JP6586311B2 - Seat position determination device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a position determination device that detects the position of a seat whose position in the front-rear direction is variable with respect to a vehicle floor.

  Conventionally, a technique is known in which the position of a seat whose position in the front-rear direction is variable with respect to the floor of the vehicle is detected and notification is made when the seat approaches a preset position (Patent Document 1).

Utility Model Registration No. 312336

  However, in the above-described conventional technology, since the notification is performed even when no occupant is seated on the seat, it is set even when the occupant moves the seat so that the occupant can easily get on and off without being seated. There is a problem that an alarm (alarm) is issued when the seat approaches the position.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a seat position determination device that can prevent a useless alarm when an occupant is not seated.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

  In order to achieve this object, according to the seat position determination apparatus of the first aspect, information on the occupant seated on the seat is acquired by the information acquisition means. Based on the information acquired by the information acquisition means, it is determined by the seat determination means whether an occupant is seated in the seat, and it is determined by the position determination means whether the position in the front-rear direction of the seat is permitted. As a result of the determination, the alarm device is activated by the first alarm activation means when the position of the seat is not permitted and the occupant is seated in the seat. Even if the seat is moved to an unacceptable position so that the passenger can easily get on and off, the alarm device will not operate if the passenger is not seated in the seat, preventing unnecessary alarms when the passenger is not seated. There is an effect that can be done.

The state detection means detects the travel state of the vehicle during traveling, the traveling state of the traveling vehicle detected by the state detecting means is determined depending on whether the state determining means in a predetermined initial state. The first alarm activation means activates the alarm device when the state determination means determines that the vehicle is in a predetermined initial state. Even if the seat is in a position where the seat position cannot be permitted by moving the seat to make it easy to get on and off to secure space, the running state of the running vehicle, such as when stopped , is at the specified initial stage. since the alarm device in the absence of the state does not work, etc. during stop the car there is an effect that can be seated by moving the seat to a free position without concern for alarm.

According to the seat position determining apparatus of the second aspect, when the belt detecting means detects that the seat belt arranged in the seat is attached and the belt detecting means does not detect the wearing of the seat belt, the second The alarm device is activated by the alarm activation means. Since an alarm device that operates when the seat belt is not worn is used, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, there is an effect that it is unnecessary to newly provide an alarm device.

According to the seat position determination apparatus of the third aspect , based on the information acquired by the information acquisition means, it is determined by the physique determination means whether the physique of the occupant seated on the seat satisfies a predetermined condition. Since the first alarm activation means activates the alarm device when the physique determination means determines that the occupant's physique satisfies the predetermined condition, the first alarm activation means may affect the occupant in addition to the effect of claim 1 or 2 . There is an effect that an alarm can be performed appropriately according to the physique when there is.

According to the seat position determination device of the fourth aspect , when the collision of the vehicle is detected based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit, the output of the bag body of the airbag device is controlled by the output control unit. Is done. In addition to the effect of claim 3 , even when the seat is not changed to a position that can be permitted by ignoring the alarm, the effect of the deployed bag body on the passenger sitting on the seat can be suppressed by controlling the deployment output of the bag body. is there. Since the position determination means determines whether or not the position in the front-rear direction of the seat is permitted based on the positional relationship with the airbag device, the passenger can be appropriately protected by the airbag device.
According to the seat position determination device of the fifth aspect, when the physique determination means determines that the occupant's physique does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the prohibition means prohibits the airbag device from being deployed by the airbag device. The operation of the alarm device by the first alarm operating means is prohibited. Thus, in addition to the effect of the fourth aspect, the passenger can be properly protected and the comfort of the passenger can be ensured.

