OCCUPANT DETECTION METHOD AND OCCUPANT DETECTION APPARATUS

• US 20170232868A1
• Filed: 12/14/2016
• Published: 08/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: FUJII, Hiroyuki, HONDA, lsao, IZUNO, Takahiro
• Application Number:
  US15/378,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20170232868A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 2/0025 by using weight measurement
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/267 alerting means responsive to presence or absence of children
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/40 Force or pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2230/30 Signal processing of sensor data
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01225 control of expansion volume
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01245 selection of seat for bag expansion
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01524 using electric switches
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01554 Seat position sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01556 Child-seat detection systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/00 Apparatus for, or methods of, measuring force, work, mechanical power, or torque, specially adapted for specific purposes

Abstract

An occupant detection method includes detecting a load acting on a seat for a vehicle with use of a load sensor provided at the seat, monitoring a seating sensor output outputted from a seating sensor forming a detection region at the seat, and determining that a child occupant is seated at a child restraint seat installed at the seat when a detection value of the load sensor is equal to or larger than a minimum value determining that an adult occupant is seated at the seat and equal to or smaller than a maximum value determining that the child occupant is seated at the child restraint seat, in a case where the seating sensor output indicates a state in which a seating load of an occupant is not applied to the detection region, the seating load corresponding to a load of the occupant while the occupant is seated.

Claims

1. An occupant detection method comprising:

detecting a load acting on a seat for a vehicle with use of a load sensor provided at the seat;

monitoring a seating sensor output outputted from a seating sensor forming a detection region at the seat; and

determining that a child occupant is seated at a child restraint seat installed at the seat when a detection value of the load sensor is equal to or larger than a minimum value determining that an adult occupant is seated at the seat and equal to or smaller than a maximum value determining that the child occupant is seated at the child restraint seat, in a case where the seating sensor output indicates a state in which a seating load of an occupant is not applied to the detection region, the seating load corresponding to a load of the occupant while the occupant is seated.

2. The occupant detection method according to claim 1, comprising:

determining that a physically small adult occupant is seated at the seat when the detection value of the load sensor is equal to or larger than the minimum value determining that the adult occupant is seated at the seat and equal to or smaller than the maximum value determining that the child occupant is seated at the child restraint seat, in a case where the seating sensor output indicates a state in which the seating load of the occupant is applied to the detection region.

3. The occupant detection method according to claim 1, comprising:

determining that the adult occupant is seated at the seat regardless of the seating sensor output when the detection value of the load sensor is larger than the maximum value determining that the child occupant is seated at the child restraint seat.

4. The occupant detection method according to claim 1, comprising:

determining that the adult occupant is not seated at the seat regardless of the seating sensor output when the detection value of the load sensor is smaller than the minimum value determining that the adult occupant is seated at the seat.

5. The occupant detection method according to claim 1, wherein the seating sensor is provided at a seating surface of the seat.

6. The occupant detection method according to claim 1, wherein the seating sensor forms the detection region at a seating position which is set at a seating surface of the seat and at which the adult occupant is seated without being deviated.

7. The occupant detection method according to claim 1, wherein the seating sensor corresponds to a membrane switch provided below a seat facing forming a seating surface of the seat.

8. An occupant detection method comprising:

detecting a load acting on a seat for a vehicle with use of a load sensor provided at the seat;

monitoring a seating sensor output outputted from a seating sensor forming a detection region at the seat;

determining that an adult occupant is seated at the seat when a detection value of the load sensor is larger than a first threshold value;

determining that the adult occupant is not seated at the seat when the detection value of the load sensor is smaller than a second threshold value that is set at a value smaller than the first threshold value; and

determining that a child occupant is seated at a child restraint seat installed at the seat when the detection value of the load sensor is equal to or smaller than the first threshold value and equal to or larger than the second threshold value, in a case where the seating sensor output indicates a state in which a seating load of an occupant is not applied to the detection region, the seating load corresponding to a load of the occupant while the occupant is seated.

9. The occupant detection method according to claim 8, comprising:

determining that the adult occupant is seated at the seat when the detection value of the load sensor is equal to or smaller than the first threshold value and equal to or larger than the second threshold value, in a case where the seating sensor output indicates a state in which the load of the occupant is applied to the detection region.

10. An occupant detection apparatus comprising:

a seat load detection portion detecting a load acting on a seat for a vehicle with use of a load sensor provided at the seat;

a seating detection portion monitoring a seating sensor output outputted from a seating sensor forming a detection region at the seat; and

a specific child seating determination portion determining that a child occupant is seated at a child restraint seat installed at the seat when a detection value of the load sensor is equal to or larger than a minimum value determining that an adult occupant is seated at the seat and equal to or smaller than a maximum value determining that the child occupant is seated at the child restraint seat, in a case where the seating sensor output indicates a state in which a seating load of an occupant is not applied to the detection region, the seating load corresponding to a load of the occupant while the occupant is seated.

11. The occupant detection apparatus according to claim 10, comprising:

a specific adult seating determination portion determining that a physically small adult is seated at the seat when the detection value of the load sensor is equal to or larger than the minimum value determining that the adult occupant is seated at the seat and equal to or smaller than the maximum value determining that the child occupant is seated at the child restraint seat, in a case where the seating sensor output indicates a state in which the seating load of the occupant is applied to the detection region.

12. The occupant detection apparatus according to claim 10, comprising:

an adult seating determination portion determining that the adult occupant is seated at the seat regardless of the seating sensor output when the detection value of the load sensor is larger than the maximum value determining that the child occupant is seated at the child restraint seat.

13. The occupant detection apparatus according to claim 10, comprising:

a non-adult-seating determination portion determining that the adult occupant is not seated at the seat regardless of the seating sensor output when the detection value of the load sensor is smaller than the minimum value determining that the adult occupant is seated at the seat.

14. The occupant detection apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the seating sensor is provided at a seating surface of the seat.

15. The occupant detection apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the seating sensor forms the detection region at a seating position which is set at the seating surface and at which the adult occupant is seated without being deviated.

16. The occupant detection apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the seating sensor corresponds to a membrane switch provided below a seat facing forming the seating surface.