JP2002255010A - Occupant detection system and occupant protective system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an occupant detection system and an occupant protective system capable of accurately determining whether a child seat is mounted or not even when it is difficult to determine whether the child seat is present or not by a seating sensor. SOLUTION: This occupant detection system comprises the seating sensor 20 incorporated in the seat surface of a seat 1 and detecting the load distribution pattern of a load applied to the seat surface, an installation detection device 31 for detecting the installation of a seat belt 3 on the seat 1, and a used portion detection device 32 for detecting the used portion of the seat belt 30. It further comprises an air bag control unit 51 which, based on a detected result obtained by the seating sensor 20, installation detection device 31, and use amount detection device 32, determines whether the child seat is present or absent on the seat 1 and controls the unfolding of an air bag by an air bag inflator 50.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an occupant detection system for an automobile, and more particularly to an occupant detection system and an occupant protection system for protecting a child in a child seat from the impact of airbag deployment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the mounting of airbags on automobiles has been increasing year by year. In particular, the mounting ratio of airbags in a driver's seat and a passenger's seat in a passenger car has become close to the standard equipment. Airbags are designed for when an adult is riding in a normal position with a seat belt, and in a collision accident in such a state, it has a great effect as an occupant protection device in reducing the degree of injury. is there. On the other hand, the deployment of an airbag when a seatbelt is not worn or when a child using a child seat is in a vehicle is the same as when an adult is normally seated because the degree of impact on the occupant is different. It is not possible. For this purpose, the state of the occupant (wearing / non-wearing of seat belts, adults / children, sitting posture / distance from airbag inflator, mounting / non-mounting of child seat, etc.) is detected, and the deployment of airbags at the time of vehicle collision Smart airbags that precisely control (deploy / non-deploy, delay deploy / multi-stage deploy, high output deploy / low output deploy, etc.) based on the occupant state and the vehicle speed at the time of vehicle collision are being promoted.

FIG. 3 shows a part of a system for judging the physique of an occupant (adult / child) and mounting / non-mounting of a child seat among occupant detection systems proposed to cope with a smart airbag. FIG. 4 shows the seat 1 as viewed from above. This system incorporates a seating sensor 20 composed of switches having a plurality of (about 100) contacts on the seating surface of the seat 1, and the approximate physique of the occupant is determined by the distribution pattern of the switches whose seating sensors are turned on. And the seating posture, and whether or not the child seat is mounted. Based on this estimation result, the airbag inflator 5
0 controls the deployment of the airbag. FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing details of the seating sensor 20. This seating sensor 20
The upper printed circuit 24 and the lower printed circuit 25 are respectively formed on the opposing surfaces of the upper sheet 22 and the lower sheet 23 which are arranged to face each other.
7 for bonding. When a load F is applied to the seating sensor 20 from above, both the upper sheet 22 and the upper printed circuit 24 bend, and the upper printed circuit 24 and the lower printed circuit 25 come into contact with each other, thereby providing conduction and serving as a switch.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional occupant detection system, a child seat is mounted / mounted.
It is difficult to judge whether or not it is mounted, and there is a case where it is erroneously judged. FIG. 6 shows an example of a load distribution pattern obtained by the seating sensor 20. (A) is a load distribution pattern when an adult weighing 48 kg sits, (b) is a load distribution pattern when a child weighing 22 kg sits, and (c) is a child seat mounted. 4 shows a load distribution pattern. Since the bottom shape of the child seat is various, the load distribution pattern peculiar to the child seat may not be obtained by the seating sensor. Sometimes, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7C, some child seats have a load distribution pattern similar to that of an adult seat.

An object of the present invention is to provide an occupant detection system and an occupant protection system that can accurately judge whether a child seat is mounted or not using only a sitting sensor. And

[0006]

An occupant detection system according to the present invention is a system for detecting an occupant of an automobile seat, and detects a load distribution pattern of a load applied to the seat surface which is built into the seat surface of the seat. A seating sensor, a wearing detection unit for detecting the wearing of the seat belt in the seat, a usage detecting unit for detecting the usage of the seat belt,
A determination unit configured to determine whether or not the child seat is mounted on the seat based on detection results of the seating sensor, the mounting detection unit, and the usage amount detection unit.