1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle on which a seat position determination device according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of a position determination apparatus. It is a flowchart of a passenger | crew detection process. It is a flowchart of an airbag control process. It is a schematic diagram of a development pressure table. It is a flowchart of a seat belt warning process. It is a flowchart of a seat warning process.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. A schematic configuration of the position determination device 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle 10 (automobile) on which a position determination device 30 for a seat 13 according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the position determination device 30. . Arrows UD, LR, and FB in FIG. 1 indicate the up-down direction, the left-right direction, and the front-rear direction of the vehicle 10, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 is provided with a seat 13 on a rail 12 that is arranged on a floor 11 and extends in the front-rear direction. The seat 13 can be moved along the rail 12 by electric or manual operation, and is provided with a lock device (not shown) that can restrict movement at an arbitrary position on the rail 12. That is, the position of the seat 13 in the front-rear direction is variable. In the present embodiment, the seat 13 is illustrated as a passenger seat, but is not limited thereto, and all seats that can move in the front-rear direction such as a driver seat and a rear seat can be configured in the same manner.

  The seat 13 includes a seat cushion 14, a seat back 15 that can be tilted back and forth with respect to the seat cushion 14, a headrest 16 that can be vertically moved with respect to the seat back 15, and a seat belt 17. The passenger 19 sitting on the seat 13 connects the seat belt 17 to the buckle 18 and wears the seat belt 17. The seat cushion 14 is embedded with a load sensor 20 that detects a load by the occupant 19 sitting on the seat 13 (weight of the occupant 19), and a seat position sensor 21 that detects a position in the front-rear direction with respect to the floor 11 and the rail 12 is provided. Has been placed.

  The rail 12 is set sufficiently long with respect to the length of the seat 13 in the front-rear direction in order to increase the degree of freedom of the position of the seat 13 with respect to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 10. However, for example, a position where the seat 13 is remarkably close to the airbag device 24 (described later) (a position where an excessive impact is applied to the occupant 19 sitting on the seat 13 when the airbag is deployed) and the seat from the airbag device 24 to the seat. If the seat 13 is fixed at a position where the 13 is remarkably separated (a position where the occupant 19 sitting on the seat 13 cannot be protected even if the airbag is deployed), the occupant 19 may not be properly protected.

  Therefore, a position in the front-rear direction where the occupant 19 sitting on the seat 13 can be properly protected and a position in the front-rear direction where the occupant 19 sitting on the seat 13 may not be properly protected are set. The position where the occupant 19 sitting in the seat 13 can be properly protected is the position of the permitted seat 13, and the position where the occupant 19 sitting in the seat 13 may not be properly protected is the position of the unacceptable seat 13. It is. It should be noted that the position of the seat 13 that can be permitted and the position of the seat 13 that is not permitted are not limited to those set in relation to the airbag device 24, and ensure the comfort and convenience of the occupant 19 and the physicality of the vehicle 10. It can be set as appropriate from the viewpoint of various restrictions.

  The seat position sensor 21 is attached to the seat cushion 14 (seat 13), and detects the presence or absence of a member such as a rail 12 arranged on the floor 11 or a detected portion (not shown) installed on the floor 11. It is a sensor. In the present embodiment, a contact-type displacement sensor is used in which the seat position sensor 21 is always off and is turned on by contacting a detected portion provided on a member on the floor 11 side. The to-be-detected portion is configured so that the seat position sensor 21 is turned on when the seat 13 is moved to a position that cannot be permitted, and the seat position sensor 21 is turned off when the seat 13 is moved to a position that can be permitted. It is provided at an arbitrary position.

  It should be noted that the seat position sensor 21 is not limited to a contact type displacement sensor, and can naturally be a non-contact type sensor using magnetism or a laser. Further, the seat position sensor 21 is set so that the seat position sensor 21 is turned off when the seat 13 moves to a position that cannot be permitted, and the seat position sensor 21 is turned on when the seat 13 moves to a position that can be permitted. Of course it is possible. This is because the seat position sensor 21 may be any sensor that can be turned on or off according to the detected part set on the floor 11 side.

  In the vehicle 10, a camera 23 is disposed on the front panel 22. The camera 23 is provided so as to face the face of the occupant 19 sitting on the seat 13 and facing forward. The front panel 22 has an airbag device 24 embedded therein.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the position determination device 30 for the seat 13 includes an occupant detection electronic control unit 31, an airbag electronic control unit 32, a seat belt alarm electronic control unit 33, and a seat alarm electronic control unit 34 connected to a bus 35. It has. These electronic control units are constituted by a CPU and a computer device having a ROM and a RAM as main components for storing a control program executed by the CPU (for example, the program of the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 and the like), fixed value data, and the like. In addition, a storage medium such as a hard disk is included as necessary. Hereinafter, the electronic control unit is referred to as an ECU.

  The occupant detection ECU 31 repeatedly executes the occupant detection process (see FIG. 3) every predetermined time after the ignition switch is turned on, and performs the occupant 19's head and physique (information of the seated occupant 19). To detect. The occupant detection ECU 31 is connected to one or a plurality of cameras 23 and a load sensor 20 that photograph the driver seat, the passenger seat, and the rear seat direction from the front. The load sensor 20 is also used as the seat belt alarm ECU 33 and the seat alarm ECU 34. The occupant detection ECU 31 stores a table (see FIG. 5) that is referred to when generating physique determination data in the ROM.

  The airbag ECU 32 controls the operation of the airbag device 24 by repeatedly executing an airbag control process (see FIG. 4) every predetermined time after the ignition switch is turned on. The airbag ECU 32 is connected to an airbag device 24 that detects a collision of the vehicle 10 and a collision detection sensor 25. In the airbag ECU 32, a deployment pressure table (see FIG. 5) referred to when controlling the operation of the airbag device 24 is stored in the ROM.

  The airbag device 24 has a built-in bag (not shown) that is deployed when the vehicle 10 collides to protect the occupant 19 and is disposed for a driver seat, a passenger seat, and a rear seat, respectively. . The deployment mode of the bag body (airbag) can be variably controlled. For example, each bag includes a plurality of inflators, and the deployment pressure is changed by controlling the number of inflators to be ignited to change the amount of explosive explosives and by shifting the ignition timing of each inflator. The collision detection sensor 25 includes a radar using infrared rays, a crash box, an acceleration sensor, and the like.

  The seat belt alarm ECU 33 controls the operation of the alarm device 27 by repeatedly executing the seat belt alarm process (see FIG. 6) every predetermined time after the ignition switch is turned on. The seat belt alarm ECU 33 is connected to a buckle switch (buckle SW) 26 and an alarm device 27 incorporated in the buckle 18 of the seat belt 17. The alarm device 27 includes an output device (not shown) such as a lamp (alarm light) for alarming the wearing of the seat belt 17 by display, and a buzzer for alarming by a continuous or intermittent sound (alarm sound).

  The seat alarm ECU 34 controls the operation of the alarm device 27 by repeatedly executing the seat alarm process (see FIG. 7) every predetermined time after the ignition switch is turned on. The seat alarm ECU 34 is connected to a vehicle speed sensor 28 that detects the speed of the vehicle 10, a seat position sensor 21, and an alarm device 27. Since the seat alarm ECU 34 also serves as the alarm device 27 connected to the seat belt alarm ECU 33, it is not necessary to newly provide a dedicated alarm device for the seat alarm ECU 34.

  The occupant detection process executed by the occupant detection ECU 31 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the passenger detection process. As shown in FIG. 3, the occupant detection ECU 31 outputs an imaging instruction to the camera 23, acquires an image captured by the camera 23 (S1), and recognizes the head of the occupant 19 from the acquired image (S2). Specifically, the occupant detection ECU 31 extracts an image representing the human head from the image by image recognition. The process of S2 may be performed for each camera 23, or may be performed after combining images acquired from a plurality of cameras 23.

  The occupant detection ECU 31 determines for each seat 13 whether or not the head of the occupant 19 is present, that is, whether or not the head is recognized by the processing of S2 (S3). When the head is present (S3: Yes), the occupant detection ECU 31 receives the load (the weight of the occupant 19) from the load sensor 20 of the seat 13 in which the head is recognized (seat 13 where the occupant 19 is sitting). Obtain (S4). The occupant detection ECU 31 determines the physique based on the acquired load, and generates physique determination data.

In the present embodiment, the occupant detection ECU 31 refers to a table (see FIG. 5) stored in the ROM and generates physique determination data based on the detected load L. The table in FIG. 5 shows that the physique is very small when the load L <L ₀ (infant), small when L ₀ ≦ L <L ₁ (child larger than the infant), and when L ₁ ≦ L <L ₂ and so that a large (normal adult) when in (small adult), of L ≧ L ₂ indicates that partitioning the occupant 19 to a plurality of physique rank by the load (body weight).

  Next, the occupant detection ECU 31 outputs the generated physique determination data as physique information in association with head information for each seat 13 on the bus 35 (S6), and ends the occupant detection process. The head information and physique information output on the bus 35 are taken into an interface circuit in the ECU that requires the head information and physique information, and are stored until new head information and physique information are taken in.

  On the other hand, when the head is not present as a result of the process of S3 (S3: No), the occupant detection ECU 31 uses the data indicating that the head is not present (head missing data) as head information to the bus 35. After outputting to above and clearing the physique determination data regarding the seat 13 where the head is not present (S7), the processing of S6 is executed and the occupant detection processing is terminated. New head information and physique information are output on the bus 35 by the processing of S6 and S7.

  With reference to FIG.4 and FIG.5, the airbag control process performed by airbag ECU32 is demonstrated. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the airbag control process, and FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a deployment pressure table. As shown in FIG. 4, the airbag ECU 32 acquires head information (S11), and determines whether or not the occupant 19 is present for each seat 13 (S12). When the occupant 19 is present (head information is present) (S12: Yes), physique information (physique discrimination data) is acquired for each seat 13 (S13). The airbag ECU 32 refers to the deployment pressure table (see FIG. 5) and sets the upper limit value of the deployment pressure of the bag body (airbag) according to the physique information (S14).

  The deployment pressure table shown in FIG. 5 stores an upper limit value of deployment pressure and a deployment prohibition instruction in association with physique information (small, small, medium, large). According to the deployment pressure table, the upper limit value of the deployment pressure is set to a larger value as the physique increases, and when the physique is very small (infant), the deployment of the bag (airbag) is prohibited.

  Returning to FIG. The airbag ECU 32 determines whether or not the vehicle 10 has collided based on the detection result of the collision detection sensor 25 (particularly an acceleration sensor (not shown)) (S15). As a result, when the collision of the vehicle 10 is not detected (S15: No), the airbag control process is terminated.

  On the other hand, when the collision of the vehicle 10 is detected (S15: Yes), the deployment pressure of the bag (airbag) is determined (S16). In the process of S16, the deployment pressure (deployment output) is set to a larger value as the degree of collision detected by the collision detection sensor 25 (particularly the acceleration sensor) increases (acceleration increases). This deployment pressure is limited to a value equal to or lower than the upper limit set by the process of S14.

  Next, the airbag ECU 32 controls the airbag device 24 to deploy the airbag (bag body) in a manner corresponding to the determined deployment pressure (S17), and terminates the airbag control process. Specifically, the airbag ECU 32 controls the number of inflators to be ignited to change the amount of explosives that explode, and also shifts the ignition timing of each inflator to control the airbag deployment pressure to the determined pressure. To do. According to this airbag control process, the deployment pressure of the airbag deployed at the time of the collision of the vehicle 10 is controlled according to the physique of the occupant 19, so that the occupant 19 can be appropriately protected.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the head does not exist as a result of the process of S12 (S12: No), the airbag ECU 32 prohibits the deployment of the airbag disposed on the seat 13 where the head does not exist. (S18), the airbag control process is terminated. Since the airbag can be prevented from being unnecessarily deployed when the occupant 19 is not seated, the repair cost due to the deployment of the airbag can be reduced and unnecessary power consumption can be suppressed.

With reference to FIG. 6, the seat belt warning process executed by the seat belt warning ECU 33 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the seat belt warning process. As shown in FIG. 6, the seat belt alarm ECU 33 acquires the load (the weight of the occupant 19) for each seat 13 from the load sensor 20 embedded in the seat cushion 14 (S21), and the acquired load is set in advance. It is determined whether or not it is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (for example, a load smaller than the load L ₀ shown in FIG. 5 and sufficient to determine that the occupant 19 (including an infant) is sitting) (S22).

  If it is determined as a result of the process of S22 that the load is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (S22: Yes), it can be said that the occupant 19 is present in the seat 13, and therefore the seat belt alarm ECU 33 is attached to the buckle 18 of the seat belt 17. It is determined whether or not the incorporated buckle SW 26 is on (S23). When the buckle SW 26 is off (S23: No), the seat belt alarm ECU 33 activates the alarm device 27 (S24), turns on the lamp or activates the buzzer, and attaches the seat belt 17 to the occupant 19 And the seat belt warning process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if the buckle SW 26 is on as a result of the processing of S23 (S23: Yes), the occupant 19 is wearing the seat belt 17, so the seat belt alarm ECU 33 ends the seat belt alarm processing. If the load is smaller than the predetermined value as a result of the processing in S22 (S22: No), the occupant 19 is not sitting on the seat 13, so the seat belt alarm ECU 33 does not operate the alarm device 27 and the seat belt. End alarm processing.

With reference to FIG. 7, the seat warning process executed by the seat warning ECU 34 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of seat warning processing. As shown in FIG. 7, the seat warning ECU 34 acquires the load (the weight of the occupant 19) from the load sensor 20 for each seat 13 (S31), and the acquired load is a predetermined value (for example, shown in FIG. 5). It is determined whether or not it is equal to or greater than the load L ₀ (the load corresponding to the weight of a child larger than the infant) (S32). If the load is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (S32: Yes), the seat warning ECU 34 determines whether or not the seat 13 is in a permitted position from the detection result of the seat position sensor 21 (S33).

  As a result of the processing of S33, when it is determined that the position of the seat 13 cannot be permitted (S33: No), the seat alarm ECU 34 acquires the speed of the vehicle 10 from the vehicle speed sensor 28 (S34), and is set in advance. It is determined whether or not a predetermined value (for example, a speed immediately after the vehicle 10 starts (starts traveling)) or higher (S35). As a result, when the speed of the vehicle 10 is equal to or higher than the predetermined value (S35: Yes), the seat alarm ECU 34 operates the alarm device 27 (S36), turns on the lamp or operates the buzzer 19 and so on. Urge the movement of the seat 13 to finish the seat warning process.

  The seat warning ECU 34 activates the warning device 27 when the position of the seat 13 is not permitted and the occupant 19 is seated on the seat 13. The occupant 19 who notices the operation of the alarm device 27 can stop the operation of the alarm device 27 by moving the seat 13 to an allowable position.

  When the occupant 19 is not seated on the seat 13, the seat 13 is moved to secure a space before and after the seat 13, or the seat 13 is moved so that the occupant 19 can easily get on and off. Even if it is inevitably moved to a position where it cannot be permitted, since the alarm device 27 does not operate, it is possible to prevent an unnecessary alarm from being issued. If the occupant 19 is not seated on the seat 13, the airbag device 24 affects the occupant 19 even if the seat 13 moves closer to or away from the airbag device 24 by moving the seat 13. As a result, there is no adverse effect on the protection of the occupant 19.

  The seat alarm ECU 34 activates the alarm device 27 when the position of the seat 13 is not permitted and the occupant 19 is seated on the seat 13 and the vehicle 10 is about to start running. . On the other hand, even if the position of the seat 13 is not permitted and the occupant 19 is seated on the seat 13, the alarm device 27 is not activated when the vehicle is stopped. The seat 13 can be moved to any position without having to. Therefore, when the passenger 19 gets on and off, it is possible to easily get on and off by moving the seat 13 without worrying about an alarm. Further, when the vehicle is stopped, the seat 13 can be moved to a free position so that the seat 13 can be used as a table, or the seat back 15 (see FIG. 1) can be tilted to use the seat 13 as a bed.

