WO2018110367A1

WO2018110367A1 - Vehicular occupant detection device

Info

Publication number: WO2018110367A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/043605
Authority: WO
Inventors: 睦巳反町; 周大田; 伸夫小倉
Original assignee: カルソニックカンセイ株式会社; 日産自動車株式会社
Priority date: 2016-12-16
Filing date: 2017-12-05
Publication date: 2018-06-21

Abstract

The present invention can update occupancy assessment results at an early stage when a vehicle has been entered or exited. A vehicular occupancy detection device (8) that is characterized by comprising a load sensor (11) that is attached at the periphery of a seat (2), an occupant detection means (12) that detects an occupant on the basis of a detection value from the load sensor (11), and a means for determining whether the vehicle is being entered/exited. The occupant detection means (12) is characterized by comprising an occupancy assessment unit (16) that assesses the seating state of the occupant, a vibration variation determination unit (17) that assesses whether there is vehicle vibration (17a), and an occupancy determination unit (21) that determines whether to update or maintain occupancy assessment results, wherein, when the means for determining whether the vehicle is being entered/exited has determined that the vehicle is being entered/exited, the occupancy determination unit (21) updates the occupancy assessment results, even when there is vehicle vibration (17a).

Description

Vehicle occupant detection device

This case relates to a vehicle occupant detection device.

Vehicles such as automobiles are provided with an airbag device that can protect an occupant seated in the seat. The airbag device is provided with a vehicle occupant detection device. This vehicle occupant detection device detects whether an occupant is seated on a seat (performs occupant determination or occupant detection). Such a vehicle occupant detection device includes a load sensor attached to a seat and occupant detection means for detecting an occupant based on a detection value from the load sensor (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

Since the vehicle occupant detection device described in Patent Document 1 detects an occupant based on the detection value of the load sensor, the occupant determination result is updated when the occurrence of vehicle vibration is detected. Without retaining the previous occupant determination result, the occupant determination result can be obtained stably.

JP 2012-121378 A

However, for example, when the user gets on or off the vehicle while the vehicle is stopped, the vehicle vibration is generated by getting on or off the door or closing the door. Therefore, even if the detected vehicle vibration is that of getting on and off, there is a possibility that the previous occupant determination result is retained as it is and the occupant determination result is not updated.

The purpose of this case is to enable occupant determination results to be updated as soon as boarding / exiting occurs.

In order to achieve the above objective,
A load sensor that is mounted around the seat and detects a load acting on the seat;
Occupant detection means for detecting the occupant based on the detection value of the load sensor;
Means for determining whether to get on and off,
With
The occupant detection means is at least
An occupant determination unit that determines a seating state of the occupant with respect to the seat based on the detection value;
A vibration change amount determination unit for determining presence or absence of vehicle vibration based on the detected value;
An occupant determination unit that determines whether to update the occupant determination result for the seating state from the occupant determination unit or to hold the previous occupant determination result based on the presence or absence of vehicle vibration from the vibration change amount determination unit,
When the means for determining whether or not to get on and off determines whether to get on and off,
The occupant determination unit is characterized by an occupant detection device for a vehicle that updates an occupant determination result even in a situation where vehicle vibration is occurring.

According to the vehicle occupant detection device according to the present case, when a passenger gets on and off, the occupant determination result can be updated early and appropriately.

It is a schematic plan view which shows the vehicle carrying the vehicle occupant detection apparatus of this Example. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the airbag apparatus which has the passenger detection apparatus for vehicles of this Example. It is a top view which shows the attachment state with respect to the seat of the load sensor in the passenger detection apparatus for vehicles of this Example. It is a side view which shows the attachment state with respect to the seat of the load sensor in the passenger detection apparatus for vehicles of this Example. It is a front view which shows the attachment state with respect to the seat of the load sensor in the passenger detection apparatus for vehicles of this Example. It is a graph which shows the difference in the detected value by the difference in the number of installation of a load sensor. It is a time chart which shows the update timing of the load variation | change_quantity, vibration variation | change_quantity, detection load, and passenger | crew determination result during driving | running | working of a vehicle when an adult boarded a seat. It is a graph which shows the detection load and load variation | change_quantity for demonstrating a boarding algorithm. It is a graph which shows the detected load and load variation | change_quantity for demonstrating a getting-off algorithm. It is explanatory drawing of the method of stability determination processing. It is a graph which shows the condition at the time of the passenger | crew boarding in the stop. It is a graph which shows the condition during curve driving. It is a graph which shows the condition at the time of the passenger | crew getting off in the stop. It is a graph which shows the condition during curve driving. It is explanatory drawing of the method of the load change judgment at the time of boarding. It is a graph which shows the condition at the time of the passenger | crew boarding in the stop. It is a graph which shows the condition during curve driving. It is explanatory drawing of the method of the load change judgment at the time of boarding. It is a graph which shows the condition at the time of the passenger | crew getting off in the stop. It is a graph which shows the condition during curve driving. It is a graph which shows the waveform of door closing. It is a graph which shows the waveform of other door closing. It is a figure which shows the mode of the establishment of door closing judgment. It is a figure which shows the mode that the door closing judgment is not materialized. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a change from a seat belt wearing state to a non-wearing state ((a) in the middle of non-wearing, (b) after non-wearing, and (c) in an empty seat state). FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a change from a seat belt non-mounted state to a mounted state ((a) is an empty seat state, (b) is a seated state, (c) is in the middle of mounting, and (d) is after mounting). It is a graph which shows the waveform of the detection load at the time of seatbelt wearing (FIG. 24).

Hereinafter, the best mode for realizing the vehicle occupant detection device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Configuration> First, the configuration of the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a vehicle equipped with a vehicle occupant detection device according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an airbag device including the vehicle occupant detection device of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 1 such as an automobile is provided with a seat 2 (for example, a seat such as a passenger seat) on which an occupant sits. The seat 2 is equipped with an airbag device 3 that can protect a seated passenger in an emergency. Although the figure shows an example in which the vehicle 1 is a left-hand drive vehicle, even if the vehicle 1 is a right-hand drive vehicle, the airbag device 3 is similarly attached to the seat 2 such as a passenger seat. Can be provided. Moreover, the same airbag apparatus 3 can be employ | adopted also about seats 2 (for example, a rear seat etc.) other than a passenger seat.

And the airbag apparatus 3 is mainly comprised by the airbag module 4 and the airbag control apparatus 5, and also has display parts, such as a passenger | crew state display lamp 6 and the warning lamp 7, in addition. Yes. Further, the airbag device 3 includes a vehicle occupant detection device 8 (see also FIG. 2).

Here, the airbag module 4 is stored in a position in front of the seat 2 in the instrument panel 9 disposed in the front part of the passenger compartment. The airbag module 4 stores the bag-shaped airbag body in a folded state, and also has a cushioning function for the passenger by deploying the airbag body and inflating it into the vehicle compartment in order to protect the passenger in an emergency. It is something that demonstrates. As shown in FIG. 2, the airbag module 4 can change the size and deployment force during deployment in at least two stages according to the airbag deployment signal 5a output from the airbag control device 5. It can be what can be.

The airbag control device 5 incorporates a CPU and, based on the occupant information 8a obtained by the vehicle occupant detection device 8, for example, deploys the airbag module 4 when no occupant is seated on the seat 2. First, the airbag module 4 is deployed when an adult is seated on the seat 2, and the airbag module 4 is not deployed when a child is seated on the seat 2 (or the deployment force is weakened). The airbag module 4 is deployed, and an airbag deployment signal 5a is output to the airbag module 4.

Further, the airbag control device 5 outputs a display signal 5b to the occupant state display lamp 6 based on the occupant information 8a from the vehicle occupant detection device 8, and also detects a failure of the airbag device 3. Outputs a failure signal 5 c to the warning lamp 7.

The occupant state display lamp 6 is installed on the instrument panel 9 disposed in the front part of the passenger compartment, and at least according to the display signal 5b output from the airbag control device 5, "not seated" (or empty seat), It is an indicator lamp for displaying occupant information 8a such as "adult seating" and "child seating".

The warning lamp 7 is installed on an instrument panel 9 disposed in the front part of the passenger compartment, and displays a warning in response to a failure signal 5c output from the airbag control device 5 when a failure of the airbag device 3 is detected. It is a warning light for performing.

The vehicle occupant detection device 8 determines the seating state of the occupant on the seat 2 and outputs the determined occupant information 8a to the airbag control device 5. The vehicle occupant detection device 8 includes a load sensor 11 as load detection means and an occupant detection means 12 (occupant detection control device). In addition, it is preferable that the vehicle occupant detection device 8 is configured to be able to output the occupant information 8a by performing the occupant determination independently without using external information as much as possible.

Two load sensors 11 are attached to the seat 2 or its periphery so that the load acting on the seat 2 can be detected (S1, S2). For the load sensor 11, for example, a piezoelectric film that outputs a voltage signal corresponding to the applied pressure can be used.

