Method of operating a multi-position vehicle seat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10040373-B2
Application number	US-201615219425-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 26, 2016
Priority date	May 7, 2015
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

A method of positioning a vehicle seat is provided in which the vehicle seat is configured to allow movement laterally (i.e., side-to-side), fore-aft (i.e., forwards-backwards), and rotationally. In addition to allowing a user to select a particular seat position, the method monitors an internal vehicle door handle and automatically moves the seat from its current position to a preset position whenever the door handle is activated (e.g., touched).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of positioning a vehicle seat, comprising:
monitoring a seat position selector, wherein said seat position selector is configured to accept selection of a particular seat position for said vehicle seat from a plurality of available seat positions;
detecting selection of said particular seat position from said plurality of available seat positions;
automatically moving said vehicle seat from a current seat position to said particular seat position after completion of said detecting step, wherein said step of automatically moving said vehicle seat is performed by a controller and a drive system coupled to said vehicle seat via a seat positioning system, wherein said seat positioning system is configured to provide repositioning of said vehicle seat via said drive system in a forward direction and a backward direction within a first range of motion, wherein said drive system is configured to provide repositioning of said vehicle seat via said drive system in a lateral-left direction and lateral-right direction within a second range of motion, and wherein said drive system is configured to provide repositioning of said vehicle seat via said drive system in a clockwise rotational direction and a counter-clockwise rotational direction within a third range of motion;
monitoring a door handle sensor coupled to an internal vehicle door handle; and
detecting when said internal vehicle door handle is activated, wherein said step of automatically moving said vehicle seat further comprises automatically moving said vehicle seat from said current seat position to a preset seat position when said internal vehicle door handle is activated.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said step of detecting when said internal vehicle door handle is activated further comprises detecting when said internal vehicle door handle is touched.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said preset seat position corresponds to a vehicle seat egress position.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said seat position selector is comprised of at least one multi-positional switch, wherein said step of detecting selection of said particular seat position further comprises determining a direction of movement of said at least one multi-positional switch, wherein said direction of movement is selected from a plurality of available switch movement directions, and wherein each of said plurality of available switch movement directions corresponds to a preset direction of motion of said vehicle seat via said seat positioning system.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said step of determining said direction of movement of said at least one multi-positional switch further comprises determining if said direction of movement is in a first direction, wherein said first direction is selected from said plurality of available switch movement directions, and wherein said first direction corresponds to movement of said vehicle seat in said forward direction, wherein said step of determining said direction of movement of said at least one multi-positional switch further comprises determining if said direction of movement is in a second direction, wherein said second direction is selected from said plurality of available switch movement directions, and wherein said second direction corresponds to movement of said vehicle seat in said backwards direction.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein said step of determining said direction of movement of said at least one multi-positional switch further comprises determining if said direction of movement is in a third direction, wherein said third direction is selected from said plurality of available switch movement directions, and wherein said third direction corresponds to movement of said vehicle seat in said lateral-left direction, wherein said step of determining said direction of movement of said at least one multi-positional switch further comprises determining if said direction of movement is in a fourth direction, wherein said fourth direction is selected from said plurality of available switch movement directions, and wherein said fourth direction corresponds to movement of said vehicle seat in said lateral-right direction.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein said step of determining said direction of movement of said at least one multi-positional switch further comprises determining if said direction of movement is in a fifth direction, wherein said fifth direction is selected from said plurality of available switch movement directions, and wherein said fifth direction corresponds to movement of said vehicle seat in said clockwise rotational direction, wherein said step of determining said direction of movement of said at least one multi-positional switch further comprises determining if said direction of movement is in a sixth direction, wherein said sixth direction is selected from said plurality of available switch movement directions, and wherein said sixth direction corresponds to movement of said vehicle seat in said counter-clockwise rotational direction.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said seat position selector is comprised of at least one multi-positional switch, wherein said step of detecting selection of said particular seat position further comprises determining a direction of movement of said at least one multi-positional switch, wherein said direction of movement is selected from a plurality of available switch movement directions, wherein each of said plurality of available switch movement directions corresponds to a preset direction of motion of said vehicle seat via said seat positioning system, wherein said step of determining said direction of movement of said at least one multi-positional switch further comprises determining if said direction of movement is in a first direction, wherein said first direction corresponds to movement of said vehicle seat in said forward direction, wherein said step of determining said direction of movement of said at least one multi-positional switch further comprises determining if said direction of movement is in a second direction, wherein said second direction corresponds to movement of said vehicle seat in said backwards direction, wherein said step of determining said direction of movement of said at least one multi-positional switch further comprises determining if said direction of movement is in a third direction, wherein said third direction corresponds to movement of said vehicle seat in said lateral-left direction, wherein said step of determining said direction of movement of said at least one multi-positional switch further comprises determining if said direction of movement is in a fourth direction, wherein said fourth direction corresponds to movement of said vehicle seat in said lateral-right direction, wherein said step of determining said direction of movement of said at least one multi-positional switch further comprises determining if said direction of movement is in a fifth direction, wherein said fifth direction corresponds to movement of said vehicle seat in said clockwise rotational direction, wherein said step of determining said direction of movement of said at least one multi-positional switch further comprises determining if said direction of movement is in a sixth direction, and wherein said sixth direction corresponds to movement of said vehicle seat in said counter-clockwise rotational direction.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said seat position selector is comprised of a plurality of switches, wherein said plurality of switches corresponds to a plurality of seat movement directions, wherein a first switch of said plurality of switches corresponds to said forward direction, wherein a second switch of said plurality of switches corresponds to said backward dir

Assignees

• Atieva Inc

Inventors

• Rawlinson Peter Dore
• Muir Daniel Jefferson

Classifications

• B60N2/062

  transversally slidable · CPC title

• B60N2/07

  Slide construction · CPC title

• B60N2/06

  slidable (B60N2/12 {, B60N2/2209} take precedence) · CPC title

• B60N2/14

  rotatable, e.g. to permit easy access (B60N2/10 {, B60N2/2869} take precedence) · CPC title

• B60N2002/0208

  the seat or seat part turning about or moving along an inclined axis · CPC title