EP0442627A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Remote control vehicle seat and steering wheel positioning system
Assignee: Clifford Electronics Inc
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Filing: 1991-01-28
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2011-01-28
Abstract
Abstract For remote control of a driver's seat in a vehicle equipped with power seats but without memory seats function, an RF receiver (60) and an auto security system (65) are responsive to a remote control signal disarming the system. A seating position controller (70) is coupled to the security system (65) so that upon receipt of such signal the system will position the driver's seat on a preselected mode to either initial easy access position or a driver position corresponding to the particular transmitter code. In the event an intrusion is detected while the security system (65) is armed, the system automatically moves the driver's seat to an alarm position closest to the vehicle's dashboard to make it difficult or impossible for an intruder to drive the vehicle.
Inventors
- 👤 Ze'ev Dori
- 👤 Moti Segal
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 22:18
CPC Classifications
B; B62; B62D; B62D1/00; B62D1/02; B62D1/16; B62D1/18; B62D1/181; B60; B60N; B60N2/00; B60N2/02; B60N2/0224; B60N2/0226; B60N2/0237; B60N2/0244; B60N2/0248; B60R; B60R25/00; B60R25/01; B60R25/014; B60R25/10; B60R25/1001; B60N2220/00; B60N2220/10; B60R2025/1013; B60R25/1003; B60R25/1004
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
211 words
In a vehicle equipped with a vehicle power seating positioning system characterized by one or more electrically activated seating positioning means (95, 96, 97, 99) and user actuated seat positioning switches (80), a remote controlled seating positioning system characterized by: a user-activated remote control transmitter (55) for transmitting one or more predetermined channel code signals; means (60) disposed within the vehicle and responsive to received channel code signals for generating receiver code signals indicative that a particular predetermined channel code signal has been received; a programmable electronic memory (206); user programming means (65, 67, 70) for programming in said memory a seat positioning data set defining a particular selected seating position corresponding to a particular selected seating position corresponding to a particular channel code; a controller (65, 70) responsive to said receiver code signals and said user programming means for controlling the operation of said electrically activated positioning means and generating electrical seat position control signals for activating and controlling said positioning means, said controller generating said control signals in response to a particular receiver code signal to position said seat at said selected seating position corresponding to said channel code, whereby said seating position may be moved to a desired programmed memory position by actuating the remote control transmitter (55).
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
146 words
A system according to Claim 1 further characterized in that: said remote transmitter (55) comprises means for transmitting a selected one of a plurality of predetermined channel codes; said means (60) for generating receiver code signals is responsive to a plurality of unique channel code signals, and said receiver code signals indicate the particular one of said channel codes which has been received; said user programming means comprises means for programming in said memory (206) a plurality of said seat position data sets, each data set defining a particular selected seat position corresponding to a particular one of said channel codes; whereby said seat may be positioned at any one of said plurality of seat memory positions corresponding to the data sets stored in said memory position by actuating the remote control transmitter (55) to transmit the particular channel code corresponding to the desired seat position.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
61 words
A system according to any preceding claim wherein said vehicle power seating positioning system is further characterized by electrically activated positioning means for positioning the driver's seat (93) and the vehicle steering wheel (94) at selected positions in respective ranges of movement, and wherein said seat positioning data sets define the respective positions of said driver's seat and said steering wheel.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
41 words
A system according to any preceding claim, further characterized in that said controller (65, 70) is further responsive to said seat positioning switches (80), said controller comprising means for actuating said positioning means in response to actuation of said switches (80).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
75 words
A system according to Claim 4, further characterized in that said seating positioning system operates in cooperation with a vehicle security system (65, 67, 68) installed in said vehicle, and in that said controller (65, 70) is responsive to said seat switch signals only when the vehicle security system is disarmed, whereby the driver's seat (93) position may not be moved by actuation of the seat position switches (80) when the security system is armed.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
66 words
A system according to Claim 5, further characterized by means (170, 240) for selectively providing electrical power to said controller in response to the change of the arm/disarm state of said security system or in response to receipt of said seat switch signals, whereby said seating positioning system controller is powered down except when said security system changes states or said seat switch signals are received.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
81 words
A system according to any of Claims 4-6, further characterized by power actuated means (98) for extending or retracting the vehicle steering wheel toward or from the vehicle driver's seat (93) in response to steering wheel positioning signals, and in that said controller further comprises means responsive to the disarming of said security system for generating predetermined easy access steering wheel positioning signals for moving said steering wheel toward the vehicle dashboard, thereby facilitating the driver's entry in the driver's seat.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
141 words
A system according to any of Claims 1-3, further characterized in that said seating position system operates in cooperation with a vehicle security system (65, 67, 68) installed in said vehicle, and in that: said means (60) responsive to received channel code signals comprises a receiving-decoding means of the security system; said security system is armed or disarmed by said receiver code signals indicating that a particular predetermined code signal has been received; said security system further comprises means (65) for generating an alarm signal when the security system is armed and an intrusion event is detected; said controller further comprises means (70) responsive to said alarm signal for generating predetermined electrical alarm seat position control signals to position the vehicle's driver's seat at an alarm seat position, thereby making it difficult or impossible for an intruder to drive the vehicle.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
A system according to Claim 8 wherein said alarm position puts the driver's seat at a position in the seat range of movement having the minimum spacing between the seat and the vehicle dashboard.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
72 words
A system according to Claim 8 or 9 further characterized in that said vehicle security system further comprises a door trigger (66) producing a door trigger signal indicating the open/close status of the vehicle door or doors, and wherein said controller (65, 70) is further responsive to said door trigger signal to generate said alarm seat position control signals upon receipt of said alarm signal only if said vehicle door is closed.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
86 words
A system according to any of Claims 8, 9 or 10, wherein said power seating positioning system is further characterized by means (98) for extending or retracting the vehicle steering wheel toward or from the vehicle seat in response to steering wheel positioning signals, and wherein said controller is further responsive to said alarm signal for generating predetermined alarm event steering wheel positioning signals for extending said steering wheel toward the vehicle driver's seat, thereby further increasing the difficulty for an intruder to drive the vehicle.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
37 words
A system according to any of Claims 8-11, further characterized by means (67, 65, 70) for enabling or disabling the operation of said means responsive to said alarm signal for generating said alarm seating position control signals.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
40 words
A system according to any of Claims 8-12, further characterized in that said controller means is further responsive to the disarming of said vehicle security system to generate preset seat positioning signals to position the seat at a pre-selected position.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
163 words
A system according to any of Claims 8-13, further characterized in that: said remote control transmitter (55) comprises a multi-channel transmitter for selectively transmitting one of a plurality of channel codes, and wherein a first one of said channel codes is for arming or disarming said alarm system, and wherein a second one of said channel codes is for positioning the vehicle driver's seat to a pre-set seat position associated with said second code; said receiver (60) is responsive to receipt of said first code to generate a first received code signal and to receipt of said second code to generate a second received code signal; said means for arming or disarming the security system acts in response to receipt of said first received code signal; and said controller (65, 70) comprises means responsive to said second received code signal to generate pre-set memory seat positioning signals to position the driver's seat (93) at a predetermined location corresponding to said second channel signal.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
75 words
A system according to any preceding claim, further characterized in that said seating positioning system operates in cooperation with a vehicle security system (65, 67, 68) installed in said vehicle, and in that said controller further comprises means responsive to the disarming of said security system to generate easy access seat positioning signals to position the driver's seat at a position relatively distant from the vehicle dashboard to facilitate ease of entry into the vehicle.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
34 words
A system according to Claim 15 further characterized by programmable means for enabling or disabling the operation of said means responsive to said disarming of said security system for generating easy access positioning signals.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
95 words
A system according to Claim 16 wherein the vehicle is characterized by an ignition switch having on and off positions, and said remote controlled seating positioning system is further characterized by means (68) for sensing the on/off status of the vehicle ignition switch and generating an ignition status signal indicative of the on/off status of said switch, and wherein said controller (65, 70) further comprises means responsive to said ignition status signal to generate a seat driving position signal to move said driver's seat (93) from the "easy access" position to a predetermined driving position.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
51 words
A system according to any preceding claim further characterized by means (75A-75N) for monitoring the operation of the seat positioning means and providing monitoring signals indicative of said operation, and said controller further comprises means for determining the present position of the seat (93) during operation of the seat positioning means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
25 words
A system according to Claim 18 further characterized by means (200, 202) for programming said memory (206) with data indicative of the present seat position.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
61 words
A system according to Claim 18 or 19, further characterized in that: said power seating positioning means comprises at least one electric motor (95, 96, 97 or 99) and a motor drive circuit (90A-90N) for generating motor drive signals in response to said seat position control signals; and said monitoring means comprises means (75A-75N) for sensing rotation of the motor shaft.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
36 words
A system according to any preceding claim, wherein said vehicle seat positioning means is characterized by a memory seat function, and wherein said remote controlled seating positioning system provides one or more additional memory seating positions.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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