Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
Reexamination Certificate
1995-08-11
2001-02-27
Zanelli, Michael J. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
C296S068100, C318S466000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06195603
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to vehicle power seat adjusters and, more specifically, to memory systems for vehicle power seat adjusters which reposition the seat to a stored memory position.
2. Background Art
Power seat adjusters are a popular option on many automotive vehicles and are frequently offered as standard equipment on higher priced vehicles. Such power seat adjusters are primarily used on the driver's seat and, sometimes, on the front passenger seat of the vehicle to provide selective horizontal fore and aft and vertical movement of the seat as well as seat back recliner movement to accommodate occupants of different size and height as well as to provide a comfortable seating position to suit each occupant's preference.
Such power seat adjusters typically carry a seat support frame which supports the seat bottom and sometimes the seat back of a vehicle seat. The seat support frame is mounted on first and second, spaced track assemblies, each formed of an upper track which is connected to the seat support frame and which is slidably mounted on a lower track anchored to the vehicle floor. A drive mechanism typically includes a bi-directional electric motor which rotates a pair of drive shafts extending outward from the motor to a gear assembly or box mounted on each upper track. In one arrangement, each gear box rotates a lead screw extending longitudinally below each upper track. A drive block is fixedly mounted to each lower track and threadingly receives the lead screw to cause reciprocal, horizontal movement of the upper track and the attached seat support frame upon selective energization of the drive motor and the drive shafts.
Similar drive mechanisms are provided for vertical (up and down) adjustment of the seat support frame and, in a seat adjuster having a seat recliner adjustment mechanism, for angularly adjusting the position of the seat back with respect to the seat bottom. The vertical drive mechanism may include separate front and rear edge seat adjustment drive mechanisms for selectively tilting the front and rear edges of the seat bottom independent of each other as well as simultaneously to raise and lower the entire vehicle seat or, in some applications, only the seat bottom or cushion.
Each vertical and recliner drive mechanism also includes a drive motor having a rotatable output shaft connected to a gear assembly either directly in the case of the front and rear vertical drive mechanisms or by means of two shafts extending from a single motor to separate gear assemblies mounted on each upper track or on the seat support frame in the case of a seat recliner drive mechanism.
Control for each drive motor is provided by a manually operable, two position, center neutral switch which is activated by a user and held in one position to supply current to the selected drive motor to rotate the output shaft of the motor in the desired direction to effect repositioning of either the horizontal, vertical and/or seat recliner drive mechanisms of the seat.
It is also known to provide the driver and/or passenger seat with memory capability to automatically move the seat adjuster to one of one or more memory or recall positions which are preset by an occupant. Such seat adjusters with memory control capability have also included a so-called “easy entry” position in which the seat adjuster, upon activation of pushbutton, is moved to a position permitting easy ingress and egress to and from the seat.
In such power seat adjusters, the seat is repositioned under user control or automatically to a recall memory position, or to or from an “easy entry” position at the same, single speed. While such a single speed is acceptable for manual operation of the seat which generally requires only small incremental movements, the generally slow speed of the drive motor for memory seat position recall or movement to or from the “easy entry” position is unsatisfactory due to the length of time required for the seat adjuster to reach the “easy entry” position or to return to the memory position when the driver or passenger is ready to enter or leave the vehicle.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a vehicle power seat adjuster with last seat position memory recall and an easy entry position permitting easy ingress and egress to and from the seat which overcomes the deficiencies of previous devices memory control seat adjusters. It would also be desirable to provide a vehicle power seat adjuster with memory position recall and an easy entry memory position in which the drive motor(s) are capable of multiple speed operation for use in quickly repositioning the seat adjuster to and/or from the “easy entry” position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a multiple speed vehicle seat memory control apparatus which uniquely provides user actuated automatic movement of at least one and/or a plurality of seat adjustments from a last seat adjustment displacement position to a predefined easy entry position for easy ingress and egress of a passenger to and from the seat.
The apparatus includes a motor and drive mechanism operative to position a first seat component relative to a second seat component. Means are connected to the motor for generating a first seat component displacement signal indicative of the position of the first seat component relative to the second seat component. Memory means store the first seat component displacement signal and a preset easy entry displacement position of the first seat component. Easy entry select means are provided for selecting the easy entry displacement position of the first seat component. Recall select means are provided for selecting the last displacement position of the first seat component. A control means is connected to the memory and is responsive to the easy entry select means and the recall select means for respectively repositioning the first seat component to the predefined easy entry position and back to the last displacement position upon respective activation of the easy entry select means and the recall select means.
In an exemplary embodiment, the drive motor of the power seat adjuster has a bidirectionally movable output member, such as a rotatable shaft. Further, each drive motor includes means for generating at least two distinct speeds of rotation of the output member or shaft, the higher speeds being employed for movement to the easy entry position and the lower speed being employed for user selected seat adjustments and possibly automatic movement of the seat from the easy entry position to the last displacement seat adjuster position.
Preset first and second end of travel limits for each controlled seat adjustment component with respect to a corresponding second seat component are also stored in the memory. The end of travel limits are compared by the control means with the current displacement position of each seat component during movement of the seat component to enable the controller to deactivate the drive motor when the seat adjustment component controlled by the drive motor reaches one of the preset end of travel limits.
The apparatus of the present invention uniquely provides a high speed movement of a power seat adjuster from a last user selected seat adjuster displacement position to a preset easy entry position which permits easy ingress and egress of a passenger to and from the seat. In this manner, the easy entry position is achieved in the quickest possible time for enhanced user convenience.
Further, the preset end of travel limits stored in the memory and utilized by the controller to deactivate any motor drive when the particular seat adjustable component reaches one of the predefined end of travel limits eliminates the high strength hard structural stop required in previously devised power seat adjusters to limit extreme movement of each seat adjustment component between extreme ends of travel. This also eliminates the abrupt stop of the seat adjuster during such movements which is disruptive or a nuisance to a se
Gauger Derek K.
Rees Richard W. A.
Lear Corporation
MacMillan Sobanski & Todd LLC
Zanelli Michael J.
LandOfFree
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