Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
  • B60R21/01—Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents
  • B60R21/015—Electrical circuits for triggering passive safety arrangements, e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners, in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents 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
  • B60R21/01512—Passenger detection systems
  • B60R21/01516—Passenger detection systems using force or pressure sensing means
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
  • B60N2/002—Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon
  • B60N2/0021—Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon characterised by the type of sensor or measurement
  • B60N2/003—Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon characterised by the type of sensor or measurement characterised by the sensor mounting location in or on the seat
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01G—WEIGHING
  • G01G19/00—Weighing apparatus or methods adapted for special purposes not provided for in the preceding groups
  • G01G19/40—Weighing apparatus or methods adapted for special purposes not provided for in the preceding groups with provisions for indicating, recording, or computing price or other quantities dependent on the weight
  • G01G19/413—Weighing apparatus or methods adapted for special purposes not provided for in the preceding groups with provisions for indicating, recording, or computing price or other quantities dependent on the weight using electromechanical or electronic computing means
  • G01G19/414—Weighing apparatus or methods adapted for special purposes not provided for in the preceding groups with provisions for indicating, recording, or computing price or other quantities dependent on the weight using electromechanical or electronic computing means using electronic computing means only
  • G01G19/4142—Weighing apparatus or methods adapted for special purposes not provided for in the preceding groups with provisions for indicating, recording, or computing price or other quantities dependent on the weight using electromechanical or electronic computing means using electronic computing means only for controlling activation of safety devices, e.g. airbag systems
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60N2210/00—Sensor types, e.g. for passenger detection systems or for controlling seats
  • B60N2210/40—Force or pressure sensors

Definitions

• the invention relates to a vehicle seat occupancy sensor that is disposed in a seat of a vehicle to detect the occupancy of the seat, that is, detect the sitting of an occupant in the seat.
• JP-A-2002- 12074 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-12074
• the invention provides a vehicle seat occupancy sensor that is simplified in construction and therefore allows a cost reduction.
• a first aspect of the invention relates to a vehicle seat occupant sensor.
• This vehicle seat occupancy sensor includes a plurality of sensor elements that are disposed in a seat of a vehicle and that each activate upon receiving a pressure that is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and at least two of the plurality of sensor elements are arranged so that arrangement of the at least two sensor elements is inclined from a center line of the seat which extends in a longitudinal direction of the seat, to only one of a leftward direction and a rightward direction at an inclination angle within a range of 7° to 16.5° with respect to the center line.
• the vehicle seat occupancy sensor in accordance with the first aspect of the invention since at least two of the plurality of sensor elements are arranged so that the arrangement thereof is inclined from the longitudinal center line of the seat to only one of a leftward direction and a rightward direction at a predetermined inclination angle, the number of the sensor elements disposed is smaller than in the related art, and it is easier to dispose the sensor elements than in the related art. Therefore, the vehicle seat occupancy sensor in accordance with the first aspect is able to realize simplification of construction and achieve reduction of cost. Besides, since the inclination angle is within the range of 7° to 16.5°, the vehicle seat occupancy sensor is able to detect the seat occupant by a child, that is, the sitting of a child in the seat, as well as the seat occupancy by an adult.
• the plurality of sensor elements may be disposed only in a half region of the seat that is on a left side and a right side of a center of the seat. Due to this, the number of sensor elements is less than in the related art, and it is easier to dispose the sensor elements than in the related art. Hence, it is possible to realize simplification of construction and achieve reduction of cost.
• an arrangement pitch of the plurality of sensor elements in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle may be within a range of 30 mm to 50 mm. Due to this, false detection caused by a piece of luggage can be prevented.
• the inclination angle may be within a range of to 15°. Due to this, it is possible to detect the seat occupancy by a child as well as the seat occupancy by an adult.
• a second aspect of the invention relates to a vehicle seat occupancy sensor.
• This vehicle seat occupancy sensor includes a plurality of sensor elements that are disposed in a seat of a vehicle and that each activate upon receiving a pressure that is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and the plurality of sensor elements are arranged so that arrangement of the plurality of sensor elements is inclined from a center line of the seat which extends in a longitudinal direction of the seat, to only one of a leftward direction and a rightward direction at a predetermined inclination angle, and the inclination angle is less than or equal to 16.5°.
