Device for determining kind of load on seat, seat, and bio-signal detector

• US 7,219,923 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2004
• Issued: 05/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Delta Tooling Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Delta Tooling Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ogura, Yumi, Fujita, Etsunori, Nakahira, Hiroshi, Enoki, Yoshimi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilhelm; Timothy
• Application Number:
  US10/849,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20040245036A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 280/735, 701/45, 701/47
• US Class Current: 280/735
• 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

There is provided a bio-signal detector to detect a heart rate and a respiratory rate so that the determination of a kind of a seat load placed on a seat can be made. That is, whether the seat load is a human or an object is determined, and if it is the human, then the physique size is determined to be small or large (the level of the physique size is determined). Accordingly, as compared with the means based only on a weight of the seat load, the determination result is highly reliable. Besides, with the use of the bio-signal detector, the discrimination between the human and the object is ensured. Moreover, a structure additionally including a weight sensor allows the determination of the physique size in more accurate manner.

Claims

1. A device for determining a kind of a load on a seat, comprising:

a bio-signal analyzer receiving and analyzing a bio signal and a weight signal of the load on the seat detected by a bio-signal detector and a weight sensor, respectively, the bio-signal detector and the weight sensor being provided on the seat,

wherein said bio-signal analyzer includes;

a calculation means calculating a heat rate, a respiratory rate and a weight respectively of the load on the seat based on the bio signal obtained by the bio-signal detector and the weight signal obtained by the weight sensor;

a comparative determine means to comparatively determine the kind of the load on the seat from the heart rate, the respiratory rate and the weight obtained by the calculations means, and to comparatively determine a size of a physique when the load on the seat is determined to be a human, and

wherein said comparative determination means is provided with;

a first determination step determining whether the load on the seat is a human or an object based on presence or absence of the respiratory rate,

a second determination step determining, when the load on the seat is determined to be a human, the size of the physique by comparing the weight with a critical threshold value of a weight set previously; and

a third determination step determining the size of the physique using at least the heart rate and the respiratory rate from the calculation means when the weight is determined to exceed the threshold value of the criterial weight in the second determination step.

2. The device for determining the kind of the load on the seat according to claim 1,

wherein, said second determination step is provided with a step of comparing the weight with the threshold value of the critical weight set previously to determine the physique size to be a “

small physique size”

when the weight does not exceed the threshold.

3. The device for determining the kind of the load on the seat according to claim 2,

wherein, said third determination step of the comparative determination means further comprises the step of comparing the weight obtained from the calculation means with a second threshold value being heavier than the first threshold value used in the second determination step when the weight is determined to exceed the first threshold value of the criterial weight in the second determination step, and, comparing a product of the heart rate and the respiratory rate set with a criterial threshold value of the product of the heart rate and the respiratory rate set previously;

and when the weight exceeds the second threshold value, and at the same time, the product of the heart rate and the respiratory rate is below the criterial threshold value, the physique size is determined to be a “

big physique size” and

when the weight is below the second threshold value, and at the same time, the product of the heart rate and the respiratory rate exceeds the criterial threshold value, the physique size is determined to be a “

small physique size”

.

4. The device for determining the kind of the load on the seat according to claim 2,

wherein said third determination step of the comparative determination means is provided with the step of comparing the heart rate and the respiratory rate obtained from the calculation means with critical threshold values of the heart rare and the respiratory rate set previously, respectively, when the weight is determined to exceed the threshold value of the criterial weight in the second determination step, and when both the heart rate and the respiratory rate are below the criterial threshold value, the physique size is determined to be a “

big physique size” and

when they exceed the criterial threshold value, the physique size is determined to be a “

small physique size”

.

5. The device for determining the kind of the load on the seat according to claim 1,

wherein said calculation means of said bio-signal analyzer is a means performing a frequency analysis on the bio-signal obtained by said bio-signal detector and calculating the heart rate and the respiratory rate based on a power spectrum obtained by the frequency analysis.

6. The device for determining the kind of the load on the seat according to claim 1,

wherein said bio-signal detector is a pressure sensor.

7. The device for determining the kind of the load on the seat according to claim 6,

wherein a cushioning member for composing a seat cushion or a seat back of a seat is made from a tension structure causing a difference in tension depending on presence or absence of the load on said seat;

and

wherein said bio-signal detector is mounted on a reverse surface of the cushioning member as the tension structure.

8. The device for determining the kind of the load on the seat according to claim 1,

wherein and weight sensor is a strain gauge for measuring a displacement amount of a cushioning member which is displaced according to the weight of the load on the seat.

9. The device for determining the kind of the load on the seat according to claim 1,

wherein said device for determining the kind of the load on the seat is structures to output a signal controlling actuation of an airbag from an output means when the load on the seat is determined to be the object or the human of a small physique size.