Seat occupant detection apparatus

• US 6,349,602 B1
• Filed: 09/05/2000
• Issued: 02/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Hamada, Makoto, Fukawatase, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): NOORI, MAX H
• Application Number:
  US09/655,374
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 737/68, 737/82, 737/95, 738/12, 738/49, 738/623.81
• US Class Current: 73/782
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/4142 for controlling activation of safety devices, e.g. airbag systems electrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements in case of vehicle accidents B60R21/015

Abstract

A beam is mounted to a mounting flange. A seat pan is mounted to opposite end portions of the beam. Provided near a middle portion of the beam is a sensor unit for detecting flexure of the middle portion of the beam. The sensor unit has a sensor beam whose length is sufficiently less than the distance between fulcrums of the beam, and a transmission member that transmits the flexure of the beam occurring at a middle point thereof to the sensor beam. The sensor beam is provided with a strain sensor.

Claims

1. A seat occupant detection apparatus comprising:

a beam member connected between a seat frame and a seat pan of a vehicular seat, that is displaced in accordance with a load of an occupant seated on vehicular seat;

load detecting means for detecting the load based on an amount of displacement of the beam member when the occupant is seated in the vehicular seat; and

a strain amplifying mechanism that amplifies a strain associated with a flexure of the beam member, and wherein the load detecting means detects the load based on the strain amplified by the strain amplifying mechanism.

2. A seat occupant detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the beam member is connected, at first mounting positions provided near opposite end portions of the beam member, to one of the seat pan and the seat frame, and the beam member is connected to another one of the seat pan and the seat frame, at second mounting positions that are positioned spaced a predetermined distance inward from the first mounting positions on the beam member.

3. A seat occupant detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the beam member is an elastic member having a predetermined flexural rigidity, and the load detecting means detects the load based on a flexure of the beam member.

4. A seat occupant detection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the strain amplifying mechanism comprises:

a second elastic beam member that is supported by one of the seat an and the seat frame and that has a length that is less than a length of he beam member;

a transmission member that transmits the flexure of the beam member to the second elastic beam member,

wherein the load detecting means detects the load based on the strain of the second elastic beam member.

5. A seat occupant detection apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the strain amplifying mechanism is a small-section modulus portion provided by forming a first portion of the beam member so that a section modulus of the portion with respect to a neutral axis of the first portion is less than a section modulus of another site of the beam member, and

wherein the load detecting means detects the load based on the strain of the small-section modulus portion.

6. A seat occupant detection apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the small-section modulus portion is formed by making a width of the first portion of the beam member smaller than a width of other portion of the beam member.

7. A seat occupant detection apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the beam member is an elastic member having a predetermined flexural rigidity, and

wherein the load detecting means detects the load based on an amount of flexure of a substantially middle portion of the beam member in a direction of a length of the beam member.

8. A seat occupant detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the beam member is substantially a rigid body and is pivotably connected to the seat pan and the seat frame.

9. A seat occupant detection apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising an elastic member that elastically deforms in accordance with a pivot of the beam member, the load detecting means detecting the load based on an amount of elastic deformation of the elastic member.

10. a vehicular seat assembly capable of detecting presence of an occupant, comprising:

a vehicular seat;

a beam member connected between a seat frame and a seat pan of the vehicular seat, that is displaced in accordance with a load of the occupant seated on the vehicular seat;

a strain amplifying mechanism that amplifies a strain associated with a flexure of the beam member; and

detecting means for detecting the load based on the strain amplified by the strain amplifying mechanism.

11. A seat occupant detection apparatus comprising:

a beam member connected between a seat frame and a seat pan of a vehicular seat, that is displaced in accordance with a load of an occupant seated on vehicular seat;

strain amplifying mechanism that amplifies a strain associated with a flexure of the beam member; and

a load detector detecting the load based on the strain amplified by the strain amplifying mechanism.