WO2024056208A1 - Seat adjustment method for vehicle, computer program product, control system, and vehicle - Google Patents

Seat adjustment method for vehicle, computer program product, control system, and vehicle Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2024056208A1
WO2024056208A1 PCT/EP2023/025397 EP2023025397W WO2024056208A1 WO 2024056208 A1 WO2024056208 A1 WO 2024056208A1 EP 2023025397 W EP2023025397 W EP 2023025397W WO 2024056208 A1 WO2024056208 A1 WO 2024056208A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
seat
front seat
vehicle
state
collision
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2023/025397
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Xuesong Sun
Original Assignee
Mercedes-Benz Group AG
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Mercedes-Benz Group AG filed Critical Mercedes-Benz Group AG
Publication of WO2024056208A1 publication Critical patent/WO2024056208A1/en

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
    • B60N2/24—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles
    • B60N2/42—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles the seat constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats
    • B60N2/427—Seats or parts thereof displaced during a crash
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
    • B60N2/002—Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
    • B60N2/02—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles the seat or part thereof being movable, e.g. adjustable
    • B60N2/0224—Non-manual adjustments, e.g. with electrical operation
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
    • B60N2/02—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles the seat or part thereof being movable, e.g. adjustable
    • B60N2/0224—Non-manual adjustments, e.g. with electrical operation
    • B60N2/0244—Non-manual adjustments, e.g. with electrical operation with logic circuits
    • B60N2/0272—Non-manual adjustments, e.g. with electrical operation with logic circuits using sensors or detectors for detecting the position of seat parts
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
    • B60N2/02—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles the seat or part thereof being movable, e.g. adjustable
    • B60N2/0224—Non-manual adjustments, e.g. with electrical operation
    • B60N2/0244—Non-manual adjustments, e.g. with electrical operation with logic circuits
    • B60N2/0276—Non-manual adjustments, e.g. with electrical operation with logic circuits reaction to emergency situations, e.g. crash
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
    • B60N2/24—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles
    • B60N2/42—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles the seat constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats
    • B60N2/4207—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles the seat constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats characterised by the direction of the g-forces
    • B60N2/4214—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles the seat constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats characterised by the direction of the g-forces longitudinal
    • B60N2/4221—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles the seat constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats characterised by the direction of the g-forces longitudinal due to impact coming from the front
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
    • B60N2/24—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles
    • B60N2/42—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles the seat constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats
    • B60N2/4207—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles the seat constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats characterised by the direction of the g-forces
    • B60N2/4214—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles the seat constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats characterised by the direction of the g-forces longitudinal
    • B60N2/4228—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles the seat constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats characterised by the direction of the g-forces longitudinal due to impact coming from the rear
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
    • B60N2/24—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles
    • B60N2/42—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles the seat constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats
    • B60N2/427—Seats or parts thereof displaced during a crash
    • B60N2/42727—Seats or parts thereof displaced during a crash involving substantially rigid displacement
    • B60N2/42736—Seats or parts thereof displaced during a crash involving substantially rigid displacement of the whole seat
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
    • B60N2/24—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles
    • B60N2/42—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles the seat constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats
    • B60N2/427—Seats or parts thereof displaced during a crash
    • B60N2/42727—Seats or parts thereof displaced during a crash involving substantially rigid displacement
    • B60N2/42745—Seats or parts thereof displaced during a crash involving substantially rigid displacement of the back-rest
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
    • B60N2/24—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles
    • B60N2/42—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles the seat constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats
    • B60N2/427—Seats or parts thereof displaced during a crash
    • B60N2/42772—Seats or parts thereof displaced during a crash characterised by the triggering system
    • B60N2/4279—Seats or parts thereof displaced during a crash characterised by the triggering system electric or electronic triggering
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/01—Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/01—Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents
    • B60R21/013—Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/01—Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents
    • B60R21/013—Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
    • B60R21/0134—Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle, e.g. using radar systems
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/01—Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents
    • B60R2021/01013—Means for detecting collision, impending collision or roll-over
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/01—Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents
    • B60R2021/01204—Actuation parameters of safety arrangents
    • B60R2021/01252—Devices other than bags

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to the field of vehicle seats, and relates in particular to a seat adjustment method for a vehicle, a computer program product, a control system, and a vehicle provided with the control system.
  • An objective of the present invention is to provide a seat adjustment method for a vehicle, a computer program product, a control system, and a vehicle provided with the control system, which aim to adjust at least a front seat before the occurrence of a collision, so as to give a rear passenger a large enough safety space before the collision or at least during the collision, thereby achieving the purpose of protecting the rear passenger.
  • the present invention uses existing vehicle seat functions to prevent a rear passenger from colliding with an object in front, thereby economically and effectively providing protection for rear occupants.
  • a seat adjustment method for a vehicle comprising at least the following steps: [0006] obtaining a collision warning signal for a vehicle, the collision warning signal indicating that the vehicle is about to collide with an object in front or is having a collision;
  • the front seat state meets a first predetermined condition and the rear seat state meets a second predetermined condition, adjusting the front seat according to the front seat state, so that the front seat, before and/or during the collision, is in a position and orientation that increase a space between the front seat and the rear seat, and/or is in an adjustment state that allows the space between the front seat and the rear seat to be increased.
  • the method according to the first aspect of the present invention is used to determine, before the occurrence of a collision, whether to adjust and how to adjust the front seat according to the states of the front seat and the rear seat, so that seat adjustment can be performed based on a variety of different seating situations, thereby providing a greater safety space for a seated rear passenger before the collision, or at least allowing a greater safety space to be provided for the rear passenger during the collision.
  • a collision between the rear passenger and the object in front is avoided or at least minimized, thereby providing maximum protection for the rear passenger.
  • the first predetermined condition comprises the front seat being in a position and orientation that allow the space to be expanded relative to the rear seat
  • the second predetermined condition comprises the rear seat being in an occupancy state.
  • the front seat state comprises an occupancy state and a non-occupancy state of the front seat. Therefore, the front seat can be adjusted in different manners respectively corresponding to the occupancy state and the non-occupancy state of the front seat, so as to provide a larger space as much as possible for the rear occupant in every state.
  • the space is allowed to increase by means of at least allowing the front seat as a whole to be moved forward by a first predetermined distance and/or allowing a seatback of the front seat to be rotated forward to a first predetermined angle.
  • the space is increased by means of moving the front seat as a whole to a foremost allowable position and/or rotating the seatback of the front seat forward to a maximum allowable angle.
