Patent Abstract:
A vehicle seat includes a seat bottom and a seat back. The seat back is coupled to the seat bottom and arranged to extend in an upward direction away from the seat bottom. The vehicle seat further includes an electronics system.

Full Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/205,263, filed Aug. 14, 2015 which is expressly incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to a vehicle seat, and particularly to a vehicle seat including a sensor. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a vehicle seat including one or more sensors coupled to an electronic controller for a vehicle seat. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    A vehicle seat in accordance with the present disclosure includes a seat bottom and a seat back. The seat back is coupled to the seat bottom and arranged to extend in an upward direction away from the seat bottom. In one illustrative embodiment, the vehicle seat further includes an electronics system. 
         [0004]    In illustrative embodiments, the vehicle seat includes a plurality of pneumatic bladders, a plurality of pressure sensors, and a seat controller coupled to the plurality of pneumatic bladders and the plurality of pressure sensors. Each of the pressure sensors is coupled to a corresponding pneumatic bladder. The seat controller includes an entry/exit detection module configured to detect user entry into a vehicle, an inflation control module configured to inflate the plurality of pneumatic bladders to a measurement pressure in response to detection of the user entry, and a pressure measurement module configured to measure, in response to inflation of the plurality of pneumatic bladders to the measurement pressure, a pressure value in each of the plurality of pneumatic bladders using the plurality of pressure sensors to generate a pressure map. 
         [0005]    In illustrative embodiments, the pressure map comprises a plurality of pressure map elements and each pressure map element includes the pressure value generated by a corresponding pressure sensor. The pressure measurement module is further configured to identify a current user based on the pressure map. 
         [0006]    In illustrative embodiments, a seat controller for vehicle seat user recognition includes an entry/exit detection module, an inflation control module, and a pressure measurement module. The entry/exit detection module detects user entry into a vehicle. The inflation control module inflates a plurality of pneumatic bladders of a vehicle seat to a measurement pressure in response to detection of the user entry. The pressure measurement module measures, in response to inflation of the plurality of pneumatic bladders to the measurement pressure, a pressure value in each of the plurality of pneumatic bladders using a plurality of pressure sensors to generate a pressure map. Each of the pressure sensors is coupled to a corresponding pneumatic bladder and the pressure map comprises a plurality of pressure map elements. Each pressure map element includes the pressure value generated by a corresponding pressure sensor. The pressure measurement module is further configured to identify a current user based on the pressure map. 
         [0007]    In illustrative embodiments, the seat controller further includes a user preferences module and a seat adjustment module. The user preferences module determines a vehicle seat setting associated with the current user in response to identification of the current user. The seat adjustment module adjusts the vehicle seat based on the vehicle seat setting. The vehicle seat setting may include an inflation setting, a position setting, or a comfort feature setting. 
         [0008]    In illustrative embodiments, the seat controller further includes a user behavior module and a seat adjustment module. The user behavior module identifies a user behavior based on the pressure map. The seat adjustment module adjusts the vehicle seat based on the user behavior. 
         [0009]    In illustrative embodiments, a method for vehicle seat user recognition includes detecting, by a seat controller, user entry into a vehicle. The method further includes inflating, by the seat controller, a plurality of pneumatic bladders of a vehicle seat to a measurement pressure in response to detecting the user entry. The method then proceeds to measuring, by the seat controller in response to inflating the plurality of pneumatic bladders to the measurement pressure, a pressure value in each of the plurality of pneumatic bladders using a plurality of pressure sensors to generate a pressure map. Each of the pressure sensors is coupled to a corresponding pneumatic bladder and the pressure map comprises a plurality of pressure map elements. Each pressure map element includes the pressure value generated by a corresponding pressure sensor. The method further includes identifying, by the seat controller, a current user based on the pressure map. 
         [0010]    In illustrative embodiments, the method further includes determining, by the seat controller, a vehicle seat setting associated with the current user in response to identifying the current user. The method also includes adjusting, by the seat controller, the vehicle seat based on the vehicle seat setting. Adjusting the vehicle seat may include adjusting an inflation setting of the vehicle seat, adjusting a position setting of the vehicle seat, or activating a comfort feature of the vehicle seat. 
         [0011]    In illustrative embodiments, the method further includes identifying, by the seat controller, a user behavior based on the pressure map and adjusting, by the seat controller, the vehicle seat based on the user behavior. 
