Vehicle seats

• US 7,708,341 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2008
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Ito, Koji, Yanase, Hitoshi, Kondo, Hiromi, Takai, Nobuhito, Amamiya, Yoshiyuki, Takuma, Setsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelson, Jr.; Milton
• Application Number:
  US12/019,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20080191524A1
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 297/217.3, 200/85.A, 180/273
• US Class Current: 297/217.3
• 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

A vehicle seat has a seat cushion having a cushion pad deformable to be flexed when a seating load of an occupant is applied. A seating sensor is disposed within the seat cushion for detecting a seating position of the occupant. The seating sensor is configured as a push-in switch and can detect the seating position of the occupant when the seating sensor is pressed by the cushion pad. A fragile region is interleaved between the seating sensor and the cushion pad at a pressure receiving region where the pressing force is applied to the seating sensor. The fragile region has rigidity lower than the cushion pad.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat comprising:

a seat cushion having a cushion pad deformable to be flexed when a seating load of an occupant is applied; and

a seating sensor disposed within the seat cushion and constructed to detect a seating position of the occupant;

wherein the seating sensor is configured as a push-in switch and can detect the seating position of the occupant when the seating sensor is pressed by the cushion pad; and

a fragile region interleaved between the seating sensor and the cushion pad at a pressure receiving region where a pressing force is applied to the seating sensor,

wherein the fragile region has a rigidity lower than the cushion pad,

wherein the seating sensor comprises a first electrode sheet positioned on a side of the cushion pad and a second electrode sheet positioned on a side opposite to the first electrode sheet, the first and second electrode sheets defining a space therebetween; and

wherein the space is positioned on a side opposite to the fragile region with respect to the first electrode sheet.

2. The vehicle seat as in claim 1, wherein the fragile region comprises a depressed space formed in the cushion pad, so that the pressure receiving region of the cushion pad and the seating sensor are spaced from each other by the depressed space.

3. The vehicle seat as in claim 2, wherein:

the first and second electrode sheets define a plurality of spaces therebetween, so that portions of the first and second electrode sheets opposed to each other via the spaces are configured as a plurality of push-in type switch portions arranged in a row;

the pressure receiving region of the cushion pad comprises a plurality of pressure receiving regions corresponding to the switch portions;

the seat cushion has a recess formed on a backside thereof;

the seating sensor is disposed within the recess of the seat cushion, so that the seating sensor is positioned relative to the seat cushion with respect to a horizontal direction;

the depressed space comprises a plurality of depressed spaces formed in series with a bottom of the recess of the seat cushion, so that each of the switch portions of the seating sensor is spaced from the corresponding pressure receiving region.

4. The vehicle seat as in claim 1, wherein the vehicle seat is applied to an industrial vehicle.

5. The vehicle seat as in claim 4, wherein the industrial vehicle comprises a forklift.

6. The vehicle seat as in claim 1, wherein the seating sensor is disposed within a peripheral portion of the seat cushion.

7. The vehicle seat as in claim 6, further comprising a second seating sensor disposed within a central portion of the seat cushion.

8. A vehicle seat comprising:

a seat cushion having a resiliently deformable cushion pad;

a seating sensor mounted within the cushion pad and operable to detect a seating position of an occupant when the cushion pad is deformed by a seating load of the occupant; and

an accidental operation preventing device constructed to prevent the seating sensor from being accidentally operated when the occupant is not seated on the vehicle seat, wherein;

the cushion pad defines therein a sensor receiving space;

the sensor receiving space has a first wall surface and a second wall surface opposed to each other and arranged in a direction of application of the seating load, the first wall surface being positioned on a side opposite to the direction of application of the seating load and the second wall surface being positioned on a side of the direction of application of the seating load;

the seating sensor comprises a first flexible member opposed to the first wall surface of the sensor receiving space and a second flexible member opposed to the second wall surface; and

the accidental operation preventing device is positioned between the first wall surface of the sensor receiving space and the first flexible member of the seating sensor.

9. The vehicle seat as in claim 8, wherein the accidental operation preventing device comprises a space defined in the first wall surface of the sensor receiving space of the seat cushion.