JP2000302004A - Vehicle occupant weight detection device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To detect an occupant's weight more accurately than in the past by eliminating a load caused by the tension of a seat belt. SOLUTION: Loads Psr and Psl vertically acting between a seat body 10A of a seat 10 on which an occupant sits and a floor member 38, a load Psb applied to a seat belt anchor 50 by a seat belt 52, and a load in a vertical direction. The angle θ of Psb is detected by the load sensor 44, the seat belt load sensor 54, and the angle sensor 56 (S10), and the weight W of the occupant is Psr + Psl−Psb · cos θ.
The error component due to the tension of the seat belt is eliminated (S20), and the physique of the occupant is determined based on the calculated weight W (S30-70), which is used for the deployment control of the airbag 64. You.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle occupant weight detecting device, and more particularly, to a vehicle occupant weight detecting device equipped with a seat belt device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As one of occupant detection devices for vehicles such as automobiles, a load sensor interposed between a floor of a vehicle and a seat support arm as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-207638, for example. 2. Description of the Related Art An occupant detection device has been conventionally known which is configured to determine the presence or absence of an occupant based on a detection result of a load sensor and determine whether or not to deploy an airbag.

According to this occupant detection device, the weight of the occupant acts on the load sensor regardless of the posture of the occupant.
For example, the presence or absence of an occupant can be determined more accurately than in the case of an occupant detection device in which a load sensor is provided on a seat body that supports the thighs and buttocks of the occupant.

[0004]

However, since the seat belt anchor for holding the seat belt is generally fixed to the floor of the vehicle body, the conventional occupant detection device as described above is used to restrain the occupant of the vehicle. The load caused by the tension of the seat belt also acts on the load sensor, so that the presence or absence of the occupant and the weight of the occupant may not be accurately determined in some cases.

[0005] For example, a child seat for ensuring the safety of an infant is generally attached to the seat using a seat belt. Therefore, the weight of the child seat and the load due to the tension of the seat belt act on the sensor. As a result, it is incorrectly determined that the occupant is seated even though the occupant is not seated on the seat and the child seat, or an adult is seated on the seat in a situation where an infant is seated on the child seat. May be incorrectly determined.

If such an erroneous determination is made, there arises a problem that the airbag is unnecessarily deployed at the time of collision of the vehicle even though the occupant is not seated. In the case of a vehicle in which a bag is provided and the deployment of each airbag is controlled in accordance with the occupant's physique, the occupant's physique estimated from the detected weight does not match the actual occupant's physique. The airbag cannot be deployed properly according to the physique.

Further, in the conventional occupant detection device as disclosed in the above publication, the seat support arm is attached to the floor due to, for example, a temporal change in the fastening force of a bolt for fixing the seat support arm to the floor. When the load changes, the load sensor is affected by the change in the mounting load, so that the weight of the occupant may not be detected accurately.

The present invention relates to a conventional occupant detection device having a load sensor interposed between the floor of a vehicle and a seat support arm, and configured to determine the presence or absence of an occupant based on the detection result of the load sensor. The main problem of the present invention is to eliminate the load caused by the tension of the seat belt, thereby detecting the occupant's weight more accurately than in the past. It is to be.

[0009]

According to the present invention, at least one load detecting means for detecting a load acting on a seat body attached to a vehicle body member in a vertical direction, Seat belt load detecting means for detecting a load due to the tension of the seat belt acting on the seat belt anchor fixed to the member, direction detecting means for detecting the direction of the load due to the tension, and the load detected by the load detecting means Estimating means for estimating the weight of an occupant based on the load, the estimating means estimating a load acting vertically between the vehicle body and the seat body due to the load due to the tension, and detecting the load. An occupant weight detecting device for subtracting the estimated load from the load detected by the means to estimate the weight of the occupant. Or at least one load detecting means disposed between the vehicle body member and the seat body positioned above the vehicle body member to detect a load acting in the vertical direction therebetween, and the load detecting means detects the load. Estimating means for estimating the weight of the occupant based on the load, wherein the seat belt anchor is disposed closer to the seat body than the load detecting means when viewed from the load transmission path from the seat body to the vehicle body member. A vehicle occupant weight detecting device (a second aspect of the present invention), or a vehicle body member and a seat body located above the vehicle body member, and are vertically acted therebetween. At least one load detecting means for detecting a load, estimating means for estimating a weight of an occupant based on the load detected by the load detecting means, An occupant weight detecting device for a vehicle, comprising: a seat belt load holding means disposed between the seat body and the seat body for holding a load applied to the seat body by the seat belt. ).

