Takata Corporation

Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Eiji Yanagi

Hiroaki Fujii

Ryoichi Yoshida

Hiroshi Aoki

Akira Kokeguchi

Keishi Yokota

Noriyuki Kosugi

Yoshihiko Tanaka

Yoshihiko Minami

Tadayuki Ato

Tadayuki Atoh

Masahiko Kato

Kenji Kitazawa

Shigenori Maruyama

Yuichi Sawawatari

Naohiko Shimizu

Shinji Fukazawa

The disclosed detection circuit for a seatbelt apparatus may include an attachment detection switch, first and second resistance elements, and an LED. The resistance value of the first resistance element may be set to a value which allows a current smaller than the maximum current value which cannot turn the LED on to flow through the LED when the attachment detection switch is in an OFF state. The resistance values of the first and second resistance elements can be set to values which allow a current larger than the minimum current value which can turn the LED on to flow through the LED when the attachment detection switch is in an ON state. A monitoring circuit may determine whether or not the tongue on the seat is attached to the buckle.

Seatbelt apparatus

A load sensor hardly causing error in weight measurement even when the environmental temperature of the load sensor varies, and a seat weight measuring apparatus using the load sensor. The sensor includes a plurality of strain gauges form a bridge circuit. The strain gauges forming the bridge circuit are attached to the front and back surfaces of a base plate at substantially the same location. Portions of a flexible substrate, on which the strain gauges are formed, are folded and adhered to the back of the sensor plate with adhesive. The bridge circuit formed by the strain gauges compensates for the variation in resistance among the strain gauges generated due to the temperature distribution of the base plate, resulting in little or no variation in output.

Load sensor and seat weight measuring apparatus with a plurality of strain gauges

In order to provide a method for reliably detecting that an operation device, such as a sensor or an actuator, is connected to a proper connector of a control device, a connection detecting method includes the steps of reading an identification signal of the operation device, comparing the identification signal with a predetermined signal assigned to the operation device at the control device, and determining if the identification signal matches the predetermined signal. The system also includes a step of sending a connection failure warning after the determining step is repeated for predetermined times.

Method for detecting improper connection of connector

A vehicle collision damage reduction system is provided. The system works by detecting the relative speed between the vehicle and an object, such as another vehicle. A danger level is calculated based on parameters such as speed and distance to the object; the danger level could be at an &ldquo;emergency level&rdquo; or at some lower level. Based on the danger level, different corrective measures and the degree of the corrective measures can be adjusted to attempt to minimize occupant injury. For example, the airbag can be adjusted to better protect the occupant, a pre-tensioner can be activated at a certain level, and the inclination of a child restraint seat may be adjusted as well.

Vehicle collision damage reduction system

A vehicle collision warning system includes a distance measuring device for measuring a distance from a subject vehicle to an obstacle in front of the subject vehicle, a speed detecting device for detecting a speed of the subject vehicle, a control device for receiving signals from the distance measuring device and the speed detecting device and estimating a possibility of collision to the obstacle based on the received signals, and an alerting device electrically connected to the control device. When the control device determines that there is a possibility of collision, the alerting device receives a signal from the control device and emits a first alarm to the subject vehicle and provides a second alarm to a following vehicle without awaiting an action of a driver of the subject vehicle.

Vehicle collision warning system

A vehicle safety system includes an obstacle detecting device for detecting an obstacle around a vehicle; a vehicle state detecting device for detecting states of a speed, acceleration, turning sideways, sudden braking, sudden revolving, sideslipping and the like of the vehicle; a dangerous degree determining device for determining a dangerous level of the obstacle with respect to the vehicle or dangerous level of the vehicle itself by receiving information from the obstacle detecting device and/or the vehicle state detecting device; a seat belt device for changing a shape, including an area of a belt, of a touching portion where the belt touches an occupant according to dangerous level information from the dangerous degree determining device; and an occupant identifying device for storing physical characteristics of the occupant sitting on a seat corresponding to the seat belt device. The seat belt device receives information from the occupant identifying device, and changes the shape of the touching portion according to the physical characteristics of the occupant on the seat. Thus, the vehicle safety system provides the occupant with a warning and more suitable protection by estimating a dangerous degree of the obstacle or problem.

Vehicle safety system

Distance sensors are mounted on both ends of a vehicle and have light transmitting and receiving sections. A distance to an object is independently measured by alternately transmitting 'one-side-only enlarged light beams' at a time interval and receiving corresponding reflected beams from the object. In an overlapped area of the 'one-side-only enlarged light beams', the distance from the vehicle to the object, as well as the azimuth of the object, is measured by a triangulation distance measurement using an interval between the distance sensors as a baseline. The lengths of the 'one-side-only enlarged light beams' in the running direction of the vehicle are about 50m and a width vertical to the running direction of the overlapped area is about 2m slightly greater than a width of the vehicle.

Distance measuring apparatus

The present invention encompasses an acceleration sensor which is capable of detecting the magnitude or the azimuth of acceleration. For this purpose, a ball 2 is set onto a bottom 1b of a tapered housing. A light emitter 3 is disposed thereunder and a light receiving unit 4 is disposed thereabove. The light receiving unit 4 comprises four light receiving elements 5A-5D which are disposed about the optical axis 10. When acceleration force is exerted on the ball 2 and the ball 2 is moved, light spot 20 of the ball 2 is moved also and output signals produced by receiving elements 5A through 5D are changed, thereby acceleration can be detected.

Acceleration sensor

A seat belt retractor is controlled in consideration of the condition of a vehicle relative to an object and/or the condition of the vehicle to more efficiently and conformably protect the occupant in an emergency. A CPU judges the condition of the vehicle relative to the object based on a detection signal, with regard to the object in front of the vehicle, from a front object detection sensor and drives an electric motor depending on the result of the judgment. The rotation of the electric motor causes a drive side gear clutch, a clutch plate, and a lever member to rotate together. As the rotation of the lever member is stopped, the drive side gear clutch and the clutch plate rotate conversely each other so that the clutch plate shifts axially to engage the teeth thereof with teeth of the driven side gear clutch. As a result, the rotation of the electric motor causes the gear holder and the reel shaft to rotate. In this way, the belt tension of the seat belt is controlled corresponding to the condition of the vehicle relative to the object.

Vehicle occupant restraint system

An air bag is structured by superposing a lower panel and an upper panel and sewing up the peripheral portions of the panels. The air bag is provided with an opening for an inflator at its rear portion. Flaps are extended from a peripheral portion of the opening for the inflator.

Air bag

The invention is a combination of an air bag device and a vehicle. An air bag for the air bag device for a passenger seat or a rear seat is structured by superposing a lower panel and an upper panel and sewing up the peripheral portions of the panels. The lower panel is longer than the upper panel. Portions of the lower panel are superposed each other and extended out of the air bag so as to form elongated portions. A protrusion of the air bag is formed by sewing up side edges of the elongated portions with threads.

Combination of an air bag device and a vehicle

An air bag for a passenger seat or a rear seat which is produced by easy sewing and is assembled into an air bag device easily is structured by superposing a lower panel and an upper panel and sewing up the peripheral portions of the panels. The lower panel is provided with an opening for an inflator and vent holes. The opening is provided with a cloth sewed on the outside of the periphery thereof. The rod-shaped inflator is inserted between the cloth and the opening. The both ends of the inflator are fixed to a casing.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Eiji Yanagi