Load measurement sensor support structure

• US 9,151,644 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2012
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TS Tech Company Limited
• Original Assignee: TS Tech Company Limited
• Inventors: Ozawa, Hidetoshi, Honda, Wataru
• Primary Examiner(s): Noori, Max
• Application Number:
  US14/235,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20140224041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 738/18, 738/623.81, 738/626.29
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2/0732 Attachment of seat frame to the slide, e.g. eyelets
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/682 Joining means
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 11/30 Supports specially adapted for an instrument; Supports specially adapted for a set of instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/00 Measuring force or stress, in general measuring force due to impact G01L5/00

Abstract

A support structure stabilizes a position of a load measurement sensor by ensuring the rigidity of a support bracket supporting the sensor. The support structure supports the sensor, including an extension shaft portion extending from a sensor body, by each of attachment bracket and while the extension shaft portion is located at the lateral side of the sensor body, wherein each of the attachment brackets and includes an upright wall that is provided with an insertion hole into which the extension shaft portion is inserted when the sensor is supported, a bottom wall that intersects the upright wall and contacts the upright wall at one end in the seat width direction, and an upward protruding wall provided at a position contacting the bottom wall at the other end opposite the upright wall in the seat width direction of the bottom wall, intersecting the bottom wall, and facing the upright wall.

Claims

1. A load measurement sensor support structure that supports a load measurement sensor, which includes a sensor body that detects a load applied to a seat and an extension shaft portion extending from the lateral side of the sensor body, the sensor support structure comprising:

a support bracket that supports the sensor while the extension shaft portion is located at the lateral side of the sensor body, the support bracket comprising;

an upright wall portion that is provided with an insertion hole into which the extension shaft portion is inserted when the load measurement sensor is supported;

a bottom wall portion that intersects the upright wall portion and contacts the upright wall portion at one end in a seat width direction; and

an upward protruding wall that;

is provided at a position contacting the bottom wall portion at an other end of the bottom wall portion opposite to the upright wall portion in the width direction;

intersects the bottom wall portion;

faces the upright wall portion; and

comprises a removal portion;

formed by removing a part of the upward protruding wall; and

provided at a position that is opposite to the insertion hole of the upright wall portion.

2. The load measurement sensor support structure according to claim 1, wherein:

the support bracket extends in a front to back direction of the seat;

the upward protruding wall is formed from a front end of the bottom wall portion toward a back end thereof; and

the removal portion, is formed at a same position as a center axis of the extension shaft portion of the load measurement sensor in the front to back direction so that the load measurement sensor is exposed to a space opposite to the upright wall portion when viewed from the upward protruding wall in the width direction.

3. The load measurement sensor support structure according to claim 1, wherein:

the seat is attached onto a rail member that extends in a front to back direction of the seat through the support bracket; and

the support bracket is separated from the rail member, and is removably fixed to the rail member.

4. The load measurement sensor support structure according to claim 3, wherein:

the support bracket is fixed to the rail member by a fastening member; and

the fastening member is set to a position that avoids the load measurement sensor in the front to back direction.

5. The load measurement sensor support structure according to claim 3, wherein the support bracket fixing position in the rail member is adjustable in a longitudinal direction of the rail member.

6. A load measurement sensor support structure that supports a load measurement sensor, which includes a sensor body that detects a load applied to a seat and an extension shaft portion extending from the lateral side of the sensor body, the sensor support structure comprising:

a support bracket that supports the sensor while the extension shaft portion is located at the lateral side of the sensor body, the support bracket comprising;

an upright wall portion that is provided with an insertion hole into which the extension shaft portion is inserted when the load measurement sensor is supported;

a bottom wall portion that intersects the upright wall portion and contacts the upright wall portion at one end in a seat width direction; and

an upward protruding wall that;

is provided at a position contacting the bottom wall portion at an other end of the bottom wall portion opposite to the upright wall portion in the width direction;

intersects the bottom wall portion; and

faces the upright wall portion;

wherein;

the sensor body includes a deformation portion that is deformed bent inwardly in a radial direction of the extension shaft portion by receiving the load;

the load measurement sensor support structure comprises;

a load input portion that contacts the load measurement sensor to input the load to the load measurement sensor; and

a sensor body receiving portion that presses the deformation portion when the load measurement sensor is moved by the load input from the load input portion,

the sensor body receiving portion includes the support bracket as a constituent; and

the load input portion is separated from the sensor body receiving portion while the load measurement sensor is supported by the support bracket.

