Boarding/deboarding controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12144768-B2
Application number	US-202017088050-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2020
Priority date	Nov 15, 2019
Publication date	Nov 19, 2024
Grant date	Nov 19, 2024

Abstract

Provided is a boarding/deboarding controller that enables reduce time and effort for boarding and deboarding a vehicle of which canopy is opened or closed to allow a user boards or deboards. One aspect of the present disclosure provides a boarding/deboarding controller for a vehicle including a seat, an occupant compartment provided with the seat, and a canopy that moves to a closed position where the canopy covers the occupant compartment and to an opened position, which is situated upper than the closed position. The boarding/deboarding controller is configured to change a posture or position of the seat concurrently while the canopy is moved from the closed position to the opened position in an opened movement, or, from the opened position to the closed position in a closed movement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A boarding/deboarding control circuit for a vehicle, the vehicle including a seat, an occupant compartment, and a canopy, the occupant compartment including (i) an opening at least at a top of the occupant compartment and (ii) the seat inside the occupant compartment, the canopy being configured to move between a closed position and an opened position, the closed position being a position where the canopy closes the opening of the occupant compartment, the opened position being upper than the closed position,
wherein the seat includes:
a seat body including a seat cushion and a seatback;
a pin and a locking member;
a seat lifter actuator configured to move a rear of the seat cushion along an up-down axis by moving the locking member to be engaged with and released from the pin; and
a reclining actuator configured to pivot the seatback in a direction of a seat front-rear axis relative to the seat cushion,

wherein the boarding/deboarding control circuit is configured (i) to drive the seat lifter actuator to raise the rear of the seat cushion such that the rear of the seat cushion becomes higher than a front of the seat cushion during an opened movement of the canopy from the closed position to the opened position and (ii) to simultaneously drive the reclining actuator to pivot the seatback in a rearward direction during the opened movement of the canopy,
wherein the boarding/deboarding control circuit is configured to drive the seat lifter actuator to start moving the locking member to be released from the pin when the canopy reaches a predetermined opening degree during the opened movement of the canopy, and
wherein, when a release of the locking member is detected after the canopy reaches the predetermined opening degree, the boarding/deboarding control circuit is configured to drive the seat lifter actuator to start raising the seat cushion and simultaneously drive the reclining actuator to start pivoting the seatback in the rearward direction.

2. The boarding/deboarding control circuit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the boarding/deboarding control circuit is configured to drive the seat lifter actuator to lower the rear of the seat cushion in association with a closed movement of the canopy from the opened position to the closed position.

3. The boarding/deboarding control circuit according to claim 2 ,
wherein the boarding/deboarding control circuit is configured (i) to drive the seat lifter actuator to lower the rear of the seat cushion, and (ii) to command the closed movement of the canopy when the seat cushion reaches a predetermined height.

4. The boarding/deboarding control circuit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the boarding/deboarding control circuit is configured to drive the reclining actuator to pivot the seatback in a forward direction in association with a closed movement of the canopy from the opened position to the closed position.

5. The boarding/deboarding control circuit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the seat includes a sliding actuator configured to slide the seat body along a seat front-rear axis, and
wherein the boarding/deboarding control circuit is configured to drive the sliding actuator to slide the seat body in association with (i) the opened movement of the canopy or (ii) a closed movement of the canopy from the opened position to the closed position.

6. A boarding/deboarding control circuit for a vehicle, the vehicle including a seat, an occupant compartment, and a canopy, the occupant compartment including (i) an opening at least at a top of the occupant compartment, (ii) the seat inside the occupant compartment and (iii) a steering column inside the occupant compartment, the canopy being configured to move between a closed position and an opened position, the closed position being a position where the canopy closes the opening of the occupant compartment, the opened position being upper than the closed position,
wherein the seat includes:
a seat body including a seat cushion and a seatback;
a pin and a locking member;
a seat lifter actuator configured to move a rear of the seat cushion along an up-down axis by moving the locking member to be engaged with and released from the pin; and
a reclining actuator configured to pivot the seatback in a direction of a seat front-rear axis relative to the seat cushion,

wherein the boarding/deboarding control circuit is configured to start raising the steering column when the canopy reaches a first opening degree during an opened movement of the canopy from the closed position to the opened position,
wherein, after the steering column started being raised during the opened movement of the canopy from the closed position to the opened position, the boarding/deboarding control circuit is configured (i) to drive the seat lifter actuator to raise the rear of the seat cushion such that the rear of the seat cushion becomes higher than a front of the seat cushion and (ii) to simultaneously drive the reclining actuator to pivot the seatback in a rearward direction,
wherein the boarding/deboarding control circuit is configured to drive the seat lifter actuator to start moving the locking member to be released from the pin when the canopy reaches a second opening degree during the opened movement of the canopy, and
wherein, when a release of the locking member is detected after the canopy reaches the second opening degree, the boarding/deboarding control circuit is configured to drive the seat lifter actuator to start raising the seat cushion and simultaneously drive the reclining actuator to start pivoting the seatback in the rearward direction.

7. The boarding/deboarding control circuit according to claim 6 , wherein
the boarding/deboarding control circuit is configured to continue moving the steering column after the boarding/deboarding control circuit drives the seat lifter actuator to raise the rear of the seat cushion such that the rear of the seat cushion becomes higher than the front of the seat cushion and simultaneously drives the reclining actuator to pivot the seatback in the rearward direction.

Assignees

• Toyota Boshoku Kk
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Torikai Hirotaka
• Kato Junki
• Kaneko Akira
• Masamura Kouichi
• Waseda Shushi

Classifications

• B60N2/0244

  with logic circuits · CPC title

• B60N2/1615

  Parallelogram-like structure · CPC title

• B60N2002/247

  to support passengers in a half-standing position · CPC title

• B60N2/0256

  Arrangements for facilitating the occupant to get in or out of the vehicle, e.g. stowing a seat forward · CPC title

• A61G5/14 Primary

  Standing-up or sitting-down aids · CPC title