JPH08216747A - Active control seat - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To make a seat active in order to keep the attitude of an occupant flat at the rolling time when a vehicle receives lateral acceleration. CONSTITUTION: The change of load to a seat is compared with the speed of a motor 14, and the motor 14 is controlled to the speed corresponding to the quantity of load. Lateral acceleration to be received by a vehicle is computed on the basis of a vehicle speed signal from a vehicle speed sensor 28 and a steering angle signal from a steering sensor, and the motor 14 is driven according to the computed result to incline the seat.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an active control seat which moves independently of the movement of a vehicle body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a vehicle is subjected to a control action, for example, the front wheels sink and the rear wheels rise. On the other hand, in a vehicle taking a curve to the right, the outer wheel sinks and the inner wheel rises due to the centrifugal force in the left direction. In addition, a vehicle traveling on an uneven road surface vibrates vertically depending on the road surface. For such movement of the vehicle,
There is an attempt to keep the posture of the vehicle constant regardless of the road condition and the movement of the vehicle.

An active suspension is provided as a means of embodying this attempt. A typical active suspension adds a power source to a normal (passive) suspension, supplies hydraulic pressure to an actuator according to road surface conditions and vehicle movement, and makes a stroke by itself.
It is configured to keep the posture of the vehicle constant. The power source is
It is continuously controlled by a function calculated based on signals from various sensors (vehicle height sensor, vehicle speed sensor, G sensor, steering angle sensor, hydraulic oil temperature sensor, etc.).

[0004]

In the active suspension as described above, when the actuator is moved so as to follow the fine unevenness of the road surface and the small movement change of the vehicle, the work of the pump is increased and the number of sensors is increased, resulting in the control. It becomes complicated and costly. Therefore, this means is not always optimal for mass-produced vehicles.

Therefore, there has been an attempt to tilt the seat by using a link mechanism operated by a motor to always stabilize the posture of the occupant regardless of the traveling posture of the vehicle. This attempt is disclosed in JP-A-57-84232. In this example, the motor tilts the seat in a direction opposite to the lateral acceleration received by the vehicle by a signal from the control means (a function calculated based on signals from various sensors), but the number of rotations of the motor is constant. Therefore, the occupant does not feel a constant speed due to the tilting of the seat, but rather feels strange. This is because the load on the seat changes depending on the weight of a person (occupant) sitting on the seat (passenger), changes in what he or she wears, or when the seat cushion tilts and rises and descends. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to reduce the uncomfortable feeling given to an occupant as the seat cushion tilts.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention basically compares the motor speed predetermined according to the amount of load on the seat with the actual motor speed. , Using technical means to control the motor speed to a predetermined speed.

Specifically, the present invention is arranged between a seat cushion and a vehicle floor and has a tilting means for tilting the seat, a driving means for operating the tilting means, and a load amount on the seat. There is provided an active control sheet which has a control unit for comparing a predetermined motor speed with the speed of a motor included in the drive unit, and which makes the motor speed variable by a signal from the control unit. Further, according to the present invention, the tilting means arranged between the seat cushion and the vehicle for tilting the seat, the driving means for operating the tilting means, the acceleration received by the vehicle by the vehicle speed and the steering angle of the vehicle are calculated. Control means for controlling the operation amount of the drive means based on the calculated acceleration, and control means for comparing the motor speed predetermined according to the amount of load on the seat with the speed of the motor included in the drive means. An active control sheet having the same is provided.

Preferably, the motor speed predetermined according to the amount of load on the seat is selected so that the motor speed is low when the load is high and high when the load is low. Further, the output torque of the motor can change depending on the magnitude of the load.

[0009]

When the load on the seat is large, the rotational speed of the motor is reduced to increase the torque, so that the seat tilting motion is not delayed and a constant speed feeling is given to the occupant, and the load on the seat is small. At times, the present invention makes it possible to increase the number of rotations of the motor, reduce the torque, and create a constant speed feeling in the tilting motion of the seat.

[0010]

EXAMPLE A seat cushion frame 1 referring to FIG.
Has a frame shape made of steel, and rotatably supports the sector gear 2 inside the front portions of the left and right side pieces thereof. Further, the central portion of the bell crank 3 is rotatably supported inside the rear portion of the left and right side pieces. Upward arm 4 of sector gear 2
And the bell crank 3 downward piece 5 to the coil spring 6
The rotary motion of the sector gear 2 around the pin 7 can be transmitted to the bell crank 3 via the coil spring 6.

Both ends of the hollow bar 8 are fixed to the left and right side pieces of the frame 1 so as to extend in the lateral direction of the seat behind the mounting position of the sector gear 2. A pair of brackets 9 are rotatably arranged on the left and right of the bar 8 and springs 10 wound around the bar 8 are arranged on the sides of the bracket 9, and one end of the spring 10 is attached to the bracket 9. To combine. The other end 11 of the spring 10 extends in the direction of the sector gear 2. Each bracket 9 is connected to the sector gear 2 via a link 12.

A rotary shaft 13 is arranged between the sector gear 2 and the bar 8 in parallel with the bar 8. Both ends of the rotary shaft 13 are rotatably supported by the left and right side pieces of the frame 1. The rotary shaft 13 is
It cooperates with the electric motor 14 with a reduction gear supported by the bar 8 to rotate in accordance with the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the motor 14. The operation of the motor 14 is controlled by the ECU 27. A pair of pinions 15 are fixed to the left and right of the rotary shaft 13, one pinion 15 is directly meshed with the sector gear 2, and the other pinion 15 is connected to the sector gear 2 via an idle gear 16.
Mesh with.

A cushion pan 18 is arranged above the frame 1. The front portions of the left and right side pieces of the cushion pan 18 are connected to the ends 11 of the coil spring 10 wound around the bar 8, and the rear portions thereof are bell cranks. The tip of the upward facing piece 19 of 3 is supported.

Next, the operation of the above-mentioned link mechanism will be described. In FIG. 6, when the electric motor 14 is operated in one direction to rotate the rotary shaft 13 in the clockwise direction, the right pinion 15 rotates in the same direction, and the right sector gear 2 rotates in the counterclockwise direction. For this reason, the bell crank 3 also rotates clockwise, and the upward piece 19 thereof is lifted to raise the right side of the cushion pan 18. On the other hand, the rotational movement of the left pinion 15 is transmitted to the left sector gear 2 via the idle gear 16 and rotates the sector gear 2 in the clockwise direction. This movement is transmitted to the left side bell crank 3 to rotate the bell crank 3 counterclockwise. That is, the left side of the cushion pan 18 is lowered. Thus, the cushion pan 18 tilts to the upper right and the lower left. When it is desired to tilt the seat cushion in the opposite direction, the electric motor 14 is operated in the other direction to rotate the rotary shaft 13 in the counterclockwise direction. The occupant 2 when the seat 25 is tilted left and right in FIG.
6 shows the posture.

Referring to FIG. A vehicle speed sensor 2 for detecting the speed of the vehicle is provided at the inlet ports P1 to P8 of the ECU 27.
8. A steering sensor 29 for detecting a steering angle and a steering speed of a vehicle, a door switch 30 for detecting an open / closed state of a vehicle door, a seat belt switch 31 for detecting a detached state of a vehicle seat belt, and an on / off state of a vehicle ignition. Ignition switch 32 and ECU 2 for detection
Selector switches 33 and 34 for selectively switching the operation of No. 7
A motor speed sensor 36 for detecting the rotation speed of the motor 14 is also connected. Further, the output ports P9 and P10 of the ECU 27 are connected to the electric motor 14 via the drive circuit 35.
Is connected.

The operation of the ECU 27 will be described. ECU 27
Is operated according to the flow charts shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 to control the operation of the electric motor 14. More specifically, when the signal from the changeover switch 33 indicates the auto mode and the signal from the seat belt switch 31 indicates the released state, the signal from the door switch 30 indicates the open state and the signal from the vehicle speed sensor 28 indicates Speed 0km
/ H and the signal from the ignition switch 32 is in the off state (recognizing that the occupant 26 is getting out of the vehicle), the electric motor 14 is set in one direction at a set amount / speed at step S1 in FIG. When the seat 25 is actuated and the link mechanism operates, the seat 25 is raised inside the vehicle and is lowered toward the door. As a result, the occupant 26 can easily get on and off. Further, in the above-mentioned case, the signal from the seat belt switch 31 indicates the wearing state, the signal from the door switch 30 indicates the closing state, and the signal from the ignition switch 32 indicates the on state (the occupant gets on the vehicle. Recognize that), and step S2 in FIG.
In the above, the electric motor 14 is operated in the other direction at the set amount and the set speed, and the seat 25 becomes parallel by the operation of the link mechanism. This stabilizes the posture of the occupant 26. Alternatively, it may be possible to recognize that the occupant has entered the vehicle by a switch that is turned on / off when the occupant is seated.

When the signal from the changeover switch 33 indicates the auto mode and the signal from the changeover switch 34 indicates the active mode, during normal operation (vehicle speed sensor 2
The signal from 8 indicates the set speed or more, the signal from the door switch 30 indicates the closed state, the signal from the seat belt switch 31 indicates the worn state, and the ignition switch 32
Signal indicates the ON state, and the motor speed is compared with a preset motor speed that is predetermined according to the amount of load on the seat), the electric motor 14 is turned on in step S3 of FIG. 2 or the other direction, the seat 25 is operated by the operation of the link mechanism by operating at the predetermined operation amount and the predetermined operation speed obtained in step S4 of FIG.
Tilts in a desired direction and with a desired amount and speed (corresponding to the magnitude and speed of the lateral acceleration in the direction opposite to the lateral acceleration received by the vehicle). As a result, the posture of the occupant 26 can always be stabilized regardless of the traveling posture of the vehicle. The set motor speed is set to decrease the motor speed and increase the torque when the load amount is large, and increase the motor speed and decrease the torque when the load amount is small. The load changes depending on factors such as the weight of the occupant and the acceleration received,
The set motor speed according to this change is always given. For example, when a person weighing 50 kg receives 3G, 4G, or 5G, the set motor speeds have different values. Further, when the seat cushion tilts, one side of the seat cushion 25 rises and the other falls, the speed of the motor 14 is lowered when the seat cushion 25 is lowered, and the downward weight of the occupant on the seat cushion 25 is supported. .

As shown in FIG. 5, the predetermined operation amount obtained in step S4 is a function of the vehicle speed determined by the signal from the vehicle speed sensor 28 and the steering angle determined by the signal from the steering sensor 29. The predetermined operating speed is obtained from a map based on the lateral acceleration calculated as, and the predetermined operating speed is based on the vehicle speed determined by the signal from the vehicle speed sensor 28 and the steering speed determined by the signal from the steering sensor 29. Required from.
As shown in FIG. 6, the driving of the motor 14 is performed by comparing whether the motor speed is faster or slower than the set motor speed according to the load. When the motor speed is fast, the speed of the motor 14 is reduced to increase the torque, while the slow speed is slow. Sometimes the speed of the motor 14 is increased and the torque is decreased to match the motor speed to the set motor speed,
Gives a sense of constant speed to the tilting of the seat.

Although the lateral acceleration is counteracted by the tilting of the seat in the illustrated example, a motor for raising and lowering the front and rear of the seat is arranged in the front and rear of the seat, and the front and rear of the seat is raised and lowered according to acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle. It may be free.

[0020]

[Effects] According to the present invention, even if there is a change in weight caused by what the occupant wears or a change in the acceleration received by the occupant,
The tilting of the seat gives the occupant the feeling of being constantly made at a constant speed, and improves the comfort of sitting on the seat. In the present invention,
Further, the lateral acceleration that the vehicle will receive is calculated from the vehicle speed and the steering angle, and the posture of the seat is changed based on the result of this calculation, so that the posture control of the seat becomes more reliable than in the conventional case. Further, since the rise of the acceleration of the vehicle according to the steering speed of the vehicle (the speed at which the steering wheel is turned) is calculated and the posture change time of the seat is controlled, the response to the steering is significantly improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing a control means according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of control means.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of control means.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control means.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing main operations of a control means.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing driving of a motor.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing tilting means according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing tilting of a seat cushion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 14 electric motor 25 seat 27 ECU 28 vehicle speed sensor 29 steering sensor 30 door switch 31 seat belt switch 32 ignition switch 33 changeover switch 36 motor speed sensor

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kunio Nishiyama 1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Osamu Takeda 1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Toyota Motor Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A tilting means for tilting a seat, which is arranged between a seat cushion and a vehicle floor, a driving means for operating the tilting means, and a motor speed predetermined according to an amount of load on the seat. And an control means for comparing the speed of a motor included in the drive means, and the motor speed is variable by a signal from the control means. 2. The motor speed predetermined according to the amount of load on the seat is selected so that the motor speed is low when the load is large and the motor speed is high when the load is small. The active control sheet described in 1. 3. A tilting means arranged between a seat cushion and a vehicle floor for tilting the seat, a driving means for operating the tilting means, and an acceleration received by the vehicle calculated by a vehicle speed and a steering angle of the vehicle. First control means for controlling the operation amount of the drive means on the basis of the calculated acceleration, and comparing the motor speed predetermined according to the amount of load on the seat with the speed of the motor included in the drive means. Second
An active control sheet having the above control means. 4. The active control seat according to claim 1, wherein the motor speed control means changes the rotational torque of the seat in response to a change in load on the seat.