7. The load measurement sensor support structure according to claim 6, wherein:

the load measurement sensor is rotated by the load input from the load input portion;

the deformation portion moves in a direction in which the deformation portion is pressed by the sensor body due to the rotation of the load measurement sensor; and

the load input portion is separated from the sensor body receiving portion in an axial direction of the extension shaft portion in a state where the load measurement sensor is supported by the support bracket.

8. The load measurement sensor support structure according to claim 7, wherein the load input portion is located at an opposite side to the sensor body when viewed from the sensor body receiving portion in the axial direction in a state where the load measurement sensor is supported by the support bracket.

9. The load measurement sensor support structure according to claim 7, wherein:

the deformation portion is an annular portion that is inserted into the insertion hole and is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole to be strained in the radial direction;

the sensor body receiving portion includes a sliding member that is located between the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole and the outer peripheral surface of the annular portion in the radial direction and is slidable on the outer peripheral surface of the annular portion;

when the load measurement sensor is moved by the load input from the load input portion, the annular portion is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole through the sliding member; and

the sliding member is a cylindrical body into which the annular portion is fitted, a flange portion is provided at each of both ends of the sliding member in the sliding direction, and the flange portion at one end side in the sliding direction and the flange portion at the other end side in the sliding direction are formed symmetrical to each other.

10. The load measurement sensor support structure according to claim 7, wherein:

the seat includes side frames that are separated from each other in a seat width direction;

the upright wall portion is disposed at a position that is parallel to the side frame in the axial direction; and

a portion that is located at the lower position in relation to the insertion hole in the upright wall portion extends downward in an up to down direction.

11. The load measurement sensor support structure according to claim 6, wherein the support bracket constitutes at least a part of the rail member on which the seat is placed.

12. The load measurement sensor support structure according to claim 6, wherein:

the upright wall portion includes an annular portion that is formed at an inside of the insertion hole and protrudes in a seat width direction; and

when the load measurement sensor is moved by the load input from the load input portion, the deformation portion is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole.

13. The load measurement sensor support structure according to claim 12, wherein the annular portion protrudes toward the load input portion in the width direction.

14. The load measurement sensor support structure according to claim 12, wherein the annular portion protrudes toward an opposite side to the load input portion in the width direction.

15. The load measurement sensor support structure according to claim 12, wherein:

the deformation portion is an annular portion that is inserted into the insertion hole and is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole to be strained in the radial direction;

the sensor body receiving portion includes a sliding member that is located between the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole and the outer peripheral surface of the annular portion in the radial direction and is slidable on the outer peripheral surface of the annular portion;

when the load measurement sensor is moved by the load input from the load input portion, the annular portion is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole through the sliding member;

the sliding member is a cylindrical body into which the annular portion is fitted, and a flange portion is provided at each of both ends of the sliding member in the sliding direction;

a one-end-side flange portion located at one side in the sliding direction among the flange portions is adjacent to a front end of the annular portion at the outside of the front end in the width direction; and

an outer edge of the front end of the annular portion is located at the inside of an outer edge of the one-end-side flange portion.

16. The load measurement sensor support structure according to claim 12, wherein:

the deformation portion includes an annular portion that is inserted into the insertion hole and is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole so as to be strained in the radial direction;

the sensor body includes an inner portion that is located at the inside of the annular portion in the radial direction;

the inner portion includes an inner large-diameter area that contacts the annular portion when the annular portion is strained inward in the radial direction and an inner small-diameter area that is adjacent to the inner large-diameter area and has a diameter smaller than that of the inner large-diameter area; and

in a state where the load measurement sensor is supported by the support bracket, at least a part of the inner large-diameter area and the inner small-diameter area are disposed inside the insertion hole.

17. The load measurement sensor support structure according to claim 6, wherein:

the seat includes side frames that are separated from each other in a seat width direction;

the support bracket is located at the inside of the side frame in the width direction; and

a front end of the extension shaft portion protrudes from the insertion hole and is fastened to the side frame.