Seat control device, storage medium storing computer program for controlling seat and method for controlling seat

A computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium storing a computer program for controlling a seat, which causes a processor to execute a process, the process comprising:

• determining whether a control transfer demand for transferring driving of a vehicle from a manual control operation to an automatic control operation or from the manual control operation to the automatic control operation has been made;
• determining whether a seat position of a seat on which a driver is seated is in a displaceable state based on information representing a state of the driver, the state of the driver indicating at least whether the driver is holding an object;
• displacing, based on determining that the control transfer demand has been made and that the seat position is in the displaceable state, the seat position from a position for the automatic control operation to a position for the manual control operation or from the position for the manual control operation to the position for the automatic control operation using a seat drive unit;
• determining, based on determining that the control transfer demand has been made and that the seat position is not in the displaceable state, to both:
• not implement a displacement, of the seat position from the position for the automatic control operation to the position for the manual control operation or from the position for the manual control operation to the position for the automatic control operation, using the seat drive unit, and
• output a request to the driver to implement the displacement;
• and
• in response to a response from the driver to implement the displacement, implementing the displacement.

A method for controlling a seat carried out by a seat control device, and the method comprising:

• determining that a control transfer demand for transferring driving of a vehicle from a manual control operation to an automatic control operation or from the manual control operation to the automatic control operation has been made;
• determining that a seat position of a seat on which a driver is seated is in a displaceable state based on information representing a state of the driver, the state of the driver indicating at least whether the driver is holding an object;
• displacing, based on determining that the control transfer demand has been made and that the seat position is in the displaceable state, the seat position from a position for the automatic control operation to a position for the manual control operation or from the position for the manual control operation to the position for the automatic control operation using a seat drive unit;
• determining, based on determining that the control transfer demand has been made and that the seat position is not in the displaceable state, to both:
• not implement a displacement, of the seat position from the position for the automatic control operation to the position for the manual control operation or from the position for the manual control operation to the position for the automatic control operation, using the seat drive unit;
• and
• output a request to the driver to implement the displacement;
• and
• in response to a response from the driver to implement the displacement, implement the displacement.