Occupant detecting device

• US 20040249536A1
• Filed: 03/25/2004
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Maeda, Toshiro, Yamamoto, Yukihiro, Hiraki, Yasuaki, Hattori, Katsu
• Granted Patent: US 7,212,894 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• 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 2/0026 for distinguishing between humans, animals or objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0033 mounted on or in the foam cushion
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/30 Temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/40 Force or pressure sensors

Abstract

An occupant detecting device comprises plural cells provided at a seating part of a vehicle seat and defined by an array of rows in a width direction of the vehicle seat and columns in a cross direction of the vehicle seat for detecting partial pressures of the seating part, a total pressure value calculating means for obtaining a total pressure value by summing up the detected partial pressures, a determining means for determining a condition of the vehicle seat on which an adult passenger is sitting based on a comparison result between the obtained total pressure value and a determining value threshold, a temperature sensor for detecting temperature, and a correcting means for correcting at least one of either the total pressure value calculated based on the detected temperature or the determining value threshold.

Claims

1. An occupant detecting device comprising:

plural cells provided at a seating part of a vehicle seat and defined by an array of rows in a width direction of the vehicle seat and columns in a cross direction of the vehicle seat for detecting partial pressures of the seating part;

a total pressure value calculating means for obtaining a total pressure value by summing up the detected partial pressures;

a determining means for determining a condition of the vehicle seat on which an adult passenger is sitting based on a comparison result between the obtained total pressure value and a determining value threshold;

a temperature sensor for detecting temperature, and

a correcting means for correcting at least one of either the total pressure value calculated based on the detected temperature or the determining value threshold.

2. An occupant detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the correcting means sets each threshold respectively in response to a range where the detected temperature is included.

3. An occupant detecting device comprising:

plural cells provided at a seating part of a vehicle seat and defined by an array of rows in a width direction of the vehicle seat and columns in a cross direction of the vehicle seat for detecting partial pressures of the seating part;

a total pressure value calculating means for obtaining a total pressure value by summing up the detected partial pressures;

an edge calculating means for obtaining an edge by summing up all differences between the partial pressure detected at each cell and an average partial pressure obtained by averaging the partial pressures detected at cells located next to each cell and dividing the obtained total difference by the total pressure value obtained by the total pressure value calculating means;

a determining means for determining a condition of the vehicle seat on which an adult passenger is sitting based on a comparison result between the obtained edge value and an edge threshold;

a temperature sensor for detecting temperature, and

a correcting means for correcting at least one of either the obtained edge calculated based on the detected temperature or the edge threshold.

4. An occupant detecting device according to claim 3, wherein the correcting means sets each threshold respectively in response to a range where the detected temperature is included.

5. An occupant detecting device comprising:

plural cells provided at a seating part of a vehicle seat and defined by an array of rows in a width direction of the vehicle seat and columns in a cross direction of the vehicle seat for detecting partial pressures of the seating part;

a peak row detecting means for calculating a total partial pressure in rows being continuing in column direction in a predetermined number, and defining any row in the array of rows having a maximum total as a peak row;

a lateral width calculating means for calculating each total of the partial pressures of cells per column in the array of rows continuing in column direction in the predetermined number and having the maximum total, comparing the obtained total of the partial pressures per column to a predetermined width threshold per column, and obtaining the lateral width by counting the number of the column in which the total pressure exceeds the corresponding predetermined width threshold per column;

a determining means for determining a condition of the vehicle seat on which an adult passenger is sitting based on a comparison result between the obtained lateral width and a lateral width threshold;

a temperature sensor for detecting temperature, and

a correcting means for correcting at least one of either the obtained lateral width calculated based on the detected temperature or the lateral width threshold.

6. An occupant detecting device according to claim 5, wherein the correcting means sets each threshold respectively in response to a range where the detected temperature is included.

7. An occupant detecting device according to claim 5, further comprising a deviation determining means for detecting a deviation of the pressure in the width direction applied to the vehicle seat, wherein the lateral width calculating means calculates the lateral width in reference to the width threshold being set at a position off by the deviation determined by the deviation determining means in the width direction of the vehicle seat.

8. An occupant detecting device according to claim 5, wherein the correcting means sets each threshold respectively in response to a range where the detected temperature is included.

9. An occupant detecting device comprising:

plural cells provided at a seating part of a vehicle seat and defined by an array of rows in a width direction of the vehicle seat and columns in a cross direction of the vehicle seat for detecting partial pressures of the seating part;

an “

ON”

cell number calculating means for obtaining an “

ON”

cell number by counting the number of the cells whose partial pressure exceeds a predetermined pressure;

a determining means for determining a condition of the vehicle seat on which an adult passenger is sitting based on a comparison result between the obtained “

ON”

cell number and a determining threshold for “

ON”

cell number;

a temperature sensor for detecting temperature, and

a correcting means for correcting at least one of either the “

ON”

cell number obtained based on the detected temperature or the determining threshold for “

ON”

cell number.

10. An occupant detecting device according to claim 9, wherein the correcting means sets each threshold respectively in response to the a where the detected temperature is included.