupant and the optimum load center position will be described later.

Further, the seat back motor 41 and the seat slide motor 47 are constructed so that a drive command can be issued by a manual command switch 53.

The controller 51 is constructed so that signals from a pedal depression amount detecting sensor (means) 55 and a mode switch (mode distinguishing means) 57 are inputted. The pedal depression amount detection sensor 55 detects, for example, the depression amount of the accelerator pedal and inputs a detection signal to the controller 51. The mode switch 57 allows the driver to select the normal mode or the sports mode, and a selection signal is input to the controller 51. The normal mode is a selection mode when traveling on a general road. The sport mode is selected when the pedal depression amount is large, such as when traveling on a mountain road. Then, the front lifter motor 23, the rear lifter motor 31, and the seat back motor 41 are controlled by the control of the controller 51, and as described above, the height and angle of the seat cushion 1,
The angle of the seat back 3 is adjusted, and the state of the vehicle seat is changed so that the load center position of the occupant becomes the optimum load center position. This adjustment reduces the muscle strength (muscle load) of the flexor muscles of the hip joint such as the iliopsoas muscle, and also reduces the feeling of pressure on the thighs, reducing muscle fatigue and numbness of the thighs during long running. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the fatigue of the driver and reduce the fatigue of the driver significantly. Further, the state adjustment is to adjust the seat cushion angle, the seat cushion height, and the seat back angle in this order. That is, the angle of the vehicle seat is first adjusted to reduce the occupant's discomfort, and the muscle load around the hip joint is significantly reduced by simple control.

The seat slide position and the seat back angle can be adjusted to the occupant's favorite slide position and angle by operating the manual command switch 53.

The relationship among the pedal depression amount detection sensor 55, the mode switch 57 and the controller 51 will be described later.

FIG. 3 is for explaining the significance of the load center position, and shows a state in which the driver is sitting on the vehicle seat. Here, the symbols of the respective parts will be described. The iliopsoas muscle of the seated driver is L, the gluteus maximus muscle is K, the hip joint is N,
The moment around the hip joint is M, the weight (gravity) of the thigh at the center of gravity G is g, and the load center position is C. At the time of sitting, the driver normally holds the postures of the hip joint N and the thigh S by using the flexor group of the hip joint N such as the iliopsoas muscle L. If the muscle strength and muscle load of this portion are large, muscle fatigue may occur during long-time running. Here, it can be considered that this muscle acts to generate the moment M around the hip joint, and it can be said that the moment M around the hip joint may be reduced to reduce the muscle load. From a broad perspective, the moment M around the hip joint can be considered to be the moment due to the weight (gravity) g of the thigh S minus the moment due to the force (reaction force) supporting the thigh S by the seat cushion 1. The moment due to the reaction force of the thigh S is the magnitude of the reaction force multiplied by the distance from the hip joint N to the reaction force application point. Here, although the magnitude of the reaction force varies depending on the physique of the driver, the same driver does not significantly change even if the state of the seat cushion 1 is changed. Therefore, what is important is the position where the reaction force acts, and in the embodiment of the present invention, this position is substituted by the load center position C of the seat cushion 1. Load center position C
Can be calculated from the front and rear loads of the seat cushion position detected by the front load sensor 29 and the rear load sensor 37 using the following formula.

Load center position C = front load / (front load + rear load) (1) That is, in FIG. 3, the load center position C is 0 on the rear load sensor 37 side and on the front load sensor 29 side. 1, and the rear load sensor 37 side is used as a reference.

The relationship between the load center position C and the moment M about the hip joint is shown in FIG. Load center position C
Indicates that the moment M tends to decrease to a certain position, and when the position C is above a certain level, that is, toward the front load sensor 29 side, a moment in the opposite direction is applied and a hip joint extensor group such as the gluteus maximus muscle K. Will increase the load. here,
When considering the state of the driver near the seat cushion 1, compression of the thigh S is important in addition to the muscle load.

FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the load center position C and the feeling of pressure on the thigh S portion. When the load center position C exceeds a certain level, the feeling of oppression tends to suddenly increase. And
FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the load center position and the evaluation of the hip joint circumference, combining the moment M around the hip joint and the feeling of pressure. As shown in FIG. 6, the moment M in the load center C
There is an optimum load center position that minimizes the pressure and the feeling of pressure. Such optimum load center position is obtained according to the physique of the occupant, and the optimum load center position thus obtained is stored in the controller 51 as a predetermined load center.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the state of the seat cushion 1 and the seat back 3 is changed, and the control by the controller 51 is performed so that the detected load center position of the driver coincides with the optimum load center position. This will reduce driver fatigue.

FIG. 7 shows the posture of the driver when controlled as described above. That is, in FIG. 7, the seat cushion angle θ ₁ , the seat height H, and the seat back angle θ ₂ are shown as parameters that are changed by the above control. Also, the postures of the occupants are P ₁ , P
₂ and ₃ of 3 are shown. P ₁ indicates a general state. P ₂ indicates the case where the seat height is large. P ₃ indicates the case where the seat back angle is large. In this case, each adjustment parameter has a maximum value and a minimum value due to mechanical restrictions. The relationship between changes in seat cushion angle θ ₁ , seat height H, seat back angle θ ₂ and changes in the load center position is shown in FIGS.
It is shown in 0. Among the parameters shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, it is possible to change the load center position most effectively by changing the parameters such as the seat cushion angle θ ₁ , the seat height H, and the seat back angle θ ₂ . In order. Therefore, in the above control, the load center position is adjusted to the optimum load center position by changing the angle θ ₁ , the seat height H, and the seat back angle θ ₂ in this order.
Then, in the above-mentioned control, when the parameter reaches the maximum value or the minimum value, the logic to move to the next parameter is used.

Next, when the seat height H is increased, a problem is the head clearance h shown in FIG. The seat height H must be limited so that the head clearance h does not fall below a certain minimum value h ₁ .
The head clearance h varies depending on the sitting height (= height) of the driver even if the seat height H is the same. The height of the driver is shown in Figure 1.
Since it has a proportional relationship with the seat slide position as shown in FIG. 1, the seat slide position is detected by the slide position sensor 49 to obtain the height, and then the head clearance h is estimated from the seat height H. And in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the seat height H is adjusted so that the head clearance h is not higher than H _{1 which} is the minimum, and when H ₁ is reached during the control, the seat back angle θ ₂ is adjusted.

Next, the relationship between the depression of the accelerator pedal or the like and the optimum load center position will be described.

FIG. 12 shows a pedal 59 such as an accelerator pedal.
It shows the condition of the lower limbs of the occupant when stepping on. When the pedal 59 is depressed, the position of the thigh S moves in the direction of the seat cushion 1 (downward), so that the load center position becomes large (the seat front direction). Therefore, the controller 51 adjusts the state of the load center so that the load center position becomes the optimum load center position when there is an output signal from the pedal depression amount detection sensor 55, that is, the front lifter motor 23 and the rear lifter motor 31.
Also, the seat back motor 41 is controlled. Specifically, the pedal depression amount is small during normal traveling such as city driving (normal mode), and the load center position hardly changes, but when traveling on a mountain road (sports mode), the pedal depression amount is large and the thigh S The part receives a great feeling of pressure from the seat cushion position. Therefore, the mode switch 57
The driver selects whether the normal mode is the sports mode or not, and in the sports mode, the optimum load center position is shifted from the optimum load center position when the pedal is depressed by an amount commensurate with the pedal depression amount.

