Vehicle seat operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11554690-B2
Application number	US-201716616774-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 25, 2017
Priority date	May 25, 2017
Publication date	Jan 17, 2023
Grant date	Jan 17, 2023

Abstract

A user destination is identified based on received location information from a user. A first seat in a vehicle is assigned to the user based on the user destination. At least one of the first seat and a second seat in the vehicle is moved upon user entry until a distance between the first seat and the second seat is greater than a distance threshold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising a computer programmed to:
identify a user destination based on received location information from a user;
assign to the user a first seat in a vehicle based on the user destination; and
move at least one of the first seat and a second seat in the vehicle upon user entry until a distance between the first seat and the second seat is greater than a distance threshold,
wherein the computer is further programmed to compare the user destination with a second destination of a second user and to assign the first seat next to a seat of the second user when the user destination and the second destination are within a distance threshold.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer is further programmed to move a third seat in the vehicle upon user entry.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer is further programmed to assign a plurality of respective seats to each of a plurality of users.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer is further programmed to move the second seat along a track in the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer is further programmed to move the first seat and the second seat to respective original positions upon closing of a vehicle door.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer is further programmed to move at least one of the first seat and the second seat from respective original positions upon detecting a user device of the user entering the vehicle and to move at least one of the first seat and the second seat to the respective original positions upon detecting the user device within a distance threshold of the first seat.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first seat includes an occupancy sensor and the computer is further programmed to, upon detecting the user with the occupancy sensor, move at least one of the first seat and the second seat.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer is further programmed to stop the vehicle at a plurality of predetermined stops and to assign the first seat based on one of the predetermined stops.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer is further programmed to determine a clearance distance and to move the second seat until the distance between the first seat and the second seat is at least the clearance distance.

10. A method, comprising:
identifying a user destination based on received location information from a user;
assigning to the user a first seat in a vehicle based on the user destination;
moving at least one of the first seat and a second seat in the vehicle upon user entry until a distance between the first seat and the second seat is greater than a distance threshold; and
comparing the user destination with a second destination of a second user and assigning the first seat next to a seat of the second user when the user destination and the second destination are within a distance threshold.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising moving a third seat in the vehicle upon user entry.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising assigning a plurality of respective seats to each of a plurality of users.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising moving the second seat along a track in the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising moving at least one of the first seat and the second seat to respective original positions upon closing of a vehicle door.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising moving at least one of the first seat and the second seat from respective original positions upon detecting a user device of the user entering the vehicle and moving at least one of the first seat and the second seat to the respective original position upon detecting the user device within a distance threshold of the first seat.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first seat includes an occupancy sensor and the method further includes, upon detecting the user with the occupancy sensor, moving at least one of the first seat and the second seat.

17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising stopping the vehicle at a plurality of predetermined stops and to assign the first seat based on one of the predetermined stops.

18. The method of claim 10 , further comprising determining a clearance distance and moving the second seat until a distance between the first seat and the second seat is at least the clearance distance.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Van Hoecke Patrick Lawrence Jackson
• Makke Omar
• Gusikhin Oleg Yurievitch
• Golgiri Hamid M

Classifications

• B60N2/06 Primary

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

• B60N2/242

  Bus seats · CPC title

• B60N2/0232

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60N2002/0268

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60N2/002

  Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon (detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266) · CPC title