Vehicle seat correction system and method of correcting a defect in a vehicle seat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11724931-B2
Application number	US-202117482972-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2021
Priority date	Sep 23, 2021
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

An example method of correcting a defect in a seat comprises the steps of: (a) imaging a seat to obtain an image of the seat, a portion of the seat having a defect; (b) applying a localized boundary around the portion of the seat having the defect within the image of the seat; (c) translating the localized boundary into a seat specific map of a baseline model of the seat such that a portion of the baseline model of the seat that corresponds to the portion of the seat having the defect within the image of the seat is disposed within a translated localized boundary; (d) selecting a predetermined path for an automated device to correct the portion of the seat having the defect based on the portion of the baseline model of the seat; and (e) correcting the portion of the seat having the defect.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of correcting a defect in a seat comprising the steps of:
(a) imaging a seat to obtain an image of the seat, a portion of the seat having a defect;
(b) applying a localized boundary around the portion of the seat having the defect within the image of the seat;
(c) translating the localized boundary into a seat specific map of a baseline model of the seat such that a portion of the baseline model of the seat that corresponds to the portion of the seat having the defect within the image of the seat is disposed within a translated localized boundary;
(d) selecting a predetermined path for an automated device to correct the portion of the seat having the defect based on the portion of the baseline model of the seat disposed within the translated localized boundary; and
(e) correcting the portion of the seat having the defect using the automated device and the predetermined path for the automated device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the defect is a wrinkle.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the seat specific map is based on a trim geometry of the seat.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of imaging the seat after step (e) to determine whether the portion of the seat having the defect has been corrected.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image is a 2D image.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (e) comprises correcting only the portion of the seat having the defect using the automated device and the predetermined path for the automated device.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the portion of the seat having the defect is a portion of a seat panel.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (e) comprises finessing the portion of the seat having the defect using the automated device and the predetermined path for the automated device.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein finessing the portion of the seat having the defect is accomplished using a heat source.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the heat source is selected from the group consisting of an infra-red heating oven, infra-red gun, infra-red heating head, a steam iron, and a hot air gun.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising applying compressed air to the seat while finessing the portion of the seat having the defect using the heat source.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising applying compressed air on the portion of the seat having the defect after finessing the portion of the seat having the defect using the heat source.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the seat has a plurality of seat panels; and
wherein the portion of the seat having the defect is a subset of seat panels of the plurality of seat panels.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the subset of the plurality of seat panels is a single seat panel.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the baseline model of the seat includes a plurality of baseline seat panels, each baseline seat panel of the plurality of baseline seat panels corresponding to a seat panel of the plurality of seat panels of the seat; and
wherein step (c) comprises translating the localized boundary into the seat specific map of the baseline model of the seat such that a subset of baseline seat panels of the plurality of baseline seat panels that correspond to the subset of seat panels of the plurality of seat panels having the defect within the image of the seat is disposed within the translated localized boundary.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein step (d) comprises selecting the predetermined path for the automated device to correct the subset of seat panels of the plurality of seat panels having the defect based on the subset of baseline seat panels of the plurality of baseline seat panels disposed within the translated localized boundary; and
wherein step (e) comprises correcting the subset of seat panels of the plurality of seat panels having the defect using the automated device and the predetermined path for the automated device.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the baseline model of the seat is formatted as an RGB color map such that each baseline seat panel is a distinct color;
further comprising converting the RGB color map into a greyscale map;
further comprising assigning a distinct value to portions of each baseline seat panel of the subset of baseline seat panels disposed within the translated localized boundary;
further comprising identifying each baseline seat panel of the subset of baseline seat panels that has a value count disposed within the translated localized boundary that is greater than a threshold;
wherein step (d) comprises selecting the predetermined path for the automated device to correct the subset of seat panels of the plurality of seat panels having the defect based on each baseline seat panel of the subset of baseline seat panels that has the value count greater than the threshold;
wherein step (e) comprises correcting the subset of seat panels of the plurality of seat panels having the defect using the automated device and the predetermined path for the automated device.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein each portion of each baseline seat panel of the subset of baseline seat panels disposed within the translated localized boundary has a defined pixel count.

19. A method of correcting a defect in a seat comprising the steps of:
(a) imaging a seat having a plurality of seat panels to obtain an image of the seat, a subset of seat panels of the plurality of seat panels having a defect;
(b) applying a localized boundary around the subset of seat panels of the plurality of seat panels having the defect within the image of the seat;
(c) translating the localized boundary into a seat specific map of a baseline model of the seat that includes a plurality of baseline seat panels, each baseline seat panel of the plurality of baseline seat panels corresponding to a seat panel of the plurality of seat panels of the seat, the localized boundary translated such that a subset of baseline seat panels of the plurality of baseline seat panels that correspond to the subset of seat panels of the plurality of seat panels having the defect within the image of the seat is disposed within a translated localized boundary;
(d) selecting a predetermined path for an automated device to correct the subset of seat panels of the plurality of seat panels having the defect based on the subset of baseline seat panels of the plurality of baseline seat panels disposed within the translated localized boundary; and
(e) correcting only the subset of seat panels of the plurality of seat panels having the defect using the automated device and the predetermined path for the automated device.

20. A method of correcting a defect in a seat comprising the steps of:
(a) imaging a seat having a plurality of seat panels to obtain an image of the seat, a subset of seat panels of the plurality of seat panels having a defect;
(b) applying a localized boundary around the subset of seat panels of the plurality of seat panels having the defect within the image of the seat;
(c) translating the localized boundary into a seat specific map of a baseline model of the seat that includes a plurality of baseline seat panels, each baseline seat panel of the plurality of baseline seat panels corresponding to a seat panel of the plurality of seat panels of the seat, the localized boundary translated such that a subset of baseline seat panels of the plurality of baseline seat panels that correspond to the subset of seat panels of the plurality of seat panels havi

Assignees

• Lear Corp

Inventors

• Williams Andrew
• Humphrey Christopher Giles
• Ramsden Mark
• Vera Daniel
• Zhang Jiayi
• Yao Fengjia
• Keller Alexander

Classifications

• B68G15/00 Primary

  Auxiliary devices and tools specially for upholstery · CPC title

• B60N2/00

  Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles (railway seats B61D33/00; cycle seats B62J1/00; aircraft seats B64D11/06, B64D25/04, B64D25/10) · CPC title

• B60N2/5891

  characterised by the manufacturing process; manufacturing seat coverings not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• D06F75/20

  Arrangements for discharging the steam to the article being ironed · CPC title

• G01N21/95

  characterised by the material or shape of the object to be examined (G01N21/89 - G01N21/91, G01N21/94 take precedence) · CPC title