Device for determining kind of load on seat, seat, and bio-signal detector

• US 20040245036A1
• Filed: 05/19/2004
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delta Tooling Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Delta Tooling Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakahira, Hiroshi, Ogura, Yumi, Fujita, Etsunori, Enoki, Yoshimi
• Granted Patent: US 7,219,923 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/272
• 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

Abstract

There is provided a bio-signal detector to detect a heart rate and a respiratory rate so that the determination of a kind of a seat load placed on a seat can be made. That is, whether the seat load is a human or an object is determined, and if it is the human, then the physique size is determined to be small or large (the level of the physique size is determined). Accordingly, as compared with the means based only on a weight of the seat load, the determination result is highly reliable. Besides, with the use of the bio-signal detector, the discrimination between the human and the object is ensured. Moreover, a structure additionally including a weight sensor allows the determination of the physique size in more accurate manner.

Claims

1. A device for determining kind of a load on a seat comprising:

a bio-signal detector provided to the seat for detecting a bio-signal from the load on the seat; and

a bio-signal analyzer includes a calculation means for calculating a heart rate and a respiratory rate based on the bio-signal obtained by said bio-signal detector and a comparative determination means for comparatively determining a kind of the load on the seat by comparing the heart rate and the respiratory rate obtained by said calculation means with a criterial heart rate and a criterial respiratory rate.

2. The device for determining the kind of the load on the seat according to claim 1, wherein said comparative determination means includes a means for comparatively determining whether the load on the seat is a human or an object, and

a means for comparatively determining whether the physique size is big or small when the load on the seat is determined to be the human.

3. The device for determining the kind of the load on the seat according to claim 1, wherein said calculation means of said bio-signal analyzer is a means for performing a frequency analysis on the bio-signal obtained by said bio-signal detector and calculating the heart rate and the respiratory rate based on a power spectrum obtained by the frequency analysis.

4. The device for determining the kind of the load on the seat according to claim 2, further comprising a weight sensor provided to the seat for detecting a weight of the load on the seat, wherein said comparative determination means compares the weight of the load on the seat obtained by said weight sensor with a criterial weight to comparatively determine a size of a physique based on the weight as a comparison element together with the heart rate and the respiratory rate.

5. The device for determining the kind of the load on the seat according to claim 1, wherein said bio-signal detector is a pressure sensor.

6. The device for determining the kind of the load on the seat according to claim 4, wherein said weight sensor is a strain gauge for measuring a displacement amount of a cushioning member which is displaced according to the weight of the load on the seat.

7. The device for determining the kind of the load on the seat according to claim 2, wherein said seat load determination device is structured to output a signal for controlling actuation of an airbag from an output means when the load on the seat is determined to be the object or the human of a small physique size.

8. A seat, comprising a cushioning member provided with such a bio-signal detector that detects from a load placed on said seat a bio-signal to be an calculation element of a heart rate and a respiratory rate.

9. The seat according to claim 8, wherein said bio-signal detector detects the bio-signal to be the calculation element of the heart rate and the respiratory rate for use in comparative determination of a kind of the load placed on said seat.

10. The seat according to claim 8, wherein the cushioning member for composing a seat cushion or a seat back is made from a tension structure causing a difference in tension depending on presence or absence of the load on said seat and wherein said bio-signal detector is mounted on a reverse surface of the cushioning member as the tension structure.

11. The seat according to claim 8, further comprising a weight sensor for detecting a weight of the load on the seat.

12. The seat according to claim 8, wherein said bio-signal detector is a pressure sensor.

13. The seat according to claim 11, wherein said weight sensor is a strain gauge for measuring a displacement amount of the cushioning member which is displaced according to the weight of the load on the seat.

14. A bio-signal detector used by being provided to a cushioning member, comprising a pressure sensor for detecting a pressure fluctuation caused by a heart beat and a respiration of a load on a seat which are transmitted via the cushioning member.

15. A bio-signal detector used by being mounted on a reverse surface of a cushioning member which composes a seat cushion or a seat back and is a tension structure causing a difference in tension depending on presence or absence of a load on a seat, comprising a pressure sensor for detecting a pressure fluctuation caused by a heart beat and a respiration of the load on the seat which are transmitted via the cushioning member.