As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, the seat 2 extends in the front-rear direction via a pair of left and right parallel slide rails 33, 34 extending in the front-rear direction 32 (vehicle front-rear direction) with respect to the vehicle body 31. 32 is slidable (position adjustable). At this time, the seat 2 is supported at a total of four positions on the pair of left and right slide rails 33 and 34 via front and rear support points 35a and 35b and

support points

35c and 35d, respectively.

As described above, when the seat 2 is supported by the plurality of support points 35a to 35d with respect to the vehicle body 31, for example, the (four) load sensors 11 are installed at all the support points 35a to 35d. However, in this case, the two load sensors 11 described above are installed at any two positions of the plurality of support points 35a to 35d. Specifically, one load sensor 11 (S1) is attached to the front and inner support points 24a, and the other load sensor 11 (S2) is attached to the rear and inner support points 24b. ing. That is, the two load sensors 11 are juxtaposed in a state of being separated from the longitudinal direction 32 of the vehicle 1. Thus, by using two load sensors 11 (or reducing the number from four to two), it is possible to simplify the structure and speed up the signal processing.

Moreover, even if the vehicle 1 is accelerated or decelerated by mounting the two load sensors 11 side by side with a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction 32 of the vehicle 1, the acceleration The occupant determination can be performed without being affected by deceleration.

This is because, for example, when the vehicle 1 is accelerated, the occupant's body tilts backward due to the acceleration of the vehicle 1, so the load applied to the front load sensor 11 (S 1) is reduced, and thereby the front load sensor 11. The detection value 11a (see FIG. 2) output from (S1) is small, but conversely, since the load applied to the rear load sensor 11 (S2) is large, the load value from the rear load sensor 11 (S2) is increased. The detected value 11b (see FIG. 2) to be output becomes large, and the sum of the detected

values

11a and 11b output from the two load sensors 11 (S1 and S2) indicates that the vehicle 1 travels at a constant speed. This is because it is no different from the case of being. This is the same when the vehicle 1 decelerates.

Here, a specific example of the detection value output from the load sensor 11 will be described. FIG. 4 is a graph showing a difference in detected value characteristics due to a difference in the number of load sensors 11 installed.

The waveform of the characteristic 11e shown in FIG. 4 is obtained when the load sensors 11 (S1, S2) are installed at the two front and rear support points 35a and 35b as in this embodiment. The sum of the detection values 11a and 11b output from (S1, S2) is shown.

Further, the waveform of the characteristic 11f shown in FIG. 4 shows the detection values output from the four load sensors 11 when the four load sensors 11 are installed at all the support points 35a to 35d. The sum is shown. The vehicle 1 travels in the order of a straight path, a curve, and a straight path.

When the vehicle 1 is traveling on a straight road, the waveform of the characteristic 11e obtained by installing the load sensor 11 at two locations on one side (for example, the

inner support points

35a and 35b) is obtained from all the support points 35a to 35a. The size is approximately half of the sum of the detection values indicated by the characteristic 11f obtained when the load sensor 11 is installed at 35d.

In addition, when the vehicle 1 is traveling on a curve, the sum of the detected

values

11a and 11b is greatly reduced in the waveform of the characteristic 11e compared to when traveling on a straight path. This is because the centrifugal force acts on the side opposite to the side where the load sensor 11 (S1, S2) is provided (for example, the outside of the vehicle body 31). This is because the load applied to the load sensor 11 (S1, S2) installed at the

inner support points

35a, 35b is reduced.

On the other hand, although not shown in the figure, when the vehicle runs on a curve in the opposite direction to the above-described curve, the occupant's body tilts toward the inside of the vehicle body 31, so that the load installed on the

inner support points

35a and 35b is thereby increased. Since almost all of the passenger's weight is applied to the sensor 11 (S1, S2), the sum of the

detection values

11a, 11b in the waveform of the characteristic 11e is based on the sum of the

detection values

11a, 11b when traveling on a straight road. Is also a large value.

On the other hand, if the load sensors 11 are installed at all the support points 35a to 35d as the load detecting means, even if the vehicle is traveling on a curve, as indicated by the waveform of the characteristic 11f, Similarly, the sum of the detection values is a substantially stable value. This is because even if the occupant's body is tilted due to the centrifugal force, if the outputs of all the load sensors 11 constituting the load detecting means are added, the influence of the occupant's weight shift is offset and almost constant. This is because it becomes the value of.

That is, as a load detection means, by attaching the load sensor 11 (S1, S2) only to the two front and rear support points 24a, 24b on the inner slide rail 33, when traveling on a straight path, Compared with the case where the load sensor 11 is attached to the support points 35a to 35d, the total sum of the detection values 11a and 11b is different, but the detection values 11a and 11b having similar characteristics can be obtained.

Therefore, when traveling on a straight road, based on the sum of

detection values

11a and 11b output from the load sensors 11 (S1 and S2) attached to the two support points 24a and 24b at the front and rear, It is possible to determine whether or not an occupant is seated on the seat 2 and to determine whether an adult is seated or a child is seated (passenger determination).

On the other hand, when traveling on a curve, if the load sensor 11 (S1, S2) is attached only to the two support points 24a and 24b at the front and rear of the slide rail 33, the load sensor 11 (S1, S2) Since the sum value different from the sum value of the obtained

detection values

11a and 11b is output, and the characteristics of the detection values 11a and 11b are different between the right curve and the left curve, only the detection values 11a and 11b are used. It becomes difficult to correctly determine the occupant.

Therefore, only when the vehicle 1 is traveling on a straight road, the occupant determination result obtained by performing the occupant determination is updated. When the vehicle 1 is traveling on a curve, the occupant determination result is obtained even if the occupant determination is performed. By not updating, it is possible to perform occupant detection without erroneous detection. In general, since the fluctuations in the detection values 11a and 11b are larger during a curve run than when running on a straight road, if the fluctuations in the detection values 11a and 11b are detected, the car is running on a straight road. It is possible to distinguish between the case of and the case of traveling on a curve. Details will be described later.

Note that the two load sensors 11 are installed at two front and rear support points 24c and 24d on the outer slide rail 34, instead of being installed at the two front and rear support points 24a and 24b on the inner slide rail 33. It may be installed, and even in this way, a signal similar to the above can be obtained except that the left and right are reversed.

Returning to FIG. 2, the occupant detection means 12 described above performs occupant determination of the seat 2 based on the detection values 11 a and 11 b output from the two load sensors 11, and a CPU 12 a that performs necessary calculation processing. (Arithmetic processing unit). The CPU 12a includes a signal conversion unit 13, a vibration waveform removal unit 14, and an occupant determination unit 15.

The occupant determination means 15 includes at least an occupant determination unit 16 (or a seating determination unit). The occupant determination unit 16 mainly determines the occupant's seating situation with respect to the seat 2 and obtains the occupant determination result 16a.

In addition, the occupant determination means 15 may include a vibration change amount determination unit 17 (or vibration determination unit) and a load change amount determination unit 18 (or vibration threshold setting unit, (threshold = threshold)). good. The vibration change amount determination unit 17 and the load change amount determination unit 18 are mainly for determining the situation of the vehicle 1.

Furthermore, the occupant determination means 15 may include a determination count unit 19 (occupant determination frequency count unit). This determination count unit 19 is mainly for forcibly updating the occupant determination result 16a when the same occupant determination result 16a continues for a certain period of time.

Furthermore, the occupant determination means 15 includes an occupant determination unit 21 (update determination unit or occupant determination result update availability determination unit). The occupant determination unit 21 updates the occupant determination result 16a for the seating state from the occupant determination unit 16 based on the presence / absence of the vehicle vibration 17a from the vibration change amount determination unit 17 and the count ε by the determination count unit 19 or the previous time. Is determined to hold the passenger determination result 16a. Note that the occupant determination unit 16 operates so as to continuously send the occupant determination result 16a to the occupant determination unit 21. Further, the vibration change amount determination unit 17 operates so as to continuously send the presence / absence of the vehicle vibration 17a to the occupant determination unit 21. The determination counting unit 19 operates so as to continuously send the count ε to the occupant determination unit 21.

In addition, each part of the passenger | crew determination means 15 can be comprised as a functional block by software. The software is stored in a memory 22 (internal memory or external memory) provided inside or outside the CPU 12a and executed by the CPU 12a. For example, the occupant determination unit 16 is configured as occupant determination logic, the vibration change amount determination unit 17 is configured as vibration change amount determination logic, and the load change amount determination unit 18 is configured as load change amount determination logic. The determination count unit 19 is configured as determination count logic, and the occupant determination unit 21 is configured as occupant determination logic.

Further, each part of the vehicle occupant detection device 8 is continuously operated from when the vehicle 1 is turned on until it is turned off. Further, the memory 22 can appropriately record input / output to / from each part of the occupant detection means 12. Therefore, each part of the passenger | crew detection means 12 can mutually refer to input / output, or can use now.

More specifically, the signal conversion unit 13 reads the detection values 11a and 11b output from the two load sensors 11, and converts them from analog signals to digital signals (detection values 13a and 13b). The signal converter 13 is provided for each load sensor 11 attached to the seat 2.

The vibration waveform removal unit 14 removes the vibration waveform indicating that the vehicle 1 is vibrating from the detection values 13a and 13b digitized by the signal conversion unit 13, and obtains the vibration waveform removal signals 14a and 14b. Generate. Here, the “vibration waveform” is, for example, a high-frequency vibration component in the vertical direction (vehicle vibration such as running vibration). For example, a low-pass filter (LP or LPF) capable of removing a vibration waveform such as a high-frequency vibration component can be used as the vibration waveform removing unit 14. A plurality of low-pass filters having different frequencies that can be removed can be used depending on the purpose and situation. The vibration waveform removal unit 14 is provided corresponding to each of the signal conversion units 13.

In the case of simply the detection value (or load detection signal), the load detection signal from the load sensor 11 (detection values 11a and 11b or the sum thereof), the detection values 13a and 13b digitized by the signal conversion unit 13 (or The sum of the vibration waveforms may indicate the vibration waveform removal signals 14a and 14b (or the sum thereof) that are detection values from which the vibration waveform has been removed by the vibration waveform removal unit 14. Further, these may be referred to as detected load or weight information depending on the situation.

Then, the load change amount determination unit 18 is based on the detection values after the vibration waveform is removed by the vibration waveform removal unit 14 from the digitized

detection values

13a and 13b, that is, based on the vibration waveform removal signals 14a and 14b. A vibration threshold value 18a used in the vibration change amount determination unit 17 is set. Here, the “vibration threshold value 18a” is a reference value used when determining whether or not the vehicle vibration 17a is generated. In this case, the load change amount determination unit 18 varies the vibration threshold value 18a between when the fluctuation amount of the vibration waveform removal signals 14a and 14b is small and when the fluctuation amount of the vibration waveform removal signals 14a and 14b is large. Can be done. For example, the load change amount determination unit 18 determines that the vibration threshold value 18a is less than when the fluctuation amount of the vibration waveform removal signals 14a and 14b is large when the fluctuation amount of the vibration waveform removal signals 14a and 14b continues for a predetermined time. Can be changed to a higher value.

The setting of the vibration threshold value 18a is specifically as shown in FIG. That is, the load change amount determination unit 18 obtains the sum of the vibration waveform removal signals 14a and 14b, and obtains the load change amount ΔW that is an absolute value of the change amount of the sum. Then, the load change amount ΔW is compared with a weight threshold value (TH / Lβ) preset in the load change amount determination unit 18. When the load change amount ΔW is equal to or less than the weight threshold value (TH / Lβ) continues for a predetermined time, the load acting on the seat 2 is stable, that is, the weight information is stably output. The vibration threshold value 18a (TH / LαHigh) having a preset high value is selected. On the other hand, when the load change amount ΔW exceeds the weight threshold (TH / Lβ), it is set in advance that the load acting on the seat 2 is unstable, that is, the output weight information is unstable. The low vibration threshold value 18a (TH / LαLow) is selected.

Then, the vibration change amount determination unit 17 sets the detection values 13a and 13b digitized by the signal conversion unit 13 and the vibration threshold value 18a (TH / LαHigh or TH / LαLow) set by the load change amount determination unit 18. Based on this, it is determined whether or not the vehicle vibration 17a is generated. Here, the detection values 13a and 13b digitized by the signal conversion unit 13 are the detection values 13a including many vibration waveforms before the vibration waveform removal unit 14 removes the vibration waveforms from the detection values 11a and 11b. , 13b.

The determination of whether or not the vehicle vibration 17a is generated by the vibration change amount determination unit 17 is specifically digitized from the detected value 11a (output from the front load sensor 11 (S1) inside the seat 2). The absolute value of the fluctuation amount of the detection value 13a) and the detection value 11b (detection value 13b obtained by digitizing the detection value 11b) output from the load sensor 11 (S2) on the inner side of the seat 2 is obtained. Then, a vibration change amount Δν that is a sum of absolute values of the respective fluctuation amounts is obtained, and this vibration change amount Δν and the vibration threshold value 18a (TH / LαHigh or TH / LαLow) selected by the load change amount determination unit 18 are obtained. Compare If the vibration change amount Δν is not less than the vibration threshold value 18a selected at that time, it is determined that the vehicle vibration 17a is generated. On the other hand, if the vibration change amount Δν is less than the vibration threshold value 18a, it is determined that the vehicle vibration 17a has not occurred.

Then, the occupant determination unit 16 performs the occupant determination using the detection values after the vibration waveforms are removed from the digitized

detection values

13a and 13b by the vibration waveform removal unit 14, that is, the vibration waveform removal signals 14a and 14b. Execute. Here, the “occupant determination” means a seat determination for determining whether or not an occupant is seated in the seat 2 and whether or not the occupant seated in the seat 2 is large (adult or child). And physique determination to determine whether or not. Of these, either one may be executed.

Specifically, this occupant determination is performed by obtaining a detected load W as a sum of the vibration waveform removal signals 14a and 14b, and the occupant determination threshold value which is a weight threshold value set in advance in the detected load W and the occupant determination unit 16. By comparing with "". The occupant determination thresholds preset in the occupant determination unit 16 include, for example, a first threshold TH / Lα1, a second threshold TH / Lα2 (not shown), a third threshold TH / Lα3 (not shown), etc. is there. Among these, for example, the first threshold TH / Lα1 is used to determine adult seating (= AdultTH / L), and the second threshold TH / Lα2 is used to determine child seating (= ChildTH / L). The third threshold value TH / Lα3 is used to determine a vacant seat (= EmptyTH / L). In addition, the magnitude | size of a passenger | crew determination threshold value is 1st threshold value> 2nd threshold value> 3rd threshold value.

For example, if the detected load is greater than or equal to the first threshold TH / Lα1, it is determined that an adult is sitting, and if the detected load is greater than or equal to the second threshold TH / Lα2 and less than the first threshold TH / Lα1. It is determined that the child is seated, and if the detected load is greater than or equal to the third threshold TH / Lα3 and less than the second threshold TH / Lα2, it is determined that the child is vacant. However, the passenger determination threshold value is not limited to the above. For example, a threshold value (= NobodyTH / L) for determining the presence or absence of luggage on the seat 2 can be set between the second threshold value and the third threshold value.

The occupant determination unit 21 updates the occupant determination result 16a based on the determination result of the vibration change amount determination unit 17 (presence / absence of the vehicle vibration 17a) and the occupant determination result 16a (or seating determination) of the occupant determination unit 16. In addition, it is determined whether to hold the occupant determination result 16a, and the updated occupant determination result 16a or the retained (previous) occupant determination result 16a is output to the airbag control device 5 as occupant information 8a.

That is, this occupant determination unit 21 is output from the occupant determination unit 16 when the vibration change amount determination unit 17 determines that the vehicle vibration 17a has not occurred (based on the detection values 13a and 13b). The occupant determination result 16a is updated with the occupant determination result 16a as a new occupant determination result 16a. On the other hand, when the vibration change amount determination unit 17 determines that the vehicle vibration 17a is occurring (based on the detection values 13a and 13b), the occupant determination result 16a output from the occupant determination unit 16 is a new one. The previous occupant determination result 16a is held instead of the occupant determination result 16a.

As a result, if the occupant determination means 15 determines that the vehicle vibration 17a has not occurred, the occupant determination execution result is updated and the vehicle vibration 17a is generated, assuming that the situation of the vehicle 1 is stable. If it is determined that the vehicle 1 is in an unstable state, the result of the occupant determination is not updated and the previous occupant determination result 16a is retained even if the occupant determination is executed.

“About Judgment Count Unit 19”

Furthermore, the above-described determination counting unit 19 is for forcibly executing the update of the occupant determination result 16a when the same occupant determination result 16a continues for a predetermined time. For this purpose, the determination count unit 19 counts the number of times that the same occupant determination result 16 a is obtained continuously, and outputs the counted value (count ε) to the occupant determination unit 21. On the other hand, the occupant determination unit 21 also determines whether to update the occupant determination result 16a described above or to hold the previous occupant determination result 16a for the output result of the determination count unit 19 as well. Will be performed.

"About specific operation of each part"

Hereinafter, an example of a basic operation of the occupant determination unit 15 while the vehicle 1 is traveling will be described based on a waveform actually acquired by the load sensor 11.

FIG. 5 shows the load change amount determination unit 18 when the vehicle 1 travels in the order of a straight path, a curve, and a straight path while an adult (for example, a woman with a weight of 49 kg) is on the seat 2 (passenger seat). 4 is a time chart showing a load change amount ΔW, a vibration change amount Δν by a vibration change amount determination unit 17, a detection load W by an occupant determination unit 16, and an update timing of an occupant determination result 16a by an occupant determination unit 21, respectively.

In this vehicle occupant detection device 8, the load change amount determination unit 18 has a vibration threshold value 18 a (TH / LαHigh, TH) that is greater when the load change amount ΔW is smaller than when the load change amount ΔW is large. Alternatively, TH / LαLow) is set to a high value (TH / LαHigh). Therefore, when the vehicle 1 travels on the first straight path and a stable detected load W is output, the load change amount ΔW of the load change amount determination unit 18 falls below the weight threshold TH / Lβ at time t1.

Then, at time t2, a state in which the load change amount ΔW in the load change amount determination unit 18 is lower than the weight threshold value TH / Lβ elapses for a predetermined time (for example, 3 [s]). Then, the vibration threshold value 18a (TH / LαLow) of the vibration change amount determination unit 17 is changed to a vibration threshold value 18a (TH / LαHigh) which is a higher value. As a result, the vibration change amount Δν falls below the vibration threshold value 18a (TH / LαHigh) from time t2 to t4, so that the occupant determination unit 16 executes the occupant determination, and the occupant determination unit 21 displays the occupant determination result 16a. Updated.

At time t4, when the load change amount ΔW in the load change amount determination unit 18 exceeds the weight threshold value TH / Lβ, the vibration threshold value 18a (TH / LαHigh) of the vibration change amount determination unit 17 is greater than this. The vibration threshold value 18a (TH / LαLow), which is a low value, is changed. After time t4, the vibration change amount Δν exceeds the vibration threshold value 18a (TH / LαLow), so that the occupant determination unit 16 executes the occupant determination, but the occupant determination unit 21 updates the occupant determination result 16a. Instead, the previous occupant determination result 16a is maintained or held.

Thereafter, when the vehicle 1 travels on the curve of the circuit, the influence of the centrifugal force acting on the seat 2 in the situation where the detection values 11a and 11b are detected by the two load sensors 11 (S1, S2) as described above. As a result, the detected load W, which is the sum of the vibration waveform removal signals 14a and 14b, is greatly reduced. Along with this, the load change amount ΔW by the load change amount determination unit 18 once increases and then gradually decreases, so that it falls below the weight threshold TH / Lβ at time t5, and this state continues. A predetermined time (for example, 3 [s]) elapses at time t6.

Therefore, at time t6, the low vibration threshold value 18a (TH / LαLow) of the vibration change amount determination unit 17 is changed to the high vibration threshold value 18a (TH / LαHigh). However, in the case of FIG. 6, the load change amount ΔW by the load change amount determination unit 18 again exceeds the weight threshold value TH / Lβ at time t7, so the vibration change amount determination unit 17 uses the vibration threshold value 18a (TH / LαHigh ), The vibration threshold value 18a is changed to TH / LαLow, and the occupant determination unit 16 executes the occupant determination, but the occupant determination unit 21 updates the occupant determination result 16a. Instead, the previous occupant determination result 16a is maintained.

Thereafter, when the vehicle 1 travels again on the straight path, at time t8, the occupant determination unit 16 causes the detected load W to exceed the first threshold value TH / Lα1, so that the seating of the child during the curve travel, Alternatively, the occupant determination result 16a that has been determined to be vacant is output as an occupant determination result 16a of adult seating. At this time, the determination count unit 19 clears the count ε indicating the number of times that the occupant determination result 16a is the same as the previous time (one time before).

When the vehicle continues to travel straight ahead, the count ε of the determination counter 19 indicates the period T from the time t8 to the time t9 when the predetermined period T set for forced update elapses. Therefore, since the vibration change amount Δν in the vibration change amount determination unit 17 exceeds the vibration threshold value 18a (TH / LαLow), the occupant determination unit 16 executes the occupant determination, but the occupant determination unit 21 determines the occupant determination. The result 16a is not updated, and the previous occupant determination result 16a is maintained. Note that the period T is, for example, a sufficiently long time (for example, 3 minutes) with respect to the maximum time (for example, 1 minute) required to travel on a gentle curve with a long curvature radius on a general road. Set to

After that, at time t9, the count ε of the determination count unit 19 reaches a predetermined count value N, so that the vibration change amount Δν in the vibration change amount determination unit 17 does not exceed the vibration threshold value 18a (TH / LαLow). Although the occupant determination unit 16 performs occupant determination, the occupant determination unit 21 updates the occupant determination result 16a.

Then, since the count ε of the determination count unit 19 is cleared, if the vibration change amount Δν in the vibration change amount determination unit 17 remains in excess of the vibration threshold value 18a (TH / LαLow), the predetermined value is again set. Until the period T elapses, even if the occupant determination unit 16 executes the occupant determination, the occupant determination unit 21 does not update the occupant determination result 16a, and the previous occupant determination result 16a is maintained. The

Thus, at time t2 to t4 and at time t9, the occupant determination result 16a is updated, and the correct occupant determination result 16a of “adult” is output respectively.

When the vibration change amount Δν in the vibration change amount determination unit 17 exceeds the vibration threshold value 18a (TH / LαHigh or TH / LαLow), that is, when it is determined that the vehicle vibration 17a is occurring. Even when there is no change in the occupant determination result 16a by the occupant detection means 12 over the predetermined period T, the occupant determination result 16a is updated every time the predetermined period T elapses, so that the occupant determination may be erroneous due to a load change. When traveling on a gentle curve with a large curvature radius, the occupant determination result 16a can be updated after passing through the curve. Further, the passenger determination result 16a can be reliably updated every predetermined period T without being affected by the generation of the vehicle vibration 17a.

Furthermore, when the vehicle 1 is stopped, for example, even when it is determined that the occupant is not seated, for example, by lifting his / her waist, the occupant determination result 16a can be reliably updated every predetermined period T. Therefore, it can be determined that the occupant is seated early when the occupant is subsequently seated.

In addition, when the vehicle 1 is stopped, the occupant determination result 16a is reliably updated every predetermined period T even when the occupant continuously shakes his / her body back and forth or performs a poor shake. be able to. Note that t, T, and N are local variables that are valid only in this case, and have different meanings when used elsewhere (the same applies hereinafter).

"About boarding / alighting determination unit 23"

In this embodiment, in addition to the above, as shown in FIG. 2, the occupant determination means 15 is provided with a boarding / alighting determination unit 23 (or a stability determination unit).

The boarding / alighting determination unit 23 monitors the occurrence of boarding from a vacant seat state (section 41) as shown in FIG. 6 or the occurrence of a vacant seat state due to getting off (section 42) as shown in FIG. To get on and off). Then, when the passenger has boarded from a vacant seat or is in a vacant seat by getting off, the boarding (section 43 in FIG. 6) is stable or the boarding (section 44 in FIG. 7) is stable. Each is obtained by calculation (stability determination is performed).

And when the calculation result in the boarding / alighting determination part 23 shows that it is "stable", the passenger determination means 15 (the passenger determination part 21) does not update the passenger determination result 16a. Also, the occupant determination result 16a is updated (temporarily and forcibly).

Here, the situation in which the occupant determination result 16a is not updated (holding state) includes a situation in which the previous occupant determination result 16a should be retained, the execution of the occupant determination result 16a (before the occupant determination result 16a appears), It is assumed to include immediately after execution (after the passenger determination result 16a is output). During or immediately after execution of the occupant determination result 16a, each part of the occupant determination means 15 (the occupant determination unit 16, the vibration change amount determination unit 17, the load change amount determination unit 18, the determination count unit 19, and the occupant determination unit 21). At least one of them) performs a required standby process or the like in order to improve the determination accuracy or the like, so that the occupant determination result 16a is not updated (pending state).

The boarding / alighting determination unit 23 can be considered to perform an exception process for the vibration change amount determination unit 17 that eliminates all the effects of vibration.

The boarding / alighting determination unit 23 may use the vibration waveform removal signals 14a and 14b that are detection values from which the vibration waveform has been removed by the vibration waveform removal unit 14 (or the detection values 13a and 13b digitized by the signal conversion unit 13). And the detected load W and the load change amount ΔW are obtained (or obtained from the memory 22 and other parts (the occupant determination unit 16 and the load change amount determination unit 18)), and Using these, the above-mentioned boarding / exiting monitoring and stability calculation (stability judgment processing) are performed, and the presence / absence of boarding / exiting is output to the passenger judgment unit 21.

In addition, although the boarding / alighting determination unit 23 can use either of the detection values such as the vibration waveform removal signals 14a and 14b and the detection values 13a and 13b, in this embodiment, the vibration waveform removal unit 14 uses a filter. The applied vibration waveform removal signals 14a and 14b are used. In addition, the filter to be used can be set to an optimal value for the boarding / alighting determination unit 23. Hereinafter, the term “detected value” refers to either the vibration waveform removal signals 14a and 14b or the detected

values

13a and 13b.

The getting-on / off determination unit 23 can be configured as a functional block by the software described above. The boarding / alighting determination unit 23 is configured, for example, as a boarding / alighting algorithm including a boarding algorithm and a boarding algorithm. The forced update of the passenger determination result 16a is allowed only for a short time, for example, about 1 second.

The boarding / alighting determination unit 23 first performs boarding or boarding monitoring (boarding monitoring or boarding monitoring) using the detected load W and two occupant judgment thresholds (AdultTH / L, EmptyTH / L).

In the case of getting off, the detected load W decreases so as to be 0 [N]. However, in the case of a curve, the detected load W is not necessarily 0 [N] and is more extreme than 0 [N]. If the detected load W is large and touches the-side, it is clearly not getting off, so it is judged that the vehicle is running on a curve. Thus, the monitoring of getting off may be stopped immediately.

