Apparatus and method for determining seat occupancy

• US 8,448,529 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2010
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Aoyama, Mutsuro, Kawabata, Hideki, Inayoshi, Muneto, Ichihara, Kan, Seo, Kazumasa, Kuwabara, Takeshi, Fujii, Hiroyuki, Honda, Isao
• Primary Examiner(s): Noori, Max
• Application Number:
  US12/890,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20110094317A1
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• Field of Search: 738/623.81, 738/623.91
• US Class Current: 73/862.381
• 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 2/1615 Parallelogram-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1695 with simultaneous height and inclination adjustment
• 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

An apparatus for determining a seat occupancy includes a load detecting portion provided between one of a front portion and a rear portion of a seating portion of a seat for a vehicle that includes a lifting function for changing a height position of the seating portion relative to a floor for the vehicle, the seat including a seat back at the rear portion of the seating portion of the seat, the load detecting portion detecting a seating load applied to the seating portion, and a seat occupancy determining portion comparing the seating load detected by the load detecting portion with a predetermined threshold value and determining a seat occupancy state of the seat, the seat occupancy determining portion changing the threshold value based on the height position of the seating portion.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining a seat occupancy, comprising:

a load detecting portion provided between one of a front portion and a rear portion of a seating portion of a seat for a vehicle that includes a lifting function for changing a height position of the seating portion relative to a floor for the vehicle, the seat including a seat back at the rear portion of the seating portion of the seat, the load detecting portion detecting a seating load applied to the seating portion; and

a seat occupancy determining portion comparing the seating load detected by the load detecting portion with a threshold value and determining a seat occupancy state of the seat, the seat occupancy determining portion changing the threshold value based on the height position of the seating portion;

wherein the seat occupancy determining portion specifies the threshold value by using a function for determining the threshold value in response to the height position of the seating portion and determines the seat occupancy state of the seat based on the threshold value that is specified by a usage of the function.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a position detecting portion detecting the height position of the seating portion, wherein the seat occupancy determining portion changes the threshold value based on the height position of the seating portion detected by the position detecting portion.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the seat occupancy determining portion determines that an adult is seated on the seat in a case where the seating load being equal to or greater than the threshold value is detected by the load detecting portion and determining a child seat fastened state where a child seat is placed on the seat in a case where the seating load being smaller than the threshold value is detected by the load detecting portion.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the seat occupancy determining portion determines that an adult is seated on the seat in a case where the seating load being equal to or greater than the threshold value is detected by the load detecting portion and determining a child seat fastened state where a child seat is placed on the seat in a case where the seating load being smaller than the threshold value is detected by the load detecting portion.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the load detecting portion includes a load detecting portion provided between the floor for the vehicle and a left portion of the seating portion in a left and right direction thereof that corresponds to a width direction of the seat and a load detecting portion provided between the floor for the vehicle and a right portion of the seating portion in the left and right direction thereof, and the seat occupancy determining portion obtains the seating load on a basis of a sum of loads detected by the respective load detecting portions.

6. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the load detecting portion includes a load detecting portion provided between the floor for the vehicle and a left portion of the seating portion in a left and right direction thereof that corresponds to a width direction of the seat and a load detecting portion provided between the floor for the vehicle and a right portion of the seating portion in the left and right direction thereof, and the seat occupancy determining portion obtains the seating load on a basis of a sum of loads detected by the respective load detecting portions.

7. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the load detecting portion includes a load detecting portion provided between the floor for the vehicle and a left portion of the seating portion in a left and right direction thereof that corresponds to a width direction of the seat and a load detecting portion provided between the floor for the vehicle and a right portion of the seating portion in the left and right direction thereof, and the seat occupancy determining portion obtains the seating load on a basis of a sum of loads detected by the respective load detecting portions.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the load detecting portion is provided between the rear portion of the seating portion and the floor for the vehicle, and the seat occupancy determining portion decreases the threshold value in association with an increase of the height position of the seating portion.

9. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the load detecting portion is provided between the rear portion of the seating portion and the floor for the vehicle, and the seat occupancy determining portion decreases the threshold value in association with an increase of the height position of the seating portion.

10. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the load detecting portion is provided between the rear portion of the seating portion and the floor for the vehicle, and the seat occupancy determining portion decreases the threshold value in association with an increase of the height position of the seating portion.

11. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the load detecting portion is provided between the rear portion of the seating portion and the floor for the vehicle, and the seat occupancy determining portion decreases the threshold value in association with an increase of the height position of the seating portion.

12. An apparatus for determining a seat occupancy, comprising:

a load detecting portion provided between one of a front portion and a rear portion of a seating portion of a seat for a vehicle that includes a lifting function for changing a height position of the seating portion relative to a floor for the vehicle, the seat including a seat back at the rear portion of the seating portion of the seat, the load detecting portion detecting a seating load applied to the seating portion; and

a seat occupancy determining portion comparing the seating load detected by the load detecting portion with a threshold value and determining a seat occupancy state of the seat, the seat occupancy determining portion changing the threshold value based on the height position of the seating portion;

wherein the seat occupancy determining portion includes a map including one axis indicating one of the height position of the seating portion and the seating load and another axis indicating the other of the height position of the seating portion and the seating load for specifying the threshold value, and the seat occupancy determining portion determines the seat occupancy state of the seat based on the map.

13. A method for determining a seat occupancy, comprising:

detecting a seating load applied to one of a front portion and a rear portion of a seating portion of a seat for a vehicle that includes a lifting function to change a height position of the seating portion relative to a floor for the vehicle, the seat including a seat back at the rear portion of the seating portion of the seat;

determining a threshold value by a function based on the height position of the seating portion;

comparing the seating load applied to the seating portion with the threshold value and changing the threshold value based on the height position of the seating portion to determine a seat occupancy state of the seat based on the threshold value specified by the function.