  • an adjustment allowance parameter of the front seat is calculated, and whether the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition or not is determined on the basis of the calculated adjustment allowance parameter, and if it is determined that the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition, the front seat is adjusted on the basis of the adjustment allowance parameter to increase the space.
  • the space is allowed to increase by means of at least allowing the front seat as a whole to be moved forward by a second predetermined distance and/or allowing the seatback of the front seat to be rotated forward to a second predetermined angle, and/or the adjustment allowance parameter is determined on the basis of a current position and orientation of the front seat and/or a body parameter of an occupant.
  • the adjustment allowance parameter is determined on the basis of a current position and orientation of the front seat and/or a body parameter of an occupant.
  • the body parameter comprises height and/or weight.
  • the front seat is a front passenger seat of the vehicle.
  • a computer program product in particular a computer-readable program carrier, the computer program product comprising or storing computer program instructions thereon, wherein when the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the processor is at least capable of assisting in performing the method according to the first aspect of the present invention.
  • a control system for a vehicle comprising:
  • a controller comprising a memory and a processor, the memory storing computer program instructions thereon, wherein when the computer program instructions are executed by the processor, the processor is at least capable of assisting in performing the method according to the first aspect of the present invention.
  • control system further comprises: a front seat detection device for detecting a front seat state and a rear seat detection device for detecting a rear seat state.
  • the front seat detection device comprises: a seat belt sensor; and/or an occupant weight sensor for detecting the weight of an occupant; and/or a sitting height sensor for detecting a sitting height of the occupant; and/or a seat camera.
  • control system further comprises a seat adjustment actuating device configured to comprise: a seat movement actuator configured to allow a seat as a whole to be moved forward or backward; and a seatback rotation actuator configured to allow a seatback of the seat to be rotated forward or backward.
  • a seat adjustment actuating device configured to comprise: a seat movement actuator configured to allow a seat as a whole to be moved forward or backward; and a seatback rotation actuator configured to allow a seatback of the seat to be rotated forward or backward.
  • a collision detection and warning device comprising at least:
  • a front camera and/or radar for detecting information about an object in front
  • a vehicle speed sensor for obtaining a speed of the vehicle
  • a processing unit wherein when the processing unit determines, on the basis of a distance between the vehicle and the object in front detected by the front camera and/or radar and the speed of the vehicle obtained by the vehicle speed sensor, that the vehicle will collide with the object in front, the processing unit generates a collision warning signal, and sends the collision warning signal to the controller.
  • FIG. 1 schematically showing a flowchart of main steps of a seat adjustment method for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 2 schematically showing a control system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 3 schematically showing an adjustable vehicle seat.
  • FIG. 1 schematically shows a seat adjustment method for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 3 schematically shows an adjustable vehicle seat that may serve as a front seat 300.
  • the front seat includes a seatback 301 , a seat cushion 302, an occupant weight sensor 303 serving as an exemplary part of a front seat detection device 20 to be described later, a front seat movement actuator 304 and a front seatback rotation actuator 305 serving as exemplary parts of a seat adjustment actuating device 40 to be described later, and a guide rail 306.
  • the seat adjustment method for a vehicle includes at least steps S1 to S3:
  • S1 obtaining a collision warning signal for a vehicle, the collision warning signal indicating that the vehicle is about to collide with an object in front or is having a collision;
  • S2 in response to the collision warning signal, obtaining a front seat state of a front seat 300 and a rear seat state of an adjacent rear seat located behind the front seat 300;
  • step S3 adjusting the seats before the collision according to the states of the seats obtained in step S2, so that the front seat 300 and the rear seat, before and/or during the collision, are in a state that at least allows a space between the front seat 300 and the rear seat to be increased.
  • the collision warning signal is a collision warning signal generated on the basis of the detection performed on a road in front by a collision detection and warning device of the vehicle.
  • the collision detection and warning device is, for example, equipped with a detection device such as a front camera and/or a radar to detect driving conditions in front.
  • the collision detection and warning device when it is determined on the basis of a detection result of the detection device that the vehicle is about to collide with an object in front or is already having a collision, the collision detection and warning device generates a collision warning signal to notify or warn a vehicle occupant such as the driver or a control system of the vehicle.
  • step S2 the seat state of each vehicle seat in the vehicle interior will be detected and obtained. Specifically, the front seat state of each front seat 300 and the rear seat state of an adjacent rear seat located behind each front seat are detected.
  • the front seat state includes, but is not limited to, an occupancy state and a nonoccupancy state of the front seat 300, a current position of the front seat 300 and a seatback orientation of the seatback 305.
  • the occupancy state and the non-occupancy state are the state in which an occupant is seated on the corresponding seat and the state in which no occupant is seated on the corresponding seat, respectively.
  • the current position includes, for example, the position of the front seat 300 within an allowable movement range along the guide rail 306 in a front-rear direction.
  • the seatback orientation includes, for example, an angle of the seatback 301 relative to the seat cushion 302, a stretching degree and angle of a headrest, and the like.
  • the rear seat state also includes, but is not limited to, an occupancy state and a nonoccupancy state of the rear seat and a current position and a seatback orientation of the rear seat.
  • a body parameter of a corresponding occupant is also obtained.
  • step S3 in an embodiment, the front seat 300 is adjusted according to the front seat state obtained in step S2, so that the front seat 300, before and/or during the collision, is in a state that at least allows the space between the front seat and the rear seat to be increased.
  • the front seat is adjusted according to the front seat state, so that the front seat, before and/or during the collision, is in a position and orientation that increase the space between the front seat and the rear seat, and/or is in an adjustment state that allows the space between the front seat and the rear seat to be increased.
  • the front seat adjustment modes include but are not limited to: before the collision, making the front seat be in a position and orientation that increase the space between the front seat and the rear seat; when the collision is happening, adjusting, during the collision, the front seat to a position and orientation that increase the space between the front seat and the rear seat; before the collision, adjusting the front seat so that the front seat is in an adjustment state that allows its own position and orientation to be changed to increase the space between the front seat and the rear seat; and when the collision is happening, adjusting the front seat so that the front seat is in an adjustment state that allows its own position and orientation to be changed to increase the space between the front seat and the rear seat.
  • the front seat may be adjusted using an appropriate combination of one or more of the above modes according to actual needs.
  • the above situation that “allows its own position and orientation to be changed” includes, but is not limited to, the front seat passively changing its own position and orientation, for example, due to a force from the rear, and/or changing its own position and orientation by a predetermined value as the collision proceeds.