Moreover, the boarding / alighting determination part 23 is a vacant seat state before boarding (section 43) before boarding (section 43) from the vacant seat state as shown in FIG. 6 or getting off (section 42) as shown in FIG. In this case, the stability determination process is performed for the vehicle after getting off (section 44). In addition, the stability determination process before getting on (section 43) or after getting off (section 44) sets a time range necessary for determining stability (for example, about 4 seconds), and within that range. To do.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the stability determination process by the boarding / alighting determination unit 23. In this stability determination process, first, the current load (W (t)) and the previous load (W (t-1)) are calculated. The absolute value of the difference (| ΔW (t) | or abs (ΔW (t))): stability value) is used to determine whether this absolute value is equal to or less than a predetermined judgment threshold (JudgeTH / L).
| ΔW (t) | <JudgeTH / L ・・・ Judgment A

However, ΔW (t) = Sen1 (t) + Sen2 (t) − (Sen1 (t-1) + Sen2 (t-1)). Sen1 (t), Sen1 (t-1) are vibration waveform removal signals 14a (LPF_Sen1 (t), LPF_Sen1 (t-1)), which are detected values from which the vibration waveform has been removed by the vibration waveform removal unit 14. The weight information may be used. Sen2 (t) and Sen2 (t-1) are vibration waveform removal signals 14b (LPF_Sen2 (t), LPF_Sen2 (t-1)), which are detection values from which the vibration waveform has been removed by the vibration waveform removal unit 14. The weight information may be used. The judgment threshold value (JudgeTH / L) is a threshold value (first threshold value for stability judgment) for discriminating between stable and unstable, and can be set to an arbitrary size depending on the situation.

In the stability determination process, secondly, while the above-mentioned determination A is satisfied, the current load (W (t)) and the previous load (W (t− It is determined whether or not the difference from 1)) is within a required range (Gn ± judgment threshold (second threshold for stability judgment)). The determination threshold value may be the same value as the determination threshold value used in determination A, or a different value may be used. In this example, the same value is used.
Gn-JudgeTH / L <W (t) -W (t-1) <Gn + JudgeTH / L ... Judgment B

Thirdly, in the stability determination process, the number of times that the above determination A and determination B are both established is counted (stable count), and the number of times that this count can be reliably determined to be stable (the number of stable determinations). Alternatively, it is determined whether time (stability determination time, for example, about 3 seconds) has been continued (decision C).

The specific method of determination using the above three determinations (determination A to determination C) is as follows. In FIG. 8, the judgment threshold value of judgment A (first threshold value for stability judgment) and the judgment threshold value of judgment B (second threshold value for stability judgment) are both 3 [N], and the above judgments A to C are concretely detected. The example applied with respect to the waveform of a load is shown.

According to this figure, since the absolute value of the difference from the immediately preceding detected load is 1 [N] (<3 [N]) at time T1, the determination A is established. The load value at is set to the variable reference G1, and the determination B is performed from the time point T1 to count how long the determination A and the determination B continue. Then, both are established until the count of 4, but at the next time, the absolute value of the difference between the detected loads becomes 4 [N] (> 3 [N]), and the judgment A is not established. The count is stopped and reset. If the count number is 4, the stability determination has not yet been reached, so the stability determination is not performed.

Next, at time T2, the absolute value of the difference from the previous detected load becomes 1 [N] (<3 [N]), and determination A is again established. Judgment B is performed from time T2 with the load value as the variable reference G2, and how long judgment A and judgment B continue is counted. Then, both are established until the count of 4, but the detection load becomes equal to the value of G2 + 3 [N] at the next time point, and the determination B is not established, so the count is stopped and reset. If the count number is 4, the stability determination has not yet been reached, so the stability determination is not performed.

After that, at time T3, the absolute value of the difference from the detected load at the previous time point again becomes 1 [N] (<3 [N]), and the determination A is established. Is set as the variable reference G3, and the determination B is performed from the time T3, and how long the determination A and the determination B continue is counted. Then, since both continue to be established even when the count exceeds the set number of stability judgments (or may be the stability judgment time), the judgment C is determined when the count number α reaches the number of stability judgments. To establish. As a result, a determination result that the operation is stable is obtained.

When it is applied to a specific case, in the case of a boarding in a stopped state as shown in FIG. 9, the boarding / exiting determination unit 23 determines that the detected load W has exceeded the third threshold (EmptyTH / L) of the passenger determination threshold. Further, when exceeding the first threshold value (AdultTH / L, not shown) and detecting that it corresponds to the boarding from the vacant seat state (section 41), before boarding (by reading the data recorded in the memory 22, etc.) The above calculation (determination A to determination C) is performed retroactively to the section 43), but the determination C is established because the determination C continues for a long period of time exceeding the number of stable determinations or the stability determination time. Therefore, it is determined that the operation is stable.

On the other hand, when the vehicle is running as shown in FIG. 10, the boarding / alighting determination unit 23 further increases the first threshold (AdultTH / L) after the detected load W exceeds the third threshold (EmptyTH / L) of the occupant determination threshold. If it is detected that the vehicle is in a vacant seat (section 41), the above calculation is performed retroactively (by reading the data recorded in the memory 22) before the boarding (section 43). (Determination A to determination C) is performed, but the count of the determination C is so short that it does not reach the number of stable determinations or the stable determination time, and thereafter, the determination C is not satisfied. Will not be done. In the case of FIG. 10, actually, a threshold (NobodyTH / L) for determining the presence or absence of a baggage slightly heavier than the third threshold (EmptyTH / L) is used instead of the third threshold (EmptyTH / L). As an example.

In addition, when getting off at a stop as shown in FIG. 11, the getting-on / off judging unit 23 performs the third threshold (EmptyTH / L) after the detected load W falls below the first threshold (AdultTH / L, not shown) of the occupant judging threshold. When it is detected that the vacant seat state due to getting off (section 42) is detected by further falling below (L), the above calculation (determination A to determination C) is performed for (after section 44). Since the judgment C continues for a long time as the number of stability judgments or the stability judgment time is exceeded, the judgment C is established and the judgment of stability is made.

On the other hand, when the vehicle is traveling in a curve as shown in FIG. 12, the boarding / alighting determination unit 23 performs the third threshold (EmptyTH after the detected load W falls below the first threshold (AdultTH / L, not shown) of the occupant determination threshold. / L), when it is detected that the seat is vacant due to getting off (section 42), the above calculation is performed for (after section 44), but the count of judgment C is stable. Since the number of judgments or the stability judgment time is too short (almost) and judgment C is not established for a long time, the judgment of stability is not performed.

"About time conditions in the stability determination process of the boarding / alighting determination unit 23"

Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the boarding / alighting determination unit 23 detects detection values (detection values 13 a and 13 b) indicating a vacant seat state after getting on (section 41) from the vacant seat state or getting off (section 42). Alternatively, only when the load change time (the length of the sections 41 and 42) of the vibration waveform removal signals 14a and 14b satisfies a predetermined time condition for separating a boarding or alighting, the above described stable It may be possible to perform an operation for determining whether or not (stable operation of (1)).

Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, the boarding / alighting determination unit 23 changes the time condition for boarding (when the detected load W increases) from a vacant seat state to a boarding state (EmptyTH / L → AdultTH / L). Can be determined to be within the required time (the required travel time 51, for example, the elapsed time of the section 41 is within about 7 seconds).

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, the boarding / alighting determination unit 23 changes the time condition at the time of getting off (when the detected load W is decreased) from the getting off state to the empty seat state (AdultTH / L → EmptyTH / L). It can be determined that the time is within the required time (the required time for getting off 52, for example, the elapsed time of the section 42 is within about 4 seconds).

In addition, the above-described time conditions (required boarding time 51, boarding time 51) can be appropriately set based on the average time required for an adult to get on and get off. However, the specific value of the time condition is not limited to the above.

"About the load conditions in the stability determination process of the boarding / alighting determination unit 23"

Alternatively, the boarding / alighting determination unit 23 detects values (detection values 13a and 13b or vibration waveform removal signals 14a and 14b) indicating a vacant seat state due to getting on from the vacant seat (section 41) or getting off (section 42). The calculation ((1) stable calculation) for determining whether or not the load change amount ΔW is stable is satisfied only when a predetermined load condition for separating a boarding or getting off is satisfied. good.

Here, as shown in FIG. 6, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, the boarding / alighting determination unit 23 sets the load condition at the time of boarding (when the load change is increased) to a predetermined value (for example, the load change amount ΔW is one or more times during boarding detection). (Stability value 53 = + 10 [N]) or more (load change amount ΔW ≧ 10 [N]).

Specifically, at the time of boarding, as shown in FIG. 13, the boarding / alighting determination unit 23 sets a predetermined value (+10 [N]) during the boarding judgment period (EmptyTH / L → AdultTH / L, section 41). It is monitored whether or not a larger load change amount ΔW is observed.

This is because, during the boarding judgment period, when the vehicle is stopped as shown in FIG. 14, many load changes exceeding a predetermined value (+10 [N]) are observed with the riding operation. On the other hand, when the vehicle is running on a curve as shown in FIG. 15, there is almost no load change exceeding a predetermined value (+10 [N]). Therefore, the start timing of the stability determination process (stability calculation) can be obtained by monitoring the load change exceeding the predetermined value (+10 [N]).

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 7, the boarding / alighting determination unit 23 sets the load condition at the time of getting off (when the change in load is reduced) as to whether the load change amount ΔW is a predetermined value (for example, getting off Stability) at least once during getting off. (Value 54 = −10 [N]) or less (load change amount ΔW ≦ −10 [N]).

Specifically, when getting off, as shown in FIG. 16, the getting-on / off judging unit 23 performs a predetermined value (stable calculation trigger at getting off) during the getting-off judgment period (AdultTH / L → EmptyTH / L, section 42). It is monitored whether or not a load change amount ΔW lower than the threshold value: −10 [N]) is observed.

The reason for this is that during the alighting determination period, when the vehicle is stopped as shown in FIG. 17, many load changes below a predetermined value (−10 [N]) are observed with the alighting operation. On the other hand, when the vehicle is running on a curve as shown in FIG. 18, there is almost no load change that falls below a predetermined value (−10 [N]). Therefore, by monitoring the load change below the predetermined value (−10 [N]), the start timing of the stability determination process (stability calculation) can be obtained.

In addition, the above-described load condition (stability calculation trigger threshold) is set as a value that can be divided between when the vehicle is stopped and when the vehicle is traveling on a curve. However, the specific value of the load condition is not limited to the above as long as it is possible to distinguish between getting on and off and (curve) traveling.

Furthermore, the boarding / alighting determination unit 23 may be operated at all times in the same manner as other parts of the occupant determination means 15 (the occupant determination unit 16, the vibration change amount determination unit 17, the load change amount determination unit 18, etc.). The operation may be performed only when necessary. Therefore, for example, a stability calculation trigger threshold 55 for boarding that is smaller than the boarding stability value 53 (for example, 5 [N]), or a stability calculation trigger threshold 55 for boarding that is smaller than the boarding stability value 54 (for example, −5 [N]) is set, and when the load change amount ΔW exceeds the stability calculation trigger threshold 55 or the stability calculation trigger threshold 55, the operation of the getting-on / off determination unit 23 may be prepared. .

It should be noted that one or both of the start determination of the stability calculation based on the time condition and the start determination of the stability calculation based on the load condition can be performed.

"About the effect of the boarding / alighting judgment part 23"

For example, when getting on or off the vehicle while the vehicle is stopped, the weight of the occupant suddenly gets on the seat 2 or suddenly loses the weight of the occupant from the seat 2, resulting in sudden load fluctuations. Vibration also occurs. If the load variation or vibration is erroneously determined by the vibration change amount determination unit 17 as vibration during traveling, the occupant determination unit 21 updates the occupant determination result 16a even if the occupant determination is performed by the occupant determination unit 16. The previous occupant determination result 16a is held without executing.

However, while the vehicle is stopped, there is a situation in which the update of the occupant determination result 16a is not executed due to the influence of vibrations when getting on or off the vehicle (pending state). Unexpected situations such as 1 running can occur. In a situation where such a sudden start has occurred, it is necessary to be able to update the occupant determination result 16a early.

Therefore, by providing the boarding / alighting determination unit 23 and monitoring the boarding / alighting, even in a situation where a disturbance occurs with respect to the update of the occupant determination result 16a due to the vibration that occurs when the boarding or getting off the vehicle is stopped. The occupant determination result 16a can be updated early.

That is, the boarding / alighting determination unit 23 is made to monitor the occurrence of boarding from a vacant seat state or the occurrence of a vacant seat state by getting off. Then, in the case of getting in from a vacant seat state or in a vacant seat state by getting off, it is determined by calculation whether it is stable before getting on or stable after getting off. As a result, it is possible to correctly determine whether it is a sudden boarding or alighting that actually occurred while the vehicle was stopped, such as a loose curve while driving (similar to a boarding or alighting when stopped) Case can be eliminated. It should be noted that a gentle curve during traveling can be classified by making a judgment on stability because the waveform stability corresponding to that before getting on or after getting off is low.

Therefore, even when the occupant determination unit 21 receives a signal from the vibration change amount determination unit 17 that the vehicle vibration 17a is present or the like, there is a temporary (for example, 1 second), the suspension state is released and the occupant determination unit 21 can update the occupant determination result 16a. For example, the update of the occupant determination result 16a due to the influence of getting on and off while the vehicle is stopped It is possible to quickly and correctly update the situation such as a sudden boarding or getting off that occurred while a disturbance is occurring.

"About the effects of time conditions in the stability determination process of the boarding / alighting determination unit 23"

The boarding / alighting determination unit 23 sets in advance the load change time of the detected load W based on detection values (

detection values

13a, 13b or vibration

waveform removal signals

14a, 14b) indicating the occupancy from the unoccupied state or the unoccupied state by dismounting. The majority of cases such as loose curves during driving that have a waveform similar to that of a stop (steep) Can be excluded.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent an unnecessarily large (or excessive or frequent) calculation for checking whether the vehicle is stable before boarding or whether the vehicle is stable after getting off. As a result, it is possible to reduce the burden by reducing the number of times of arithmetic processing and to prevent erroneous determination, and it is possible to further increase the accuracy of stability determination.

In the case of a stop (abrupt) getting on and off, the load change time of the detected value becomes a value within a certain range, whereas in the case of a gentle curve while traveling, the detected value of The load change time varies depending on the situation during the curve travel (for example, the weight on the seat 2, the speed of the vehicle 1, the rudder angle, etc.). Part can be excluded.

"About the effect of the load condition in the stability determination process of the boarding / alighting determination unit 23"

In the boarding / alighting determination unit 23, the load change amount ΔW (vibration change amount Δν) of the detection value (

detection values

13a, 13b or the vibration

waveform removal signals

14a, 14b) indicating the occupancy from the vacant seat state or the vacant seat state by getting off the vehicle. By checking whether or not the vehicle satisfies the load conditions for separating the boarding or getting off in advance, it is possible to increase the size of a case such as a loose curve during driving that has a waveform similar to that of a stopped (steep) getting on and off. Part can be excluded.

In the case of a stop (abrupt) getting on and off, the load change amount ΔW of the detected value includes a part that suddenly changes greatly due to the influence of the getting off (load fluctuation, vibration, etc.). In the case of a gentle curve during traveling, the load change amount ΔW of the detected

values

13a and 13b is almost free from suddenly changing portions such as getting on and off when the vehicle is stopped. By narrowing down by ΔW, it is possible to exclude most of the curve running.

"About the door closing judgment unit 101"

Further, in the vehicle occupant detection device 8 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a load sensor 11 that is attached to the periphery of the seat 2 and detects a load acting on the seat 2,
And an occupant detection means 12 for detecting an occupant based on the detection value of the load sensor 11.
The occupant detection means 12 examines at least the waveform of the detection value of the load sensor 11 and determines whether the door is closed based on a load variation pattern indicating door closing included in the waveform of the detection value. The unit 101 is provided.

Here, the door closing determination unit 101 is provided as means for determining whether or not the passenger gets on and off (boarding / alighting determination means), and is configured as, for example, a door closing determination logic. The door closing has a characteristic waveform as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20. The waveform indicating the closing of the door shows a large load variation (large variation portion 102a) due to the door closing, and then repeats the increase / decrease variation alternately (for example, in a cycle of approximately 100 ms) (increase / decrease portion 102b). , The characteristic converges to the value before closing the door (convergence portion 102c).

Therefore, the process for confirming whether or not the door closing waveform by the door closing determining unit 101 is performed according to the following five items, for example.

"1" (Check whether stability judgment processing is in progress)
Only during the stability determination process of the getting-off algorithm, the following is performed. However, the door closing determination is not necessarily limited to the stability determination process.

“Section 2” (Check for large load fluctuations due to door closing)
Check the “door closing process” flag.
When the “door closing process” flag is present, the process proceeds to item 3 without performing the calculation of A below.
When the “door closing process” flag is not present, the following calculation A is performed. If it is established, the “door closing process” flag is set and the process proceeds to item 3.
When the “door closing process” flag is not present, the following calculation A is performed. If not established, proceed to item 1 without performing items 3 and after. | ΔW (t) |> DoorTrigTH / L ・・・ A
The value of DoorTrigTH / L (door closing trigger threshold) can be arbitrarily selected within a range in which a large load fluctuation due to door closing can be identified. For example, it may be 5 [N] to 10 [N].

“3 terms” (calculates the sign)
If ΔW (t) ≧ 0, “+” is assumed, and if ΔW (t) <0, “−” is assumed.
DoorSum (x) = ΔW (t) + DoorSum (x-1) ・・・ B
However, DoorSum (0) = 0 (load immediately before the start of door closing determination), and x = 1 when calculation A is satisfied.

