Vehicle seat apparatus for charging portable electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025033568-A1
Application number	US-202418608116-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 18, 2024
Priority date	Jul 27, 2023
Publication date	Jan 30, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vehicle seat apparatus includes: a receiving device provided on a seat of a vehicle, where an auxiliary battery and a portable electronic device are received in the receiving device, and a controller that controls power transmission between the auxiliary battery received in the receiving device and a convenience device of the seat. The receiving device is provided on a back board of the seat, and the auxiliary battery and the portable electronic device may be received in the receiving device or taken from the receiving device. During charging, the auxiliary battery is charged with power of a vehicle power supply or the portable electronic device is wirelessly charged with power of the auxiliary battery in normal times, and the power of the auxiliary battery may be supplied to the convenience device of the seat in an emergency.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vehicle seat apparatus comprising:
a receiving device provided on a seat of a vehicle, wherein an auxiliary battery and a portable electronic device are configured to be received in the receiving device; and a controller configured to control power transmission between the auxiliary battery received in the receiving device and a convenience device of the seat.

2 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the portable electronic device received in the receiving device is wirelessly charged by the auxiliary battery.

3 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the receiving device comprises:
a rotary plate rotatably coupled to a back board of the seat; projections provided on one surface of the rotary plate to fix the received auxiliary battery; and a mesh net provided on a remaining surface of the rotary plate to restrain the received portable electronic device.

4 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein:
a receiving recess is formed on the back board; and the auxiliary battery fixed by the projections is inserted into the receiving recess so as to be received therein.

5 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the receiving recess is dented in a concave shape.

6 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein:
a receiving recess configured such that the auxiliary battery is inserted thereinto so as to be received therein is formed on the back board; and the rotary plate opens and closes the receiving recess by rotating an upper end of the rotary plate about hinge shafts provided at a lower end of the rotary plate and coupled to the back board.

7 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the receiving device further comprises:
a locking device configured to maintain a closed state of the receiving recess by the rotary plate; and open springs installed on the hinge shafts of the rotary plate, and configured to have one end supported by the back board and a remaining end supported by the rotary plate and to provide elastic force to the rotary plate so as to rotate the rotary plate in a direction of opening the receiving recess when the locking device is unlocked.

8 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the locking device comprises:
a locking button provided on the rotary plate and operated by pressing; a locking hook connected to the locking button through links and configured to maintain a locked state between the locking hook and a locking protrusion provided on the rotary plate, when the locking hook comes into contact with the locking protrusion; and locking springs installed on a lower end hinge pin configured to connect the links to the locking hook, and configured to have one end supported by the back board and a remaining end supported by the locking hook and to provide elastic force to the locking hook so as to maintain the locked state between the locking hook and the locking protrusion.

9 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the locking device comprises a locking lever provided on the back board and operated by upward and downward sliding,
wherein, when an end of the locking lever overlaps the rotary plate, a locked state of the rotary plate by the locking lever is maintained in a state in which the rotary plate closes the receiving recess.

10 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the portable electronic device received in the mesh net is exposed rearwards so as to be within a line of sight of a passenger seated in a back seat of the vehicle.

11 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein:
a connection terminal electrically connected to the auxiliary battery restrained by the projections is provided on the rotary plate; and the connection terminal is electrically connected to a vehicle power supply and the convenience device of the seat through the controller.

12 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the controller transmits power, supplied from the vehicle power supply to the convenience device of the seat, to the auxiliary battery received in the receiving device so as to charge the auxiliary battery.

13 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the controller discharges power of the auxiliary battery so as to supply the power of the auxiliary battery to the convenience device of the seat, when power supply from the vehicle power supply to the convenience device of the seat is cut off.

14 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the controller transmits power, supplied to the convenience device of the seat, to the auxiliary battery received in the receiving device so as to charge the auxiliary battery, when an amount of current supplied from the vehicle power supply to the convenience device of the seat is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount.

15 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the controller discharges power of the auxiliary battery so as to supply the power of the auxiliary battery to the convenience device of the seat, when an amount of current supplied from the vehicle power supply to the convenience device of the seat is less than a predetermined amount.

16 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
when the vehicle is charged using an external charging device in a state in which the auxiliary battery is received in the receiving device, the auxiliary battery is configured to be charged together with the vehicle.

17 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein when the auxiliary battery is charged, power of the charged auxiliary battery is usable as a vehicle power source.

18 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to be provided separately from the auxiliary battery so as to control input and output modes of the auxiliary battery, or the auxiliary battery is configured to recognize the input and output modes so as to control input and output.

19 . A vehicle seat comprising the vehicle seat apparatus of claim 1 .

20 . A vehicle comprising the vehicle seat apparatus of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Corp

Inventors

• Hong Suk Won
• Kim Hyeong Jong
• Kong Ju Yeol
• Kim Byeong Kwang
• Shin Seong Hyeon
• Yoo Han Su
• Choi Byung Yong
• Park Sang Do
• Yoo So Young
• Seo Jeong Mi

Classifications

• B60R2011/0015

  Back-rests · CPC title

• B60R2011/0276

  for rear passenger use · CPC title

• E05C19/10

  Hook fastenings; Fastenings in which a link engages a fixed hook-like member · CPC title

• E05C3/045

  in the form of a hook (hook-like fastenings E05C19/10) · CPC title

• B60R16/033

  characterised by the use of electrical cells or batteries (for propulsion puposes B60K1/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06; testing of charge state G01R31/36) · CPC title