That is, as shown in FIG. 13, the optimum load center position is obtained when the pedal is depressed, and when the pedal is not depressed, the amount is smaller than the optimum load center position when the pedal is depressed (rearward direction). I'll do it. Here, since the pedal depression amount differs depending on how the driver runs, the controller 51 stores the maximum pedal depression amount of the driver in the previous sports mode, and FIG.
The center position of the load is determined based on the stored maximum pedal depression amount. In the above case, the mode switch 57 is used as the running state distinguishing means, but it is also possible to automatically distinguish between the normal running mode and the sports mode by detecting the engine speed, the vehicle speed, or the pedal depression state. it can.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
5, it demonstrates based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, the flow of FIG. 14 is until the load center position is detected. FIG. 14 is a flow of adjusting the seat cushion angle and the seat height when the load center position is smaller than the optimum load center position to set the load center position as the optimum load center position.

FIG. 15 is a flow for setting the load center position to the optimum load center position by adjusting the seat back angle when the load center position is smaller than the optimum load center position.

FIG. 16 shows a flow in which the load center position is set to the optimum load center position by adjusting the seat cushion angle and the seat cushion height when the load center position is larger than the optimum load center position. This is a flow in which the load center position is set to the optimum load center position by increasing the seat back angle.

First, when the driver gets on and the key switch is turned on, the control flow chart is started, and it is judged in step S1 of FIG. 14 whether or not the seat back angle and the seat slide position are adjusted by the driver. .
This step S1 is to determine whether the driver is seated on the seat and is stable. Therefore, if it is determined that the seat back angle is adjusted, the process immediately proceeds to step S3. If not, the process proceeds to step S2, and the same determination as in step S1 is made depending on whether or not a fixed time has elapsed since the flow was started. Therefore, if it is determined in step S2 that a certain time has passed, step S2
Move to 3.

In step S3, it is detected whether the mode switch selected by the driver is the sport mode or the normal mode. If the mode is the sport mode, the optimum value when the pedal is not stepped on from FIG. Shift the load center position from the optimum load center position when the pedal is depressed. This is in consideration of the increase in the pedal depression amount in the sports mode as described above.

Next, in step S4, the loads on the front and rear portions of the seat cushion 1 are detected by the signals from the front load sensor 29 and the rear load sensor 37, and the load center position is calculated by the equation (1). .

Next, in step S5, it is compared whether or not the current load center position is the optimum load center position. If the current load center position is the optimum load center position, this flow ends. If the current load center position is smaller than the optimum load center (rearward direction), step S6
Then, the front height of the seat cushion 1 is controlled to increase.

Next, in step S7, it is determined whether or not the front height of the seat cushion 1 is maximum. This is because the seat cushion angle, seat cushion height, and seat back angle adjustment parameters have maximum and minimum values due to mechanical restrictions, as described above, so when the parameter reaches the maximum or minimum value, the next parameter is set. It is a decision to execute the logic of moving. Therefore, if the front height of the seat cushion 1 is not maximum, the process proceeds to step S8, and if it is maximum, step S9 is performed.
Move to.

In step S8, the load center position is recalculated while controlling the front height of the seat cushion 1 to increase. Then, the process proceeds to step S10, and it is determined whether or not the current load center position has increased. If the load center position does not become large even if the front height of the seat cushion 1 is increased, step S9
If it becomes larger, the process proceeds to step S11.

In step S11, it is determined whether the current load center position is still smaller than the optimum load center position. If the current load center position is not smaller than the optimum load center position, it is determined that they match each other, and this flow ends. If the current load center position is still smaller than the optimum load center position, the process returns to step S6,
Similar control is repeated.

When the process proceeds to step S9 based on the judgments in steps S7 and S10, the seat cushion 1
The rear height is controlled to increase. Then, the process proceeds to step S12, and it is determined whether or not the rear height of the seat cushion 1 is maximum. This judgment is the same as that in step S7. If the rear height of the seat cushion 1 is not the maximum, the process proceeds to step S13, and if it is already the maximum, the process proceeds from B to the control of the seat back angle in FIG.

In step S12 of FIG. 14, if the height of the rear portion of the seat cushion is maximum, step S1 is performed.
Go to 3 and check the head clearance.
This check is to prevent the head clearance from becoming smaller than a certain value. Therefore, if the head clearance is not the minimum, the rear height of the seat cushion 1 can be increased. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S14, and if the head clearance is minimum, the rear height of the seat cushion 1 is increased. Then, since the height of the seat cushion 1 becomes too high, the control shifts from B to the control of the seat back angle in FIG.

