The present invention is related to a vehicle seat, and more particularly, to a vehicle seat that determines a seated condition based on a load detection signal from a load sensor of a seat body.
In the prior art, for example, a load detector is provided in a vehicle equipped with an air bag, which protects the person sitting on the vehicle seat. The detector is used to detect whether the seat is occupied by a passenger or to adjust the amount of gas generated to inflate the air bag so that the air bag is optimally inflated in accordance with the weight of the seated passenger.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-1153 discloses a load sensor arranged between two rails and two mount brackets that fix the two rails to the vehicle floor. The two rails are arranged on the left and right sides of the seat and guide the seat slidably. The weight of the seat is detected by a signal from the load sensors.
An adult or a child may be seated in a passenger seat. Further, a child restraint system (CRS) may be secured to the passenger seat. Therefore, it is desirable that the seated condition of the vehicle seat is detected properly so that the air bag may be inflated optimally.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle seat that properly detects a seated condition of the vehicle seat.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vehicle seat including a seat body, at least one load sensor arranged on the seat body for generating a load signal corresponding to a load applied to the seat body, a detecting means for detecting whether a seat belt is buckled to the vehicle seat and generating a detection signal, and a determining means for comparing the load signal and a predetermined value in response to the detection signal when the seat belt is buckled and determining that an adult is not seated on the seat body when the load signal is less than the predetermined value.
A further perspective of the present invention is a vehicle seat including a seat body, at least one load sensor arranged on the seat body for generating a load signal corresponding to a load applied to the seat body, a detecting means for detecting whether a seat belt is buckled to the vehicle seat and generating a detection signal, and a determining means for checking for a change in the load signal in response to the detection signal after the seat belt is buckled and determining that a child restraint system is mounted on the seat body when detecting an increase in the value of the load signal.
A further perspective of the present invention is a vehicle seat including a seat body, at least one load sensor arranged on the seat body for generating a load signal corresponding to a load applied to the seat body, a detecting means for detecting whether a seat belt is buckled to the vehicle seat and generating a detection signal, and a determining means for checking for a change in the load signal in response to the detection signal after the seat belt is buckled and determining that a child restraint system is mounted on the seat body when detecting a decrease in the value of the load signal.
A further perspective of the present invention is a load detector used for a vehicle seat including a seat body, at least one load sensor arranged on the seat body for generating a load signal corresponding to a load applied to the seat body, and a detecting means for detecting whether a seat belt is buckled to the vehicle seat and generating a detection signal. The detector includes a determining means for comparing the load signal and a predetermined value in response to the detection signal when the seat belt is buckled and determining that an adult is not seated on the seat body when the load signal is smaller than the predetermined value.
A further perspective of the present invention is a load detector used in a vehicle seat including a seat body, at least one load sensor arranged on the seat body for generating a load signal corresponding to a load applied to the seat body, and a detecting means for detecting whether a seat belt is buckled to the vehicle seat and generating a detection signal. The detector includes a determining means for checking for a change in the load signal in response to the detection signal after the seat belt is buckled and determining that a child restraint system is mounted on the seat body when detecting an increase in the value of the load signal.
A further perspective of the present invention is a load detector used for a vehicle seat including a seat body, at least one load sensor arranged on the seat body for generating a load signal corresponding to a load applied to the seat body, and a detecting means for detecting whether a seat belt is buckled to the vehicle seat and generating a detection signal. The detector includes a determining means for checking for a change in the load signal in response to the detection signal after the seat belt is mounted and determining that a child restraint system is mounted on the seat body when detecting a decrease in the value of the load signal.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.