Electronically controlled seat system with tilt-and-slide mode
AssigneeTesla, Inc.
InventorsDavid Eduardo Banales Cano, Nathan Di Giusto
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A seat system includes: a base; a seatback; at least one recliner connecting the base and the seatback to each other for pivoting of the seatback relative to the base; a slider coupled to the base and configured for sliding engagement with a track having a detent region and a tilt-and slide region; and an electronic controller, wherein without mechanical interlock between the recliner and the slider, the electronic controller causes the recliner to place the seatback in a non-passenger position when the slider is within the tilt-and-slide region, and causes the recliner to place the seatback in a passenger position when the slider is within the detent region.
Claims22
A seat system comprising:
- a base;
- a seatback;
- at least one recliner connecting the base and the seatback to each other for pivoting of the seatback relative to the base;
- a slider coupled to the base and configured for sliding engagement with a track having a detent region and a tilt-and-slide region that are horizontally separate from one another, wherein the detent region of the track has detents, and wherein the tilt-and-slide region of the track does not have detents;
- a first mechanism and a second mechanism, wherein the first mechanism is actuated to allow the slider to bypass the detents in the detent region, wherein the second mechanism is actuated to allow the slider to cross a boundary between the detent region and the tilt-and-slide region, wherein the first mechanism and the second mechanism are both actuated by a first cable, and wherein the first mechanism is also actuated by a second cable without actuating the second mechanism;
- one or more switches or sensors configured to detect whether the slider is within the detent region;
- and
- an electronic controller, wherein without mechanical interlock between the at least one recliner and the slider and based at least on a detection by the one or more switches or sensors, the electronic controller causes the at least one recliner to place the seatback in a non-passenger position when the slider is within the tilt-and-slide region, and causes the at least one recliner to place the seatback in a passenger position when the slider is within the detent region.
A method comprising:
- receiving a user activated input, the user activated input generated via a switch or a button in electrical connection with an electronic controller configured to energize one or more actuators associated with a seat system;
- moving, based on activation of the electronic controller, a slider of the seat system from a detent region of a track to a tilt-and-slide region of the track by actuating a first cable to actuate a first mechanism and a second mechanism, wherein the detent region and the tilt-and-slide region are horizontally separated from one another, wherein the detent region has detents, and wherein the tilt-and-slide region does not have detents, wherein the first mechanism is actuated to allow the slider to bypass the detents in the detent region, wherein the second mechanism is actuated to allow the slider to cross a boundary between the detent region and the tilt-and-slide region, wherein the first mechanism and the second mechanism are both actuated by the first cable, and wherein the first mechanism is also actuated by a second cable without actuating the second mechanism;
- adjusting, based on the activation of the electronic controller, a seatback to a non-passenger position while the slider is in the tilt-and-slide region, the seatback adjusted using a recliner that has no mechanical interlock with the slider;
- determining, based on the activation of the electronic controller, that the slider has moved from the tilt-and-slide region to the detent region;
- and
- in response to determining that the slider is in the detent region, placing, based on the activation of the electronic controller, the seatback in a passenger position using the recliner.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.