JP2004175139A - Occupant weighing device of vehicle seat - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an occupant weighing device for vehicle seat capable of improving the accuracy of measuring the weight of an occupant for a seat. <P>SOLUTION: The occupant weighing device of the vehicle seat is equipped with an upper rail 20, a front and a rear arm member 40 coupled rotatably in the vertical direction relative to the upper rail 20 at its two ends, front and rear, a bracket 50 coupled movably in the vertical direction relative to the upper rail at its two ends, front and rear, and supporting the front and rear arm members rotatably in the vertical direction relative to each other, and a sensor mechanism 60 to sense the weight of the occupant seated on the seat. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle seat occupant weight measurement device that measures the weight of a vehicle seat occupant.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, in order to improve the performance of various safety devices such as seat belts and airbags, in order to improve the performance (weight) of an occupant sitting on a vehicle seat (hereinafter simply referred to as “seat”), these safety devices have been developed. You may control the behavior.
[0003]
As an occupant weight measurement device for a vehicle seat that measures the weight of a seated occupant, a device as shown in FIG. 4 is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
The device 100 is disposed inside a U-shaped sensor base 101 having an opening at an upper part, a pin bracket 103 fixed to a lower surface of a seat rail 102, and a longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the sensor base 101. , A sensor plate 105 fixed to the sensor base 101 by bolts 105a, an arm extension extending from the rear end of the arm 104 and fixed to the sensor plate 105 by bolts 106a 106 and the like. Pin holes 101a are formed on both left and right side surfaces of the sensor base 101, and pin holes 104a penetrating in the left and right direction are also formed on the side surfaces of the arm 104. By inserting the shaft pin 107 into the pin holes 101a and 104a, the arm 104 is configured to be rotatable within a minute range in a vertical direction around a portion supported by the shaft pin 107.
[0004]
Also, a pin hole 103b formed in the hanging portion 103a of the pin bracket 103, a pin hole 104b formed in the side surface of the arm 104 and penetrating in the left-right direction, and a shaft pin formed in a long hole 101b formed in the right side surface of the sensor base 101. 108 is inserted.
Then, when a load is applied to the front end portion of the arm 104 via the seat rail 102 and the pin bracket 103, the arm 104 rotates within a minute range in the vertical direction around the portion pivotally supported by the shaft pin 107, The arm extension 106 is lifted upward. The sensor plate 105 expands and contracts due to a moment acting on the sensor plate 105 by the arm extension portion 106, and the weight change of the occupant is measured by detecting a change in resistance of a strain gauge on the upper surface of the sensor plate 105 as an electric signal. I have.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-11-304579
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Here, in the case of Patent Literature 1, a configuration is provided in which the occupant weight measuring device for the vehicle seat is arranged on the lower surface of the seat rail 102 and fixed to the floor of the vehicle. The position changes. Therefore, an error may occur in the load transmitted to the device 100 via the seat rail 102 depending on the position of the seat body moving back and forth on the seat rail 102.
[0007]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat occupant weight measuring apparatus that can improve the accuracy of measuring the weight of a seated occupant in consideration of the above-described problem.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problem, an invention according to claim 1 is a vehicle seat occupant weight measuring device 30 attached to a vehicle seat and measuring a weight of a seated occupant, wherein the lower rail is fixed to a vehicle side. 10 is provided between the upper rail 20 which moves back and forth on the upper side and the cushion frame 1 which is provided above the upper rail and constitutes a part of the seating surface of the vehicle seat. .
[0009]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the occupant weight measuring device for the vehicle seat is disposed between the upper rail and the cushion frame, the occupant weight measuring device for the vehicle seat is moved in the front-rear direction integrally with the upper rail. Can be done. Therefore, regardless of the position of the vehicle seat in the front-rear direction, the load (occupant weight) transmitted to the occupant weight measuring device of the vehicle seat can always be kept constant, and the measurement accuracy can be improved.
[0010]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vehicle seat occupant weight measuring apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the front and rear ends of the upper rail are rotatable in a vertical direction relative to the upper rail. At the front and rear ends of the upper rail, the pair of front and rear arm members to be connected are connected so as to be vertically movable relative to the upper rail, and each of the front and rear pair of arm members is relatively moved. It is characterized by including a bracket 50 that is supported rotatably in the up-down direction and a sensor mechanism 60 that detects the weight of the occupant.
[0011]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the same effects as those of the first aspect can be obtained, and since the measuring device has a relatively simple configuration such as a pair of front and rear arm members, a bracket, a sensor mechanism, etc., the manufacturing cost of the device Can be suppressed.
[0012]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vehicle seat occupant weight measuring apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the arm member and the bracket are disposed at both front and rear ends of the upper rail. It is characterized in that it is connected to the upper rail via a connecting pin 70.
[0013]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the same effect as in the first or second aspect is obtained, and the arm member and the bracket are connected to the upper rail by one connecting pin, so that the occupant weight measuring device for the vehicle seat is provided. The number of parts can be reduced.
[0014]
The invention according to claim 4 is the vehicle seat occupant weight measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the bracket is connected to the cushion frame and transmitted through the bracket. The weight of the occupant transmitted to the arm member is transmitted to the arm member, and the sensor mechanism receives the weight of the occupant transmitted from the arm member by the sensor plate 61 and detects the amount of displacement of the sensor plate, thereby detecting the amount of displacement of the sensor plate. Is characterized in that it is weighed.
[0015]
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the same effect as any one of the first to third aspects can be obtained, and the weight of the occupant can be reduced by detecting the amount of displacement of the sensor plate receiving the weight of the occupant. Since the measurement is performed, a sensor mechanism generally used conventionally can be applied to the present invention, and the manufacturing cost of the occupant weight measuring device for the vehicle seat can be suppressed.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle seat occupant weight measuring device (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “measuring device 30”) according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a measuring device 30 is disposed above a pair of left and right lower rails 10 and an upper rail 20 that are disposed along the front-rear direction of the vehicle. A cushion frame 1 that constitutes a part of the seat surface is arranged.
[0017]
Note that the measuring device 30 may be disposed on only one of the left and right sides below the vehicle seat, or on both the left and right sides. In the present embodiment, the measuring device 30 is disposed on both the left and right sides below the vehicle seat. Here, the measuring device 30 arranged on the left side will be described.
Reference numeral 2 in FIG. 1 indicates a seat back, and reference numeral 11 in FIGS. 2 and 3 indicates a resin cover.
[0018]
The lower rail 10 is a member having a substantially U-shaped cross section along the left-right direction and having an opening on the upper surface, and is fixed to the floor surface via a rail bracket 12. The upper rail 20 is fitted inside the opening with the lower part of the upper rail 20 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction.
Since the configurations and operations of the lower rail 10 and the upper rail 20 are well known, detailed description will be omitted.
At both front and rear ends of the upper rail 20, connecting portions 21 projecting upward to be connected to the measuring device 30 are formed, and each connecting portion 21 has an opening 22 penetrating in the left-right direction.
[0019]
The measuring device 30 is a device for measuring the weight of the occupant of the vehicle seat, and includes a pair of front and rear arm members 40, a bracket 50, a sensor mechanism 60, and the like, as shown in FIG.
The arm member 40 is a pair of front and rear members arranged along the front and rear direction. For convenience of description, the front arm member 40 will be mainly described.
The front portion 41 of the arm member is formed of a flat plate along a vertical plane, and has openings 42 penetrating in the left-right direction at two locations before and after the front portion.
The rear portion 43 of the arm member is formed of a flat plate extending along a horizontal plane, and is joined to the sensor plate 61 of the sensor mechanism 60 at the rear end.
[0020]
The bracket 50 is a plate-like member extending along the vertical plane, and has two openings 51 penetrating in the left-right direction at two locations before and after the bracket 50, respectively. Of the two front and rear two openings 51, the opening 51 closer to the front and rear ends of the bracket 50 is an elongated hole extending in the vertical direction. The distance between the two openings 51 is the same as the distance between the two openings 42 formed in the arm member 40.
Extending portions 52 extending upward are formed at both front and rear ends of the bracket 50.
[0021]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A, a reinforcing member 44 having two openings 44b is disposed at a position corresponding to the two front and rear openings 42 in the front portion 41 of the arm member.
The opening of the front connecting portion 21 of the upper rail 20 is inserted into the front opening 42 of the arm member 40 with the projecting portion 44a projecting leftward so as to surround the front opening 44a of the reinforcing member 44. 22, the front opening 51 (elongated hole) of the two openings 51 at the front of the bracket 50, and the front opening 42 of the two openings 42 of the front arm member 40 are successively arranged in the right direction in succession. Then, a single connecting pin 70 (bolt) is inserted into the openings 22, 51, and 42 from the left side surface of the upper rail 20, and is fixed with a nut 71, so that the upper rail 20, the bracket 50, and the arm member 40 are connected to each other. Are connected.
