SEAT OCCUPANT DETERMINING APPARATUS

• US 20140266657A1
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: FUJII, Hiroyuki, IZUNO, Takahiro, HONDA, Isao, TOMATSU, Yoshiaki, TAKAHASHI, Yusuke
• Granted Patent: US 9,440,608 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/015 including means for detecting the presence or position of passengers, passenger seats or child seats , and the related safety parameters therefor, e.g. speed or timing of airbag inflation in relation to occupant position or seat belt use
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0152 using strain gauges

Abstract

A seat passenger determination apparatus includes: a first determination processing unit configured to determine a passenger is not seated on a vehicle seat by having gotten out of the vehicle and transfer the mode to a not-seated recognition mode when a load variation width detected by a load detection apparatus falls within a first threshold value in a state in which a non-fastened state of a seatbelt is detected; and a second determination processing unit configured to determine the passenger is not seated on the vehicle seat by having gotten out of the vehicle and transfer the mode to the not-seated recognition mode when the load variation width detected by the load detection apparatus falls within a second threshold value which is larger than the first threshold value during a predetermined time when the fact that the seatbelt has changed from the fastened state to the non-fastened state is detected.

Claims

1. A seat passenger determination apparatus configured to determine whether the mode is a passenger-seated recognition mode in which a passenger is seated on a vehicle seat, or a not-seated recognition mode in which no passenger is seated on the vehicle seat, comprising:

a seatbelt fastening detector configured to detect whether a seatbelt is in a fastened state or in a non-fastened state;

a load detection apparatus including two load sensors arranged on one of the left and right sides on the front and rear on the lower side of the vehicle seat and configured to detect a load acting on the vehicle seat;

a state change determination unit configured to determine the fact that the seatbelt is changed from the fastened state to the non-fastened state by using the seatbelt fastening detector;

a first determination processing unit configured to determine that the passenger is not seated on the vehicle seat by having gotten out of the vehicle and transfer the mode to the not-seated recognition mode when a load variation width detected by the load detection apparatus falls within a first threshold value in a state in which the non-fastened state of the seatbelt is detected by the seatbelt fastening detector in the passenger-seated recognition mode;

a second determination processing unit configured to determine that the passenger is not seated on the vehicle seat by having gotten out of the vehicle and transfer the mode to the not-seated recognition mode when the load variation width detected by the load detection apparatus falls within a second threshold value which is larger than the first threshold value during a predetermined time when the fact that the seatbelt has changed from the fastened state to the non-fastened state by the state change determination unit in the passenger-seated recognition mode.

2. The seat passenger determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination is performed by the second determination processing unit during the predetermined time after the seatbelt has changed from the fastened state to the non-fastened state and, after the predetermined time has elapsed, the determination is performed by the first determination processing unit.