Seat control device, storage medium storing computer program for controlling seat and method for controlling seat

1 . A seat control device comprising:

a processor configured to:

determine whether a control transfer demand for transferring driving of a vehicle from a manual control operation to an automatic control operation or from the manual control operation to the automatic control operation has been made;

determine whether a seat position of a seat on which a driver is seated is in a displaceable state based on information representing a state of the driver, the state of the driver indicating at least whether the driver is holding an object;

displace, based on determining that the control transfer demand has been made and that the seat position is in the displaceable state, the seat position from a position for the automatic control operation to a position for the manual control operation or from the position for the manual control operation to the position for the automatic control operation using a seat drive unit;

determine, based on determining that the control transfer demand has been made and that the seat position is not in the displaceable state, to both:

not implement a displacement, of the seat position from the position for the automatic control operation to the position for the manual control operation or from the position for the manual control operation to the position for the automatic control operation, using the seat drive unit, and

output a request to the driver to implement the displacement; and

in response to a response from the driver to implement the displacement, implement the displacement.

2 . The seat control device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the seat position is in the displaceable state based on an image including the driver.

3 . The seat control device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the seat position is in the displaceable state based on a communication state of an information terminal operated by the driver.

4 . The seat control device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the seat position is in the displaceable state based on information representing a state of another seat behind the seat on which the driver is seated.

5 . The seat control device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to notify the driver to displace the seat position from the position for the automatic control operation to the position for the manual control operation or from the position for the manual control operation to the position for the automatic control operation using a notifying unit when the control transfer demand has been made and the seat position is not in the displaceable state.

6 . The seat control device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to identify a release operation based on the information representing a state of the driver when the control transfer demand has been made and the seat position is not in the displaceable state, and notify the driver to operate the release operation.

7 . The seat control device according to claim 1 , wherein

the object is any of a drink, a food, glasses, and cosmetics, and

determining whether the seat position of the seat on which the driver is seated is in the displaceable state based on information representing the state of the driver comprises determining that the seat position is not in the displaceable state based on determining that the driver is holding the object.

8 . The seat control device according to claim 1 , wherein

the object is a laptop, and

determining whether the seat position of the seat on which the driver is seated is in the displaceable state based on information representing the state of the driver comprises determining that the seat position is not in the displaceable state based on determining that the driver is any of placing an object on a lap of the driver and operating the object.

9 . The seat control device according to claim 1 , wherein

the object is any of shoes and knees of the driver, and

determining whether the seat position of the seat on which the driver is seated is in the displaceable state based on information representing the state of the driver comprises determining that the seat position is not in the displaceable state based on determining that the driver is any of taking off the shoes and drawing up the knees.

10 . The seat control device according to claim 1 , wherein the seat position comprises a tilt angle of a seat back of the seat.

11 . The seat control device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to implement the displacement, in response to the response from the driver to implement the displacement, in a state in which the processor has determined that the seat position is not in the displaceable state.

12 . The seat control device according to claim 1 , wherein the displacement is of the seat position is from the position for the manual control operation to the position for the automatic control operation.

13 . The seat control device according to claim 1 , wherein displacing, based on determining that the control transfer demand has been made and that the seat position is in the displaceable state, the seat position from the position for the automatic control operation to the position for the manual control operation or from the position for the manual control operation to the position for the automatic control operation using the seat drive unit comprises:

displacing the seat position from the position for the manual control operation to the position for the automatic control operation.

14 . The seat control device according to claim 1 , wherein

the object is a laptop, and

the processor is further configured to determine that the seat position is not in the displaceable state based on determining that the state of the driver is at least that the driver is any of placing the laptop on a lap of the driver and operating the laptop.

15 . The seat control device according to claim 1 , wherein

the object is any of shoes and knees of the driver, and

the processor is further configured to determine that the seat position is not in the displaceable state based on determining that the state of the driver is at least that the driver is any of taking off the shoes and drawing up the knees.

16 . A computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium storing a computer program for controlling a seat, which causes a processor to execute a process, the process comprising:

determining whether a control transfer demand for transferring driving of a vehicle from a manual control operation to an automatic control operation or from the manual control operation to the automatic control operation has been made;

determining whether a seat position of a seat on which a driver is seated is in a displaceable state based on information representing a state of the driver, the state of the driver indicating at least whether the driver is holding an object;

displacing, based on determining that the control transfer demand has been made and that the seat position is in the displaceable state, the seat position from a position for the automatic control operation to a position for the manual control operation or from the position for the manual control operation to the position for the automatic control operation using a seat drive unit;

determining, based on determining that the control transfer demand has been made and that the seat position is not in the displaceable state, to both:

not implement a displacement, of the seat position from the position for the automatic control operation to the position for the manual control operation or from the position for the manual control operation to the position for the automatic control operation, using the seat drive unit, and

output a request to the driver to implement the displacement; and

in response to a response from the driver to implement the displacement, implementing the displacement.

17 . A method for controlling a seat carried out by a seat control device, and the method comprising:

determining that a control transfer demand for transferring driving of a vehicle from a manual control operation to an automatic control operation or from the manual control operation to the automatic control operation has been made;

determining that a seat position of a seat on which a driver is seated is in a displaceable state based on information representing a state of the driver, the state of the driver indicating at least whether the driver is holding an object;

displacing, based on determining that the control transfer demand has been made and that the seat position is in the displaceable state, the seat position from a position for the automatic control operation to a position for the manual control operation or from the position for the manual control operation to the position for the automatic control operation using a seat drive unit;

determining, based on determining that the control transfer demand has been made and that the seat position is not in the displaceable state, to both:

not implement a displacement, of the seat position from the position for the automatic control operation to the position for the manual control operation or from the position for the manual control operation to the position for the automatic control operation, using the seat drive unit; and

output a request to the driver to implement the displacement; and

in response to a response from the driver to implement the displacement, implement the displacement.