  • the predetermined value is, for example, an adjustment allowance parameter configured or calculated according to the position and orientation of the front seat before the collision and/or the body parameter of the occupant seated on the front seat, which will be described in detail below.
  • the first predetermined condition includes the front seat being in a position and orientation that allow the space to be expanded relative to the rear seat.
  • the position and orientation includes, for example: the front seat being in the non-occupancy state, wherein the seatback 301 of the front seat 300 may be rotated forward by at least a certain angle (as shown by arrow A1 in FIG. 3) or rotated forward to a maximum angle, and the front seat 300 may be moved forward as a whole (as shown by the arrow A2 in FIG.
  • the front seat 300 being in the occupancy state, but being determined to be still in an adjustable state according to the front seat state detected in step S2; for example, the seatback 301 may be rotated forward by a limited angle and/or the seat as a whole may be moved forward by a limited distance, and so on.
  • the second predetermined condition includes the rear seat being in the occupancy state. That is, when the rear seat is in the non-occupancy state, the rear seat state does not meet the second predetermined condition. In this case, there is no need to adjust the front seat corresponding to the unoccupied rear seat to expand the rear space.
  • the second predetermined condition may further include the body parameter of the rear occupant being above a specific reference value, for example, the weight of the rear occupant being above a predetermined value, such as 50 kg or more. That is, when the rear occupant is light in weight or small in stature, adjusting the front seat corresponding to the rear seat to expand the rear space to protect the rear passenger may not be taken into consideration. This arrangement is beneficial for protection of the front occupant when the front seat is in the occupancy state, especially when the front occupant is overweight, for example.
  • the rear space is allowed to increase by means of at least allowing the front seat as a whole to be moved forward by a first predetermined distance and/or allowing the seatback of the front seat to be rotated forward to a first predetermined angle.
  • the first predetermined distance and the first predetermined angle may specifically configured according to impact test data or according to actual situations, and no limitation is imposed herein, as long as sufficient movement and rotation can be achieved to effectively expand the rear space.
  • the rear space is increased by means of moving the front seat as a whole to a foremost allowable position and/or rotating the seatback of the front seat forward to a maximum allowable angle.
  • the foremost allowable position is a limit position in which the seat can be moved forward without an occupant seated thereon
  • the maximum allowable angle is an angle at which the seat is fully folded so that the seatback contacts the seating surface.
  • an adjustment allowance parameter of the front seat is calculated according to the front seat state obtained in step S2, and whether the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition or not is determined on the basis of the calculated adjustment allowance parameter. Moreover, if it is determined that the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition, the front seat is adjusted on the basis of the adjustment allowance parameter to increase the space.
  • the space is allowed to increase by means of at least allowing the front seat as a whole to be moved forward by a second predetermined distance and/or allowing the seatback of the front seat to be rotated forward to a second predetermined angle.
  • the second predetermined distance and the second predetermined angle are less than the first predetermined distance and the first predetermined angle, respectively.
  • the second predetermined distance and the second predetermined angle may be a fixed distance and a fixed angle which are much less than the first predetermined distance and the first predetermined angle, respectively.
  • the second predetermined distance and the second predetermined angle may also be a distance and an angle which are calculated on the basis of the adjustment allowance parameter.
  • the adjustment allowance parameter is determined on the basis of the current position and orientation of the front seat and/or the body parameter of the occupant, wherein the current position and orientation, for example, includes the current position and seatback orientation of the seat, and the body parameter of the occupant includes height, weight, and the like.
  • the adjustment allowance parameter and whether or not the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition may be determined as follows: When the weight of the occupant is greater than a predetermined weight limit (e.g., 80 kg, 90 kg, etc.) and/or the front seat has reached the foremost allowable position, the adjustment allowance parameter is determined as a first threshold, such as “0”, and in this case, it is determined that the front seat state does not meet the first predetermined condition.
  • a predetermined weight limit e.g. 80 kg, 90 kg, etc.
  • the adjustment allowance parameter is calculated to be proportional to the remaining allowable forward movement distance of the seat and inversely proportional to the weight of the occupant, that is, the smaller the remaining allowable forward movement distance of the seat and/or the greater the weight of the occupant, the smaller the adjustment allowance parameter.
  • the calculated adjustment allowance parameter is greater than a second threshold, it is determined that the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition.
  • the calculated adjustment allowance parameter is less than the second threshold, it is determined that the front seat state does not meet the first predetermined condition.
  • the purpose of configuring the second threshold is to prevent the front occupant from being harmed by the seat adjustment due to errors caused by measurement or calculation, etc., and the second threshold may be any appropriate value determined according to a large number of tests and calculations, as long as no additional damage is caused to the front occupant thereby.
  • the adjustment allowance parameter may also be calculated alternatively or additionally according to the height of the occupant and the seatback orientation.
  • the adjustment allowance parameter may also be calculated by means of appropriately selecting various parameters of the seat and height according to actual situations or preset conditions. After it is determined, on the basis of the adjustment allowance parameter, that the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition, it is possible to further calculate the forward movement distance of the seat and/or the adjustable angle of the seatback according to the calculated adjustment allowance parameter.
  • the adjustment allowance parameter may also be calculated with reference to parameters based on the body orientation of the occupant as appropriate.
  • any configuration is fine as long as the adjustment allowance parameter can be determined on the basis of the current position and orientation of the front seat and/or the body parameter of the occupant, and whether or not the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition can be determined on the basis of the determined adjustment allowance parameter.
  • the front seat is a front passenger seat of the vehicle.
  • a front passenger seat of the vehicle.
  • the driver seat may be adjusted at least according to the body parameter of the driver and the seatback orientation of the driver seat.
  • a vehicle having multiple rows of seats e.g., three rows of seats
  • the method according to the present invention may further include: when the front seat is in the occupancy state and the rear seat corresponding thereto is in the non-occupancy state, moving the front seat backward by a predetermined distance or to the rearward allowable position before the collision, and/or rotating the seatback of the front seat backward by a predetermined angle.
  • the method according to the present invention may further include: if the rear seat is in a position and orientation in which the rear seat can be moved backward and/or the seatback can be rotated backward, then when the rear seat is in the occupancy state, moving the rear seat backward by a predetermined distance or to the rearward allowable position before the collision, and/or rotating the seatback of the rear seat backward by a predetermined angle.