         [0012]    In illustrative embodiments, a computing device includes a processor and a memory having stored therein a plurality of instructions that when executed by the processor cause the computing device to perform the method described above. 
         [0013]    In illustrative embodiments, one or more machine readable storage media include a plurality of instructions stored thereon that in response to being executed result in a computing device performing the method described above. 
         [0014]    Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]    The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which: 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  is a perspective and diagrammatic view of a vehicle seat in accordance with the present disclosure showing that the vehicle seat includes a seat controller and several inflatable pneumatic bladders coupled to pressure sensors included in the vehicle seat; 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a diagrammatic view of the vehicle seat of  FIG. 1  showing that the seat controller interfaces with the pressure sensors, an inflation source, and a seat adjuster of the vehicle seat and that the seat controller interfaces with a vehicle network and one or more additional vehicle controllers; 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram illustrating pressure maps that may be generated by the vehicle seat of  FIGS. 1 and 2  and showing identification of various users based on the pressure maps; 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a diagrammatic view of at least one embodiment of an environment that may be established by the seat controller of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is a flow diagram illustrating at least one embodiment of a method for user identification and seat adjustment that may be executed by the seat controller of  FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 ; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  is a perspective and diagrammatic view of another embodiment of a vehicle seat in accordance with the present disclosure showing that the vehicle seat includes a seat controller and several inflatable pneumatic bladders coupled to associated pressure sensors. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0022]    A first embodiment of a vehicle seat  10  in accordance with the present disclosure is shown, for example, in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The illustrative vehicle seat  10  includes a head restraint  12 , a seat back  14 , and a seat bottom  16 . In some embodiments, the head restraint  12 , the seat back  14 , and/or the seat bottom  16  may be movable or otherwise adjustable, for example adjustable for seat bottom angle, seat back recline, and/or head restraint position. The vehicle seat  10  is coupled, for example, to a vehicle such as a car or truck (not shown) to provide seating for the vehicle&#39;s driver and/or other occupants. The vehicle seat  10  may also be attached to the vehicle via one or more frame rails to allow selective positioning of the vehicle seat  10  relative to the vehicle. A second embodiment of a vehicle seat  400  in accordance with the present disclosure is shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0023]    The vehicle seat  10  is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . As described above, the vehicle seat  10  includes the head restraint  12 , the seat back  14 , and the seat bottom  16 . The vehicle seat  10  further includes several pneumatic bladders  18 . The pneumatic bladders  18  provide support and cushioning to a vehicle occupant and may be positioned throughout the vehicle seat  10 . The bladders  18  may include, for example, massage bladders, side bolster bladders, lumbar bladders, and any other pneumatic bladder included in the vehicle seat  10 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the illustrative vehicle seat  10  includes four bladders  18   a  through  18   d  in the head restraint  12 , ten bladders  18   e  through  18   n  in the seat back  14 , and two bladders  18   o  and  18   p  in the seat bottom  16 . The bladders  18  may be incorporated within the vehicle seat  10  along with other supportive materials, such as support cushions made of foam, springs, or other suitable material, structural components such as seat frames and seat pans, seat trim, fabric layers, and other seat components. In some embodiments, in addition to providing support and/or cushioning, the bladders  18  may provide additional comfort features such as massage. While vehicle seat  10  is shown with sixteen separate bladders  18   a - 18   p,  a vehicle seat in accordance with the present disclosure may have any suitable number of bladders arranged in any suitable arrangement. 
         [0024]    Each of the bladders  18  is coupled with a pressure sensor  20 . Thus, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the illustrative vehicle seat  10  includes  16  pressure sensors  20   a  through  20   p  coupled to the bladders  18   a  through  18   p,  respectively. Each pressure sensor  20  may be embodied as any electronic sensor capable of measuring the air pressure within a bladder  18 , such as a piezoresistive pressure sensor, bend sensor, or other electronic pressure sensor. Although illustrated as including a single pressure sensor  20  for each bladder  18 , some embodiments of a vehicle seat in accordance with the present disclosure may include a different number and/or arrangement of pressure sensors  20 . 
         [0025]    The vehicle seat  10  further includes an inflation source  22  configured to inflate the bladders  18  to a selected pressure. For example, the inflation source  22  may be embodied as one or more electric air pumps, electrically operable valves, or other pressurized air source. In some embodiments, the inflation source  22  may also include solid state motor control electronics used to control the pressurized air source. In some embodiments, the inflation source  22  may be configured to control the inflation pressure of each bladder  18  individually. 
