Seat system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023256328-A1
Application number	US-202318302143-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 18, 2023
Priority date	Oct 19, 2020
Publication date	Aug 17, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A seat system includes a seat, a controller, and a terminal. The seat includes a seat body, and a plurality of sensors configured to acquire information for use in detecting a motion of a user seated on the seat body. The controller is configured to acquire the information from the sensors. The terminal comprises a screen. The controller is configured to cause an object operated by the user to move based on the information acquired from the sensors, and to cause a movable object on the screen to move according to a motion of the object operated by the user.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A seat system comprising:
a seat comprising a seat body, and a plurality of sensors configured to acquire information for use in detecting a motion of a user seated on the seat body; a controller configured to acquire the information from the sensors; and a terminal comprising a screen, wherein the controller is configured to cause an object operated by the user to move based on the information acquired from the sensors, and to cause a movable object on the screen to move according to a motion of the object operated by the user.

2 . The seat system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the movable object is a character representing an animal, and wherein the controller is configured such that if it is determined, based on the information acquired from the sensors, that the user has made a first motion to feed the character, a food icon for the animal is displayed on the screen and the character is moved toward a location of the food icon.

3 . The seat system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the movable object is a character representing an animal, and wherein the controller is configured such that if it is determined, based on the information acquired from the sensors, that the user has made a second motion to attack the character, an image indicating an attack is displayed on the screen and the character is caused to run away or to fall to the ground.

4 . The seat system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the movable object is a character representing an animal, and wherein the controller is configured such that;
if it is determined that an output value from the sensors has not changed, the character on the screen is increased in number, and
if it is determined that the output value from the sensors has changed, the character is caused to run away.

5 . The seat system according to claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured such that if an amount of fluctuation per unit time in an output value of the sensors is greater than a predetermined value, it is determined that the user is surprised and an image indicating a surprise is displayed on the screen.

6 . The seat system according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured such that if it is determined that the user is surprised, the character on the screen is increased in number.

7 . The seat system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the terminal comprises a first screen, and a second screen disposed on the right of the first screen, and wherein the controller is configured such that if it is determined, based on the information acquired from the sensors, that the object operated by the user is located at a right end of the first screen and is heading to the right, the object operated by the user is moved onto the second screen.

8 . The seat system according to claim 1 , further comprising a height-adjustment mechanism configured to change a height of at least a part of the seat body,
wherein the seat body comprises a seat bottom, wherein the plurality of sensors include a plurality of pressure sensors provided at the seat bottom and configured to detect pressures exerted on a seating surface of the seat bottom, the plurality of pressure sensors including:
a front-right sensor located frontward in the front-rear direction and rightward in the left-right direction of a midsection of the seating surface of the seat bottom; and
a front-left sensor located frontward in the front-rear direction and leftward in the left-right direction of the midsection of the seating surface of the seat bottom, and
wherein the controller controls the height-adjustment mechanism to change the height of at least the part of the seat body such that pressures detected by the front-right sensor and the front-left sensor satisfy a predetermined condition.

9 . The seat system according to claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured, if the pressures detected by the front-right sensor and the front-left sensor are equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, to move the seat bottom upward, and to stop the seat bottom when amounts of change per unit time in the pressures detected by the front-right sensor and the front-left sensor become equal to or smaller than a first threshold.

10 . The seat system according to claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured, if the pressures detected by the front-right sensor and the front-left sensor are not equal to or smaller than the predetermined value, to move the seat bottom downward until amounts of change per unit time in the pressures detected by the front-right sensor and the front-left sensor become equal to or greater than a second threshold and then to move the seat bottom upward, and to stop the seat bottom when the amounts of change per unit time in the pressures detected by the front-right sensor and the front-left sensor become equal to or smaller than a first threshold.

11 . The seat system according to claim 8 ,
wherein the seat body comprises a seat bottom, and a footrest configured to support a foot of an occupant seated on the seat bottom, wherein the height-adjustment mechanism includes a footrest-adjustment mechanism configured to change a height of the footrest relative to the seat bottom, and wherein the controller controls the footrest-adjustment mechanism to change the height of the footrest such that the pressures detected by the front-right sensor and the front-left sensor satisfy a predetermined condition.

12 . The seat system according to claim 11 , wherein the controller is configured, if the pressures detected by the front-right sensor and the front-left sensor are equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, to move the footrest downward, and to stop the footrest when amounts of change per unit time in the pressures detected by the front-right sensor and the front-left sensor become equal to or smaller than a first threshold.

13 . The seat system according to claim 11 , wherein the controller is configured, if the pressures detected by the front-right sensor and the front-left sensor are not equal to or smaller than the predetermined value, to move the footrest upward until amounts of change per unit time in the pressures detected by the front-right sensor and the front-left sensor become equal to or greater than a second threshold and then to move the footrest downward, and to stop the footrest when the amounts of change per unit time in the pressures detected by the front-right sensor and the front-left sensor become equal to or smaller than a first threshold.

14 . The seat system according to claim 9 , wherein the first threshold is a value greater than zero.

15 . The seat system according to claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to:
determine that a right leg of an occupant seated on the seat body has been lifted based on a pressure detected by the front-right sensor decreasing; and determine that a left leg of the occupant seated on the seat body has been lifted based on a pressure detected by the front-left sensor decreasing.

16 . The seat system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the seat body comprises a seat bottom and a backrest, wherein the seat comprises a seat cushion placed and used on the seat body, the seat cushion comprising:
a first cushion placed on the seat bottom, the first cushion having a seating surface facing an occupant, and a mounting surface facing the seat bottom, the first cushion comprising:
a first band extending from one of a right side portion and a left side portion of the first cushion, the first band comprising a first fixing portion fixed to another of the right side port

Assignees

• Ts Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kaku Hiroyuki
• Miyoshi Takako
• WAKU Michinobu
• Soma Marie
• Kusano Atsushi
• Kaneda Satoru
• Kowa Munetaka
• Higashi Yosuke
• Hirose Ryuichiro
• Sato Ryosuke

Classifications

• A63F13/245

  specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels · CPC title

• A63F13/218 Primary

  using pressure sensors, e.g. generating a signal proportional to the pressure applied by the player · CPC title

• A63F13/214

  for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads · CPC title

• A63F13/56

  Computing the motion of game characters with respect to other game characters, game objects or elements of the game scene, e.g. for simulating the behaviour of a group of virtual soldiers or for path finding · CPC title

• A63F13/26

  having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth · CPC title