  • FIG. 2 schematically shows a control system 1 for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
  • the control system 1 may include a controller 10, a front seat detection device 20, a rear seat detection device 30, and a seat adjustment actuating device 40.
  • the controller is, for example, implemented as an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle.
  • the controller may include a memory and a processor.
  • the memory stores computer program instructions thereon.
  • the processor for example, can perform or at least can assist in performing the seat adjustment method for a vehicle according to the embodiments of the present invention.
  • the computer program product may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium.
  • the computer-readable storage medium may, for example, include a high-speed random access memory, and may further include a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk, RAM, a plug-in hard disk, a smart memory card, a secure digital card, a flash card, at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, or other volatile solid state storage devices.
  • the processor may be a central processing unit, and may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc.
  • the general-purpose processors may be microprocessors, or may also be any conventional processors or the like.
  • the controller 10 may be a dedicated controller for seat adjustment according to the method of the embodiments of the present invention, or may be integrated into a central controller of the vehicle, or the controller 10 is implemented as the central controller.
  • the front seat detection device 20 is used to detect a front seat state. Still referring to FIG. 3, and as described above, the front seat state includes, but is not limited to, an occupancy state and a non-occupancy state of the front seat, a current position of the front seat 300 and a seatback orientation of the seatback 301 .
  • the occupancy state and the non-occupancy state are the state in which an occupant is seated on the corresponding seat and the state in which no occupant is seated on the corresponding seat, respectively.
  • the current position includes the position of the front seat 300 within a forward and backward movement range along the guide rail 306.
  • the seatback orientation includes an angle of the seatback 301 relative to the seat cushion 302, a stretching degree and angle of a headrest, and the like.
  • the front seat detection device 20 may include: a position monitor for obtaining the position of the front seat in a front-rear direction along the rail; an angle monitor for obtaining an angle of the seatback of the front seat relative to the seat cushion, or an angle of the seatback of the front seat relative to the vertical direction; a seat belt sensor for detecting the occupancy state; an occupant weight sensor 303 for detecting the weight of an occupant; a sitting height sensor for detecting the sitting height of an occupant; and/or a seat camera for detecting the orientation of an occupant, and the like.
  • the front seat detection device 20 may further include any suitable seat position and orientation monitoring device and/or occupant sensor, as long as the desired state and parameter can be obtained.
  • the rear seat detection device 30 detects a rear seat state similarly to the front seat detection device 20. According to needs, the rear seat detection device 30 may only include a seat belt sensor for detecting the occupancy state, or may include one or more devices the same as those of the front seat detection device 20.
  • the seat adjustment actuating device 40 includes a seat movement actuator 41 configured to allow a seat as a whole to be moved forward or backward, and a seatback rotation actuator 42 configured to allow the seatback of the seat to be rotated forward or backward.
  • the seat adjustment actuating device 40 is configured to be installed at the front seat 300 and to perform the adjustment of the front seat 300.
  • the seat adjustment actuating device 40 includes: a front seat movement actuator 304, which performs the forward and backward movement of the seat 300 as a whole along the guide rail 306; and a front seatback rotation actuator 305, which performs the angle of the seatback 301 relative to the seat cushion 302.
  • each seat in the vehicle is equipped with a corresponding seat adjustment actuating device 40.
  • the present invention further relates to a vehicle including the above control system.
  • the vehicle further includes, for example, the front seat 300 as shown in FIG. 3, a rear seat, and a collision detection and warning device.
  • the collision detection and warning device at least includes: a front camera and/or radar for detecting information about an object in front, the radar, for example, including a millimeter wave radar, an ultrasonic radar, a laser radar and the like; a vehicle speed sensor for obtaining the speed of the vehicle; and a processing unit, wherein when the processing unit determines, on the basis of a distance between the vehicle and the object in front detected by the front camera and/or radar and the speed of the vehicle obtained by the vehicle speed sensor, that the vehicle will collide with the object in front, the processing unit generates a collision warning signal, and sends the collision warning signal to the controller 10.
  • the processing unit may be a dedicated processing unit, or may be integrated into a central controller of the vehicle or into the controller 10.
  • the present invention further relates to a computer program product, in particular a computer-readable program carrier.
  • the computer program product includes or stores computer program instructions thereon.
  • the processor is at least capable of assisting in performing the method according to the above embodiments of the present invention.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
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  • Remote Sensing (AREA)
  • Seats For Vehicles (AREA)

Abstract

Proposed in the present invention is a method for adjusting a seat of a vehicle, comprising at least the following steps: obtaining a collision warning signal for a vehicle, the collision warning signal indicating that the vehicle is about to collide with an object in front or is having a collision; in response to the collision warning signal, obtaining a front seat state of a front seat and a rear seat state of an adjacent rear seat located behind the front seat; and if the front seat state meets a first predetermined condition and the rear seat state meets a second predetermined condition, according to the front seat state, causing the front seat, before and/or during the collision, to be in a position and orientation that increase a space between the front seat and the rear seat and/or in an adjustment state that allows the space between the front seat and the rear seat to be increased. According to the method of the present invention, before the collision, the front seat can be adjusted to move forward or the seatback thereof can be adjusted to rotated forward, so that a rear passenger is given enough space, thereby achieving the purpose of protecting the rear passenger.

Description

SEAT ADJUSTMENT METHOD FOR VEHICLE, COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT, CONTROL SYSTEM, AND VEHICLE
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001 ] The present invention relates to the field of vehicle seats, and relates in particular to a seat adjustment method for a vehicle, a computer program product, a control system, and a vehicle provided with the control system.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Currently, rear airbags of vehicles are not popular due to the high costs, and the existing rear airbags can only reduce the impact on rear passengers to a limited extent during vehicle collisions. Therefore, currently, in vehicle collision accidents, passengers in the rear seats are often subjected to more serious head impact injuries due to the lack of protection of airbags as equipped in the front seats. The situation has been highlighted by the impact on the heads of dummies in rear seats in almost all current vehicle crash tests. [0003] Therefore, there is a need to provide more sufficient protection for rear passengers in vehicle collision accidents.