According to the configuration of the first aspect, the load due to the tension of the seat belt acting on the seat belt anchor is detected, the direction of the load due to the tension of the seat belt is detected, and the load due to the tension due to the seat belt is detected. The load acting in the vertical direction between the vehicle body member and the seat body is estimated, and the weight of the occupant is estimated by subtracting the estimated load from the load detected by the load detecting means. The weight of the occupant can be accurately determined without being affected by the load caused by the vehicle.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the seat belt anchor is disposed closer to the seat body than the load detecting means when viewed from the load transmission path from the seat body to the vehicle body member, and is caused by the tension of the seat belt. Since the load does not act on the load detecting means at all, the weight of the occupant is accurately detected by the load detecting means without being affected by the load due to the tension of the seat belt.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the load applied to the seat body by the seat belt is carried by the seat belt load carrying means disposed between the vehicle body member and the seat body, and substantially the seat belt is provided. Since the load caused by the tension of the occupant does not act on the load detecting means, the weight of the occupant is accurately detected by the load detecting means substantially without being affected by the load due to the tension of the seat belt.

According to the present invention, in order to effectively achieve the above-mentioned main object, in the configuration of the above-mentioned second aspect, the seat body is fixed to the vehicle body member via a mounting member. The load detecting means is configured to be disposed closer to the seat body than between the vehicle body member and the mounting member when viewed from the load transmission path (the configuration according to claim 3).

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the load detecting means is disposed closer to the seat body than between the vehicle body member and the mounting member when viewing the load transmission path from the seat body to the vehicle body member. The effect of the variation in the mounting load of the seat body on the vehicle body member by the mounting member is also reliably eliminated.

[0015]

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first aspect, the seat body is fixed to a vehicle body member via an attachment member, and the load detecting means is provided on the seat body. It is configured to be disposed closer to the seat body than between the vehicle body member and the mounting member when viewing the load transmission path to the vehicle body member (preferred embodiment 1).

According to another preferred aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the second or third aspect, the seat belt anchor is fixed to a seat member integral with the seat body.
The load detecting means is configured to be arranged between the seat member and the vehicle body member (preferred embodiment 2).

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, in any one of the above-mentioned constitutions, the seat body is provided between the vehicle body member and the seat body by the load of the occupant. Relative displacement permitting means for permitting relative displacement at least in the up-down direction, wherein the load detecting means detects a change in a physical quantity that changes with the displacement of the seat body relative to the body member. (Preferred embodiment 3).

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the configuration of the above-mentioned preferred embodiment 3, the relative displacement permitting means is pivotally supported by the vehicle body member and the seat body and is inclined in the vertical direction and is spaced apart from each other. (Preferred mode 4).

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the structure of the above-mentioned preferred embodiment 4, a plurality of link members are applied to the above-mentioned structure of claim 1, and each link member is located between the lower end and the upper end. It is configured to extend obliquely to the rear of the vehicle with respect to the vertical direction as viewed in the direction (preferred embodiment 5).

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the structure of the above-mentioned preferred embodiment 4, a plurality of link members are applied to the structure of the above-mentioned claim 4, and each link member is located between the lower end and the upper end. The vehicle extends obliquely forward of the vehicle with respect to the vertical direction, and at least one link member is configured to function as seat belt load carrying means (preferred mode 6).

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the configuration of the above-mentioned preferred embodiment 6, the at least one link member is used for an occupant having a standard size when viewed in a lateral direction of the vehicle. (The preferred embodiment 7).

[0022]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which several preferred embodiments are shown.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a first embodiment of a vehicle occupant weight detecting apparatus according to the present invention in a state where a child seat is attached to a passenger seat, and FIG. 2 is a block line of the first embodiment. FIG.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a passenger seat. A seat 10 includes a seat body 10A that supports the thighs and buttocks of the occupant, and a lower end of the seat body that is pivotally supported by the seat body. The seat back 10B supports the body. The frame 12 of the seat body 10A is fixed to a pair of upper rail members 14 spaced apart from each other in the lateral direction of the vehicle, and each upper rail member 14 is opposed to the lower rail member 16 by a corresponding lower rail member 16 in a known manner. The vehicle is supported so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and is fixed at a desired position by a stopper (not shown).

Although not shown in FIG. 1, the left and right lower rail members 16 are integrally connected to each other at their front and rear ends by connection bars extending in the vehicle lateral direction. In this embodiment, the upper ends of link members 18 and 20 are pivotally connected to the front end and rear end of each lower rail member 16 by pins 22 and 24, respectively.
The lower ends of link members 18 and 20 are pivotally attached to mounting brackets 30 and 32 by pins 26 and 28, respectively.

The link members 18 and 20 have the same effective length, that is, the same inter-pin length, and extend obliquely rearward of the vehicle as viewed from the lower end toward the upper end. The mounting brackets 30 and 32 are fixed to the vehicle floor member 38 by bolts 34 and 36, respectively. Thus, lower rail member 16, link members 18 and 20, and floor member 38 cooperate with pins 22 and 24, pins 26 and 28, and mounting brackets 30 and 32 to form a substantially parallelogram four-bar link. .

Although not shown in detail in FIG.
Link members 18 and 20 are provided around 6 and 28, respectively.
1 is provided around the pins 26 and 28 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 1, and the lower rail member 16 or the mounting brackets 30 and 32 have the link members 18 and 20 with a predetermined amount or more. A stopper is provided around the pins 26 and 28 to restrict the rotational displacement in the counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG.

As can be understood from the above description, when a downward load acts on the seat body 10A, for example, when the occupant sits on the seat 10, the link members 18 and 20 move from the position regulated by the stopper to the spring force of the coil spring. The lower rail member 16 approaches the floor member 38 by rotating the pins 26 and 28 around the pins 26 and 28 in the clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. Therefore, the lower rail member 16 and the link member 18
And 20, floor member 38, pins 22 and 24, pin 2
The coil springs 6 and 28 constitute relative displacement permitting means for permitting relative displacement of the seat body closer to the floor member 38 in accordance with the weight of the occupant acting on the seat body 10A.

On the lower surface of the front end of the lower rail member 16, a stopper 40 made of an elastic material for cooperating with the mounting bracket 30 to restrict excessive rotational displacement of the link members 18 and 20.
Has been fixed. At the rear end of the mounting bracket 32, the link members 18 and 2 cooperate with the lower rail member 16.
A stopper 42 made of an elastic material for restricting an even more excessive rotational displacement is fixed.

In the illustrated first embodiment, an upper sensor element 44A and a lower sensor element 44B are fixed to the lower surfaces of the left and right lower rail members 16 and the upper surface of the mounting bracket 30, respectively. The elements constitute a load sensor 44 that detects a change in the capacitance between the lower rail member 16 and the floor member 38 in the vertical direction by detecting a change in the distance between them.

Although only one load sensor 44 is shown in FIG. 1, one load sensor is provided on the right and left sides of the seat 10, and these load sensors are respectively connected to the load sensors 44R and 44R. 44L.
Further, the load sensors 44R and 44L output signals indicating the loads Psr and Psl with the load when the occupant is not seated on the passenger seat 10 as 0.

