Seat occupant identifying apparatus designed to establish high accuracy occupant identification
First Claim
1. A seat occupant identifying apparatus for a vehicle comprising:
- a right and a left sensor each of which is responsive to a change in preselected physical quantity acting on a seat of a vehicle which arises from occupancy of the seat by a passenger to provide an output indicative thereof, the right sensor being disposed on a right side of a bottom surface of the seat, the left sensor being disposed on a left side of the bottom surface of the seat; and
a seat occupant identifying circuit working to identify whether the passenger on the seat is a first sized occupant of more than a specified physical size or not, when a total sensor output that is the sum of the outputs of said right and left sensors is greater than a first seat occupant threshold value, said seat occupant identifying circuit determining the passenger on the seat as the first sized occupant, when the total sensor output decreases below the first seat occupant threshold value after the passenger is identified as the first sized occupant, and either one of the outputs of said right and left sensors is smaller than a second seat occupant threshold value smaller than the first seat occupant threshold value, said seat occupant identifying circuit keeping determination that the passenger is identified as the first sized occupant.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A seat occupant identifying apparatus for automotive occupant restraint system is provided which works to identify whether a seat occupant is an adult passenger or a child passenger. When a total output value of a plurality of seat load sensors is greater than a given adult identifying threshold value, it is determined that the seat occupant is an adult. Afterwards, when the total output value decreases below the adult identifying threshold value due to, for example, a lateral G-force acting on the seat occupant during cornering of the vehicle, and an output of either of the right and left seat load sensors is lowered below a preselected cornering threshold value, while the other output is higher than it, the latest determination that the seat occupant is an adult is kept as it is. This provides for high accuracy seat occupant identification during cornering of the vehicle.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A seat occupant identifying apparatus for a vehicle comprising:
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a right and a left sensor each of which is responsive to a change in preselected physical quantity acting on a seat of a vehicle which arises from occupancy of the seat by a passenger to provide an output indicative thereof, the right sensor being disposed on a right side of a bottom surface of the seat, the left sensor being disposed on a left side of the bottom surface of the seat; and
a seat occupant identifying circuit working to identify whether the passenger on the seat is a first sized occupant of more than a specified physical size or not, when a total sensor output that is the sum of the outputs of said right and left sensors is greater than a first seat occupant threshold value, said seat occupant identifying circuit determining the passenger on the seat as the first sized occupant, when the total sensor output decreases below the first seat occupant threshold value after the passenger is identified as the first sized occupant, and either one of the outputs of said right and left sensors is smaller than a second seat occupant threshold value smaller than the first seat occupant threshold value, said seat occupant identifying circuit keeping determination that the passenger is identified as the first sized occupant. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A seat occupant identifying apparatus for a vehicle comprising:
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a right and a left sensor each of which is responsive to a change in preselected physical quantity acting on a seat of a vehicle which arises from occupancy of the seat by a passenger to provide an output indicative thereof, the right sensor being disposed on a right side of a bottom surface of the seat, the left sensor being disposed on a left side of the bottom surface of the seat; and
a seat occupant identifying circuit working to identify whether the passenger on the seat is a first sized occupant of more than a specified physical size or not, when a total sensor output that is the sum of the outputs of said right and left sensors is greater than a first seat occupant threshold value, said seat occupant identifying circuit determining the passenger on the seat as the first sized occupant, when the total sensor output decreases below the first seat occupant threshold value after the passenger is identified as the first sized occupant, and an absolute value of a difference between the outputs of said right and left sensors is greater than a second seat occupant threshold value smaller than the first seat occupant threshold value, said seat occupant identifying circuit keeping determination that the passenger is identified as the first sized occupant. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification