JPH07149171A - Posture control device for seat of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a posture control device for a seat of a vehicle which is formed compact and can be applied for all the sorts of vehicles. CONSTITUTION:This posture control device for a seat of a vehicle is installed between the floor F of the vehicle and the seating part 11 of the seat 1, and it is provided with a seat supporting mechanism 100 supporting the seat in a turnable manner in the lateral direction relative to the advancing direction, a driving means 4 moving the seating part of the seat in a lateral turn, a sensor 5 detecting some one among the lateral turning position of the vehicle, the lateral turning speed, the lateral turning acceleration, and the acceleration in the lateral direction, and a control device 7 setting the seating part 11 of the seat on the optimum lateral turning position.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention, when a vehicle such as an automobile leans laterally or receives a lateral acceleration due to a turning motion, rotates the seat laterally so that the posture of the driver is appropriate. The present invention relates to an attitude control device for a vehicle seat, which is controlled as follows.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The driver's seat of an automobile is mounted on the floor of the vehicle body, and when the vehicle body travels on an inclined surface or turns at a high speed during driving, the driver is in a leaning posture or centrifugal force. You may not be able to drive in the optimal posture due to being hit. For this reason,
A device for controlling a vehicle body in an appropriate posture such as horizontal has been proposed for a suspension connecting wheels and a vehicle body.

[0003]

However, the attitude control of the vehicle body requires a large amount of equipment because the weight of the vehicle body is large, and it has a drawback that it cannot be applied to other vehicles such as ships and aircrafts. An object of the present invention is to provide a posture control device for a vehicle seat that is compact in size and applicable to all types of vehicles.

[0004]

An attitude control device for a vehicle seat according to the present invention is installed between a floor of a vehicle and a seat portion of the vehicle, and rotates the seat laterally with respect to the traveling direction. A seat support mechanism that supports the seat, a drive means that laterally rotates the seat of the seat, and a lateral rotation position of the vehicle, a lateral rotation speed, a lateral rotation acceleration, a lateral acceleration, or a centrifugal force. It is composed of a sensor and a control device which operates the drive means by an output signal of the sensor to set the seat portion of the seat to the optimum lateral rotation position.

[0005]

Since the attitude control device for a vehicle seat according to the present invention is installed between the floor of the vehicle and the seat portion of the vehicle, it is lightweight and compact, and in addition to automobiles, it is used for small boats and trains. It can be applied to many vehicles.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described with reference to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. The attitude control device for the vehicle seat is installed between the floor F of the automobile and the seat portion 11 of the driver's seat 1. The arrow K indicates the traveling direction of the automobile, and 12 indicates the back of the seat. The attitude control device includes a seat support mechanism 100 that supports the seat portion 11 on the floor F so as to be rotatable laterally with respect to the traveling direction. The seat support mechanism 100 includes the lateral support mechanism 2 and the seat portion 11 that rolls over sideways. And a front-back support mechanism 3 for supporting the seat portion 11 in the front-back direction.

On the floor F below the seat 11, a drive means 4 for horizontally rotating the seat 11 is installed, and in front of the lateral support mechanism 2, a lateral rotational position, a lateral rotational speed of the vehicle, A sensor 5 that detects lateral rotation acceleration and lateral acceleration is installed. Reference numeral 7 is a control device that operates the drive means 4 in accordance with the output signal of the sensor 5 to set the seat portion 11 of the seat to the optimum lateral rotation position.

The lateral support mechanism 2 is a support member 2 which is arranged so as to intersect in a substantially X-shape in a direction substantially orthogonal to the traveling direction.
1 and 22 are mounted on the front portion and the rear portion between the lower surface 13 of the seat portion 11 of the seat and the floor F in pairs. The upper ends of the respective support members 21 and 22 are rotatably attached to the lower both sides 14 and 15 of the seat 11, and the lower ends thereof are rotatably attached to the floor F.

The front-rear support mechanism 3 has a front-rear direction stabilizing rod 3 having joints 31 which are rotatable in the torsional direction at both ends.
The front end 33 is rotatably attached to the front part of the seat lower surface 13, and the rear end 34 is rotatably attached to the floor F. The drive means 4 includes a motor 41 installed on the floor F located at the center of the seat 11, and a drive pinion 42 driven by the motor 41 around an axis in the vehicle traveling direction.
And a flexible rack 43 that meshes with the drive pinion 42 at an intermediate portion. Both ends 44 and 45 of the flexible rack 43 are located on both lower sides 14 of the seat 11.
It is fixed to the intermediate portion in the front-rear direction of 15 (both left and right ends).

