Electronically controlled seat system with tilt-and-slide mode

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11376993-B2
Application number	US-201816012540-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2018
Priority date	Jun 19, 2018
Publication date	Jul 5, 2022
Grant date	Jul 5, 2022

Abstract

A seat system includes: a base; a seatback; at least one recliner connecting the base and the seatback to each other for pivoting of the seatback relative to the base; a slider coupled to the base and configured for sliding engagement with a track having a detent region and a tilt-and slide region; and an electronic controller, wherein without mechanical interlock between the recliner and the slider, the electronic controller causes the recliner to place the seatback in a non-passenger position when the slider is within the tilt-and-slide region, and causes the recliner to place the seatback in a passenger position when the slider is within the detent region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A seat system comprising:
a base;
a seatback;
at least one recliner connecting the base and the seatback to each other for pivoting of the seatback relative to the base;
a slider coupled to the base and configured for sliding engagement with a track having a detent region and a tilt-and-slide region that are horizontally separate from one another, wherein the detent region of the track has detents, and wherein the tilt-and-slide region of the track does not have detents;
a first mechanism and a second mechanism, wherein the first mechanism is actuated to allow the slider to bypass the detents in the detent region, wherein the second mechanism is actuated to allow the slider to cross a boundary between the detent region and the tilt-and-slide region, wherein the first mechanism and the second mechanism are both actuated by a first cable, and wherein the first mechanism is also actuated by a second cable without actuating the second mechanism;
one or more switches or sensors configured to detect whether the slider is within the detent region; and
an electronic controller, wherein without mechanical interlock between the at least one recliner and the slider and based at least on a detection by the one or more switches or sensors, the electronic controller causes the at least one recliner to place the seatback in a non-passenger position when the slider is within the tilt-and-slide region, and causes the at least one recliner to place the seatback in a passenger position when the slider is within the detent region.

2. The seat system of claim 1 , further comprising a first actuator configured to actuate the first mechanism and the second mechanism.

3. The seat system of claim 2 , wherein the first actuator is configured to pull the first cable to actuate the first mechanism and the second mechanism.

4. The seat system of claim 3 , wherein, when the first actuator pulls the first cable, the first cable actuates a first lever on the second mechanism that causes a second lever on the first mechanism to be actuated.

5. The seat system of claim 2 , further comprising a manual handle that actuates the second cable for actuating the first mechanism.

6. The seat system of claim 2 , further comprising a gas spring assist coupled to the slider to assist the slider in traveling from the detent region to the tilt-and-slide region.

7. The seat system of claim 1 , further comprising a forward stopper and a rearward stopper for the at least one recliner.

8. The seat system of claim 7 , further comprising a lever on the at least one recliner, and an actuator, the actuator actuating the forward stopper, the rearward stopper, and the lever.

9. The seat system of claim 8 , wherein the actuator actuates the forward stopper, the rearward stopper, and the lever by pulling a third cable of the lever while paying out the third cable to the forward stopper and the rearward stopper.

10. The seat system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one recliner includes a first recliner and a second recliner, wherein the forward stopper acts on the first recliner, and wherein the rearward stopper acts on the second recliner.

11. The seat system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more switches or sensors include a switch that the electronic controller uses in determining that the slider crosses the boundary between the detent region and the tilt-and-slide region.

12. The seat system of claim 1 , further comprising a recliner spring coupled to the at least one recliner, wherein placing the seatback in the non-passenger position comprises unlocking the at least one recliner and allowing the recliner spring to pivot the seatback into the non-passenger position.

13. The seat system of claim 1 , further comprising a recliner switch, wherein the electronic controller uses the recliner switch to determine that the seatback is in the passenger position.

14. The seat system of claim 1 , further comprising a button coupled to the electronic controller, the button to trigger the electronic controller to bring the seat system from a comfort mode where the slider is within the detent region and the seatback is in the passenger position, to a tilt-and-slide mode where the slider is within the tilt-and-slide region and the seatback is within the non-passenger position.

15. A method comprising:
receiving a user activated input, the user activated input generated via a switch or a button in electrical connection with an electronic controller configured to energize one or more actuators associated with a seat system;
moving, based on activation of the electronic controller, a slider of the seat system from a detent region of a track to a tilt-and-slide region of the track by actuating a first cable to actuate a first mechanism and a second mechanism, wherein the detent region and the tilt-and-slide region are horizontally separated from one another, wherein the detent region has detents, and wherein the tilt-and-slide region does not have detents, wherein the first mechanism is actuated to allow the slider to bypass the detents in the detent region, wherein the second mechanism is actuated to allow the slider to cross a boundary between the detent region and the tilt-and-slide region, wherein the first mechanism and the second mechanism are both actuated by the first cable, and wherein the first mechanism is also actuated by a second cable without actuating the second mechanism;
adjusting, based on the activation of the electronic controller, a seatback to a non-passenger position while the slider is in the tilt-and-slide region, the seatback adjusted using a recliner that has no mechanical interlock with the slider;
determining, based on the activation of the electronic controller, that the slider has moved from the tilt-and-slide region to the detent region; and
in response to determining that the slider is in the detent region, placing, based on the activation of the electronic controller, the seatback in a passenger position using the recliner.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first mechanism and the second mechanism are actuated by a first actuator.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein actuating the first mechanism and the second mechanism comprises the first actuator pulling the first cable.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein actuating the first mechanism and the second mechanism further comprises, when the first actuator pulls the first cable, actuating a first lever on the second mechanism that causes a second lever on the first mechanism to be actuated.

19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising applying gas spring assist in moving the slider from the detent region to the tilt-and-slide region.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein adjusting the seatback to the non-passenger position comprises releasing the recliner and applying forward and rearward stoppers to the recliner.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein releasing the recliner comprises pulling a third cable of the recliner, and wherein applying the forward and rearward stoppers to the recliner comprises feeding out the third cable to the forward and rearward stoppers.

22. The method of claim 15 , wherein adjusting the seatback to the non-passenger position while the slider is in the tilt-and-slide region comprises placing the seat system in a tilt-and-slide mode in response to a first input, and wherein placing the seatback in the passenger position in response to the slider having moved from the tilt-and-slide region to the detent region

Assignees

• Tesla Inc

Inventors

• Banales Cano David Eduardo
• Di Giusto Nathan

Classifications

• B60N2/12 Primary

  slidable and tiltable · CPC title

• B60N2/0224

  Non-manual adjustments, e.g. with electrical operation · CPC title

• B60N2/02246

  Electric motors therefor · CPC title

• B60N2/919

  Positioning and locking mechanisms (B60N2/16, B60N2/18, B60N2/22, B60N2/225 take precedence) · CPC title

• B60N2002/126

  the backrest being maintained in its tilted position until the seat has slided to its memorised position · CPC title