Seat occupant determining apparatus

• US 9,440,608 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Fujii, Hiroyuki, Izuno, Takahiro, Honda, Isao, Tomatsu, Yoshiaki, Takahashi, Yusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): WILSON, BRIAN P
• Application Number:
  US13/799,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20140266657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• Field of Search: 340/438, 340/457, 340/457.1, 340/459, 340/500, 340/666, 340/667, 340/687, 180/271, 180/273, 324/207.13
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/0152 using strain gauges

Abstract

A seat passenger determination apparatus includes: a first determination processing unit configured to determine a passenger is not seated on a vehicle seat by having gotten out of the vehicle and transfer the mode to a not-seated recognition mode when a load variation width detected by a load detection apparatus falls within a first threshold value in a state in which a non-fastened state of a seatbelt is detected; and a second determination processing unit configured to determine the passenger is not seated on the vehicle seat by having gotten out of the vehicle and transfer the mode to the not-seated recognition mode when the load variation width detected by the load detection apparatus falls within a second threshold value which is larger than the first threshold value during a predetermined time when the fact that the seatbelt has changed from the fastened state to the non-fastened state is detected.

Claims

1. A seat passenger determination apparatus configured to determine whether a mode is a passenger-seated recognition mode in which a passenger is seated on a vehicle seat, or a not-seated recognition mode in which no passenger is seated on the vehicle seat, comprising:

a seatbelt fastening detector configured to detect whether a seatbelt is in a fastened state or in a non-fastened state;

a load detection apparatus including two load sensors arranged on one of a left side and a right side on a front and a rear on a lower side of the vehicle seat and configured to detect a load acting on the vehicle seat;

a state change determination unit configured to determine a fact that the seatbelt is changed from the fastened state to the non-fastened state by using the seatbelt fastening detector;

a first determination processing unit configured to determine a first determination that the passenger is not seated on the vehicle seat by having gotten out of the vehicle and transfer the mode to the not-seated recognition mode when a variation width of the load detected by the load detection apparatus in a state in which the non-fastened state of the seatbelt is detected by the seatbelt fastening detector in the passenger-seated recognition mode falls within a first threshold value of load variation width; and

a second determination processing unit configured to determine a second determination that the passenger is not seated on the vehicle seat by having gotten out of the vehicle and transfer the mode to the not-seated recognition mode when the load variation width of the load detected by the load detection apparatus during a predetermined time immediately after the seatbelt has changed from the fastened state to the non-fastened state as determined by the state change determination unit in the passenger-seated recognition mode falls within a second threshold value of load variation width which is larger than the first threshold value of load variation width,

wherein a third determination that the passenger is not seated on the vehicle seat by having gotten out of the vehicle is performed by the first determination processing unit when the variation width of the load detected by the load detection apparatus is within the first threshold value of load variation width after the predetermined time has elapsed.

2. The seat passenger determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the two load sensors are each strain gauge sensors.

3. The seat passenger determination apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first threshold value of load variation width is an inclusive range between ±

X where X is a first predetermined load value, and

wherein the second threshold value of load variation width is an inclusive range between ±

Y where Y is a second predetermined load value.

4. The seat passenger determination apparatus according to claim 3, wherein Y is five to 10 times larger than X.

5. The seat passenger determination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second threshold value of load variation width is five to 10 times larger than the first threshold value of load variation width.