The opening 22 of the rear connecting portion 21 of the upper rail 20, the rear opening 51 (elongated hole) of the two openings 51 at the rear of the bracket 50, and the rear opening of the two openings 42 of the rear arm member 40. The openings 42 are similarly connected by one connecting pin 70.
[0022]
In this state, the arm member 40 is supported by the connecting pin 70 and is rotatable vertically with respect to the upper rail 20. The bracket 50 is movable in the vertical direction relative to the upper rail 20 by the vertical movement of the connecting pin 70 in the elongated hole.
Also, as shown in FIG. 3B, the rear opening 51 of the two openings 51 at the front of the bracket 50 and the rear opening 42 of the two openings 42 of the front arm member 40 are moved rightward. In a state of being continuously arranged, a single pin 72 (bolt) is inserted into the openings 51 and 42 from the right side surface of the reinforcing member 44 and fixed by a nut 73, so that the front arm member 40 is And is rotatable up and down with respect to the bracket 50.
The front opening 51 of the two openings 51 at the rear of the bracket 50 and the front opening 42 of the two openings 42 of the rear arm member 40 are also connected by a single pin 72.
[0023]
An opening 52a penetrating in the left-right direction is formed at the upper end of the extension portion 52 of the bracket 50. The cushion frame 1 is formed in the opening 52a and in the cushion frame 1 in a state where the cushion frame 1 is arranged on the right side surface of the bracket 50. The bracket 50 and the cushion frame 1 are connected by inserting a pin 74 (bolt) into the opening 1 a (see FIG. 3A) and fixing it with a nut 75.
[0024]
The sensor mechanism 60 is provided to detect the weight of the occupant, and includes a sensor plate 61, a sensor body (not shown), and the like.
As shown in FIG. 3C, a sensor bracket 62 having a substantially L-shaped cross section along the left-right direction is attached to a substantially central portion of the right side surface of the bracket 50, and extends in the horizontal direction. A sensor plate 61 is attached to the upper surface of the portion.
Further, as described above, the front ends of a pair of front and rear arm members 40 are joined to the front and rear of the sensor plate 61, and the upper surface of the sensor plate 61 is covered with a strain gauge (not shown) covered with an insulating layer or a protective film. ) Is pasted.
[0025]
As described above, the measuring device 30 according to the present invention is disposed above the lower rail 10 and the upper rail 20, and is configured to move (slide) in the front-rear direction integrally with the upper rail 20.
[0026]
Next, the operation of the measuring device 30 having the above-described configuration will be described.
First, when the occupant sits on the vehicle seat, the load of the occupant is transmitted to the bracket 50 via the cushion frame 1.
As described above, the bracket 50 is vertically movable relative to the upper rail 20 by the connection pin 70 sliding up and down in the elongated hole. Therefore, the bracket 50 receiving the load from the cushion frame 1 starts moving downward. At this time, the sensor plate 61 also moves downward together with the bracket 50.
[0027]
Here, as described above, the arm member 40 is connected to the bracket 50 via the pin 72 and is rotatable up and down around a portion where the connecting pin 70 is inserted.
Therefore, a downward load acts on the arm member 40 from the pin 72 that moves downward together with the downward movement of the bracket 50.
Under this load, the arm member 40 also starts to move downward together with the pin 72. However, the downward movement of the entire arm member 40 is restricted by the connecting pin 70 inserted through the end of the arm member 40. The member 40 rotates downward about the portion where the connecting pin 70 is inserted.
[0028]
Due to the downward rotation of the arm member 40, the distal end portion of the arm member 40 moves downward within a minute range.
Then, a moment acts on the sensor plate 61 joined to the tip of the arm member 40, and the sensor plate 61 is displaced within a minute range.
The sensor body detects the change in resistance of the strain gauge on the upper surface of the sensor plate 61 due to the displacement of the sensor plate 61 as an electric signal, so that the weight of the occupant is measured.
[0029]
As described above, since the measuring device 30 shown in the present embodiment is disposed above the lower rail 10 and the upper rail 20 and moves in the front and rear direction integrally with the upper rail 20, the position of the vehicle seat in the front and rear direction is Accordingly, the load (occupant weight) transmitted to the measuring device 30 does not change, and the measurement accuracy can be improved.
In addition, since the measuring device 30 has a relatively simple configuration such as the pair of front and rear arm members 40, the bracket 50, and the sensor mechanism 60, the manufacturing cost of the device can be reduced.
