Vehicle seat with load sensor

• US 9,835,479 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2015
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TS Tech Company Limited
• Original Assignee: TS Tech Company Limited
• Inventors: Endo, Shigeru, Sato, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Gibson, Randy
• Application Number:
  US14/826,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20150353044A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 296 66, 296 67, 296 6509, 296 6505, 296 6516, 296 63, 296 6501
• 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 2/0025 by using weight measurement
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0031 mounted on the frame
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0732 Attachment of seat frame to the slide, e.g. eyelets
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4263 with anti-submarining systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/68 Seat frames
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/686 Panel like structures
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/42 Strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/015 including means for detecting the presence or position of passengers, passenger seats or child seats , and the related safety parameters therefor, e.g. speed or timing of airbag inflation in relation to occupant position or seat belt use
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01512 Passenger detection systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01516 using force or pressure sensing means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0152 using strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 11/30 Supports specially adapted for an instrument; Supports specially adapted for a set of instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/08 for incorporation in vehicles
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/00 Apparatus for, or methods of, measuring force, work, mechanical power, or torque, specially adapted for specific purposes

Abstract

A vehicle seat includes a load sensor for measuring a load applied from an occupant and a seat cushion frame, wherein the seat cushion frame comprises right and left side frames extending in a front-and-rear direction, the load sensor is attached to the seat cushion frame, and a concave portion is formed in at least one of the right and left side frames at a position opposite to the load sensor.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat for attachment to left and right movable rails that are respectively configured to slidably move on left and right fixed rails fixed to a vehicle floor, the vehicle seat comprising:

at least one load sensor, each of which (i) is providable on one of the left and right movable rails, (ii) is configured to measure a load applied from an occupant, and (iii) includes a main body and a load input rod extending vertically from the main body;

at least one patch member, each of which includes an extending portion that extends along at least one of front and rear directions and a first side portion that extends vertically from the extending portion, the extending portion having a mounting hole through which the load input rod of a said load sensor vertically extends to attach the patch member to the said load input rod; and

a seat cushion frame including left and right side frames, at least one of which (i) is located, relative to a center of the vehicle seat, outside a said patch member in a left or a right direction, and (ii) includes a side frame side portion that extends vertically to face the first side portion of the said patch member along the front or the rear direction,

wherein an upper edge of the side frame side portion of at least one of the left and right side frames includes a side frame lateral portion that (i) extends inward toward the center of the vehicle seat along the left or the right direction and (ii) includes a gouged section at a position overlapping with the load input rod of a said load sensor as seen from above.

2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first connecting member extending in left and right directions of the seat, wherein

one of left and right ends of the first connecting member is connected to the first side portion of a said patch member.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein

the first connecting member is provided at a vertical position between the extending portion of the said patch member and the side frame lateral portion.

4. The vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein

the first connecting member passes through the first side portion of the the said patch member.

5. The vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein

a seat spring is connected to the first connecting member.

6. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, further comprising a second connecting member extending in left and right directions and that extends between members that are each different from the at least one patch member.

7. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein

the extending portion of a said patch member has a larger width along the left and right directions in proximity of the mounting hole.

8. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein

the main body of a said load sensor is attached to a said movable rail at forward and rearward attachment portions respectively located at forward and rearward positions as viewed from above with respect to the mounting hole of a said patch member.

9. The vehicle seat according to claim 8, wherein:

the said patch member includes a second side portion that extends vertically from an inner edge of the extending portion along one of the left and right directions, and

the second side portion extends in a region where the second side portion and at least one of the forward and rearward attachment portions of the said load sensor are overlapped with each other in a vertical direction as viewed from a side of the vehicle seat.

10. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein

the first side portion of a said patch member is provided with a through hole.