Seat occupancy determination apparatus

摘要

A seat occupancy determination apparatus includes a seat belt attachment detection portion, a first and a second load detection sensors, a front-rear load sum computing portion, a front-rear load difference computing portion, a memory portion, an adult possibility determination portion, and a child safety seat determination portion determining a vehicle seat determined as possibly occupied by an adult is occupied by a child safety seat in a case where a first predetermined amount increase condition satisfies by a front-rear load difference value within a time range between a time of engagement and a first time point increases by a first predetermined amount or more from the value at the first time point or earlier and a second predetermined amount decrease condition satisfies by the front-rear load difference value decreases by a second predetermined amount or more within a time range between the time of engagement and a second time point.

主权项

1. A seat occupancy determination apparatus, comprising:
a seat belt attachment detection device configured to detect attachment and detachment of a tongue plate and a buckle of a seat belt device; a first load detection sensor and a second load detection sensor arranged spaced-apart from each other in frontward and rearward direction beneath a portion of a vehicle seat in a direction where the buckle is provided, the first load detection sensor and the second load detection sensor configured to independently detect a part of a load that is applied on the vehicle seat; and a controller configured to:
calculate a front-rear load sum value by adding a first load value detected by the first load detection sensor and a second load value detected by the second load detection sensor;calculate a front-rear load difference value by subtracting the first load value from the second load value;store the calculated front-rear load sum value and the calculated front-rear load difference value;determine that the vehicle seat is possibly occupied by an adult in a case where the front-rear load sum value at a first time point or a time earlier to the first time point is larger than an adult determination threshold value, where the first time point defines a point in time going back by a first predetermined length of time from a time point of engagement detected as a point in time where the tongue plate attaches with the buckle and the time earlier to the first time point is a time within a period defined by (1) a time corresponding to an oldest stored calculated front-rear load sum value and calculated front-rear load difference value and (2) the first time point; anddetermine that a child safety seat is strapped into the vehicle seat by the seat belt device in a case where a first predetermined condition and a second predetermined condition are satisfied after it is determined that the vehicle seat is possibly occupied by the adult, wherein the first predetermined condition is satisfied in a case where the front-rear load difference value, within a time range between the time point of engagement and the first time point including the time point of engagement, increases by an amount equal to or more than a first predetermined amount from the front-rear load difference value at the first time point or the time earlier to the first time point, and the second predetermined condition is satisfied in a case where the front-rear load difference value, increased by the amount equal to or more than the first predetermined amount, decreases by an amount equal to or more than a second predetermined amount within a time range between the time point of engagement and a second time point that defines a point in time elapsed by a second predetermined length of time from the time point of engagement.