Claims:We Claim;
1. A method of controlling movement of a first component of a vehicle, the first component forming part of a vehicle seating arrangement, the method comprising:
receiving a signal indicative of a state of a second component of the vehicle; and
commencing movement of the first component in dependence on the signal indicative of the state of the second component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second component is any one of the following: a seat cushion of a seat of the seating arrangement; a squab of a seat of the seating arrangement; a headrest of the seating arrangement; a bulkhead of the seating arrangement; an armrest of the seating arrangement; a lid of the armrest; a cup holder of the armrest; a cup holder lid of the armrest; a calf rest of the seating arrangement; a ski-hatch of the seating arrangement; a vehicle door; a vehicle door handle; an element of a seat belt system of the seating arrangement; a motor of the seating arrangement; and an electrical component embedded within a cushion of the headrest.

3. The method of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the state of the second component comprises any one or more of: a position of the second component; a load applied to the second component; engagement of the second component with another component of the seating arrangement; and a presence of the second component in the seating arrangement.

4. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the signal indicative of the state of the second component originates from a sensor associated with the second component.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the sensor is attached to or embedded within the second component.

6. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the signal indicative of the state of the second component comprises an indication of a failure of the second component to operate.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the indication of failure comprises an undercurrent reading.

8. The method of any preceding claim, comprising receiving a request to move the first component.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the request represents a user input.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the request originates from any one of: a switch device associated with the seating arrangement; a vehicle input module; and a mobile device.

11. The method of any of claims 1 to 7, comprising generating a request to move the first component based on the signal indicative of the state of the second component.

12. The method of any preceding claim, comprising receiving a signal indicative of a state of a third component of the seating arrangement, and commencing movement of the first component in dependence on the signals indicative of the states of the second and third components.

13. The method of any preceding claim, comprising determining, based on the signal indicative of the state of the second component, whether movement of the first component will cause a collision between the first component and another object or an occupant of the seating arrangement, and commencing movement of the first component only if it is determined that no such collision will occur.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the object that the first component may collide with is the second component.

15. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the first component is a squab of a rear seat of the seating arrangement.

16. The method of any of claims 1 to 14, wherein the first component is a bulkhead of a rear seat of the seating arrangement.

17. The method of claim 15 or claim 16, wherein the second component is any one of: a seat cushion of the seat of the seating arrangement; a seat cushion adjacent to the seat cushion of the seat of the seating arrangement; a ski-hatch of the seating arrangement; a lid of an armrest adjacent to the seat; and a squab or seat cushion of a front seat positioned ahead of the rear seat.

18. The method of any of claims 1 to 14, wherein the first component is an armrest of the seating arrangement.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the second component is any one of: a seat cushion of a central seat of the seating arrangement; an element of a seat belt system associated with the central seat; a ski-hatch of the seating arrangement; a lid of the armrest; and a retractable cover of the armrest.

20. The method of any of claims 1 to 14, wherein the first component is a ski-hatch of the seating arrangement.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the second component is any one of: a seat cushion of a central seat of the seating arrangement; an element of a seat belt system associated with the central seat; and a lid of an armrest of the seating arrangement.

22. The method of any of claims 1 to 14, wherein the first component is a calf rest of a rear seat of the seating arrangement.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the second component is a squab or seat cushion of a front seat positioned ahead of the rear seat.

24. The method of any of claims 1 to 14, wherein the second component is a motor operable to drive folding movement of a headrest of a seat of the seating arrangement.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the second component is a motor disposed within the headrest.

26. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the second component forms part of the seating arrangement.

27. The method of any preceding claim, comprising monitoring for a pinch condition after commencing movement of the first component, and ceasing such movement upon detection of a pinch condition.

28. A controller for a vehicle seating arrangement, the controller being configured to perform the method of any preceding claim.

29. A computer program product comprising computer readable code for controlling a computing device to perform a method according to any of claims 1 to 27 to control movement of a first component of a vehicle seating arrangement.

30. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising the computer program product of claim 29.

31. A controller for a vehicle seating arrangement, the seating arrangement comprising a first component and a second component, the controller comprising:
an input configured to receive a signal indicative of a state of a second component of the seating arrangement;
a processing module configured to generate a control signal for commencing movement of the first component in dependence on the signal indicative of the state of the second component; and
an output configured to issue the control signal.

32. A vehicle comprising the controller of claim 28 or claim 31.

33. A method of controlling movement of a first component of a vehicle, the first component forming part of a vehicle seating arrangement, the method comprising:
receiving a signal indicative of a state of a second component of the vehicle; and
commencing movement of the first component in dependence on the signal indicative of the state of the second component.

34. A controller for a vehicle seating arrangement, the controller being configured to perform the method of claim 33.

35. A controller for a vehicle seating arrangement, the seating arrangement comprising a first component and a second component, the controller comprising:
an input configured to receive a signal indicative of a state of a second component of the seating arrangement;
a processing module configured to generate a control signal for commencing movement of the first component in dependence on the signal indicative of the state of the second component; and
an output configured to issue the control signal.

36. A vehicle comprising the controller of claim 34 or claim 35.

37. A method of controlling movement of a first component of a vehicle, the first component being a squab or a bulkhead of a rear seat of a vehicle seating arrangement, the method comprising:
receiving a signal indicative of a state of a second component of the vehicle; and
commencing movement of the first component in dependence on the signal indicative of the state of the second component.

38. A controller for a vehicle seating arrangement, the controller being configured to perform the method of claim 37.

39. A vehicle comprising the controller of claim 38.

40. A method of controlling movement of a first component of a vehicle, the first component being an armrest of a vehicle seating arrangement, the method comprising:
receiving a signal indicative of a state of a second component of the vehicle; and
commencing movement of the first component in dependence on the signal indicative of the state of the second component.

41. A controller for a vehicle seating arrangement, the controller being configured to perform the method of claim 40.

42. A vehicle comprising the controller of claim 41.

43. A method of controlling movement of a first component of a vehicle, the first component being a ski-hatch of a vehicle seating arrangement, the method comprising:
receiving a signal indicative of a state of a second component of the vehicle; and
commencing movement of the first component in dependence on the signal indicative of the state of the second component.

44. A controller for a vehicle seating arrangement, the controller being configured to perform the method of claim 43.

45. A controller for controlling movement of a first component of a vehicle, the first component being a ski-hatch of a vehicle seating arrangement, the controller comprising:
an input arranged to receive a signal indicative of a state of a second component of the vehicle;
a processing module configured to determine a control signal for controlling movement of the first component in dependence on the signal indicative of the state of the second component; and
an output configured to issue the control signal.

46. A vehicle comprising the controller of claim 44 or claim 45.

47. A method of controlling a seating arrangement of a vehicle, the seating arrangement comprising a rear seat including a deployable calf rest, the method comprising:
receiving a signal indicative of a state of a component of a front seat positioned ahead of the rear seat; and
controlling movement of the calf rest in dependence on the signal indicative of the state of the front seat component.

48. A controller configured to control a vehicle seating arrangement using the method of claim 47.

49. A controller configured to control a vehicle seating arrangement, the seating arrangement comprising a rear seat including a calf rest, the controller comprising:
an input configured to receive a signal indicative of a state of a component of a front seat positioned ahead of the rear seat;
a processing module configured to generate a control signal for controlling movement of the calf rest in dependence on the signal indicative of the state of the front seat component; and
an output configured to issue the control signal.

50. A vehicle comprising the controller of claim 48 or claim 49.

51. A method of controlling tilting movement of a headrest of a seating arrangement of a vehicle, the method comprising:
receiving a request for tilting movement of the headrest;
determining if the headrest is attached to the seat by checking for the presence of at least one electrical component that is located within the headrest; and
operating a tilt motor to commence tilting movement of the headrest in response to the request only if the or each component is found to be present.

52. A controller configured to control tilting movement of a headrest of a vehicle seating arrangement according to the method of claim 51.

53. A controller for controlling tilting movement of a headrest of a vehicle seating arrangement, the controller comprising:
an input configured to receive a request for tilting movement of the headrest;
a processing module configured to check for the presence of at least one electrical component within the headrest, and to generate a control signal for operating a tilt motor to commence tilting movement of the headrest in response to the request only if the or each component is found to be present; and
an output configured to issue the control signal.

54. A vehicle comprising the controller of claim 52 or claim 53.

55. A vehicle seating assembly, comprising:
a seat;
a display device mounted to a rear of the seat; and
a positioning system configured to alter a position of the display device relative to a squab of the seat in dependence on a position of the squab.

56. A controller for a vehicle seating assembly comprising a seat, a display device mounted to a rear of the seat, and a positioning system configured to alter a position of the display device relative to a squab of the seat in dependence on a position of the squab, the controller comprising:
an input configured to receive a signal indicative of a position of the squab of the seat;
a processing module configured to determine a required position for the display device based on the signal indicative of the position of the squab, and to generate a control signal arranged to cause movement of the display device to the required position; and
an output configured to issue the control signal.

57. A method of controlling a position of a display device mounted to a rear of a seat of a vehicle seating assembly, the method comprising determining a position of a squab of the seat, and altering the position of the display device relative to the squab of the seat in dependence on the position of the squab of the seat.

58. A controller configured to control a position of a display device according to the method of claim 57.

59. A vehicle comprising the seating assembly of any of claim 55, or the controller of claim 56 or claim 58.

60. A method of controlling a seating arrangement of a vehicle, the seating arrangement comprising a seat including a deployable calf rest, the method comprising:
receiving a signal indicative of an angle of the calf rest ;
adjusting an extension limit for the calf rest in accordance with the indicated angle of the calf rest; and
extending the calf rest within the extension limit.

61. A controller configured to control a deployable calf rest of a vehicle seating arrangement according to the method of claim 60.

62. A controller for a seating arrangement of a vehicle, the seating arrangement comprising a seat including a deployable calf rest, the controller comprising:
an input configured to receive a signal indicative of an angle of the calf rest relative to the seat;
a processing module configured to adjust an extension limit for the calf rest in accordance with the indicated angle of the calf rest, and to generate a control signal arranged to cause extension of the calf rest within the extension limit; and
an output configured to issue the control signal.

63. A vehicle comprising the controller of claim 61 or claim 62.

64. A method of controlling a seating arrangement of a vehicle, the seating arrangement comprising a seat including a deployable calf rest, the method comprising:
receiving a request to deploy the calf rest from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration; and
extending the calf rest towards a floor of the vehicle before pivoting the calf rest towards the deployed configuration in accordance with the request.

65. A controller configured to control a deployable calf rest of a vehicle seating arrangement according to the method of claim 64.

66. A controller for a seating arrangement of a vehicle, the seating arrangement comprising a seat including a deployable calf rest, the controller comprising:
an input configured to receive a request to deploy the calf rest from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration;
a processing module configured to generate a control signal arranged to cause extension of the calf rest towards a floor of the vehicle before pivoting the calf rest towards the deployed configuration in accordance with the request; and
an output configured to issue the control signal.

67. A vehicle comprising the controller of claim 65 or claim 66. , Description:TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to control of a seating arrangement. In particular, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to the control of components of a rear seating arrangement of a vehicle, for example a saloon car or sport utility vehicle (SUV). Aspects of the invention relate to a method, to a controller, to a computer program product, to a non-transitory computer-readable medium and to a vehicle.

BACKGROUND

The large amount of space available in a standard sport utility vehicle (SUV) allows a user to reconfigure the seating of the SUV to carry passengers or a larger load. However, the ability to reconfigure the seating in luxury SUVs, and luxury vehicles generally, is often compromised as the seats tend to be more bulky than those used in standard passenger cars as they are optimised for comfort over versatility. In particular, the relatively large size of the backrests, or ‘squabs’, and seat cushions of the seats of luxury vehicles restricts the possible extent to which they may be folded.

The materials and components used in luxury vehicle seating also do not readily allow reconfiguration of the seating.

Additionally, rear seat assemblies in luxury passenger cars often comprise an armrest assembly located between the rear seats of the passenger vehicle. The armrest is moveable between a rearward, generally vertical stowed configuration and a forward, generally horizontal deployed configuration. The presence of the armrest adds to the complexity of the rear seating assembly in luxury vehicles, and inhibits the seating assembly from being easily reconfigurable to increase the loadspace available to a user.

In consequence, it is typically impractical to fold the rear seats in a luxury vehicle to increase the loadspace available, and so the load carrying capability of a luxury vehicle is more restricted than for an equivalent standard vehicle.