When the seat warning ECU 34 determines whether or not the occupant 19 is seated on the seat 13 (S32), if the load L is smaller than L ₀ (the load corresponding to the weight of a child larger than an infant) (L <L ₀ , S 32: No), the alarm device 27 is not operated. Since the alarm device 27 is activated when the physique of the occupant 19 estimated by the load (the weight of the occupant 19) satisfies a predetermined condition (L ≧ L ₀ ), the airbag device 24 or the like affects the occupant 19 When there is a possibility, an alarm can be performed appropriately according to the physique. The occupant 19 who has received the warning moves the position of the seat 13 to a permitted position, so that the vehicle 10 appropriately protects the occupant 19.

When an infant with a small physique (L <L ₀ ) is seated on the seat 13, the occupant 19 sitting on the other seat 13 inevitably moves the seat 13 on which the infant sits to a position where the infant is not allowed to take care of the infant. there is a possibility. In this case, when the alarm device 27 is activated, the occupant 19 may feel the alarm sound or the alarm lamp as annoying or annoying. Therefore, when an infant with a small physique is seated on the seat 13, the comfort of the occupant 19 can be ensured by disabling the alarm device 27 regardless of the position of the seat 13.

  By preventing the seat alarm ECU 34 from operating the alarm device 27 regardless of the position of the seat 13, the alarm device 27 does not operate even when the seat 13 on which the infant is sitting is extremely close to the airbag device 24. . If the airbag device 24 operates in this state, there is a possibility that a large impact will be given to the infant sitting on the seat 13. In order to prevent this, as shown in the deployment pressure table (see FIG. 5), the airbag ECU 32 prohibits deployment of the bag (airbag) when the occupant 19 is very small (infant). Can protect properly.

The seat warning ECU 34 operates the warning device 27 when the seat 13 is in a position where it is not permitted and the physique of the occupant 19 estimated by the load (the weight of the occupant 19) satisfies a predetermined condition (L ≧ L ₀ ). However, if the occupant 19 endures an alarm sound or a warning light, the vehicle 10 can travel. In this case as well, the airbag ECU 32 controls the deployment pressure of the airbag that is deployed at the time of the collision of the vehicle 10 according to the physique of the occupant 19, so that the occupant 19 can be appropriately protected.

  In the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, the process of S13 corresponds to the information acquisition means described in claims 1, 4 and 5, and the process of S16 corresponds to the output control means described in claim 5. In the flowchart shown in FIG. 6, the processing of S23 corresponds to the belt detection means according to claim 3, and the processing of S24 corresponds to the second alarm activation means. In the flowchart shown in FIG. 7, the process of S31 corresponds to the information acquisition means described in claim 1, the process of S32 corresponds to the seating determination means, and the process of S33 corresponds to the position determination means. , 4 corresponds to the process of S36, the state detection means of claim 2 corresponds to the process of S34, and the state determination means corresponds to the process of S35, respectively. The processing of S32 corresponds to the described physique determination means.

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It can be easily guessed. For example, numerical values such as loads L ₀ , L ₁ , and L ₂ for determining the presence / absence of the occupant 19 and the physique of the occupant 19 can be set as appropriate.

  In the above embodiment, the seat warning ECU 34 has described the case where it is determined whether or not the occupant 19 is seated on the seat 13 based on the load detected by the load sensor 20 (the weight of the occupant 19). Of course, other seating determination means can be used. As other seating determination means, for example, the presence / absence of seating can be determined based on an image captured by the camera 23 (whether or not a human head is present) or a detection result of a human sensor such as a pyroelectric infrared sensor. The thing to judge is mentioned.

