JP2002234415A - Automobile occupant detector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automobile occupant detector capable of being actuated properly while eliminating its influence on occupants. SOLUTION: The automobile occupant detector 10 detects whether or not an occupant is seated on a seat. A sensor 11 for sensing the body temperature of the occupant without making contact with the occupant is provided in an appropriate position near the seat and signals output from the sensor 11 are used to detect whether or not there is an occupant on the seat. The sensor 11 is comprised of a pyroelectric infrared radiation detector which is positioned approximately on the front of the seat. Because the sensor does not make contact with the occupant, it will not cause a sense of incompatibility, totally unaffecting riding comfort.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an occupant detection device for detecting whether or not an occupant is seated in a vehicle such as a passenger car.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as means for detecting the presence or absence of an occupant in a seat of this type of vehicle, for example, a plurality of pressure-sensitive switches are embedded in a seating surface of a seat. When the occupant sits on the seat, the switch contact is turned on by pressurizing the pressure-sensitive switch, thereby detecting that the occupant is seated.

[0003] A seat-seat portion (seat cushion)
Or on the back (seat back) or both,
For example, an antenna in which a film-shaped planar antenna is embedded is known. In this case, when the occupant sits on the seat, the electromagnetic field around the seat changes, and by detecting the change in the electromagnetic field, it is possible to detect that the occupant is seated.

[0004]

However, in the conventional detecting device, a film-shaped or linear sensor or switch is provided in a wide area on a seating portion, a seating surface or a backrest portion directly contacted by an occupant, and on a surface portion thereof. Is done. These sensors or switches may cause a foreign-body sensation, which may affect ride comfort. further,
The conventional apparatus has a complicated structure in which a large number of wirings are routed on the sheet itself, so that the number of steps and costs must be increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an occupant detection device for an automobile which eliminates the influence on the occupant and ensures proper operation.

[0006]

An automobile occupant detection device according to the present invention is a device for detecting whether or not an occupant is seated on a seat, and is provided at an appropriate position near the seat without contact with the occupant. A sensor for sensing a human body temperature is provided, and the presence or absence of an occupant in the seat is detected based on an output signal of the sensor.

In the vehicle occupant detection device of the present invention,
The sensor is constituted by a pyroelectric infrared detector and is arranged substantially in front of a seat.

In the vehicle occupant detection device of the present invention,
The sensor is arranged integrally with the passenger seat indicator or incorporated in a center cluster panel.

Further, in the vehicle occupant detection device of the present invention, the operation of the airbag is controlled in accordance with the presence or absence of an occupant detected by an output signal of the sensor, in connection with an airbag operation control device. It is characterized by.

According to the present invention, a sensor for sensing the temperature of the occupant without contact with the occupant is provided at an appropriate position near the seat. The presence or absence of an occupant in the seat is detected based on the output signal of this sensor. The sensor is particularly constituted by a pyroelectric infrared detector. However, since the sensor is not in contact with the occupant seated on the seat, the sensor cannot be a factor of a foreign body sensation or the like, and does not affect riding comfort at all.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of an occupant detection system for a vehicle according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the detection device of the present invention. In this example, the detection device 10 including the sensor 11
Are arranged integrally with the passenger seat indicator 1. Note that the detecting device 10 can be incorporated and arranged in a center cluster panel as described later.

In FIG. 1, 1 is an indicator, 2 is a case, 3 is an indicator housing, 4 is an indicator valve, 5 is a tell tale, and 6 is a connector. The indicator 1 is arranged substantially in front of the passenger seat, and the detection device 10 including the sensor 11 is incorporated in a part of the case 2.

In the present invention, the sensor 11 is constituted by a pyroelectric infrared detector in particular, and is connected to a circuit section 12 described later. The sensor 11 is, as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG.
It is arranged behind the tell tale 5 on the front side (occupant side) of the indicator 1. In this example, the circuit section 12 is also incorporated in the case 2 and is connected to an external circuit via the connector 6.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a circuit configuration of the circuit section 12 of the detection device 10. The pyroelectric infrared detector of the sensor 11 is connected to an amplifier 13, and the amplifier 13 is connected to a comparator (comparator) 14. The output signal of the sensor 11 is amplified by the amplifier 13, and the comparator 14 compares the amplified output signal with the voltage Vdd of the reference power supply 15 and outputs it.

The detecting device 10 is arranged substantially in front of the front passenger seat as shown in FIG. 4, for example. FIG.
May be incorporated and arranged in the center cluster panel. In this case, the detection area or range 16 of the sensor 11 (see a dashed line) is set so as to cover a main part of the occupant M sitting on the passenger seat. Infrared rays (arrows in FIG. 4) emitted from the occupant M are detected by the sensor 11 and output from the circuit section 12 as described above.

When the occupant M having a temperature difference in the surroundings moves, the detecting device 10 can detect that the occupant is seated on the seat by detecting a change in infrared rays. In this case, since the sensor 11 is not in contact with the occupant M seated on the seat, the sensor 11 cannot be a factor of a foreign-body sensation or the like, and a comfortable ride can be secured.

Here, the detection device 10 of the present invention can be effectively applied to, for example, an airbag system.
In this type of vehicle airbag system, for example, as shown in FIG. The airbag 100 is activated by an ignition device 102 in response to a signal from an airbag activation control device 101.

The detection device 10 is an airbag operation control device 1
01, the operation of the airbag 100 can be controlled in accordance with the presence or absence of an occupant detected by the output signal of the sensor 11. That is, when the detection device 10 detects that the occupant is sitting on the seat, the airbag operation control device 101 that has received the output signal controls the ignition device 102 to be in an operable state. When it is detected that the occupant is not seated on the seat, the operation of the ignition device 102 is prohibited.

As described above, by applying the detection device 10 to an airbag operation prohibition system and operating in conjunction with the system, the airbag system can be operated efficiently. Moreover, high safety and proper operation can be ensured.

In the above embodiment, the detecting device 10
Is not limited to the above-described example, and can be appropriately selected. Further, as an application example, in addition to the airbag system, the present invention can be applied to a system related to occupant presence / absence information and the like, and the same operation and effect as the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention, a comfortable ride can be secured and the livability can be greatly improved by detecting the occupant sitting on the seat in a non-contact manner. . Further, the W / H for the seat is reduced, and the reliability is improved. Furthermore, the occupant can accurately detect either an adult or a child, and high-precision detection can be performed without malfunction. In addition, there is an advantage that it is possible to judge a package and a person.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a detection device incorporating an indicator in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a circuit unit of the detection device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the detection device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of installation of a detection device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Indicator 2 Case 3 Indicator housing 4 Indicator valve 5 Tell tail 6 Connector 10 Detector 11 Sensor 12 Circuit part 13 Amplifier 14 Comparator 15 Reference power supply 100 Airbag

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A device for detecting whether or not an occupant is seated on a seat, comprising: a sensor for sensing the temperature of the human body in a suitable position near the seat without contact with the occupant; and an output signal of the sensor. Wherein the presence or absence of an occupant in the seat is detected. 2. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a pyroelectric infrared detector, and is disposed near a seat front.
The vehicle occupant detection device according to claim 1. 3. The vehicle occupant detection device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is disposed integrally with a passenger seat indicator or incorporated in a center cluster panel. 4. The detection device according to claim 1, wherein the detection device is connected to an airbag operation control device, and controls the operation of the airbag according to the presence or absence of an occupant detected by an output signal of the sensor. A vehicle occupant detection device, characterized in that: