Patent ID: 8036796
Filing Date: 2011-10-11
Classification: B60N

Abstract:
1. A seat apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: a side support portion provided at a seat for a vehicle and that moves in a first direction and in a second direction; a driving device to move the side support portion in the first direction and in the second direction; a vehicle location obtaining unit that obtains vehicle location information including a present location of the vehicle; a curve information preliminarily obtaining unit that preliminarily obtains curve information on a map data including a curve starting point located in an area existing a first predetermined distance ahead from the present location of the vehicle in a vehicle moving direction; a control starting point determining unit that determines a point existing a second predetermined distance closer to the vehicle than the curve starting point as a control starting point, the second predetermined distance is shorter than the first predetermined distance, and the second predetermined distance is set on the basis of at least one of a distance error of the vehicle location information and a distance error of the curve starting point on the map data; a control starting point memorizing unit that memorizes the control starting point determined by the control starting point determining unit; a drive control unit that starts control on the driving device in order to move the side support portion in the second direction when the vehicle reaches the control starting point memorized by the control starting point memorizing unit; a vehicle running condition obtaining unit that obtains a vehicle running condition from a vehicle running condition detecting sensor; a first target operating level calculating unit that calculates a first target operating level of the driving device on the basis of the vehicle speed detected when the vehicle reaches the control starting point, wherein the drive control unit starts controlling the driving device in order to move the side support portion in the second direction, the drive control unit drives the driving device so that an operating level of the driving device corresponds to the first target operating level, and the first target operating level is calculated on the basis of a first lateral acceleration, which represents a lateral acceleration of the vehicle obtained on the basis of a road information; a second target operating level calculating unit that calculates a second target operating level of the driving device on the basis of the obtained vehicle running condition, wherein the second target operating level is calculated on the basis of a second lateral acceleration, which represents a lateral acceleration obtained on the basis of the vehicle running condition; and a final target operating level determining means for determining one of the first target operating level and the second target operating level that has a larger operating level as a final target operating level, wherein each of the first target operating level and the second target operating levels is set so as to be in directly proportional to an acceleration speed of the vehicle so that the greater the acceleration speed is, the greater each of the first and second target operating level becomes, and the first target operating level and the second target operating level are set so that a slope of the first target operating level is smaller than a slope of the second target operating level, and the first target operating level is below the second target operating level.