US 6,643,575 B2 · Seat load measuring system that automatically makes a self diagnosis and zero point adjustment in response to a vehicle crash

Abstract

An occupant protection system of a vehicle comprises a seat load measuring subsystem and an occupant protection subsystem. The seat load measuring subsystem includes a controller and weight sensors attached to a vehicle seat, each weight sensor providing a weight signal. The controller provides information determined by a weight of an occupant of the vehicle seat. In response to a detection of a crash, the occupant protection subsystem provides a crash signal determined by a magnitude of the crash. In response to a reception of the crash signal, the controller automatically decides whether a weight sensor under diagnosis is normal, abnormal or intermediate between normal and abnormal on the basis of a level of the crash signal and the weight signals obtained from the weight sensor before and after the crash.

Claims34

Dependent claims

An occupant protection system of a vehicle, the system comprising:

a seat load measuring subsystem which includes
a plurality of weight sensors attached to a vehicle seat, each weight sensor providing a weight signal responsive to a weight load applied thereto;
crash sensing means, responsive to a crash of said vehicle, for outputting a magnitude of said crash;
a controller, responsive to said magnitude of said crash for providing a crash signal determined by said magnitude and, responsive to a decision that said crash signal has reached a predetermined level for providing control information on the basis of said weight signals from said plurality of weight sensors;
and
occupant protection means, response to said control information, for executing a protection operation, wherein said seat load measuring subsystem further includes:
means responsive to a reception of said crash signal for automatically making a diagnosis on each weight sensor or a zero adjustment of said each weight sensor.

4 more elements

An integrated circuit for use in a seat load measuring device of an occupant protection system of a vehicle wherein the seat load measuring device includes a plurality of weight sensors attached to a vehicle seat, each weight sensor providing a weight signal responsive to a weight load applied thereto, wherein the occupant protection system includes means responsive to a detection of a crash for providing a crash signal determined by a magnitude of the crash and means responsive to a detection of the crash for executing a protection operation on the basis of information provided by the integrated circuit, the integrated circuit including;

means for providing said information that is calculated from said weight signals from said plurality of weight sensors;
and
means responsive to a reception of said crash signal for automatically making a diagnosis on said each weight sensor or a zero adjustment of said each weight sensor.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Seat load measuring system that automatically makes a self diagnosis and zero point adjustment in response to a vehicle crash

Life of this patent

Seat load measuring system that automatically makes a self diagnosis and zero point adjustment in response to a vehicle crash

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims34