Method for operating a vehicle seat with electric seat adjustment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11059389-B2
Application number	US-201916275585-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2019
Priority date	Mar 12, 2018
Publication date	Jul 13, 2021
Grant date	Jul 13, 2021

Abstract

A method for operating a vehicle seat of a motor vehicle with electric seat adjustment is provided. The method includes the steps of importing a measurement data set that is representative of an initial sitting position of a person sitting on the vehicle seat, evaluating the measurement data set in order to determine a target sitting position data set for a target sitting position, and evaluating at least the measurement data set and the target sitting position data set in order to determine a transfer data set for transferring the initial sitting position into the target sitting position at a rate of change below a perception threshold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for operating a vehicle seat of a motor vehicle with electric seat adjustment comprising the steps of:
importing with a control device a measurement data set that is representative of an initial sitting position of a person sitting on the vehicle seat;
evaluating with the control device the measurement data set in order to determine a target sitting position data set for a target sitting position;
evaluating with the control device at least the measurement data set and the target sitting position data set in order to determine a transfer data set for transferring the initial sitting position into the target sitting position at a rate of change below a perception threshold, wherein the perception threshold is a threshold rate of change at or below which a person seated in the vehicle seat cannot perceive the rate of change, and wherein a value indicative of a journey time is taken into account when determining the transfer data set; and
operating the vehicle seat with the electric seat adjustment, wherein the transfer data set is combined with an attenuation factor having a value greater than zero and smaller than one, wherein the rate of change is multiplied by the attenuation factor, and wherein the attenuation factor is increased each time the attenuation factor is combined with the transfer data set.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising the step of evaluating a reference data set when the target sitting position data set is evaluated.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a return movement is carried out at a return rate between two journeys.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the method is carried out with a computer program product.

5. A control device for operating a vehicle seat of a motor vehicle with electric seat adjustment, wherein the control device is configured to import a measurement data set that is representative of an initial sitting position of a person sitting in the vehicle seat, the control device is configured to evaluate the measurement data set in order to determine a target sitting position data set for a target sitting position and the control device is configured to evaluate at least the measurement data set and the target sitting position data set in order to determine a transfer data set for transferring the initial sitting position into the target sitting position at a rate of change that is below a perception threshold, wherein the perception threshold is a threshold rate of change at or below which a person seated in the vehicle seat cannot perceive the rate of change, wherein the control device is configured to take into account a value indicative of a journey time when determining the transfer data set, and wherein the control device operates the vehicle seat with the electric seat adjustment, wherein the control device is configured to combine the transfer data set with an attenuation factor having a value grater than zero and smaller than one, wherein the rate of change is multiplied by the attenuation factor, and wherein the control device is configured to increase the attenuation factor each time the attenuation factor is combined with the transfer data set.

6. The control device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the control device is configured to also evaluate a reference data set when evaluating the target sitting position data set.

7. The control device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the control device is configured to carry out a return movement at a return rate between two journeys.

8. A motor vehicle comprising:
a vehicle seat;
electric seat adjustment; and
a control device for operating the vehicle seat with the electric seat adjustment, wherein the control device is configured to import a measurement data set that is representative of an initial sitting position of a person sitting in the vehicle seat, to evaluate the measurement data set in order to determine a target sitting position data set for a target sitting position and to evaluate at least the measurement data set and the target sitting position data set in order to determine a transfer data set for transferring the initial sitting position into the target sitting position at a rate of change that is below a perception threshold, wherein the perception threshold is a threshold rate of change at or below which a person seated in the vehicle seat cannot perceive the rate of change, and wherein the control device is configured to take into account a value indicative of a journey time when determining the transfer data set, wherein the control device is configured to combine the transfer data set with an attenuation factor having a value greater than zero and smaller than one, wherein the rate of change is multiplied by the attenuation factor, and wherein the control device is configured to increase the attenuation factor each time the attenuation factor is combined with the transfer data set.

9. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the control device is configured to also evaluate a reference data set when evaluating the target sitting position data set.

10. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the control device is configured to carry out a return movement at a return rate between two journeys.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Schmidt Eike
• Wolter Stefan
• Wolf Philipp

Classifications

• B60N2/0252 Primary

  with relations between different adjustments, e.g. height of headrest following longitudinal position of seat · CPC title

• B60N2210/24

  Cameras · CPC title

• B60N2/0273

  taking into account user data, e.g. knee height or physical state · CPC title

• B60N2210/40

  Force or pressure sensors · CPC title

• B60N2/0248 Primary

  with memory of positions · CPC title