Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyota Jidoshi Kabushiki Kaisha

Hideki Kawabata

Muneto Inayoshi

Kan Ichihara

Hiroyuki Fujii

Mutsuro Aoyama

Yoshimasa Asano

Satohiko Nakano

Sadao Ito

Naofumi Fujie

Kazunori Sakamoto

Minoru Izawa

Naoka Kawajiri

Kenichiro Akizuki

Koji Ito

Takami Terada

Keiji Mori

Genta Moriyama

Isao Honda

Hiroshi Nawa

Hidekazu Kogita

Yasuaki Suzuki

Chiaki Sumi

Takeshi Kuwabara

Shuhei Uchida

Yasuaki Nishio

Kazumasa Seo

Hajime Shiohara

A grille apparatus for a vehicle includes a first cover arranged at an opening portion of a front grille, a second cover arranged at the opening portion of the front grille, and a drive mechanism changing a relative position of the first cover and the second cover in response to a driving force of a drive source, in which the drive mechanism changes an opening amount of the front grille by performing an opening operation moving the second cover to a rear of the first cover, and by performing a closing operation returning the second cover to a fully-closed position, the fully-closed position before moving the second cover to the rear of the first cover while maintaining the first cover and the second cover within the opening portion of the front grille.

Grille apparatus for vehicle

An apparatus for determining a seat occupancy includes a load detecting portion provided between one of a front portion and a rear portion of a seating portion of a seat for a vehicle that includes a lifting function for changing a height position of the seating portion relative to a floor for the vehicle, the seat including a seat back at the rear portion of the seating portion of the seat, the load detecting portion detecting a seating load applied to the seating portion, and a seat occupancy determining portion comparing the seating load detected by the load detecting portion with a predetermined threshold value and determining a seat occupancy state of the seat, the seat occupancy determining portion changing the threshold value based on the height position of the seating portion.

Apparatus and method for determining seat occupancy

A load detection device includes a strain generating body having first and second holes at first and second ends of the strain generating body, a strain gauge attached on the strain generating body, first and second fixing members having first and second middle shaft portion press-fitted into the first and second holes, respectively, and having first and second end shaft portions protruding from the first and second middle shaft portions, respectively, a bracket member having first fixing portion including a first fixing hole into which the first end shaft portion is press-fitted, and a second fixing portion, integrally connected to the first fixing portion and including a second fixing hole into which the second end shaft portion is inserted with a clearance therebetween, a press-fit fixing member press-fitted onto the second end shaft portion, and a connecting shaft integrally connected to the strain generating body.

Load detection device

A load detecting device for a vehicle seat includes a supporting base adapted to be mounted on a floor of the vehicle, a plurality of load sensors arranged along a forward and backward direction of a seat for the vehicle on the supporting base, the load sensors including a load input portion, a deflection portion deflecting by a load and a deflection gauge measuring an amount of deflection, the load sensors detecting the load based on the amount of deflection measured by the deflection gauge, a connecting member connecting the load input portions, a seat supporting member connected to the connecting member and adapted to support the seat for the vehicle, the seat supporting member transmitting load to the connecting member, and a stopper preventing deformation of the connecting member in a vertical direction of the seat when load which exceeding a predetermined value is applied to the connecting member.

Load detecting device for vehicle seat

A load detecting apparatus includes a strain member, a supporting member, a load input member and a strain detecting element. The supporting member is employed for supporting the strain member at a supporting portion thereof. The load input member is supported by the strain member and strains the strain member when an external load is applied thereon. The strain detecting element is provided at at least a surface of the strain member for detecting the strain generated by the load input member. Further, an outer end of the supporting portion located outwardly relative to the load input member is fixed to the strain member.

Load detecting apparatus

A seat apparatus for a vehicle has a load detecting device arranged between a floor-side fixing member adapted to be fixed to a floor of the vehicle and a seat-side fixing member adapted to be fixed to a seat for the vehicle and for measuring a load of an occupant seated on the seat. The load detecting device includes: a strain member; a connecting member vertically fixed to an intermediate portion of the strain member; strain gauges attached to a surface of the strain member; an upper bracket having a first and second fixed portions both fixed to the other surface of the strain member. The upper bracket further has an attachment portion connecting the first and second fixed portions and extending in a lateral direction of the seat; and an amplifier unit attached to a surface of the attachment portion of the upper bracket corresponding to the strain member so as to be coplanar with the strain member.

Seat apparatus for a vehicle

An occupant load detecting device of a seat for a vehicle includes a strain member arranged between a floor-side fixing member and a seat-side fixing member and having a strain gauge, a connecting member fixed to the strain member and securely connected to one of the floor-side fixing member and the seat-side fixing member, a first supporting member relatively immovably fitted into a fixing hole and fixed to an attachment surface formed at the other one of the floor-side fixing member and the seat-side fixing member to support the strain member, a second supporting member fitted into an attachment hole and fixed to the attachment surface, and a bracket including first and second fixing portions and an amplifier case fixing portion continuous with the first and second fixing portions and extending at a side of the strain member in a lateral direction of the seat.

Occupant load detecting device of seat for vehicle

An occupant load sensor of a seat for a vehicle includes a metal-made bracket fixed to a strain member and having an attachment portion extending in a lateral direction from the strain member, an amplifier substrate for amplifying a signal transmitted by the strain gauge. One surface of the amplifier substrate is covered by the attachment portion of the metal-made bracket and the other surface thereof is covered by a metal-foil ground pattern. The occupant load sensor further includes a resin-made amplifier case fixed to the attachment portion of the metal-made bracket and arranged in parallel to the strain member. The resin-made amplifier case houses therein the amplifier substrate.

Occupant load sensor of seat for vehicle

In a seat load detecting device, sensor bodies are interposed between an upper rail and respective lower brackets. Each sensor body includes an annular strain portion which axial line extends vertically, an outer peripheral holder which is mounted to the upper rail and which holds an outer peripheral edge of the strain portion, and an inner peripheral holder which is mounted to the lower bracket and which holds an inner peripheral edge of the strain portion. Strain gauges for detecting a load applied to a seat on the basis of a strain amount between an outer periphery and an inner periphery of each strain portion are disposed on each strain portion. A second clamping member of each inner peripheral holder has a mounting hole which is formed through the second clamping member in a widthwise direction thereof and which rockably connects the lower bracket.

Seat load detecting device and mounting structure thereof

A driving mechanism usable in a vehicle seat reclining adjuster includes a pinion gear, a driven gear rotated by the pinion gear, and a stopper mechanism defining a rotation range of the driven gear. The stopper mechanism includes a transmitting member transmitting a stopping force to the axle portion of the pinion gear.

Driving unit

A vehicular power seat slide device includes a lower rail adapted to be fixed to a vehicle body floor, an upper rail slidably mounted on the lower rail for supporting a seat device, a nut member secured to the lower rail, and a screw shaft threadably engaged with the nut member and operatively associated with a gear box. To reduce the bending moment in the screw shaft resulting from a load applied to the upper rail in the vehicle lengthwise direction, a flange is provided on the screw shaft, and a block member is secured to the upper rail between the flange and the gear box, with the block member being mounted with respect to the screw shaft to allow rotation of the screw shaft.

Vehicular power seat slide device

A seat structure is provided which can more reliably detect seating by a smaller stroke of a seat cushion. Movable members 8, 51 and 231 operating in response to up and down movement of a seat cushion 1 and a switching means 4 able to abut against the movable members 8, 51 and 231 are provided, performing occupant detection based on the on/off operation of the switching means 4 by means of the movement operation of the movable members 8, 51 and 231 accompanying a fall of the seat cushion 1.

Seat structure for vehicles with occupant detector

A vehicle retractable mirror structure comprising an arm member mounted on a vehicle body for a pivotable movement relative to the vehicle body between an operative position wherein the arm member projects sidewardly with respect to the vehicle body and a retracted position wherein the arm member is positioned close to the vehicle body, and a mirror assembly mounted on the arm member for a pivotable movement with respect to the arm member. There is provided an interconnecting motion transmitting mechanism between the arm member and the mirror assembly for moving the mirror assembly with the arm member so that the mirror assembly is moved to an operative position wherein the mirror member is projected sidewardly with respect to the vehicle body when the arm member is moved to the operative position and a retracted position wherein the mirror member is positioned close to the vehicle body when the arm member is moved to the retracted position. There is further provided a driving mechanism for driving the arm member between the operative position and the retracted position whereby the mirror assembly is moved with respect to the arm member when the arm member is driven by the driving mechanism.

Growing community of inventors

Chita-gun, Japan

Hideki Kawabata