According to the present invention, the presence / absence of a child seat is detected by detecting not only the load distribution pattern obtained by the seating sensor but also the usage amount of the seat belt and the wearing of the seat belt. ,
It is possible to clearly distinguish between a case where an adult who is difficult to determine with only a seating sensor is seated and a case where a child seat is mounted, thereby enabling accurate occupant detection.

The determining means may determine that the area of the load distribution pattern on the seat detected by the seating sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined area, and that the usage amount of the seat belt detected by the usage amount detecting means is equal to the first. It is desirable to determine that the child seat is mounted when the mounting detection means detects that the seat belt is worn by the user.

[0009] The determination means may further include a load distribution pattern area on the seat detected by the seating sensor is equal to or larger than a predetermined area, and the usage amount of the seat belt detected by the usage amount detection means is determined by the usage amount. It is also determined that the child seat is mounted when the mounting detection means detects that the seat belt is fastened, which is greater than or equal to the second predetermined amount which is larger than the first predetermined amount. Preferably, by doing so, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the child seat is mounted even when the child seat is mounted on the seat backward.

Preferably, the use amount detecting means detects the use amount of the seat belt based on, for example, the amount of seat belt pulled out. The amount may be detected.

An occupant protection system according to the present invention comprises an airbag which is deployed in the event of a collision of an automobile, a wearing detecting means for detecting the wearing of a seat belt in the seat, and a usage detecting means for detecting the usage of the seat belt. Means, and airbag control means for judging whether or not a child seat is mounted on the seat based on detection results by the mounting detection means and the usage amount detection means, and restricting deployment of the airbag when the child seat is mounted. It is characterized by. By doing so, it is possible to avoid the danger that the airbag will hit the child on the child seat directly in the event of a vehicle collision.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In FIG.
1 shows an occupant protection system including an occupant detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The occupant detection system includes a seating sensor 20 that is built into the seating surface of the seat 1 and detects a load distribution pattern of a load applied to the seating surface, a wearing detection device 31 that detects wearing of the seat belt 30 in the seat 1, And a usage detecting device 32 for detecting the usage of the device 30. Further, the seating sensor 20 and the mounting detection device 3
And an airbag control unit 51 that controls the deployment of the airbag by the airbag inflator 50 based on the detection result obtained by the vehicle 1 and the usage amount detection device 32, and controls the deployment of the airbag by the airbag inflator 50. Have been. The attachment detection device 31 that detects the attachment of the seat belt 30 can be configured by, for example, a switch (not shown) that is turned on when the lock plate 31a is attached to the buckle device 31b and engaged. The seat belt 30 includes a retractor (not shown) that locks the rotation of the webbing 30a in the pull-out direction under a certain condition.

It is desirable that the use amount detecting device 32 detects the use amount of the seat belt 30 based on, for example, the amount of seat belt pulled out.
The seat belt 30 is stored on the basis of the remaining amount of the seat belt 30 in the retractor (not shown) that accommodates the seat belt 30 in a retractable manner (for example, a detected amount of the winding diameter).
May be used to detect the amount of use.

The processing procedure of the occupant protection system thus configured will be described. FIG. 2 is a table for explaining processing of the occupant protection system. In this table, a combination of various data such as the detection result of the mounting detection device 31, the detection result of the usage amount detection device 32, the detection result of the seating sensor 20, the determination result, and the possibility of airbag deployment is shown in Case A.
To E are shown. The detection result of each detection device in Case A indicates that the seatbelt is fastened, the seatbelt usage is long, and the load distribution pattern is wide. From these detection results, it is estimated that an adult is sitting on the seat. In this case, it is determined that airbag deployment is possible. In the case B, the detection results by the detection devices are as follows.
The load distribution pattern is narrow, and from these detection results, it is estimated that a child is seated on the seat. In this case, when deploying the airbag, it is determined that it is necessary to limit the deployment conditions of the airbag, such as relaxing the deployment speed of the airbag and adjusting the deployment timing. The detection result of each detection device in case C indicates that the seatbelt is fastened, the seatbelt usage is short, and the load distribution pattern is wide. From these detection results, it is estimated that the child seat is mounted on the seat in a frontal direction. Is done. Therefore, in this case, the deployment of the airbag is prohibited. The detection result of each detection device in case D shows that the seatbelt is fastened, the amount of seatbelt used is a characteristic, and the load distribution pattern is wide. From these detection results, it is presumed that the child seat is mounted on the seat facing backward. Is done. Therefore, in this case, the deployment of the airbag is prohibited. The detection result of each detection device in case E indicates that the seat belt is not worn, and it is estimated from this detection result that no one is seated on the seat or that the user is seated without using the seat belt. Bag deployment is prohibited.

