Seat adjustment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12036894-B2
Application number	US-202117496886-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 8, 2021
Priority date	Oct 8, 2021
Publication date	Jul 16, 2024
Grant date	Jul 16, 2024

Abstract

A profile for an occupant is stored. The profile includes a plurality of clusters of sitting positions for the occupant in a seat and classifications of respective clusters as preferred or nonpreferred. Respective clusters are classified as preferred or nonpreferred based on sitting scores for the respective sitting positions in that cluster. A higher sitting score increases a likelihood of the classification being preferred. A series of pressure maps indicating a respective series of sitting positions of the occupant in the seat are received. The pressure maps include a current pressure map. One of the sitting positions is assigned to one of the clusters that is classified as preferred in response to the sitting score of that sitting position being greater than a threshold score. A physical configuration of the seat is adjusted in response to the current sitting position being in one of the clusters that is classified as nonpreferred.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising a computer including a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to:
store a profile for an occupant, wherein the profile includes a plurality of clusters of sitting positions for the occupant in a seat, and classifications of respective clusters as preferred or nonpreferred;
classify respective clusters as preferred or nonpreferred based on sitting scores for the respective sitting positions in that cluster, wherein a higher sitting score increases a likelihood of the classification being preferred;
receive a series of pressure maps indicating a respective series of sitting positions of the occupant in the seat, wherein the pressure maps include a current pressure map;
assign one of the sitting positions to one of the clusters that is classified as preferred in response to the sitting score of that sitting position being greater than a threshold score; and
adjust a physical configuration of the seat in response to a current sitting position being in one of the clusters that is classified as nonpreferred.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to determine the sitting scores for the respective sitting positions based on occupant input data.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to request the occupant input based on expiration of a timer.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to request the occupant input based on detecting the current sitting position has changed.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to:
predict one of the clusters into which the cluster including the current sitting position is most likely to transition based on one of a matrix of probabilities of transition from respective clusters into respective other clusters or cluster similarity measures between the cluster including the current sitting position and respective other clusters, wherein the matrix is based on the series of pressure maps; and
adjust the configuration of the seat based on the predicted one of the clusters.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to:
in response to the current sitting position being in one of the clusters that is classified as preferred, predict that cluster will be nonpreferred after a period of time based on a survival function for that cluster, wherein the survival function determines a probability that that cluster will be preferred after the period of time; and
adjust the configuration of the seat based on the prediction.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the period of time specifies an amount of time that the occupant has remained in the current sitting position.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the period of time specifies an amount of time that the occupant has remained in one or more sitting positions in the cluster including the current sitting position.

9. The system of claim 6 , wherein the period of time specifies an amount of time that the occupant has remained in the seat.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions include instructions to combine two clusters into a single cluster based on overlap between the two clusters and the two clusters having a same classification.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions include instructions to assign each of the series of sitting positions into one of the clusters based on similarity measures between that sitting position and each of the clusters.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the instructions include instructions to, in response to none of the similarity measures between one of the sitting positions and each of the clusters being above a threshold similarity, create a new cluster and assign that sitting position into the new cluster.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the clusters are based on the sitting positions of a plurality of other occupants.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the instructions include instructions to determine a plurality of features of the occupant, and the clusters are based only on the sitting positions of the occupant and other occupants having the same features as the occupant.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the features include a vehicle type in which the respective occupants were sitting in the sitting positions.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the features include demographic information about the occupants.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the clusters are based at least in part on the sitting positions of the other occupants until a collection distance or collection time of the series of pressure maps of the occupant increases above a respective distance threshold or time threshold, after which the clusters are based wholly on the series of sitting positions of the occupant.

18. A system comprising:
a seat having a physical configuration that is adjustable; and
a computer communicatively coupled to the seat;
wherein the computer is programmed to:
store a profile for an occupant, wherein the profile includes a plurality of clusters of sitting positions for the occupant in a seat, and classifications of respective clusters as preferred or nonpreferred;
classify respective clusters as preferred or nonpreferred based on sitting scores for the respective sitting positions in that cluster, wherein a higher sitting score increases a likelihood of the classification being preferred;
receive a series of pressure maps indicating a respective series of sitting positions of the occupant in the seat, wherein the pressure maps include a current pressure map;
assign one of the sitting positions to one of the clusters that is classified as preferred in response to the sitting score of that sitting position being greater than a threshold score; and
adjust a physical configuration of the seat in response to a current sitting position being in one of the clusters that is classified as nonpreferred.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the physical configuration includes at least one of a tilt of the seat, a height of the seat, a recline angle of the seat, a lumbar support position of the seat, or a fill level of a bladder supported by the seat.

20. A method comprising:
storing a profile for an occupant, wherein the profile includes a plurality of clusters of sitting positions for the occupant in a seat, and classifications of respective clusters as preferred or nonpreferred;
classifying respective clusters as preferred or nonpreferred based on sitting scores for the respective sitting positions in that cluster, wherein a higher sitting score increases a likelihood of the classification being preferred;
receiving a series of pressure maps indicating a respective series of sitting positions of the occupant in the seat, wherein the pressure maps include a current pressure map;
assigning one of the sitting positions to one of the clusters that is classified as preferred in response to the sitting score of that sitting position being greater than a threshold score; and
adjusting a physical configuration of the seat in response to a current sitting position being in one of the clusters that is classified as nonpreferred.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Tseng Fling Finn
• Verma Himanshu
• Rawat Swati Johar
• Sonawane Kalyani Purushottam
• Kristinsson Johannes Geir
• Perkins Alex
• Maloney Patrick

Classifications

• B60N2210/40

  Force or pressure sensors · CPC title

• B60R16/037 Primary

  for occupant comfort {, e.g. for automatic adjustment of appliances according to personal settings, e.g. seats, mirrors, steering wheel} · CPC title

• B60N2210/24

  Cameras · CPC title

• B60N2/0278

  using sensors external to the seat for measurements in relation to the seat adjustment, e.g. for identifying the presence of obstacles or the appropriateness of the occupants position · CPC title

• B60N2220/20

  using a deterministic algorithm · CPC title