In step S14 of FIG. 14, the load center position is calculated again, and it is determined in step S15 whether the current load center position is increased by increasing the rear height of the seat cushion 1. If the current load center position is large, the change appears by increasing the rear height of the seat cushion 1. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S16, and it is determined whether the current load center position is smaller than the optimum load center position. Is judged. If it is determined that the current load center position is not smaller than the optimum load center position, it is determined that the two match and the flow ends. If the current load center position is still smaller than the optimum load center position, the height of the rear portion of the seat cushion 1 is further increased, the process proceeds to step S9, and the above steps are repeated again.

Next, when the control shifts from B to the control of the seat back angle in FIG. 15, in step S17 the control is performed to decrease the seat back angle. Then step S
At 18, it is determined whether the seat back angle is the minimum. This determination is also the same as the determination in step S7 or step S12 in FIG. If the seat back angle is not the minimum, the seat back angle can be further reduced, and the process proceeds to step S19. If the seat back angle is the minimum, it is determined that each adjustment parameter has the maximum value or the minimum value, and this flow ends.

In step S19, it is determined whether the head clearance is minimum. Step S
At 20, the load center position is calculated again. Then, in step S21, it is determined whether or not the current load center position is increased by decreasing the seat back angle. If the current load center position does not increase, the load center position does not change even if the seat back angle is further reduced, and the flow ends. If it is determined that the current load center position has increased, the process proceeds to step S23, and it is determined whether the current load center position is smaller than the optimum load center position. If it is determined that the current load center position is not smaller than the optimum load center position, it is determined that the two match and the flow ends. If it is determined that the current load center position is smaller than the optimum load center position, the process returns to step S17 to further reduce the seat back angle, and the above steps are repeated.

As described above, the control in the case where the current load center position is smaller than the optimum load center position is performed by the flow of FIGS. 14, 15 and 16.

Next, in step S5 of FIG. 14, if it is determined that the current load center position is larger than the optimum load center position, the flow from A to FIG. 16 is executed. The flow of this corresponds to the flow of FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, and as described above, the flow of is for the case where the current load center position is smaller than the optimum load center position. , Is a flow when the current load center position is larger than the optimum load center position. Therefore, the size of each adjustment in the flow of ,,
The magnitude of each adjustment in the flow is reversed. Since the height of the seat cushion is reduced in the flow of (1) and the seat back angle is increased in the flow of (2), the step of determining whether the head clearance is the minimum is deleted.

Since the flow of and is basically the same as the flow of, therefore, each step number is associated with a number which is incremented by one digit, and the description thereof will be omitted.
For example, step S6 of step S60 of step
It corresponds to.

With such control, the seat cushion 1
Also, the load center position of the occupant seated on the seat back 3 becomes the optimum load center position, the occupant load can be reduced, and fatigue can be significantly suppressed.

FIG. 17 shows the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the front lifter 17 and the rear lifter 19 as the state adjusting means are provided with the air bags 61 and 63 and the front and rear air pumps 6.
It is composed of 5,67. Front and rear air pumps 65, 67
Are controlled by the controller 51. Therefore, the front and rear air pumps 65 and 67 are driven by the control of the controller 51, and the angle and height of the seat cushion 1 can be adjusted by appropriately supplying air to the air bags 61 and 63. The same operational effect as can be obtained.

Also, in this embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, since the angle and height are adjusted by supplying and discharging air to and from the air bags 61, 63, the seat cushion 1 is positioned relative to the seat slide rail upper 21. More accurate control can be performed without moving in the front-back direction.

FIG. 18 shows the third embodiment. In this embodiment, the center of the load is detected by detecting the load on the floor below the occupant's heel. Therefore, a load sensor 71 constituting a load center detecting means is provided below the heel of the foot of the occupant who depresses the pedal 59. The detection signal of the load sensor 71 is input to the controller 51. 19 shows the relationship between the floor reaction force detected by the load sensor 71 and the load center position. In this case, the larger the floor reaction force, the smaller the load center position (on the rear side of the seat cushion 1). However, this relationship depends on the weight of the driver. That is, the floor reaction force may have the same value when the load center position of a large weight person is large and when the load center position of a small weight person is small. For this reason, it is necessary to use a vehicle having a different relationship between the floor reaction force and the load center position depending on the weight of the driver.

In FIG. 19, a heavy person, an ordinary person,
The relationship between the floor reaction force and the load center position is set for three types of people with a small weight. The weight of the driver is a distance r from the center point of attachment of the seat back 3 to the seat back support arm 39 to the stepping point of the occupant's foot 69 with respect to the pedal 59. The relationship between the floor reaction force and the load center position according to is calculated.

Therefore, also in this embodiment, the first
The same effect as that of the embodiment can be obtained. Further, it is only necessary to provide one load sensor 71 on the vehicle body floor side,
The number of sensors is small, the structure is simple, and it can be manufactured at low cost.

[0079]

As is apparent from the above, according to the invention of claim 1, the load center position of the occupant becomes the optimum load center position, and the muscle load such as the hip joint can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to greatly suppress the increase in fatigue even during long-time operation.

In the invention of claim 2, it is possible to realize an apparatus for obtaining the effect of the invention of claim 1.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the moment around the hip joint can be minimized and the muscle load around the hip joint can be remarkably reduced. Therefore, fatigue around the hip joint can be greatly reduced even during long-time driving.

According to the invention of claim 4, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 2, both the muscle load around the hip joint and the feeling of pressure on the thigh are significantly reduced, and fatigue is greatly reduced even during long-time driving. be able to.

According to the invention of claim 5, in addition to the effect of any one of claims 2 to 4, the state of the vehicle seat can be adjusted by any one of the seat cushion angle, the seat cushion height and the seat back angle. It is possible to significantly reduce the muscle load around the hip joint and the like by simple control.

According to the invention of claim 6, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 5, by adjusting the seat cushion angle, the seat cushion height and the seat back angle in this order, it is effective in reducing the muscle load of the hip joint and the like. The load center position can be changed. Therefore, more accurate control can be performed, and the fatigue of the driver can be accurately reduced.

According to the invention of claim 7, in addition to the effect of any one of claims 2 to 6, the load center can be detected based on the two load sensors, and the load center can be accurately detected. You can Therefore, it is possible to reduce the fatigue of the driver accurately.

According to the invention of claim 8, in addition to the effect of the invention of any one of claims 2 to 6, the load center under the heel of the occupant can be detected, and the number of load sensors is reduced. The structure is simple and an inexpensive device can be obtained.

According to the invention of claim 9, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, the load center position when the pedal is depressed is set to the optimum load center position, so that the reaction force from the seat cushion when the pedal is depressed is greatly reduced. can do. Therefore,
Regardless of pedal operation, it is possible to greatly reduce the feeling of pressure on the thighs and the like, and to reduce fatigue of the occupant.

According to the invention of claim 10, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 9, when the pedal is depressed, the load center position of the occupant can be made to coincide with the optimum load center position when the pedal is depressed. Regardless, it is possible to remarkably reduce the feeling of pressure on the thighs of the driver and greatly reduce the fatigue of the driver.

In the eleventh aspect of the invention, the occupant's load center position can be made to coincide with the optimum load center position at the time of pedaling when running in a sports mode such as mountain road running, and the thigh has a feeling of pressure. It is possible to remarkably reduce the fatigue of the passengers.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a load center position and the like according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing a relationship between a moment around a hip joint and a load center position.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the thigh pressure and the load center position.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing a relationship between a comprehensive evaluation around a hip joint and a load center position.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which a seat cushion angle and the like are changed.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing a relationship between a load center position and a seat cushion angle.