Aside from increasing loadspace, more functionality may be required from the seats themselves in a luxury vehicle. For example, it may be desirable for a rear seat to have the ability to recline to increase comfort. Moreover, such movement may be automated by a system of motors controlled through a user interface. Such features are particularly relevant for luxury vehicles targeted at customers who will tend to be chauffeur driven.

It is against this background that the present invention has been devised.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of controlling movement of a first component of a vehicle, the first component forming part of a vehicle seating arrangement. The method comprises receiving a signal indicative of a state of a second component of the vehicle, and commencing movement of the first component in dependence on the signal indicative of the state of the second component.

The second component may be any one of the following: a seat cushion of a seat of the seating arrangement; a squab of a seat of the seating arrangement; a headrest of the seating arrangement; a bulkhead of the seating arrangement; an armrest of the seating arrangement; a lid of the armrest; a cup holder of the armrest; a cup holder lid of the armrest; a calf rest of the seating arrangement; a ski-hatch of the seating arrangement; a vehicle door; a vehicle door handle; an element of a seat belt system of the seating arrangement; a motor of the seating arrangement; and an electrical component embedded within a cushion of the headrest.

The state of the second component optionally comprises any one or more of: a position of the second component; a load applied to the second component; engagement of the second component with another component of the seating arrangement; and a presence of the second component in the seating arrangement.

The signal indicative of the state of the second component may originate from a sensor associated with the second component, for example a sensor attached to or embedded within the second component.

The signal indicative of the state of the second component may comprise an indication of a failure of the second component to operate. In such embodiments, the indication of failure may comprise an undercurrent reading.

The method may comprise receiving a request to move the first component. The request may represent a user input, in which case the request may originate from any one of: a switch device associated with the seating arrangement; a vehicle input module; and a mobile device.

The method may comprise generating a request to move the first component based on the signal indicative of the state of the second component.

The method may comprise receiving a signal indicative of a state of a third component of the seating arrangement, and commencing movement of the first component in dependence on the signals indicative of the states of the second and third components.

In some embodiments, the method comprises determining, based on the signal indicative of the state of the second component, whether movement of the first component will cause a collision between the first component and another object or an occupant of the seating arrangement, and commencing movement of the first component only if it is determined that no such collision will occur. The object that the first component may collide with may be the second component, for example.

The first component may be a squab of a rear seat of the seating arrangement. Alternatively, the first component may be a bulkhead of a rear seat of the seating arrangement. In either case, the second component may be any one of: a seat cushion of the seat of the seating arrangement; a seat cushion adjacent to the seat cushion of the seat of the seating arrangement; a ski-hatch of the seating arrangement; a lid of an armrest adjacent to the seat; and a squab or seat cushion of a front seat positioned ahead of the rear seat.

The first component may be an armrest of the seating arrangement, in which case the second component may be any one of: a seat cushion of a central seat of the seating arrangement; an element of a seat belt system associated with the central seat; a ski-hatch of the seating arrangement; a lid of the armrest; and a retractable cover of the armrest.

The first component may be a ski-hatch of the seating arrangement, in which case the second component may be any one of: a seat cushion of a central seat of the seating arrangement; an element of a seat belt system associated with the central seat; and a lid of an armrest of the seating arrangement.

In other embodiments, the first component may be a calf rest of a rear seat of the seating arrangement, in which case the second component may be a squab or seat cushion of a front seat positioned ahead of the rear seat.

Optionally, the second component is a motor operable to drive folding movement of a headrest of a seat of the seating arrangement, in which case the second component is a motor disposed within the headrest.

The second component may form part of the seating arrangement.

The method may comprise monitoring for a pinch condition after commencing movement of the first component, and ceasing such movement upon detection of a pinch condition.

Another aspect of the invention provides a controller for a vehicle seating arrangement, the controller being configured to perform the method of the above aspect.

Further aspects of the invention provide a computer program product comprising computer readable code for controlling a computing device to perform a method according to the above aspect to control movement of a first component of a vehicle seating arrangement, and a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising such a computer program product.

Another aspect of the invention provides a controller for a vehicle seating arrangement, the seating arrangement comprising a first component and a second component. The controller comprises: an input configured to receive a signal indicative of a state of a second component of the seating arrangement; a processing module configured to generate a control signal for commencing movement of the first component in dependence on the signal indicative of the state of the second component; and an output configured to issue the control signal.

The input may comprise an electronic processor having an electrical input for receiving said signal indicative of a state of the second component, and an electronic memory device electrically coupled to the electronic processor and having instructions stored therein. The processing module may be configured to access the memory device and execute the instructions stored therein such that it is operable to generate the control signal.

The invention also extends to a vehicle comprising a controller of the above aspects.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of controlling movement of a first component of a vehicle, the first component being a squab or a bulkhead of a rear seat of a vehicle seating arrangement. The method comprises receiving a signal indicative of a state of a second component of the vehicle, and commencing movement of the first component in dependence on the signal indicative of the state of the second component.

The second component may be any one of the following: a seat cushion of a seat of the seating arrangement; a squab of a seat of the seating arrangement; a headrest of the seating arrangement; a bulkhead of the seating arrangement; an armrest of the seating arrangement; a lid of the armrest; a cup holder of the armrest; a cup holder lid of the armrest; a calf rest of the seating arrangement; a ski-hatch of the seating arrangement; a vehicle door; a vehicle door handle; an element of a seat belt system of the seating arrangement; a motor of the seating arrangement; and an electrical component embedded within a cushion of the headrest.

The method may comprise receiving a request to move the first component, and commencing movement of the first component in accordance with the request. The request to move the first component optionally comprises a request to move the first component so that the seat is in a folded condition. In such embodiments, the method may comprise moving the squab of the rear seat into engagement with the bulkhead of the rear seat prior to moving the first component so that the seat is in a folded condition. Such embodiments may also comprise moving the bulkhead and the squab together so that the seat is in a folded condition.

The request to move the first component may comprise a request to recline the first component.

The request to move the first component may originate from any one of: a switch device associated with the seating arrangement; an input module of the vehicle; and an application executing on a mobile device. Alternatively, the request to move the first component may be generated by a vehicle controller.

The second component may be a seat cushion of the rear seat of the seating arrangement or a seat cushion of a seat adjacent to the rear seat of the seating arrangement, in which case the signal indicative of the state of the second component optionally comprises an indication of a load applied to the seat cushion, and may originate from a sensor embedded within the seat cushion. The sensor may form part of an occupancy detection system, for example. Such embodiments may further comprise disabling movement of the first component if a load applied to the seat cushion exceeds a threshold. Additionally, the signal indicative of the state of the second component may comprise an indication of a position of the seat cushion, in which case the method may comprise commencing movement of the first component only if the seat cushion is outside a first clash zone between the seat cushion and the seat squab. The method may also comprise moving the seat cushion to a position outside the first clash zone if the signal indicative of the state of the second component indicates that the seat cushion is in the first clash zone, and then commencing movement of the first component.

In other embodiments, the second component is a ski-hatch of the seating arrangement or a lid of an armrest adjacent to the seat, and wherein the signal indicative of the state of the second component comprises an indication of a position of the second component. Such embodiments may comprise commencing movement of the first component only if the second component is in a closed position.

The second component may be an element of a seat belt system associated with the seat of the seating arrangement or a seat adjacent to the seat of the seating arrangement, in which case the method may comprise commencing movement of the first component only if the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicates that the seat belt system is not engaged.

The second component may be a squab or seat cushion of a front seat of the seating arrangement, the front seat being positioned directly ahead of the rear seat, in which case the signal indicative of the state of the second component may comprise an indication of a position of the squab or seat cushion of the front seat. Such embodiments may comprise commencing movement of the first component only if the squab or seat cushion of a front seat is outside a second clash zone between the front seat and the rear seat. The method may also comprise moving the squab or seat cushion of the front seat to a position outside the second clash zone between the front seat and the rear seat if the signal indicative of the state of the second component indicates that the squab or seat cushion of the front seat is in the second clash zone between the front seat and the rear seat, and then commencing movement of the first component. In such embodiments, the method may comprise determining whether the front seat is occupied prior to moving the front seat, and moving the front seat to a safe configuration if the front seat is occupied, and to a folded configuration if the front seat is not occupied. When the front seat is in the safe configuration, a squab of the front seat may be generally upright to allow the front seat to accommodate a passenger, and the front seat may be displaced forwards within the vehicle to increase space available for movement of the rear seat.

In other embodiments, the second component is a vehicle door adjacent to the rear seat, or a door handle of the door adjacent to the rear seat, in which case the signal indicative of the state of the second component indicates, respectively, opening of the door or actuation of the door handle. Such embodiments may comprise moving the squab of the rear seat and a cushion of the rear seat to arrange the rear seat in an egress configuration on receiving an indication of opening of the door. For example, when the rear seat is in the egress configuration, the squab of the rear seat may be oriented generally vertically, the cushion of the rear seat may be displaced aft relative to a front seat positioned ahead of the rear seat, and a calf rest of the rear seat may be stowed.

The method may comprise monitoring for a pinch condition after commencing movement of the first component, and ceasing such movement upon detection of a pinch condition.

In some embodiments, the method comprises controlling an actuator to release the first component prior to commencing movement of the first component.

Other aspects of the invention provide a controller for a vehicle seating arrangement, the controller being configured to perform the method of the above aspect, a computer program product comprising computer readable code for controlling a computing device to perform the method of the above aspect to control movement of a first component of a vehicle seating arrangement, and a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising such a computer program product.

The invention also extends to a vehicle comprising the controller of the above aspect.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of controlling movement of a first component of a vehicle, the first component being an armrest of a vehicle seating arrangement. The method comprises receiving a signal indicative of a state of a second component of the vehicle, and commencing movement of the first component in dependence on the signal indicative of the state of the second component.

The second component may be any one of: a seat cushion of a central seat of the seating arrangement; an element of a seat belt system associated with the central seat; a ski-hatch of the seating arrangement; a lid of the armrest; a cup holder; and a cup holder lid of the armrest.

If the second component is a seat cushion of a central seat of the seating arrangement, the signal indicative of the state of the second component may comprise an indication of a load applied to the seat cushion, and may originate from a sensor embedded within the seat cushion, for example. The sensor may form part of an occupancy detection system. In such embodiments, the method may comprise disabling movement of the first component if a load applied to the seat cushion exceeds a threshold.

The signal indicative of the state of the second component may comprise an indication of a position of the seat cushion of the central seat, in which case the method may comprise commencing movement of the first component if the signal indicative of the state of the second component indicates that the seat cushion of the central seat is in a dipped position. Alternatively, or in addition, the method may comprise moving the seat cushion of the central seat into a dipped position prior to commencing movement of the first component.

In any embodiment in which the second component is a seat cushion of a central seat of the seating arrangement, the central seat may be generally aligned with the armrest within the seating arrangement.

In other embodiments, the second component is an element of a seat belt system associated with the central seat, and the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicates whether the seat belt system is engaged. Such embodiments may comprise commencing movement of the first component only if the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicates that the seat belt system is not engaged. Alternatively or additionally, the method may comprise disabling movement of the first component if the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicates that the seat belt system is engaged.

The second component may be a ski-hatch of the seating arrangement, and the signal indicative of a state of the second component may indicate a position of the ski-hatch, in which case the method may comprise commencing movement of the first component only if the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicates that the ski-hatch is in a closed configuration. Such embodiments may comprise disabling movement of the first component if the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicates that the ski-hatch is in an open configuration.

The second component may be a lid of the armrest, and the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicates a position of the lid, in which case the method optionally comprises commencing movement of the first component only if the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicates that the lid is in a closed configuration. The method may comprise disabling movement of the first component if the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicates that the lid is in an open configuration.

The second component may be a retractable cover of a compartment within the armrest, with the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicating a position of the retractable cover. In such embodiments, the method may comprise commencing movement of the first component only if the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicates that the retractable cover is in a closed configuration. The method may comprise attempting to close the retractable cover if the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicates that the retractable cover is in an open configuration. If the compartment of the retractable cover comprises a cup holder, the method may comprise checking for the presence of an object in the cup holder while closing the retractable cover and ceasing closure of the retractable cover if an object is detected. The method may comprise commencing movement of the armrest if it is subsequently detected that the retractable cover has been closed.

In some embodiments, the method comprises receiving a request to move the first component, and commencing movement of the first component in accordance with the request. The request to move the first component may comprise a request to deploy the armrest, or a request to stow the armrest, for example. The request to move the first component may originates from any one of: a switch device associated with the seating arrangement; an input module of the vehicle; and an application executing on a mobile device. Alternatively, the request to move the first component may be generated by a vehicle controller.

