Patent ID: 7934763
Filing Date: 2011-05-03
Classification: B60N

Abstract:
1. A vehicle seat apparatus, comprising: a vehicle seat; a swiveling drive unit that swivels the vehicle seat between a frontward-oriented position in which the vehicle seat faces a front of a vehicle and at least one of an outward-oriented position in which the vehicle seat is oriented in an outward direction of the vehicle and an inward-oriented position in which the vehicle seat is oriented in an inward direction of the vehicle; an occupant condition detection unit that detects a condition of an occupant in the vehicle; and a control unit that controls the swiveling drive unit based on a detection result obtained by the occupant condition detection unit; wherein the condition of the occupant in the vehicle detected by the occupant condition detection unit includes at least one of a condition of communication between an occupant seated in the vehicle seat and a person outside the vehicle, a condition of communication between the occupant seated in the vehicle seat and another occupant in the vehicle, a condition of whether a personal space needs to be provided to the occupant seated in the vehicle seat, a condition of whether the occupant seated in the vehicle seat has a meal alone, and a condition of an occupant seated in a child seat that is attached to a seat other than the vehicle seat.