Control device for vehicle seat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11904731-B2
Application number	US-202017136790-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2020
Priority date	Jan 3, 2020
Publication date	Feb 20, 2024
Grant date	Feb 20, 2024

Abstract

A control device for automotive vehicle seat, intended to control a displacement along the longitudinal direction, of at least one part of the automotive vehicle seat, comprises at least one first control surface, substantially flat, wherein the first control surface extends along a transverse direction of the seat and a command direction, wherein the command direction has at least one component along the longitudinal direction, and wherein the first control surface is configured for controlling the displacement of the part of the vehicle seat along the longitudinal direction as a function of a movement along the command direction of a member of an occupant of the seat in contact with a first zone of the first control surface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control device for automotive vehicle seat intended to control a displacement along the longitudinal direction, of at least one part of the automotive vehicle seat, the control device comprising
at least one first control surface, substantially flat, wherein the first control surface extends along a transverse direction of the seat and a command direction, wherein the command direction has at least one component along the longitudinal direction, and wherein the first control surface is configured for controlling the displacement of the part of the vehicle seat along the longitudinal direction as a function of a movement along the command direction of a member of an occupant of the seat in contact with a first zone of the first control surface,
wherein the first control surface comprises at least one of a display area and a touchscreen.

2. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the control direction is intended to extend in a substantially horizontal plane, when the control device is fixed to the seat.

3. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the displacement along the longitudinal direction of the part of the seat comprises at least one of:
a longitudinal movement of the seat in the vehicle; and
a longitudinal movement of a seat cushion of the seat relative to a vehicle chassis; and
a longitudinal movement of at least one armrest of the seat relative to the seat cushion or to a seat back of the seat; and
a longitudinal movement of a first part of the armrest relative to a second part of the armrest; and
a longitudinal movement of at least one elbow support device of the seat; and
a longitudinal movement of at least one hand support device of the seat; and
a longitudinal movement of a headrest of the seat; and
a longitudinal movement of the seatback of the seat relative to the seat cushion.

4. The control device of claim 1 , further comprising a switching area configured for switching a function controlled by the first control surface, between a plurality of functions of at least one of the seat and the vehicle.

5. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the first control surface is further configured for controlling at least one of:
a comfort function of the vehicle seat; and
a comfort function of the vehicle.

6. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the first zone of the first control surface comprises the touchscreen.

7. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the first zone of the first control surface comprises at least one of a joystick and at least one button movable along the control direction.

8. The control device of claim 1 , comprising a second control surface.

9. The control device of claim 8 , wherein the second control surface comprises at least one of a tactile area and a button mobile along a substantially vertical direction.

10. The control device of claim 8 , wherein the first control surface and the second control surface are distant.

11. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the first control surface comprises a means of human-machine interaction configured for commanding adopting a position suited for taking back a steering wheel of the vehicle by a driver.

12. The control device of claim 1 , comprising an electronic control unit configured for translating a signal captured by the first control surface into an instruction for at least one actuator configured for controlling the movement of the at least one part of the seat.

13. An armrest for automotive vehicle seat, comprising a control device according to claim 1 .

14. A hand support device for automotive vehicle seat comprising a support surface suited for receiving a palm of a hand of an occupant of the seat, and at least one control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured for being accessible by at least one finger of the occupant of the seat when the palm of the occupant of the seat is in contact with the support surface.

15. The hand support device of claim 14 , wherein the control device comprises a second control surface, wherein the second control surface comprises a first zone accessible to a thumb of the occupant of the seat when a hand of the occupant is placed on the support surface of the hand support of the armrest.

16. The hand support device of claim 15 , wherein the second control surface comprises at least one of a tactile area and a button mobile along the substantially vertical direction, wherein at least one of the tactile area and the movable button are laid out around an anterior edge of the support surface.

17. An automotive vehicle seat, comprising a seat back, a seat cushion and an armrest according to claim 13 , fixed to at least one of the seat cushion and the seatback.

18. An armrest for automotive vehicle seat, comprising an elbow support device and a hand support device according to claim 14 .

19. An armrest for automotive vehicle seat, comprising an elbow support device and a hand support device according to claim 16 .

Assignees

• Faurecia Sieges Dautomobile

Inventors

• Boquet Mathieu
• Brunet Emmanuelle

Classifications

• B60N2/0228 Primary

  Hand-activated mechanical switches (B60N2/0229 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60N2/0233

  Touchscreens · CPC title

• B60N2/0235

  Joysticks · CPC title

• B60N2/2209

  by longitudinal displacement of the cushion, e.g. back-rest hinged on the bottom to the cushion and linked on the top to the vehicle frame · CPC title

• B60N2/773

  Longitudinal adjustment · CPC title