• the vehicle seat occupancy sensor in accordance with the second aspect of the invention, since the plurality of sensor elements are arranged so that the arrangement thereof is inclined from the longitudinal center line of the seat to only one of a leftward direction and a rightward direction at a predetermined inclination angle, the number of the sensor elements disposed is smaller than in the related art, and it is easier to dispose the sensor elements than in the related art. Therefore, the vehicle seat occupancy sensor is able to realize simplification of construction and achieve reduction of cost. Besides, since the inclination angle is less than or equal to 16.5°, it is possible to detect the seat occupancy by a child, that is, the sitting of a child in the seat, as well as the seat occupancy by an adult.
• the inclination angle may be less than or equal to 15°. Due to this, it is possible to accurately detect the seat occupancy by a child as well as the seat occupancy by an adult.
• a third aspect of the invention relates to a vehicle seat occupancy sensor.
• This vehicle seat occupancy sensor includes a plurality of sensor elements that are disposed in a seat of a vehicle and that each activate upon receiving a pressure that is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and the plurality of sensor elements are arranged so that arrangement of the plurality of sensor elements is inclined from a center line of the seat which extends in a longitudinal direction of the seat, to only one of a leftward direction and a rightward direction at a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the center line, and the inclination angle is greater than or equal to 7°.
• the vehicle seat occupancy sensor in accordance with the third aspect of the invention, since the plurality of sensor elements are arranged so that the arrangement thereof is inclined from the longitudinal center line of the seat to only one of a leftward direction and a rightward direction at a predetermined inclination angle, the number of the sensor elements disposed is smaller than in the related art, and it is easier to dispose the sensor elements than in the related art. Therefore, the vehicle seat occupancy sensor is able to realize simplification of construction and achieve reduction of cost. Besides, since the inclination angle is greater than or equal to 7°, it is possible to prevent a child's "crotch escape" from detection.
• crotch escape refers to a phenomenon in which since a region of a human body between the left and right hipbones does not easily give load to the seat, the load at a site that corresponds to the crotch cannot be detected by a sensor.
• a fourth aspect of the invention relates to a vehicle seat occupancy sensor.
• This vehicle seat occupancy sensor includes a plurality of sensor elements that are disposed in a seat of a vehicle and that each activate upon receiving a pressure that is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and the plurality of sensor elements are provided only in a whole or a portion of a range of angle of 7° to 16.5° with respect to a center line of the seat that extends in a longitudinal direction of the seat.
• the vehicle seat occupancy sensor in accordance with the fourth aspect of the invention since the plurality of sensor elements are provided in the whole or a portion of the range of 7° to 16.5° with respect to the longitudinal center line of the seat, the number of the sensor elements disposed is smaller than in the related art, and it is easier to dispose the sensor elements than in the related art. Therefore, it is possible to realize simplification of construction and achieve reduction of cost. Besides, since the inclination angle is in the range of 7° to 16.5°, it is possible to detect the seat occupancy by a child as well as the seat occupancy by an adult.
• FIG 1 is a plan view of a vehicle seat occupancy sensor in accordance with an embodiment of the invention
• FIG 2A is a diagram showing distributions of the sitting pressure occurring in a seat cushion when an adult properly sits and when a six-year-old child properly sits
• FIG 2B is a diagram showing distributions of the sitting pressure occurring in the seat cushion when the adult sits back in the seat and when the six-year-old child sits back in the seat
• FIG 2C is a diagram showing distributions of the sitting pressure occurring in the seat cushion when the adult sits one-sided and when the six-year-old child sits one-sided;
• FIG 3 is a plan view showing positions at which vehicle seat occupancy sensor elements are disposed
• FIG 4 is a diagram showing the sensor installation angle and the probability of detection.
• FIG 5 is a diagram showing ranges where sensor elements are installed.
• FIG 1 is a plan view showing a vehicle seat occupancy sensor in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
• a vehicle seat occupancy sensor 10 in accordance with this embodiment is disposed in a seat cushion 12 of a vehicle seat 18.
• the seat cushion 12 is formed so as to have a recess shape that conforms to a hip shape of occupants.
• the vehicle seat occupancy sensor 10 has a four pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 (i.e., a first pressure sensitive sensor element 14a, a second pressure sensitive sensor element 14b, a third pressure sensitive sensor element 14c, and a fourth pressure sensitive sensor element 14d).
• the pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 are arranged only in one side portion of the seat cushion 12, and are embedded within the seat cushion 12.
• Each of these pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 activates when a pressure that is greater than or equal to a predetermined value acts thereon.
• Examples of the pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 include sensors that turn on when the pressure becomes equal to or greater than a threshold value through the use of a button switch, a pressurized electroconductive rubber, etc. Then, the four pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 are linked to a connector 16 that is provided at the rear of the seat cushion 12 and on a center axis of the seat cushion 12. Via the connector 16, the pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 are connected to a seat occupancy determination ECU (Electronic Control Unit) (not shown).
• the pressure sensitive sensor elements used herein may be, for example, sensors whose electric resistance changes according to the stress and sensors whose capacitance changes according to the stress as well as other types of sensors.
• the four pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 are disposed asymmetrically about a longitudinal center line LI of the seat 18. Concretely, as shown in FIG. 1, the four pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 are linearly arranged. The linear arrangement of the pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 is inclined only to the right from the center line LI. That is, the four pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 are arranged from a rear central portion of the seat cushion 12 toward a front of the vehicle with an inclination to the right side. Then, an inclination angle a between a straight line L2 along the linear arrangement of the four pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 and the center line LI of the seat cushion 12 is preferably in the range of 7° to 16.5°, and more preferably in the range of 7° to 15°.
• the straight line L2 extends in a direction from a widthwise center of a sitting surface for one person on the seat 18 toward an outer side of the vehicle and toward a front of the vehicle, and is inclined at an angle of 7° with respect to the center line LI that extends in the longitudinal direction of the seat 18.
• the straight line L2 is preferably a line that passes through a site that is located 85 mm to 110 mm rearward from a hip point.
• the hip point herein is a position that represents a hip joint point of a person seated in the seat 18. The hip point can be measured by using a common three-dimensional mannequin.
• FIGS. 2A to 2C show results of examination about the sitting pressures of adults and children through the use of the pressure sensitive sensor elements 14.
• a region A denotes a sitting-pressure-on region of an adult
• a region B denotes a sitting-pressure-on region of a six-year-old child.
• a point PI denotes a 3DM hip point (hereinafter, abbreviated as H.P.)
• a point P2 denotes a six-year-old child's H.P.
• a point P3 denotes an adult's H.P.
• the hip point refers to a point that corresponds to a center of rotation of the trunk and the thighs of a three-dimensional dummy for measurement of internal dimensions of motor vehicle cabins according to D4607-1977 of JIS (Japan Industrial Standards).
• FIG 2A shows the sitting pressure distributions occurring when an adult properly sits and when a six-year-old child properly sits.
• the point PI, the point P2 and the point P3, respectively are located substantially linearly in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the six-year-old child's sitting-pressure-on region B. is within the adult's sitting-pressure-on region A.
• FIG- 2B shows the sitting pressure distributions occurring when the adult sits back and when the six-year-old child sits back.
• the point PI of the dummy and the point P2 of the six-year-old child are located substantially linearly in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the sitting-pressure-on region B of the six-year-old child is within the sitting-pressure-on region A of the adult.
• FIG 2C shows the sitting pressure distributions occurring when the adult sits one-sided, that is, sits with a deviation to a side, and when the six-year-old child sits one-sided.
• the point PI of the dummy, the point P2 of the six-year-old child and the point P3 of the adult are located substantially linearly in the transverse direction of the vehicle.
• the adult's sitting-pressure-on region A is more external than the six-year-old child's sitting-pressure-on region B since the adult's hip is larger than the six-year-old child's hip. Therefore, as long as the seat occupancy by a six-year-old child, that is, the sitting of a six-year-old child in the seat, can be detected, the seat occupancy by an adult can also be detected.
• the detection region is determined by a detection region for six-year-old children.
• FIG ' 3 is a plan view showing the positions at which vehicle seat occupancy sensor elements are disposed.
• the forward located first and second cells SI and S2 correspond to the sitting forward of six-year-old children
• the rearward located third and fourth cells S3 and S4 correspond to the sitting back of six-year-old children.