         [0026]    The vehicle seat  10  further includes a seat adjuster  24  configured to adjust the angle, position, or other settings of the vehicle seat  10  and/or the parts of the vehicle seat  10  (e.g., the head restraint  12 , the seat back  14 , and/or the seat bottom  16 ). The seat adjuster  24  may be embodied as or otherwise include one or more electric motors or other electric actuators, solid state motor control electronics, as well as any associated gearing, guide rails, and other components used to adjust the vehicle seat  10 . 
         [0027]    The vehicle seat  10  further includes a seat controller  26 , which may be embodied as an electronic control unit or other controller configured to control the functions of the vehicle seat  10 . In particular, and as described further below, the seat controller  26  is configured to read pressure data generated by the pressure sensors  20  and identify a user (i.e., a driver, passenger, or other occupant) of the vehicle seat  10  based on that pressure data. The seat controller  26  is further configured to adjust the vehicle seat  10  (for example, by controlling the seat adjuster  24  and/or the inflation source  22 ) based on one or more user preferences associated with the user. By automatically identifying the user and applying customized user preferences, the vehicle seat  10  may improve the user experience provided by the vehicle seat  10  and thus may increase occupant comfort. By using pressure sensors  20  coupled to the bladders  18 , the seat controller  26  may identify the user using a relatively low-resolution pressure map. Additionally, the seat controller  26  may provide improved functionality using hardware already included in the vehicle seat  10  for other functions, such as pneumatic bladders  18  and/or pressure sensors  20  used for massage features and/or for adjustable lumbar support or side bolsters. 
         [0028]    The inflation source  22 , the seat adjuster  24 , and/or the seat controller  26  may be positioned underneath or within the seat bottom  16  as best shown in  FIG. 1 . In some embodiments, the seat controller  26  may include or be otherwise coupled with a side shield positioned on the outside of the vehicle seat  10 . The side shield may include one or more buttons, switches, or other user controls that allow the user to interact with and otherwise control the vehicle seat  10 . 
         [0029]    The seat controller  26  may be embodied as any device capable of performing the functions described herein. For example, the seat controller  26  may be embodied as an electronic control unit, embedded controller, control circuit, microcontroller, computing device, on-board computer, and/or any other any other computing device capable of performing the functions described herein. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the illustrative seat controller  26  includes a processor  28 , an I/O subsystem  30 , a memory  32 , a data storage device  34 , and communication circuitry  36 . The seat controller  26  may include other or additional components, such as those commonly found in an electronic control unit (e.g., various input/output devices), in other embodiments. Additionally, in some embodiments, one or more of the illustrative components may be incorporated in, or otherwise form a portion of, another component. For example, the memory  32 , or portions thereof, may be incorporated in the processor  28  in some embodiments. 
         [0030]    The processor  28  may be embodied as any type of processor capable of performing the functions described herein. For example, the processor  28  may be embodied as a microcontroller, digital signal processor, single or multi-core processor(s), or other processor or processing/controlling circuit. The memory  32  may be embodied as any type of volatile or non-volatile memory or data storage capable of performing the functions described herein. In operation, the memory  32  may store various data and software used during operation of the processor  28  such as operating systems, applications, programs, libraries, and drivers. The memory  32  is coupled to the processor  28  via the I/O subsystem  30 , which may be embodied as circuitry and/or components to facilitate input/output operations with the processor  28 , the memory  32 , and other components of the seat controller  26 . For example, the I/O subsystem  30  may be embodied as, or otherwise include, memory controller hubs, input/output control hubs, firmware devices, communication links (i.e., point-to-point links, bus links, wires, cables, light guides, printed circuit board traces, etc.) and/or other components and subsystems to facilitate the input/output operations. In some embodiments, the I/O subsystem  30  may form a portion of a system-on-a-chip (SoC) and be incorporated, along with the processor  28 , the memory  32 , and other components of the seat controller  26 , on a single integrated circuit chip. 
         [0031]    The data storage device  34  may be embodied as any type of device or devices configured for short-term or long-term storage of data such as, for example, memory devices and circuits, memory cards, hard disk drives, solid-state drives, read-only memory, or other data storage devices. The communication circuitry  36  of the seat controller  26  may be embodied as any communication circuit, device, or collection thereof, capable of enabling communications between the seat controller  26  and other devices of the vehicle seat  10  and/or the vehicle. The communication circuitry  36  may be configured to use any one or more communication technology (e.g., wireless or wired communications) and associated protocols (e.g., Ethernet, controller area network (CAN), local interconnect network (LIN), Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi®, etc.) to effect such communication. In some embodiments, the communication circuitry  36  may include one or more general-purpose I/O pins, analog interfaces, solid state motor control electronics, and/or other circuitry that may be used to interface with or otherwise control the inflation source  22  and/or the seat adjuster  24 . 
         [0032]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the seat controller  26  is configured, for example, to transmit and/or receive data over a vehicle network  38  with one or more additional vehicle controllers  40 . The vehicle network  38  may be embodied as any bus, network, or other communication facility used to communicate between devices in the vehicle. For example, the vehicle network  38  may be embodied as a wired or wireless local area network (LAN), controller area network (CAN), and/or local interconnect network (LIN). The vehicle controllers  40  may include one or more additional electronic control units, embedded controllers, engine computers, or other computing devices used to control various vehicle functions. In particular, the seat controller  26  may be configured to communicate with one or more additional vehicle controllers  40  via the vehicle network  38  to determine the state of the vehicle, for example to determine whether the vehicle is unlocked, to determine whether the ignition is on, or to determine other vehicle state. 
         [0033]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a schematic diagram  100  illustrates pressure maps that may be generated by the vehicle seat  10  of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The diagram  100  shows a graphical representation of a pressure map  102  including several pressure map elements  104 . Each pressure map element  104  corresponds to a pressure value measured by a pressure sensor  20  of the vehicle seat  10 . For example, the illustrative pressure map  102  includes  16  pressure map elements  104   a  through  104   p  corresponding to the pressure sensors  20   a  through  20   p,  respectively. Each pressure map element  104  is associated with a pressure value. The pressure value of each pressure map element  104  is represented in the diagram  100  by its corresponding shading. The diagram  100  further includes another pressure map  106  having pressure map elements  108   a  through  108   p.  As shown, the pressure maps  102 ,  106  each include differing pressure values of the pressure map elements  104 ,  108 . 
         [0034]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , a set of user preferences  110  for a user A is associated with the pressure map  102 , and another set of user preferences  112  for a user B is associated with the pressure map  106 . The user preferences  110 ,  112  may each include vehicle seat adjustment settings, comfort settings, and other individualized settings associated with the corresponding user. As described further below, the seat controller  26  identifies the occupant of the vehicle seat  10  based on the measured pressure map and then selects the associated user preferences  110 ,  112 . For example, in the illustrative example, the seat controller  26  may generate the pressure map  102  based on data received from the pressure sensors  20 , identify the user A, and then select the associated user preferences  110 . As another example, the seat controller  26  may generate the pressure map  106  based on data received from the pressure sensors  20 , identify the user B, and then select the associated user preferences  112 . After selecting the matching user preferences  110 ,  112 , the seat controller  26  applies the selected user preferences  110 ,  112 , for example by adjusting the inflation settings, the position settings, and/or the comfort features of the vehicle seat  10 . 
         [0035]    Referring now to  FIG. 4 , in the illustrative embodiment, the seat controller  26  establishes an environment  200  during operation. The illustrative environment  200  includes an entry/exit detection module  202 , an inflation control module  204 , a pressure measurement module  206 , a user preferences module  210 , a seat adjustment module  214 , and a user behavior module  216 . The various modules of the environment  200  may be embodied as hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. For example the various modules, logic, and other components of the environment  200  may form a portion of, or otherwise be established by, the processor  28  or other hardware components of the seat controller  26 . As such, in some embodiments, any one or more of the modules of the environment  200  may be embodied as a circuit or collection of electrical devices (e.g., entry/exit detection circuitry, inflation control circuitry, etc.). 
         [0036]    The entry/exit detection module  202  is configured to detect user entry into a vehicle containing the vehicle seat  10 . The entry/exit detection module  202  is further configured to detect user exit from the vehicle. The entry/exit detection module  202  may use any technique to detect the user entry or exit, such as determining whether the vehicle&#39;s doors are unlocked. 
