CN117002343A - Remote notification and adjustment of passenger cabin layout - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure provides "remote notification and adjustment of passenger cabin layout." A transportation system is disclosed. The transportation system includes: a vehicle; a plurality of seat assemblies positioned and defined within a passenger compartment of the vehicle; and a plurality of actuators enabling movement of various components of the plurality of seat assemblies; a plurality of sensors; and a controller. Specific examples of preset or preprogrammed arrangements are disclosed along with the ability to customize the arrangements. Additionally, exemplary methods are disclosed that illustrate transitions between various preset or preprogrammed arrangements.

Description

Remote notification and adjustment of passenger cabin layout

Technical field

The present disclosure relates generally to vehicles. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to seating arrangements within the passenger compartment of a vehicle.

Background technique

The passenger compartment of a vehicle is usually provided with a plurality of seat assemblies. The positioning of the plurality of seat assemblies within the passenger compartment may define the seating arrangement. However, existing approaches to passenger cabin design tend to be limited to adjusting the total seating capacity of the passenger cabin simply by removing or stowing one or more of the multiple seat assemblies. The present disclosure seeks to provide additional arrangements within the passenger compartment and methods for performing said additional arrangements.

Contents of the invention

According to a first aspect of the invention, a vehicle includes a passenger compartment having a front area, a center area, a rear area and a lower area. A floor is positioned in the lower area of the passenger compartment. A rail system is positioned in the floor and extends along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The rail system includes a rail position sensor. A plurality of seat assemblies are arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle to define a seating arrangement. Each of the plurality of seat assemblies includes a seat base, a seat, a seat back, and a swivel assembly. The seat has a first end and a second end. The seat is movably coupled to the seat base at the second end of the seat. A seat position sensor monitors the current position of the seat. The seat back is movably coupled to the seat base proximate the second end of the seat. A seat back position sensor monitors the current position of the seat back. A seat actuator adjusts the angular position of the seat relative to the seat base. A seat back actuator adjusts the angular position of the seat back relative to the seat base. The rotating assembly is coupled to the seat base. A rotational actuator engages the rotational assembly such that the seat base is rotatable about a vertical axis. A rotational position sensor monitors the rotational position of the seat base about the vertical axis. A translation actuator is coupled to the seat base and engaged with the rail assembly. The translation actuator is capable of adjusting the position of the seat assembly along the rail system. A controller receives position data from the seat position sensor, the seat back position sensor, the rotation position sensor, and the rail position sensor to determine the position of the plurality of seat assemblies within the passenger compartment. Current layout. The controller communicates the current arrangement of the plurality of seat assemblies within the passenger compartment to a user interface external to the vehicle.

Embodiments of the first aspect of the invention may include any one or combination of the following features:

- Each of the plurality of seat assemblies further includes a calf support movably coupled to the first end of the seat, the calf support being moveable between a retracted position and an extended position. move between;

- a calf support actuator that adjusts the angular position of the calf support relative to the seat; and a calf support position sensor that monitors the calf The current position of the support;

- the user interface is a mobile electronic device;

- the controller receives a request signal from the user interface to adjust the arrangement of the passenger compartment from the current arrangement to a desired arrangement;

- adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment from the current arrangement to the desired arrangement includes the controller transmitting a command signal to activate the seat from at least one of the plurality of seat assemblies at least one selected from the group consisting of an actuator, the seat back actuator, the rotation actuator, and the translation actuator;

- said adjustment from said current arrangement to said desired arrangement is effected while said vehicle is in motion;

- an occupancy sensor positioned on said vehicle, wherein said adjustment from said current arrangement to said desired arrangement is effected when said passenger compartment is empty of occupants;

- the occupancy sensor is an imager positioned in an upper area of the passenger compartment, wherein the field of view of the imager is oriented towards the passenger compartment; and

- The occupancy sensor is located within each of the plurality of seat assemblies.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a method of adjusting a passenger compartment arrangement of a vehicle includes providing the vehicle with a first seat assembly and a second seat assembly, the first seat assembly and the second seat assembly Seat assemblies are each movably coupled to a rail system within the passenger compartment of the vehicle, and the first and second seat assemblies each include a seat and a seat back. The method also includes detecting a first rail position of the first seat assembly using a first rail position sensor. The method also includes detecting a first seat position of the seat of the first seat assembly using a first seat position sensor. Additionally, the method includes detecting a first seat back position of the seat back of the first seat assembly using a first seat back position sensor. Additionally, the method includes detecting a first rotational position of the first seat assembly using a first rotational position sensor. The method also includes detecting a second rail position of the second seat assembly using a second rail position sensor. The method also includes detecting a second seat position of the seat of the second seat assembly using a second seat position sensor. Additionally, the method includes detecting a second seat back position of the seat back of the second seat assembly using a second seat back position sensor. Additionally, the method includes detecting a second rotational position of the second seat assembly using a second rotational position sensor. The method also includes based on the first rail position sensor and the second rail position sensor, the first seat position sensor and the second seat position sensor, the first seat back position sensor and the second seat The detected positions of the backrest position sensor and the first and second rotational position sensors determine the current arrangement of the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The method also includes communicating the current arrangement of the passenger compartment of the vehicle to a user interface of an intended user of the vehicle, the user interface being external to the vehicle. Additionally, the method includes receiving a desired arrangement of the passenger compartment from the user interface of the intended user.

Embodiments of the second aspect of the disclosure may include any one or combination of the following features:

- detecting a first current calf support position of the first calf support of the first seat assembly using a first calf support position sensor;

- detecting a second current calf support position of the second calf support of the second seat assembly using a second calf support position sensor;

- adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment from the current arrangement to the desired arrangement;

- Adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment from the current arrangement to the desired arrangement includes activating a first translation actuator from the first seat assembly, a second translation actuator from the second seat assembly actuator, first seat actuator of the first seat assembly, second seat actuator of the second seat assembly, first seat of the first seat assembly a seat back actuator, a second seat back actuator of the second seat assembly, a first rotational actuator of the first seat assembly, and a third seat back actuator of the second seat assembly. at least one selected from two rotary actuators;

- said adjustment from said current arrangement to said desired arrangement is effected while said vehicle is in motion;

- said desired arrangement is said current arrangement;

- detecting the occupancy status of the passenger compartment of the vehicle using an occupancy sensor positioned on the vehicle and determining the occupancy status of the passenger compartment before transitioning the arrangement of the passenger compartment from the current arrangement to the desired arrangement. The passenger compartment has no occupants;

- the occupancy sensor is an imager positioned in an upper area of the passenger compartment, and wherein the field of view of the imager is oriented towards the passenger compartment; and

The occupancy sensor includes a first occupancy sensor positioned within the first seat assembly and a second occupancy sensor positioned within the second seat assembly.

These and other aspects, objects, and features of the present disclosure will be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art upon study of the following specification, claims, and drawings.

Description of the drawings

In the attached picture:

1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle illustrating communications between a user interface, controllers, and multiple seat assemblies, according to one example;

2 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle illustrating communications between a user interface, controllers, and multiple seat assemblies, according to another example;

3 is a schematic diagram of one of a plurality of seat assemblies showing components of the seat assembly, according to one example;

4 is a schematic diagram of one of a plurality of seat assemblies showing components of the seat assembly according to another example;

Figure 5 is a side perspective view of one of the plurality of seat assemblies according to one example;

Figure 6 is a side perspective view of a vehicle showing a design arrangement according to one example;

7 is a side perspective view of a vehicle showing a relaxed arrangement according to one example;

8 is a side perspective view of a vehicle illustrating a social arrangement according to one example;

Figure 9 is a side perspective view of a vehicle illustrating a child care arrangement, according to one example;

Figure 10 is a side perspective view of a vehicle illustrating a child seat arrangement according to one example;

Figure 11 is a side perspective view of a vehicle showing an inlet/outlet arrangement according to one example;

Figure 12 is a side perspective view of a vehicle showing cargo arrangement according to one example;

Figure 13 is a process flow diagram depicting in general form for adjusting the layout of a passenger compartment;

14A is a side view of a passenger compartment showing the first and second seat assemblies in a design arrangement, according to one example;

14B is a side view of the passenger compartment showing the first and second seat assemblies in a relaxed arrangement, according to one example;

Figure 15 is a flowchart illustrating the steps of transitioning between a design arrangement and a relaxed arrangement according to one example;

16A is a side view of a passenger compartment showing the first and second seat assemblies in a design arrangement, according to one example;

16B is a side view of a passenger compartment showing the first and second seat assemblies in a social arrangement, according to one example;

17 is a flowchart illustrating the steps of transitioning between a design arrangement and a social arrangement according to one example;

18A is a side view of a passenger compartment showing the first and second seat assemblies in a design arrangement, according to one example;

18B is a side view of the passenger compartment showing the first and second seat assemblies in a child care arrangement, according to one example;

19 is a flowchart illustrating steps for transitioning between a design arrangement and a child care arrangement, according to one example;

20A is a side view of a passenger compartment showing the first and second seat assemblies in a design arrangement, according to one example;

20B is a side view of the passenger compartment showing the first and second seat assemblies in a child seat arrangement, according to one example;

21 is a flowchart illustrating steps for transitioning between a design arrangement and a child seat arrangement, according to one example;

22A is a side view of a passenger compartment showing the first and second seat assemblies in a design arrangement, according to one example;

22B is a side view of a passenger compartment showing the first and second seat assemblies in an entrance/exit arrangement, according to one example;

23 is a flowchart illustrating steps for transitioning between a design arrangement and an inlet/outlet arrangement, according to one example;

24A is a side view of a passenger compartment showing the first and second seat assemblies in a design arrangement, according to one example;

24B is a side view of the passenger compartment showing the first and second seat assemblies in a cargo arrangement, according to one example;

Figure 25 is a flowchart illustrating the steps of transitioning between design layout and cargo layout according to one example;

26 is a flowchart illustrating steps for transitioning between a child care arrangement and a child seat arrangement, according to one example;

27 is a flowchart illustrating steps for transitioning between a child care arrangement and a relaxation arrangement, according to one example;

28 is a flowchart illustrating the steps of transitioning between a child seat arrangement and a relaxation arrangement, according to one example;

29 is a flowchart illustrating steps for transitioning between an entrance/exit arrangement and a child care arrangement, according to one example;

30 is a flowchart illustrating steps for transitioning between a cargo arrangement and a child seat arrangement, according to one example;

31 is a flowchart illustrating the steps of transitioning between a cargo arrangement and a relaxed arrangement according to one example;

32 is a flowchart illustrating steps for transitioning between a social placement and a childcare placement, according to one example;

33 is a flowchart illustrating steps for transitioning between a social arrangement and a child seat arrangement, according to one example;

34 is a flowchart illustrating steps for transitioning between a social arrangement and an entrance/exit arrangement, according to one example;

35 is a flowchart illustrating the steps of transitioning between a social arrangement and a relaxation arrangement, according to one example;

Figure 36 is a flowchart illustrating steps in a security process according to one example;

37 is a flowchart illustrating a method of adjusting the layout of a passenger compartment according to the present disclosure;

38 is a flowchart illustrating a method of adjusting the layout of a passenger compartment according to the present disclosure;

39 is a flowchart illustrating a method of adjusting the layout of a passenger compartment according to the present disclosure;

40 is a flowchart illustrating a method of adjusting the layout of a passenger compartment according to the present disclosure;

41 is a flowchart illustrating a method of adjusting the arrangement of a passenger compartment according to the present disclosure;

42 is a flowchart illustrating a method of adjusting the layout of a passenger compartment according to the present disclosure;

43 is a flowchart illustrating a method of adjusting the layout of a passenger compartment according to the present disclosure;

44 is a flowchart illustrating a method of processing collected images of intended users in accordance with the present disclosure; and

45 is a flowchart illustrating a method of adjusting the layout of a passenger compartment according to the present disclosure.

Detailed ways

For the purposes of this description, the terms "upper", "lower", "right", "left", "rear", "front", "vertical", "horizontal" and their derivatives shall be oriented in the same way as in Figure 6 related to the concept. It is to be understood, however, that the concepts may assume various alternative orientations unless expressly stated to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the drawings, and described in the following specification, are merely exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Therefore, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics related to the embodiments disclosed herein should not be considered limiting unless the claims expressly state otherwise.

The embodiments shown so far consist essentially in a combination of method steps and device components in connection with a vehicle system enabling adjustment of the passenger compartment arrangement. Thus, equipment components and method steps have been denoted, where appropriate, by conventional symbols in the drawings, and only those specific details relevant to an understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown so as not to be interpreted in a manner that would benefit from the invention described herein. This disclosure is obscured by details that would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, the same reference numerals in the specification and drawings refer to the same elements.

As used herein, the term "and/or" when used to list two or more items means that any one of the listed items may be employed individually or that both of the listed items may be employed or any combination of more items. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B and/or C, the composition may contain: A only; B only; C only; a combination of A and B; a combination of A and C; a combination of B and C combination; or a combination of A, B and C.

In this document, relational terms, such as first and second, top and bottom, etc., are used only to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action and do not necessarily require or imply a relationship between such entities or actions. of any actual such relationship or sequence. The terms "comprises," "comprises," or any other variation thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements not only includes those elements, but may also include those not expressly listed or such Other elements inherent to a process, method, article, or equipment. An element preceded by "comprising a" does not preclude the presence of additional identical elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus including the stated element without further qualification.

The term "about" as used herein means that quantities, sizes, formulations, parameters and other quantities and characteristics are not, and need not be, precise, but may be approximate and/or larger or smaller as appropriate. Smaller: reflects tolerances, conversion factors, rounding, measurement errors, etc. and other factors known to those skilled in the art. When the term "about" is used to describe a value or an endpoint of a range, the present disclosure should be understood to include the specific value or endpoint referred to. Regardless of whether a numerical value or a range endpoint in this specification recites "about," the numerical value or range endpoint is intended to include two embodiments: one modified by "about" and one not modified by "about." It should also be understood that the endpoint of each range in the range is significant both relative to and independent of the other endpoint.

The terms "substantially," "substantially," and variations thereof as used herein are intended to indicate that the described feature is equal or approximately equal to the value or description. For example, a "substantially flat" surface is intended to mean a flat or generally flat surface. Additionally, "substantially" is intended to mean that the two values are equal or approximately equal. In some embodiments, "substantially" may mean that values are within about 10% of each other, such as within about 5% of each other, or within about 2% of each other.

Unless expressly indicated to the contrary, the terms "the", "a" or "an" as used herein mean "at least one" and should not be limited to "only one". Thus, for example, reference to "a component" includes embodiments having two or more such components unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , vehicle 100 includes controller 104 . In various examples, vehicle 100 may be a motor vehicle. For example, a motor vehicle may be an automobile (eg, personal vehicle, public transportation, etc.), aircraft, ship, train, or any other mode of transportation capable of carrying passengers and/or cargo. Although referred to as a motor vehicle in various examples, vehicle 100 is not limited to an internal combustion engine as a locomotive power source. Rather, electric motors, fuel cells, hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in electric vehicles, and the like are within the scope of this disclosure. Controller 104 includes microprocessor 108 and memory 112 . Memory 112 stores programmed software programs 116 that are executable by microprocessor 108 and used to process signals and inputs and move or adjust components of vehicle 100 (e.g., positions of various actuators, user's comfort settings, user's climate settings, etc.). According to one example, controller 104 may include analog and/or digital circuitry, such as in the form of microprocessor 108 . Controller 104 is communicatively coupled to user interface 120 . In some examples, user interface 120 may be positioned on vehicle 100 such that when vehicle 100 changes geographic location, user interface 120 maintains the same geographic location as vehicle 100 (see FIG. 1 ). Additionally or alternatively, user interface 120 may be provided as a component separate from vehicle 100 and may be external to vehicle 100 (see Figure 2). For example, user interface 120 may be a mobile electronic device (eg, a user's personal smartphone, a user's personal computing device, a designated self-service terminal, etc.). In examples where user interface 120 is provided both on vehicle 100 and as a separate component of vehicle 100 (eg, the user's personal smartphone), controller 104 may be accessed by either of user interfaces 120 such that vehicle 100 The current user may adjust various components in communication with the controller 104 while the current user is occupying the vehicle 100 without being limited to being within arm's reach of the onboard user interface 120 . The ability to provide user interface 120 on vehicle 100 as well as provide user interface 120 as an external component of vehicle 100 may provide the user with redundancy enabling greater access to the user. For example, a user with access to one of the user interfaces 120 external to the vehicle 100 may be provided the freedom to adjust components of the vehicle 100 communicatively coupled to the controller 104 without currently occupying the vehicle 100 while allowing inaccessibility Other users of user interface 120 external to vehicle 100 (eg, users who do not have a personal smartphone) operate user interface 120 on vehicle 100 . The controller 104 is also communicatively coupled to a plurality of seat assemblies 124 . The plurality of seat assemblies 124 may be any number of seat assemblies 124 greater than one seat assembly 124 , such as two or more seat assemblies 124 .

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2 , generally, user interface 120 may present information related to various components of vehicle 100 to a user. For example, user interface 120 may present information to a user regarding the location and/or settings of various components of vehicle 100 , which location and/or settings may be adjusted by controller 104 in response to actions or requests made by the user or move. One such example of a movable or adjustable component of vehicle 100 that may be controlled or determined by a user may include adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment of vehicle 100 . For example, the user interface 120 may present the user with various preset and/or customizable arrangements 128 of the passenger compartment of the vehicle 100 . When a user selects one of the arrangements 128 provided on the user interface 120 , the controller 104 may receive a request signal from the user interface 120 and transmit a corresponding instruction signal to implement the arrangement 128 selected by the user. The command signals transmitted by the controller 104 may cause the arrangement of the passenger compartment of the vehicle 100 to be performed by changing the position of various components of the plurality of seat assemblies 124 and/or changing the relative position of the plurality of seat assemblies 124 relative to each other. adjustment. The request signal received by the controller 104 from the user interface 120 may be executed by the microprocessor 108 and/or the memory 112 to effectuate the transition of the arrangement 128 of the passenger compartment of the vehicle 100 . For example, the passenger compartment of the vehicle 100 may be in a first arrangement relative to the plurality of seat assemblies 124 , where the first arrangement is a preset arrangement (e.g., a design arrangement, a social arrangement, a cargo arrangement, a child care arrangement, a child seat arrangement , entrance/exit devices, relaxation arrangements, etc.). The user may select an alternative arrangement from the plurality of arrangements 128 by interacting with the user interface 120, which alternative arrangement may be a preset arrangement. Since the first arrangement and the second arrangement are both preset arrangements in this particular example, the request signal from the user interface 120 may be received by the microprocessor 108 of the controller 104 . Next, microprocessor 108 may execute program 116 stored in memory 112 . Accordingly, the controller 104 may process the request signal from the user interface 120 and control this by executing a program 116 stored in the memory 112 for adjusting the plurality of seat assemblies 124 from the first arrangement to the second arrangement. kind of adjustment.

With further reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 , it is contemplated that the controller 104 may process signals received from multiple sensors and/or data sources to determine which of multiple actuators may need to be activated and to what extent the actuators may need to be activated. , to achieve execution of placing the passenger compartment of the vehicle 100 in the second arrangement. Similarly, the controller 104 may process signals received from a plurality of sensors and/or data sources for determining an authorization status for a given movement of a given component of one of the plurality of seat assemblies 124 . For example, some of the sensors and/or data sources may include imagers 132, rail sensors 136, optical sensors, infrared sensors, force sensors (eg, load sensors), and/or machine learning, as will be discussed in Discussed in further detail in this article. The imager 132 , when employed, may be oriented with a field of view toward an area of the passenger compartment and/or a field of view oriented toward the exterior of the vehicle 100 . One or more imagers 132 (eg, internal viewing imager 132 and/or external viewing imager 132) may be employed in various examples. The rail sensors 136, when employed, may provide information to the controller 104 regarding the position of each of the plurality of seat assemblies 124 along the rail system, as will be discussed in further detail herein. The rail system can be positioned within the floor of the passenger compartment. The sensors and/or data sources discussed in this disclosure for informing controller 104 of the position of each of the various components of vehicle 100 that may be adjusted or changed by a user are exemplary in nature and are not intended to be limiting. . Rather, the sensors and/or data sources are intended to convey illustrative examples of the types of components that may be monitored and/or controlled when performing adjustments to the arrangement of the passenger compartment of vehicle 100 disclosed herein.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , each of the plurality of seat assemblies 124 is provided with various sensors and actuators that can be controlled through interaction between the user interface 120 and the controller 104 . As will be discussed in further detail herein, the passenger compartment 140 of the vehicle 100 may be provided with a plurality of seat assemblies 124 positioned in the first row 144, the second row 148, and/or the third row 152 (see Figure 6). It is contemplated that more or fewer sensors and/or actuators may be employed depending on the location of a given one of the plurality of seat assemblies 124 within the passenger compartment 140 of the vehicle 100 . For example, each of the plurality of seat assemblies 124 positioned in the first row 144 and the second row 148 may be in contrast to each of the plurality of seat assemblies 124 that may be positioned in the third row 152 . One may be provided with a greater degree of movement within the passenger compartment 140 of the vehicle 100 . For example, the third row 152 may be raised vertically compared to the first row 144 and the second row 148 such that the floor of the passenger compartment 140 is contoured. In such examples, the seat assembly 124 positioned within the third row 152 may be more spatially constrained than the seat assemblies 124 in the first row 144 and the second row 148 . In some examples, the floor of the passenger compartment 140 may be flat or less contoured such that the seat assemblies 124 in the third row 152 may be provided with seats positioned in the first row 144 and the second row 148 . The chair assembly 124 has the same degree of movement. As shown in FIG. 3 , the seat assemblies 124 positioned in the first row 144 and the second row 148 may each be provided with an occupancy sensor 156 that may notify the controller 104 of the given seat assembly 124 occupancy status; track sensors 160 that monitor areas of the track system in front and/or behind a given seat assembly 124 and/or interact with track sensors 136 to determine the current track position of the seat assembly 124 ; and/or authorization sensors 164 that monitor the immediate vicinity of the seat assembly 124 to determine the presence or absence of obstructions to movement of various components of the seat assembly 124 . In some examples, track sensor 160 may serve as authorization sensor 164 . Actuators that may be provided on the seat assemblies 124 positioned in the first row 144 and the second row 148 may include, but are not limited to, seat back actuators 168 , seat actuators 172 , calf supports, etc. actuator 176, rotational actuator 180 and/or translational actuator 184. The seat assembly 124 positions first and second rows 144 and 148 , which may be provided with safety device controls 188 (e.g., seat belt retractors, airbags, etc.) and comfort controls 188 . Features/Settings 192 (eg, heated surfaces, ventilated surfaces, adjustable cushioning, etc.). Seat assemblies 124 positioned in the third row 152 of the passenger compartment 140 may be provided with less adjustability than seat assemblies 124 positioned in the first row 144 and second row 148 . For example, the seat assembly 124 positioned in the third row 152 may include, but is not limited to, occupancy sensors 156 , seatback actuators 168 , seat actuators 172 , safety device controls 188 , and/or comfort features/settings 192.

Referring now to FIG. 5 , one of a plurality of seat assemblies 124 is shown according to various examples. The seat assembly 124 includes a headrest 196 , a seat back 200 and a seat 204 . In some examples, the seat assembly 124 may also include a calf support 208 (see FIG. 7 ), as will be discussed in further detail herein. The headrest 196 may be suspended above the seat back 200 . More specifically, the seat assembly 124 includes a seat back support member 212 that may extend along a rearward surface of the seat back 200 , wherein adjacent surfaces of the seat back 200 and the seat back support member 212 follow the seat back 212 . The lower portion 216 of the seat back 200 and the upper portion 220 of the seat back 200 are offset from each other as the distance increases. The seat back support member 212 includes a headrest support tube 224 that extends vertically above the upper portion 220 of the seat back 200 . The headrest 196 may be coupled to the headrest support tube 224 such that the headrest 196 hangs above the upper portion 220 of the seatback 200 without the headrest 196 being in physical contact with the upper portion 220 of the seatback 200 . In some examples, headrest 196 , seatback support member 212 , and headrest support tube 224 may each not engage upper portion 220 of seatback 200 .

Referring again to FIG. 5 , the seat assembly 124 includes a seat base 228 . Seat back 200 , seat 204 , and seat back support member 212 are each coupled to seat base 228 . Seat back 200 is coupled to seat base 228 proximate a lower portion 216 of seat back 200 . Seat back 200 is movably coupled to seat base 228 such that seat back 200 can rotate or pivot about seat back rotation axis 232 . Seat 204 includes first end 236 and second end 240 . Seat 204 is coupled to seat base 228 at second end 240 of seat 204 . Seat 204 is movably coupled to seat base 228 such that seat 204 can pivot or rotate about seat rotation axis 244 . The pivotable or rotatable coupling of the seat 204 to the seat base 228 allows the seat 204 to be moveable between an upwardly stowed position (see Figures 9, 11, and 12) and a downwardly deployed position, as depicted herein. The movement of the seat 204 between the stowed upward position and the deployed downward position may be referred to as stadium seating. The seat base 228 may include brackets 248 positioned on the sides of the seat assembly 124 . Seat back 200 and seat 204 are mounted to bracket 248 at seat back attachment point 252 and seat attachment point 256, respectively. Seat back attachment point 252 may define seat back rotation axis 232 . Similarly, seat attachment point 256 may define seat rotation axis 244 . In various examples, seat assembly 124 may include rotation assembly 260 . The rotational assembly 260 may be mounted to the bracket 248 of the seat base 228 at the rotational coupling point 264 . The rotating assembly 260 may be a concentric ring design with an upper ring and a lower ring. When the rotating assembly 260 rotates, the upper ring rotates with the seat 204 about the vertical axis 268 and the lower ring is coupled to the rotating platform 272 and rotates as the rotating assembly 260 rotates. The assembly 260 rotates about the vertical axis 268 while the lower ring remains stationary.

With further reference to FIG. 5 , the seat assembly 124 includes a seat back position sensor 276 that monitors the current position of the seat back 200 , a seat position sensor 280 that monitors the seat position. 204; and a rotational position sensor 284 that monitors the rotational position of the rotational assembly 260 about the vertical axis 268. The seat assembly 124 also includes: a seat back actuator 168 that can adjust the angular position of the seat back 200 relative to the seat base 228; a seat actuator 172 that can adjust the seat back 200 relative to the seat base 228; a chair actuator that can adjust the angular position of the seat 204 relative to the seat base 228; and a rotational actuator that is coupled to the rotational assembly 260 such that the rotational assembly 260 and ultimately the seat assembly 124 can Rotation about vertical axis 268. It is contemplated that seat back actuator 168 , seat actuator 172 , and rotation actuator 296 may each be provided with their corresponding position sensors (seat back position sensor 276 , seat position sensor 280 , and rotation position sensor, respectively). Sensor 284) as an integrated component therein. In some examples, the seat assembly 124 may be provided with a calf support actuator 176 that adjusts the angular orientation of the calf support 208 relative to the seat 204 , wherein the calf support 208 may be in Operates between retracted and extended positions. Various actuators (e.g., seat actuator 172, seat back actuator 168, rotation actuator 180, and/or calf support actuator 176) may be provided with integrated therein or otherwise with Sensors associated to track the current position of the actuator and/or monitor the movement of the actuator so that the control 104 can determine when actuation should cease. Sensors may include, but are not limited to, Hall effect sensors and ripple counters.

Referring now to FIGS. 6-12 , the passenger compartment 140 of the vehicle 100 may be placed in various arrangements. Passenger compartment 140 of vehicle 100 may be discussed with respect to front area 300 , center area 304 , and rear area 308 . Typically, particularly when multiple seat assemblies 124 are arranged in a design position (see FIG. 6 ), the first row 144 corresponds to the front area 300 , the second row 148 corresponds to the center area 304 , and the third row 144 corresponds to the center area 304 . Row 152 corresponds to rear region 308 . The front region 300 and the center region 304 of the passenger compartment 140 may each be provided with one or more access doors 312 that separate the passenger compartment 140 from the vehicle's exterior environment. Similarly, one of the access doors 312 may be provided in the rear of the vehicle 100 , such as a liftgate that may be utilized by the seat assembly 124 positioned in the third row 152 . The access door 312 is moveable between an open position and a closed position, thereby allowing entry and/or egress of occupants and/or cargo. The passenger compartment 140 includes a rail system 316 positioned in the floor 320 of the vehicle 100 . Rail system 316 may be provided with power lines and/or data lines so that power can be transmitted to seat assembly 124 and data can be communicated between seat assembly 124 and vehicle 100 (eg, controller 104). Additionally or alternatively, data may be transmitted between seat assemblies 124 . Floor 320 of vehicle 100 is positioned in a lower area of passenger compartment 140 . Rail system 316 includes a plurality of rails 324 extending along the longitudinal direction 328 of vehicle 100 . The rails 324 may be arranged in pairs along the longitudinal direction 328 , with each pair of rails 324 enabling one or more of the plurality of seat assemblies 124 coupled thereto to be actuated along the rails 324 in the longitudinal direction 328 . For example, first seat assembly 332 and second seat assembly 336 may be coupled to a first pair of rails 324 . Similarly, the third seat assembly 340 and the fourth seat assembly 344 may be coupled to the second pair of rails 324 . As depicted in FIG. 6 , a first pair of rails 324 is positioned on the proximal side of the vehicle 100 while a second pair of rails 324 is positioned on the far side of the vehicle 100 . Although the seat assembly 124 positioned proximally of the vehicle 100 is primarily depicted as having a seat back actuator 168 , a seat actuator 172 , a calf support actuator 176 , a rotation actuator 180 and/or translation actuator 184, but those skilled in the art will recognize that the remainder of the seat assembly 124 within the passenger compartment 140 may be provided with some or all of the components enumerated herein.

Referring again to FIGS. 6-12 , a plurality of seat assemblies 124 are positioned within the passenger compartment 140 of the vehicle 100 to define a seating arrangement. The various actuators and sensors discussed herein enable the controller 104 of the vehicle 100 to affect the adjustment of multiple seat assemblies 124 to achieve various seating arrangements within the passenger compartment 140 . The seat base 228 is engaged with the rail system 316 . For example, the seat base 228 may be engaged with the rail system 316 via the pivot assembly 260 (eg, anchors 334 extending downwardly from the pivot assembly 260). More specifically, the lower portion of the rotation assembly 260 may engage the rail system 316 while the upper portion of the rotation assembly 260 engages the seat base 228 . Therefore, the coupling between the seat assembly 124 and the rail system 316 allows for translational movement of the seat assembly 124 along the rail system 316 while also allowing the seat assembly 124 to rotate about the vertical axis 268 via the rotation assembly 260 . The rail system 316 may be provided with one or more rail sensors 136 . When multiple rail sensors 136 are employed within the rail system 316 , the controller 104 may be able to monitor the current position of each of the multiple seat assemblies 124 by referencing the multiple rail sensors 136 . For example, the controller 104 may be able to determine that the first seat assembly 332 is positioned between a first of the rail sensors 136 and a second of the rail sensors 136 and that the second seat assembly 336 is positioned between the rails. Between the third rail sensor among the sensors 136 and the fourth rail sensor among the rail sensors 136 . In such an example, the rail sensor 136 may serve as a "position gate" that may be used to communicate that a given one of the plurality of seat assemblies 124 has passed one of the rail sensors 136 But it has not yet passed one of the rail sensors 136 that is immediately adjacent to the rail sensor. In various examples, rail sensors 136 may be magnets within floor 320 and/or rails 324 . In such examples, the seat assembly 124 may be provided with a Hall effect sensor positioned and/or configured to interact with the magnetic rail sensor 136 , thereby enabling the controller 104 to determine the seat assembly. Proximity 124 to one or more rail sensors 136 .

With further reference to FIGS. 6-12 , it is contemplated that the imager 132 may be oriented with the field of view directed toward the passenger compartment 140 such that the imager 132 may be used (e.g., by identifying the shape of the seat assembly 124 , by identifying the shape of the seat assembly 124 QR code on the seat assembly 124, etc.) to determine the current position of the plurality of seat assemblies 124. By coupling the seat back 200 , seat 204 , and swivel assembly 260 to common components, such as the seat base 228 , greater freedom of movement of the various components of the seat assembly 124 may be achieved. More specifically, the lower portion of the rotating assembly 260 engages the rails 324 of the rail system 316 . Thus, the lower portion of the rotating assembly 260 is rotationally fixed about the vertical axis 268 but is capable of translational movement along the guide rail system 316 . The upper portion of the rotating assembly 260 is engaged or connected with the seat base 228 while maintaining the seat base 228 not directly engaged with the lower portion of the rotating assembly 260 . Thus, seat base 228 is allowed to rotate about vertical axis 268 due to actuation of rotation assembly 260 . The coupling of the seat 204 to the seat base 228 also allows greater freedom of movement of the seat 204. More specifically, the seat 204 is coupled to the brackets 248 of the seat base 228 in a manner that suspends the seat 204 between the brackets 248 while maintaining the seat 204 from direct engagement with the rotating assembly 260 . Accordingly, the seat 204 is rotatable about the seat rotation axis 244 and movable between an upwardly stowed position (see Figure 9) and a downwardly deployed position (see Figure 6). Similar to the seat 204 , the seat back 200 is coupled to the seat base 228 in a manner that allows rotational movement of the seat back 200 about the seat back rotation axis 232 . More specifically, the seat back 200 is suspended between brackets 248 of the seat base 228 such that the seat back 200 is not directly engaged with the seat 204 . Thus, the independent coupling of each of the seat back 200 , seat 204 , and swivel assembly 260 to the bracket 248 of the seat base 228 allows the seat 204 to rotate independently of the rotational position of the swivel assembly 260 about the vertical axis 268 . Activate between the stowed upward position and the deployed downward position. The translation actuator 184 may be coupled to a lower portion of the rotation assembly 260 (e.g., via one or more anchors 334 extending into the track 324 ) to engage the rail system 316 Platform 272). Activation of the translation assembly by the controller 104 enables adjustment of the position of a corresponding one of the seat assemblies 124 along the rail system 316 .

Referring specifically to FIG. 6 , a plurality of seat assemblies 124 are depicted in a design arrangement within the passenger compartment 140 of the vehicle 100 . The design arrangement of the plurality of seat assemblies 124 may be defined such that each of the plurality of seat assemblies 124 within the passenger compartment 140 is oriented in a forward-facing orientation, wherein each of the seat assemblies 124 The seats 204 are in a deployed-down position and the seat backs 200 of each of the seat assemblies 124 are in a generally upright position. In the design arrangement depicted, each of the seat assemblies 124 is arranged and positioned in a manner such that each of the seat assemblies 124 can be utilized by an occupant. As depicted, the seat assembly 124 positioned in the first row 144 may be fully contained within the forward region 300 of the passenger compartment 140 and the seat assembly 124 positioned in the second row 148 may be fully contained within the passenger compartment. The seat assembly 124 located within the central region 304 of the cabin 140 and positioned in the third row 152 may be fully contained within the rear region 308 of the passenger compartment 140 . When the passenger compartment is provided with the seating arrangement in the designed arrangement, the seating capacity of the passenger compartment 140 may be maximized because each of the seat assemblies 124 is capable of receiving an occupant. In some examples, the design arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 may minimize the total cargo capacity of the passenger compartment 140 .

Referring specifically to FIG. 7 , the passenger compartment 140 of the vehicle 100 is depicted in a relaxed arrangement. The relaxed arrangement may be defined as at least one of the seat assemblies 124 (in the depicted example, the first seat assembly 332 ) placed in a generally reclined and raised position. More specifically, in the relaxed configuration, at least one of the seat assemblies 124 places the seat back 200 in a reclined position, raises the calf support 208 from a retracted position to an extended position, and/or in a manner consistent with the design. Position (see FIG. 6 ) adjusts the angular position of the seat 204 relative to the seat base 228 in a manner that increases the inclination angle of the seat 204 relative to the floor 320 of the vehicle 100 . When in the relaxed arrangement, the seat assembly 124 in the reclined and raised position may encroach upon one of the seat assemblies immediately behind the seat assembly (e.g., the second seat assembly in the depicted example). 336) seating area. The relaxed arrangement may be achieved for one of the seat assemblies 124 independently of the position of the seat 204 of the immediately rear seat assembly 124 . For example, the first seat assembly 332 may be placed in a relaxed configuration or in a reclined and Elevated position. Occupants may wish to utilize relaxation arrangements to relax, rest and/or replenish their energy levels en route to their desired destination. Although the first seat assembly 332 is depicted as having the calf support 208 for illustrative purposes, it is contemplated that the calf support 208 may be provided on each of the seat assemblies 124 within the passenger compartment 140 .

Referring specifically to FIG. 8 , the passenger cabin 140 is depicted in a social arrangement. The social arrangement may be defined as placing one of the seat assemblies 124 in a rearward-facing orientation such that the seat assembly 124 faces the other of the seat assemblies 124 in the row immediately behind the vehicle 100 In this embodiment, one of the seat assemblies 124 behind an adjacent seat assembly is positioned in a forward-facing orientation. For example, first seat assembly 332 may be placed in a rearward-facing orientation such that an occupant of first seat assembly 332 may face an occupant of second seat assembly 336 , wherein second seat assembly 336 is positioned in The second row 148 is in a forward facing orientation. When the occupants of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 now face each other, the legs of each of the occupants will occupy the space between the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 of public space. Therefore, to provide additional footwell for the occupants of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336, it may be beneficial to actuate the first seat assembly 332 toward the forwardmost portion of the rail system 316, The rear portion of the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 is positioned adjacent the instrument panel 348 of the vehicle 100 . When the passenger compartment 140 is in the social configuration, the rearward-facing seat assembly 124 (eg, the first seat assembly 332 ) and the vehicle-rearward seat assembly 124 positioned at the rearward-facing seat assembly 124 ( For example, the occupants of the second seat assembly 336 and the third seat assembly 340) may communicate with each other more easily. For example, when the passenger compartment 140 is arranged in the design configuration, the occupants of the second row 148 may have difficulty hearing what the occupants of the first row 144 are saying. This may be due, in part, to sound waves exiting the mouths of the occupants of first row 144 traveling toward the front of the vehicle in first row 144 and ultimately away from the occupants of second row 148 . Although the first seat assembly 332 is depicted in a rearward-facing orientation for illustrative purposes, it is contemplated that other seat assemblies of the plurality of seat assemblies 124 may additionally or alternatively be positioned in a rearward-facing orientation. Oriented such that these occupants of the rearward-facing seat assembly 124 may communicate with the occupants of the vehicle's rearward-facing seat assembly 124 in a more direct manner without departing from the concepts disclosed herein.

Referring specifically to FIG. 9 , the passenger compartment 140 is depicted in a child care arrangement. The goal of the child care arrangement may be to allow a parent seated in the first seat assembly 332 to more easily provide assistance to a child occupying the third seat assembly 340 . In some examples, the third seat assembly 340 may be provided with a supplementary seat assembly (eg, a child seat, see FIG. 18B ) that is disposed within the vehicle 100 or by an occupant of the vehicle 100 supply. Although the stated underlying goal of the child care arrangement is to allow a parent occupying the first seat assembly 332 to more easily assist a child occupying the third seat assembly 340, it is contemplated that the child care arrangement may be used for alternative purposes. For example, a child care arrangement may allow an occupant of the first seat assembly 332 to more easily access cargo that may be stored on the floor 320 between the third seat assembly 340 and the fourth seat assembly 344 or stored on the floor 320 . Cargo on the 340 with three seats. Regardless of the intended goals, uses or purposes behind an occupant selecting a child care arrangement, the child care arrangement may be defined as placing the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 in the stowed upward position and in the rearward direction of the vehicle. The first seat assembly 332 is actuated against the rail system 316 such that the distance between the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 is reduced compared to the design arrangement.

Referring again to FIG. 9 , in some examples, the rotational assembly 260 of the first seat assembly 332 may be actuated about the vertical axis 268 by the rotational actuator 180 of the first seat assembly 332 such that the first seat The assembly 332 rotates in a counterclockwise direction toward the third seat assembly 340 . Such actuation of the rotation assembly 260 of the first seat assembly 332 may also enable an occupant of the first seat assembly 332 to reach an occupant of the third seat assembly 340 and/or be positioned on the fourth seat. Assembly 344 rear cargo. As with the other exemplary arrangements depicted herein, the present depictions of child care arrangements are intended to be illustrative in nature and not restrictive. Therefore, other seat assemblies within the seat assembly 124 may be utilized to implement a child care arrangement without departing from the concepts disclosed herein. Accordingly, the child care arrangement may be defined as one of the vehicle forward seat assemblies 124 actuating along the rail system 316 in a vehicle rearward direction such that one of the seat assemblies 124 is vehicle forward seated. The chair assembly is positioned adjacent a vehicle rearward seat assembly of one of the seat assemblies 124 , wherein the seat 204 of the vehicle rearward seat assembly of the one of the seat assemblies 124 is optionally positioned in an upwardly stowed position. Location. The child care arrangement may also be defined as co-locating longitudinally adjacent ones of the seat assemblies 124 within a single region of the passenger compartment 140 (eg, center region 304 or rear region 308 ). For example, in the arrangement depicted in FIG. 9 , the first seat assembly 332 is actuated rearwardly from the forward area 300 of the passenger compartment 140 such that both the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 are positioned in center area 304. In various examples, placing the passenger compartment 140 in a child care arrangement may reduce the total seating capacity of the passenger compartment 140 by a value of 1 (e.g., the second total seat capacity) for the duration that the passenger compartment 140 is in the child care arrangement. 336 may become unavailable to the crew). Transition to a child care arrangement may be accomplished by an occupant of the first seat assembly 332 interacting with the user interface 120 . In some examples, transition to a child care arrangement may be initiated by an occupant of passenger cabin 140 uttering a trigger word, phrase, or gesture. Trigger words, phrases, or gestures may be preprogrammed into the controller 104 or customized by the user. For example, trigger words, phrases or gestures may include, but are not limited to, "help," "mom," "dad," "I fell," "oh no," "childcare arrangement," "slide back," and the like. Typically, a trigger word, phrase, or gesture may be a recognized, programmed, or saved signal that may be transmitted verbally or visually.

