JPH09118188A - Occupant protection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To operate an air bag device only when its operation is proper for the protection of a person in a car in accordance with the direction of a child seat. SOLUTION: A webbing insertion port is provided in the front and rear of a child seat 3, and first and second webbing detection sensors 7, 8 for detecting webbing are provided in each webbing insertion port. When the webbing detection sensor 8 is ON, an air bag device 17 for the seat next to the driver is not operated. When the webbing detection sensor 7 is ON, both of the air bag device 17 for the seat next to the driver and an air bag device 18 for driver's seat are operated in accordance with collision detection signal from a collision sensor 16.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an occupant protection device for protecting a child occupant on a child seat in a vehicle collision.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A child seat may be set on a passenger seat or a rear seat of a vehicle, and a child (especially an infant) may be seated on the child seat. When the child seat is set on the seat, the child seat may be set forward as shown in FIG. 3 or may be set rearward as shown in FIG.

The child seat is fixed by passing the webbing of the seat belt device through the webbing insertion opening of the child seat. In order to secure the child seat with the webbing, webbing insertion openings are provided in the front part and the rear part of the child seat, respectively.
As shown in the figure, pass the webbing through the appropriate webbing insertion opening depending on the orientation of the child seat.

[0004]

When the child seat is set rearward as shown in FIG. 4, the airbag only hits the child seat even if the passenger seat or rear seat airbag device is activated in the event of a vehicle collision. , Does not contribute to the protection of child occupants.

An object of the present invention is to provide an occupant protection device in which the airbag device is activated only when necessary depending on the setting situation of the child seat.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An occupant protection system according to the present invention is a occupant protection system having a child seat installed on a seat of a vehicle and an airbag system installed in front of the seat. A detection device for detecting the orientation is provided, and the airbag device is set in an operable state only when the child seat is installed in the front direction.

When detecting the orientation of the child seat,
A sensor is provided in each of the plurality of webbing insertion openings of the child seat, which webbing insertion opening the webbing is inserted into can be detected, and the orientation of the child seat can be detected based on the detection result.

By providing a seating sensor on the child seat, it is possible to detect whether or not the child seat is seated. By arranging the child seat to face forward and activating the airbag device only when the child occupant is seated on the child seat, the airbag device is prevented from operating when unnecessary. .

That is, when the child seat is set rearward, the airbag device is not operated.
Further, even if the child seat is set forward, the airbag device is not activated unless the child occupant is seated.

When the seating sensor of the child seat detects the seating but the sensor of the webbing insertion opening of the child seat does not detect the webbing, it means that the child seat is not fixed by the webbing. In this case, an alarm is issued to notify the user that the child seat should be fixed.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION As shown in FIG. 1, a child seat 3 is placed forward on a passenger seat 2 of an automobile 1 and is fixed by a webbing 4 of a seat belt device as shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the child seat 3 is provided with webbing insertion openings 5 and 6 at the rear and front portions thereof. The webbing insertion openings 5 and 6 are provided with first and second webbings for detecting webbing. Detection sensors (for example, pressure-sensitive sensors) 7 and 8 are provided. A seating sensor 9 is provided on the child seat 3.

The child seat 3 is provided with a transmitter 10 for transmitting detection signals from the webbing detecting sensors 7 and 8 and the seating sensor 9. As shown in FIG. 2, the signal from the transmitter 10 is received by the receiver 12 of the airbag control device 11, and the received signal is input to the check circuit 13.

When the first webbing detection sensor 7 is ON, the child seat 3 is attached to the front side, and the second webbing detection sensor 8 is O.
If it is N, the child seat 3 is attached rearward.

Therefore, the webbing detection sensor 8 is turned on.
At this time, a signal for not operating the passenger airbag device 17 is output from the check circuit 13 to the airbag operating circuit 14. In this case, even if the collision sensor 16 outputs a collision detection signal, the airbag operating circuit 14 does not operate the passenger seat airbag device 17,
Only the driver airbag device 18 is operated.

When the webbing detection sensor 7 is ON, a signal for operating the passenger seat airbag device 17 is output from the check circuit 13 to the airbag operating circuit 14. In this case, both the passenger seat airbag device 17 and the driver seat airbag device 18 are operated according to the collision detection signal from the collision sensor 16.

Even when the webbing detection sensor 7 is ON and the child seat 3 is fixed forward, when the child occupant is not seated on the child seat 3 and the seat sensor 9 is OFF, It is not necessary to activate the passenger airbag device 17. Therefore, only when the webbing detection sensor 7 is ON and the seating sensor 9 is also ON, the check circuit 13 outputs the signal for operating the passenger airbag device 17 to the airbag operating circuit 14. Is preferred.

If both of the webbing detection sensors 7 and 8 are OFF, the child seat 3 is not fixed to the passenger seat 2. Therefore, the alarm device 14 is activated when the seating sensor 9 is turned on when both the webbing detection sensors 7 and 8 are turned off.
In this case, control may be performed so that the vehicle does not start.

Although the above embodiment relates to the airbag apparatus for the passenger seat, the same applies to the airbag apparatus 21 for the rear seat 20.

Although the seating sensor is used in the above embodiment, a tongue wearing detection sensor may be provided on the buckle of the child seat 3 to detect whether or not the child occupant is seated.

In the present invention, the buckle of the seat belt device is provided with a buckle sensor for detecting the tongue wearing, and even if the webbing detecting sensor 7 or 8 is turned on, the buckle sensor is not turned on. May be operated.

Communication between the transmitter of the child seat and the receiver of the airbag control device may be wireless or wired.

[0022]

As described above, according to the occupant protection device of the present invention, the operation of the airbag device is controlled according to the orientation of the child seat, and it is activated only when the airbag device is suitable for protecting the occupant. To be done.

In the present invention, the operation of the airbag device can be controlled depending on the orientation of the child seat and the presence / absence of seating.

According to the present invention, an alarm can be issued when a child occupant is seated on the child seat when the child seat is not fixed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an automobile equipped with an embodiment apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an embodiment apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the child seat set forward.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a child seat set rearward.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Passenger seat 3 Child seat 4 Webbing 5,6 Insertion opening 7,8 Webbing detection sensor 9 Seating sensor 17 Passenger airbag device

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An occupant protection device having a child seat installed on a seat of a vehicle and an airbag device installed in front of the seat, wherein a detection device for detecting a direction of the child seat is provided.
An occupant protection device, wherein the airbag device is set in an operable state only when the child seat is installed facing forward. 2. The child seat according to claim 1, wherein the child seat is fixed to the seat by a webbing of a seat belt device, and the child seat includes a first webbing insertion opening through which the webbing is inserted when the front seat is installed, and a rear facing seat. A second webbing insertion port through which the webbing is inserted at the time of installation, and a webbing detection sensor as the detection device is provided at the first and second insertion ports. . 3. A seating detection device for detecting seating of the child seat according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the child seat is provided in a forward direction,
Further, the occupant protection device is characterized in that the airbag device is set in an operable state only when the seating detection device detects seating. 4. A seating detection device for detecting seating of the child seat according to claim 2, wherein when the seating detection device detects seating, the webbing detection sensor detects that webbing is not detected. An occupant protection device comprising an alarm device for issuing an alarm.