SUMMARY
[0004] An objective of the present invention is to provide a seat adjustment method for a vehicle, a computer program product, a control system, and a vehicle provided with the control system, which aim to adjust at least a front seat before the occurrence of a collision, so as to give a rear passenger a large enough safety space before the collision or at least during the collision, thereby achieving the purpose of protecting the rear passenger. Compared with rear airbags, the present invention uses existing vehicle seat functions to prevent a rear passenger from colliding with an object in front, thereby economically and effectively providing protection for rear occupants. [0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention, provided is a seat adjustment method for a vehicle, comprising at least the following steps: [0006] obtaining a collision warning signal for a vehicle, the collision warning signal indicating that the vehicle is about to collide with an object in front or is having a collision;
[0007] in response to the collision warning signal, obtaining a front seat state of a front seat and a rear seat state of an adjacent rear seat located behind the front seat; and
[0008] if the front seat state meets a first predetermined condition and the rear seat state meets a second predetermined condition, adjusting the front seat according to the front seat state, so that the front seat, before and/or during the collision, is in a position and orientation that increase a space between the front seat and the rear seat, and/or is in an adjustment state that allows the space between the front seat and the rear seat to be increased.
[0009] The method according to the first aspect of the present invention is used to determine, before the occurrence of a collision, whether to adjust and how to adjust the front seat according to the states of the front seat and the rear seat, so that seat adjustment can be performed based on a variety of different seating situations, thereby providing a greater safety space for a seated rear passenger before the collision, or at least allowing a greater safety space to be provided for the rear passenger during the collision. When the vehicle collision occurs, a collision between the rear passenger and the object in front is avoided or at least minimized, thereby providing maximum protection for the rear passenger.
[0010] In an exemplary embodiment, the first predetermined condition comprises the front seat being in a position and orientation that allow the space to be expanded relative to the rear seat, and/or the second predetermined condition comprises the rear seat being in an occupancy state. Thus, when the front seat is in a position and orientation that do not allow the expansion of the rear space, or when there is no occupant in the rear seat, there is no need to adjust the seat to expand the rear space. [0011 ] In an exemplary embodiment, the front seat state comprises an occupancy state and a non-occupancy state of the front seat. Therefore, the front seat can be adjusted in different manners respectively corresponding to the occupancy state and the non-occupancy state of the front seat, so as to provide a larger space as much as possible for the rear occupant in every state.
[0012] In an exemplary embodiment, if the front seat is in the non-occupancy state, it is determined that the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition, and the space is allowed to increase by means of at least allowing the front seat as a whole to be moved forward by a first predetermined distance and/or allowing a seatback of the front seat to be rotated forward to a first predetermined angle. In a preferred exemplary embodiment, the space is increased by means of moving the front seat as a whole to a foremost allowable position and/or rotating the seatback of the front seat forward to a maximum allowable angle. Thus, when the front seat is unoccupied, the maximum safety space can be provided for the rear occupant before the collision occurs.
[0013] In an exemplary embodiment, if the front seat is in the occupancy state, an adjustment allowance parameter of the front seat is calculated, and whether the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition or not is determined on the basis of the calculated adjustment allowance parameter, and if it is determined that the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition, the front seat is adjusted on the basis of the adjustment allowance parameter to increase the space. In a preferred exemplary embodiment, the space is allowed to increase by means of at least allowing the front seat as a whole to be moved forward by a second predetermined distance and/or allowing the seatback of the front seat to be rotated forward to a second predetermined angle, and/or the adjustment allowance parameter is determined on the basis of a current position and orientation of the front seat and/or a body parameter of an occupant. Thus, even if the front seat is in the occupancy state, it is also possible to provide the maximum allowed safety space as much as possible for the rear occupant before the collision or at least during the collision.
[0014] In an exemplary embodiment, the body parameter comprises height and/or weight.
[0015] In an exemplary embodiment, the front seat is a front passenger seat of the vehicle.
[0016] According to a second aspect of the present invention, provided is a computer program product, in particular a computer-readable program carrier, the computer program product comprising or storing computer program instructions thereon, wherein when the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the processor is at least capable of assisting in performing the method according to the first aspect of the present invention.
[0017] According to a third aspect of the present invention, provided is a control system for a vehicle, comprising:
[0018] a controller comprising a memory and a processor, the memory storing computer program instructions thereon, wherein when the computer program instructions are executed by the processor, the processor is at least capable of assisting in performing the method according to the first aspect of the present invention.
[0019] In an exemplary embodiment, the control system further comprises: a front seat detection device for detecting a front seat state and a rear seat detection device for detecting a rear seat state.
[0020] In an exemplary embodiment, the front seat detection device comprises: a seat belt sensor; and/or an occupant weight sensor for detecting the weight of an occupant; and/or a sitting height sensor for detecting a sitting height of the occupant; and/or a seat camera.
[0021 ] In an exemplary embodiment, the control system further comprises a seat adjustment actuating device configured to comprise: a seat movement actuator configured to allow a seat as a whole to be moved forward or backward; and a seatback rotation actuator configured to allow a seatback of the seat to be rotated forward or backward. [0022] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, provided is a vehicle, comprising:
[0023] the control system according to the third aspect of the present invention; and
[0024] a collision detection and warning device, comprising at least:
[0025] a front camera and/or radar for detecting information about an object in front;
[0026] a vehicle speed sensor for obtaining a speed of the vehicle; and
[0027] a processing unit, wherein when the processing unit determines, on the basis of a distance between the vehicle and the object in front detected by the front camera and/or radar and the speed of the vehicle obtained by the vehicle speed sensor, that the vehicle will collide with the object in front, the processing unit generates a collision warning signal, and sends the collision warning signal to the controller.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0028] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings, so that the principles, features, and advantages of the present invention may be better understood. The drawings include:
[0029] FIG. 1 schematically showing a flowchart of main steps of a seat adjustment method for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0030] FIG. 2 schematically showing a control system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and
[0031 ] FIG. 3 schematically showing an adjustable vehicle seat.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0032] In order to make the technical problems to be solved, technical solutions, and beneficial technical effects of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the drawings and various exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described here are only used to illustrate the present invention, and not to define the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0033] FIG. 1 schematically shows a seat adjustment method for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 schematically shows an adjustable vehicle seat that may serve as a front seat 300. As shown in FIG. 3, the front seat includes a seatback 301 , a seat cushion 302, an occupant weight sensor 303 serving as an exemplary part of a front seat detection device 20 to be described later, a front seat movement actuator 304 and a front seatback rotation actuator 305 serving as exemplary parts of a seat adjustment actuating device 40 to be described later, and a guide rail 306.
