Attachment structure of a load sensor for a vehicle seat

• US 20030067196A1
• Filed: 09/13/2002
• Published: 04/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Morishita, Kentaro, Sakai, Morio, Takeuchi, Tsutomu, Suzuki, Yasuaki, Sakamoto, Kazunori, Hasegawa, Yasunori
• Granted Patent: US 6,981,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/217.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/015 Attaching seats directly to vehicle chassis
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01516 using force or pressure sensing means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0152 using strain gauges

Abstract

An attachment structure for installing a load sensor to a vehicle seat includes the load sensor having a plate-shaped strain unit and a strain gauge for detecting a strain of the plate-shaped strain unit. The load sensor is structured that one end of the plate-shaped strain unit is fixed to a seating portion of the vehicle seat and the other end of the strain unit is fixed to a vehicle body. Also, a strain portion is defined between each fixed end of the plate-shaped strain unit, and the strain portion is deformable in a vertical direction relative to the vehicle seat. In addition, a load input point from the seating portion is defined approximately at a central portion of the strain portion of the plate-shaped strain unit.

Claims

1. An attachment structure for installing a load sensor to a vehicle seat, the load sensor having a plate-shaped strain unit and a strain gauge for detecting a strain of the plate-shaped strain unit, comprising;

one end of the plate-shaped strain unit being fixed to a seating portion of the vehicle seat and the other end of the strain unit being fixed to a vehicle body;

a strain portion defined between each fixed end of the plate-shaped strain unit and being deformable in a vertical direction relative to the vehicle seat; and

a load input point from the seating portion defined approximately at a central portion of the strain portion of the plate-shaped strain unit.

2. An attachment structure for installing a load sensor to a vehicle seat according to claim 1, further comprising a strain restriction means for restricting the strain of the plate-shaped strain unit in the vertical direction to a predetermined value.

3. An attachment structure for installing a load sensor to a vehicle seat according to claim 2, further comprising;

a first attachment bracket for holding the one fixed end of the plate-shaped strain unit and attached to the vehicle seat through a connecting pin located at a portion upward or downward relative to and opposed to the central portion of the strain portion of the plate-shaped strain unit;

a second attachment bracket for holding the other fixed end of the strain unit and attached to the vehicle body, wherein the strain restriction means for restricting the strain of the plate-shaped strain unit is formed by inserting the connecting pin into a stopper hole provided in the second attachment bracket with a predetermined clearance in the vertical direction relative to the vehicle seat.

4. An attachment structure for installing a load sensor to a vehicle seat according to claim 3, wherein the connecting pin is rotatably attached to either one of the first attachment bracket and the seating portion of the vehicle seat through a bush relative to the seating portion of the vehicle seat.