| 摘要 |
<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a seat occupancy determination apparatus and a seat occupancy determination method, which can accurately inform an occupant of a seating state of a vehicle seat. <P>SOLUTION: When the vehicle seat is determined to be in "an adult-seating state", an indicator lamp 8 is turned on to indicate that an airbag is in a standby condition. Subsequently, when a seating load WS, which is lighter than a second threshold load W2, continues at the vehicle seat for a second threshold time T2 with a buckle switch 6 of a seat belt device off, the vehicle seat is determined to be in "a non-occupant-seating state" to turn off the indicator lamp 8. In "the adult-seating state", when the seating load WS, which is lighter than the third threshold load W3 which is lighter than the second threshold load W2, continues at the vehicle seat with the buckle switch 6 off for a third threshold time T3 which is shorter than the second threshold time T2, the vehicle seat is determined to be in "a temporary determination state" to turn off the indicator lamp 8. When the seating load WS becomes equal to or heavier than a fourth threshold load W4 within a fourth threshold time T4 after the determination of the temporary determination state is given, the vehicle seat gets back to be in the adult-seating state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&INPIT |