The method may comprise monitoring for a pinch condition after commencing movement of the first component, and ceasing such movement upon detection of a pinch condition.

Other aspects of the invention provide a controller for a vehicle seating arrangement, the controller being configured to perform the method of the above aspect, a computer program product comprising computer readable code for controlling a computing device to perform a method of the above aspect to control movement of a first component of a vehicle seating arrangement, and a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising such a computer program product.

The invention also extends to a vehicle comprising the controller of the above aspect.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of controlling movement of a first component of a vehicle, the first component being a ski-hatch of a vehicle seating arrangement. The method comprises receiving a signal indicative of a state of a second component of the vehicle, and commencing movement of the first component in dependence on the signal indicative of the state of the second component.

The second component may be any one of: a seat cushion of a seat of the seating arrangement that comprises at least a portion of the ski-hatch; an element of a seat belt system associated with the seat that comprises at least a portion of the ski-hatch; an armrest of the seating arrangement; and a lid of the armrest.

The method may comprise receiving a signal indicative of a state of a third component of the vehicle, and commencing movement of the first component in dependence on the signals indicative of the states of the second and third components.

The second component may be an armrest of the seating arrangement, the armrest being configurable in a stowed configuration in which the armrest obstructs movement of the ski-hatch, and the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicating a position of the armrest. The third component may be a lid of the armrest, in which case the signal indicative of a state of the third component indicates a position of the lid. Such methods may comprise commencing movement of the first component only if the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicates that the armrest is in a deployed configuration and the signal indicative of a state of the third component indicates that the lid is in a closed configuration.

The second component may be a seat cushion of a central seat of the seating arrangement, with the signal indicative of the state of the second component comprising an indication of a load applied to the seat cushion. In such embodiments, the signal indicative of the state of the second component may originate from a sensor embedded within the seat cushion, for example a sensor forming part of an occupancy detection system. Such methods may comprise disabling movement of the first component if a load applied to the seat cushion exceeds a threshold.

In other embodiments, the second component is an element of a seat belt system associated with the central seat, and the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicates whether the seat belt system is engaged. Such methods may comprise commencing movement of the first component only if the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicates that the seat belt system is not engaged. Alternatively, or in addition, the method may comprise disabling movement of the first component if the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicates that the seat belt system is engaged.

The second component may be an armrest of the seating arrangement, the armrest being configurable in a stowed configuration in which the armrest obstructs movement of the ski-hatch, in which case the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicates a position of the armrest. In such embodiments, method may comprise commencing movement of the first component only if the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicates that the armrest is in a deployed configuration. Alternatively or additionally, the method optionally comprises deploying the armrest if the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicates that the armrest is in a stowed configuration, and commencing movement of the first component on receiving a signal indicating that the armrest is in a deployed configuration.

The second component may be a lid of an armrest, with the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicating a position of the lid, in which case the method may comprise commencing movement of the first component only if the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicates that the lid is in a closed configuration. In such embodiments, the method may comprise disabling movement of the first component if the signal indicative of a state of the second component indicates that the lid is in an open configuration.

The method may comprise receiving a request to move the first component, and commencing movement of the first component in accordance with the request. The request to move the first component may originates from any one of: a switch device associated with the seating arrangement; an input module of the vehicle; and an application executing on a mobile device. Alternatively, the request to move the first component may be generated by a vehicle controller.

In some embodiments, the method comprises controlling an actuator to release the first component prior to commencing movement of the first component.

Other aspects of the invention provide a controller for a vehicle seating arrangement, the controller being configured to perform the method of the above aspect, a computer program product comprising computer readable code for controlling a computing device to perform a method according to the above aspect to control movement of a first component of a vehicle seating arrangement, and a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising such a computer program product.

Another aspect of the invention provides a controller for controlling movement of a first component of a vehicle, the first component being a ski-hatch of a vehicle seating arrangement. The controller comprises: an input arranged to receive a signal indicative of a state of a second component of the vehicle; a processing module configured to determine a control signal for controlling movement of the first component in dependence on the signal indicative of the state of the second component; and an output configured to issue the control signal.

The input may comprise an electronic processor having an electrical input for receiving said signal indicative of a state of the second component, and an electronic memory device electrically coupled to the electronic processor and having instructions stored therein. The processing module may be configured to access the memory device and execute the instructions stored therein such that it is operable to generate the control signal.

The invention also extends to a vehicle comprising the controller of the above aspects.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of controlling a seating arrangement of a vehicle, the seating arrangement comprising a rear seat including a deployable calf rest. The method comprises receiving a signal indicative of a state of a component of a front seat positioned ahead of the rear seat, and controlling movement of the calf rest in dependence on the signal indicative of the state of the front seat component.

The front seat component may be a squab or seat cushion of the front seat, for example.

The state of the front seat component may comprise a position of the front seat component, in which case the method may comprise adjusting the extent to which the calf rest is moved in dependence on the position of the front seat component. Methods of such embodiments may further comprise determining, based on the signal indicative of the state of the front seat component, a safe position for the calf rest that avoids a collision between the calf rest and the front seat component, and moving the calf rest to the safe position.

In some embodiments, the state of the front seat component comprises a load applied to the front seat component, in which case the signal indicative of the state of the front seat component may originate from a sensor embedded within the front seat component, such as a sensor that forms part of an occupancy detection system. The method may comprise moving the front seat away from the rear seat if no load is applied to the front seat or a load applied to the front seat component is below a threshold. Alternatively, or in addition, the method may comprise moving the calf rest to the safe position if the load applied to the front seat component exceeds a threshold.

Controlling movement of the calf rest may comprise deploying the calf rest from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration.

Controlling movement of the calf rest may comprise adjusting an extension of the calf rest to move a cushion of the calf rest towards or away from a cushion of the rear seat. When the calf rest is in a stowed configuration, controlling movement of the calf rest may also comprise: adjusting an extension of the calf rest to move the calf rest away from the rear seat cushion towards a floor of the vehicle; pivoting the calf rest to an intermediate position; adjusting the extension of the calf rest further to move the calf rest further away from the rear seat cushion; and pivoting the calf rest to a deployed configuration. Such embodiments may comprise adjusting the extension of the calf rest further after the calf rest reaches the intermediate position, or adjusting the extension of the calf rest further simultaneously with pivoting the calf rest to the intermediate position.

When the calf rest is in a deployed configuration, controlling movement of the calf rest may comprise: adjusting an extension of the calf rest to move the calf rest towards the rear seat cushion; pivoting the calf rest to a generally vertical orientation below the rear seat; and adjusting the extension of the calf rest to move the calf rest further towards the rear seat cushion to reach a stowed configuration.

The method may comprise receiving a request for movement of the calf rest, and controlling movement of the calf rest in accordance with the request. The request to move the calf rest may originate from any one of: a switch device associated with the seating arrangement; an input module of a vehicle in which the seating arrangement resides; and an application executing on a mobile device. Alternatively, the request to move the first component may be generated by a vehicle controller.

The method may comprise checking a vehicle type identifier and controlling movement of the calf rest in dependence on the vehicle type identifier. For example, the vehicle type identifier may be indicative of a wheelbase of the vehicle.

The method may comprise monitoring for a pinch condition during movement of the calf rest, and ceasing such movement upon detection of a pinch condition.

Another aspect of the invention provides a controller configured to control a vehicle seating arrangement using the method of the above aspect.

Another aspect of the invention provides a controller configured to control a vehicle seating arrangement, the seating arrangement comprising a rear seat including a calf rest. The controller comprises: an input configured to receive a signal indicative of a state of a component of a front seat positioned ahead of the rear seat; a processing module configured to generate a control signal for controlling movement of the calf rest in dependence on the signal indicative of the state of the front seat component; and an output configured to issue the control signal.

The input may comprise an electronic processor having an electrical input for receiving said signal indicative of a state of a component of the front seat, and an electronic memory device electrically coupled to the electronic processor and having instructions stored therein. The processing module may be configured to access the memory device and execute the instructions stored therein such that it is operable to generate the control signal.

Other aspects of the invention provide a computer program product comprising computer readable code for controlling a computing device to perform a method according to the above aspect to control movement of a first component of a vehicle seating arrangement, and a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising such a computer program product.

The invention also extends to a vehicle comprising the controller of the above aspects.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of controlling tilting movement of a headrest of a seating arrangement of a vehicle. The method comprises: receiving a request for tilting movement of the headrest; determining if the headrest is attached to the seat by checking for the presence of at least one electrical component that is located within the headrest; operating a tilt motor to commence tilting movement of the headrest in response to the request only if the or each component is found to be present.

Checking for the presence of the at least one electrical component optionally comprises applying a voltage to a contact of an electrical terminal for the, or each, component and measuring an electrical current flow at the, or each, contact. The, or each, voltage may correspond to an operating voltage for the, or each, component. The, or each, component may be determined to be present if the electrical current measured at the, or each, contact exceeds a threshold.

The at least one electrical component may comprise a headrest motor, in which case checking for the presence of the headrest motor may comprise measuring an electrical current consumed at a contact of an electrical terminal for the headrest motor while attempting to operate the headrest motor. The headrest motor may be operable to move the headrest relative to a support element of the headrest.

The method may comprise checking for the presence of at least two electrical components that are located within the headrest. In such embodiments, the method may comprise commencing tilting movement of the headrest in response to the request only if both of the at least two electrical components are found to be present. The at least two electrical components optionally comprises a pair of headrest motors, in which case each headrest motor may be operable to move the headrest on a respective axis relative to a support element of the headrest. One of the motors of the pair may be operable to move the headrest on a substantially horizontal axis, in which case the other motor of the pair is operable to move the headrest on a substantially vertical axis.

Checking for the presence of the at least one electrical component optionally comprises a plausibility check.

In some embodiments, the request for tilting movement comprises a request to unfold the headrest from a folded configuration to an unfolded configuration.

The request to move the first component may represent a user input, and may originate from any one of: a switch device associated with the seating arrangement; an input module of the vehicle; and an application executing on a mobile device. Alternatively, the request to move the first component may be generated by a vehicle controller.

Other aspects of the invention provide a controller configured to control tilting movement of a headrest of a vehicle seating arrangement according to the method of the above aspect, a computer program product comprising computer readable code for controlling a computing device to perform a method according to the above aspect to control tilting movement of a headrest of a vehicle seating arrangement, and a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising such a computer program product.

Another aspect of the invention provides a controller for controlling tilting movement of a headrest of a vehicle seating arrangement. The controller comprises: an input configured to receive a request for tilting movement of the headrest; a processing module configured to check for the presence of at least one electrical component within the headrest, and to generate a control signal for operating a tilt motor to commence tilting movement of the headrest in response to the request only if the or each component is found to be present; and an output configured to issue the control signal.

The input may comprise an electronic processor having an electrical input for receiving said request, and an electronic memory device electrically coupled to the electronic processor and having instructions stored therein. The processing module may be configured to access the memory device and execute the instructions stored therein such that it is operable to generate the control signal.

The invention also extends to a vehicle comprising the controller of the above aspects.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle seating assembly, comprising a seat, a display device mounted to a rear of the seat, and a positioning system configured to alter a position of the display device relative to a squab of the seat in dependence on a position of the squab.

The display device may be pivotably mounted to the seat, in which case altering a position of the display device optionally comprises altering an orientation of the display device relative to the squab of the seat. In such embodiments, the positioning system is configured to alter the orientation of the display device in dependence on an orientation of the squab. Alternatively, or in addition, the positioning system may be configured to alter the orientation of the display device in dependence on a lateral displacement of the squab, for example to maintain the display device in a substantially upright orientation.

The seat to which the display device is mounted may be a front seat of the seating assembly. In such embodiments, the positioning system may be configured to orient the display device towards a rear seat of the seating assembly, for example towards a headrest of the rear seat.

In some embodiments, the positioning system is configured to maintain the screen at a user-adjustable orientation.

The display device is optionally mounted to the squab of the seat. Alternatively, the display device may be mounted to a headrest of the seat.

The display device may be mounted for linear movement relative to the squab, in which case altering a position of the display device may comprise altering a displacement of the display device relative to the squab of the seat.

The positioning system may be configured to alter the position of the display device to compensate for movement of the squab of the seat.

In some embodiments, the positioning system comprises a control module configured to control movement of the display device.