  In the above-described embodiment, the seat warning ECU 34 has described the case where it is determined whether or not the vehicle 10 is in the initial traveling state based on the speed of the vehicle 10 detected by the vehicle speed sensor 28. However, the seat alarm ECU 34 is not necessarily limited thereto. Of course, other state determination means can be used. As other state determination means, for example, based on the travel distance of the vehicle 10 after the ignition switch is turned on or the position of the vehicle 10 displayed on the navigation device (the distance to the current location of the vehicle 10), One that determines whether or not there is one. When the travel distance of the vehicle 10 and the distance to the current location are short, it is conceivable that the vehicle 10 is traveling on the parking lot or on the private road. Thus, the alarm device 27 is not activated on the parking lot or on the private road. You can

  In the above-described embodiment, the seat alarm ECU 34 has been described for the case where the alarm device 27 is operated when the traveling condition of the vehicle 10 is satisfied in addition to the seating condition of the occupant 19 and the position of the seat 13. It is not something that can be done. Of course, it is possible to operate the alarm device 27 when the conditions for the seating of the occupant 19 and the position of the seat 13 are satisfied, omitting the process of determining whether or not the traveling condition of the vehicle 10 is satisfied. Thereby, it is possible to alert the occupant 19 about the position of the seat 13 even when the vehicle 10 is stopped.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the alarm device 27 operated by the seat alarm ECU 34 is also used as the alarm device 27 operated by the seat belt alarm ECU 33 has been described. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the need for providing a new alarm device and to make the alarm sound when the seat belt 17 is not worn and the alarm sound due to improper position of the seat 13 the same, so that the occupant 19 does not feel uncomfortable. Can do. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this, and it is naturally possible to newly provide an alarm device that is operated by the seat alarm ECU 34. In this case, the alarm sound of the alarm device may be the same as or different from the alarm sound of the alarm device 27. By making the alarm sound the same, it is possible to eliminate the sense of incongruity of the occupant 19. By making the alarm sound different, it is possible to make it easier for the occupant 19 to identify whether it is an alarm when the seat belt 17 is not worn or an alarm due to improper position of the seat 13.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the seat alarm ECU 34 is separately provided in addition to the seat belt alarm ECU 33 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is natural that the seat belt alarm ECU 33 has the function of the seat alarm ECU 34. Is possible. Thereby, the number of ECUs can be reduced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the airbag ECU 32 and the seat warning ECU 34 describe the case where the physique of the occupant 19 is determined based on the load detected by the load sensor 20 (the weight of the occupant 19). However, it is naturally possible to use other physique determination means. As other physique determination means, based on the image taken by the camera 23 (the contour of the human body is extracted by image recognition) and the amount of the seat belt 17 pulled out (the larger the body of the occupant 19 is, the larger the amount of withdrawal is). And determining the physique of the occupant 19.

  In the above embodiment, the airbag ECU 32 recognizes the image captured by the camera 23 to determine the presence or absence of the occupant 19 and detects the load detected by the load sensor 20 of the seat 13 on which the occupant 19 is seated. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this, and it is naturally possible to omit either the recognition of the image captured by the camera 23 or the detection of the load.

In the above-described embodiment, the seat warning ECU 34 provides a warning device when the occupant 19's physique satisfies a predetermined condition (load L ≧ L ₀ ) (S32: Yes), that is, when the occupant 19's physique is larger than the infant's physique. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. Regardless of the physique (load) of the occupant 19, if a person (including an infant or an infant) is seated, the alarm device 27 is provided on the condition that the seat 13 on which the occupant 19 (person) is seated is not allowed. It is of course possible to operate. In this case, if the occupant 19 (person) is seated, the alarm device 27 is activated, so the occupant 19 can be alerted to the position of the seat 13.

  In the above-described embodiment, the seat warning ECU 34 has described the case where the determination of the presence / absence of seating (presence / absence of the occupant 19) and the determination of the physique of the occupant 19 are performed by the same process (S32). Of course, the determination of the presence or absence of the seating and the determination of the physique of the occupant 19 can be performed separately in different processes.