[0034] As shown in FIG. 1 , the seat adjustment method for a vehicle according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes at least steps S1 to S3:
[0035] S1 : obtaining a collision warning signal for a vehicle, the collision warning signal indicating that the vehicle is about to collide with an object in front or is having a collision;
[0036] S2: in response to the collision warning signal, obtaining a front seat state of a front seat 300 and a rear seat state of an adjacent rear seat located behind the front seat 300; and
[0037] S3: adjusting the seats before the collision according to the states of the seats obtained in step S2, so that the front seat 300 and the rear seat, before and/or during the collision, are in a state that at least allows a space between the front seat 300 and the rear seat to be increased.
[0038] In step S1 , the collision warning signal is a collision warning signal generated on the basis of the detection performed on a road in front by a collision detection and warning device of the vehicle. The collision detection and warning device is, for example, equipped with a detection device such as a front camera and/or a radar to detect driving conditions in front. Moreover, when it is determined on the basis of a detection result of the detection device that the vehicle is about to collide with an object in front or is already having a collision, the collision detection and warning device generates a collision warning signal to notify or warn a vehicle occupant such as the driver or a control system of the vehicle.
[0039] In step S2, once the collision warning signal is received, the seat state of each vehicle seat in the vehicle interior will be detected and obtained. Specifically, the front seat state of each front seat 300 and the rear seat state of an adjacent rear seat located behind each front seat are detected. The front seat state includes, but is not limited to, an occupancy state and a nonoccupancy state of the front seat 300, a current position of the front seat 300 and a seatback orientation of the seatback 305. The occupancy state and the non-occupancy state are the state in which an occupant is seated on the corresponding seat and the state in which no occupant is seated on the corresponding seat, respectively. The current position includes, for example, the position of the front seat 300 within an allowable movement range along the guide rail 306 in a front-rear direction. The seatback orientation includes, for example, an angle of the seatback 301 relative to the seat cushion 302, a stretching degree and angle of a headrest, and the like. Similarly, the rear seat state also includes, but is not limited to, an occupancy state and a nonoccupancy state of the rear seat and a current position and a seatback orientation of the rear seat. Preferably, when it is detected that a seat is in the occupancy state, a body parameter of a corresponding occupant, such as height/sitting height and/or weight and/or orientation, etc., is also obtained.
[0040] In step S3, in an embodiment, the front seat 300 is adjusted according to the front seat state obtained in step S2, so that the front seat 300, before and/or during the collision, is in a state that at least allows the space between the front seat and the rear seat to be increased.
[0041 ] In an embodiment, if the front seat state meets a first predetermined condition and the rear seat state meets a second predetermined condition, the front seat is adjusted according to the front seat state, so that the front seat, before and/or during the collision, is in a position and orientation that increase the space between the front seat and the rear seat, and/or is in an adjustment state that allows the space between the front seat and the rear seat to be increased. Specifically, the front seat adjustment modes include but are not limited to: before the collision, making the front seat be in a position and orientation that increase the space between the front seat and the rear seat; when the collision is happening, adjusting, during the collision, the front seat to a position and orientation that increase the space between the front seat and the rear seat; before the collision, adjusting the front seat so that the front seat is in an adjustment state that allows its own position and orientation to be changed to increase the space between the front seat and the rear seat; and when the collision is happening, adjusting the front seat so that the front seat is in an adjustment state that allows its own position and orientation to be changed to increase the space between the front seat and the rear seat. Preferably, the front seat may be adjusted using an appropriate combination of one or more of the above modes according to actual needs. The above situation that “allows its own position and orientation to be changed” includes, but is not limited to, the front seat passively changing its own position and orientation, for example, due to a force from the rear, and/or changing its own position and orientation by a predetermined value as the collision proceeds. The predetermined value is, for example, an adjustment allowance parameter configured or calculated according to the position and orientation of the front seat before the collision and/or the body parameter of the occupant seated on the front seat, which will be described in detail below.
[0042] In an embodiment, the first predetermined condition includes the front seat being in a position and orientation that allow the space to be expanded relative to the rear seat. The position and orientation includes, for example: the front seat being in the non-occupancy state, wherein the seatback 301 of the front seat 300 may be rotated forward by at least a certain angle (as shown by arrow A1 in FIG. 3) or rotated forward to a maximum angle, and the front seat 300 may be moved forward as a whole (as shown by the arrow A2 in FIG. 3), preferably, to a foremost allowable position; and the front seat 300 being in the occupancy state, but being determined to be still in an adjustable state according to the front seat state detected in step S2; for example, the seatback 301 may be rotated forward by a limited angle and/or the seat as a whole may be moved forward by a limited distance, and so on.
[0043] In an embodiment, the second predetermined condition includes the rear seat being in the occupancy state. That is, when the rear seat is in the non-occupancy state, the rear seat state does not meet the second predetermined condition. In this case, there is no need to adjust the front seat corresponding to the unoccupied rear seat to expand the rear space.
[0044] In an alternative embodiment, the second predetermined condition may further include the body parameter of the rear occupant being above a specific reference value, for example, the weight of the rear occupant being above a predetermined value, such as 50 kg or more. That is, when the rear occupant is light in weight or small in stature, adjusting the front seat corresponding to the rear seat to expand the rear space to protect the rear passenger may not be taken into consideration. This arrangement is beneficial for protection of the front occupant when the front seat is in the occupancy state, especially when the front occupant is overweight, for example.
[0045] In an embodiment, when the obtained detection result indicates that the front seat is in the non-occupancy state and the rear seat is in the occupancy state, it is determined that the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition and the rear seat state meets the second predetermined condition. Then, the rear space is allowed to increase by means of at least allowing the front seat as a whole to be moved forward by a first predetermined distance and/or allowing the seatback of the front seat to be rotated forward to a first predetermined angle. The first predetermined distance and the first predetermined angle may specifically configured according to impact test data or according to actual situations, and no limitation is imposed herein, as long as sufficient movement and rotation can be achieved to effectively expand the rear space.
[0046] In a preferred embodiment, when the front seat is in the non- occupancy state and the rear seat is in the occupancy state, the rear space is increased by means of moving the front seat as a whole to a foremost allowable position and/or rotating the seatback of the front seat forward to a maximum allowable angle. The foremost allowable position is a limit position in which the seat can be moved forward without an occupant seated thereon, and the maximum allowable angle is an angle at which the seat is fully folded so that the seatback contacts the seating surface. In this way, the rear occupant is given the maximum possible rear space, so that the possibility of collision between the rear occupant and the front seat such as the seatback portion thereof during the collision is largely avoided, and the protection for the rear occupant during the collision is greatly improved.
[0047] In an embodiment, when the obtained detection result indicates that the front seat is in the occupancy state and the rear seat is also in the occupancy state, an adjustment allowance parameter of the front seat is calculated according to the front seat state obtained in step S2, and whether the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition or not is determined on the basis of the calculated adjustment allowance parameter. Moreover, if it is determined that the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition, the front seat is adjusted on the basis of the adjustment allowance parameter to increase the space.
[0048] In an embodiment, when it is determined that the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition, the space is allowed to increase by means of at least allowing the front seat as a whole to be moved forward by a second predetermined distance and/or allowing the seatback of the front seat to be rotated forward to a second predetermined angle. The second predetermined distance and the second predetermined angle are less than the first predetermined distance and the first predetermined angle, respectively. Optionally, the second predetermined distance and the second predetermined angle may be a fixed distance and a fixed angle which are much less than the first predetermined distance and the first predetermined angle, respectively. Preferably, the second predetermined distance and the second predetermined angle may also be a distance and an angle which are calculated on the basis of the adjustment allowance parameter.
[0049] In a preferred embodiment, the adjustment allowance parameter is determined on the basis of the current position and orientation of the front seat and/or the body parameter of the occupant, wherein the current position and orientation, for example, includes the current position and seatback orientation of the seat, and the body parameter of the occupant includes height, weight, and the like. Preferably, the adjustment allowance parameter and whether or not the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition may be determined as follows: When the weight of the occupant is greater than a predetermined weight limit (e.g., 80 kg, 90 kg, etc.) and/or the front seat has reached the foremost allowable position, the adjustment allowance parameter is determined as a first threshold, such as “0”, and in this case, it is determined that the front seat state does not meet the first predetermined condition. When the weight of the occupant is lower than a predetermined weight limit, the adjustment allowance parameter is calculated to be proportional to the remaining allowable forward movement distance of the seat and inversely proportional to the weight of the occupant, that is, the smaller the remaining allowable forward movement distance of the seat and/or the greater the weight of the occupant, the smaller the adjustment allowance parameter. When the calculated adjustment allowance parameter is greater than a second threshold, it is determined that the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition. When the calculated adjustment allowance parameter is less than the second threshold, it is determined that the front seat state does not meet the first predetermined condition. The purpose of configuring the second threshold is to prevent the front occupant from being harmed by the seat adjustment due to errors caused by measurement or calculation, etc., and the second threshold may be any appropriate value determined according to a large number of tests and calculations, as long as no additional damage is caused to the front occupant thereby. Of course, the adjustment allowance parameter may also be calculated alternatively or additionally according to the height of the occupant and the seatback orientation. The adjustment allowance parameter may also be calculated by means of appropriately selecting various parameters of the seat and height according to actual situations or preset conditions. After it is determined, on the basis of the adjustment allowance parameter, that the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition, it is possible to further calculate the forward movement distance of the seat and/or the adjustable angle of the seatback according to the calculated adjustment allowance parameter. The adjustment allowance parameter may also be calculated with reference to parameters based on the body orientation of the occupant as appropriate. In summary, any configuration is fine as long as the adjustment allowance parameter can be determined on the basis of the current position and orientation of the front seat and/or the body parameter of the occupant, and whether or not the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition can be determined on the basis of the determined adjustment allowance parameter.
[0050] In an embodiment, the front seat is a front passenger seat of the vehicle. For example, for a vehicle such as a car with only two rows (front and rear), when a collision warning signal is received, only the front passenger seat is adjusted according to the method of the embodiments of the present invention. In an alternative embodiment, it is possible to adjust the driver seat according to the method of the embodiments of the present invention. For example, the seatback of the driver seat may be adjusted at least according to the body parameter of the driver and the seatback orientation of the driver seat. In another embodiment, for a vehicle having multiple rows of seats (e.g., three rows of seats), it is possible to adjust each row of seats according to the seating situations and adjustment allowance conditions of the seats in light of the method of the embodiments of the present invention.
[0051 ] In another embodiment, the method according to the present invention may further include: when the front seat is in the occupancy state and the rear seat corresponding thereto is in the non-occupancy state, moving the front seat backward by a predetermined distance or to the rearward allowable position before the collision, and/or rotating the seatback of the front seat backward by a predetermined angle.
[0052] In yet another embodiment, the method according to the present invention may further include: if the rear seat is in a position and orientation in which the rear seat can be moved backward and/or the seatback can be rotated backward, then when the rear seat is in the occupancy state, moving the rear seat backward by a predetermined distance or to the rearward allowable position before the collision, and/or rotating the seatback of the rear seat backward by a predetermined angle.
[0053] FIG. 2 schematically shows a control system 1 for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0054] As shown in FIG. 2, the control system 1 may include a controller 10, a front seat detection device 20, a rear seat detection device 30, and a seat adjustment actuating device 40.
[0055] The controller is, for example, implemented as an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle. The controller may include a memory and a processor. The memory stores computer program instructions thereon. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the processor, for example, can perform or at least can assist in performing the seat adjustment method for a vehicle according to the embodiments of the present invention. The computer program product may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium may, for example, include a high-speed random access memory, and may further include a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk, RAM, a plug-in hard disk, a smart memory card, a secure digital card, a flash card, at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, or other volatile solid state storage devices. The processor may be a central processing unit, and may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processors may be microprocessors, or may also be any conventional processors or the like. The controller 10 may be a dedicated controller for seat adjustment according to the method of the embodiments of the present invention, or may be integrated into a central controller of the vehicle, or the controller 10 is implemented as the central controller.
[0056] The front seat detection device 20 is used to detect a front seat state. Still referring to FIG. 3, and as described above, the front seat state includes, but is not limited to, an occupancy state and a non-occupancy state of the front seat, a current position of the front seat 300 and a seatback orientation of the seatback 301 . The occupancy state and the non-occupancy state are the state in which an occupant is seated on the corresponding seat and the state in which no occupant is seated on the corresponding seat, respectively. The current position includes the position of the front seat 300 within a forward and backward movement range along the guide rail 306. The seatback orientation includes an angle of the seatback 301 relative to the seat cushion 302, a stretching degree and angle of a headrest, and the like. Preferably, the front seat detection device 20 may include: a position monitor for obtaining the position of the front seat in a front-rear direction along the rail; an angle monitor for obtaining an angle of the seatback of the front seat relative to the seat cushion, or an angle of the seatback of the front seat relative to the vertical direction; a seat belt sensor for detecting the occupancy state; an occupant weight sensor 303 for detecting the weight of an occupant; a sitting height sensor for detecting the sitting height of an occupant; and/or a seat camera for detecting the orientation of an occupant, and the like. Without being limited thereto, the front seat detection device 20 may further include any suitable seat position and orientation monitoring device and/or occupant sensor, as long as the desired state and parameter can be obtained.
[0057] The rear seat detection device 30 detects a rear seat state similarly to the front seat detection device 20. According to needs, the rear seat detection device 30 may only include a seat belt sensor for detecting the occupancy state, or may include one or more devices the same as those of the front seat detection device 20.
[0058] The seat adjustment actuating device 40 includes a seat movement actuator 41 configured to allow a seat as a whole to be moved forward or backward, and a seatback rotation actuator 42 configured to allow the seatback of the seat to be rotated forward or backward. In an embodiment, the seat adjustment actuating device 40 is configured to be installed at the front seat 300 and to perform the adjustment of the front seat 300. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, the seat adjustment actuating device 40 includes: a front seat movement actuator 304, which performs the forward and backward movement of the seat 300 as a whole along the guide rail 306; and a front seatback rotation actuator 305, which performs the angle of the seatback 301 relative to the seat cushion 302. In an alternative embodiment, each seat in the vehicle is equipped with a corresponding seat adjustment actuating device 40.
[0059] The present invention further relates to a vehicle including the above control system. The vehicle further includes, for example, the front seat 300 as shown in FIG. 3, a rear seat, and a collision detection and warning device. The collision detection and warning device at least includes: a front camera and/or radar for detecting information about an object in front, the radar, for example, including a millimeter wave radar, an ultrasonic radar, a laser radar and the like; a vehicle speed sensor for obtaining the speed of the vehicle; and a processing unit, wherein when the processing unit determines, on the basis of a distance between the vehicle and the object in front detected by the front camera and/or radar and the speed of the vehicle obtained by the vehicle speed sensor, that the vehicle will collide with the object in front, the processing unit generates a collision warning signal, and sends the collision warning signal to the controller 10. The processing unit may be a dedicated processing unit, or may be integrated into a central controller of the vehicle or into the controller 10.
[0060] The present invention further relates to a computer program product, in particular a computer-readable program carrier. The computer program product includes or stores computer program instructions thereon. When the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the processor is at least capable of assisting in performing the method according to the above embodiments of the present invention.
[0061 ] Although particular implementations of the present invention are described in detail herein, they are provided merely for the purpose of illustration, and should not be considered as limitations to the scope of the present invention. Various replacements, changes, and modifications may be envisioned without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1 . A seat adjustment method for a vehicle, comprising at least the following steps: obtaining a collision warning signal for a vehicle, the collision warning signal indicating that the vehicle is about to collide with an object in front or is having a collision; in response to the collision warning signal, obtaining a front seat state of a front seat and a rear seat state of an adjacent rear seat located behind the front seat; and if the front seat state meets a first predetermined condition and the rear seat state meets a second predetermined condition, adjusting the front seat according to the front seat state, so that the front seat, before and/or during the collision, is in a position and orientation that increase a space between the front seat and the rear seat, and/or is in an adjustment state that allows the space between the front seat and the rear seat to be increased.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first predetermined condition comprises the front seat being in a position and orientation that allow the space to be expanded relative to the rear seat; and/or the second predetermined condition comprises the rear seat being in an occupancy state.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the front seat state comprises an occupancy state and a non-occupancy state of the front seat.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein if the front seat is in the non-occupancy state, it is determined that the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition, and the space is allowed to increase by means of at least allowing the front seat as a whole to be moved forward by a first predetermined distance and/or allowing a seatback of the front seat to be rotated forward to a first predetermined angle.
5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the space is increased by means of moving the front seat as a whole to a foremost allowable position and/or rotating the seatback of the front seat forward to a maximum allowable angle.
6. The method according to claim 3, wherein if the front seat is in the occupancy state, an adjustment allowance parameter of the front seat is calculated, and whether the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition or not is determined on the basis of the calculated adjustment allowance parameter, and if it is determined that the front seat state meets the first predetermined condition, the front seat is adjusted on the basis of the adjustment allowance parameter to increase the space.
7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the space is allowed to increase by means of at least allowing the front seat as a whole to be moved forward by a second predetermined distance and/or allowing a seatback of the front seat to be rotated forward to a second predetermined angle, and/or the adjustment allowance parameter is determined on the basis of a current position and orientation of the front seat and/or a body parameter of an occupant.
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the body parameter comprises height and/or weight.
9. The method according to any one of claims 1 -8, wherein the front seat is a front passenger seat of the vehicle.
10. A computer program product, in particular a computer-readable program carrier, the computer program product comprising or storing computer program instructions thereon, wherein when the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the processor is at least capable of assisting in performing the method according to any one of claims 1 -9.
11. A control system for a vehicle, comprising: a controller comprising a memory and a processor, the memory storing computer program instructions thereon, wherein when the computer program instructions are executed by the processor, the processor is at least capable of assisting in performing the method according to any one of claims 1 -9.
12. The control system according to claim 11 , wherein the control system further comprises: a front seat detection device for detecting a front seat state and a rear seat detection device for detecting a rear seat state.
13. The control system according to claim 12, wherein the front seat detection device comprises: a seat belt sensor; and/or an occupant weight sensor for detecting the weight of an occupant; and/or a sitting height sensor for detecting a sitting height of the occupant; and/or a seat camera.
14. The control system according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the control system further comprises a seat adjustment actuating device configured to comprise: a seat movement actuator configured to allow a seat as a whole to be moved forward or backward; and a seatback rotation actuator configured to allow a seatback of the seat to be rotated forward or backward.
15. A vehicle, comprising: the control system according to any one of claims 11 to 14; and a collision detection and warning device, comprising at least: a front camera and/or radar for detecting information about an object in front; a vehicle speed sensor for obtaining a speed of the vehicle; and a processing unit, wherein when the processing unit determines, on the basis of a distance between the vehicle and the object in front detected by the front camera and/or radar and the speed of the vehicle obtained by the vehicle speed sensor, that the vehicle will collide with the object in front, the processing unit generates a collision warning signal, and sends the collision warning signal to the controller.
PCT/EP2023/025397 2022-09-14 2023-09-14 Seat adjustment method for vehicle, computer program product, control system, and vehicle WO2024056208A1 (en)

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