As shown in FIG. 4, the sensor 5 has a base 51 for fastening to the floor F, and a position adjusting mechanism 5 on the base 51.
The sensor main body 6 is housed in an elongated box-shaped case 53 that is installed in a disassembled state, and is installed laterally on a floor F in front of the lateral support mechanism 2. Position adjustment mechanism 52
At one end of the case 53 with a fulcrum bolt 54
1 is pivotally attached to the base 5, and at the other end is a base 5 with a lock nut 55.
1. A level adjusting bolt 56 fixed to be displaceable in No. 1 and a spring 59 interposed between a flange 57 projecting from the other end of the case and a spring stop seat 58 overlaid on the nut 55 so as to be adjustable in level. is doing.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the sensor body 6 is housed in the case 53 and has an arc-shaped electrical insulating material whose both ends are fixed to the inner wall of the case 53 by brackets 61, 61. It has a curved tube (sensor tube) 62 made of. The curved tube 62 has a middle portion 63 as a lower portion, both end portions 64,
64 are arranged in the higher order, and are set accurately in the lateral direction with respect to the traveling direction. A pair of electrode terminals 65, which are exposed on the inner wall so as to face each other, are arranged in a row at a predetermined interval in the curved tube 62, and a small amount of mercury 66 is put therein, and both ends of the curved tube 62 have ventilation holes 68 with air filters 67. It is closed by plugs 69, 69 having In this sensor body 6, the mercury 66 moves in the curved tube 62 due to the lateral inclination of the automobile or the lateral acceleration applied to the automobile, and the predetermined electrode terminal pair 65 is moved to the mercury 66.
And the position of the connected electrode terminal pair 65 is detected by the change in the electric resistance value to detect the inclination of the vehicle or the acceleration applied to the vehicle.

The control device 7 is composed of a microcomputer, inputs the output of the sensor 5 and rotates the motor 41 to tilt the seat portion 11 laterally in the direction opposite to the lateral tilting of the vehicle body. When the sensor 5 detects lateral acceleration (centrifugal force), the seat portion 11 is tilted from the horizontal position in the direction opposite to the acceleration (centrifugal force) direction (direction of turning center). When the inclination of the road and the acceleration due to the turning travel occur at the same time, the mercury 66 is displaced to a position where the two are balanced, so that an appropriate control angle of the seat 11 is set.

This attitude control device operates as follows. While the vehicle is traveling on a flat ground, the mercury 66 of the sensor 5 is at the intermediate position (lowermost position) of the curved tube 62, and the controller 7 drives the output of the sensor 6 to set the seat 11 to the horizontal position. The motor 41 of No. 4 is operated and kept in the horizontal position.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the vehicle travels on a laterally inclined road or stops on an inclined surface, the mercury 66 of the sensor 5 is displaced to the inclined side and the inclination angle is detected. 7 operates the motor 41 to rotate the seat portion 11 in the opposite direction by the inclination angle to keep the posture of the driver vertical. At this time, the seat portion 11 is supported by the support members 21 and 22 of the lateral support mechanism 2 so that the seat portion 11 rotates about the chest above the seat portion 11.
By setting the dimension of, the driver does not have to move the upper half of the body around the seat, so that the driver can maintain comfort.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the vehicle is turning, such as when traveling on a curved road, the mercury 66 of the sensor 5 is displaced in the direction opposite to the turning direction by the centrifugal force corresponding to the vehicle speed and the turning radius. . The control device 7 detects the centrifugal force from the displacement position of the mercury 66, and according to the displacement amount from the center, the motor 4 is inclined so as to incline the seat portion 11 toward the turning center side.
Activate 1.

FIGS. 8 to 10 show a second part of the seat support mechanism 100.
An example is shown. In this embodiment, leg plates 81 and 82 are arranged on both sides of the lower surface 13 of the seat portion 11, respectively. Leg plate 8
1, 82 have upper ends thereof rotatably attached to both sides 14 and 15 of the lower surface 13 of the seat portion at two points in the front and rear, and have lower ends rotatably attached to the floor F at two points in the front and rear direction so that the seat portion 11 has a lateral direction. It supports rotation freely. This structure has the advantage that the front-back support mechanism 3 in the first embodiment is unnecessary and the structure is simple, but on the other hand, as shown in FIG.
Since the vertical length is short and the distance between the upper and lower joints is short, the center of rotation of the seat portion 11 is low and the swing of the upper half of the driver's body becomes large.

11 to 13 show a third embodiment of the attitude control device. In this embodiment, the optimum position adjusting device 9 is mounted between the lower surface 13 of the seat portion 11 and the seat support mechanism 100. The optimum position adjusting device 9 may be a well-known manual front-back sliding device for a seat that allows the seat 1 to move in the front-rear direction by unlocking the slide lever 91, and includes a switch and a servo mechanism. A known automatic adjustment device that adjusts the front-rear position, height, front-rear angle, and the like of the use seat portion 11 may be used. With the configuration of this embodiment, the driver's seat 1 with the optimum position adjusting device, which is used in the driver's seat of an automobile, can be placed on the seat support mechanism 100 as it is, so that there is an advantage that it can be mounted on an existing vehicle as it is. . Further, in this embodiment, the sensor 5 includes a pair of mercury switches 92, 92 mounted on the left and right of the seat 1 and turned on and off by an inclination of a certain angle or a centrifugal force of a certain value or more. In this configuration, the sensor 5 can be constructed at a low cost because the inexpensive or commercially available mercury switch 92 is used to detect the tilting or turning motion of the vehicle.

The seat support mechanism 100 is not limited to the above embodiment, is attached to the inner surface of the cylinder fixed to the floor F and has an axis in the traveling direction, and is attached below the seat portion 11, and freely rotates with the inner surface of the cylinder. It may be combined with the outer surface of the cylinder. Further, the drive means 4 can also use a piston that expands and contracts by hydraulic pressure or air pressure. Furthermore, the posture control device for a vehicle seat according to the present invention can be applied to small boats, airplanes, trains, etc., in addition to automobiles.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a seat attitude control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the seat attitude control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view for explaining the operation of the attitude control device of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a sensor.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the sensor.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing a traveling state of an automobile on a sloping road.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing turning of an automobile.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a seat attitude control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the seat attitude control device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a front view for explaining the operation of the attitude control device of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a front view of a seat attitude control device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a front view of a seat attitude control device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a side view of a seat attitude control device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100 seat support mechanism 1 seat 2 lateral support mechanism 3 front and rear support mechanism 4 driving means 5 sensor 6 sensor body 9 optimum position adjusting device 7 control device 11 seat portion

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A seat support mechanism, which is installed between a floor of a vehicle and a seat portion of the seat and rotatably supports the seat laterally with respect to a traveling direction, and a seat portion of the seat which is horizontally rotated. A driving means, a sensor for detecting any of a lateral rotation position, a lateral rotation speed, a lateral rotation acceleration, a lateral acceleration or a centrifugal force of the vehicle; An attitude control device for a vehicle seat, comprising a control device for setting a seat portion to an optimum lateral rotation position. 2. The seat support mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the seat support mechanism is disposed between the lower surface of the seat of the seat and the floor so as to intersect in a substantially X-shape in a direction substantially orthogonal to the traveling direction. At the same time, the upper and lower ends of the seats are rotatably attached to both sides of the lower part of the seat part, and the lower and lower ends of the seats are rotatably attached to the front and rear, respectively. Control device. 3. The seat support mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the seat support mechanism is rotatably arranged between a bottom surface of a seat of a seat and a floor in a plane substantially orthogonal to the traveling direction, and An attitude control device for a vehicle seat, comprising: a support member having upper ends rotatably attached to both lower sides of a seat portion of the seat, and lower ends of the support members rotatably attached to the floor. 4. The motor according to claim 1, wherein the drive means is a motor installed on the floor, a pinion driven by the motor around an axis in the traveling direction, and meshed with the pinion at an intermediate portion, and both ends of the seat are seated. An attitude control device for a vehicle seat, comprising a flexible rack fixed to both left and right ends of a seat portion. 5. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor has an arc-shaped electrically insulating cylinder laterally installed in a vehicle such that an intermediate portion is lower and both ends are upper, and a predetermined space is provided in the cylinder. And the mercury contained in the cylinder, the mercury moves in the cylinder due to the inclination of the vehicle or the acceleration applied to the vehicle, and the position of the mercury is detected by the electrode terminal. An attitude control device for a vehicle seat, which detects an inclination of a vehicle or an acceleration applied to the vehicle. 6. The attitude control device for a vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein an optimal seat position adjusting device is interposed between the seat portion of the seat and the drive means. 7. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the sensors are mounted on the left and right sides of the seat, and each sensor comprises a pair of mercury switches that are turned on and off by an inclination of a certain angle or a centrifugal force of a certain value or more. Seat attitude control device.