Referring specifically to FIG. 10 , the passenger compartment 140 is depicted in a child seat arrangement. The child seat arrangement may be defined by actuating the rotary assembly 260 by the rotary actuator 180 to rotate the second seat assembly 336 about the vertical axis 268 such that the seat back 200 and The seating surface 350 defined by the seat 204 is presented to one of the access doors 312 immediately adjacent to the access door. Seat surface 350 may be defined as the surface of seat back 200 and seat 204 that directly engages an occupant when seated on a given seat assembly 124 . When parents and children intend to occupy the vehicle 100, a child seat arrangement may be utilized. By rotating the second seat assembly 336 about the vertical axis 268 to present the seating surface 350 of the second seat assembly 336 to one of the access doors 312 immediately adjacent to the access door 312 , placing a child into the second seat can be reduced. Difficulty in chair assembly 336. In various examples, in which the parent desires the child to be so seated in the passenger compartment 140 , the parent may couple the child seat to the second seat assembly 336 . Remaining seat assemblies 124 that are not designated for use by children or smaller occupants may be in various positions or arrangements while still at least partially constituting a child seat arrangement. Although the depicted example shows the second seat assembly 336 rotating about its vertical axis 268 toward one of the access doors 312 proximate the access door, the disclosure is not so limited. Rather, it is contemplated that the third seat assembly 340 may be so arranged, or that one of the seat assemblies 124 positioned in the third row 152 may be arranged to accept a child or smaller occupant. In examples where one of the seat assemblies 124 positioned in the third row 152 is placed in a child seat arrangement, the seat assemblies 124 in the third row 152 to be so positioned may be upright about which The direct axis 268 is rotated so that the seating surface 350 of the seat assembly 124 in the third row 152 is oriented toward the rear liftgate of the vehicle 100 that forms a tunnel positioned on the rear side of the vehicle 100 One of the gates 312.

Referring specifically to FIG. 11 , the passenger compartment 140 is shown in an entrance/exit arrangement. The entrance/exit arrangement may be defined as compared to the design arrangement with the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 being placed in an upward stowed position and the second seat assembly 336 along the rail system in the vehicle forward direction. 316 actuation. Generally, the entry/exit arrangement may be defined such that the associated seat 204 of one or more of the seat assemblies 124 positioned in the second row 148 is placed in the stowed-up position and the corresponding seat assembly Actuation of the component 124 along the rail system 316 positions the seat assembly 124 proximate the boundary between the front region 300 and the center region 304 . When the passenger compartment 140 is arranged in an entrance/exit arrangement, passengers can more easily access the third row 152 to occupy the seat assembly 124 positioned therein. Although the inlet/outlet arrangement is depicted as actuating one or more of the seat assemblies 124 positioned in the second row 148 , the present disclosure is not so limited. Rather, it is contemplated that alternative vehicle layouts may present opportunities for use of entrance/exit arrangements in rows other than second row 148 . Generally, it may be beneficial to provide an inlet/egress arrangement when one of the rows of seat assemblies 124 is not provided with one of the access doors 312 laterally proximate the access door. In this arrangement, adjacent rows of vehicles forward and laterally adjacent one of the access doors 312 may be actuated in the manner discussed herein to provide an inlet/outlet arrangement.

Referring specifically to FIG. 12 , the passenger compartment 140 is depicted in a cargo arrangement. The cargo arrangement may be defined as the seats 204 of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 being placed in the stowed upward position and the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 along the The track rail system is actuated such that both the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 are positioned within the forward region 300 of the passenger compartment 140 . By arranging the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 in this manner, a portion of the floor 320 proximate the central region 304 may be provided with increased continuous surface area such that large items may be stored thereon. Although discussed as a cargo arrangement, it is contemplated that the cargo arrangement may be utilized in the alternative or in addition. For example, the cargo arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 may be employed when the vehicle 100 arrives at a pickup destination for multiple occupants. Typically in this case, the intended occupant of the passenger compartment 140 may be positioned on a single side of the vehicle 100 , with the opposite side of the vehicle 100 being oriented toward the active lane of the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling. In such cases, it may be beneficial for the occupants to enter the passenger compartment 140 from a side of the vehicle 100 away from the effective lane location of the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling. Therefore, it can be assumed that the cargo arrangement allows the initial occupant to more easily access the seat assembly 124 in the third row 152 and access the third seat assembly 340 with less obstruction that may be caused by such obstruction by the occupant. Caused by the second seat assembly 336 positioned in the second row 148 during entry. The second seat assembly 336 may be actuated to the second row 148 when the occupants of the third row 152 seat assembly 124 and the third seat assembly 340 are seated within their respective seat assemblies 124 And its seat 204 is actuated into a downwardly deployed position to receive the other one of the intended occupants. At this point, the intended occupant of the fourth seat assembly 344 may access the fourth seat assembly 344 by entering the passenger compartment 140 behind the first seat assembly 332 to avoid climbing over the first seat assembly 332 . Touch the fourth seat assembly 344. Finally, the first seat assembly 332 may be actuated toward the rear of the vehicle along the rail system 316 and rotate its seat 204 to a downwardly deployed position to assume the design arrangement, thereby presenting the first seat assembly 332 to its intended occupants. The available seating surface of the first seat assembly 332 is presented. It is contemplated that, in various examples, a seat assembly 124 positioned in the third row 152 may have its seats 204 actuated into a stowed-up position to further provide additional storage area in a cargo arrangement.

Referring to Figure 13, a process flow diagram is depicted in a general form. Generally, the process flow for adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 begins with the passenger compartment 140 in the current seating arrangement 352 . The current seating arrangement 352 may be any of the seating arrangements described herein or a custom arrangement that has been entered by the user. The current seating arrangement 352 may be stored in the memory 112 of the controller 104 . Upon receiving the prompt 356 , the controller 104 may transmit an instruction signal to the seat assembly 124 to adjust the current seating arrangement 352 to a preset seating arrangement or a customized seating arrangement. In various examples, prompt 356 may take the form of a request signal transmitted by user interface 120 to controller 104 . As mentioned above, user interface 120 may be an onboard component of vehicle 100 or a component external to vehicle 100 . Regardless of the positioning or arrangement of user interface 120 , prompt 356 may take the form of a request signal transmitted by user interface 120 to controller 104 . The request signal transmitted from user interface 120 to controller 104 may be actively selected by the user (eg, actively select a given arrangement of passenger compartment 140 ), or may be passively selected by the user (eg, based on the number of occupants and/or vehicle 100's intended destination). Preset arrangements from which the user may select may include, but are not limited to, design arrangement 360 , relaxation arrangement 364 , entrance/exit arrangement 368 , child seat arrangement 372 , social arrangement 376 , and/or child care arrangement 380 . The idle time 384 may be selectively employed when transmitting instruction signals from the controller 104 to adjust the current seating arrangement 352 to one of a preset arrangement or a customized arrangement. In some examples, idle time 384 may represent a time range during which the current seating arrangement 352 is intended to be adjusted to one of the preset arrangements of custom arrangements provided by the user. Alternatively, idle time 384 may represent an intermediate step in achieving the requested arrangement of passenger cabin 140 . For example, if entrance/exit arrangement 368 is selected, idle time 384 may represent a time range during which an occupant is intended to be allowed to enter or exit passenger cabin 140 . Similarly, if a child seat arrangement 372 is selected, the idle time 384 may represent a time range intended for a parent occupant to position a child occupant within one of the seat assemblies 124 presented to one of the access doors 312 . As with child seat arrangement 372 , if child care arrangement 380 is selected, idle time 384 may represent a time frame intended to allow a parent or caregiver occupant of first seat assembly 332 to assist a child occupying third seat assembly 340 . After assuming a selected configuration or terminating the idle time 384 , the process of adjusting the current seating arrangement 352 to the alternative seating arrangement may reach an end point 388 at which time the new current seating arrangement may be stored in the memory 112 of the controller 104 for future reference.

Referring to Figures 14A-15, a transition from a design arrangement (Figure 14A) to a relaxed arrangement (Figure 14B) is depicted according to one example. The arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 is initially in a first arrangement 392, such as a design arrangement. Upon deciding to exit the first arrangement 392 , the user (eg, via the user interface 120 ) transmits a request signal to the controller 104 , which may constitute a prompt 396 to transition the passenger compartment 140 from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 . In response to the request signal or prompt 396 , the controller 104 may initiate transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement by transmitting command signals to various actuators of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 400 transformation. Relevant actuators for transitioning from the design configuration to the relaxed configuration may include the seat actuator 172 of the second seat assembly 336, the seat back actuator 168 of the first seat assembly 332, the first seat Seat actuator 172 of chair assembly 332 and calf support actuator 176 of first seat assembly 332 . Each of these actuators may be communicatively coupled to a corresponding position sensor that informs controller 104 of the given actuator's current position. The communicative coupling between a given actuator and a given position sensor may take the form of an integration of the given position sensor with the given actuator. For example, the seat actuators 172 of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 may each be communicatively coupled with a corresponding seat position sensor 280 , the seat back of the first seat assembly 332 corresponding to the seat position sensor 280 . The actuator 168 may be communicatively coupled with the seat back position sensor 276 and the calf support actuator 176 may be communicatively coupled with the calf support position sensor 404 . Therefore, upon receiving the request signal to adjust the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from the design arrangement to the relaxed arrangement, the controller 104 may have stored each relevant component of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 's current location.

Referring again to FIGS. 14A-15 , when transitioning the passenger compartment 140 from the design configuration to the relaxed configuration, step 408 of actuating the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 in an upward direction toward the upward stowed position is performed. Additionally, adjusting the angular orientation of the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 relative to the seat base 228 of the first seat assembly 332 is performed such that the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 is placed in a reclined position. Step 412. Additionally, step 416 is performed of actuating the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 in an upward direction to place the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 in a more tilted orientation relative to the seat base 228 . Additionally, adjusting the arrangement from the design arrangement to the relaxed arrangement includes actuating 420 the calf support 208 of the first seat assembly 332 from a retracted position toward an extended position. In making these adjustments to the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336, the passenger compartment 140 will be successfully adjusted from the first arrangement 392 (design arrangement) to the second arrangement 400 (relaxed arrangement). Upon reaching the relaxed configuration, the occupant of the first seat assembly 332 may be provided with a predetermined idle time 424 . The predetermined idle time 424 may be selected by the occupant of the first seat assembly 332 . For example, the occupants of the first seat assembly 332 may decide that they wish to rest for a given period of time while they occupy the vehicle 100 . Accordingly, when the idle time 424 has elapsed, the occupants of the first seat assembly 332 may be prompted as to whether they wish to return to the design arrangement, thereby providing a decision point 428 . Alternatively, the occupants of the first seat assembly 332 may select whether they want the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 to return to a given arrangement (eg, a design arrangement) when the idle time 424 has elapsed. In such an example, the occupant may be gently awakened from the rest period by slow actuation of the first seat assembly 332 from the relaxed configuration to the designed configuration.

With further reference to FIGS. 14A-15 , a decision point 428 regarding whether the occupant of the first seat assembly 332 wishes to return to the design arrangement, in the event that the occupant of the first seat assembly 332 elects not to return to the design arrangement, The process may exit at step 432 so that the occupant will not be prompted again to exit the relaxation arrangement. In such an example, the occupant of first seat assembly 332 may later interact with user interface 120 to adjust the arrangement of passenger compartment 140 if desired. However, if the occupant of the first seat assembly 332 elects to exit the relaxed configuration and return to the design configuration at decision point 428, the process of adjusting the layout of the passenger compartment 140 will generally be reversed to return from the relaxed configuration to the design configuration. In such an example, the occupant of first seat assembly 332 selecting to return to the design arrangement at decision point 428 may be considered a prompt 436 or request signal transmitted to controller 104 . Upon returning from the relaxed configuration to the design configuration, the calf support 208 of the first seat assembly 332 may be actuated to the retracted position at step 440 . Additionally, at step 444 , the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 may reduce the tilt angle of the seat 204 relative to the seat base 228 of the first seat assembly 332 . Additionally, at step 448, the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 is actuated from the reclined position toward the upright position. Finally, at step 452 , the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 may be actuated to the deployed downward position, thereby completing the transition from the second arrangement 400 (relaxed arrangement) to the first arrangement 392 (design arrangement). change.

Referring to Figures 16A-17, a transition from a design arrangement (Figure 16A) to a social arrangement (Figure 16B) is depicted according to one example. The arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 is initially in a first arrangement 392, such as a design arrangement. Upon deciding to exit the first arrangement 392 , the user (eg, via the user interface 120 ) transmits a request signal to the controller 104 , which may constitute a prompt 396 to transition the passenger compartment 140 from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 . In the depicted example, the second arrangement 400 is a social arrangement. In response to the request signal or prompt 396 , the controller 104 may initiate the transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 by transmitting command signals to various actuators of the first seat assembly 332 . The relevant actuator for the transition from the design arrangement to the social arrangement is at least the rotational actuator 180 of the first seat assembly 332 . The rotational actuator 180 of the first seat assembly 332 is communicatively coupled to the rotational position sensor 284 of the first seat assembly 332 . The rotational position sensor 284 of the first seat assembly 332 notifies the controller 104 of the current position of the rotational actuator 180 of the first seat assembly 332 . The communication coupling between the rotational actuator 180 and the rotational position sensor 284 may take the form of the rotational position sensor 284 being integrated with the rotational actuator 180 . Therefore, upon receipt of a request signal to adjust the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from the design arrangement to the social arrangement, the controller 104 may have stored the current position of the rotation actuator 284 .

Referring again to FIGS. 16A-17 , when transitioning the passenger compartment 140 from the design configuration to the social configuration, step 456 of actuating the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 in an upward direction toward the upward stowed position may be employed. Depending on the available clearance between the first seat assembly 332 and the immediate environment, actuating the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 toward the stowed upward position at step 456 may be omitted. Additionally, when transitioning the passenger compartment 140 from the design configuration to the social configuration, rotation of the first seat assembly 332 about its vertical axis 268 may be accomplished at step 460 . For example, rotation of the first seat assembly 332 about its vertical axis 268 may be accomplished by actuating the rotational actuator 180 of the first seat assembly 332 such that the first seat assembly 332 moves along the associated The path of travel of the rotating assembly 260 rotates. Rotation of the first seat assembly 332 about a vertical axis may place the first seat assembly 332 in a rearward-facing orientation. In a simultaneous or sequential manner, transitioning the passenger compartment 140 from the design configuration to the social configuration may include step 464A of actuating the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 to a downwardly deployed position and moving the seat 204 in a forward direction of the vehicle. The rail system 316 actuates step 464B of the first seat assembly 332 . By actuating the first seat assembly 332 in the vehicle forward direction, the distance between the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 may be increased, thereby creating a gap between the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 332 . The two-seat assembly 336 provides additional leg space for the occupants. Upon completion of steps 464A and 464B simultaneously or sequentially, the passenger cabin 140 has been successfully placed in the second arrangement 400 of the social arrangement. The controller 104 may provide a predetermined idle time 468 to maintain the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 in a social arrangement. For example, predetermined idle time 468 may be the duration of vehicle 100 travel time while the occupants of passenger compartment 140 are being transported from their pickup location to their desired destination. After completion of the scheduled idle time 468, the controller 104 may prompt the user at decision point 472 whether to return the passenger compartment 140 to the design arrangement. If the occupant chooses not to return the arrangement of passenger compartment 140 to the design arrangement, the process may be exited at step 476 so that the occupant will not be prompted again to exit the social arrangement. In such examples, one or more occupants of passenger compartment 140 may later interact with user interface 120 to adjust the arrangement of passenger compartment 140 if desired.

Referring again to FIGS. 16A-17 , if one or more occupants of passenger cabin 140 elect to exit the relaxed configuration and return to the design configuration at decision point 472 , the process of adjusting the layout of passenger cabin 140 will generally be reversed to move from a social configuration Return to design layout. In such an example, the selection by one or more occupants of passenger compartment 140 to return to the design arrangement at decision point 472 may be considered a prompt 480 or request signal transmitted to controller 104 . Upon returning from the social configuration to the design configuration, the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 may optionally be actuated toward the stowed upward position at step 484A, and the first seat assembly 332 may be rearwardly positioned in the vehicle. Actuation is performed upwardly along the rail system 316 in a simultaneous or sequential manner. In determining whether to employ the optional step 484A of adjusting the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 toward the stowed upward position, the controller 104 may refer to the occupancy sensor 156 of the first seat assembly 332 to determine whether the first seat Whether assembly 332 is currently occupied. Of course, when the controller 104 determines that the first seat assembly 332 is occupied, then the optional step 484A of actuating the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 toward the stowed upward position may be omitted because such adjustment is The first seat assembly 332 may be challenging to occupy. In step 484B, the controller 104 activates the translation actuator 184 of the first seat assembly 332 to actuate the first seat assembly 332 along the rail system 316 in the vehicle rearward direction. When transitioning the passenger compartment 140 from the social configuration to the design configuration, step 488 of rotating the first seat assembly 332 about its vertical axis 268 may be performed such that the first seat assembly 332 returns to a forward-facing orientation, such as Depicted in Figure 16A. If the controller 104 determines that the first seat assembly 332 is unoccupied by reference to the occupancy sensor 156 of the first seat assembly 332 , transitioning from the social configuration to the design configuration may include actuating the first seat toward the downwardly deployed position. Step 492 of the seat 204 of the chair assembly 332 . Upon completion of step 488 and/or step 492, the process will have successfully adjusted the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from the social arrangement to the design arrangement.

Referring to Figures 18A-19, a transition from a design arrangement (Figure 18A) to a child care arrangement (Figure 18B) is depicted according to one example. The arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 is initially in a first arrangement 392, such as a design arrangement. Upon deciding to exit the first arrangement 392 , the user (eg, via the user interface 120 ) transmits a request signal to the controller 104 , which may constitute a prompt 396 to transition the passenger compartment 140 from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 . In the depicted example, the second arrangement 400 is a child care arrangement. In response to the request signal or prompt 396 , the controller 104 may initiate transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement by transmitting command signals to various actuators of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 400 transformation. Each of the actuators used for transitioning from the design arrangement to the child care arrangement may be communicatively coupled to a corresponding position sensor that informs the controller 104 of the current position of the given actuator. The communicative coupling between a given actuator and a given position sensor may take the form of an integration of the given position sensor with the given actuator. For example, the seat actuator 172 of the second seat assembly 336 may be communicatively coupled with the seat position sensor 280 and the rotational actuator 180 of the first seat assembly 332 may be communicatively coupled with the rotational position sensor 284, And translation actuator 184 may be communicatively coupled to a rail position sensor or rail sensor 136 (eg, via controller 104). Accordingly, upon receiving a request signal to adjust the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from the design arrangement to the child care arrangement, the controller 104 may have stored each of the associated first seat assembly 332 and second seat assembly 336 Current positions of components, including at least the current rail position of the first seat assembly 332 .

Referring again to FIGS. 18A-19 , when transitioning the passenger compartment 140 from the design configuration to the child care configuration, step 492 of actuating the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 in an upward direction toward the upward stowed position may be performed. . Before performing actuation of the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 toward the stowed upward position, the occupancy sensor 156 of the second seat assembly 336 may be referenced to detect whether an occupant is currently seated in the second seat assembly 336 middle. In the event that an occupant is detected in the second seat assembly 336 while a transition to a child care arrangement has been requested, a request may be made regarding the unavailability of the child care arrangement due to the occupied state of the second seat assembly 336 to adjust to the child. Users of the care placement are provided with prompts, error messages, or other types of notifications.

Referring again to FIGS. 18A-19 , the translational actuators of the first seat assembly 332 may be activated in a simultaneous or sequential manner relative to actuation of the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 toward the stowed upward position. 184 to actuate the first seat assembly 332 in a rearward direction toward the second seat assembly 336 at step 496 . Upon actuating the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 to the stowed upward position and actuating the first seat assembly 332 along the rail system 316 in the rearward direction of the vehicle, the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 will reach the third A second arrangement 400, which in this example is a child care arrangement. In some examples, the child care arrangement may further include activating the rotational actuator 180 such that the rotational assembly 260 is actuated about the vertical axis 268 and the first seat assembly 332 is oriented toward the second seat or the third seat assembly. 340 spins. In various examples, the third seat assembly may be provided with a booster seat assembly 500 , wherein the booster seat assembly 500 is configured to receive a smaller stature occupant. The process may provide a predetermined idle time 504 upon completion of the transition from the design arrangement to the childcare arrangement. The predetermined idle time 504 may be sent by the user or programmed into the controller 104 . For example, an occupant of the first seat assembly 332 (eg, a parent or caregiver) may be used to assist the child in completing various tasks while transporting or commuting within the vehicle 100 with an occupant (eg, a child) of the third seat assembly 340 . Predetermined idle time 504 is selected based on an expected average time period spent on common events (eg, assisting with eating food, assisting with drinking, providing entertainment, comfort, etc.). When the idle time 504 has elapsed, the occupants of the first seat assembly 332 may be prompted as to whether they wish to return to the design arrangement, thereby providing a decision point 508 . In the event that the occupant of the first seat assembly 332 elects not to return to the design arrangement, the process may be exited at step 512 so that the occupant will no longer be prompted to exit the child care arrangement. In such an example, the occupant of first seat assembly 332 may later interact with user interface 120 to adjust the arrangement of passenger compartment 140 if desired. However, if the occupant of the first seat assembly 332 elects to exit the child care arrangement and returns to the design arrangement at decision point 508 , the process of adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 will generally be reversed to return the arrangement from the child care arrangement to the design arrangement. Design layout. In such an example, the occupant of the first seat assembly 332 selecting to return to the design arrangement at decision point 508 may be considered a prompt 516 or request signal transmitted to the controller 104 .