         [0037]    The inflation control module  204  is configured to inflate the pneumatic bladders  18  of the vehicle seat  10  to a measurement pressure in response to detection of user entry. The measurement pressure may be a minimum pressure that allows the pressure sensors  20  to make relevant measurements of the pressure in the bladders  18 . The inflation control module  204  may be configured inflate the pneumatic bladders  18  by sending appropriate commands to the inflation source  22 . 
         [0038]    The pressure measurement module  206  is configured to measure a pressure value in each of bladders  18  using the pressure sensors  20  after inflating the bladders  18  to the measurement pressure. The pressure measurement module  206  is further configured to generate a pressure map using the measured pressure values. The pressure map includes pressure map elements, and each pressure map element corresponds to a pressure value generated by a corresponding pressure sensor  20 . The pressure measurement module  206  is further configured to identify a current user of the vehicle seat  10  (e.g., a driver, a passenger, or other occupant of the vehicle seated in the vehicle seat  10 ) based on the pressure map. The pressure measurement module  206  may be configured to store or otherwise maintain pressure map data  208 . The pressure map data  208  may include pressure maps and information associating those pressure maps with users of the vehicle seat  10 . The pressure map data  208  may be embodied in any appropriate format, including as a binary array, bitmap, vector, database, or other data object. In some embodiments, the pressure map data  208  may be stored in the memory  32  and/or in the data storage device  34  of the seat controller  26 . 
         [0039]    A pressure map in accordance with the present disclosure may be a relatively low-resolution pressure map. The relatively low-resolution pressure map comprises, for example, less than 100 pressure map elements. In another example, he relatively low-resolution pressure map comprises less than 80 pressure map elements. In another example, he relatively low-resolution pressure map comprises less than 60 pressure map elements. In another example, he relatively low-resolution pressure map comprises less than 50 pressure map elements. In another example, he relatively low-resolution pressure map comprises less than 40 pressure map elements. In another example, he relatively low-resolution pressure map comprises less than 30 pressure map elements. In another example, he relatively low-resolution pressure map comprises less than 25 pressure map elements. In another example, he relatively low-resolution pressure map comprises less than 24 pressure map elements. In another example, he relatively low-resolution pressure map comprises less than 22 pressure map elements. In another example, he relatively low-resolution pressure map comprises less than 20 pressure map elements. In another example, he relatively low-resolution pressure map comprises less than 18 pressure map elements. In another example, he relatively low-resolution pressure map comprises less than 16 pressure map elements. In another example, he relatively low-resolution pressure map comprises less than 14 pressure map elements. In another example, he relatively low-resolution pressure map comprises less than 12 pressure map elements. In another example, he relatively low-resolution pressure map comprises less than 10 pressure map elements. In another example, he relatively low-resolution pressure map comprises less than 8 pressure map elements. 
         [0040]    The user preferences module  210  is configured to determine one or more vehicle seat settings associated with the current user in response to identification of the current user. The vehicle seat settings may include any vehicle seat settings, comfort settings, or other individualized or customized options selected by the user of the vehicle seat  10 . For example, a vehicle seat setting may be embodied as an inflation setting, a position setting, or a comfort feature setting. The user preferences module  210  may be configured to store or otherwise maintain user preferences data  212 , which may include the vehicle seat settings associated with the users of the vehicle seat  10 . In some embodiments, the user preferences data  212  may be stored in the memory  32  and/or in the data storage device  34  of the seat controller  26 . 
         [0041]    The user behavior module  216  is configured to identify user behavior based on the current pressure map generated using the pressure sensors  20 . The user behavior may include the user shifting weight or pressure in the vehicle seat  10  or other movements made by the user in the vehicle seat  10 . As described below, the user behavior may be indicative of user discomfort, or in some embodiments may indicate a requested vehicle command. In some embodiments, the user behavior module  216  may be configured to continually measure pressure in the seat bladders  18  to detect user behavior while the vehicle seat  10  is occupied. 
         [0042]    The seat adjustment module  214  is configured to adjust the vehicle seat  10  based on the vehicle seat settings associated with the identified user, and/or to adjust the vehicle seat  10  based on the detected user behavior. For example, the seat adjustment module  214  may adjust the inflation settings of the bladders  18 , adjust the position of the vehicle seat  10  and/or the position of parts of the vehicle seat  10 , activate comfort features of the vehicle seat  10 , or otherwise adjust the vehicle seat  10 . In some embodiments, the seat adjustment module  214  may be configured to activate a vehicle command based on the detected user behavior. For example, the seat adjustment module  214  may activate a particular feature of the vehicle seat  10  in response to detection of a predefined movement of the user. 
