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Occupant classifying device for vehicle seat

  • US 7,866,691 B2
  • Filed: 08/21/2007
  • Issued: 01/11/2011
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2006
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An occupant classifying device for a vehicle seat, that includes a seat back at a rear portion of the vehicle seat, the occupant classifying device comprising:

  • an occupant classifying means for classifying an occupant type on the basis of a seating load applied to the vehicle seat;

    a first load sensor provided at a rear portion of the vehicle seat in order to measure a rear load that is a part of the seating load;

    a second load sensor provided at a front portion of the vehicle seat in order to measure a front load that is a part of the seating load;

    a rear load ratio calculating means for calculating a rear load ratio indicating a ratio of the rear load in the seating load on the basis of the measured rear and front loads;

    a securing determining means determining whether or not a child restraint system is secured to the vehicle seat on the basis of the calculated rear load ratio;

    wherein the occupant classifying means;

    classifies an occupant type to an adult when the rear load is larger than a first load threshold;

    classifies the occupant type to a child when the rear load is smaller than a second load threshold being set so as to be smaller than the first load threshold; and

    classifies the occupant type on the basis of a result determined by the securing determining means when the rear load is equal to or smaller than the first load threshold and is equal to or larger than the second load threshold, andthe securing determining means determines that the child restraint system is secured to the vehicle seat when the rear load ratio is larger than a first ratio threshold.

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