Referring again to FIGS. 18A-19 , upon returning from the childcare arrangement to the design arrangement, at step 520 , the translational actuator 184 of the first seat assembly 332 is actuated in the vehicle forward direction along the rail system 316 First seat assembly 332. At step 524 , the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 is simultaneously or sequentially actuated in the downward direction to the downwardly deployed position by the seat actuator 172 of the second seat assembly 336 . Upon completion of step 524 , the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 has transitioned from the second arrangement 400 back to the first arrangement 392 , which transitions the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from a child care arrangement back to the design arrangement in the depicted example. In the example where the child care arrangement further includes rotating the first seat assembly 332 about the vertical axis 268 , return of the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 further includes activating the rotation actuator 180 such that the first seat assembly 332 rotates about the vertical axis 268 . The vertical axis 268 of the first seat assembly 332 rotates.

Referring to FIGS. 20A-21 , a transition from a design arrangement (FIG. 20A) to a child seat arrangement (FIG. 20B) is depicted according to one example. The arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 is initially in a first arrangement 392, such as a design arrangement. Upon deciding to exit the first arrangement 392 , the user (eg, via the user interface 120 ) transmits a request signal to the controller 104 , which may constitute a prompt 396 to transition the passenger compartment 140 from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 . In the depicted example, the second arrangement 400 is a child seat arrangement. In response to the request signal or prompt 396 , the controller 104 may initiate the transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 by transmitting a command signal to the rotational actuator 180 of the second seat assembly 336 . As with the previous example, rotational actuator 180 may be communicatively coupled with rotational position sensor 284 . Additionally, rotational position sensor 284 is communicatively coupled to controller 104 such that controller 104 is informed of the current position of rotational actuator 180 . Therefore, upon receipt of a request signal to adjust the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from the design arrangement to the child seat arrangement, the controller 104 may have stored the current position of the rotational assembly 260 and/or the rotational actuator 180 .

Referring again to FIGS. 20A-21 , when transitioning the passenger compartment 140 from the design configuration to the child seat configuration, the controller 104 may reference the current position of the second seat assembly 336 provided by the rotational position sensor 284 as well as the current position stored in the control A program 116 within the memory 112 of the controller 104 determines the degree of actuation required to perform the requested adjustment of the second seat assembly 336 to the child seat arrangement. Before performing actuation of the second seat assembly 336 by rotating the actuator 180 , the controller 104 may reference the occupancy sensor 156 of the second seat assembly 336 to determine that the second seat assembly 336 is capable of receiving an occupant (e.g., , confirming that the second seat assembly 336 is not occupied). In the event that an occupant is detected in the second seat assembly 336 when a transition to a child seat arrangement has been requested, a second change for the child seat arrangement due to the occupied state of the second seat assembly 336 may be made. Seat assembly 336 is unavailable to provide prompts, error messages, or other types of notifications to users requesting adjustment to a child seat arrangement. In this case, the user may be presented with an alternative seating position within the passenger compartment 140 that has been identified as the currently unoccupied seat assembly 124 . Upon determining that the other of the second seat assembly 336 or the seat assembly 124 is available to receive an occupant and therefore can be placed in a child seat arrangement, the controller 104 transmits a command signal to activate the second seat assembly 336 The rotation actuator 180 causes the second seat assembly 336 to rotate about its vertical axis 268 at step 528 . In the depicted example, the degree of rotation about the vertical axis 268 of the second seat assembly 336 for effecting a transition from a design arrangement to a child seat arrangement is approximately ninety degrees (90°) in a clockwise direction. ). However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Rather, implementing a child seat arrangement in one of the seat assemblies 124 that is not the first seat assembly 332 or the second seat assembly 336 may require a different degree of rotation and/or a different direction of rotation. For example, in the case where the third seat assembly 340 or the fourth seat assembly 344 is used to complete the child seat arrangement, the third seat assembly 340 or the fourth seat assembly 344 will need to surround their corresponding Vertical axis 268 is rotated approximately ninety degrees (90°) in a counterclockwise direction. In the event that one of the seat assemblies 124 in the third row 152 will serve as the seat assembly 124 during child seat deployment, the selected seat assembly 124 may be in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Rotating upward approximately one hundred and eighty degrees (180°) causes the seat assembly 124 to transition from a forward-facing orientation to a rearward-facing orientation. Regardless of the direction of rotation, the degree of rotation, and the particular seat assembly 124 used to perform the transition from the designed arrangement to the child seat arrangement, as discussed above, the overall goal of the child seat arrangement is to render the seat assembly 124 A seating surface that is adjacent to one of the access doors (e.g., a side access door or a rear liftgate). In the depicted example, when the second seat assembly 336 is rotated approximately ninety degrees (90°) in a clockwise direction about its vertical axis 268 , as described at step 528 , the passenger compartment 140 will have successfully The ground is placed in a second arrangement 400, which is a child seat arrangement.

With further reference to FIGS. 20A-21 , upon completion of the transition to the second arrangement 400 , the process may be provided with a predetermined idle time 532 . Alternatively, the controller 104 may maintain the child seat arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 until otherwise directed by the user (eg, via user interface 120 ). In examples where a predetermined idle time 532 is employed, the predetermined idle time 532 may be set by the user or programmed into the controller 104 . The predetermined idle time 532 may correspond to a typical period of time for seating a child or smaller occupant in the second seat assembly 336 . Similarly, predetermined idle time 532 may correspond to a typical amount of time an adult occupant sits in second seat assembly 336 . Thus, although referred to as a child seat arrangement, it is contemplated that a child seat arrangement may similarly benefit adult occupants during entry into or exit from the vehicle 100 . Regardless of whether the occupant of the seat assembly 124 presented (eg, the second seat assembly 336 in the depicted example) is an adult or a child, the transition of the passenger compartment 140 from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 Upon successful completion and/or after a predetermined idle time 532 (if adopted), the user may be presented with a prompt as to whether they wish to return to the design layout, thereby providing a decision point 536. In the event that the occupant of the second seat assembly 336 elects not to return to the design arrangement, the process may be exited at step 540 such that the occupant or user will no longer be prompted to exit the child seat arrangement. In such an example, the occupant or user of the second seat assembly 336 may later interact with the user interface 120 to adjust the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 if desired. However, if the occupant or user of the second seat assembly 336 elects to exit the child seat arrangement and returns to the design arrangement at decision point 536 , the process of adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 will generally be reversed to switch from the child seat arrangement Return to design layout. In such an example, the selection by the occupant or user of the second seat assembly 336 to return to the design arrangement at decision point 536 may be considered a prompt 544 or request signal transmitted to the controller 104 . Upon returning from the child seat arrangement to the design arrangement, the second seat assembly 336 is rotated about its vertical axis 268 by activation of the rotational actuator 180 . More specifically, at step 548 , the second seat assembly 336 is rotated approximately ninety degrees (90°) in a clockwise direction about its vertical axis 268 by rotating the actuator 180 . Upon completion of rotation in the counterclockwise direction at step 548, the second seat assembly 336 may be returned to the forward-facing orientation and the passenger compartment 140 will have returned to the design arrangement.

Referring to Figures 22A-23, a transition from a design arrangement (Figure 22A) to an inlet/outlet arrangement (Figure 22B) is depicted according to one example. The arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 is initially in a first arrangement 392, such as a design arrangement. Upon deciding to exit the first arrangement 392 , the user (eg, via the user interface 120 ) transmits a request signal to the controller 104 , which may constitute a prompt 396 to transition the passenger compartment 140 from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 . In the depicted example, the second arrangement 400 is an inlet/outlet arrangement. In response to the request signal or prompt 396 , the controller 104 may initiate the transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 by transmitting a command signal to the second seat assembly 336 . As with the previous example, the associated actuator may be communicatively coupled with the controller 104 . Similarly, associated position sensors may be communicatively coupled to controller 104 . In the depicted example, at least the seat actuator 172 and the translation actuator 184 of the second seat assembly 336 are employed to transition the passenger compartment 140 from a design arrangement to an inlet/exit arrangement. In some examples, the seat back actuator 168 of the second seat assembly 336 may also be employed. In the example shown, rail sensor 136 , seatback position sensor 276 , seat position sensor 280 and/or translation position sensor 288 are communicatively coupled with controller 104 such that controller 104 is notified of each of the associated sensors. The current position of the widget. Therefore, upon receiving a request signal to adjust the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from the design arrangement to the entrance/exit arrangement, the controller 104 may have stored the current position of the second seat assembly 336 along the rail system 316, the seat The position of the backrest 200 relative to the seat base 228 , the position of the seat 204 relative to the seat base 228 , and may have a translation actuator 184 (eg, within the program 116 of the memory 112 ) to change the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from the The number of rotations necessary to transition one arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 is available because the first arrangement 392 and the second arrangement 400 are preset or predetermined arrangements.

Referring again to FIGS. 22A-23 , when transitioning the passenger compartment 140 from the design configuration to the entrance/exit configuration, the controller 104 may refer to the second seat assembly 336 provided by the seat position sensor 280 of the second seat assembly 336 . The current position of the seat 204 into 336 and the program 116 stored in the memory 112 of the controller 104 determine the degree of actuation required to perform at least a portion of the requested adjustment of the passenger compartment 140 . For example, the controller 104 may determine that the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 is in a deployed-down position, and that the seat 204 needs to be actuated into a stowed-up position to transition from the design configuration to the entry/exit configuration. Before performing the transition from the design arrangement to the entry/exit arrangement, the controller 104 may reference the occupancy sensor of the second seat assembly 336 to determine that the second seat assembly 336 is not occupied. In the event that an occupant is detected in the second seat assembly 336 while a transition to the entry/exit arrangement has been requested, the request may be adjusted to Users of entry/exit arrangements are provided with prompts, error messages, or other types of notifications. However, upon determining that the second seat assembly 336 is unoccupied and available for transition to the entry/exit configuration, the controller 104 transmits a command signal to activate the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 from the deployed-down position to the Transition to upward stowed position, as outlined previously. Optionally, when in the entry/exit configuration, the seat back 200 of the second seat assembly 336 may be actuated in a forward direction (i.e., in a clockwise direction as depicted) to provide additional space or clearance . In such an example, the controller 104 transmits the command signal to the seat back actuator 168 and references the seat back position sensor 276 to determine the current position of the seat back 200 , the amount of force required to adjust the position of the seat back 200 . the degree of activation, and/or determine when to stop actuating the seat back actuator 168 .

With further reference to FIGS. 22A-23 , in transitioning the passenger compartment 140 from the design configuration to the entrance/exit configuration, the translation actuator 184 of the second seat assembly 336 is activated by the controller 104 such that the second seat assembly 336 translates along the rail system 316 in the forward direction of the vehicle. Rail sensor 136 may be employed to determine the current position of second seat assembly 336 along rail system 316 . Additional sensors may be provided in each of the seat assemblies 124 coupled to the rail system 316 (eg, the second seat assembly 336) that interact with the rail sensors 136 so that the controller 104 can determine the first The relative position of the two seat assemblies 336 relative to the guide rail sensor 136 . This additional sensor may be integrated with the translation actuator 184 and/or the translation position sensor 288 . The controller 104 activates the translation actuator 184 such that the translation actuator 184 actuates the second seat assembly 336 along the rail system 316 in the vehicle forward direction, thereby reducing the distance between the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 . The distance between the seat assemblies 336 also increases the distance between the second seat assembly 336 and the third row 152 . Upon receiving the prompt 396 to transition the passenger compartment 140 from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 , the controller 104 may transmit a command signal to adjust the position of the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 at step 552 to the stowed upward position. In a simultaneous or sequential manner, the process may begin at step 556 by activating the translation actuator 184 to adjust the second seat assembly 336 in the vehicle forward direction, and optionally at step 560 by activating the seat assembly 336 . The seat back actuator 168 initiates adjustment of the seat back 200 of the second seat assembly 336 to rotate in the forward direction. The second arrangement 400 may have been achieved upon completion of at least rotating the seat 204 to the stowed-up position at step 552 and actuating the second seat assembly 336 in the vehicle forward direction at step 556 . The process may provide the user with a predetermined idle time 564 that corresponds to the time an occupant of the third row 152 is allowed to sit within the seat assembly 124 positioned in the third row.

Still further referring to FIGS. 22A-23 , after successful completion of adjustments to the second arrangement 400 and/or the elapse of a predetermined idle time 564 , the user may be presented with a decision point 568 asking whether the user wants to return to the design arrangement. In the event that the user selects at decision point 568 that they do not want to return to the design arrangement, the process may be exited at step 572 so that the occupant or user will no longer be prompted to exit the entry/exit arrangement. In such an example, the user may later interact with user interface 120 to adjust the arrangement of passenger compartment 140 if desired. However, if the user elects to exit the entry/exit arrangement and return to the design arrangement at decision point 568, the process of adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 will generally be reversed to return from the entry/exit arrangement to the design arrangement. In such an example, the user's selection to return to the design arrangement at decision point 568 may be considered a prompt 576 or request signal transmitted to the controller. Upon returning from the entry/exit arrangement to the design arrangement, at step 580 the second seat assembly 336 is actuated in the vehicle rearward direction by activating the translation actuator 184 . If the seat back 200 of the second seat assembly 336 was rotated in the forward direction at step 560 , upon returning to the design arrangement, the seat back 200 of the second seat assembly 336 may be rotated in the forward direction at optional step 584 Rotation is in a backward direction (ie, in a counterclockwise direction as depicted). When the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 is placed in the stowed-up position during the entry/exit configuration, the second seat assembly 336 is moved to the stowed-up position by activating the seat actuator 172 of the second seat assembly 336 at step 588 . The seat 204 of the seat assembly 336 is actuated to the deployed downward position. Upon completion of steps 580, 584, and/or 588, the passenger compartment 140 has successfully transitioned from the entrance/exit configuration back to the design configuration.

Referring to Figures 24A-25, a transition from a design arrangement (Figure 24A) to a cargo arrangement (Figure 24B) is depicted according to one example. The arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 is initially in a first arrangement 392, such as a design arrangement. Upon deciding to exit the first arrangement 392 , the user (eg, via the user interface 120 ) transmits a request signal to the controller 104 , which may constitute a prompt 396 to transition the passenger compartment 140 from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 . In the depicted example, the second arrangement 400 is a cargo arrangement. In response to the request signal or prompt 396 , the controller 104 may initiate the transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 by transmitting command signals to the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 . As with the previous example, the associated actuator may be communicatively coupled with the controller 104 . Similarly, associated position sensors may be communicatively coupled to controller 104 . In the depicted example, at least the seat actuator 172 and the translation actuator 184 of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 are employed to transition the passenger compartment 140 from a design configuration to a cargo configuration. In some examples, the seat back actuator 168 of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 may also be employed. In the example shown, the rail sensor 136 , the seat back position sensor 276 of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 , the seat of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 . The chair position sensors 280 and/or the translation position sensors 288 of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 are communicatively coupled with the controller 104 such that the corresponding sensors inform the controller 104 of the current position of a given component. Therefore, upon receiving the request signal to adjust the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from the design arrangement to the cargo arrangement, the controller 104 may have stored the current position of the first seat assembly 332 along the rail system 316, the second seat The current position of the assembly 336 along the rail system 316 , the current position of the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 relative to the seat base 228 , the current position of the seat back 200 of the second seat assembly 336 relative to the seat. the current position of the base 228, the position of the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 relative to the seat base 228, the position of the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 relative to the seat base 228, and may have been ( For example, the translation actuator 184 of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 is stored within the program 116 of the memory 112 to transition the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 The number of spins required.

Referring again to FIGS. 24A-25 , when transitioning the passenger compartment 140 from a design configuration to a cargo configuration, the controller 104 may reference the first seat assembly 332 provided by the seat position sensor 280 of the first seat assembly 332 The current position of the seat 204 and the program 116 stored in the memory 112 of the controller 104 determine the degree of actuation required to perform at least a portion of the requested adjustment of the passenger compartment 140 . For example, the controller 104 may determine that the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 is in a deployed-down position and that the seat 204 needs to be actuated to a stowed-up position to transition from the design configuration to the cargo configuration. Before performing the transition from the design arrangement to the cargo arrangement, the controller 104 may refer to the occupancy sensor 156 of the first seat assembly 332 to determine that the first seat assembly 332 is not occupied. In the event that an occupant is detected in the first seat assembly 332 when a transition to the cargo arrangement has been requested, a prompt, error, or error may be provided to the user regarding the unavailability of such transition due to the occupied state of the first seat assembly 332 messages or other types of notifications. However, upon determining that the first seat assembly 332 is unoccupied and available for transition to a cargo configuration, the controller 104 transmits a command signal to activate the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 to deploy from the downward direction at step 592 Position transition to an upward stowed position, as outlined previously. When transitioning the passenger compartment 140 from the design configuration to the cargo configuration, the translation actuator 184 of the first seat assembly 332 is activated by the controller 104 such that the first seat assembly 332 follows the rail system in the vehicle forward direction. 316 pan. Rail sensor 136 may be employed to determine the current position of first seat assembly 332 along rail system 316 . Additional sensors may be provided in each of the seat assemblies 124 coupled to the rail system 316 (eg, the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 ), which additional sensors are consistent with the rail sensors 136 The interaction allows the controller 104 to determine the relative positions of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 relative to the rail sensor 136 . This additional sensor may be integrated with the translation actuator 184 and/or the translation position sensor 288 . The controller 104 activates the translation actuator 184 such that at step 596 the translation actuator 184 actuates the first seat assembly 332 along the rail system 316 in the vehicle forward direction, thereby reducing the first seat assembly The distance between 332 and the instrument panel 348. Optionally, when in cargo configuration, the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 may be actuated in a forward direction (ie, in a clockwise direction as depicted) at step 600 to provide additional space. or gap. In such an example, the controller 104 transmits the command signal to the seat back actuator 168 and references the seat back position sensor 276 to determine the current position of the seat back 200 , the amount of force required to adjust the position of the seat back 200 . the degree of activation, and/or determine when to stop actuating the seat back actuator 168 .

With further reference to FIGS. 24A-25 , the process for adjusting the position of the first seat assembly 332 to effect a transition from a design arrangement to a cargo arrangement is similarly performed for the second seat assembly 336 . For example, the second seat assembly 336 may be adjusted in much the same manner as the second seat assembly 336 is converted from the design arrangement described above to an entrance/exit arrangement, with the primary difference being the translational effects of the second seat assembly 336 . The extent to which the actuator 184 actuates the second seat assembly 336 along the rail system 316 . Briefly, at step 604, the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 is actuated to the stowed upward position by the command signal transmitted from the controller 104; at step 608, the second seat assembly is activated. The translational actuator 184 of 336 causes the second seat assembly 336 to be actuated along the rail system 316 in the vehicle forward direction, thereby reducing the distance between the second seat assembly 336 and the instrument panel 348 while simultaneously The distance between the second seat assembly 336 and the third row 152 is also increased; and optionally, at step 612 , by activating the seatback actuator 168 of the second seat assembly 336 in the forward direction. The seat back 200 of the second seat assembly 336 is actuated upward (ie, in the clockwise direction as depicted). Upon completion of the adjustments outlined for the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 , the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 has been successfully placed in a cargo arrangement. The process may provide the user with a predetermined idle time 616 corresponding to allowing the occupants to sit in the third row 152, the third seat assembly 340, the fourth seat assembly 344 and/or allowing the user to transfer cargo. The time of placement on the floor 320 of the passenger compartment 140 .

Still further referring to FIGS. 24A-25 , after successful completion of adjustments to the second arrangement 400 and/or the elapse of a predetermined idle time 616 , the user may be presented with a decision point 620 asking whether the user wants to return to the design arrangement. In the event that the user selects at decision point 620 that they do not want to return to the design arrangement, the process may be exited at step 624 so that the user will no longer be prompted to exit the cargo arrangement. In such an example, the user may later interact with user interface 120 to adjust the arrangement of passenger compartment 140 if desired. However, if the user elects to exit the cargo arrangement and return to the design arrangement at decision point 620, the process of adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 will generally be reversed to return from the cargo arrangement to the design arrangement. In such an example, the user's selection to return to the design arrangement at decision point 620 may be considered a prompt 628 or request signal transmitted to the controller 104 . Upon returning from the cargo configuration to the design configuration, at step 632 , the second seat assembly 336 is actuated in the vehicle rearward direction by activating the translation actuator 184 . If the seat back 200 of the second seat assembly 336 rotates in the forward direction at step 612, the seat back 200 of the second seat assembly 336 may rotate in the forward direction at step 636 when returning to the design arrangement. Rotate in the rear direction (ie, in the counterclockwise direction as depicted). When the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 is placed in the stowed-up position during cargo deployment, the second seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 is moved up by activating the seat actuator 172 of the second seat assembly 336 at step 640 . The seat 204 of the assembly 336 is actuated into the deployed downward position. Similarly, upon returning from the cargo arrangement to the design arrangement, at step 640 , the first seat assembly 332 is actuated in the vehicle rearward direction by activating the translation actuator 184 . If the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 rotates in the forward direction at step 600, the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 may rotate in the forward direction at step 648 when returning to the design arrangement. Rotate in the rear direction (ie, in the counterclockwise direction as depicted). When the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 is placed in the stowed-up position during cargo deployment, the first seat is moved 652 by activating the seat actuator 172 of the first seat assembly 332 . The seat 204 of the assembly 332 is actuated to the deployed downward position. Upon completion of steps 632, 636, 640, 644, 648, and/or 652, the passenger compartment 140 has successfully transitioned from the cargo configuration back to the design configuration.

Referring to FIG. 26 , depicted is a process for adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from a first arrangement 392 to a second arrangement 400 , where the first arrangement 392 is a child care arrangement and the second arrangement 400 is a child seat arrangement. The transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 may be initiated by a prompt 396 to transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 . Transitioning the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from a child care arrangement to a child seat arrangement includes the step 632 of actuating the first seat assembly 332 along the rail system 316 in the forward direction of the vehicle. Additionally, transitioning from a child care arrangement to a child seat arrangement includes step 636 of actuating the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 to a downwardly deployed position. Additionally, transitioning the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from a child care arrangement to a child seat arrangement includes step 640 of moving the second seat assembly 336 clockwise about its vertical axis 268 upon actuating the third seat assembly 340 . direction or counterclockwise by an angle of approximately ninety degrees (90°). Upon completion of step 640, the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 will have been successfully placed in the second arrangement 400 of child seat arrangements. As with the previously described example of adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 to a child seat arrangement, a predetermined idle time 644 may be provided to allow the user to place a child or smaller occupant in the second seat assembly 336 or the third seat. Within the chair assembly 340, this depends on the situation. Alternatively, the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 may remain in the child seat arrangement until the user interacts with the user interface 120 or otherwise transmits a request signal to the controller 104 to exit the child seat arrangement. Upon completion of the transition of the passenger compartment 140 arrangement from the child care arrangement to the child seat arrangement and/or the predetermined idle time 644 has elapsed, the user may be presented with a decision point 648 in which the user is prompted whether they wish to return to the child care arrangement. In the event that the user chooses not to return to the child care arrangement, the process may be exited at step 652 so that the user will not be prompted again to exit the child seat arrangement. However, if the user elects to exit the child seat arrangement and return to the child care arrangement at decision point 648, the process of adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 will generally be reversed to return to the child care arrangement. In such an example, the user's selection to return to the child care arrangement at decision point 648 may be considered a prompt 656 or request signal transmitted to the controller 104 . When returning from the child seat arrangement to the child care arrangement, at step 660, the second seat assembly 336 may be rotated counterclockwise approximately ninety degrees (90°) such that the second seat assembly 336 is oriented to face forward orientation. Additionally, step 664 actuates the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 to the stowed-up position when the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 is transitioned back to the child care arrangement. Finally, step 668 of actuating the first seat assembly 332 along the rail system 316 in the vehicle rearward direction may complete the transition from the child seat arrangement back to the child care arrangement.

Referring to Figure 27, a transition from a first arrangement 392 to a second arrangement 400 is depicted, where the first arrangement 392 is a childcare arrangement and the second arrangement 400 is a relaxation arrangement. Upon deciding to exit the first arrangement 392 , the user (eg, via the user interface 120 ) transmits a request signal to the controller 104 , which may constitute a prompt 396 to transition the passenger compartment 140 from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 . Upon transitioning from the child care arrangement to the relaxation arrangement, step 672 of actuating the first seat assembly 332 in the vehicle forward direction is performed. Additionally, step 676 of actuating the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 into a downwardly deployed position may optionally be employed. Regardless of whether the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 is actuated to the downwardly deployed position at step 676 , actuation in the rearward direction (eg, in the counterclockwise direction as depicted) is performed at step 680 Step 680 of seat back 200 of first seat assembly 332 . In some examples, transitioning to the relaxed configuration may include actuating the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 in an upward direction relative to the seat base 228 of the first seat assembly 332 at step 684 . In various examples, transitioning to the relaxed configuration may include step 688 of actuating calf support 208 to an at least partially extended position. Upon completion of steps 680, 684, and/or 688, the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 may have reached a relaxed arrangement. As outlined above with respect to the relaxation arrangement, the occupant of the first seat assembly 332 may be provided with a predetermined idle time 692 . The predetermined idle time 692 may be selected by the occupant of the first seat assembly 332 . For example, the occupants of the first seat assembly 332 may decide that they wish to rest for a given period of time while they occupy the vehicle 100 . Accordingly, when the idle time 692 has elapsed, the occupants of the first seat assembly 332 may be prompted as to whether they wish to return to the child care arrangement, thereby providing a decision point 696. Alternatively, the occupant of the first seat assembly 332 may select an alternative arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 to return to when the idle time 692 has elapsed.

Referring again to FIG. 27 , with respect to decision point 696 , in the event that the occupant of the first seat assembly 332 elects not to return to the child care arrangement or another arrangement, the process may exit at step 700 such that no The occupants are again prompted to exit the relaxation configuration. In such an example, the occupant of first seat assembly 332 may later interact with user interface 120 to adjust the arrangement of passenger compartment 140 if desired. However, if the occupant of the first seat assembly 332 elects to exit the relaxed arrangement and return to the childcare arrangement at decision point 696, the process of adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 will generally be reversed to return from the relaxed arrangement to the childcare arrangement. . In such an example, the occupant's selection of the first seat assembly 332 to return to the child care arrangement may be considered a prompt 704 or request signal transmitted to the controller 104 . Upon returning from the relaxed configuration to the child care arrangement, the calf support 208 of the first seat assembly 332 may be actuated at step 708 if it has been actuated away from the retracted position at step 688 to the retracted position. Similarly, if the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 is actuated in an upward direction relative to the seat base 228 of the first seat assembly 332 at step 684, then the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 may be actuated in a downward direction at step 712. The seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 is actuated upward to reduce the tilt angle of the seat 204 relative to the seat base 228 of the first seat assembly 332 . At step 716 , the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 is actuated in a forward direction (ie, in a clockwise direction, as depicted in the previous figures). If the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 is actuated in the downward direction toward the downward deployed position at step 676 , returning the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 to the child care arrangement may include stowing in the upward direction toward the upward direction. Step 720 of positionally actuating the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 . The step 724 of actuating the first seat assembly 332 along the rail system 316 in the rearward direction of the vehicle may complete transitioning the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from a relaxing arrangement back to a child care arrangement.

Referring to Figure 28, a transition from a child seat arrangement to a relaxation arrangement is outlined, according to one example. The arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 is initially in a first arrangement 392, which is a child seat arrangement in this example. Upon deciding to exit the first arrangement 392 , the user (eg, via the user interface 120 ) transmits a request signal to the controller 104 , which may constitute a prompt 396 to transition the passenger compartment 140 from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 . In the depicted example, the second arrangement 400 is a relaxed arrangement. In response to the request signal or prompt 396 , the controller 104 may initiate transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement by transmitting command signals to various actuators of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 400 transformation. In response to the command signal transmitted by the controller 104, at step 728, the second seat assembly 336 is rotated about its vertical axis 268 by activating the rotation actuator 180 of the second seat assembly 336. Upon completing step 728, the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 may each be positioned in a forward-facing orientation. When entering the relaxed configuration of the first seat assembly 332, the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 may optionally be placed in the stowed-up position. However, the relaxed arrangement of the first seat assembly 332 may be accomplished independently of whether the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 is in an upwardly stowed position, a downwardly deployed position, or an intermediate position therebetween. Upon transitioning the first seat assembly 332 to the relaxed configuration, at step 732 , the seatback actuator 168 is activated by the controller 104 to actuate the seatback of the first seat assembly 332 in the rearward direction. 200. In various examples, at step 736 , the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 may be actuated in the upward direction via activation of the seat actuator 172 by the controller 104 . Similarly, at step 740 , the calf support 208 of the first seat assembly 332 may be actuated from the retracted position toward the extended position by activating the calf support actuator 176 by the controller 104 . Upon completion of steps 732, 736, and/or 740, the configuration of the passenger compartment 140 has been successfully transitioned to the relaxed configuration. In various examples, the process may be provided with a predetermined idle time 744 after completing the transition to the relaxation arrangement, as outlined above.

Referring again to FIG. 28 , upon completion of the transition to the relaxed arrangement and/or expiration of the predetermined idle time 744 , the controller 104 may prompt the user at decision point 748 whether to return the passenger compartment 140 to a child seat arrangement or another alternative. layout. If the user chooses not to return the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 to the child seat arrangement or an alternative arrangement, the process may be exited at step 752 . However, if the user elects to exit the relaxed arrangement and returns to the child seat arrangement at decision point 748, the process of adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 will generally be reversed to return from the relaxed arrangement to the child seat arrangement. In such an example, the user's selection to return the passenger compartment 140 to the child seat arrangement at decision point 748 may be considered a prompt 756 or request signal transmitted to the controller 104 . Upon returning from the relaxed configuration to the child seat configuration, if the calf support 208 of the first seat assembly 332 is deployed at optional step 740 , the first seat assembly 332 may be placed in the child seat configuration at optional step 760 . Calf support 208 returns 332 to the retracted position. Similarly, if the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 is actuated in an upward direction at optional step 736 , the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 may be actuated in a downward direction at step 764 . One seat 204. The seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 is rotated in the forward direction at step 768 such that the seat back 200 returns to a more upright position than in the relaxed configuration. At step 772 , the second seat assembly 336 is rotated approximately ninety degrees (90°) about its vertical axis 268 such that the seating surface 350 of the second seat assembly 336 is presented to the access door 312 of the vehicle 100 An access door in and immediately adjacent to the access door. Upon completion of steps 760, 764, 768, and/or 772, the passenger cabin 140 will have successfully transitioned from the relaxed configuration to the child seat configuration.

Referring to Figure 29, a transition from an entrance/exit arrangement to a childcare arrangement according to one process is outlined. The arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 is initially in a first arrangement 392, which is an entrance/exit arrangement in this example. Upon deciding to exit the first arrangement 392 , the user (eg, via the user interface 120 ) transmits a request signal to the controller 104 , which may constitute a prompt 396 to transition the passenger compartment 140 from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 . In the depicted example, the second arrangement 400 is a childcare arrangement. In response to the request signal or prompt 396 , the controller 104 may initiate transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement by transmitting command signals to various actuators of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 400 transformation. As a result of the signal transmitted by the controller 104 , at step 776 , the translation actuator 184 of the second seat assembly 336 is activated causing the second seat assembly 336 to be actuated along the rail system 316 in the vehicle rearward direction. Additionally, activation of the seat actuator 172 of the second seat assembly 336 by the controller 104 causes the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 to be actuated to the deployed-down position at step 780 . In examples in which the seat back 200 of the second seat assembly 336 is actuated in the forward direction when the passenger compartment 140 is placed in the entrance/exit configuration, the process may optionally include activating the second seat assembly. The seat back actuator 168 at step 336 moves the seat back 200 of the second seat assembly 336 in the rearward direction at step 784 . At step 788 , the controller 104 activates the translation actuator 184 of the first seat assembly 332 such that the translation actuator 184 actuates the first seat assembly 332 in a vehicle rearward direction along the rail system 316 . Upon completion of the outlined adjustments to the passenger compartment 140, the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 has been transitioned from an entrance/exit arrangement to a child care arrangement. As outlined above with regard to childcare arrangements, scheduled availability 792 may be provided. After the transition to the childcare arrangement is completed and/or the scheduled idle time 792 expires, the controller 104 may prompt the user at decision point 796 whether to return the passenger cabin 140 to the entry/exit arrangement or another alternative arrangement. If the user chooses not to return the passenger compartment 140 arrangement to the entry/exit arrangement, the process may be exited at step 800 . Alternatively, if the user elects to exit the childcare arrangement and return to the entry/exit arrangement at decision point 796, the process of adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 will generally be reversed to return to the entry/exit arrangement. In such an example, the user's selection to return the passenger compartment 140 to the entrance/exit arrangement at decision point 796 may be considered a prompt 804 or request signal transmitted to the controller 104 .

Referring again to FIG. 29 , upon returning from the child care arrangement to the entry/exit arrangement, at step 808 , the translation actuator 184 is activated in the vehicle forward direction along the guide rail system 316 via a command signal received from the controller 104 The first seat assembly 332 is actuated. Additionally, the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 is actuated toward the stowed upward position at step 812 by activating the seat actuator 172 of the second seat assembly 336 . In various examples, the second seat assembly 336 may be actuated in the forward direction at optional step 816 by activating the seatback actuator 168 of the second seat assembly 336 in response to a corresponding command signal from the controller 104 . Seat back 200 of seat assembly 336. At step 820 , the second seat assembly 336 is actuated in the vehicle forward direction along the rail system 316 by activating the translation actuator 184 of the second seat assembly 336 in response to a corresponding command signal from the controller 104 . After completing the adjustments to the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336, the passenger compartment 140 has successfully transitioned from a child care arrangement back to an entrance/exit arrangement.

Referring to Figure 30, a transition from a cargo arrangement to a child seat arrangement is outlined, according to one example. The arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 is initially in a first arrangement 392, which is the cargo arrangement in this example. Upon deciding to exit the first arrangement 392 , the user transmits a request signal to the controller 104 , which may constitute a prompt 396 to transition the passenger compartment 140 from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 . In the depicted example, the second arrangement 400 is a child seat arrangement. In response to the request signal or prompt 396 , the controller 104 may initiate transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement by transmitting command signals to various actuators of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 400 transformation. In response to the command signal transmitted by the controller 104 , the second seat assembly 336 is actuated in the vehicle rearward direction along the rail system 316 at step 824 by activating the translation actuator 184 of the second seat assembly 336 . At step 828 , the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 is actuated toward the downwardly deployed position by activating the seat actuator 172 of the second seat assembly 336 . Optionally, the seat back 200 of the second seat assembly 336 may be actuated in the rearward direction at step 832 by activating the seat back actuator 168 of the second seat assembly 336 . At step 836 , in response to the command signal transmitted by the controller 104 , the first seat assembly 332 may be actuated in the vehicle rearward direction along the rail system 316 by activating the translation actuator 184 of the first seat assembly 332 . into 332. At step 840 , in response to the command signal transmitted by the controller 104 , the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 is aligned in the downward direction by activating the seat actuator 172 of the first seat assembly 332 . Move to the extended downward position. At step 844 , the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 may optionally be actuated in a rearward direction by activating the seat back actuator 168 of the first seat assembly 332 . At step 848, in response to the command signal transmitted by the controller 104, the second seat assembly 336 rotates in a clockwise direction about its vertical axis 268 due to activation of the rotational actuator 180 of the second seat assembly 336. Rotate up approximately ninety degrees (90°). Upon completion of step 848, the passenger compartment 140 arrangement has been successfully placed in the child seat arrangement. As with the previous examples outlined herein, the process may be provided with a predetermined idle time 852 , which may correspond to an expected amount of time for seating an occupant of the second seat assembly 336 .

Referring again to FIG. 30 , upon successful adjustment of the passenger compartment 140 to the child seat configuration and/or expiration of the predetermined idle time 852 , the controller 104 may prompt the user at decision point 856 whether to return the passenger compartment 140 to the cargo configuration or Another alternative arrangement. If the user chooses not to return the passenger compartment 140 arrangement to the cargo arrangement or an alternative arrangement, the process may be exited at step 860 . However, if the user elects to exit the child seat arrangement and return to the cargo arrangement at decision point 856, the process of adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 will generally be reversed to return from the child seat arrangement to the cargo arrangement. In such an example, the user's selection to return the passenger compartment 140 to the cargo arrangement at decision point 856 may be considered a prompt 864 or request signal transmitted to the controller 104 . Upon returning to the cargo arrangement, the second seat assembly 336 is rotated approximately ninety degrees in a counterclockwise direction about its vertical axis 268 at step 868 by activating the rotation actuator 180 of the second seat assembly 336 (90°). At step 872 , in response to the command signal transmitted by the controller 104 , the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 is actuated to stow upward by activating the seat actuator 172 of the first seat assembly 332 Location. At step 876 , the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 may optionally move forward or rotate in a forward direction by activating the seat back actuator 168 of the first seat assembly 332 . In step 880 , the first seat assembly 332 is actuated along the rail system 316 in the vehicle forward direction by activating the translation actuator 184 of the first seat assembly 332 . At step 884 , the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 is actuated to the stowed-up position by activating the seat actuator 172 of the second seat assembly 336 . At step 888 , the seat back 200 of the second seat assembly 336 is optionally rotated in the vehicle forward direction by activating the seat back actuator 168 of the second seat assembly 336 . At step 892 , the second seat assembly 336 is actuated in the vehicle forward direction along the rail system 316 by activating the translation actuator 184 of the second seat assembly 336 in response to the command signal transmitted by the controller 104 . Upon completion of the outlined adjustments to the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 , the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 has returned to the cargo arrangement.

Referring to Figure 31, a transition from a cargo arrangement to a relaxed arrangement is outlined, according to one example. The arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 is initially in a first arrangement 392, which is the cargo arrangement in this example. Upon deciding to exit the first arrangement 392 , the user (eg, via the user interface 120 ) transmits a request signal to the controller 104 , which may constitute a prompt 396 to transition the passenger compartment 140 from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 . In the depicted example, the second arrangement 400 is a relaxed arrangement. In response to the request signal or prompt 396 , the controller 104 may initiate transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement by transmitting command signals to various actuators of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 400 transformation. In response to the command signal transmitted by the controller 104 , the second seat assembly 336 is actuated along the rail system 316 in a vehicle rearward direction at step 896 by activating the translation actuator 184 of the second seat assembly 336 . In an example where the seat 200 actuates the second seat assembly 336 in the forward direction for cargo deployment, step 900 may be employed by activating the seat back actuator 168 in response to a command signal from the controller 104 to The seat back 200 of the second seat assembly 336 is rotated in the rearward direction. At step 904 , in response to the command signal from the controller 104 , the first seat assembly 332 is actuated in the vehicle rearward direction along the rail system 316 by activating the translation actuator 184 of the first seat assembly 332 . At step 908 , the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 is actuated toward the downwardly deployed position by activating the seat actuator 172 of the first seat assembly 332 . When the seat 204 is actuated toward the downwardly deployed position at step 908 , the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 may be stopped at an intermediate position between the upwardly stowed position and the downwardly deployed position such that the seat 204 is aligned with the downwardly deployed position. Compared to the lower deployed position, the seat 204 is at a greater degree of inclination relative to the seat base 228 of the first seat assembly 332 . At step 912 , the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 is actuated in a rearward direction and away from the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 by activating the seat back actuator 168 (e.g., to (moved to an obtuse angle relative to the seat base 228 of the first seat assembly 332). At step 916 , the calf support 208 of the first seat assembly 332 may optionally be extended from the retracted position by activating the calf support actuator 176 if the user indicates so via a command signal transmitted by the controller 104 Do. Upon completion of steps 908, 912, and/or 916, the configuration of the passenger compartment 140 has been successfully transitioned to the relaxed configuration. In various examples, the process may be provided with a predetermined idle time 920 after completing the transition to the relaxation arrangement, as outlined above.

Referring again to FIG. 31 , upon completion of the transition to the relaxed configuration and/or expiration of the predetermined idle time 920 , the controller 104 may prompt the user at decision point 924 whether to return the passenger compartment 140 to the cargo configuration or another alternative configuration. If the user chooses not to return the passenger compartment 140 arrangement to the cargo arrangement or an alternate arrangement, the process may be exited at step 928 . However, if the user elects to exit the relaxed arrangement and return to the cargo arrangement at decision point 924, the process of adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 will generally be reversed to return from the relaxed arrangement to the cargo arrangement. In such an example, the user's selection to return the passenger compartment 140 to the cargo arrangement at decision point 924 may be considered a prompt 932 or request signal transmitted to the controller 104 . Upon returning from the relaxed configuration to the cargo configuration, if the lower leg supports 208 of the first seat assembly 332 are deployed at optional step 916 , the lower leg supports 208 of the first seat assembly 332 may be deployed at optional step 936 . Calf support 208 returns to the retracted position. At step 940, the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 is actuated to the stowed-up position. The seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 is rotated in the forward direction at step 944 such that the seat back 200 returns to a more upright position than in the relaxed configuration. At step 948, the first seat assembly 332 is actuated along the rail system 316 in the vehicle forward direction. At step 952 , the seat back 200 of the second seat assembly 336 may optionally rotate in a forward direction. At step 956, the second seat assembly 336 is actuated along the rail system 316 in the vehicle forward direction. Upon completion of steps 932, 936, 940, 944, 948, 952, and/or 956, the return from the relaxation arrangement to the cargo arrangement has been completed.

Referring to Figure 32, a transition from a social arrangement to a child care arrangement is depicted according to one example. The arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 is initially in a first arrangement 392, which is the social arrangement in this example. Upon deciding to exit the first arrangement 392 , the user (eg, via the user interface 120 ) transmits a request signal to the controller 104 , which may constitute a prompt 396 to transition the passenger compartment 140 from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 . In the depicted example, the second arrangement 400 is a child care arrangement. In response to the request signal or prompt 396 , the controller 104 may initiate transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement by transmitting command signals to various actuators of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 400 transformation. In response to the command signal transmitted by the controller 104 , if the first seat assembly 332 is not occupied based on input received from the occupancy sensor 156 of the first seat assembly 332 , then by activating the first seat assembly 332 The seat actuator 172 actuates the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 to the stowed-up position at step 936 . If it is determined that the first seat assembly 332 is occupied, step 936 may be omitted. At step 940 , the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 is rotated toward the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 by activating the seat back actuator 168 of the first seat assembly 332 . At step 944, by activating the rotation actuator 180 of the first seat assembly 332, the first seat assembly 332 rotates about its vertical axis 268 approximately one hundred and eighty degrees (180°) such that the first seat assembly 332 rotates approximately one hundred and eighty degrees (180°) about its vertical axis 268. The chair assembly 332 is placed in a forward-facing orientation. At step 948 , the first seat assembly 332 is actuated along the rail system 316 in the vehicle rearward direction by activating the translation actuator 184 of the first seat assembly 332 . At step 952 , the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 may be actuated away from the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 by activating the seat back actuator 168 . At step 956 , if the first seat assembly 332 is determined to be unoccupied and step 936 is performed, the first seat assembly 332 is moved by activating the seat actuator 172 of the first seat assembly 332 The seat 204 is actuated to the deployed downward position. At step 960 , the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 may be actuated to the stowed-up position by activating the seat actuator 172 of the second seat assembly 336 . Upon completion of the steps outlined above, in various examples, the passenger compartment 140 has transitioned from a social setting to a child care setting. As previously outlined, the user may be provided with a predetermined free time 964 upon entering the child care arrangement.

Referring again to FIG. 32 , after the transition to the childcare arrangement is completed and/or the scheduled idle time 964 expires, the controller 104 may prompt the user at decision point 968 whether to return the passenger compartment to the social arrangement. If the user chooses not to return the passenger compartment 140 arrangement to the social arrangement, the process may be exited at step 972 so that the user will not be prompted again to exit the social arrangement. In such an example, the user of passenger compartment 140 may later interact with user interface 120 to adjust the arrangement of passenger compartment 140 if desired. However, if the user of the passenger compartment 140 elects to exit the childcare arrangement and return to the social arrangement at decision point 968, the process of adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 will generally be reversed to return from the childcare arrangement to the social arrangement. In such an example, the user of passenger cabin 140 selecting to return to the social arrangement at decision point 968 may be considered a prompt 976 or request signal transmitted to controller 104 . Upon returning from the childcare arrangement to the socialization arrangement, the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 is actuated to the deployed-down position at step 980 by activating the seat actuator 172 of the second seat assembly 336 . At step 982 , if the first seat assembly 332 is determined to be unoccupied by reference to the occupancy sensor 156 of the first seat assembly 332 , the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 may be actuated to retract upward. starting position. If it is determined that the first seat assembly 332 is occupied, step 982 may be omitted. In step 984 , the first seat assembly 332 is actuated along the rail system 316 in the vehicle forward direction by activating the translation actuator 184 of the first seat assembly 332 . At step 988 , the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 may be actuated toward the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 by activating the seat back actuator 168 of the first seat assembly 332 . At step 992 , the seat 204 remote from the first seat assembly 332 may actuate the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 by activating the seat back actuator 168 of the first seat assembly 332 . At step 996, by activating the rotation actuator 180 of the first seat assembly 332, the first seat assembly 332 is rotated approximately one hundred eighty degrees (180°) about its vertical axis 268. At step 1000 , if step 982 is performed, the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 may be actuated to the deployed downward position by activating the seat actuator 172 . Upon completion of the steps outlined above for returning from a childcare arrangement to a social arrangement, the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 has been successfully returned to the social arrangement.

Referring to Figure 33, a transition from a social arrangement to a child seat arrangement is depicted according to one example. The arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 is initially in a first arrangement 392, which is the social arrangement in this example. Upon deciding to exit the first arrangement 392 , the user (eg, via the user interface 120 ) transmits a request signal to the controller 104 , which may constitute a prompt 396 to transition the passenger compartment 140 from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 . In the depicted example, the second arrangement 400 is a child seat arrangement. In response to the request signal or prompt 396 , the controller 104 may initiate transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement by transmitting command signals to various actuators of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 400 transformation. In response to the command signal transmitted by the controller 104 , if the first seat assembly 332 is not occupied based on input received from the occupancy sensor 156 of the first seat assembly 332 , then by activating the first seat assembly 332 The seat actuator 172 actuates the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 to the stowed upward position at step 1004 . If it is determined that the first seat assembly 332 is occupied, step 936 may be omitted. At step 1008 , the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 is rotated toward the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 by activating the seat back actuator 168 of the first seat assembly 332 . At step 1012, as a result of activating the rotation actuator 180 of the first seat assembly 332, the first seat assembly 332 rotates approximately one hundred and eighty degrees (180°) about its vertical axis 268 such that the first seat assembly 332 rotates approximately one hundred and eighty degrees (180°) about its vertical axis 268. The chair assembly 332 is placed in a forward-facing orientation. At step 1016 , the first seat assembly 332 is actuated along the rail system 316 in a vehicle rearward direction by activating the translation actuator 184 of the first seat assembly 332 . At step 1020 , the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 may be actuated away from the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 by activating the seat back actuator 168 . At step 1024 , if the first seat assembly 332 is determined to be unoccupied and step 1004 is performed, the first seat assembly 332 is moved by activating the seat actuator 172 of the first seat assembly 332 The seat 204 is actuated to the deployed downward position. At step 1028 , by activating the rotation actuator 180 of the second seat assembly 336 , the second seat assembly 336 is actuated to rotate the second seat assembly 336 approximately ninety degrees about its vertical axis 268 degree (90°). Upon completing the steps outlined above, in various examples, the passenger compartment 140 has transitioned from a social arrangement to a child seat arrangement. As previously outlined, the user may be provided with a predetermined idle time 1032 upon entering the child seat arrangement.

Referring again to FIG. 33 , after completion of the transition to the child seat arrangement and/or expiration of the predetermined idle time 1032 , the controller 104 may prompt the user at decision point 1036 whether to return the passenger compartment 140 to the social arrangement. If the user chooses not to return the passenger compartment 140 arrangement to the social arrangement, the process may be exited at step 1040 so that the user will not be prompted again to exit the child seat arrangement. In such an example, the user of passenger compartment 140 may later interact with user interface 120 to adjust the arrangement of passenger compartment 140 if desired. However, if the user of the passenger compartment 140 elects to exit the child seat arrangement and return to the social arrangement at decision point 1036, the process of adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 will generally be reversed to return from the child seat arrangement to the social arrangement. In such an example, the user of passenger cabin 140 selecting to return to the social arrangement at decision point 1036 may be considered a prompt 1044 or request signal transmitted to controller 104 . Upon returning from the child seat arrangement to the social arrangement, the second seat assembly 336 is actuated at step 1048 to rotate counterclockwise about its vertical axis 268 by activating the rotational actuator 180 of the second seat assembly 336 Rotate approximately ninety degrees (90°) in direction. At step 1050 , if the first seat assembly 332 is determined to be unoccupied by reference to the occupancy sensor 156 of the first seat assembly 332 , the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 may be actuated to retract upward. starting position. If it is determined that the first seat assembly 332 is occupied, step 1050 may be omitted. In step 1052 , the first seat assembly 332 is actuated along the rail system 316 in the vehicle forward direction by activating the translation actuator 184 of the first seat assembly 332 . At step 1056 , the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 may be actuated toward the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 by activating the seat back actuator 168 of the first seat assembly 332 . At step 1060 , the seat 204 remote from the first seat assembly 332 may actuate the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 by activating the seat back actuator 168 of the first seat assembly 332 . At step 1064, by activating the rotation actuator 180 of the first seat assembly 332, the first seat assembly 332 is rotated approximately one hundred eighty degrees (180°) about its vertical axis 268. At step 1068 , if step 1050 is performed, the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 may be actuated to the deployed downward position by activating the seat actuator 172 . Upon completion of the steps outlined above for returning from a child seat arrangement to a social arrangement, the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 has been successfully returned to the social arrangement.

Referring to Figure 34, depicted is a transition from a social arrangement to an entrance/exit arrangement according to one example. The arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 is initially in a first arrangement 392, which is the social arrangement in this example. Upon deciding to exit the first arrangement 392 , the user (eg, via the user interface 120 ) transmits a request signal to the controller 104 , which may constitute a prompt 396 to transition the passenger compartment 140 from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 . In the depicted example, the second arrangement 400 is an inlet/outlet arrangement. In response to the request signal or prompt 396 , the controller 104 may initiate transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement by transmitting command signals to various actuators of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 400 transformation. In response to the command signal transmitted by the controller 104 , if the first seat assembly 332 is not occupied based on input received from the occupancy sensor 156 of the first seat assembly 332 , then by activating the first seat assembly 332 The seat actuator 172 actuates the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 to the stowed-up position at step 1072 . If it is determined that the first seat assembly 332 is occupied, step 1072 may be omitted. At step 1076 , the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 may be rotated toward the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 by activating the seat back actuator 168 of the first seat assembly 332 . At step 1080, as a result of activating the rotation actuator 180 of the first seat assembly 332, the first seat assembly 332 rotates about its vertical axis 268 approximately one hundred and eighty degrees (180°) such that the first seat assembly 332 rotates approximately one hundred and eighty degrees (180°) about its vertical axis 268. The chair assembly 332 is placed in a forward-facing orientation. Optionally, if the first seat assembly 332 is to be occupied or is determined to be occupied in conjunction with step 1072 , the first seat assembly 332 may be moved along the rail in the vehicle rearward direction by activating the translation actuator 184 of the first seat assembly 332 System 316 actuates first seat assembly 332 . At step 1084 , the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 is actuated to the stowed-up position by activating the seat actuator 172 of the second seat assembly 336 . If the first seat assembly 332 is or will be occupied in an entry/exit arrangement, the process may include disengaging the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 by activating the seat back actuator 168 The seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 is actuated. In various examples, if the first seat assembly 332 is determined to be unoccupied and step 1072 is performed, the first seat assembly 332 may be shifted into position by activating the seat actuator 172 of the first seat assembly 332 . The seat 204 at 332 is actuated to the deployed downward position. In step 1088 , the second seat assembly 336 is actuated along the rail system 316 in the vehicle forward direction by activating the translation actuator 184 of the second seat assembly 336 . At step 1092 , the seat back 200 of the second seat assembly 336 is actuated toward the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 . Upon completing the steps outlined above, in various examples, the passenger cabin 140 has transitioned from a social arrangement to an entrance/exit arrangement. As previously outlined, the user may be provided with a predetermined idle time 1096 upon entering the entrance/exit arrangement.

Referring again to FIG. 34 , upon completion of the transition to the entrance/exit configuration and/or expiration of the predetermined idle time 1096 , the controller 104 may prompt the user at decision point 1100 whether to return the passenger compartment 140 to the social configuration. If the user chooses not to return the passenger compartment 140 arrangement to the social arrangement, the process may be exited at step 1104 so that the user will not be prompted again to exit the entrance/exit arrangement. In such an example, the user of passenger compartment 140 may later interact with user interface 120 to adjust the arrangement of passenger compartment 140 if desired. However, if the user of passenger cabin 140 elects to exit the entrance/exit arrangement and return to the social arrangement at decision point 1100, the process of adjusting the arrangement of passenger cabin 140 will generally be reversed to return from the entrance/exit arrangement to the social arrangement. In such an example, the user of passenger cabin 140 selecting to return to the social arrangement at decision point 1100 may be considered a prompt 1108 or request signal transmitted to controller 104 . Upon returning from the entry/exit arrangement to the social arrangement, the second seat assembly 336 is actuated in the vehicle rearward direction along the rail system 316 at step 1112 by activating the translation actuator 184 of the second seat assembly 336 . At step 1116 , the seat 204 remote from the second seat assembly 336 actuates the seat back 200 of the second seat assembly 336 by activating the seat back actuator 168 . At step 1120 , the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 is actuated to the deployed downward position by activating the seat actuator 172 . At step 1124 , the seat 204 remote from the first seat assembly 332 actuates the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 by activating the seat back actuator 168 . At step 1128 , by activating the rotation actuator 180 of the first seat assembly 332 , the first seat assembly 332 is rotated approximately one hundred and eighty degrees (180°) about its vertical axis 268 to be positioned facing Post-orientation. At step 1132 , if the first seat assembly 332 is determined to be unoccupied by referring to the occupancy sensor 156 of the first seat assembly 332 in connection with step 1072 , the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 may be actuated. to the extended downward position. If it is determined that the first seat assembly 332 is occupied, step 1132 may be omitted. Upon completion of the steps outlined above for returning from the entrance/exit arrangement to the social arrangement, the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 has been successfully returned to the social arrangement.

Referring to Figure 35, a transition from a social arrangement to a relaxing arrangement is outlined, according to one example. The arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 is initially in a first arrangement 392, which is the social arrangement in this example. Upon deciding to exit the first arrangement 392 , the user (eg, via the user interface 120 ) transmits a request signal to the controller 104 , which may constitute a prompt 396 to transition the passenger compartment 140 from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 . In the depicted example, the second arrangement 400 is a relaxed arrangement. In response to the request signal or prompt 396 , the controller 104 may initiate the transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 by transmitting command signals to various actuators of the first seat assembly 332 . In response to the command signal transmitted by the controller 104 , if the first seat assembly 332 is not occupied based on input received from the occupancy sensor 156 of the first seat assembly 332 , then by activating the first seat assembly 332 The seat actuator 172 actuates the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 to the stowed-up position at step 1136 . If it is determined that the first seat assembly 332 is occupied, step 1136 may be omitted. At step 1140 , the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 may be rotated toward the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 by activating the seat back actuator 168 of the first seat assembly 332 . At step 1144, as a result of activating the rotation actuator 180 of the first seat assembly 332, the first seat assembly 332 rotates about its vertical axis 268 approximately one hundred and eighty degrees (180°) such that the first seat assembly 332 rotates approximately one hundred and eighty degrees (180°) about its vertical axis 268. The chair assembly 332 is placed in a forward-facing orientation. At step 1148 , the first seat assembly 332 is actuated along the rail system 316 in the vehicle rearward direction by activating the translation actuator 184 of the first seat assembly 332 . At step 1152 , the seat 204 remote from the first seat assembly 332 actuates the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 by activating the seat back actuator 168 . In various examples, if the first seat assembly 332 is determined to be unoccupied and step 1136 is performed, the first seat assembly 332 may be activated at step 1156 by activating the seat actuator 172 of the first seat assembly 332 . The seat 204 of the seat assembly 332 is actuated toward the downwardly deployed position. At step 1160 , the calf support 208 of the first seat assembly 332 is actuated from the retracted position toward the extended position by activating the calf support actuator 176 . Upon completion of the preceding steps, the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 has been transitioned from a social arrangement to a relaxation arrangement. As previously outlined, the user may be provided with a predetermined idle time 1164 upon entering the relaxation arrangement.

Referring again to FIG. 35 , upon completion of the transition to the relaxed configuration and/or expiration of the predetermined idle time 1164 , the controller 104 may prompt the user at decision point 1168 whether to return the passenger cabin 140 to the social configuration. If the user chooses not to return the passenger compartment 140 arrangement to the social arrangement, the process may be exited at step 1172 so that the user will not be prompted again to exit the relaxed arrangement. In such an example, the user of passenger compartment 140 may later interact with user interface 120 to adjust the arrangement of passenger compartment 140 if desired. However, if the user of passenger cabin 140 elects to exit the relaxed arrangement and return to the social arrangement at decision point 1168, the process of adjusting the arrangement of passenger cabin 140 will generally be reversed to return from the relaxed arrangement to the social arrangement. In such an example, the user of passenger cabin 140 selecting to return to the social arrangement at decision point 1168 may be considered a prompt 1176 or request signal transmitted to controller 104 . Upon returning from the relaxed configuration to the social configuration, the calf support 208 of the first seat assembly 332 is actuated to the retracted position at step 1180 by activating the calf support actuator 176 . At step 1184 , if it has been determined by the occupancy sensor 156 of the first seat assembly 332 that the first seat assembly 332 is not occupied, the first seat assembly 332 may be moved by activating the seat actuator 172 The seat 204 is actuated to the stowed upward position. At step 1188 , the first seat assembly 332 is actuated along the rail system 316 in the vehicle forward direction by activating the translation actuator 184 . At step 1192 , the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 is actuated toward the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 by activating the seat back actuator 168 . At step 1196, as a result of activating the rotation actuator 180, the first seat assembly 332 rotates approximately one hundred and eighty degrees (180°) about its vertical axis 268, thereby positioning the first seat assembly 332 Facing backward orientation. At step 1200 , if step 1184 is performed, the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 may be actuated to the deployed downward position by activating the seat actuator 172 . At step 1204 , the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 is actuated away from the seat 204 by activating the seat back actuator 168 . Upon completion of the steps outlined above for returning from a relaxed arrangement to a social arrangement, the arrangement of the passenger cabin 140 has been successfully returned to the social arrangement.

Referring to Figure 36, a security process is depicted according to one example. The security process has a starting point 1206. The security process includes prompts 1208 transmitted to the controller 104 from an internal or external source. If the source of prompt 1208 is an external source, controller 104 may be used to determine at decision point 1212 whether the external source is an authorized user. For example, the controller 104 may reference the memory 112 to determine whether an external source has been previously registered and/or authenticated (e.g., an authenticated user previously communicatively coupled to the vehicle 100 , within a database accessible to the controller 104 , or otherwise. identified external source). If it is determined at decision point 1212 that the external source is not an authorized user, the security process may block access by the external source and direct the external source to end point 1216 . In directing the external source to the end point 1216, the controller 104 may transmit a human intervention prompt 1220 to the external source indicating that the external source is not identified as an authorized user. In such an example, human intervention associated with human intervention prompt 1220 may include providing information to an external source regarding how to become an identified external source and/or authorized user. In examples where the source of prompt 1208 is an internal source (eg, a human-machine interface on vehicle 100) or, as determined at decision point 1212, prompt 1208 comes from an authorized user, an internal sensor verification protocol may be performed at step 1224. The internal sensor verification protocol may include an occupancy sensor 156 that references one of the seat assemblies 124 that is to be adjusted, a movement authorization sensor that references an obstacle to detecting or sensing movement of the seat assembly 124 , and so on. At decision point 1228 , the safety process may determine the presence or absence of the requested adjustment or movement of the barrier associated with prompt 1208 as a result of the internal sensor verification protocol performed at step 1224 . If the internal sensor verification protocol detects no obstruction, the controller 104 may transmit an instruction signal at step 1232 , wherein the instruction signal corresponds to performance of the requested adjustment or movement transmitted at prompt 1208 . If an obstruction is detected during the internal sensor verification protocol performed at step 1224 , the controller 104 may direct the safety process to an end point 1216 and/or a human intervention prompt 1220 . In such examples where an impediment is detected, the human intervention associated with the human intervention prompt 1220 may include notifying the user of the detected impediment and requesting that the user remove such impediment in order to complete the requested adjustment or movement.

Referring again to Figure 36, decision point 1212 may be referred to as the authentication step. In the depicted example, authentication performed at decision point 1212 occurs when prompt 1208 is received from an external source. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Rather, the authentication performed at decision point 1212 may be performed against a source internal to the vehicle 100 or an onboard source without departing from the concepts disclosed herein. For example, hardware on the vehicle 100 that may be used to authenticate a user prior to transmitting a request signal to the controller 104 and/or prior to transmitting an instruction signal from the controller 104 may include, but is not limited to, imager 132 , cameras, microphones, and/or or various sensors. It is envisioned that facial recognition, voice recognition, gesture-as-password, and/or phone-as-key methods may be employed in determining that a user is an authorized user. Gesture-as-passwords may include user-established gestures that may be recognized via imager 132, a camera, a touch-sensitive sensor, and/or another suitable sensor. In determining whether a given user is authorized to access vehicle 100 at a given time, the recognized gesture may be referenced against stored gestures of one or more authorized users. The phone-as-key may include the controller 104 identifying the user's given personal mobile device as the authorized user's personal mobile device. For example, the authorized user may have established the personal mobile device as such by registering the personal mobile device in a manner identifiable by controller 104 (e.g., by using a software application stored thereon, by using the personal mobile device's unique identification information, etc.) Belong to authorized users.

Referring to FIG. 37 , a method 1220 of adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 of the vehicle 100 includes step 1224 of receiving a request from the user interface 120 to transition the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 of the vehicle 100 from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 . The method 1220 also includes the step 1228 of utilizing the occupancy sensor 156 to determine the occupancy status of the seat assembly 124 before initiating the transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 . Seat assembly 124 includes seat 204 and seat back 200 . Method 1220 also includes step 1232 of utilizing rail sensor 136 to detect a current rail position of seat assembly 124 along rail system 316 within passenger compartment 140 of vehicle 100 . Additionally, method 1220 includes step 1236 of comparing the current rail position of the seat assembly 124 along the rail system 316 to the desired rail position of the seat assembly 124 along the rail system 316 and determining the rail position difference. Additionally, method 1220 includes step 1240 wherein in response to the rail position difference, the translation actuator 184 of the seat assembly 124 is activated by the controller 104 to align the seat assembly 124 with the desired rail position. The method 1220 also includes step 1244 of detecting the current seat position of the seat 204 of the seat assembly 124 using the seat position sensor 280 . Method 1220 also includes step 1248 of comparing the current seat position with the desired seat position and determining the seat position difference. Additionally, method 1220 includes step 1252 wherein in response to the seat position difference, seat actuator 172 of seat assembly 124 is activated by controller 104 to align seat 204 with a desired seat position. In addition, the method 1220 also includes step 1256 of using the seat back position sensor 276 to detect the current seat back position of the seat back 200 of the seat assembly 124 . Method 1220 also includes step 1260 of comparing the current seat back position to the desired seat back position and determining the seat back position difference. The method 1220 also includes step 1264 in which the seat back actuator 168 of the seat assembly 124 is activated by the controller 104 to align the seat back 200 with the desired seat back position in response to the seat back position difference.

Referring again to FIG. 37 , in various examples, the seat assembly 124 may be provided with calf supports 208 . Accordingly, method 1220 may include detecting a current calf support position of calf support 208 of seat assembly 124 using calf support position sensor 404 . Additionally, in such examples, method 1220 may include comparing the current calf support position to the desired calf support position and determining the calf support position difference. Additionally, in such examples, method 1220 may include activating calf support actuator 176 to align calf support 208 with the desired calf support position in response to the calf support position difference. In some examples, method 1220 may include detecting a current rotational position of rotational assembly 260 of seat assembly 124 using rotational position sensor 284 . Additionally, in such examples, method 1220 may include comparing the current rotational position to the desired rotational position and determining the rotational position difference. Additionally, in such examples, method 1220 may include activating rotational actuator 180 to align rotational assembly 260 with a desired rotational position in response to the rotational position difference. Examples of the user interface 120 may include, but are not limited to, a mobile electronic device, an imager 132 having a field of view oriented toward the passenger compartment 140 of the vehicle 100 , an imager 132 having a field of view oriented toward the environment external to the vehicle, a device positioned in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 100 A microphone within 140 , a microphone positioned outside the vehicle 100 , a microphone disposed on the user's personal electronic device, and so on. In various examples, method 1220 may include detecting an occupancy status of passenger compartment 140 of vehicle 100 using occupancy sensor 156 of seat assembly 124 . Additionally, in such examples, method 1220 may include determining that passenger compartment 140 is free of occupants before transitioning the arrangement of the passenger compartment from first arrangement 392 to second arrangement 400 . In some examples, the passenger compartment 140 transitions from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 while the vehicle 100 is in motion (e.g., en route to a destination when occupied, en route to a pickup location when unoccupied) on the way) is completed. In various examples, the first arrangement 392 may be a preferred arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 communicated to the controller 104 by a first user, while the second arrangement 400 is a preferred arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 communicated to the controller 104 by a second user. layout. In such an example, the first user may have ceased their use of vehicle 100 and vehicle 100 is moving to the second user's location. In some examples, when the controller 104 receives a request from the user interface 120 to transition the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 of the vehicle 100 from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 , the controller 104 may receive information regarding the intended entry into the passenger compartment. Data on the number of occupants and the intended geographical destination of said number of occupants, wherein said data determines the selection of the second arrangement 400 . For example, the controller 104 may have data stored in the memory 112 related to business addresses, previous arrangements utilized when selecting a given destination, prior arrangements utilized when transporting a given number of occupants, and so forth. Accordingly, controller 104 may be able to select a desired arrangement based on data stored within memory 112 .

Referring to FIG. 38 , a method 1272 of adjusting the layout of the passenger compartment 140 of the vehicle 100 includes the step 1276 of providing the vehicle 100 with a first seat assembly 332 , a second seat assembly 336 , and a plurality of components that separate the passenger compartment 140 from the vehicle's external environment. A passage door 312. The second seat assembly 336 is positioned behind the first seat assembly 332 . The first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 each include a seat 204 and a seat back 200 defining a seating surface 350 thereof. Method 1272 also includes step 1280 of receiving a request from user interface 120 to transition the arrangement of passenger compartment 140 of vehicle 100 from first arrangement 392 to second arrangement 400 . In various examples, the second arrangement 400 may be a child seat arrangement. Method 1272 also includes step 1284 of utilizing the occupancy sensor 156 of the second seat assembly 336 to determine whether the second seat assembly 336 is unoccupied before initiating the transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 . Additionally, method 1272 includes step 1288 of detecting the current rotational position of the second seat assembly 336 using the rotational position sensor 284 . In addition, method 1272 also includes step 1292 of comparing the current rotational position of the second seat assembly 336 with the desired rotational position and determining the rotational position difference. Method 1272 also includes step 1296 wherein in response to the rotational position difference, the rotational actuator 180 of the second seat assembly 336 is activated by the controller 104 to align the second seat assembly 336 with the desired rotational position. In various examples, the desired rotational position orients the seat surface 350 of the second seat assembly 336 toward one of the plurality of access doors 312 proximate the access door. Method 1272 also includes step 1300 of detecting the current seat position of the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 using the seat position sensor 280 . Additionally, method 1272 includes step 1304 of comparing the current seat position of the second seat assembly 336 to the desired seat position and determining the seat position difference. Additionally, method 1272 includes step 1308 , wherein in response to the seat position difference, the seat actuator 172 of the second seat assembly 336 is activated by the controller 104 to align the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 with the desired position. Seat position alignment.

Referring again to FIG. 38 , orienting the seat surface 350 of the second seat assembly 336 toward one of the plurality of access doors 312 proximate the access door may position the seat surface 350 of the second seat assembly 336 parallel to the vehicle 100 lateral axis 1310 (see FIG. 6 ) and is angularly offset from the longitudinal axis or longitudinal direction 328 of the vehicle 100 . In various examples, method 1272 may include actuating rotation actuator 180 of second seat assembly 336 through a rotation of approximately ninety degrees (90°) to a desired rotational position. In such an example, first arrangement 392 may be a design arrangement in which first seat assembly 332 and second seat assembly 336 are each arranged in a forward-facing orientation. The method 1272 may also include providing the second seat assembly 336 with the auxiliary seat assembly 500 coupled to the seating surface 350 of the second seat assembly 336 . The booster seat assembly 500 may be smaller than the second seat assembly 336 , where the booster seat assembly 500 is configured to receive a smaller occupant than the second seat assembly 336 . The method 1272 may also include providing a rail system 316 within the floor 320 of the passenger compartment 140 and extending along the longitudinal direction 328 of the vehicle 100 . In some examples, method 1272 may include providing each of first seat assembly 332 and second seat assembly 336 with a translation actuator 184 coupled to seat base 228 and engaged with rail system 316 . In various examples, method 1272 may include activating the translation actuator 184 of the second seat assembly 336 to actuate the second seat assembly 336 along the rail system 316 in a vehicle rearward direction to move the second seat The assembly 336 is positioned at the desired rail location. In some examples, the desired seating position of the second seat assembly 336 may be a deployed-down position of the seat 204 . In various examples, the first arrangement 392 is a cargo arrangement, wherein the cargo arrangement may be defined as the seats 204 of the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 being placed in the stowed-up position, and the One seat assembly 332 and a second seat assembly 336 are actuated along the rail system 316 toward the forward region 300 of the passenger compartment 140 . In some examples, the first arrangement 392 is an entry/exit arrangement in which the seat 204 of the second seat assembly is placed in the stowed-up position and the second seat assembly 336 faces the passenger compartment along the rail system 316 The front area 300 of 140 is actuated. In various examples, the first arrangement 336 may be a preferred arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 communicated to the controller 104 by a first user, and the second arrangement 400 may be a preferred arrangement communicated to the passenger compartment 140 of the controller 104 by a second user. Preferred arrangement. In such an example, the first user has stopped using vehicle 100 and vehicle 100 may be moving to the second user's location.

Referring to FIG. 39 , a method 1312 of adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 of the vehicle 100 includes the step 1316 of providing the vehicle 100 with a first seat assembly 332 , a second seat assembly 336 and a plurality of access doors 312 . The second seat assembly 336 is positioned behind the first seat assembly 332 . The first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 each include a seat 204 and a seat back 200 defining a seating surface 350 configured to receive an occupant. Access door 312 separates passenger compartment 140 from the vehicle exterior environment. Method 1312 further includes step 1320 of receiving a request from user interface 120 to transition the arrangement of passenger compartment 140 of vehicle 100 from first arrangement 392 to second arrangement 400 . In the depicted example, the first arrangement 392 may be a child seat arrangement. The child seat arrangement may be defined with the second seat assembly 336 rotated such that its seating surface 350 is oriented toward one of the plurality of access doors 312 proximate the access door. Method 1312 also includes step 1324 of detecting a first current rail position of first seat assembly 332 along rail system 316 within passenger compartment 140 of vehicle 100 using first rail sensor 136 . Additionally, method 1312 includes step 1328 of comparing a first current rail position of the first seat assembly 332 to a first desired rail position and determining a first rail position difference. Additionally, method 1312 includes step 1332 , wherein in response to the first rail position difference, controller 104 activates first translation actuator 184 of first seat assembly 332 to align first seat assembly 332 with the first desired rail. Position alignment. Method 1312 also includes step 1336 of detecting a first current seat position of first seat assembly 332 using first seat position sensor 280 . Method 1312 also includes step 1340 of comparing a first current seat position of the first seat assembly 332 to a first desired seat position and determining a first seat position difference. Additionally, method 1312 includes step 1344 , wherein in response to the first seat position difference, controller 104 activates first seat actuator 172 of first seat assembly 332 to move the seat of first seat assembly 332 204 is aligned with the first desired seat position. In addition, the method 1312 also includes step 1348 of using the first rotational position sensor 284 to detect the first current rotational position of the first seat assembly 332 . Method 1312 also includes step 1352 of comparing the first current rotational position with the first desired rotational position and determining a first rotational position difference. Method 1312 also includes step 1356, wherein in response to the first rotational position difference, controller 104 activates first rotational actuator 180 to align first seat assembly 332 with the first desired rotational position. Additionally, method 1312 includes step 1360 of activating the second rotation actuator 180 of the second seat assembly 336 to cause the second seat assembly 336 to rotate about its vertical axis 268 .

Referring again to FIG. 39 , the step 1360 of activating the second rotation actuator 180 of the second seat assembly 336 to rotate the second seat assembly 336 about its vertical axis 268 may position the second seat assembly 336 at Facing forward orientation. In some examples, activating the first rotational actuator 180 to align the first seat assembly 332 with the first desired rotational position 1356 may position the first seat assembly 332 in a rearward-facing orientation. In various examples, activating the first rotational actuator 180 to align the first seat assembly 332 with the first desired rotational position 1356 may position the first seat assembly 332 in a forward-facing orientation. Method 1312 may include utilizing second rail sensor 136 to detect a second current rail position of second seat assembly 336 along rail system 316 within the passenger compartment of vehicle 100 . In such an example, method 1312 may further include comparing a second current rail position of the second seat assembly 336 to a second desired rail position and determining a second rail position difference. In such examples, the method 1312 may further include activating the second translation actuator 180 of the second seat assembly 336 to align the second seat assembly 336 with the second desired rail position in response to the second rail position difference. alignment. Method 1312 may also include detecting a second current seat position of the second seat assembly 336 using the second seat position sensor 280 . In such an example, method 1312 may further include comparing a second current seat position of the second seat assembly 336 to a second desired seat position and determining a second seat position difference. Additionally, in such examples, method 1312 may further include activating the second seat actuator 172 of the second seat assembly 336 to move the seat of the second seat assembly 336 in response to the second seat position difference. Align with desired seat position. The step of activating the second seat actuator 172 of the second seat assembly 336 to align the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 with the second desired seat position may move the second seat assembly 336 The seat 204 is positioned in the stowed upward position. The step of activating the first seat actuator 172 of the first seat assembly 332 to align the seat 204 of the first seat assembly with the first desired seat position may move the first seat assembly 332 Seat 204 is positioned in the stowed-up position. The step of activating the first translation actuator 184 of the first seat assembly 332 to align the first seat assembly 332 with the first desired rail position may move the first seat assembly 332 closer to the extreme end of the rail system 316 The front is positioned within the forward area 300 of the passenger compartment 140 . The step of activating the second translation actuator 184 of the second seat assembly 336 to align the second seat assembly 336 with the second desired rail position may position the second seat assembly 336 in the passenger compartment 140 in the front area 300.

Referring to FIG. 40 , a method 1364 of adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 of the vehicle 100 includes the step 1368 of providing the vehicle 100 with a first seat assembly 332 , a second seat assembly 336 , a third seat assembly 340 and an access door 312 . The second seat assembly 336 is positioned behind the first seat assembly 332 . The third seat assembly 340 is positioned rearward of the first seat assembly 332 and laterally adjacent the second seat assembly 336 . The first, second, and third seat assemblies 332 , 336 , and 340 each include a seat 204 and a seat back 204 that define a seating surface 350 thereof. Access door 312 separates passenger compartment 140 from the vehicle exterior environment. Method 1364 may also include step 1372 of receiving a request from user interface 120 to transition the arrangement of passenger compartment 140 of vehicle 100 from first arrangement 392 to second arrangement 400 . The second arrangement 400 may be a childcare arrangement. Method 1364 may also include step 1376 of utilizing the occupancy sensor 156 of the second seat assembly 336 to determine whether the second seat assembly 336 is unoccupied before initiating the transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 . In addition, method 1364 also includes step 1380 of using the first seat position sensor 280 to detect the first current seat position of the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 . Additionally, method 1364 also includes step 1384 of comparing the first current seat position of the first seat assembly 332 to the first desired seat position and determining a first seat position difference. Method 1364 also includes step 1388 of detecting a second current seat position of the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 using the second seat position sensor 280 . Method 1364 also includes step 1392 of comparing a second current seat position of the second seat assembly 336 to a second desired seat position and determining a second seat position difference. Additionally, method 1364 includes step 1396 , wherein in response to the second seat position difference, the controller 104 activates the seat actuator 172 of the second seat assembly 336 to align the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 with the second seat position difference. Second desired seat position alignment. The second desired seating position may be the stowed-up position of the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 . Additionally, method 1364 further includes step 1400 of utilizing first rail sensor 136 to detect a first current rail position of first seat assembly 332 along rail system 316 within passenger compartment 140 of vehicle 100 . Method 1364 also includes step 1404 of comparing a first current rail position of the first seat assembly 336 to a first desired rail position and determining a first rail position difference. Method 1364 also includes step 1408 , wherein in response to the first rail position difference, the controller 104 activates the first translation actuator 184 of the first seat assembly 332 to align the first seat assembly 332 with the first desired rail position. alignment. Positioning the first seat assembly 332 in the first desired rail position may result in both the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 being positioned in the central region 304 of the passenger compartment 140 .

Referring again to FIG. 40 , the first desired rail position of the first seat assembly 332 may cause the distance between the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 to decrease. Additionally, the first desired rail position of the first seat assembly 332 may cause the distance between the first seat assembly 332 and the third seat assembly 340 to decrease. In various examples, method 1364 may include activating a rotation actuator of first seat assembly 332 such that first seat assembly 332 rotates about its vertical axis 268 toward third seat assembly 340 . In some examples, method 1364 may include activating the second translation actuator 184 of the second seat assembly 336 to actuate the second seat assembly 336 along the rail system 316 in a vehicle rearward direction to move the second seat assembly 336 . The chair assembly 336 is positioned at the second desired rail location. In various examples, the second desired seating position of the second seat assembly 336 may be a stowed-up position of the seat 204 . In various examples, the first arrangement is an inlet/outlet arrangement. Method 1364 also includes activating the first seat actuator 172 of the first seat assembly 332 to align the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 with the first desired seat position in response to the first seat position difference. alignment. In some examples, the first desired seating position is a deployed-down position of the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 . In various examples, first arrangement 392 may be a cargo arrangement. In some examples, first arrangement 392 is a design arrangement. In various examples, method 1364 includes detecting a current seatback position of seatback 200 of first seat assembly 332 using seatback position sensor 276 . In such an example, method 1364 may further include comparing the current seat position of the first seat assembly to the first desired seat back position and determining the seat back position difference. Additionally, in such an example, method 1364 may include activating the seatback actuator 168 of the first seat assembly 332 to move the seatback 200 of the first seat assembly 332 in response to the seatback position difference. Align with desired seat back position. The desired seat back position may be an upright position of the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 . In various examples, first arrangement 392 may be a relaxed arrangement.

Referring to FIG. 41 , a method 1412 of adjusting the layout of the passenger compartment 140 of the vehicle 100 includes step 1416 of providing the vehicle 100 with a first seat assembly 332 , a second seat assembly 336 , and a third seat assembly 340 . The second seat assembly 336 is positioned behind the first seat assembly 332 . The third seat assembly 340 is positioned rearward of the first seat assembly 332 and laterally adjacent the second seat assembly 336 . The first seat assembly 332 , the second seat assembly 336 , and the third seat assembly 340 each include a seat 204 and a seat back 200 defining a seating surface 350 each configured to receive an occupant. Method 1412 also includes step 1418 of receiving a request from user interface 120 to transition the arrangement of passenger compartment 140 of vehicle 100 from first arrangement 392 to second arrangement 400 . The first arrangement 392 may be a childcare arrangement. Method 1412 also includes step 1420 of detecting a first current rail position of first seat assembly 332 along rail system 316 within passenger compartment 140 of vehicle 100 using first rail sensor 136 . Additionally, method 1412 includes step 1424 of comparing a first current rail position of the first seat assembly 332 to a first desired rail position and determining a first rail position difference. Additionally, method 1412 includes step 1428 , wherein in response to the first rail position difference, the controller 104 activates the first translation actuator 184 of the first seat assembly 332 to align the first seat assembly 332 with the first desired rail. Position alignment. Method 1412 also includes step 1432 of using the seat position sensor 280 to detect the current seat position of the second seat assembly 336 . Method 1412 also includes step 1436 of comparing the current seat position of the second seat assembly 336 to the desired seat position and determining the seat position difference. Additionally, method 1412 includes step 1438 , wherein in response to the seat position difference, controller 104 activates seat actuator 172 of second seat assembly 336 to align the seat 204 of second seat assembly 336 with the desired seat position. Chair position alignment. In addition, the method 1412 also includes step 1440 of using the first rotational position sensor 284 to detect the first current rotational position of the first seat assembly 332 . Method 1412 also includes step 1444 of comparing the first current rotational position with the first desired rotational position and determining a first rotational position difference. Method 1412 also includes step 1448 , wherein in response to the first rotational position difference, controller 104 activates first rotational actuator 180 of first seat assembly 332 to align the first seat assembly with a first desired rotational position. allow.

Referring again to FIG. 41 , in various examples, the child care arrangement may be defined with the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 in the stowed-up position and the first seat assembly 332 removed from the forward area of the passenger compartment 140 300 is actuated toward the central region 304 of the passenger compartment 140 such that the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 are each positioned in the central region 304 of the passenger compartment 140 . In some examples, the child care arrangement may also be defined with the first seat assembly 332 rotating about its vertical axis 268 toward the third seat assembly 340 . In various examples, activating the first translation actuator 184 of the first seat assembly 332 to align the first seat assembly 332 with the first desired rail position may include moving the first seat assembly 332 to the first desired rail position. 332 is actuated to the forward area 300 of the passenger compartment 140 . In some examples, activating the seat actuator 172 of the second seat assembly 336 to align the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 with a desired seat position may include moving the second seat The seat 204 of the assembly 336 is actuated into the deployed downward position. In various examples, activating the first rotational actuator 180 of the first seat assembly 332 to align the first seat assembly 332 with the first desired rotational position includes causing the first seat assembly 332 to rotate. Rotation of 332 about its vertical axis 268 places the first seat assembly 332 in a rearward-facing orientation. Method 1412 may include activating the second rotation actuator 180 of the second seat assembly 336 to position the second seat assembly 336 in a side-facing orientation. In various examples, method 1412 may include detecting a second current rail position of second seat assembly 336 along rail system 316 within passenger compartment 140 of vehicle 100 using second rail sensor 136 . Method 1412 may also include comparing a second current rail position of the second seat assembly 336 to a second desired rail position and determining a second rail position difference. The method 1412 may also include, in response to the second rail position difference, the controller 104 activating the second translation actuator 184 of the second seat assembly 336 to align the second seat assembly with the second desired rail position. In some examples, method 1412 may include activating the seat actuator 172 of the first seat assembly 332 to place the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 in the stowed-up position. In various examples, activating the second translation actuator 184 of the second seat assembly 336 to align the second seat assembly 336 with the second desired rail position may include moving the second seat assembly 336 to the second desired rail position. 336 is actuated to the forward area 300 of the passenger compartment 140 . Method 1412 may include detecting a current seatback position of first seat assembly 332 using seatback position sensor 276 . Method 1412 may also include comparing the current seat position of the first seat assembly 332 to the desired seat back position and determining the seat back position difference. The method 1412 may also include, in response to the seat back position difference, the controller 104 activating the seat back actuator 168 of the first seat assembly 332 to align the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 with the desired seat. Alignment of backrest position. Method 1412 may include detecting a first current seat position of first seat assembly 332 using first seat position sensor 280 . Method 1412 may also include comparing a first current seat position of the first seat assembly 332 to a first desired seat position and determining a first seat position difference. The method 1412 may also include, in response to the first seat position difference, the controller 104 activating the seat actuator 172 of the first seat assembly 332 to align the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 with the desired seat position. alignment. Method 1412 may include detecting a current lower leg support position of the first seat assembly 332 using the lower leg support position sensor 404 . Method 1412 may also include comparing the current lower leg support position of the first seat assembly 332 to the desired lower leg support position and determining the lower leg support position difference. The method 1412 may also include, in response to the calf support position difference, the controller 104 activating the calf support actuator 176 of the first seat assembly 332 to align the calf support 208 of the first seat assembly 332 with the desired calf support. Align the position of the parts.

Referring to Figure 42, a method 1452 of adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 of the vehicle 100 includes the step 1456 of providing the vehicle 100 with a rail system 316 in its floor 320; a first seat assembly 332 to which the first seat assembly 332 is coupled. to the rail system 316; a second seat assembly 336 coupled to the rail system 316 and positioned rearward of the first seat assembly 332; and a first track sensor 160, the first The track sensor has a first sensing area oriented toward a portion of the track system 316 positioned between the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 . Method 1452 also includes step 1460 of receiving a request signal from user interface 120 to adjust the distance between first seat assembly 332 and second seat assembly 336 . The method 1452 also includes step 1464 of sensing in the first sensing area and determining that a first obstacle exists in the first sensing area. Additionally, method 1452 includes step 1468 of transmitting a notification from controller 104 to user interface 120 such that the user is notified of the first obstacle.

Referring again to FIG. 42 , method 1452 may include instructing the user to remove the first obstacle to adjust the distance between the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 . In some examples, method 1452 may include blocking the instruction signal at controller 104 until the first obstacle has been removed. In various examples, method 1452 may include sensing within the first sensing area and determining that the first obstacle is not present. In some examples, the first track sensor 160 is positioned in a first portion of the first seat assembly 332 that is oriented toward the second seat assembly 336 . In various examples, method 1452 may include providing a second sensing area to second track sensor 160 oriented toward a portion of track system 316 positioned vehicle forward of first seat assembly 332 . In some examples, the second track sensor 160 is positioned in a second portion of the first seat assembly 332 that is oriented toward a portion of the track system 316 that is positioned vehicle forward of the first seat assembly 332 . In various examples, method 1452 may include sensing within a second sensing area and determining that a second obstacle is present within the second sensing area. In some examples, method 1452 may include blocking the instruction signal at controller 104 until the second obstacle has been removed. In various examples, method 1452 may include sensing within the second sensing area and determining that the second obstacle is not present. Although referred to as first barrier and second barrier, such terms should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure. Rather, the terms first barrier and second barrier are used in this specification for the sake of clarity and ease of understanding. Additionally, it is contemplated that each track sensor 160 may detect more than one obstacle. Additionally, it is contemplated that track sensor 160 may be configured to monitor or sense in more than one location simultaneously. In some examples, the first track sensor 160 is positioned in a first portion of the upper region of the passenger compartment 140 . In various examples, the second track sensor 160 is positioned in a second portion of the upper region of the passenger compartment 140 .

Referring to Figure 43, a method 1472 of adjusting a passenger compartment 140 of a vehicle 100 includes the steps 1476 of providing the vehicle 100 with a rail system 316 in its floor 320; a first seat assembly 332 coupled to rail system 316; a second seat assembly 336 coupled to the rail system 316 and positioned rearward of the first seat assembly 332; and an imager 132 mounted on the vehicle 100 , wherein the field of view of the imager 132 is oriented toward the environment external to the vehicle. Method 1472 also includes step 1480 of collecting an image of the intended user with imager 132 . The method 1472 also includes step 1484 in which the controller 104 adjusts the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 in response to the collected images of the intended user. Adjustment of the passenger compartment 140 may be accomplished by actuating at least one seat assembly selected from the first seat assembly 332 and the second seat assembly 336 .

Referring again to Figure 43, method 1472 may include identifying a first user and a second user from collected images of prospective users, the second user being smaller in stature than the first user. Method 1472 may also include activating the rotation actuator 180 of the second seat assembly 336 such that the second seat assembly 336 is placed in a side-facing orientation. In some examples, method 1472 includes processing the collected images of the intended user and identifying the first user carrying the second user. In various examples, method 1472 includes processing the collected images of the intended user and identifying the first user holding the hand of the second user. In some examples, processing the collected images of the intended user may include estimating the height of the second user and inferring the age of the second user based on the height by referring to a database. In various examples, the database may be stored within memory 112 of controller 104 . In some examples, method 1472 may include processing the collected images of the intended user, identifying cargo items held by the intended user, actuating the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 to the stowed-up position, moving the first seat Actuating the chair assembly 332 toward the forwardmost position of the rail system 316 actuates the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 to the upward stowed position, and actuating the second seat assembly 336 toward the forwardmost position of the rail system 316 actuation. In various examples, the cargo item held by the intended user is identified as one or more bags carried by the intended user. In some examples, method 1472 includes processing the collected images of the intended user and identifying the intended user as including multiple occupants. In various examples, method 1472 includes actuating the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 to a stowed upward position and actuating the second seat assembly 336 along the rail system 316 in a vehicle forward direction. In some examples, method 1472 includes rotating first seat assembly 332 about its vertical axis 268 to place first seat assembly 332 in a rearward-facing orientation.

Referring to FIG. 44 , in various examples, the method 1488 of processing the image of the prospective user collected at step 1480 may include the step 1492 of processing the collected image of the prospective user. When processing collected images of prospective users, decision point 1496 may determine whether multiple users have been identified in the collected images. Additionally, when processing images of the intended user, decision point 1500 may determine whether the goods items held by the intended user have been identified in the collected images. In an example where processing of collected images of intended users does not identify multiple users at decision point 1496 but identifies cargo items held by the intended users at decision point 1500 , the passenger compartment 140 may be removed at step 1504 The layout is adjusted to the cargo layout. In an example in which processing of collected images of intended users does not identify multiple users at decision point 1496 and does not identify cargo items held by the intended users at decision point 1500 , the passenger compartment 140 may be removed at step 1508 The layout remains in the current layout. In various examples, the layout of the passenger compartment 140 may default to the layout designed after the previous user has completed exiting the vehicle. Therefore, the current arrangement may be the design arrangement. In some examples, the layout of the passenger compartment 140 may default to a social layout after the previous user has completed exiting the vehicle. Therefore, the current placement may be a social placement. In examples where processing of collected images of prospective users identifies multiple users, decision point 1512 may be employed to determine whether one of the multiple users is likely to be a child. For example, one of the plurality of users may hold the hand of another of the plurality of users, where the other of the plurality of users is smaller in stature than the one of the plurality of users. In another example, one of the plurality of users may carry another of the plurality of users, wherein the other of the plurality of users is smaller in stature than the one of the plurality of users. If the controller 104 determines at decision point 1512 that there may be no children among the plurality of users, the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 may be maintained at the current arrangement at step 1508 . If the controller 104 determines at decision point 1512 that there may be children among the plurality of users, the collected images of the prospective users may be processed to estimate the heights of smaller users determined to be likely children at step 1516 . For example, imager 132 may be calibrated within its field of view and/or provide reference measurements for use in estimating a user's height.

Referring again to Figure 44, when the estimated height of the smaller user is obtained at step 1516, the estimated height may be referenced against the database at step 1520. In various examples, the database may be stored within memory 112 of controller 104 . In some examples, the database may be stored external to controller 104, with controller 104 communicatively coupled to the database. In various examples, the database may be a growth chart utilized by a physician (eg, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth chart, World Health Organization growth chart, user profile with height information as input, etc.). When referring to the database at step 1520, the controller 104 may infer the age of the smaller user based on the estimated height and information contained within the database at step 1524. Once the age of the smaller user is inferred at step 1534, the controller 104 may compare the inferred age and/or height to a predetermined threshold at decision point 1528. The predetermined threshold may be determined by one or more occupant safety recommendations or standards. If the controller 104 determines at decision point 1528 that the smaller user is below the predetermined threshold, the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 may be adjusted to a child seat arrangement at step 1532 . Alternatively, if the controller 104 determines at decision point 1528 that the smaller user is not below the predetermined threshold, the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 may be maintained at the current arrangement at step 1508 .

Referring to FIG. 45 , a method 1536 of adjusting the layout of the passenger compartment 140 of the vehicle 100 includes step 1540 of providing a first seat assembly 332 and a second seat assembly 336 to the vehicle 100 . The seat assemblies 336 are each movably coupled to a rail system 316 within the passenger compartment 140 of the vehicle 100 , and the first and second seat assemblies 332 and 336 each include a seat 204 and a seat back 200 . Method 1536 also includes step 1544 of detecting the first rail position of the first seat assembly 332 using the first rail sensor 136 . Method 1536 also includes step 1548 of detecting a first seat position of the seat 204 of the first seat assembly 332 using the first seat position sensor 280 . In addition, method 1536 also includes step 1552 of using the first seat back position sensor 276 to detect the first seat back position of the seat back 200 of the first seat assembly 332 . Additionally, method 1536 includes step 1556 of detecting a first rotational position of first seat assembly 332 using first rotational position sensor 284 . Method 1536 also includes step 1560 of detecting the second rail position of the second seat assembly 336 using the second rail sensor 136 . Method 1536 also includes step 1564 of detecting a second seat position of the seat 204 of the second seat assembly 336 using the second seat position sensor 280 . Additionally, method 1536 includes step 1568 of detecting a second seat back position of the seat back 200 of the second seat assembly 336 using the second seat back position sensor 276 . Additionally, method 1536 includes step 1572 of detecting a second rotational position of the second seat assembly 336 using the second rotational position sensor 284 . Method 1536 also includes step 1576 of determining based on first and second rail sensors 136 , first and second seat position sensors 280 , first and second seat back position sensors 276 , and first and second rotational position sensors 284 The detected position is used to determine the current arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 of the vehicle 100 . The method 1536 also includes the step 1580 of transmitting the current arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 of the vehicle 100 to the user interface 120 of the intended user of the vehicle 100 , the user interface 120 being external to the vehicle 100 . Additionally, method 1536 includes step 1584 of receiving a desired arrangement of passenger compartment 140 from the intended user's user interface 120 .

Referring again to FIG. 45 , method 1536 may include detecting a first current lower leg support position of first lower leg support 208 of first seat assembly 332 using first lower leg support position sensor 404 . In some examples, method 1536 may include detecting a second lower leg support position of second lower leg support 208 of second seat assembly 336 using second lower leg support position sensor 404 . In various examples, method 1536 may include adjusting the arrangement of passenger compartment 140 from a current arrangement to a desired arrangement. In some examples, method 1536 includes activating first translation actuator 184 of first seat assembly 332 , second translation actuator 184 of second seat assembly 336 , first seat assembly 332 First seat actuator 172, second seat actuator 172 of second seat assembly 336, first seat back actuator 168 of first seat assembly 332, second seat assembly Actuation of at least one selected from the second seatback actuator 168 of 336, the first rotational actuator 180 of the first seat assembly 332, and the second rotational actuator 180 of the second seat assembly 336 device. In various examples, adjustment from a current arrangement to a desired arrangement may be accomplished while vehicle 100 is in motion. In some examples, the desired placement is the current placement. That is, a situation is conceivable in which the current arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 is accepted by the intended user without adjustment. In various examples, method 1536 may include detecting an occupancy status of passenger compartment 140 of vehicle 100 using occupancy sensor 156 positioned on vehicle 100 . Method 1536 may include determining that the passenger compartment 140 is empty of occupants before transitioning the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from the current arrangement to the desired arrangement. In some examples, occupancy sensor 156 is an imager 132 positioned in an upper region of passenger compartment 140 , with the field of view of imager 132 oriented toward passenger compartment 140 . In various examples, occupancy sensor 156 includes a first occupancy sensor 156 positioned within first seat assembly 332 and a second occupancy sensor 156 positioned within second seat assembly 336 .

Although specific examples of adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from the first arrangement to the second arrangement have been discussed in detail, the present disclosure is not limited to these adjustments. Rather, with the aid of this disclosure, those skilled in the art will be able to determine the adjustments required to transition from the first arrangement to the second arrangement that are not specifically outlined in the exemplary adjustments discussed herein. Similarly, one skilled in the art will be able to determine the adjustments required to arrive at a customized arrangement of passenger compartment 140 not specifically outlined herein. Accordingly, such adaptations and/or arrangements are within the scope of the present disclosure.

Modifications of the present disclosure will occur to those skilled in the art and to those who make or use the concepts disclosed herein. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and described above are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, which is to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law, including the doctrine of equivalents. Claim limitations.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the concepts described and construction of other components are not limited to any specific materials. Unless otherwise indicated herein, other exemplary embodiments of the concepts disclosed herein may be formed from a variety of materials.

For the purposes of this disclosure, the term "coupled" (in all its forms: coupled, coupled, coupled, etc.) generally means that two components (electrical or mechanical) are directly or indirectly connected to each other. This connection may be fixed in nature or removable in nature. This connection may be made using two components (electrical or mechanical), and any additional intermediate members may be formed integrally with each other or with the two components as a single entity. Unless otherwise stated, such connections may be permanent in nature, or may be removable or releasable in nature.

It is also important to note that the construction and arrangement of elements of the present disclosure as shown in the exemplary embodiments are illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the present innovations have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art, upon review of this disclosure, will readily appreciate that without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the recited subject matter, Many modifications are possible (e.g. changes in size, dimensions, structure, shape and proportions of various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.). For example, elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple parts, or elements shown as multiple parts may be integrally formed, the operation of the interfaces may be reversed or otherwise varied, the structure and/or components or connections of the system may be The length or width of the device or other elements may vary, and the nature or number of adjustment locations provided between elements may vary. It should be noted that the elements and/or assemblies of the system may be constructed of any of a variety of materials that provide sufficient strength or durability, in any of a variety of colors, textures, and combinations. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this innovation. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangements of the desired exemplary embodiments and other exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of the invention.

It should be understood that any described process or step within a described process may be combined with other disclosed processes or steps to form structures within the scope of the present disclosure. The exemplary structures and processes disclosed herein are for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting.

It is also to be understood that changes and modifications may be made to the foregoing structures and methods without departing from the concepts of the present disclosure, and it is further to be understood that such concepts are intended to be covered by the appended claims, unless such claims are language by which Other ways are clearly stated.

Claims (20)

1. A vehicle comprising: a passenger compartment having a front area, a center area, a rear area and a lower area; a floor positioned in the lower region of the passenger compartment; a guide rail system positioned in the floor and extending along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the guide rail system including a guide rail position sensor; A plurality of seat assemblies arranged in the passenger compartment of the vehicle to define a seating arrangement, each of the seat assemblies including: seat base; a seat having a first end and a second end, the seat movably coupled to the seat base at the second end of the seat; a seat position sensor that monitors the current position of the seat; a seat back movably coupled to the seat base proximate the second end of the seat; a seat back position sensor that monitors the current position of the seat back; a seat actuator that adjusts the angular position of the seat relative to the seat base; a seat back actuator that adjusts the angular position of the seat back relative to the seat base; a rotating assembly coupled to the seat base; a rotational actuator engaged with the rotational assembly to enable rotation of the seat base about a vertical axis; a rotational position sensor that monitors the rotational position of the seat base about the vertical axis; a translation actuator coupled to the seat base and engaged with the rail assembly, the translation actuator capable of adjusting the position of the seat assembly along the rail system; as well as a controller that receives position data from the seat position sensor, the seat back position sensor, the rotation position sensor, and the rail position sensor to determine the position of the plurality of seat assemblies in the a current arrangement within the passenger compartment, and wherein the controller communicates the current arrangement of the plurality of seat assemblies within the passenger compartment to a user interface external to the vehicle. 2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of seat assemblies further includes: A calf support movably coupled to the first end of the seat, the calf support movable between a retracted position and an extended position. 3. The vehicle of claim 2, further comprising: a calf support actuator that adjusts the angular position of the calf support relative to the seat; and A calf support position sensor that monitors the current position of the calf support. 4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the user interface is a mobile electronic device. 5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller receives a request signal from the user interface to adjust the arrangement of the passenger compartment from the current arrangement to a desired arrangement. 6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment from the current arrangement to the desired arrangement includes the controller transmitting a command signal to activate an assembly of seats from the plurality of seats. At least one actuator selected from the seat actuator, the seat back actuator, the rotation actuator and the translation actuator of at least one seat assembly. 7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein said adjustment from said current arrangement to said desired arrangement is effected while said vehicle is in motion. 8. The vehicle of claim 6, further comprising: An occupancy sensor is positioned on the vehicle, wherein the adjustment from the current arrangement to the desired arrangement is effected when the passenger compartment is empty of occupants. 9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the occupancy sensor is an imager positioned in an upper region of the passenger compartment, and wherein the imager's field of view is oriented toward the passenger compartment. 10. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the occupancy sensor is positioned within each seat assembly of the plurality of seat assemblies. 11. A method of adjusting the layout of the passenger compartment of a vehicle, the method comprising: The vehicle is provided with a first seat assembly and a second seat assembly, each of the first seat assembly and the second seat assembly movably coupled to the passenger compartment of the vehicle The first seat assembly and the second seat assembly each include a seat and a seat back; using a first rail position sensor to detect the first rail position of the first seat assembly; using a first seat position sensor to detect a first seat position of the seat of the first seat assembly; using a first seat back position sensor to detect a first seat back position of the seat back of the first seat assembly; using a first rotational position sensor to detect the first rotational position of the first seat assembly; using a second rail position sensor to detect the second rail position of the second seat assembly; utilizing a second seat position sensor to detect a second seat position of the seat of the second seat assembly; utilizing a second seat back position sensor to detect a second seat back position of the seat back of the second seat assembly; using a second rotational position sensor to detect the second rotational position of the second seat assembly; Based on the first rail position sensor and the second rail position sensor, the first seat position sensor and the second seat position sensor, the first seat back position sensor and the second seat a seatback position sensor and detected positions of the first and second rotational position sensors to determine a current arrangement of the passenger compartment of the vehicle; communicating the current arrangement of the passenger compartment of the vehicle to a user interface of an intended user of the vehicle, the user interface being external to the vehicle; and A desired arrangement of the passenger compartment is received from the user interface of the intended user. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: A first current calf support position of the first calf support of the first seat assembly is detected using a first calf support position sensor. 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: A second current calf support position of the second calf support of the second seat assembly is detected using a second calf support position sensor. 14. The method of claim 11, further comprising: The arrangement of the passenger compartment is adjusted from the current arrangement to the desired arrangement. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein adjusting the arrangement of the passenger compartment from the current arrangement to the desired arrangement includes: Activating the first translation actuator of the first seat assembly, the second translation actuator of the second seat assembly, the first seat actuator of the first seat assembly , the second seat actuator of the second seat assembly, the first seat back actuator of the first seat assembly, the second seat back of the second seat assembly an actuator, at least one selected from the group consisting of a first rotational actuator of the first seat assembly and a second rotational actuator of the second seat assembly. 16. The method of claim 14, wherein said adjustment from said current arrangement to said desired arrangement is effected while said vehicle is in motion. 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the desired arrangement is the current arrangement. 18. The method of claim 11, further comprising: detecting an occupancy status of the passenger compartment of the vehicle using an occupancy sensor positioned on the vehicle; and It is determined that the passenger compartment has no occupants before transitioning the arrangement of the passenger compartment from the current arrangement to the desired arrangement. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the occupancy sensor is an imager positioned in an upper region of the passenger compartment, and wherein the imager's field of view is oriented toward the passenger compartment. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the occupancy sensor includes a first occupancy sensor positioned within the first seat assembly and a second occupancy sensor positioned within the second seat assembly. .