Another aspect of the invention provides a controller for a vehicle seating assembly comprising a seat, a display device mounted to a rear of the seat, and a positioning system configured to alter a position of the display device relative to a squab of the seat in dependence on a position of the squab. The controller comprises: an input configured to receive a signal indicative of a position of the squab of the seat; a processing module configured to determine a required position for the display device based on the signal indicative of the position of the squab, and to generate a control signal arranged to cause movement of the display device to the required position; and an output configured to issue the control signal.

The input may comprise an electronic processor having an electrical input for receiving said signal indicative of a position of the squab, and an electronic memory device electrically coupled to the electronic processor and having instructions stored therein. The processing module may be configured to access the memory device and execute the instructions stored therein such that it is operable to generate the control signal.

Another aspect of the invention provides a method of controlling a position of a display device mounted to a rear of a seat of a vehicle seating assembly. The method comprises determining a position of a squab of the seat, and altering the position of the display device relative to the squab of the seat in dependence on the position of the squab of the seat.

Altering a position of the display device may comprise altering an orientation of the display device relative to the squab of the seat, in which case the method may comprise altering the orientation of the display device in dependence on an orientation of the squab. Alternatively, or additionally, the method may comprise altering the orientation of the display device in dependence on a lateral displacement of the squab. Some embodiments comprise maintaining the display device in a substantially upright orientation. If the seat to which the display device is mounted is a front seat of the seating assembly, the method may comprise orienting the display device towards a rear seat of the seating assembly, for example towards a headrest of the rear seat.

Altering a position of the display device optionally comprises altering a displacement of the display device relative to the squab of the seat.

The method may comprise altering the position of the display device to compensate for movement of the squab of the seat.

Other aspects of the invention provide a controller configured to control a position of a display device according to the method of the above aspect, a computer program product comprising computer readable code for controlling a computing device to perform a method according to the above aspect to control tilting movement of a headrest of a vehicle seating arrangement, and a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising such a computer program product.

The invention also extends to a vehicle comprising the seating assembly or the controller of the above aspects.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of controlling a seating arrangement of a vehicle, the seating arrangement comprising a seat including a deployable calf rest. The method comprises: receiving a signal indicative of an angle of the calf rest; adjusting an extension limit for the calf rest in accordance with the indicated angle of the calf rest; and extending the calf rest within the extension limit.

The angle of the calf rest may be measured relative to any other vehicle component, or with respect to defined positions of the calf rest, for example.

The method may comprise comparing the indicated calf rest angle with a threshold angle, and adjusting the extension limit in dependence on whether the indicated angle of the calf rest equals or has passed the threshold angle. In such embodiments, the method may also comprise extending the calf rest up to a first extension if the indicated angle of the calf rest is equal to or has not passed the threshold angle, and extending the calf rest beyond the first extension if the indicated angle of the calf rest has passed the threshold angle. Such methods may comprise extending the calf rest to the first extension while the calf rest is oriented substantially orthogonally to a floor of the vehicle. The first extension may be configured to avoid the calf rest impacting a floor of the vehicle if the calf rest is oriented substantially orthogonally to the floor of the vehicle, for example. Alternatively, or in addition, the method may comprise fully extending the calf rest if the indicated angle of the calf rest equals or exceeds the threshold angle.

The method may comprise pivoting the calf rest from an orientation substantially orthogonal to a floor of the vehicle towards a deployed configuration. Such embodiments may further comprise adjusting the extension limit dynamically as the indicated calf rest angle varies. The method may also comprise extending the calf rest while the calf rest pivots, or extending the calf rest and pivoting the calf rest in successive operations.

The method may comprise adjusting the extension limit to avoid the calf rest from impacting a floor of the vehicle.

In some embodiments, the seat comprising the calf rest is a rear seat of the vehicle, in which case the method may comprise adjusting the extension limit to avoid the calf rest impacting a component of a front seat of the vehicle. In such embodiments, the method may comprise receiving a signal indicative of a position of a component of the front seat, and adjusting the extension limit in accordance with the indicated position of the component of the front seat. Such methods may also comprise moving a component of the front seat prior to extending the calf rest.

Extending the calf rest optionally comprises displacing a cushion of the calf rest relative to the seat, for example by moving the cushion of the calf rest relative to a support structure of the calf rest.

The method may comprise monitoring for a pinch condition while extending the calf rest.

Other aspects of the invention provide a controller configured to control a deployable calf rest of a vehicle seating arrangement according to the method of the above aspect, a computer program product comprising computer readable code for controlling a computing device to perform a method according to the above aspect to control deployment of a calf rest of a vehicle seating arrangement, and a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising such a computer program product.

Another aspect of the invention provides a controller for a seating arrangement of a vehicle, the seating arrangement comprising a seat including a deployable calf rest. The controller comprises: an input configured to receive a signal indicative of an angle of the calf rest relative to the seat; a processing module configured to adjust an extension limit for the calf rest in accordance with the indicated angle of the calf rest, and to generate a control signal arranged to cause extension of the calf rest within the extension limit; and an output configured to issue the control signal.

The input may comprise an electronic processor having an electrical input for receiving said signal indicative of an angle of the calf rest, and an electronic memory device electrically coupled to the electronic processor and having instructions stored therein. The processing module may be configured to access the memory device and execute the instructions stored therein such that it is operable to generate the control signal.

The invention also extends to a vehicle comprising the controller of the above aspects.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of controlling a seating arrangement of a vehicle, the seating arrangement comprising a seat including a deployable calf rest. The method comprises receiving a request to deploy the calf rest from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration, and extending the calf rest towards a floor of the vehicle before pivoting the calf rest towards the deployed configuration in accordance with the request.

The method may comprise ceasing extension of the calf rest before the calf rest engages the floor of the vehicle.

The calf rest may be oriented generally orthogonally to the floor of the vehicle when in the stowed configuration, and may remain generally orthogonal to the floor of the vehicle while extending towards the floor.

The calf rest may be disposed beneath a cushion of the seat when in the stowed configuration. Alternatively, or additionally, the calf rest optionally engages a cushion of the seat when in the stowed configuration. The calf rest may be arranged to support the legs of an occupant of the seat when in the deployed configuration.

Extending the calf rest may comprise displacing a cushion of the calf rest relative to the seat, for example by moving the cushion of the calf rest relative to a support structure of the calf rest.

The method may comprise extending the calf rest further after commencing pivoting the calf rest towards the deployed configuration. Such methods may comprise extending the calf rest further while pivoting the calf rest towards the deployed configuration. Alternatively, or in addition, the method may comprise extending the calf rest further after pivoting the calf rest at least part of the way towards the deployed configuration. For example, pivoting and extension operations may be conducted sequentially, or the calf rest may be extended and pivoted simultaneously after pivoting to an intermediate position.

The method may comprise monitoring for a pinch condition during movement of the calf rest.

Other aspects of the invention provide a controller configured to control a deployable calf rest of a vehicle seating arrangement according to the method of the above aspect, a computer program product comprising computer readable code for controlling a computing device to perform a method according to the above aspect to control deployment of a calf rest of a vehicle seating arrangement, and a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising such a computer program product.

Another aspect of the invention provides a controller for a seating arrangement of a vehicle, the seating arrangement comprising a seat including a deployable calf rest, the controller comprising: an input configured to receive a request to deploy the calf rest from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration; a processing module configured to generate a control signal arranged to cause extension of the calf rest towards a floor of the vehicle before pivoting the calf rest towards the deployed configuration in accordance with the request; and an output configured to issue the control signal.

The input may comprise an electronic processor having an electrical input for receiving said request, and an electronic memory device electrically coupled to the electronic processor and having instructions stored therein. The processing module may be configured to access the memory device and execute the instructions stored therein such that it is operable to generate the control signal.

The invention also extends to a vehicle comprising the controller of the above aspects.

Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and/or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and/or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and/or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top view of a vehicle comprising a rear seating arrangement suitable for use in embodiments of the invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of an example of the rear seating arrangement of Figure 1;

Figure 3 corresponds to Figure 2 but shows a front view of the rear seating arrangement;

Figure 4 corresponds to Figure 2 but shows a rear view of the rear seating arrangement;

Figure 5 corresponds to Figure 2, but shows the rear seating arrangement in a partially folded configuration;

Figure 6 corresponds to Figure 2, but shows the rear seating arrangement in a fully folded configuration;

Figures 7a to 7e show an example of a first seat of the rear seating arrangement of Figure 1 through a series of stages of a folding sequence of the seat;

Figure 8 is a side sectional view of an example of the rear seating arrangement of Figure 1 in which the armrest is in a stowed configuration;

Figure 9 corresponds to Figure 8 but shows the armrest in a deployed configuration;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the rear seating arrangement shown in Figure 9;

Figure 11 corresponds to Figure 10 but shows a lid of the armrest in an open configuration;

Figure 12 is a side view of an example of a seat of the rear seating arrangement in a reclined configuration;

Figure 13 is a side view of an example of a front seat of the vehicle in an intermediate stage of folding with a screen oriented according to an angle of the squab of the seat;

Figure 14 shows an example of a first seat of the rear seating arrangement of Figure 1 through a series of stages of deployment of a calf rest;

Figure 15 corresponds to Figure 14 but shows a retraction sequence for the calf rest;

Figure 16 is a perspective view of an example of a headrest of the rear seating arrangement of Figure 1;

Figure 17 is a perspective, cut-away view of an interface between the headrest of Figure 16 and a squab of the rear seating arrangement of Figure 1, showing internal features of the squab;

Figure 18 is a cross-sectional view of the headrest of Figure 16;

Figure 19 is a schematic perspective view of an example of the rear seating arrangement of Figure 1 showing a motor system used to power movement of components of the seating arrangement;

Figure 20 is a schematic illustration of an example of a control system used to operate the rear seating arrangement of Figure 1;

Figure 21 is a flow diagram showing a process according to an embodiment of the invention for folding the seats of the rear seating arrangement of Figure 1;

Figure 22 is a Gantt chart showing steps of the process of Figure 21;

Figure 23 is a flow diagram showing a process according to an embodiment of the invention for reclining a seat of the rear seating arrangement of Figure 1;

Figure 24 is a Gantt chart showing steps of the process of Figure 23;

Figure 25 is a flow diagram showing a process according to an embodiment of the invention for deploying an armrest of the rear seating arrangement of Figure 1;

Figure 26 is a flow diagram showing a process according to an embodiment of the invention for stowing an armrest of the rear seating arrangement of Figure 1;

Figure 27 is a flow diagram showing a process according to an embodiment of the invention for deploying a ski-hatch of the rear seating arrangement of Figure 1;

Figure 28 is a flow diagram showing a process according to an embodiment of the invention for deploying a calf rest of the rear seating arrangement of Figure 1;

Figure 29 is a flow diagram showing a process according to an embodiment of the invention for extending a calf rest of the rear seating arrangement of Figure 1;

Figure 30 is a flow diagram showing a process according to an embodiment of the invention for detecting the presence of a headrest; and

Figure 31 is a flow diagram showing a process according to an embodiment of the invention for adjusting the position of a screen mounted to the rear of a front passenger seat.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the invention relate to methods and corresponding control systems for guiding operation of elements of a motorised seating arrangement for a vehicle. Due to the complexity of the seating arrangement, which comprises various movable elements, each movement must be managed carefully to avoid collisions with other vehicle components and to ensure the comfort and safety of any occupants of the vehicle.

Before moving on to consider these embodiments in detail, to put the invention into context a seating arrangement to which such embodiments are applicable is described with reference to Figures 1 to 20.

Figure 1 shows in plan view, and in simplified form, a luxury vehicle 6 comprising a rear seating arrangement or seating assembly 1 and a control system 3 for controlling movement of components of the rear seating arrangement 1 according to embodiments of the invention. The rear seating arrangement 1 is disposed in a passenger compartment 2 of the vehicle 6, and a loadspace 4 is defined behind the seating arrangement 1. Figure 2 shows an example of the rear portion of the passenger compartment 2 and the loadspace 4 of the vehicle 6 in perspective view.

In the description that follows, the terms “forwards”, “backwards”, “fore”, “aft”, “forwardmost” and “rearmost” are used to describe positions or locations of features relative to the vehicle 6. For example, the terms “forwards” and “forwardmost” refer to locations or positions towards or nearer the front of the vehicle 6, and “backwards” and “rearmost” refer to locations or positions towards or nearer the rear of the vehicle 6.