FIG. 9 is a graph showing a relationship between a load center position and a seat height.

FIG. 10 is a graph showing a relationship between a load center position and a seat back angle.

FIG. 11 is a graph showing the relationship between height and weight and seat slide position.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating the relationship between the depression of the pedal and the optimum load center position according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a graph showing the relationship between the load center position and the pedal depression amount.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a graph showing the relationship between the load center position and the floor reaction force.

FIG. 20 is a partially omitted perspective view of an apparatus according to a conventional example.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Seat Cushion 3 Seat Back 17 Front Lifter (State Adjusting Means) 19 Rear Lifter (State Adjusting Means) 29 Front Load Sensor (Load Center Detecting Means) 37 Rear Load Sensor (Load Center Detecting Means) 41 Seat Back Motor (State) Adjustment means) 43 Seat back angle sensor (state detection means) 51 Controller (control means, load center detection means, state detection means) 55 Pedal depression amount detection sensor (pedal depression amount detection means) 57 Mode switch (running state discrimination means) 59 pedal 71 load sensor (load center detection means)

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A condition adjusting method for a vehicle seat comprising a seat cushion and a seat back, the condition of which is changeable, wherein a load center position of an occupant seated on the seat cushion and the seat back is detected, and the load center position is A vehicle seat condition adjusting method for changing the condition of the vehicle seat so as to reach a predetermined optimum load center position according to the physique of the occupant. 2. A vehicle seat, which comprises a seat cushion and a seat back, and whose state can be changed, state adjusting means for adjusting the state of the vehicle seat, state detecting means for detecting the state of the vehicle seat, Load center detection means for detecting the load center position of the occupant seated on the seat cushion and the seat back, and the vehicle seat so that the load center position becomes an optimum load center position predetermined according to the physique of the occupant. A vehicle seat condition adjusting device, comprising: a control unit that controls the condition adjusting unit to change the state of the vehicle seat. 3. The vehicle seat condition adjusting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the optimum load center position is a position that minimizes a moment around the hip joint of the occupant. Conditioner. 4. The vehicle seat condition adjusting device according to claim 2, wherein the optimum load center position is determined from both the moment around the hip joint of the occupant and the thigh pressure. A vehicle seat condition adjusting device characterized by the above. 5. The vehicle seat state adjusting device according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle seat state is any one of a seat cushion angle, a seat cushion height, and a seat back angle. A condition adjusting device for a vehicle seat, comprising: 6. The vehicle seat condition adjusting device according to claim 5, wherein the seat cushion angle, the seat cushion height, and the seat back angle are adjusted in this order. . 7. The vehicle seat condition adjusting device according to claim 2, wherein the load center detecting means has two load sensors provided in front of and below the lower portion of the seat cushion. A vehicle seat condition adjusting device characterized by: 8. The vehicle seat condition adjusting device according to claim 2, wherein the load center detecting means has a load sensor for detecting a load on a floor below the heel of the occupant. A vehicle seat condition adjusting device characterized by the above. 9. The vehicle seat condition adjusting device according to claim 1, further comprising pedal depression amount detection means for detecting that the occupant has stepped on the pedal and outputting a signal, wherein the control means includes: A condition adjusting device for a vehicle seat, which controls the condition adjusting device so that the load center position becomes the optimum load center position when there is an output signal from the pedal depression amount detecting device. 10. The vehicle seat condition adjusting device according to claim 9, wherein the control means adjusts the optimum load center position to the pedal depression amount when there is no output signal from the pedal depression amount detecting means. A condition adjusting device for a vehicle seat, which is characterized in that the amount of displacement is shifted from the optimum load center position when the pedal is depressed. 11. The vehicle seat condition adjusting apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising mode distinguishing means for distinguishing whether the running state of the vehicle is a sports mode or a normal running mode, wherein the control means is a sports mode. At this time, the vehicle seat condition adjusting device is characterized in that the optimum load center position is shifted from the optimum load center position when the pedal is depressed.