Method of automatic positioning of a seat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10414502-B2
Application number	US-201715645692-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 10, 2017
Priority date	Jul 11, 2016
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

A method of automatic positioning a seat in an apparatus comprising two cameras located on either side of the seat, each one in a position able to acquire images of a face of a user seated on the seat. The seat comprises at least one motor, each motor acting on a position of the seat along a predefined axis. The method comprises: for each camera: obtaining a position of a predefined image zone in which at least one eye of a user of the apparatus should be located; acquiring an image of a user seated on the seat; detecting at least one eye of the seated user in the image acquired; and obtaining a relative position between each eye detected and the predefined zone. By using each relative position obtained, at least one motor is actuated until each predefined zone contains at least one eye of the seated user.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of automatic positioning of a seat in an aircraft comprising two cameras located on either side of said seat, each one in a position able to acquire images of the face of a user seated on the seat, said seat comprising at least one motor, the at least one motor acting on a position of the seat along a predefined axis, for each camera, the method comprising the steps:
obtaining a position of a predefined image zone in which at least one eye of a user of the aircraft should be located;
acquiring an image of the user seated on the seat;
detecting at least one eye of said seated user in the image acquired;
obtaining a relative position between each eye detected and the predefined zone; and
actuating the at least one motor until the predefined zone contains at least one eye of the seated user, by analyzing in a processing module the obtained relative position between each eye detected and the predefined zone.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one motor is actuated in repeated manner to modify the position of the seat by a predefined value during each iteration, each modification of the position of the seat being followed by an acquisition of an image by each camera and a detection of the eyes in each image acquired in order to verify the position of each eye detected in each image acquired with respect to the predefined zone.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method involves determining, based on each relative position obtained, how to actuate the at least one motor in order to achieve a position of the seat in which each predefined zone contains at least one eye of the user by utilizing a predefined table associating a set of possible pairs of relative positions, each relative position of a pair being associated with one of the two cameras, and an actuation to be applied to the at least one motor.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, when a position of the seat has been found following an automatic positioning of the seat, a bit of information representative of the position found is saved in a storage unit of the processing module, the position so saved being used when the user modifies said found position in order to leave the seat, in order to reposition the seat in the found position when the user sits down again.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein, when the user sits down again, each detection camera makes an acquisition of an image and a detection of the eyes in each image acquired is then carried out to verify that each predefined zone contains at least one eye, the method being carried out again in its entirety if a predefined zone does not contain at least one eye.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, when a position of the seat has been found following an automatic positioning of the seat, the method involves: adjusting the position of the seat in a predefined zone about the found position.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable program instructions stored thereon, comprising instructions for the implementation, by a processor of a computing device, of the method according to claim 1 , when said program is executed by said processor.

8. A non-transitory storage device having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for the implementation, by a processor of a device, of the method according to claim 1 , when said program is executed by said processor of the device.

9. A device enabling an automatic positioning of a seat in an aircraft comprising two cameras located on either side of said seat in a position able to acquire images of the face of a user seated on the seat, said seat comprising at least one motor, the at least one motor acting on a position of the seat along a predefined axis, wherein, for each camera, the device comprises:
means of obtaining a position of a predefined image zone in which at least one eye of a user of the aircraft should be located;
means of acquisition for acquiring an image of a user seated on the seat;
means of detection for detecting at least one eye of said seated user in the image acquired;
means of obtaining a relative position between each eye detected and the predefined zone; and
means of actuation for actuating the at least one motor until the predefined zone contains at least one eye of the seated user, by analyzing in a processing module the obtained relative position between each eye detected and the predefined zone.

10. A system enabling an automatic positioning of a seat in an aircraft comprising two cameras located on either side of said seat in a position able to acquire images of the face of a user seated on the seat, and a device according to claim 9 .

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Sas

Inventors

• Monfraix Jean
• Collignon Mathieu

Classifications

• B64D11/0689

  specially adapted for pilots · CPC title

• B64D11/06395

  characterised by the arrangement of electric motors for adjustment · CPC title

• H04N23/90

  Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums · CPC title

• G06T2207/30201

  Face · CPC title

• B64D11/064 Primary

  Adjustable inclination or position of seats · CPC title