         [0043]    Referring now to  FIG. 5 , in use, the seat controller  26  may execute a method  300  for user identification and seat adjustment. The method  300  begins in block  302 , in which the seat controller  26  detects user entry to the vehicle. The seat controller  26  may use any appropriate technique to detect user entry. For example, the seat controller  26  may detect that the user unlocks one or more doors of the vehicle, opens one or more doors of the vehicle, starts the vehicle ignition, or otherwise begins to use the vehicle. As described above, to detect user entry the seat controller  26  may communicate with one or more additional vehicle controllers  40  via the vehicle network  38 . In block  304 , the seat controller  26  determines whether user entry has been detected. If not, the method  300  loops back to block  302  to continue detecting user entry. If user entry has been detected, the method  300  advances to block  306 . 
         [0044]    In block  306 , the seat controller  26  inflates the seat bladders  18  to a measurement pressure. The measurement pressure may be reached by inflating the bladders  18  with a minimum amount of air that allows the pressure sensors  20  to make relevant measurements of the pressure in the bladders  18 . The measurement pressure for each seat bladder  18  may vary depending on the location of the bladder  18  in the vehicle seat  10  and/or the composition of the vehicle seat  10  (e.g., depending on the pressure exerted by other materials in the vehicle seat  10  on the bladder  18 ). The seat controller  26  may inflate the seat bladders  18  by sending and/or receiving appropriate control signals with the inflation source  22  and/or the pressure sensors  20 . 
         [0045]    In block  308 , the seat controller  26  measures the pressure in the bladders  18  to generate a pressure map. As described above, the pressure map may include several pressure map elements, and each pressure map element corresponds to a pressure value measured by a pressure sensor  20 . The seat controller  26  may generate the pressure map by sending and/or receiving appropriate control signals with the pressure sensors  20 . The seat controller  26  may maintain the pressure map using any appropriate format, in-memory representation, storage format, or other digital representation. For example, the pressure map may be represented by an in-memory array, bitmap, vector, or any other suitable data. 
         [0046]    In block  310 , the seat controller  26  identifies the current user of the vehicle seat  10  based on the current pressure map. The seat controller  26  may, for example, compare the measured pressure map with contents of the pressure map data  208  that have been previously stored by the seat controller  26 . The seat controller  26  may identify the current user by identifying pressure map data  208  that matches the current pressure map. In some embodiments, in block  312 , the seat controller  26  may create an association between the current pressure map and the current user. For example, when a new user occupies the vehicle seat  10 , the seat controller  26  may store pressure map data  208  that associates the current pressure map with the new user. In some embodiments, the seat controller  26  may also associate the current pressure map and/or the current user with user preferences stored in the user preferences data  212 . 
         [0047]    In block  314 , the seat controller  26  retrieves user preferences associated with the current user. For example, the seat controller  26  may look up and retrieve user preferences from the user preferences data  212  that are associated with the current user. In some embodiments, the seat controller  26  may retrieve user preferences that are associated with the current pressure map, which is in turn associated with the current user as described above. 
         [0048]    In block  316 , the seat controller  26  adjusts the vehicle seat  10  based on the user preferences associated with the current user of the vehicle seat  10 . As described above, the user preferences may include any vehicle seat settings or other customization options selected by the user. In some embodiments, in block  318 , the seat controller  26  may adjust the position and/or inflation settings of the vehicle seat  10  based on the user preferences. The seat controller  26  may, for example, adjust the inflation pressure of some or all of the bladders  18  based on the user preferences. As another example, the seat controller  26  may adjust the position, angle, or other physical arrangement of the vehicle seat  10  and/or the parts of the vehicle seat  10  (e.g., the head restraint  12 , the seat back  14 , and/or the seat bottom  16 ) based on the user preferences. To control the position and inflation settings of the vehicle seat  10 , the seat controller  26  may transmit and/or receive appropriate control messages with the inflation source  22  and the seat adjuster  24 . 
         [0049]    In some embodiments, in block  320 , the seat controller  26  may adjust one or more comfort features of the vehicle seat  10  based on the user preferences. The seat controller  26  may adjust, for example, climate control features of the vehicle seat  10  such as heating or cooling, a massage feature, or other comfort features. In some embodiments, the seat controller  26  may perform more complex adjustments of the comfort features based on the user preferences. For example, the user preferences may indicate that the user has poor circulation. In that example, based on the user preferences, the seat controller  26  may activate a massage feature or otherwise adjust the comfort features of the vehicle seat  10  after detecting that the user has occupied the vehicle seat  10  for predefined time period (e.g., two hours). 
