Seat device for vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle seat apparatus includes a seat, an actuator, and a controller in which a posture control unit exercises a seat posture control over the actuator based on a lateral acceleration and a steering velocity, to change an orientation of at least a portion of the seat. The posture control unit is configured to activate the seat posture control when a magnitude of the lateral acceleration becomes greater than a first acceleration threshold value, as well as to activate the seat posture control on conditions that the steering velocity has a magnitude greater than a steering velocity threshold value and when the magnitude of the lateral acceleration becomes greater than a second acceleration threshold value of which a magnitude is smaller than the first acceleration threshold value and a direction is laterally opposite to a direction of the steering velocity.

1 - 17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . A vehicle seat apparatus comprising: a seat including a seat cushion and a seat back; a posture control mechanism including left and right actuators capable of changing an orientation of at least a portion of the seat; and a controller configured to control the actuators,
 wherein the controller includes:
 a posture control unit configured to exercise a seat posture control over the actuators based on a steering operation of an occupant, 
   wherein the posture control mechanism is configured to cause one of the left and right actuators to push the seat back or the seat cushion frontward, thereby changing an orientation of at least an entire body of the seat back to a left or to a right.   
     
     
         19 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to  claim 18 , wherein the posture control unit is configured to activate the left actuator of the posture control mechanism if a right-turn state occurs, and to activate the right actuator of the posture control mechanism if a left-turn state occurs. 
     
     
         20 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to  claim 18 , wherein the posture control mechanism is configured to change an orientation of the entire body of the seat back to the left or to the right relative to the seat cushion. 
     
     
         21 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to  claim 20 , wherein the seat back includes a shaft; and
 wherein the seat cushion includes a bearing portion in which the shaft is rotatably supported, in such a manner that the seat back is capable of being caused to swivel to the left or to the right relative to the seat cushion on the shaft caused to rotate relative to the seat cushion.   
     
     
         22 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to  claim 21 , wherein the shaft is disposed between the left and right actuators. 
     
     
         23 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to  claim 18 , wherein the posture control mechanism is configured to change an orientation of the seat cushion. 
     
     
         24 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to  claim 23 , wherein the posture control mechanism includes a swivel table provided on a mount in a manner that permits the swivel table to swivel relative to the mount, and the seat is fixed on the swivel table. 
     
     
         25 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to  claim 24 , wherein the left and right actuators are disposed in positions rearward relative to the swivel table. 
     
     
         26 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to  claim 23 , wherein the controller is configured to keep the orientation of the seat cushion fixed throughout a period of time during which a predetermined condition is satisfied. 
     
     
         27 . A vehicle seat apparatus comprising:
 a seat including a seat cushion and a seat back;   a posture control mechanism including an actuator capable of changing an orientation of at least a portion of the seat; and   a controller configured to control the actuator,   wherein the controller includes:
 a posture control unit configured to exercise a seat posture control over the actuator based on a steering operation of an occupant, 
   wherein the posture control mechanism is configured to change an orientation of at least an entire body of the seat back to a left or to a right,   wherein the controller includes:
 a lateral acceleration acquisition unit configured to acquire a lateral acceleration; and 
 a steering velocity acquisition unit configured to acquire a steering velocity, 
   wherein the posture control unit is configured:
 to activate the seat posture control when a magnitude of the lateral acceleration acquired by the lateral acceleration acquisition unit becomes greater than a first acceleration threshold value, as well as 
 to activate the seat posture control on conditions that the steering velocity acquired by the steering velocity acquisition unit has a magnitude greater than a steering velocity threshold value and a direction of the lateral acceleration is opposite to a direction of the steering velocity and when the magnitude of the lateral acceleration acquired by the lateral acceleration acquisition unit becomes greater than a second acceleration threshold value which is smaller than the first acceleration threshold value, 
   wherein the posture control unit is configured to bring the seat posture control to an end when the magnitude of the lateral acceleration becomes smaller than a reset threshold value during the seat posture control, and   wherein a magnitude of the second acceleration threshold value is smaller than the reset threshold value.   
     
     
         28 . The vehicle seat apparatus according to  claim 27 , wherein the steering velocity threshold value is variable through an operation of a user.