The rear portion of the passenger compartment 2 comprises the seating arrangement 1, which is shown in a default configuration in Figure 2. As seen most clearly in Figure 2, when the seating arrangement 1 is in the default (unfolded) configuration, the passenger compartment 2 in the illustrated example is separated from the loadspace 4 by a bulkhead 8 of the seating arrangement 1 that extends transversely between opposed sides of the vehicle 6. The loadspace 4 is commonly referred to as the “trunk” or “boot” or “cargo space” of a vehicle. Luggage and other items are typically loaded into the loadspace 4 by opening a hinged hatch or door (not shown) at the rear of the vehicle 6 to provide access to the loadspace 4. The bulkhead 8 has a first surface 10 and a second surface 12, with the first surface 10 of the bulkhead 8 facing the passenger compartment 2 and the second surface 12 facing the loadspace 4 when the seating arrangement 1 is in the default configuration illustrated in Figure 2.

The seating arrangement 1 is shown from the front in Figure 3, and from behind in Figure 4. Figures 1 to 4 will now be described together.

The seating arrangement 1 comprises a first seat 16, a second seat 18 and a separating portion defining a central seat 20, the central seat 20 being located between the first seat 16 and the second seat 18. The bulkhead 8 is located rearward of the first, second and central seats 16, 18, 20.

Each of the first and second seats 16, 18 comprises a seat cushion 22, a squab 24, a headrest 26 and a calf rest 27. The squabs 24 are located adjacent to the first surface 10 of the bulkhead 8 when the seating arrangement 1 is in the default configuration.

The central seat 20 comprises a central cushion 28 and a backrest that is pivotable to function as an armrest 30. The armrest 30 is shown in a deployed configuration in Figure 2, in which the armrest 30 is oriented generally horizontally. The armrest 30 is movable to a stowed configuration, described in more detail below, in which the armrest 30 is oriented generally vertically to form the separating backrest for the central seat 20.

Although not visible in Figures 1 to 4, the first, second and central seats 16, 18, 20 typically also comprise seat belt assemblies. For example, the first and second seats 16, 18 typically comprise conventional three-point seat belt systems, whereas the central seat 20 may be provided with a two-point lap belt system. Each of these seat belt systems may comprise sensors that are configured to generate signals that are indicative of whether or not the respective seat belt has been fastened, and thus whether or not the respective seat belt system is engaged.

Additionally, each of the first, second and central seats 16, 18, 20 may be fitted with one or more sensors that are arranged to detect the presence of an object such as a passenger in the respective seat. Such sensors will be familiar to the skilled reader, and may be embedded within the seat cushions 22, 28, for example. The sensors may form a part of an occupant detection system and may be arranged to generate signals indicative of a load applied to the seat cushion 22, 28. The occupancy detection system may determine that the seat 16, 18 is occupied if the indicated load exceeds a threshold, for example.

The seating arrangement 1 is referred to in the art as a 40-20-40 split: the first seat 16 comprises approximately 40% of the seating space of the seating arrangement 1, the central seat 20 comprises approximately 20% of the seating space of the seating arrangement 1 and the second seat 18 comprises approximately 40% of the seating space of the seating arrangement 1.

As best seen in Figure 4, the bulkhead 8 in the illustrated example comprises a hinged opening defining a ski-hatch 29, which can be opened when the armrest 30 is deployed to allow elongate objects, such as skis 31, to extend from the loadspace 4 into the passenger compartment 2. Figure 2 shows the seating arrangement 1 with the ski-hatch 29 in an open configuration and the skis 31 extending therethrough into the passenger compartment 2. Figures 3 and 4 show the seating arrangement 1 with the ski-hatch 29 in a closed configuration.

In some embodiments, the default configuration of the seating arrangement 1 shown in Figures 1 to 4, in which the squabs 24 are generally upright but not reclined, the cushions are in a generally rearward position and the calf rests 27 are stowed, defines an egress configuration for each seat 16, 18 of the seating arrangement 1.

Such an egress configuration is arranged to facilitate egress from or entry to the respective seat 16, 18 by positioning the seat 16, 18 in an accessible arrangement, and may be optimised for each vehicle model. Moreover, the egress configuration may be user customisable through a vehicle infotainment system, for example. Thus, the egress configuration may not exactly correspond to the default configuration shown in Figures 1 to 4.

The control system 3 may be arranged to control movement of the components of the rear seating arrangement 1 to move the first seat 16 or the second seat 18 into its egress configuration when a vehicle door adjacent to the relevant seat 16, 18 is operated.

For example, the second seat 18 may be in a reclined configuration when the door directly adjacent to the second seat 18 is operated. An example of a reclined configuration is shown in Figure 12, and entails that the squab 24 is tilted rearward, the cushion 22 is shifted forward and the calf rest 27 is deployed. In this situation, on sensing operation of the door the control system 3 acts to reconfigure the second seat 18 automatically to tilt the squab 24 forwards, shift the cushion 22 aft and stow the calf rest 27, thereby assuming the egress configuration.

The precise manner in which the components of the seating arrangement 1 are moved by the control system 3 shall become clear in the description that follows.

Operating a door may act as a trigger for commencing movement of a seat 16, 18 to an egress configuration, and may comprise actuation of an internal or external door handle, as indicated by a door handle sensor, or opening of a door as indicated by a door sensor.

In some embodiments, only the seat adjacent to the door or door handle that is operated is moved to the egress configuration, but optionally both the first and second seats 16, 18 may be moved to their egress configurations when a door next to either one of them is operated.

If automated movement to the egress configuration is desired only for vehicle egress, optionally the control system 3 may check for occupancy of the relevant seat 16, 18 when a door is operated. Such information may be gathered from an occupancy detection system for the relevant seat 16, 18, for example. Such systems may include a sensor embedded within the relevant seat cushion 22 that is arranged to generate a signal indicative of a load applied to the seat cushion 22. If the load exceeds a threshold, the occupancy detection system determines that the seat 16, 18 is occupied.

Similarly, in such embodiments movement to the egress configuration may be disabled if the relevant seat 16, 18 is folded, since a folded seat can be assumed to be unoccupied.

It will be appreciated that if the control system 3 is arranged to move the seats 16, 18 to an egress position on occasions where a person is entering the vehicle 6, there is no need to check for occupancy of the seat 16, 18, or whether the seat 16, 18 is folded.

The seating arrangement 1 is shown in Figure 5 in a partially-folded configuration. The bulkhead 8 is asymmetrically divided into a major bulkhead portion 17a and a minor bulkhead portion 19a. Accordingly, the seating arrangement 1 is divided into corresponding portions: a major portion 17 and a minor portion 19. The major portion 17 comprises the second seat 18, the central seat 20 and armrest 30, and the major bulkhead portion 17a. The minor portion 19 comprises the first seat 16 and the minor bulkhead portion 19a. In the example shown, the seating arrangement 1 has a 40-20-40 split meaning the major bulkhead portion 17a and the minor bulkhead portion 19a is typically a 60-40 split.

The first, second and central seats 16, 18, 20 are arranged so that the squabs 24 and armrest 30 may each fold forward about an axis 33 extending transversely across the vehicle 6 parallel to the plane of the bulkhead 8. The bulkhead 8 is also arranged to fold forward in cooperation with the seats 16, 18, 20.

However, it is noted that the bulkhead 8 is separate to the squabs 24 of the first and second seats 16, 18, and so can move independently. The precise modes of operation will be described in more detail later, but at this stage it is noted that the provision of a bulkhead 8 that can fold independently of the seats 16, 18, 20 increases the versatility of the seating arrangement 1. For example, this configuration allows the bulkhead 8 to be used as a foundation for movement of the seat squabs 24, which is helpful in view of their relatively large size and weight resulting from the increased level of comfort that they are designed to provide. This arrangement also allows the bulkhead 8 to continue to separate the loadspace 4 from the passenger compartment 2 while the positions of the squabs 24 are adjusted.

In the partially-folded configuration shown in Figure 5 the first seat 16 is in a folded configuration so that its squab 24 rests on its corresponding seat cushion 22. The central seat 20 and the second seat 18, i.e. the major portion 17a, is in an unfolded, default configuration. In this configuration the corresponding minor portion 19a of the bulkhead 8 is folded forward to lie on top of the squab 24, so that the first surface 10 of the minor portion 19a of the bulkhead 8 generally faces the floor of the passenger compartment 2 and the second surface 12 of the minor portion of the bulkhead 8 generally faces the roof of the passenger compartment 2. The partially-folded configuration allows a long load 32 to be carried by the vehicle 6 while allowing the second seat 18 and the central seat 20 to carry passengers.

The seating arrangement 1 is shown in Figure 6 in a fully-folded configuration, in which both of the squabs 24 and the armrest 30 are folded forward about the folding axis 33 so that each squab 24 and the armrest 30 engages its respective cushion 22, 28. In the fully-folded configuration, both the minor and major portions of the bulkhead 8 are folded forward to lie on top of the squabs 24 and armrest 30 so that the first surface 10 of the bulkhead 8 generally faces the floor of the passenger compartment 2 and the second surface 12 generally faces the roof of the passenger compartment 2. The fully-folded configuration allows a larger load (not shown) to be carried by the vehicle 6.

Figures 7a to 7e are side views of the first seat 16 of the seating arrangement 1, showing a bulkhead assembly 34 incorporating the bulkhead 8. Each of Figures 7a to 7e show the bulkhead assembly 34 and the seat 16 in sequential stages of movement as the seat 16 and bulkhead assembly 34 fold under the control of the control system 3.

The bulkhead assembly 34 comprises an upper support structure 38 and a lower support structure 40, the lower support structure 40 being connected to the upper support structure 38 by a pivotable joint 55.

The upper support structure 38 comprises the bulkhead 8 and a bulkhead bracket 46, to which the bulkhead 8 is mounted.

The seat cushion 22 is mounted on the lower support structure 40. Specifically, the cushion 22 comprises opposed laterally projecting rear pins 60 towards the rear of the cushion 22 that are received for linear sliding movement in slots 62 of the lower support structure 40, and is coupled to a pair of pivotable support arms 64 of the lower support structure 40 towards the front of the cushion 22, with one support arm 64 attached to each side of the cushion 22.

Each support arm 64 couples to the seat cushion 22 by a laterally projecting front pin 66 that is received in a cushion slot 68 formed in a base 70 of the seat cushion 22.

This arrangement provides two modes of fore-and-aft movement for the seat cushion 22: a first mode, in which the support arms 64 pivot while the front pins 66 remain in fixed positions in their respective cushion slots 68, to move the seat cushion 22 in a forward arc movement that raises the seat cushion 22 to some extent; and a second mode, in which the rear and front pins 60, 66 slide in their respective slots 62, 68 while the support arms 64 are held stationary, resulting in purely linear movement of the cushion 22. Providing two modes of movement provides greater flexibility in configuring the seat cushion 22 for comfort. The folding sequence shown in Figures 7a to 7e uses the first mode of movement, but it should be appreciated that the second mode of movement may equally be useful for a folding procedure.

The squab 24 is pivotally mounted on a pivoting member 92 that is aligned with the axis 33 about which the squabs 24 pivot. In turn, the pivoting member 92 is supported by a squab bracket 93 that is pivotably mounted on the pivotable joint 55. The pivoting member 92 allows the angle of the squab 24 relative to the seat cushion 22 to be altered by a passenger for comfort. The squab bracket 93 can pivot relative to the pivotable joint 55 to move the squab 24 relative to the bulkhead assembly 34, thereby creating further flexibility in repositioning the squab 24 for comfort. Equally, coupling the squab 24 to the pivotable joint 55 through the squab bracket 93 allows the squab 24 to fold together with the bulkhead 8 around the pivotable joint.

Figure 7a shows the squab 24 in a forward position, in which a void 94 is defined between the squab 24 and the bulkhead 8. The pivoting member 92 is not displaced from its rearward position in Figures 7a to 7e.

By allowing the squab 24 to pivot and move forwards and rearwards independently of the bulkhead 8, the arrangement shown in Figure 7a allows a passenger to configure the first seat 16 for comfort without affecting the loadspace 4, which remains enclosed by the bulkhead 8.

Reconfiguration of the seating arrangement 1 between the unfolded, default configuration and the folded configuration may be activated using the control system 3. In this respect, the control system 3 comprises one or more switches that control a set of electric motors (shown in Figure 19) that in turn effect movement of respective components of the rear seating arrangement 1. Pressing a switch generates an electronic request signal that activates the control system 3 to perform a relevant movement through appropriate operation of the electric motors.

In this example, on activation of the control system 3 by an appropriate switch that controls folding of the seating arrangement 1, the control system 3 takes appropriate action. Specifically, the pivoting member 92, if displaced, returns to a rearward position, and the squab 24 automatically reclines to a rearward position in which the void 94 is eliminated and the squab 24 abuts the bulkhead 8, as shown in Figure 7b. This abutting position is an initial position that the squab 24 may take to ensure that the bulkhead assembly 34 is in the correct position to be reconfigured from the unfolded configuration to the folded configuration. This provides the control system 3 with an initial reference from which to control folding movement of the seat 16 and bulkhead assembly 34, and thus assures completion of folding in the correct position.

Similarly, the seat cushion 22 may also return to an initial, rearward position corresponding to the position shown in Figure 7b if the seat cushion 22 is positioned forwards of its initial position when folding is activated.

Using the pin-and-slot arrangement, the seat cushion 22 may be moved forward relative to the lower support structure 40 by rotating the support arms 64 in a forward direction, as shown in Figure 7c. As noted above, this corresponds to the first mode of movement for the seat cushion 22.

The forward position of the seat cushion 22 provides further space - indicated by the shaded area 96 in Figure 7c - for the squab 24 to pivot into. Without the forward sliding of the cushion 22, the cushion 22 would present an obstruction to pivoting movement of the squab 24. Accordingly, the shaded area 96 represents a first clash zone 96, in that if the cushion 22 is within the first clash zone 96, attempting to fold the squab 24 will cause a clash between the squab 24 and the cushion 22.

Figure 7d illustrates the seat 16 and bulkhead assembly 34 at an intermediate stage between the unfolded configuration and the folded configuration as they pivot together around the pivotable joint 55, and Figure 7e illustrates the components of the major portion of the bulkhead assembly 34 in the folded configuration once the folding operation completes. In the folded configuration, a portion of the squab 24 fills the shaded area 96 shown in Figure 7c.

As Figures 8 to 10 illustrate, in some arrangements the central cushion 28 is moved as the armrest 30 repositions from the stowed configuration to the deployed configuration.

Figure 8 shows a side view of an example of the central seat 20 of the seating arrangement 1 with the armrest 30 in the stowed configuration. The armrest 30 is mounted on a pivot 116 that enables the armrest 30 to pivot between the stowed configuration and the deployed configuration. In the stowed configuration, the armrest 30 and the central cushion 28 generally are aligned respectively with the squabs 24 and seat cushions 22 (shown in Figures 9 and 10) either side of the armrest 30 and central cushion 28, so that the central seat 20 may be used as a passenger seat.

Figures 9 and 10 show an example of the seating arrangement 1 with the armrest 30 in the deployed configuration. Figure 9 is a side view of the central seat 20, whereas Figure 10 is a perspective view that also shows the squabs 24 and seat cushions 22 of the first and second seats 16, 18 adjacent to the central seat 20.

The seating arrangement 1 in the illustrated embodiment is arranged to alter the position of the central cushion 28 as the armrest 30 switches between the stowed configuration and the deployed configuration. The central cushion 28 rotates about a central cushion pivot 135. Alternatively, the central cushion 28 may be mounted on a moveable mounting that is arranged to reposition the central cushion 28 as the armrest 30 switches between the stowed configuration and the deployed configuration.

The armrest 30 rotates forwards about the pivot 116 as it moves from the stowed configuration to the deployed configuration. At the same time, or previously, the central cushion 28 drops into a dipped position so that a recess is formed between the seat cushions 22, to receive the armrest 30, allowing the armrest 30 to overlap the seat cushions 22, which is illustrated by the hatched area 136, to achieve a comfortable armrest position, and which enables the visual appearance of an armrest that is fully integrated with the adjacent seats.

Such an integrated appearance of the present embodiment of the invention is best seen in Figure 10. As shown, a portion of the armrest 30 is located between the seat cushions 22 of the first seat 16 and the second seat 18, which gives the appearance of the armrest 30 being integral with the seats 16, 18.

Figure 11 shows an example of the armrest 30 in the deployed configuration and in an open configuration in which a lid 72 of the armrest 30 is open. This provides access to an internal compartment 76 defined within the armrest beneath the lid 72, which in the illustrated example comprises cup holders 74 defined by cylindrical recesses formed in a base of the compartment 76. To reveal the compartment 76, the lid 72 of the armrest 30 is pivoted from a closed configuration, in which the lid 72 is generally flush with an upper surface of the armrest 30, to a generally upright orientation as shown in Figure 11, which defines an open configuration for the lid 72.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 11, the armrest 30 further comprises a retractable cover 75 that can slide horizontally into a closed configuration across the cup holders 74 when they are not in use, and may be retracted into the body of the armrest 30 and into an open configuration when access to the cup holders 74 is required. Movement of the retractable cover 75 between its open and closed configurations may be powered by a retractable cover motor that is disposed within the armrest 30.

If an attempt is made to close the retractable cover 75 while a cup or another object is situated in one of the cup holders 74, the retractable cover 75 will meet with resistance as it engages the cup, or other object. This resistance may be detected as a pinch condition (e.g. indicative of an object being trapped between the moving retractable cover 75 and another component), in response to which movement of the retractable cover 75 may be cancelled and/or reversed automatically.

Figure 12 shows an example of the second seat 18 of the seating arrangement 1 in a reclined configuration. In the reclined configuration, the squab 24 is pivoted rearward into engagement with the bulkhead 8, while the cushion 22 has been move forward using the first mode of movement so that it is positioned forward and slightly raised relative to its default configuration. This configuration of the squab 24 and the cushion 22 corresponds to that of Figure 7c. However, in this case the configuration is not adopted as a precursor to folding, but represents a configuration designed to provide maximum comfort.

As Figure 12 shows, the calf rest 27 comprises a support structure comprising pivotable arms 78 that are mounted and rotatable about a pivot 81 relative to the lower support structure 40 of the bulkhead assembly 34 of the second seat 18. The calf rest arms 78 support a calf rest cushion 80 that is linearly displaceable along the arms 78, so that the calf rest cushion 80 can be moved towards or away from the pivot 81 located beneath the cushion 22 of the second seat 18. Moving the calf rest cushion 80 away from the pivot 81, and thus away from the seat cushion 22, is hereafter referred to as extending the calf rest 27, whereas pivoting the calf rest arms 78 shall be referred to as tilting or pivoting the calf rest 27.

When the second seat 18 is in such a reclined configuration, the calf rest 27 is pivoted and extended to a deployed configuration as shown in Figure 12, in which the calf rest cushion 80 is positioned to provide leg support for an occupant of the second seat 18. The process by which the calf rest is deployed is described in more detail below with reference to Figure 14.

To accommodate deployment of the calf rest 27, as shown in Figure 12 a front passenger seat 82 of the vehicle 6 may be moved to a folded configuration if unoccupied. The folded configuration for the front seat 82 generally corresponds to the folded configuration for a rear seat 16, 18, as described above with reference to Figure 7e. Specifically, a squab 84 of the front seat 82 is pivoted forwards into engagement with a cushion 86 of the front seat 82.

A headrest 88 of the front seat 82 is shown in a default configuration in Figure 12, but optionally the headrest 88 may tilt forwards to avoid impacting a dashboard of the vehicle 6.

Moving the front seat 82 into the folded configuration ensures that no part of the front seat 82 falls within a second clash zone 98, which is illustrated in Figure 12 by dashed lines. The second clash zone 98 represents an area within which the calf rest 27 moves during its deployment, and in which a clash could therefore arise between the calf rest 27 and the front seat 82 if a component of the front seat 82 is located inside the second clash zone 98 during such deployment of the calf rest 27.

Although the front seat 82 shown in Figure 12 is structurally similar to the seats 16, 18 of the rear seating arrangement 1, it should be appreciated that the front seat 82 may be constructed differently. In particular, although the front seat 82 is shown in Figure 12 as having a bulkhead 100 and a squab 84, it is noted that the squab 84 and bulkhead 100 are not separable as for the seats 16, 18 of the rear seating arrangement 1. Thus, the bulkhead 90 merely acts as a protective back for the squab 84 of the front seat 82.

Figure 12 also illustrates how a display device, for example an entertainment device such as a screen 102, mounted to the rear of the squab 84 of the front seat 82 tilts to compensate for folding of the front seat 82. As is clear from Figure 12, although the squab 84 of the front seat 82 is pivoted forwards, the screen 102 is supported in an upright position. Figure 13 shows the front seat 82 in a different configuration, in which the squab 84 is at intermediate stage of folding, and again the screen 102 is oriented generally vertically.

Adjusting the angle of the screen 102 relative to the squab 84 to maintain a substantially constant orientation relative to a floor of the vehicle 6 ensures that the screen 102 remains readily viewable by an occupant of the second seat 18 when the configuration of the front seat 82 is altered. Although the screen 102 is shown as generally vertical in both Figure 12 and Figure 13, alternatively the position of the screen 102 may be controlled so that it is oriented towards the headrest 26 of the second seat 18 at all times, thus optimising the viewing angle for an occupant of the second seat 18. In a further alternative, the orientation at which the screen 102 is maintained may be user-adjustable, for example through an interface such as an infotainment system.

The screen 102 is supported by a screen bracket 104 that is pivotable relative to the squab 84 of the front seat 82. The screen 102 may also pivot relative to the bracket for greater flexibility in movement, for example to enable linear movement of the screen 102 relative to the squab 84 of the front seat 82. Pivoting movement of the screen bracket 104 and/or the screen 102 relative to the screen bracket 104 is driven by one or more screen motors integrated within the screen bracket 104 and/or the squab 84 of the front seat 82.

A sensor 83 embedded within the front seat 82 provides a signal indicative of a position of the front seat squab 84. The position of the front seat squab 84 may comprise its orientation as well as its longitudinal position within the vehicle 6, noting that the position of the front seat 82 is adjustable fore-and-aft as is conventional.

The signal indicative of the position of the front seat 82 is passed to the control system 3, and is used to determine the correct position for the screen 102. The position of the screen 102 comprises its angle relative to the squab 84 of the front seat 82, and optionally a displacement of the screen 102 from the squab 84 of the front seat 82 in embodiments in which the screen bracket 104 is configured to move the screen 102 towards and away from the squab 84. Once the desired position is determined, the control system 3 operates the motors that control movement of the screen 102 and the screen bracket 104 to position the screen 102 as required.

In this way, the control system 3 operates to adjust the position of the screen 102 relative to the position of the front seat squab 84 according to a predefined relationship between the screen angle and the squab angle, to maintain an optimised viewing angle for an occupant of the second seat 18 as the front seat 82 is reconfigured.

Figures 14 and 15 schematically illustrate, respectively, example sequential stages of deployment and retraction movement of a calf rest 27 of the second seat 18.

In Figure 14, a calf rest 27 is deployed from a stowed configuration, in which the calf rest 27 extends generally orthogonally to a floor of the passenger compartment 2 downwardly from a front edge of a seat cushion 22, to a deployed configuration and an extended configuration, in which the calf rest 27 provides support for the legs of a passenger occupying the second seat 18. In some embodiments deployment and extension of the calf rest 27 may be separate, independent operations. Thus, the deployed configuration and the stowed configuration refer only to the orientation of the calf rest 27, and not to the extent to which it has been extended.

In the deployed configuration, the calf rest 27 is inclined by, for example, approximately 15° relative to a horizontal plane, whereas in the stowed configuration the calf rest 27 extends, for example, generally vertically downwardly from the front edge of the seat 18.

When the calf rest 27 is extended, the calf rest cushion 80 is displaced away from the seat 18 by linear movement along the calf rest arms 78 that support the calf rest cushion 80, so that the calf rest cushion 80 may be located below the calves of the passenger’s legs for maximum comfort.

It may not be possible to extend the calf rest 27 to its maximum extent while it is in the stowed configuration, as attempting to do so might result in the calf rest cushion 80 impacting the floor of the passenger compartment 2. Conversely, extending the calf rest 27 after it has been raised to the deployed configuration, and while therefore potentially supporting the passenger’s legs, may cause discomfort to the passenger. Accordingly, the calf rest 27 may be deployed and extended in stages. Figure 14 shows one of many possible implementations.

In a first stage, shown uppermost in Figure 14, the calf rest 27 is in the stowed configuration. When deployment of the calf rest 27 is requested by the user, for example by pressing a button in a user interface panel of the adjacent vehicle door, the calf rest cushion 80 moves downwardly on the calf rest arms 78 into a first, intermediately extended position, in which the calf rest 27 is extended without impacting the floor of the passenger compartment 2. This step is shown as the second stage of Figure 14, and reduces any additional extension that may be performed once the calf rest 27 has been raised, in turn minimising any discomfort to the user. In some embodiments, this first position may be achieved by extending the calf rest 27 as far as possible without impacting the floor of the passenger compartment to minimize any further subsequent extension.