• the first pressure sensitive sensor element 14a, the second pressure sensitive sensor element 14b, the third pressure sensitive sensor element 14c, and the fourth pressure sensitive sensor element 14d are disposed at positions where at least two of the first to fourth cells SI to S4 overlap with each other.
• the four pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 are disposed only in a substantially half portion of the seat 18 that is in the left or right side of the center of the seat 18 (the right side of the center in this embodiment). Concretely, the four pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 are disposed only to the right of the center line LI of the seat cushion 12, and are inclined at a predetermined inclination angle a with respect to the center line LI. The pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 are disposed only in an inclined region, and not disposed in the other regions.
• the pitch between the pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is set at 30 mm to 50 mm.
• the four pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 are disposed obliquely.
• the inclination angle a between the center line LI of the seat 18 and the straight line L2 along the linear arrangement of the four pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 is set within the range of 7° to 16.5°.
• the inclination angle a between the center line LI and the straight line L2 along the arrangement of the pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 be within the range of 7° to 16.5°.
• the inclination angle a is preferred to be within the range of 7° to 15°.
• the position of the arrangement of the pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 does not have any particular preference in direction, that is, as to whether the pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 are preferred to be disposed in the seat at an inner side or an outer side with respect to the vehicle.
• a rear seat occupants often sit looking in the direction of a center of the front seat row or a center of the windshield, and therefore often sit center-sided, that is, closer to the center of the vehicle. Therefore, in the case where the seat in question is a rear seat, it is preferable that the pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 be disposed closer to the center of the vehicle.
• FIG 4 is a diagram showing the sensor installation angle and the probability of detection.
• the horizontal axis represents the sensor installation angle
• the vertical axis represents the probability of detection.
• FIG 5 shows regions where sensors are disposed as results of an examination performed about the sitting-pressure-on region of six-year-old children.
• load does not act in a portion that corresponds to the crotch of a six-year-old child, the "crotch escape from detection" is likely to occur.
• the lower limit value of the inclination angle a is set at 7°.
• the four pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 are arranged on a straight line segment that starts from the center line LI and extends only in a rightward direction at an inclination angle a with respect to the center line LI, so that the number of pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 disposed is smaller than the number thereof in the related art, and it suffices to dispose the pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 linearly.
• the inclination angle is within the range of 7° to 16.5°, it is possible to detect the seat occupancy by a child as well as the seat occupancy by an adult.
• simplification may be achieved by avoiding provision of a sensor outside the range of angle of 7° to 16.5°.
• the foregoing embodiment illustrates an example of a vehicle seat occupancy sensor in accordance with the invention.
• the vehicle seat occupancy sensor in accordance with the invention is not limited to those described above in conjunction with the foregoing embodiments.
• the vehicle seat occupancy sensor in accordance with the invention may also be a vehicle seat occupancy sensor that is modified from any one of the vehicle seat occupancy sensors of the embodiments without departing from the gist described in the appended claims for patent, or that is applied to a construction that is different from what is described above.
• the four pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 are linearly arranged, this arrangement is not restrictive, that is, the arrangement does not need to be perfectly linear.
• the four pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 are disposed inclined only in a rightward direction with respect to the center line LI, the pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 may also be disposed inclined only in a leftward direction with respect to the center line LI, or may also be disposed inclined in both leftward and rightward directions with respect to the center line LI.
• the pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 may be disposed in a region in the seat cushion 12 that is on an inner side of a straight line that connects a point located within a region that corresponds to the adult's hipbones and a site that corresponds to a center of a rear end of the adult's hipbones in the seat cushion 12.
• the number of pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 disposed is less than in the related art, and it is easier to dispose the pressure sensitive sensor elements 14 than in the related art. Therefore, simplification of construction can be realized, and reduction of cost can be achieved.
• the foregoing sensor arrangement makes it possible to detect the seat occupancy by a child as well as the seat occupancy by an adult.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Mathematical Physics (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Seats For Vehicles (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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ID=43304196

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Country Status (4)

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• 2009
  • 2009-09-15 JP JP2009213804A patent/JP2011063076A/ja active Pending
• 2010
  • 2010-09-14 EP EP10763427A patent/EP2477848A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2010-09-14 WO PCT/IB2010/002288 patent/WO2011033360A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2010-09-14 CN CN2010800411210A patent/CN102498018A/zh active Pending

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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