According to the present invention, the presence / absence of a child seat is detected by detecting not only the load distribution pattern obtained by the seating sensor but also the usage amount of the seat belt and the wearing of the seat belt. ,
It is possible to provide an occupant detection system capable of performing accurate detection even in a case where it is difficult to determine the occupant using only the seating sensor. In addition, by using the present system for controlling the deployment of the airbag, it is possible to avoid the danger of the airbag directly hitting the child on the child seat at the time of a vehicle collision.

Further, according to the present system, it is possible to determine whether the child seat is mounted forward or backward with respect to the traveling direction. For example, the airbag is mounted not only on the front but also on the side of the seat. In the case of a vehicle that also has a child seat, if it is detected that the child seat is mounted forward in the traveling direction, the deployment of only the side airbag is prohibited and it is detected that the child seat is mounted backward in the traveling direction Can be controlled to prohibit the deployment of only the front airbag,
Airbags can be used properly according to the mounting status of the child seat.

[0017]

As described above, according to the present invention, not only the load distribution pattern obtained by the seating sensor,
At the same time, by detecting the amount of seat belt usage and seat belt wearing, the presence or absence of a child seat is detected, so it is difficult to determine whether an adult is seated using only a seating sensor. Can be clearly distinguished from
Thus, an occupant detection system and an occupant protection system capable of accurate occupant detection can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an occupant protection system including an occupant detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining processing of an occupant protection system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a part of a conventional occupant detection system.

FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining a seating sensor.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a seating sensor.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a load distribution pattern of a seating sensor.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Seat, 20 ... Seat sensor, 30 ... Seat belt, 3
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Wear detection apparatus, 32 ... Seat belt usage detection apparatus, 50 ... Airbag inflator, 51 ... Airbag control unit.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A system for detecting an occupant of an automobile seat, comprising: a seating sensor built in the seating surface of the seat for detecting a load distribution pattern of a load applied to the seating surface; A use detecting means for detecting; a use amount detecting means for detecting the use amount of the seat belt; and a presence / absence of a child seat mounted on the seat based on a detection result by the seating sensor, the use detecting means, and the use amount detecting means. An occupant detection system comprising: 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the area of the load distribution pattern on the seat detected by the seating sensor is equal to or larger than a predetermined area, and the usage amount of the seat belt detected by the usage amount detecting means is equal to a first area. 2. The occupant detection system according to claim 1, wherein when the seat belt is worn by the wearing detection means, the occupant detection system determines that the child seat is worn. . 3. The determining means further includes: a load distribution pattern area on the seat detected by the seating sensor is equal to or larger than a predetermined area; It is also determined that the child seat is mounted when the mounting detection means detects that the seat belt is worn, when it is not less than the second predetermined amount which is larger than the first predetermined amount. 3. The occupant detection system according to claim 2, wherein: 4. The occupant detection system according to claim 1, wherein the use amount detection means detects the use amount of the seat belt based on a withdrawal amount of the seat belt. 5. The occupant detection system according to claim 1, wherein said usage amount detection means detects the usage amount of said seat belt based on the remaining storage capacity of said seat belt. 6. An airbag which is deployed at the time of a collision of an automobile, a mounting detecting means for detecting a seatbelt mounted on the seat, a usage detecting means for detecting a usage amount of the seatbelt, and the mounting detecting means. An occupant protection system, comprising: airbag control means for judging whether or not a child seat is mounted on the seat based on a detection result by the usage amount detecting means, and restricting deployment of the airbag when the child seat is mounted. .