It is also noted that, when the calf rest 27 is in the stowed configuration, the calf rest cushion 80 may be positioned beneath the cushion 22 of the second seat 18, and may engage the underside or front edge of the cushion 22. Accordingly, the step of extending the calf rest 27 downwardly before beginning to tilt the calf rest 27 moves the calf rest cushion 08 out of engagement with the seat cushion 88 and therefore avoids a clash between the two during subsequent pivoting of the calf rest arms 78.

Next, the calf rest arms 78 pivot forwardly towards a second position in which they are inclined at, for example, approximately 45° with respect to the horizontal, as shown at the third stage of Figure 14. At this point, the calf rest cushion 80 may not yet have come into contact with the passenger’s legs, and in some embodiments there may be sufficient room remaining in front of the calf rest 27 for a passenger with legs of at least average length to maintain their feet on the floor of the passenger compartment 2 comfortably. In this second position it is envisaged that the calf rest 27 does not yet support the passenger’s legs, and thus further extending the calf rest 27 at this point will cause minimal discomfort. Moreover, with the calf rest arms 78 oriented at this angle, the calf rest 27 may be further extended without risk of impact with the passenger compartment floor.

The calf rest 27 may then complete its extension at the fourth stage by moving to a third position, before finally continuing the forward pivoting movement of the arms 78 to bring the calf rest 27 to the deployed configuration at the fifth stage.

As already noted, the sequence shown in Figure 14 is provided as an example only, and many variations are possible. It is also possible to rotate the arms 78 simultaneously with extending the calf rest 27, so that deployment and extension occur in a single continuous movement.

Figure 15 shows the reverse operation, namely a retraction sequence in which the calf rest 27 moves from a deployed and extended configuration to a retracted state in the stowed configuration. In contrast with extending the calf rest 27 while supporting a passenger’s legs, retracting the calf rest cushion 80 towards the first seat 16 while supporting legs is considered acceptable in terms of comfort. Therefore, in the example illustrated in Figure 15, the retraction operation is slightly simpler than the deployment operation shown in Figure 14, as it comprises fewer stages.

Specifically, the first stage of the retraction operation shown in Figure 15 has the calf rest 27 in the deployed and extended configuration in which it finished at the end of the deployment operation of Figure 14. Next, at the second stage the calf rest cushion 80 is retracted towards the second seat 18, stopping slightly short of reaching the top of the calf rest arms 78 to avoid impacting the cushion 24 of the second seat 18, which might interfere with rotation of the calf rest arms 78.

At the third stage, the calf rest arms 78 are pivoted downwardly to return to a vertical orientation, noting that the calf rest cushion 80 has been sufficiently retracted in the second stage to avoid collision with the floor. The retraction operation then completes at the fourth stage by drawing the calf rest cushion 80 up on the calf rest arms 78 to return to its original position below the cushion 24 of the second seat 18, corresponding to the stowed configuration.

In summary, the rear seating arrangement 1 may comprise a folding bulkhead 8, reclining seats 16, 18, deployable calf rests 27, a deployable armrest 30 and a deployable ski-hatch 29. Positioning the components of the seating arrangement 1 in any of the above described configurations is automated using a system of motors and associated mechanisms and is controlled by the control system 3.

Figures 16 to 18 show an example of a headrest 26 of the rear seating arrangement 1 in more detail. As Figure 16 shows, the headrest 26 is supported by a pair of headrest supports in the form of curved headrest rods 108. When the headrest 26 is in a generally upright configuration, the headrest rods 108 extend downwardly initially from the headrest 26, and then curve in a generally circular arc towards a generally horizontal inclination at their lowest extent. Figure 17 shows the ends of the headrest rods 108 being received within sleeves 110 residing inside a squab 24 of a rear seat, the first seat 16 in this example.

Returning to Figure 16, the headrest 26 may be tilted between the generally upright configuration and a downwardly facing folded configuration, for example to enable the headrest 26 to be folded out of the way when the seat 16 is moved into a folded configuration. Movement of the headrest 26 between the upright and folded configurations may be driven by a headrest tilt motor 112 embedded in the squab 24, which acts to push the headrest rods 108 outwardly from the squab 24, causing the headrest 26 to tilt forwardly due to the curve of the headrest rods 108. Tilting of the headrest 26 may thus be controlled by the control system 3 in response to requests from a user, as shall be described in more detail later.

In addition to tilting movement, the headrest 26 may move both vertically and horizontally on the headrest rods 108, offering further flexibility in repositioning of the headrest 26 for a user’s comfort. Vertical and horizontal movement of the headrest 26 on the headrest rods 108 is effected by a headrest vertical motor 118 and a headrest horizontal motor 120 respectively, which are embedded within the headrest 26 as shown in Figure 18. In turn, operation of the headrest motors 118, 120 may be controlled by the control system 3 in response to user requests.

Electrical power is delivered to the headrest vertical motor 118 and the headrest horizontal motor 120 through wiring routed inside one of the headrest rods 108. In turn, the headrest rod 108 containing the wiring comprises an electrical terminal that connects to a complementary terminal within the sleeve 110 of the squab 24 within which the headrest rod 108 is received. Accordingly, when the headrest rod 108 engages its respective sleeve 110, the headrest vertical motor 118 and the headrest horizontal motor 120 are electrically connected to the squab 24, and in turn to the control system 3, and may therefore be driven according to user requests.

The detailed operation of the mechanisms for vertical, horizontal and tilting movement of the headrest 26 are already known and are not the subject of this invention, and so shall not be described further here.

It is noted that the headrest 26 may be removed from the squab 24 manually when the headrest 26 is tilted into its folded configuration. To remove the headrest 26, a user must lift the headrest 26 to withdraw the headrest rods 108 from the squab 24 while pressing a release button on the squab 24.

It is undesirable to drive the headrest tilt motor 112 if the headrest 26 is absent, because driving the motor 112 under such circumstances may make subsequent reinsertion of the headrest rods 108 difficult and therefore inhibit reinstallation of the headrest 26. Accordingly, when the control system 3 receives a request to drive the headrest tilt motor 112 to tilt the headrest 26, it is desirable to ascertain first whether the headrest 26 is present.

Prior art arrangements comprise microswitches within the squab 24 to detect the presence of the headrest rods 108 and thereby prevent inappropriate driving of the headrest tilt motor 112. However, this approach has been found to be unreliable.

Accordingly, embodiments of the invention take a different approach, in which the presence of the headrest 26 is determined using a plausibility check in which the control system 3 attempts to drive the headrest horizontal motor 120 and/or the headrest vertical motor 118 located within the headrest 26, and measures a current flow at the electrical terminal for the, or each, motor 118, 120 to determine whether the headrest 26 is present or absent. This process is described in more detail below with reference to Figure 30, but it is noted at this stage that this approach beneficially allows the microswitches to be dispensed with, whilst also providing a more reliable indication of whether the headrest 26 is present.

The underlying structure and mechanisms of the seating arrangement that enable the above described automated reconfiguration are not the subject of this invention and so are not described in detail, to avoid obscuring the invention. Examples of seating assemblies having these capabilities are described in detail in some of the Applicant’s earlier applications published as GB2539501, WO 2016/202732 and WO 2016/202733.

However, Figure 19 schematically illustrates an example set of motors incorporated into the seating arrangement 1, to provide an overview of at least some of the means by which the seating arrangement 1 is reconfigured.

The set of motors comprises a pair of calf rest arm motors 130, a respective one for each calf rest. The calf rest arm motors 130 are capable of providing rotational force for effecting rotation of the calf rest arms 78 between the deployed and stowed configurations. Each calf rest arm motor 130 is coupled to the arms 78 of its respective calf rest 27 by suitable linkages (not shown).

A respective calf rest cushion motor 132 is positioned beneath the cushions 22 of the first and second seats 16, 18. Each calf rest cushion motor 132 is coupled to its respective calf rest 27 through suitable linkages to drive linear movement to extend the calf rest cushion 80 away from the cushion 22 of the respective seat 16, 18.

Two further motors are installed beneath each of the cushions 22 of the first and second seats 16, 18. These comprise cushion slide motors 134, which are configured to drive fore-and-aft sliding movement of the cushions 22 in the second mode of movement, and cushion comfort motors 138 that operate to rotate the support arms 64 to drive the cushion 22 in the first mode of movement.

First and second central motors 140, 142 are disposed beneath the central cushion 28. The first central motor 140 is configured to drive the central cushion in a ‘bunny hop’ motion to raise and reposition the central cushion 28 when the armrest 30 is stowed. The second central motor 142 provides the opposite function, to drive a dip-down movement of the central cushion 28 to move the central cushion 28 into its dipped position when the armrest 30 is being deployed. In some alternative embodiments, the functionality of the first and second central motors 140, 142 could alternatively be provided by a single motor.

The set of motors further comprises a pair of squab motors 144, a respective one for each squab 24, the squab motors 144 being arranged to induce forwards or backwards pivoting movement of the squabs 24 to move between the folded, reclined and default configurations.

Similarly, a pair of bulkhead motors 146 is included to exert respective forces on each of the bulkheads 8 to rotate them between the folded, reclined and default configurations. The bulkhead motors 146 are identical to the squab motors 144 in this example although may differ in other implementations, for example if differing levels of torque are required to fold the squabs 24 and the bulkhead 8.

In the upper corners of the seating arrangement 1, each seat 16, 18 comprises a respective bulkhead actuator 148 that is operable to lock the bulkhead 8 in place in its default configuration when activated. This ensures that each bulkhead 8 is tightly retained when the seating arrangement 1 is in the default configuration, providing secure bulkheads 8 between the passenger compartment 2 and the loadspace 4 and a secure foundation for movement of the squabs 24, as well as minimising vibration, and in turn noise, arising from the bulkheads 8.

Deployment of the ski-hatch 29 is somewhat simpler than for other components of the seating arrangement 1, as the ski-hatch 29 is small and lightweight in comparison to the squabs and calf rests, for example. Accordingly, the ski-hatch 29 is not moved by electric motors directly, but instead is spring-loaded and held in its closed, upright configuration by a ski-hatch actuator 150. The ski-hatch actuator 150 is controlled by a ski-hatch motor 152 that applies tension to a wire 154 to move the ski-hatch actuator 150 to its open configuration. The ski-hatch actuator 150 returns to a closed state under spring-loading when the ski-hatch motor 152 releases tension from the wire 154.

Moving the ski-hatch actuator 150 to the open state releases the ski-hatch 29, which causes the ski-hatch 29 to pivot and deploy forward under its spring-loading into its open configuration. Once the ski-hatch 29 is deployed, the ski-hatch motor 152 releases tension from the wire 154 to return the ski-hatch actuator 150 to the closed state, so that it is ready to latch the ski-hatch 29 when it is subsequently stowed manually.

It is noted that the armrest 30 is omitted from Figure 19; however the armrest motor 117 that drives pivoting movement of the armrest 30 is schematically illustrated in Figure 9.

Figure 20 illustrates schematically and in simplified form an example of the control system 3 for controlling operation of the set of motors shown in Figure 19, and in turn movement of components of the seating arrangement 1.

In the illustrated example, the control system 3 comprises four control modules that are interconnected through a communications bus such as a conventional vehicle CAN bus that defines a vehicle network 156.

Also residing on the network 156 is an input module 158 that enables a user to input control requests, for example in the form of a screen of an infotainment system. The input module 158 may communicate with the vehicle network 156 through a gateway 160, as is conventional. The input module 158 may be operable by, for example, the driver of the vehicle 6, for example a chauffeur, such that the driver may reconfigure any seat within the vehicle 6 from the driver seat.

In the illustrated example, each control module is associated with, and may be physically located within, a respective seat of the vehicle 6. The four control modules in the illustrated example comprise: a driver seat module (DSM) 162 associated with the driver’s seat; a passenger seat module (PSM) 164 associated with the front passenger seat 82; a rear left seat module (RLSM) 166 associated with the first seat 16; and a rear right seat module (RRSM) 168 associated with the second seat 18.

Each control module 162, 164, 166, 168 is in communication with a respective local switch pack 170, again through the vehicle network 156. Each switch pack 170 comprises a set of switches, for example installed in a door nearest to the respective seat, which enables an occupant of the seat to input control requests to operate the relevant motors of the seating arrangement and thereby move the seat as desired.

Each of the control modules 162, 164, 166, 168 has responsibility for movements of its respective seat in response to request signals received through the vehicle network 156. Each request signal received may be generated either by user interaction with the input module 158 or with a switch pack 170, or by one of the other control modules. For example, the PSM 164 may receive a request to fold forwards from the RRSM 168 during a reclining operation.

Each control module also has access to signals 163s, 165s, 167s, 169s, generated by sensors illustrated generally at 163, 165, 167, 169, which indicate the status of components of the vehicle 6. Such sensors 163, 165, 167, 169 may be attached to or embedded within respective components of the vehicle 6, and many be arranged to generate signals 163s, 165s, 167s, 169s indicative of, for example, any one or more of: a position of the component; a load applied to the component; engagement of the component with another component of the seating arrangement; and a presence of the component in the seating arrangement. For example, signals indicative of the presence of objects on the cushions 22, 28 of the first, second or central seats 16, 18, 20 may be generated from sensors embedded within the cushions 22, 28 of the first, second or central seats 16, 18, 20 and transmitted to the control modules 162, 164, 166, 168 through the vehicle network 156.

The signals 163s, 165s, 167s, 169s may comprise signals indicative of a failure of the component to operate, for example indicative of an undercurrent reading.

In addition, each control module may transmit signals indicating the status of components under its control to the other control modules.

Accordingly, each control module has oversight of the status of various other vehicle components, and can take this into account when implementing control requests.

The control modules 162, 164, 166, 168 of the example shown in Figure 20 each operate according a respective set of algorithms defined by a computer program product stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as indicated generally at 171. In the illustrated embodiment, the computer-readable medium 171 is embodied as a readable memory module hosted on the vehicle network 156, which each control module 162, 164, 166, 168 has access to. In other embodiments, each control module 162, 164, 166, 168 may be provided with an integrated local memory module on which a respective computer program product is stored to control operation of the control module 162, 164, 166, 168.

In the illustrated example, the RLSM 166 controls operation of the cushion slide motor 134, the squab motor 144, the calf rest arm motor 130 and the calf rest cushion motor 132 installed in the first seat 16. Furthermore, the RLSM 166 controls the headrest tilt motor 112 embedded within the squab 24 of the first seat 16, as well as the headrest horizontal motor 120 and the headrest vertical motor 118 of any headrest 26 that is fitted to the squab 24 of the first seat 16.

Similarly, the RRSM 168 controls operation of the cushion slide motor 134, the squab motor 144, the calf rest arm motor 130, the calf rest cushion motor 132 and the headrest tilt motor 112 installed in the second seat 18, as well as the headrest horizontal motor 120 and the headrest vertical motor 118 of any headrest 26 that is fitted to the squab 24 of the second seat 18.

In addition, the RLSM 166 and the RRSM 168 may each have responsibility for components beyond those associated with their respective seat.

For example, the RRSM 168 may control the bulkhead motor 146 of the second seat 16 as well as the first and second central motors 140, 142 and the armrest motor (not shown in Fig 19), to control folding and unfolding of the major portion 17 of the seating arrangement 1. To distribute control responsibility across the system, the RLSM 166 may control operation of the bulkhead motor 146 of the bulkhead minor portion 19a, and also the ski-hatch actuator 150 to operate the ski-hatch 29.

Furthermore, the RLSM 166 and the RRSM 168 may each control operation of the bulkhead actuator 148 associated with the respective seat 16, 18.

The RLSM 166 and the RRSM 168 transmit status updates indicating the status of each motor under its control to the vehicle network 156, to be read by the other control modules.

As already noted, embodiments of the invention recognise that movement of the elements of the seating arrangement 1 must be controlled carefully, to avoid collisions between components and to avoid trapping objects. Various movement operations of individual components of the seating arrangement 1 are now described with reference to Figures 21 to 31.

Before considering those operations specifically, however, it is noted that, in general terms, embodiments of the invention avoid problems during movement by checking the status of other vehicle components before movement commences. This provides a sophisticated, pre-emptive approach to managing hazards to movement, unlike prior art arrangements that must rely on feedback relating to pinching or other problems after movement begins. The result is an intelligent control system 3 that optimises operation of the seating arrangement 1.

Figure 21 shows an example of a folding process 180 for folding the second seat 18 of the seating arrangement 1, together with its associated portion of the bulkhead 8. Figure 22 generally corresponds to Figure 21, but represents steps of the folding process 180 in a Gantt chart to illustrate an example of possible timings of the sequence. It is noted that Figure 22, unlike Figure 21, comprises steps for stowing the calf rest 27 as part of the folding procedure; the process 180 shown in Figure 21 assumes that the calf rest 27 is already stowed. The following description refers to the process 180 shown in Figure 21 specifically, but the skilled reader will readily understand the Gantt chart of Figure 22 and be able to relate it to the steps of the process 180 outlined below.

As noted above, this folding process 180 is controlled by the RRSM 168 in response to a request generated by user interaction with the input module 158 or with a switch pack 170, for example the switch pack 170 installed in the vehicle door adjacent the second seat 18, although the process may be controlled from any of the switch packs 170.

In the following example, it is assumed that the seating arrangement 1 begins in the default configuration with the armrest 30 deployed and the calf rest 27 stowed.

In the illustrated example, the folding process 180 begins with the RRSM 168 performing at step 182 pre-checks to determine whether any of the following conditions is true:
- the ski-hatch 29 is deployed, as indicated by a microswitch (not shown) associated with the ski-hatch 29, via the RLSM 166, for example;
- the lid 72 of the armrest 30 is open, for example with reference to a signal generated by a sensor 169 installed in the armrest 30;
- the second seat 18 is occupied, for example by comparing a load applied to the seat cushion 22 of the second seat 18, as indicated by a sensor 169 embedded in the cushion 22, with a threshold; or
- the central seat 20 is occupied, for example by comparing a load applied to the central cushion 28, as indicated by a sensor 169 embedded within the central cushion 28, with a threshold.

It will be appreciated that it would be undesirable to attempt to fold the second seat 18 if any of these conditions are true. In particular, folding the second seat 18 if the second seat 18 or the central seat 20 is occupied would cause discomfort to the occupant. Moreover, any request for folding in such circumstances is likely to have been generated in error and so ideally should not be acted upon.

Accordingly, if any one or more of these conditions is found to be true, the RRSM 168 determines that it is not possible to fold the second seat 18 and generates at step 184 an indication of this. This indication may be signalled to the user through the input module 158, for example, or alternatively the indication may be transmitted to the driver’s mobile device for displaying to the driver through a compatible application. The indication may not be displayed to the driver at all, and instead used only internally within the control system 3 as a control variable.

If none of those conditions are true, the RRSM 168 then checks at step 186 whether a folding operation has been requested, which involves checking for a fold flat request on the vehicle network 156. If not, the folding process 180 returns to the initial checking step, and continues to iterate the first two steps of the process 180 until a folding request is detected, or until one of the above conditions becomes true.

By performing the initial checks before registering a request to fold the second seat 18, the control system 3 is ready to respond to such requests immediately. This principle applies to the pre-checks associated with all of the processes shown in Figures 21 to 30.

Once a folding request is detected, the RRSM 168 sends at step 188 a request to the PSM 164 to move the front passenger seat 82 to a safe position. By moving the front passenger seat 82, a collision between the headrest 26 of the second seat 18 and the squab 84 of the front passenger seat 82 as the second seat 18 folds may be avoided.

In this respect, it is noted that, as is conventional, the front passenger seat 82 is moveable forwards and backwards and its squab 84 may tilt to afford comfort to its occupant. If positioned too far rearward and/or tilted too greatly, the front passenger seat 82 leaves insufficient space within the passenger compartment 2 for the second seat 18 to fold. This defines a second clash zone 98, namely an area that no part of the front seat 82 should occupy to avoid a clash with the second seat 18 during folding. The safe position for the front passenger seat 82 is defined as the most rearward position that allows sufficient room for the second seat 18 to fold, in other words the most rearward position that is outside the second clash zone 98. In this way, inconvenience to an occupant of the front passenger seat 82 may be minimised.

After the request has been transmitted, and in some embodiments while the front passenger seat 82 is moving to the safe position, the RRSM 168 checks at step 190 whether the cushion 22 of the second seat 18 is in the first clash zone 96, namely a configuration in which the cushion 22 will obstruct rotation of the squab 24. If so, the cushion slide motor 134 is operated at step 192 to slide the cushion 22 forward using its second mode of movement, and the pivoting member 92 is controlled to move the squab 24 backwards as required, until they reach safe positions, as described earlier with reference to Figure 7c.

As illustrated in the Gantt chart of Figure 22, the RRSM 168 may also be arranged to check that the calf rest 27 and the headrest 26 are in their respective stowed and folded configurations, and if not to operate the calf rest arm motor 130 and calf rest cushion motor 132 to move the calf rest 27 into its stowed position (for example as described above with reference to Figure 15) and/or to operate the headrest tilt motor 112, the headrest horizontal motor 120 and the headrest vertical motor 118 to move the headrest 26 into its folded configuration.

Referring back to Figure 21, if the cushion 22 of the second seat 18 is not in the first clash zone 96, or once the cushion 22 and squab 24 have been moved to safe positions, the RRSM 168 then operates at step 194 the armrest motor 117 to stow the armrest 30. Next, the first central motor 140 is controlled at step 196 to effect ‘bunny hop’ movement of the central cushion 28 upwardly, to draw substantially level with the cushions 22 of the first and second seats 16, 18.

The squab 24 of the second seat 18 is then reclined at step 198 to engage the bulkhead 8 behind it. As already noted, this provides a consistent and predictable starting position for folding movement of the squab 24 and the bulkhead 8, thereby aiding the control system 3.

Once the squab 24 engages the bulkhead 8, the associated bulkhead actuator 148 is released at step 200. The RRSM 168 then checks at step 202 whether the squab 24 and cushion 22 of the second seat 18 have reached safe positions and, if not, the RRSM 168 waits until this condition is satisfied. Once the safe positions are reached, the RRSM 168 operates at step 204 the squab motor 144 and the bulkhead motor 146 to fold the bulkhead 8 and squab 24, in other words, to move the bulkhead 8 and squab 24 into the folded configuration, as shown in Figures 7a to 7e.

During folding movement, the RRSM 168 continuously checks at step 206 for signals indicating any of the following conditions:
- that folding movement has been cancelled by the user, either through the input module 158 or the relevant switch pack 170;
- a pinch condition has been detected, for example as indicated by a surge in electrical current drawn by either the squab motor 144 or the bulkhead motor 146;
- the second seat 18 being occupied, for example as indicated by a sensor embedded in the cushion 22;
- engagement of the seat belt system of the second seat 18; or
- occupation of the central seat 20.

If signals indicating that any of these conditions are detected, the RRSM 168 stops at step 208 folding movement and generates an indication that folding has been cancelled. This indication is passed to the control system 3, and is communicated to the user through the input module 158 or the driver’s mobile device as for an indication arising from the pre-checks.

The RRSM 168 may then reverse the folding movement to return the bulkhead 8 and squab 24 to their original positions, or may wait for a signal indicating whether to continue or to return the bulkhead 8 and squab 24 to their original positions. Otherwise, the RRSM 168 checks at step 210 whether folding movement has completed based on the indicated positions of the squab motor 144 and bulkhead motor 146. If folding has not completed, the RRSM 168 reiterates the check for any of the above conditions that trigger cancellation of folding.

If folding is complete, the RRSM 168 ceases operation of the squab motor 144 and the bulkhead motor 146 at step 212, and indicates that the second seat 18 is folded, for example through the infotainment system. The process 180 then ends.

The above procedure assumes that the armrest 30 is deployed when the folding operation is requested, noting that the armrest 30 is deployed by default. Of course, if the armrest 30 is stowed when folding is requested, the steps associated with stowing the armrest 30 may be dispensed with. Alternatively, a request to stow the armrest 30 may still be issued, but will have no effect as the armrest 30 is already stowed.

It is also noted that the reason for ensuring that the armrest 30 is stowed before folding the second seat 18 is that in this embodiment the armrest 30 and the second seat 18 are mechanically linked such that movement of the armrest 30 is controlled relative to the position of the second seat 18. An alternative way to deal with this configuration is to drive the armrest 30 upwardly simultaneously with folding the second seat 18, such that the armrest 30 remains stationary relative to the seat cushion 22.