         [0050]    In block  322 , after adjusting the vehicle seat  10  based on the user preferences, the seat controller  26  continues to measure the pressure in the seat bladders  18  using the pressure sensors  20 . As described above in connection with block  308 , the seat controller  26  generates a pressure map based on the pressure values determined using the pressure sensors  20 . In block  324 , the seat controller  26  identifies user behavior based on the current pressure map. The seat controller  26  may identify changes in the pressure values represented by the pressure map. For example, the seat controller  26  may identify the user shifting his or her weight in the vehicle seat  10 , the user fidgeting in the vehicle seat  10 , or other movement of the user in the vehicle seat  10 . 
         [0051]    In block  326 , the seat controller  26  may adjust the vehicle seat  10  based on the detected user behavior. The seat controller  26  may adjust the inflation pressure and/or position of the vehicle seat  10  based on the values of the current pressure map. Of course, no adjustments to the vehicle seat  10  may be necessary, for example when the pressure map remains relatively unchanged. In some embodiments, in block  328 , the seat controller  26  may activate one or more comfort features based on detected discomfort. For example, the seat controller  26  may activate the massage function or a lumbar support function if the user is determined to be in discomfort based on the values of the pressure map. 
         [0052]    In some embodiments, in block  330  the seat controller  26  may activate a vehicle command based on the detected user behavior. The vehicle command may include any control operation related to the vehicle and may not be limited to control of the vehicle seat  10 . For example, in additional to commands relating to control of the vehicle seat  10 , the vehicle command may include climate control commands, locking commands, driving assistance commands, in-vehicle infotainment system commands, navigation system commands, or other vehicle commands. The seat controller  26  may communicate with other vehicle controllers  40  to activate the vehicle command. In some embodiments, the user may purposefully move his or her body in the vehicle seat  10  to activate certain vehicle commands, allowing the user to control and otherwise communicate with the vehicle using body language. For example, the user may perform a predefined movement in the vehicle seat  10  to activate a particular vehicle command 
         [0053]    In block  332 , the seat controller  26  detects whether the user has exited the vehicle. The seat controller  26  may use any appropriate technique to detect user exit. For example, the seat controller  26  may detect that the user stops the vehicle ignition, unlocks one or more doors of the vehicle, opens one or more doors of the vehicle, exits the vehicle seat  10 , or otherwise exits the vehicle. As described above, to detect the user exit, the seat controller  26  may communicate with one or more additional vehicle controllers  40  via the vehicle network  38 . If the user exit has not been detected, the method  300  loops back to block  322  to continue monitoring the pressure in the seat bladders  18  while the user occupies the vehicle. Referring back to block  332 , if the user exit is detected, the method  300  loops back to block  302  to monitor for user entry. 
         [0054]    A second embodiment of a vehicle seat  400  in accordance with the present disclosure is shown, for example, in  FIG. 6 . The illustrative vehicle seat  400  includes a head restraint  12 , a seat back  14 , a seat bottom  16 , an inflation source  22 , a seat adjuster  24 , and a seat controller  26 , which are all similar to the corresponding components of the vehicle seat  10  of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . However, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the vehicle seat  400  includes pneumatic bladders  18  and associated pressure sensors  20  only in the seat bottom  16  and the lumbar portion of the seat back  14 . In particular, the illustrative vehicle seat  400  includes  12  bladders  18   a  through  18   l  and  12  corresponding pressure sensors  20   a  through  20   l . Thus, the vehicle seat  400  may generate a pressure map having a different number and/or arrangement of pressure map elements compared to the vehicle seat  10 . In particular, the pressure map generated by the vehicle seat  400  may have a lower resolution than the pressure map generated by the vehicle seat  10 . Additionally, the pressure map generated by the vehicle seat  400  may cover less of the seating surface of the vehicle seat  400  as compared to the pressure map generated by the vehicle seat  10 . Even though the pressure map may have lower resolution and/or coverage, the vehicle seat  400  may use the measured pressure map to identify a user and associated user preferences, similar to the vehicle seat  10 .

Technology Classification (CPC): 1