Further, a pair of brackets 46 are fixed to the floor member 38 near the rear left and right mounting brackets 32. The lower end of a seat belt anchor 50 is pivotally supported on each bracket 46 by a pin 48. Each seat belt anchor 50 is provided with a seat belt 52 as is well known.
Is held at the end or partway. One of the seat belt anchors 50 has a seat belt 5.
2, a seat belt load sensor 54 for detecting a load Psb by the tension Tsb of the second bracket 4 is provided.
6 is provided with an angle sensor 56 for detecting the inclination angle θ of the seat belt anchor 50 with respect to the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the load sensor 44
Loads Psr and P detected by R and 44L, respectively.
The signal indicating sl, the signal indicating the load Psb detected by the seat belt load sensor 54, and the signal indicating the inclination angle θ detected by the angle sensor 56 are output from the airbag deployment control device 5.
8 is input. A signal indicating the longitudinal acceleration Gx of the vehicle body from the longitudinal acceleration sensor 60 and a signal indicating the lateral acceleration Gy of the vehicle body from the lateral acceleration sensor 62 are also input to the airbag deployment control device 58.

The airbag deployment control device 58 is, for example, a CP.
U, ROM, RAM, and an input / output port device, which include a microcomputer having a general configuration connected to each other by a bidirectional common bus. In addition, the airbag deployment control device 58 controls the loads Psr and Psl,
The weight of the occupant W and the weight for deployment control Wc are estimated based on the sb and the inclination angle θ as described later. When the absolute value of the longitudinal acceleration Gx of the vehicle body or the absolute value of the lateral acceleration Gy of the vehicle exceeds the reference value, And the airbag 64 is deployed.

In the illustrated embodiment, although not shown in detail in the drawings, the airbag 64 includes a front airbag and a side airbag for a driver, and a lower front airbag for a passenger in a passenger seat. And an upper front airbag, a lower side airbag for a passenger on the front passenger seat, and an upper side airbag.

When the absolute value of the longitudinal acceleration Gx of the vehicle exceeds the reference value, the airbag deployment control device 58 determines that the vehicle has collided in the longitudinal direction, and the estimated weight Wc of the occupant is changed to the first reference value W1 (positive). Is less than the constant), the front airbag for the driver is deployed but the airbag for the passenger is not deployed, and the estimated weight Wc of the occupant is equal to or greater than the first reference value W1 and the second Is smaller than the reference value W2 (positive constant larger than W1), the driver deploys the front airbag for the driver and the lower front airbag for the passenger in the passenger seat, and the estimated weight Wc of the occupant becomes the second reference. When the value is equal to or more than the value W2, the front airbag for the driver is deployed, and the lower front airbag and the upper front airbag for the passenger in the passenger seat are deployed.

Similarly, when the absolute value of the lateral acceleration Gy of the vehicle exceeds the reference value, the airbag deployment control device 58 determines that the vehicle is in a lateral collision (side collision), and estimates the estimated weight W of the occupant.
When c is less than the first reference value W1, the driver deploys the side airbag but does not deploy the passenger airbag, and the estimated occupant weight Wc is greater than or equal to the first reference value W1. If it is smaller than the second reference value W2, the side airbag for the driver and the lower side airbag for the passenger in the passenger seat are deployed, and the estimated weight Wc of the passenger is obtained.
Is greater than or equal to the second reference value W2, the side airbag for the driver is deployed, and the lower side airbag and the upper side airbag for the occupant in the passenger seat are deployed.

The configuration of the airbag and the deployment control of the airbag deployment control device 58 do not constitute the gist of the present invention, and the airbag may have any configuration, and the deployment control of those airbags may also take any form. It may be performed in the same way.

Next, the principle of detecting the weight W of the occupant in the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the auxiliary seat 1
Consider a situation where a child seat 66 is installed at 0 and an infant 68 is sitting on the child seat 66.
The illustrated child seat 66 includes an upper sheet member 66A and a lower sheet member 66B.
6B is fixed to the seat 10 by the seat belt 52,
The upper sheet member 66A is fixedly attached to the seat 10 by being fixed to the lower sheet member 66B.

As shown, when the weight of the infant 68 and the weight of the child seat 66 are Wp and Ws, respectively, the load Psb applied to the seat belt anchor 50 by the seat belt 52 is equal to the tension Tsb of the seat belt 52, and The angle of the load Psb is θ. Since the reaction force of the link members 18 and 20 is negligible, the vertical load Ps received by the seat 10 is expressed by the following equation (1).

The load Ps is determined by the load sensors 44R and 44R.
Since the load is equal to the sum of the loads Psr and Psl detected by L, the total weight W is expressed by the following equation (2), where W is the sum of the weight of the infant 68 and the weight of the child seat 66.

Also, when a person is seated on the passenger seat 10, the weight W of the person is represented by the above equation (2). Therefore, by detecting the loads Psr, Psl, Psb and the angle θ, The weight W of the occupant, the weight of the infant 68, and the total weight of the child seat 66 can be obtained according to Equation 2.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an occupant weight estimation routine according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 3
The control according to the flowchart shown in is started when a first predetermined time elapses from the time when an ignition switch (not shown) is turned on, and is repeatedly executed every second predetermined time. Is done.

First, in step 10, the load sensor 4
Signals indicating the loads Psr and Psl detected by 4R and 44L, respectively, are read. In step 20, the weight W of the occupant is calculated according to the above equation 2 based on the detected loads Psr, Psl, Psb and the angle θ. Is calculated.

In step 30, it is determined whether or not the weight W is less than the second reference value W1. If an affirmative determination is made, in step 40 the weight Wc for deployment control is reduced to Wc1. (Positive constant), and the process proceeds to step 50 when a negative determination is made.

In step 50, it is determined whether or not the weight W is less than the second reference value W2. If an affirmative determination is made, in step 60, the weight Wc for deployment control is reduced to Wc2. (A positive constant larger than Wc1), and if a negative determination is made, the weight Wc for deployment control is set to Wc3 (a positive constant larger than Wc2) in step 70.

In step 80, steps 40 and 6
The weight Wc for deployment control set at 0 or 70 is stored in the RAM of the microcomputer.

In step 90, it is determined whether or not the second predetermined time has elapsed. If a negative determination is made, step 90 is repeatedly executed. If an affirmative determination is made, step 10 is executed. Return to

Thus, according to the illustrated first embodiment,
By calculating the weight W of the occupant according to the above equation 2, the influence of the load caused by the tension of the seat belt 52 is eliminated, so that the weight of the occupant can be accurately detected, and thereby the physique of the occupant is reduced. It can be determined accurately.

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural view showing a second embodiment of a vehicle occupant weight detecting apparatus according to the present invention in a state where a child seat is attached to a passenger seat. In FIG. 4, the same members as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, the seat belt anchor 50 is fixed to the outer surface of the upper rail member 14, and the seat belt load sensor 54 and the angle sensor 56 provided in the first embodiment are not provided. . The other points of this embodiment are configured in the same manner as the first embodiment, and although not shown in the figure, the estimation of the occupant weight by the airbag deployment control device in this embodiment is as follows.
This is achieved by a routine similar to the routine of the first embodiment except that the weight W is calculated as the sum of the loads Psr and Psl in step 20 of FIG.

As can be seen from FIG. 4, since the load Psb due to the tension Tsb of the seat belt 52 does not act between the seat body 10A and the floor member 38 at all, the left and right load sensors 44 also depend on the tension Tsb of the seat belt 52. No load is applied. Therefore, according to the illustrated second embodiment, the weight of the occupant can be accurately detected and determined without requiring a correction operation for the detection result of the load sensor 44 as in the first embodiment.

In particular, according to the illustrated first and second embodiments, the load sensor 44 uses a displacement amount when the occupant sits on the seat 10 and the lower rail member 16 relatively approaches the floor member 38 according to the weight of the occupant. To detect the load due to the weight of the occupant.
Since the load acting between the floor member 3 and the floor member 38 is not detected, the floor member 3 by the bolts 34 and 36 is not detected.
Thus, the weight of the occupant can be detected by reliably removing the influence of the mounting load of the brackets 30 and 32 and the fluctuation thereof on the bracket 8.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a third embodiment of a vehicle occupant weight detecting apparatus according to the present invention in a state where an adult is seated on a passenger seat. In FIG. 5, the same members as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, the link member 18
And 20 extend obliquely forward of the vehicle as viewed from the lower end toward the upper end. In addition, the inclination angle of the link members 18 and 20 is such that the seat 10 is in the standard front-rear position,
Is substantially the same as the inclination angle θ of the seat belt 52 in a situation where a standard-sized adult 70 is seated. Further, the rear link member 20 is provided at a position which is the same as or close to the seat belt 52 when the adult 70 of the standard size is seated on the seat 10 when viewed in the lateral direction of the vehicle. .

Also in this embodiment, the seat belt load sensor 54 and the angle sensor 56 provided in the first embodiment are not provided. The other points of this embodiment are configured in the same manner as the first embodiment, and although not shown in the figure, the estimation of the occupant weight by the airbag deployment control device in this embodiment is also shown in FIG. This is achieved by a routine similar to the routine of the first embodiment except that the weight W is calculated as the sum of the loads Psr and Psl in step 20 of step 3.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the rear link member 20 also functions as a seat belt load carrying means for carrying the load Psb applied to the seat belt anchor 50 by the tension Tsb of the seat belt 52. 52, the load due to the tension Tsb substantially does not act on the left and right load sensors 44.
The weight W of the occupant can be accurately detected and determined without being affected by the tension Tsb.

In each of the illustrated embodiments, the load sensor 44 detects the load due to the weight of the occupant by detecting the amount of displacement when the lower rail member 16 relatively approaches the floor member 38. However, the load due to the weight of the occupant is an arbitrary physical quantity that changes when the lower rail member 16 relatively approaches the floor member 38, for example, the lower rail member 16 and the floor member 38 or the bracket 3
0, 32, the pivot angle of the link member 18 or 20, the pin 22 or 24 or the pin 26
Or the rotation angle of 28, the torsion angle torsion torque, the lower rail member 16 without the link
Distortion of the supporting leg connected and fixed to the upper rail member 14
The pressure may be detected as pressure applied to the lower rail member 16 via a roller (not shown).

In each of the illustrated embodiments, a pair of left and right load sensors 44R and 44L are provided.
The load sensors may be provided on the connecting bar that integrally connects the left and right lower rail members 16 so as to be separated from each other in the vehicle front-rear direction, or may be provided only on the front or rear connecting bar.

In each of the illustrated embodiments, the lower rail member 16, the link members 18 and 20, the floor member 3
8, the pins 22 and 24, the pins 26 and 28, and the coil spring constitute relative displacement permitting means for permitting the relative displacement of the seat body toward the floor member 38 in accordance with the weight of the occupant acting on the seat body 10A. However, the relative displacement permitting means may have any structure as long as it allows the seat body 10A to be displaced at least in the vertical direction relative to the floor member 38.

For example, the relative displacement allowing means is the seat body 10
A may be a combination of a guide member that allows displacement at least in the vertical direction relative to the floor member 38 and a member guided by the guide member. In particular, in the first and second embodiments, In addition, the link members 18 and 20 may extend obliquely forward of the vehicle when viewed from the lower end toward the upper end.

In the first and third embodiments,
The load sensor 44 may be a sensor that detects a load acting on the seating surface of the seat body 10A or a load acting between the floor member 38 and the brackets 30, 32. In the second embodiment, , The load sensor 44 is the floor member 3
A sensor that detects a load acting between the bracket 8 and the brackets 30 and 32 may be used.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various other embodiments may be included within the scope of the present invention. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that is possible.

For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the lower rail member 16, the link members 18 and 20, and the floor member 38 are provided by the pins 22 and 24, the pins 26 and 28, and the coil springs for the occupant acting on the seat body 10A. Relative displacement permitting means is provided for permitting relative displacement of the seat body so as to approach the floor member 38 in accordance with the weight, but the lower rail member 16 is rigidly attached to the brackets 30, 32 without the relative displacement permitting means. May be connected.

In each of the above embodiments, the seat 10 is a passenger seat, but the seat to which the occupant weight detecting device of the present invention is applied may be a driver's seat or another seat. Although the sheet 10 is a slide type sheet, the sheet may be a fixed type.

Further, in the above-described second embodiment, the seat belt anchor 50 is located above the load sensor 44, but the seat belt anchor 50 transmits the load from the seat body 10A to the floor member 38. As long as the path is located closer to the seat body than the load sensor, it may be provided below the load sensor 44.

[0068]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the structure of the first aspect of the present invention, a vertical force acts between the vehicle body member and the seat body due to the load due to the tension of the seat belt. The load is estimated, and the weight of the occupant is estimated by subtracting the estimated load from the load detected by the load detection means, so that the weight of the occupant is accurately detected without being affected by the load due to the tension of the seat belt. can do.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the load caused by the tension of the seat belt does not act on the load detecting means at all, the weight of the occupant can be accurately detected without being affected by the load due to the tension of the seat belt. Since it is not necessary to subtract the estimated load from the load detected by the load detecting means as in the case of the first aspect, the estimating means can be simplified.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the load detecting means is disposed closer to the seat body than between the vehicle body member and the mounting member when viewing the load transmission path from the seat body to the vehicle body member. The effect of the variation in the mounting load of the seat body on the vehicle body member by the mounting member can be reliably eliminated, whereby the weight of the occupant can be accurately detected.

According to the configuration of claim 4, since the load substantially due to the tension of the seat belt does not act on the load detecting means, the load of the occupant is substantially not affected by the load due to the tension of the seat belt. Since the weight can be accurately detected, and it is not necessary to subtract the estimated load from the load detected by the load detecting means as in the case of claim 1, the estimating means can be simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of a vehicle occupant weight detection device according to the present invention in a state where a child seat is attached to a passenger seat.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an occupant weight estimation routine according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of a vehicle occupant weight detection device according to the present invention in a state where a child seat is attached to a passenger seat.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a third embodiment of a vehicle occupant weight detection device according to the present invention in a state where an adult is seated on a passenger seat.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Passenger seat 10A ... Seat main body 14 ... Upper rail member 16 ... Lower rail member 18, 20 ... Link member 30, 32 ... Mounting bracket 38 ... Floor member 44, 44R, 44L ... Load sensor 50 ... Seat belt anchor 52 ... Seat belt 54: Seat belt load sensor 56: Angle sensor 58: Airbag deployment control device

Claims (4)

[Claims] At least one load detecting means for detecting a load acting on a seat body attached to a vehicle body member in a vertical direction, and a load caused by a tension of a seat belt acting on a seat belt anchor fixed to the vehicle body member. And a direction detecting means for detecting the direction of the load due to the tension, and an estimating means for estimating the weight of the occupant based on the load detected by the load detecting means. Means for estimating a load acting vertically between the vehicle body and the seat body due to the load due to the tension, subtracting the estimated load from the load detected by the load detection means, and A vehicle occupant weight detection device for estimating the weight of a vehicle. 2. At least one load detecting means disposed between a vehicle body member and a seat body located above the vehicle body member, for detecting a load acting vertically between the vehicle body member and the load detecting means. Estimating means for estimating the weight of the occupant based on the load detected by the vehicle, and a seatbelt anchor is located closer to the seat body than the load detecting means when viewing the load transmission path from the seat body to the vehicle body member. An occupant weight detection device for a vehicle, wherein the device is disposed. 3. The seat body is fixed to the vehicle body member via a mounting member, and the load detecting means is arranged such that the load detecting means is located between the vehicle body member and the mounting member as viewed from the load transmission path. The vehicle occupant weight detection device according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle occupant weight detection device is disposed on a side of the vehicle. 4. At least one load detecting means disposed between a vehicle body member and a seat body located above the vehicle body member, the load detecting means detecting a load acting vertically between the vehicle body member and the load detecting means. Estimating means for estimating the weight of the occupant based on the load detected by the vehicle, and seat belt load carrying means disposed between the vehicle body member and the seat body and carrying a load applied to the seat body by the seat belt. An occupant weight detection device for a vehicle, comprising: