Vehicle seat adjustment system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10099576-B2
Application number	US-201615332224-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2016
Priority date	Oct 24, 2016
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

Vehicle seat adjustment systems including cameras are disclosed. The vehicle seat adjustment system includes a camera configured to capture a seat arrangement of a front seat of a vehicle and one or more seats behind the front seat, a screen, communicatively coupled to the camera, configured to display the seat arrangement captured by the camera, an input device configured to receive an input from a user for adjusting positions of the one or more seats, an actuator communicatively coupled to the input device and configured to adjust positions of the one or more seats, and a controller communicatively coupled to the camera, the screen, the input device and the actuator. The controller receives the input from the input device and instruct the actuator to adjust the positions of the one or more seats based on the input from the user.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle seat adjustment system, comprising:
a camera configured to capture a seat arrangement of a front seat of a vehicle and one or more seats behind the front seat;
a screen, communicatively coupled to the camera, configured to display the seat arrangement captured by the camera;
an input device configured to receive an input from a user for adjusting positions of the one or more seats;
one or more sensors configured to detect a presence of an object on the one or more seats;
an actuator communicatively coupled to the input device and configured to adjust positions of the one or more seats; and
a controller communicatively coupled to the camera, the screen, the input device and the actuator, the controller comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing non-transitory computer readable and executable instructions that, when executed by the processors:
cause the captured seat arrangement to be displayed on the screen in response to a signal from the one or more sensors indicating that an object is present on the one or more seats;
receive the input from the input device; and
instruct the actuator to adjust the positions of the one or more seats based on the input.

2. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 1 , wherein the camera is located within the vehicle to capture a side view of the front seat of a vehicle and the one or more seats behind the front seat.

3. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 1 , wherein the camera is located within the vehicle to capture a top view of the front seat of a vehicle and the one or more seats behind the front seat.

4. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 1 ,
wherein the non-transitory computer readable and executable instructions, when executed by the processor, receive a signal related to the presence of an object from the one or more sensors.

5. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 4 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable and executable instructions, when executed by the processor, disable the actuator in response to a signal from the one or more sensors indicating that an object is proximate to the one or more sensors.

6. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 4 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable and executable instructions, when executed by the processor, limit the adjustment of the actuator in response to a signal from the one or more sensors indicating that an object is proximate to the one or more sensors.

7. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 1 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable and executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the captured seat arrangement to be displayed on the screen in response to the input from the user.

8. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more seats comprise a second row of seats behind the front seat and a third row of seats behind the second row of seats.

9. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is configured to move the one or more seats rearward or forward in response to the input from the user.

10. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is configured to move the one or more seats laterally in response to the input from the user.

11. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is configured to change an angular orientation of a seatback of the one or more seats with respect to a seating surface of the one or more seats in response to the input from the user.

12. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 1 , wherein the input from the user comprises a selection of a seat among the one or more seats.

13. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 1 , further comprising a speaker configured to provide an alarm in response to a signal from the one or more sensors indicating that an object is proximate to the one or more sensors.

14. The vehicle seat adjustment system of claim 1 , wherein the camera includes an image processor configured to distinguish the one or more seats from an object on the one or more seats.

15. A method of adjusting positions of one or more seats located behind a first-row seat in a vehicle, the method comprising:
displaying, on a screen of the vehicle, a seat arrangement image captured by a camera attached within the vehicle in response to a signal from one or more sensors indicating that an object is present on the one or more seats, the seat arrangement image including the one or more seats;
receiving, from an input device located proximate to the first-row seat, a selection of a seat among the one or more seats;
receiving, from the input device, an input configured to adjust a position of the selected seat; and
sending, to an actuator communicatively coupled to the input device, an instruction configured to adjust the position of the selected seat based on the input.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
detecting an object on the selected seat; and
disabling a folding operation of the selected seat in response to the detection of the object.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the object is detected based on a change in current of the actuator.

18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
detecting an object behind the selected seat; and
disabling the actuator to move the selected seat rearward.

19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
disabling the actuator when the vehicle is traveling at a speed greater than a predetermined value.

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Lota Charan S

Classifications

• B60N2/062

  transversally slidable · CPC title

• B60R2300/8006

  for monitoring and displaying scenes of vehicle interior, e.g. for monitoring passengers or cargo · CPC title

• B60N2/22

  the back-rest being adjustable {(B60N2/2878 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B60N2/06 Primary

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

• B60N2/0232

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic