Seat control device, seat control method, non-transitory recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12187165-B2
Application number	US-202217874853-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2022
Priority date	Aug 18, 2021
Publication date	Jan 7, 2025
Grant date	Jan 7, 2025

Abstract

A seat control device includes a memory and a processor coupled to the memory. The processor is configured to, based on a selection by an occupant of a vehicle, select a video display area for displaying a video from among a plurality of video display areas provided at the vehicle, determine an adjustment amount corresponding to the determined video display area for a vehicle seat provided in the vehicle, and, via a modulation section, modulate a position and posture of the vehicle seat based on the determined adjustment amount of the vehicle seat.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A seat control device, comprising:
a memory; and
a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to:
based on a selection by an occupant of a vehicle, select a video display area for displaying a video from among a plurality of video display areas, including a front windshield provided at the vehicle;
determine an adjustment amount corresponding to the selected video display area for a plurality of vehicle seats, including a front seat and a rear seat, provided in the vehicle;
modulate a position and posture of the plurality of vehicle seats based on the determined adjustment amount of the plurality of vehicle seats;
determine the adjustment amount for the position of the plurality of vehicle seats along a vehicle width direction, and a rotation angle of the plurality of vehicle seats about an axis along a vertical direction;
via an in-cabin camera configured to image an interior of a vehicle cabin of the vehicle, detect a seated occupant seated in the plurality of vehicle seats;
determine the vehicle seat adjustment amount in accordance with the plurality of vehicle seats in which the detected occupant is seated; and
in a case in which the occupant selects the front windshield as the video display area and the processor detects occupants seated in the front seat and the rear seat, cause the front seat to move to a vehicle width direction edge and rotate from a vehicle forward direction to face toward a vehicle width direction inner side in a plan view so as to face a center portion of the front windshield, and cause the rear seat to move toward a vehicle width direction center.

2. The seat control device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine a setting condition for the position and posture of each vehicle seat of the plurality of vehicle seats based on the selected video display area;
detect the position and posture of each of the vehicle seats of the plurality of vehicle seats; and
determine a difference between the setting condition and the detected position and posture of the respective vehicle seats as the adjustment amount for each of the vehicle seats of the plurality of vehicle seats.

3. The seat control device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine the adjustment amount for the plurality of vehicle seats along a vehicle front-rear direction and a reclining angle of a seatback section of the plurality of vehicle seats.

4. The seat control device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
via the in-cabin camera, detect an eye point of the occupant seated in the plurality of vehicle seats; and
determine the vehicle seat adjustment amount in accordance with the eye point of the occupant.

5. A seat control method executed by a processor, the method comprising:
based on a selection by an occupant of a vehicle, selecting a video display area for displaying a video from among a plurality of video display areas, including a front windshield provided at the vehicle;
determining an adjustment amount corresponding to the selected video display area for a plurality of vehicle seats, including a front seat and a rear seat provided in the vehicle;
modulating a position and posture of the plurality of vehicle seats based on the determined vehicle seat adjustment amount;
determining the adjustment amount for the position of the plurality of vehicle seats along a vehicle width direction, and a rotation angle of the plurality of vehicle seats about an axis along a vertical direction;
via an in-cabin camera configured to image an interior of a vehicle cabin of the vehicle, detecting a seated occupant seated in the plurality of vehicle seats;
determining the vehicle seat adjustment amount in accordance with the plurality of vehicle seats in which the detected occupant is seated; and
in a case in which the occupant selects the front windshield as the video display area and the processor detects occupants seated in the front seat and the rear seat, causing the front seat to move to a vehicle width direction edge and rotate from a vehicle forward direction to face toward a vehicle width direction inner side in a plan view so as to face a center portion of the front windshield, and causing the rear seat to move toward a vehicle width direction center.

6. The seat control method of claim 5 , further comprising:
determining a setting condition for the position and posture of each vehicle seat of the plurality of vehicle seats based on the selected video display area;
detecting the position and posture of each of the vehicle seats of the plurality of vehicle seats; and
determining a difference between the setting condition and the detected position and posture of the respective vehicle seats as the adjustment amount for each of the vehicle seats of the plurality of vehicle seats.

7. The seat control method of claim 5 , further comprising:
determining the adjustment amount for the plurality of vehicle seats along a vehicle front-rear direction and a reclining angle of a seatback section of the plurality of vehicle seats.

8. The seat control method of claim 5 , further comprising:
via the in-cabin camera, detecting an eye point of the occupant seated in the plurality of vehicle seats; and
determining the vehicle seat adjustment amount in accordance with the eye point of the occupant.

9. A non-transitory storage medium storing a seat control program executable by a processor to perform seat control processing, the seat control processing comprising:
based on a selection by an occupant of a vehicle, selecting a video display area for displaying a video from among a plurality of video display areas, including a front windshield provided at the vehicle;
determining an adjustment amount corresponding to the selected video display area for a plurality of vehicle seats, including a front seat and a rear seat provided in the vehicle;
modulating a position and posture of the plurality of vehicle seats based on the determined vehicle seat adjustment amount;
determining the adjustment amount for the position of the plurality of vehicle seats along a vehicle width direction, and a rotation angle of the plurality of vehicle seats about an axis along a vertical direction;
via an in-cabin camera configured to image an interior of a vehicle cabin of the vehicle, detecting a seated occupant seated in the plurality of vehicle seats;
determining the vehicle seat adjustment amount in accordance with the plurality of vehicle seats in which the detected occupant is seated; and
in a case in which the occupant selects the front windshield as the video display area and the processor detects occupants seated in the front seat and the rear seat, causing the front seat to move to a vehicle width direction edge and rotate from a vehicle forward direction to face toward a vehicle width direction inner side in a plan view so as to face a center portion of the front windshield, and causing the rear seat to move toward a vehicle width direction center.

10. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 9 , the seat control processing further comprising:
determining a setting condition for the position and posture of each vehicle seat of the plurality of vehicle seats based on the selected video display area;
detecting the position and posture of each of the vehicle seats of the plurality of vehicle seats; and
determining a difference between the setting condition and the detected position and posture of the respective vehicle seats as the adjustment amount for each of the vehicle seats of the plurality of vehicle seats.

11. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 9 , the s

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ohno Mitsuyoshi
• Sakurai Hideyuki
• Tomita Hiroyuki

Classifications

• B60K35/28

  characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver · CPC title

• B60K35/22

  Display screens · CPC title

• B60K35/10

  Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor · CPC title

• B60N2210/24

  Cameras · CPC title

• B60N2/003

  characterised by the sensor mounting location in or on the seat · CPC title