US 11,752,901 B2
Vehicle seat with tilting seat portion
Umesh N. Gandhi, Farmington Hills, MI (US); Brian J. Pinkelman, Ann Arbor, MI (US); Ryohei Tsuruta, Ann Arbor, MI (US); and Mark A. Gummin, Silverton, OR (US)
Assigned to Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Plano, TX (US); and Miga Technologies, LLC, Silverton, OR (US)
Filed by Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Plano, TX (US); and Miga Technologies, LLC, Silverton, OR (US)
Filed on Mar. 28, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/367,457.
Prior Publication US 2020/0307416 A1, Oct. 1, 2020
Int. Cl. B60N 2/02 (2006.01); B60N 2/50 (2006.01); B60N 2/68 (2006.01)
CPC B60N 2/0248 (2013.01) [B60N 2/501 (2013.01); B60N 2/502 (2013.01); B60N 2/68 (2013.01); B60N 2002/026 (2013.01); B60N 2002/0268 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system comprising:
a vehicle seat including a seat portion, the seat portion including:
a seat cushion;
a seat pan, the seat cushion being at least partially supported by the seat pan; and
a seat frame, the seat pan being at least partially supported by the seat frame;
a first shape memory material member located between the seat pan and the seat frame, the first shape memory material member being operatively positioned such that, when activated, the first shape memory material member becomes taut and directly contacts an underside of the seat pan to cause the entire seat pan to tilt in a first lateral direction, whereby the seat cushion tilts in the first lateral direction, and when not activated, the first shape memory material member becomes slack and does not substantially engage the seat pan, whereby the seat cushion does not tilt in the first lateral direction; and
a second shape memory material member located between the seat pan and the seat frame, the second shape memory material member being operatively positioned such that, when activated, the second shape memory material member becomes taut and directly contacts an underside of the seat pan to cause the entire seat pan to tilt in a second lateral direction, whereby the seat cushion tilts in the second lateral direction, and when not activated, the second shape memory material member becomes slack and does not substantially engage the seat pan, whereby the seat cushion does not tilt in the second lateral direction,
the first shape memory material member and the second shape memory material member being arranged in an alternating pattern on opposite sides of the seat pan, the first shape memory material member and the second shape memory material member being arranged so as to overlap each other at one or more points,
one or more power sources operatively connected to the first shape memory material member and the second shape memory material member;
one or more sensors are configured to acquire sensor data about at least one of: vehicle speed, steering wheel angle, and lateral acceleration; and
one or more processors operatively connected to control a supply of electrical energy from the one or more power sources to the first shape memory material member and the second shape memory material member, the one or more processors being operatively connected to the one or more sensors, the one or more processors being programmed to initiate executable operations comprising:
determine, based on sensor data acquired by one or more sensors, whether a seat activation condition is met, the seat activation condition being at least one of a vehicle speed threshold, a steering angle threshold, and a lateral acceleration threshold; and
responsive to determining that the seat activation condition is met, causing electrical energy to be supplied to one of the first shape memory material member or the second shape memory material member from the one or more power sources, whereby one of the first shape memory material member or the second shape memory material member is activated.