[0030]
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be appropriately changed within the scope of the present invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, the upper rail 20, the bracket 50, and the arm member 40 are connected by one connecting pin 70. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the upper rail 20 and the arm member 40 may be connected to each other. Similar to the above-described embodiment, the upper rail 20 and the bracket 50 may be connected by a connecting pin different from the connecting pin 70 by connecting with one connecting pin 70.
[0031]
In addition, the bracket 50 and the arm member 40 are connected by the pin 72 disposed between the two front and rear connection pins 70. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the front arm member 40 will be described. The bracket 50 and the arm member 40 may be connected by a pin at a position further forward than the position where the connection pin 70 of the arm member 40 is inserted. In this case, the positional relationship between the fulcrum of the arm member 40 (the location where the connecting pin 70 is inserted), the force point (the location where the pin 72 is inserted), and the action point (the location where the sensor plate 61 is joined) is determined by the above-described embodiment. In this case, the tip of the arm member 40 moves upward with the downward movement of the bracket 50, and the amount of displacement of the sensor plate 61 due to the upward movement of the tip of the arm member 40 Is detected by the sensor mechanism 60.
Further, the sensor mechanism 60 is configured by the sensor plate 61 to which the strain gauge is attached. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and any configuration may be used as long as the load transmitted to the arm member 40 can be accurately detected.
[0032]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the vehicle seat occupant weight measurement device is disposed between the upper rail and the cushion frame, the vehicle seat occupant weight measurement device is moved in the front-rear direction integrally with the upper rail. Can be done. Therefore, regardless of the position of the vehicle seat in the front-rear direction, the load (occupant weight) transmitted to the vehicle seat occupant weight measurement device can always be kept constant, and the measurement accuracy can be improved.
[0033]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the same effects as those of the first aspect can be obtained, and the manufacturing apparatus has a relatively simple configuration such as a pair of front and rear arm members, a bracket, and a sensor mechanism. Can be suppressed.
[0034]
According to the third aspect of the invention, the same effect as in the first or second aspect can be obtained, and the arm member and the bracket are connected to the upper rail by one connecting pin, so that the occupant weight measuring device for the vehicle seat is provided. The number of parts can be reduced.
[0035]
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the same effect as any one of the first to third aspects can be obtained, and the weight of the occupant can be reduced by detecting the amount of displacement of the sensor plate receiving the weight of the occupant. Since the measurement is performed, a sensor mechanism generally used conventionally can be applied to the present invention, and the manufacturing cost of the vehicle seat occupant weight measurement device can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view of a main part showing a structure of an occupant weight measuring device for a vehicle seat shown in the present embodiment.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of an occupant weight measuring device for a vehicle seat.
3 is a front view of the occupant weight measuring device for a vehicle seat as viewed in the direction of arrows AA in FIG. 1 (A), and a front view as viewed in the direction of arrows BB in FIG. 1 (B). FIG. 2 is a front view (C) as viewed in the direction of arrows CC in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of a conventional vehicle seat occupant weight measuring device.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cushion frame 10 Lower rail 20 Upper rail 30 Occupant weight measuring device 40 for vehicle seat Arm member 50 Bracket 60 Sensor mechanism 61 Sensor plate 70 Connecting pin

Claims (4)

A vehicle seat occupant weight measurement device attached to a vehicle seat and measuring the weight of a seated occupant,
Being disposed between an upper rail moving back and forth on a lower rail fixed to a vehicle side and a cushion frame disposed above the upper rail and constituting a part of a seat surface of a vehicle seat. An occupant weight measuring device for a vehicle seat, characterized in that: An occupant weight measuring device for a vehicle seat according to claim 1,
At both front and rear ends of the upper rail, a pair of front and rear arm members that are connected to the upper rail so as to be rotatable in a vertical direction,
A bracket that is connected to the upper rail at both front and rear ends so as to be movable up and down relatively to the upper rail, and that supports each of the pair of front and rear arm members so as to be rotatable relatively up and down. When,
An occupant weight measuring device for a vehicle seat, comprising: a sensor mechanism for detecting a weight of a seated person. An occupant weight measuring device for a vehicle seat according to claim 1 or 2,
An occupant weight measuring device for a vehicle seat, wherein the arm member and the bracket are connected to the upper rail via one connecting pin disposed at each of front and rear ends of the upper rail. An occupant weight measuring device for a vehicle seat according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The bracket is connected to the cushion frame, and the weight of the occupant transmitted through the bracket is transmitted to the arm member,
The sensor mechanism receives the weight of the occupant transmitted from the arm member by a sensor plate, and measures the weight of the occupant by detecting a displacement amount of the sensor plate. Occupant weight measurement device.

Images