Electricity: motive power systems – Plural diverse motor controls – Motor-reversing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-15
2001-02-27
Ro, Bentsu (Department: 2837)
Electricity: motive power systems
Plural diverse motor controls
Motor-reversing
C318S466000, C244S118600
Reexamination Certificate
active
06194853
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a device for controlling at least one seat module equipped with an assembly of actuators each intended for adjusting a seat element, of the type comprising:
a control unit, suited to the or to each module, for controlling the actuators of the associated seat module from the means for the input of commands, said control unit comprising means for acquiring variables which represent the functioning state of the seat module and which are measured by sensors mounted on said seat module;
a central unit for the management of the seat modules, which is connected to the or to each control unit, said central management unit comprising means for the transmission of information toward the or each control unit.
The term“seat module” designates a single seat or an assembly of interconnected seats which are capable of receiving two, three or four persons.
Such an operating installation is described, for example, in the document WO-97/42050, where it is applied to aircraft seats.
In this document, each seat module is associated with its own control unit. The latter comprises means for the input or logging of commands, such as a keyboard. The logging of a command causes the displacement of one of the seat elements.
In the installation described in the abovementioned document, the various control units of the same aircraft are connected to one another by means of an external bus, in order to make it possible to control a plurality of seats from the same command input means.
The command input means comprise, furthermore, a memory card reader. The card as described contains parametrising information corresponding, for example, to the end positions of each actuator.
The control units are configured on the basis of parametrising information stored in the memory card, said information being stored in the control units.
Thus, by means of such an installation, it is possible, without any direct manual action on the actuators, to define the end positions of the latter and therefore the permissible displacement travel of the actuators.
In a particular embodiment of the installation, the actuators are each equipped with a sensor for readings of a variable representing its functioning state and therefore the functioning of the associated seat module. These sensors are formed, for example, by potentiometers, the two moveable parts of which are secured to two associated moveable parts of each actuator.
The variables measured by each sensor are used by the control unit suited to the seat module, in order to ensure an open-loop control of the actuator associated with the sensor.
The installation described in the abovementioned document makes it possible to dispense with any mechanical action on the seat module in order to define predetermined functioning ranges for each actuator. In fact, these ranges are defined in the control unit by means of the storage of the end positions of each actuator.
However, the production tolerances in the seats and, in particular, the production tolerances in the actuators integrated in these cause appreciable offsets in the actual positions of the seat elements, even though the commands applied to the corresponding actuators are identical and ought to have driven the seat elements into similar positions.
Difficulties in appropriately configuring each of the seats arise as a result.
In particular, it is difficult to align the backs of the adjacent seats, since an aligned position of the seat backs often corresponds to different positions of the actuators associated with the backs.
The object of the invention is to provide an operating installation making it possible to configure and control the seat modules of an aircraft in a simple way and, in particular, making it possible to compensate the production tolerances in the seat modules and in the actuators which they comprise.
For this purpose, the subject of the invention is an installation for operating at least one seat module equipped with an assembly of actuators each intended for adjusting an element of the seat module, of the abovementioned type, characterized in that the or each control unit comprises means for the transmission of at least some of the variables representing the functioning state of the associated seat module toward the central management unit, and in that said central management unit comprises means for processing said transmitted variables.
According to particular embodiments, the operating installation comprises one or more of the following characteristics:
the central management unit comprises means for preparing a request for demanding variables representing the functioning state of at least one of the seat modules, the information transmission means being designed to send this request toward the or each associated control unit, and the transmission means of the or each control unit are designed to send the representative variables demanded toward the central management unit,
the central management unit comprises means for the input of commands for controlling the actuators of at least one seat module, and the information transmission means are designed to send the commands toward the control unit associated with the or with each seat module to be controlled, the or each control unit executing the commands received from the central management unit,
the central management unit comprises means for displaying said representative variables received from the or each control unit,
the central management unit is removable,
it comprises an external bus, to which the central management unit and the or each control unit are connected,
the or each control unit comprises means for the processing and storage of variables representing the functioning state of the associated seat module, and the transmission means of the or each control unit are designed to send the processed and stored representative variables toward the central management unit,
the or each control unit comprises, on the one hand, means for evaluating the intensity supplied to each actuator and, on the other hand, means for controlling the or each actuator in the opposite direction when the intensity supplied to the actuator departs from a predefined range, and the or each control unit comprises means for interrupting the oppositely directed control of the actuator after an oppositely directed displacement of the actuator greater than a predefined displacement or after the completion of a predefined period of time, the first of the conditions which is satisfied terminating the oppositely directed control of the actuator.
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JP Absts. of Japan, European Patent Office; Pub No. 05112165. May 7, 1993; Inventor: Nishiyama, K.; Title: Control Device For Seat Of Vehicle.
Marin-Martinod Thierry
Renault Guy
Tual Frederic
Labinal
Larson & Taylor PLC
Ro Bentsu
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