Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho

Toyota Jidoshi Kabushiki Kaisha

Tokai Rika Co., Ltd.

Minoru Izawa

Morio Sakai

Masaki Mori

Yasunori Hasegawa

Koji Aoki

Muneto Inayoshi

Hideki Kawabata

Mutsuro Aoyama

Satohiko Nakano

Tasuku Nakano

Jun Ohta

Kenichiro Akizuki

Hiroyuki Fujii

Osamu Fujimoto

Hiroshi Arai

Kazunori Sakamoto

Makoto Hamada

Hakumi Ishii

Kan Ichihara

Nobuhiro Takeda

Akira Enomoto

Kenichi Kinoshita

Masaru Ishikawa

Takeshi Ochiai

Tsuneo Hida

Takaaki Enomoto

Daisuke Itoh

Sumio Takizawa

Tadanao Hamamoto

Norihiko Nagae

Ikuya Kobayashi

Yoshiaki Inoue

Akihiro Osanai

Ritsuo Suzuki

Takashi Haneda

Hideo Kegasa

Ryohei Doi

Harumi Dohke

Takaai Enomoto

A method for adjusting sensitivity of a load detecting device of a seat for a vehicle includes a seat assembling step for assembling the seat with plural load sensors assembled, a zero point adjusting step for obtaining a non-load output value by totaling output values of the load sensors when no load is applied on the seat and memorizing the non-load output value in a memory of a processing device, an adjusted output value calculating step for obtaining an adjusted output value by subtracting the non-load output value from a total of the output values of the load sensors when a predetermined load is applied on the seat, a trimming coefficient calculating step for calculating a trimming coefficient by dividing a designed output value by the adjusted output value, and a trimming coefficient memorizing step for memorizing the trimming coefficient in the memory of the processing device.

Method for adjusting sensitivity of load detecting device of seat for a vehicle

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

An occupant determining device includes a load detecting sensor provided on a seat body and a controller. The controller calculates a detected load value based on an output value of the load detecting sensor and performs occupant determination based on the detected load value. The occupant determination state is switched to an adult determination state when a certain delaying time elapses after the detected load value exceeds a determination threshold. The controller sets plural determination thresholds, and the larger each determination threshold being exceeded by the detected load value is, the shorter the delaying time is set.

Occupant determining device

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 judging device for a vehicle seat includes a load sensor provided in the vehicle seat and a controller for calculating a detected load value based on an output load value from the load sensor and determining an occupant on the vehicle seat by comparing the detected load value and a predetermined threshold value. The controller judges by a decrease state of the detected load value detected after the seatbelt is fastened being maintained for a first predetermined time that a child restraint device is installed, when a state in which the seatbelt is fastened and the door is opened is detected. Further, the controller judges by a decrease state of the detected load value detected after the seatbelt is fastened being maintained for a second predetermined time that the child restraint device is installed, when a state in which the seatbelt is fastened and the door is closed is detected.

Occupant judging device for a vehicle seat

An occupant determination device for a vehicle seat includes a load sensor provided at a seat body, a controller for calculating a detection load value based on a load value output from the load sensor and for determining whether an occupant seated on the vehicle seat is adult or a child, wherein a hysteresis is provided for changing the occupant determination from either a child or an adult to an adult or a child.

Occupant determination device

An occupant weight detecting apparatus for detecting an occupant weight on a seat includes a load sensor mounted on the seat to detect a load on the seat and output a load signal. A detected load value is calculated periodically based on the load signal and an average is calculated based on the detected load values calculated during a period in which the detected load value is less than a first predetermined. The average of the detected load values is set to a zero point, and the occupant weight is detected based on the detected load value and the zero point when the detected load value exceeds a second predetermined value.

Occupant weight detecting apparatus

An occupant determining device includes a load detecting sensor provided on a seat body and a controller. The controller calculates a detected load value based on an output value of the load detecting sensor and performs occupant determination based on the detected load value. The occupant determination state is switched to an adult determination state when a certain delaying time elapses after the detected load value exceeds a first determination threshold. The controller sets the delaying time shorter when the detected load value exceeds the first determination threshold within a predetermined time after the detected load value exceeds a second determination threshold.

According to the invention, the presence of a child seat mounted on a vehicle seat or the presence of a passenger seated in the vehicle seat is determined automatically. A child seat detecting apparatus incorporated into a vehicle seat is provided with a plurality of load sensors comprising stress sensors or the like, and a determining function for monitoring a relative change of each load detected by each load sensor and determining whether a child seat is mounted on the vehicle seat or whether a passenger is seated in the vehicle seat by the difference of the change of each load. Accordingly, this child seat detecting apparatus makes it possible to accurately determine whether a child seat is mounted on the vehicle seat or whether a person of small stature yet who does not require a child seat is seated in the vehicle seat.

Apparatus and method for detecting a child seat

An air bag control system for passenger seat has a seated-state detection sensor provided in a seat, a proximity sensor that detects an object near an air bag apparatus, and an impact sensor that detects a deceleration at the time of an impact. If there is no detection made by the proximity sensor for a predetermined length of time after the seated-state detection sensor detects the seating of an occupant, a control device keeps the air bag apparatus in an operable state after elapse of the predetermined length of time. If there is no detection made by the proximity sensor for the predetermined length of time after the seated-state detection sensor makes detection, the control device ignores an on-state of the proximity sensor or a signal from the proximity sensor, and keeps the air bag apparatus in the operable state. With this control, even if a sitting adult extends his/her arm to an instrument panel after elapse of the predetermined length of time, the air bag apparatus is operated when the impact sensor detects a deceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

Air bag control system for passenger seats

The present invention utilizes a dimmer switch for alternating the lighting direction of a vehicle headlamp, but does so utilizing control apparatus that ensures that only low beam-directed light is emitted by the headlamp when the headlamp is turned ON. The possiblity which might be presented if oncoming traffic is suddenly met with high beam-directed light when an automobile driver turns his headlamps ON is thereby averted.

Apparatus for controlling a vehicle headlamp

An imaginary limit position is determined on the basis of a position where an overload condition is detected, and such imaginary limit position is stored. Subsequent to the storage, an extent of movement is limited to that defined by the limit position. An operational mode which re-establishes a stored position is provided. In response to the detection of an overload condition, a motor is reversed to move the attitude back through a small stroke, whereupon the motor is deenergized. When a manual switch is turned on, the motor is driven over an incremental time interval and is then deenergized temporarily. After a given time interval, the motor is again driven. Where a pluarlity of motors are driven simultaneously, the timing of initiating to drive each motor is displaced relative to each other by a small time increment during which a transient current occurs upon initiating the drive.

Apparatus for controlling attitude of vehicle mounted device

A lamp failure detecting device for automobile consists of a lamp circuit including a plurality of lamps connected in parallel, a current-detecting resistance connected to a power-supply source through the lamp circuit in series, a first voltage divider circuit including resistances to which a voltage divided by the current detecting resistance and the lamp circuit is applied a second voltage divider circuit including resistances to which a voltage supplied from the power-supply source is applied and a comparator circuit comparing the difference between the divided voltages in the voltage divider circuits to produce a a failure detection signal. Diodes are provided in the first and second voltage divider circuits respectively in the forward direction. Non-linearity of the current flowing through the lamps for the change of the power-supply voltage is corrected by the diodes.

Lamp failure detecting device for automobile

A rotational direction sensor for a body such as a steering shaft of an automobile, which is rotatable from a preferred neutral position in either the clockwise or the anticlockwise rotational direction. When an actuating assembly is rotated in the clockwise rotational direction by more than a predetermined amount from the neutral position, a first switch is actuated so as to conduct a first electric current, while a second switch is not actuated, and when the actuating assembly is then returned to the neutral position in the anticlockwise rotational direction, the second switch is actuated to conduct a second electric current. An opposite switch actuation sequence occurs for initial anticlockwise and then clockwise rotation of the actuating assembly. A control circuit generates a first electric signal when it receives the first and then the second electric current as a pair and a second electric signal when it receives the second and then the first electric current as a pair.

Rotational direction sensor

The present invention relates to improvements in a switch for a direction indicator suitable for use in a motor car comprising: a bracket operationally associated with a control lever for a direction indicator and rotatable through a predetermined angle in dependence on a direction indicated; a rachet opposed to the main body of the bracket through a steering wheel, opposite end portions of which are constantly biased in a direction of being engaged with opposite end portions of the main body of the bracket, and rotatable through a predetermined angle in dependence on a direction indicator; and a cancel cam formed at the periphery thereof with projections capable of releasing a condition of engagement between the end portions of the main body of the bracket in response to the rotation of the steering wheel in a state of having a slight clearance in the direction of rotation and rotatable along with the steering wheel. Striking noises occurring during operation of a steering wheel are prevented by: a frictional inclusion interposed between abutting surfaces of the cancel cam and the steering wheel; shock absorbing means provided between abutting surface of the bracket and the ratchet; a lubricant of high viscosity filled in recesses formed on a shock receiving surface of either the bracket or the ratchet; shock absorbing members provided at portions of engagement between the steering wheel and the cancel cam for absorbing clearances in the direction of rotation; and shock absorbing tongues integrally formed either on the end portions of the main body of the ratchet.

Growing community of inventors

Okazaki, Japan

Minoru Izawa