Occupant sensor

• US 20020129986A1
• Filed: 03/15/2002
• Published: 09/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Aoki, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 6,808,201 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/268
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01516 using force or pressure sensing means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01546 using belt buckle sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01548 sensing the amount of belt winded on retractor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01556 Child-seat detection systems

Abstract

To provide an occupant sensor that can reliably judge whether the object loaded on a seat is a child restraint system or an adult even when the child restraint system is fixed by using a seatbelt. The occupant sensor detects whether or not the seatbelt extraction amount sensor (switch) is ON. When the extraction amount sensor is ON, the object loaded on the seat is judged as being a child restraint system or a child. When the seatbelt extraction amount sensor is not ON, the sensor determines whether or not the value of load detected by the seat load sensor is not less than 30 kg. When the load is less than 30 kg, the occupant is judged as being an adult. When the load is less than 30 kg, the occupant is judged as being a child or a child restraint system.

Claims

1. An occupant sensor for identifying the category of an occupant and the presence of a child restraint system on a seat of a passenger vehicle, comprising:

a seat load sensor for detecting the weight of the occupant seated on the seat or the object loaded on the seat, and

a seatbelt extraction amount sensor for detecting the extracting amount of the seat belt is not less than a predetermined amount;

wherein the occupant sensor is configured so that

(1) when the detected signal of the seatbelt extraction amount sensor is ON, the occupant sensor determines that a child restraint system is located on the seat irrespective of the value of the seat load sensor; and

(2) when the detected signal of the seatbelt extraction amount sensor is OFF,

(a) and when the value from the seat load sensor is less than a predetermined value, the occupant sensor determines that the object loaded on the seat is a child restraint system or a child; and

(b) when the value from the seat load sensor is not less than the predetermined value, the occupant sensor determines that the object loaded on the seat is judged is an adult.

2. An occupant sensor according to claim 1, further comprising

a buckle switch for detecting engagement between a buckle and

a tongue of the seat belt,

wherein the ON signal from the seatbelt extraction amount sensor is only considered by the occupant sensor when the signal from the buckle switch is ON.

3. An occupant sensor according to claim 1,

wherein the seatbelt extraction amount sensor is integrated into a locking mechanism of an ALR retractor or an ELR retractor with ALR switch function.

4. An occupant sensor according to claim 1,

wherein the seatbelt extraction amount sensor is an ALR switch sensor of the ELR retractor with ALR switch function.

5. An occupant sensor for identifying the category of an occupant and the presence of a child restraint system on the seat of a passenger vehicle, comprising:

a seat load sensor for detecting the weight of the occupant seated on the seat or the object loaded on the seat, and

a seatbelt extraction amount sensor for detecting the extracting amount of the seat belt is not less than a predetermined amount;

wherein

(a) when the value from the seat load sensor is less than a predetermined value, the object loaded on the seat is judged as being a child restraint system or a child; and

(b) when the value from the seat load sensor is not less than the predetermined value, the object loaded on the seat is judged as being an adult; and

wherein when the detected signal of the seatbelt extraction amount sensor is ON, the predetermined value is set to a larger value than the case where it is OFF.

6. An occupant sensor according to claim 5, further comprising

a buckle switch for detecting engagement between a buckle and

a tongue of the seat belt,

wherein the ON signal from the seatbelt extraction amount sensor is only considered by the occupant sensor when the signal from the buckle switch is ON.

7. An occupant sensor according to claim 5,

wherein the seatbelt extraction amount sensor is integrated into a locking mechanism of an ALR retractor or an ELR retractor with ALR switch function.

8. An occupant sensor according to claim 5,

wherein the seatbelt extraction amount sensor is an ALR switch sensor of the ELR retractor with ALR switch function.

9. A method of determining whether an object on a seat of a vehicle is child, child restraint system or an adult, comprising the steps of:

detecting a weight of the object on the seat, and

detecting whether an extracting amount of the seat belt is not less than a predetermined amount;

determining that the object loaded on the seat is a child restraint system or a child when the weight of the object is less than a predetermined value;

determining that the object loaded on the seat is an adult when the weight of the object is not less than the predetermined value; and

setting the predetermined value to a larger value when the extracting amount of the seat belt is not less than the predetermined amount.

10. A method of determining whether an object on a seat of a vehicle is a child, child restraint system or an adult, comprising the steps of:

detecting a weight of the object on the seat,

detecting whether an extracting amount of the seat belt is not less than a predetermined amount;

determining that a child restraint system is located on the seat irrespective of the weight of the object on the seat when the extracting amount of the seat belt is not less than a predetermined amount;

determining that a child restraint system or child is on the seat when the seatbelt extracting amount is less than the predetermined amount, and when the weight of the object is less than a predetermined value; and

determining that an adult is on the seat when the seatbelt extracting amount is less than the predetermined amount and when the weight of the object is not less than the predetermined value.