  In the above-described embodiment, the seat warning ECU 34 explained that the alarm device 27 is activated when the physique of the occupant 19 is larger than the predetermined physique. Conversely, when the physique of the occupant 19 is smaller than the predetermined physique. It is naturally possible to activate the alarm device 27. In this way, from the viewpoints of ensuring the comfort and convenience of the occupant 19 in the vehicle 10 and physical restrictions of the vehicle 10, the occupant 19 having a small physique can be notified of the suitability of the position of the seat 13. .

  In the above embodiment, the case where the position determination device 30 monitors the positions of all the seats that are movable in the front-rear direction such as the driver's seat, the passenger seat, and the rear seat disposed in the vehicle 10 has been described. Of course, the position determination device 30 can monitor any seat. For example, the position of the driver's seat can be excluded from the monitoring target of the position determination device 30. This is because, since the driver operates the steering, the position of the driver's seat is limited to a range in which the steering can be operated without including the driver's seat as a monitoring target of the position determination device 30. By removing the driver's seat from the monitoring target of the position determination device 30, the control by the position determination device 30 can be simplified as compared with the case where the positions of all the seats in the vehicle 10 are the monitoring target.

  Although the case where the seat position sensor 21 is attached to the seat cushion 14 (seat 13) has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. If the position of the seat 13 with respect to the floor 11 and the rail 12 can be detected, the mounting position of the seat position sensor 21 and the position of the detected part (not shown) detected by the seat position sensor 21 can be set as appropriate. For example, it is naturally possible to provide a member that is coupled to the seat 13 and moves together with the seat 13, and the seat position sensor 21 is attached to the member. On the other hand, it is naturally possible to attach the seat position sensor 21 to the floor 11, the rail 12, etc., and to provide a member to be moved together with the seat 13 or a detected portion on the seat 13.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle 11 Floor 13 Seat 17 Seat belt 19 Crew 24 Airbag device 28 Alarm device 30 Position determination device

Claims (5)

A position determination device for a seat for determining a position of a seat whose position in the front-rear direction is variable with respect to a vehicle floor,
Information acquisition means for acquiring information of an occupant seated in the seat;
Seating determination means for determining whether an occupant is seated in the seat based on the information acquired by the information acquisition means;
Position determination means for determining whether the position in the front-rear direction of the seat is a permitted position;
State detecting means for detecting a traveling state of the vehicle during traveling;
State determining means for determining whether the traveling state of the vehicle being detected detected by the state detecting means is in a predetermined initial state;
The position determining means determines that the position of the seat is not permitted, the seat determining means determines that an occupant is seated on the seat , and the state determining means determines that the vehicle is predetermined. position determination device of the seat, characterized in that when a is in the initial state Ru is determined and a first alarm actuating means for actuating an alarm device. Belt detecting means for detecting that a seat belt arranged in the seat is mounted;
Seat position determining device according to claim 1, wherein the by the belt detecting means mounted in the seat belt and a second alarm actuating means for actuating said alarm device if not detected. Physique determination means for determining whether the physique of the occupant seated on the seat satisfies a predetermined condition based on the information acquired by the information acquisition means,
3. The seat according to claim 1, wherein the first alarm activation unit activates the alarm device when the physique determination unit determines that the occupant's physique satisfies a predetermined condition. Position determination device. The vehicle includes an airbag device that deploys a bag when a collision is detected,
Comprising output control means for controlling the deployment output of the bag based on the information acquired by the information acquisition means ;
4. The seat position determination according to claim 3 , wherein the position determination means determines whether or not a position in the front-rear direction of the seat is permitted based on a positional relationship with the airbag device. apparatus. When the physique determination means determines that the occupant's physique does not satisfy a predetermined condition, the airbag device prohibits the deployment of the bag body, and the first alarm activation means activates the alarm device. 5. The seat position determination apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising prohibition means for prohibiting the movement.

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