"4 items" (Check whether the sign change is repeated alternately)
・ In the case of the sign of the last three terms of ΔW (t-1) = the sign of the third term of current ΔW (t) (when the signs are the same),
The sign continuous count is incremented by 1 and the "same sign count" flag is present and the process proceeds to item 5.
・ When the sign of the last three terms of ΔW (t-1) ≠ the sign of the third term of current ΔW (t) and the “same sign count” flag is not present,
The sign continuous count is set to 0 and the process proceeds to item 5.
・ When the sign of the last 3 terms of ΔW (t-1) ≠ sign of the current 3 terms of ΔW (t) and the “same sign count” flag is present,
The sign continuous count is set to 0, the "same sign count" flag is not set, the sign count is increased by 1 and the process proceeds to the fifth item.

“Section 5” (confirm the end of door closing)
It is confirmed whether the code continuous count or the same code count has reached a predetermined number (N times).
If not established, proceed to item 1 without doing anything.
At the time of establishment, the calculation result of B is confirmed and C is calculated.
｜ DoorSum (x) | ≦ DoorSumTH / L ・・・ C
DoorSumTH / L (door closing threshold) can be selected arbitrarily within a range where convergence can be confirmed. For example, it may be 2 [N] to 10 [N].
If C is established, the door closing process flag is not set, the count of the stability determination process is validated during the period from the start of A to the current result, and the process proceeds to item 1.
If C is not established, the door closing process flag is not set, the stability determination process count is invalid during the period from the start of A to the current result, and the process proceeds to item 1.

Specifically, it is as follows. In this case, the door closing trigger threshold (DoorTrigTH / L) is set to 5 [N]. The door closing threshold (DoorSumTH / L) is 2 [N]. In addition, the number of times that the consecutive sign count or the same sign count is established is N = 2. The door closing may be accompanied by either getting on or getting off, but in this case, an example of getting off is described.

When the detected load W as shown in FIG. 21 is obtained,
First, when the load change amount ΔW becomes +6 [N] (> 5 [N]: door closing trigger threshold), the door closing determination is started. Thereafter, the load change amount ΔW is +1 [N], −9 [N], +5 [N], −2 [N], 1 [N], −1 [N], 0 [N], and 0 [N]. , 0 [N],
The sign of the three terms is “+” “+” “−” “+” “−” “+” “−” “+” “+” “+”
The difference value DoorSum (x) from the load immediately before the start of the door closing determination at that time is “+6” “+7” “−2” “+3” “+1” “+2” “+1” “+1” “+1“ +1 ”” And
The sign continuous count of 4 terms is “0” “1” “0” “0” “0” “0” “0” “0” “1” “2”, and 5 terms are established.
Further, the coincidence count of the four terms is “0” “0” “1” “1” “1” “1” “1” “1” “1” “1”.
And the difference value DoorSum (x) when the continuous count becomes “2” is +1 [N] (≦ DoorSumTH / L), and convergence to the load just before the start of the door closing judgment is seen. To be judged.

On the other hand, when the detected load W as shown in FIG. 22 is obtained,
First, when the load change amount ΔW becomes +6 [N] (> 5 [N]: door closing trigger threshold), the door closing determination is started. Thereafter, the load change amount ΔW becomes +1 [N], −1 [N], +1 [N], +1 [N], and −1 [N].
The sign of the three terms is “+” “+” “−” “+” “+” “−”
The difference value DoorSum (x) with the load immediately before the start of the door closing determination at that time becomes “+6” “+7” “+6” “+7” “+8” “+7”.
The 4 sign consecutive counts are “0” “1” “0” “0” “1” “0”,
The coincidence counts of the four terms are “0”, “0”, “1”, “1”, “1”, and “2”, and the fifth term is established.
And the difference value DoorSum (x) when the coincidence count becomes “2” becomes +7 [N] (> DoorSumTH / L), and convergence to the load immediately before the start of the door closing determination is not observed. It is determined that the door is not closed.

Subsequently, when the load change amount ΔW becomes +6 [N] (> 5 [N]: door closing trigger threshold), the door closing determination is started.
Thereafter, the load change amount ΔW becomes −10 [N], +3 [N], +4 [N], +3 [N], −1 [N], and +1 [N].
The sign of the three terms is “+” “−” “+” “+” “+”.
The difference value DoorSum (x) from the load immediately before the start of the door closing determination at that time becomes “+6”, “−4”, “−1”, “+3”, “+6”,.
The sign continuous count of the four terms becomes “0”, “0”, “0”, “1”, “2”,.
Further, the coincidence count of the four terms is “0” “0” “0” “0” “0”.
And the difference value DoorSum (x) when the sign continuous count becomes “2” becomes +6 [N] (> DoorSumTH / L), and since there is no convergence to the load just before the door closing judgment starts, again It is determined that the door is not closed.

In this way, the door closing determination unit 101 can determine whether the door is closed.

“Relationship Between Door Closure Determination Unit 101 and Vibration Change Amount Determination Unit 17”
The occupant detection means 12 is at least
Based on the detected value and the vibration threshold value 18a, a vibration change amount determination unit 17 that determines the presence or absence of the vehicle vibration 17a is provided.
Then, the vibration change amount determination unit 17
When the door closing determination unit 101 determines that the door is closed,
The vehicle vibration 17a when the door is closed may be determined to be the vehicle vibration 17a generated while the vehicle is stopped.

In this case, a signal indicating whether the door is closed or not from the door closing determination unit 101 is input to the vibration change amount determination unit 17.

“Relationship Between Door Closure Determination Unit 101 and Crew Determination Unit 21”
Moreover, it can also be performed as follows as another Example.
That is, the occupant detection means 12 is at least
An occupant determination unit 16 that determines the seating state of the occupant with respect to the seat 2 based on the detection value (and the occupant determination threshold);
Based on the detected value (and the vibration threshold value 18a), a vibration change amount determination unit 17 that determines the presence or absence of the vehicle vibration 17a;
Based on the presence or absence of the vehicle vibration 17a from the vibration change amount determination unit 17, the occupant determination unit 21 determines whether to update the occupant determination result 16a for the seated state from the occupant determination unit 16 or to hold the previous occupant determination result 16a. And.
When the door closing determination unit 101 determines that the door is closed,
The occupant determination unit 21 may be able to update the occupant determination result 16a even in a situation where vehicle vibration is occurring (a situation where the occupant determination result 16a is not updated).

In this case, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 2, a signal indicating whether the door is closed or not from the door closing determination unit 101 is input to the occupant determination unit 21. Even if a disturbance such as the vehicle vibration 17a occurs, if the door closing determination unit 101 reliably determines that the disturbance is due to the door closing, the occupant determination unit 21 updates the occupant determination result 16a. However, there is no particular problem.

“Relationship between door closing determination unit 101 and boarding / exit determination unit 23”
Further, as another embodiment, the following can be performed.
Monitors the occurrence of boarding from an unoccupied seat, or the occurrence of an unoccupied seat by getting off, and when there is a boarding from an unoccupied seat or when the seat is unoccupied by getting off,
A boarding / alighting determination unit 23 (stability determination unit) that obtains by calculation whether the state before boarding is stable or after boarding is stable is provided.
When the calculation result in the boarding / alighting determination unit 23 is found to be stable,
The occupant determination unit 21 updates the occupant determination result 16a even in a situation where vehicle vibration is occurring (a situation where the occupant determination result 16a is not updated).
On the other hand, the boarding / alighting determination unit 23 may handle the determination of the door closing by the door closing determination unit 101 as stable.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 24, the signal indicating whether the door is closed or not from the door closing determination unit 101 is input to the getting on / off determination unit 23.

"About the effect of the door closing judgment unit 101"

When the door is closed, the detected load W (detected value of the load sensor 11) fluctuates greatly, and there is a possibility that the passenger judgment cannot be performed stably by closing the door. However, since the door closing results in a waveform having a characteristic load fluctuation pattern, the door closing determination unit 101 is provided so that the door closing determination unit 101 monitors the characteristic load fluctuation pattern waveform indicating the door closing. Thus, it is possible to reliably determine whether the door is closed.

The waveform indicating the door closing converges to the value before the door closing while repeating the increase / decrease in the change in a short time (for example, in a cycle of 100 ms) after a large load fluctuation due to the door closing. It becomes a characteristic load fluctuation pattern. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether the door is closed or not by calculating whether the waveform of the detected value has the characteristic load fluctuation pattern as described above. Thus, if it can be determined that the door is closed, it can be used for various controls.

"About the effect of the relationship between the door closing determination unit 101 and the vibration change amount determination unit 17"

When the door closing determination unit 101 determines that the door is closed, the vibration change amount determination unit 17 can determine that the vibration generated when the door is closed is vibration generated while the vehicle is stopped. Therefore, it can be prevented that the vehicle is erroneously determined to be traveling due to the vibration of closing the door. Alternatively, it is possible to directly determine whether the vehicle is stopped by closing the door, or to perform processing by including the door closing while the vehicle is stopped (for example, adding the door closing time while the vehicle is stopped). Therefore, the vehicle vibration 17a during traveling and the door closing can be reliably identified, and it can be accurately determined whether the vehicle is stopped or traveling.

“About the effects of the relationship between the door closing determination unit 101 and the occupant determination unit 21”

For example, when getting on and off the vehicle while the vehicle is stopped, the door is closed. When the door is closed, a vibration is generated. If this vibration is erroneously determined by the vibration change amount determination unit 17 as a running vibration or the like, even if the passenger determination by the passenger determination unit 16 is performed, The determination unit 21 holds the previous occupant determination result 16a without updating the occupant determination result 16a.

Therefore, by providing the door closing determination unit 101 so that the door closing determination unit 101 can detect vibration due to “door closing”, it is possible to correctly determine whether or not the vehicle is stopped. As a result, the door closing vibration is not erroneously determined as traveling.

Therefore, even if the occupant determination unit 21 does not execute the update of the occupant determination result 16a by receiving a signal from the vibration change amount determination unit 17 that the vehicle vibration 17a is present or the like, temporarily (for example, 1 second). The suspension state is released and the occupant determination unit 21 can update the occupant determination result 16a, for example, while the occupant determination result 16a cannot be updated due to the influence of getting on and off while the vehicle is stopped. It is possible to quickly and correctly update the situation such as a sudden boarding or alighting that has occurred.

“About the effects of the relationship between the door closing determination unit 101 and the boarding / alighting determination unit 23”

A boarding / alighting determination unit 23 is provided to allow the boarding / alighting determination unit 23 to monitor the occurrence of boarding from a vacant seat state or the occurrence of a vacant seat state due to getting off. Then, in the case of getting in from a vacant seat state or in a vacant seat state by getting off, it is determined by calculation whether it is stable before getting on or stable after getting off. As a result, it is possible to correctly determine whether it is a sudden boarding or alighting that actually occurred while the vehicle was stopped, such as a loose curve while driving (similar to a boarding or alighting when stopped) Case can be eliminated. It should be noted that a gentle curve during traveling can be classified by making a judgment on stability because the waveform stability corresponding to that before getting on or after getting off is low.

At this time, the boarding / alighting determination unit 23 handles the determination of the door closing by the door closing determination unit 101 as stable. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the vibration accompanying the door closing from affecting the stability determination. Therefore, the boarding / alighting determination unit 23 can correctly determine boarding / alighting when the vehicle is stopped even if the door is closed.

In addition to the above, this embodiment has the following configuration.

(1) As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle occupant detection device 8 of this embodiment includes means for determining whether or not to get on and off (boarding and getting off determination means).
And when the means for determining whether or not to get on and off determines whether to get on and off,
The occupant determination unit 21 updates the occupant determination result 16a even in a situation where vehicle vibration is occurring.
(2) Specifically, as a means for determining whether or not to get on and off, a buckle switch 202 capable of detecting the wearing state of the seat belt 201 (see FIGS. 23 and 24) (provided on the seat 2) is provided. .
The occupant detection means 12 has a buckle determination unit 204 that receives information 203 (buckle switch information) from the buckle switch 202 and determines the wearing state of the seat belt 201.
When the buckle determination unit 204 determines a change in the wearing state of the seat belt 201,
The occupant determination unit 21 updates the occupant determination result 16a even in a situation where a disturbance such as vehicle vibration occurs in the detection value of the load sensor 11 (a situation where the occupant determination result 16a is not updated). Make it run.

Here, the buckle switch 202 is a switch for detecting whether or not the lock fitting attached to the seat belt 201 is attached to the buckle attached to the seat 2, such as inside the buckle of the seat 2. Is provided. The buckle switch 202 can detect a change from wearing the seat belt 201 to non-wearing as shown in FIG. 23 and a change from non-wearing to wearing the seat belt 201 as shown in FIG. Become.
Even if a disturbance such as the vehicle vibration 17a occurs, if the buckle determination unit 204 determines that the disturbance is due to a change in the wearing state of the seat belt 201, the occupant determination unit 21 determines that the occupant determination result 16a Executing the update does not cause any particular problems.

The signal 205 indicating the change in the wearing state of the seat belt 201 from the buckle determination unit 204 is input to the occupant determination unit 21, input to the vibration change amount determination unit 17, or to the door closing determination unit 101, for example. Or enter. The buckle determination unit 204 can be configured as a functional block using the above-described software.

(3) Also, as shown in the figure, when the buckle determination unit 204 determines that the wearing state of the seat belt 201 has changed from non-wearing to wearing,
As shown in FIG. 25, the occupant determination result 16a for the seated state may be updated based on the maximum detected value 210 within a certain time before and after the change.

Here, for example, the buckle determination unit 204 reads the data recorded in the memory 22 so that the maximum value 210 of the detected value can be examined by going back to about 15 seconds before the change, for example. Further, the maximum value 210 of the detected value can be examined until about 5 to 10 seconds after the change. However, the fixed time before and after the change is not limited to the above, and can be set to a necessary range.

<Operational effects> In summary, the operational effects of this embodiment are as follows.

(Effect 1) Even when the vehicle is stopped, for example, there is a case in which vibration is constantly input to the seat 2 (for example, when an occupant hits the seat 2). In such a case, even when the vehicle is stopped, there is a possibility that disturbance is given to the update of the occupant determination result 16a. Therefore, in order to be able to perform exception processing for the determination of the presence / absence of the vehicle vibration 17a by the vibration change amount determination unit 17, a means for determining the presence / absence of getting on / off is provided, and the presence / absence of getting on / off is taken in. As a result, even when the vehicle vibration is occurring, if the means for determining whether or not to get on and off determines that the user gets on and off (when the user gets on and off), the occupant determination result 16a is updated at an early stage. Will be able to. This makes it possible to match the passenger determination result with the actual situation even when getting on and off.

(Effect 2) Specifically, as a means for determining whether or not the passenger gets on and off, a buckle determination unit 204 is provided so as to incorporate determination based on the seat belt 201 wearing condition. As a result, even when a vehicle vibration that is erroneously determined to be running while the vehicle is stopped, such as when vibration is constantly input to the seat 2 while the vehicle is stopped, the seat belt 201 When a change in the wearing situation is confirmed, the occupant determination result 16a can be updated. Therefore, for example, the passenger determination result 16a is updated at an early stage even when the wearing state of the seat belt 201 is changed with getting on and off, or when a sudden getting on and off is performed immediately after the operation of the seat belt 201. be able to.

(Effect 3) For example, when the load sensor 11 is provided only on one side of the seat 2, the load sensor 11 can only detect the weight of the occupant only partially. If you are a woman, you may not be able to correctly judge a lightweight woman as an adult. However, when the seat belt 201 is worn, the occupant's weight shift occurs on the seat 2, and most of the occupant's weight is concentrated near the buckle switch 202, so the load sensor 11 is located near the buckle switch 202. By using the maximum value 210 detected by the load sensor 11, even a lightweight woman can be correctly determined as an adult.

2 seat 8 vehicle occupant detection device 8a occupant information 11 load sensor 12 occupant detection means 13 signal conversion unit

13a detection value

13b detection value 14 vibration waveform removal unit 14a vibration waveform removal signal 14b vibration waveform removal signal 15 occupant determination unit 16 occupant determination Section 16a Crew determination result 17 Vibration change amount determination section 17a Vehicle vibration 18 Load change amount determination section 18a Vibration threshold 21 Passenger determination section 23 Boarding / alighting determination section 41 Section (riding)
Section 42 (get off)
Section 43 (before boarding)
Section 44 (after getting off)
101 Door Close Determination Unit 201 Seat Belt 202 Buckle Switch 203 Information (Buckle Switch Information)
204 Buckle determination section 210 Maximum value W Detected load ΔW Load change

Cross-reference of related applications

This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-244720 filed with the Japan Patent Office on December 16, 2016, the entire disclosure of which is fully incorporated herein by reference. .

Claims

A load sensor that is mounted around the seat and detects a load acting on the seat;
Occupant detection means for detecting the occupant based on the detection value of the load sensor;
Means for determining whether to get on and off,
With
The occupant detection means is at least
An occupant determination unit that determines a seating state of the occupant with respect to the seat based on the detection value;
A vibration change amount determination unit for determining presence or absence of vehicle vibration based on the detected value;
An occupant determination unit that determines whether to update the occupant determination result for the seating state from the occupant determination unit or to hold the previous occupant determination result based on the presence or absence of vehicle vibration from the vibration change amount determination unit,
When the means for determining whether or not to get on and off determines whether to get on and off,
The vehicle occupant detection device is characterized in that the occupant determination unit updates an occupant determination result even in a situation where vehicle vibration is occurring.
The vehicle occupant detection device according to claim 1,
As a means to determine the presence or absence of getting on and off, with a buckle switch that can detect the seat belt wearing situation,
The occupant detection means includes a buckle determination unit that inputs information from the buckle switch and determines a seat belt wearing state,
When the buckle determination unit determines a change in the wearing state of the seat belt,
The vehicle occupant detection device is characterized in that the occupant determination unit updates an occupant determination result even in a situation where vehicle vibration is occurring.
The vehicle occupant detection device according to claim 2,
When the buckle determination unit determines that the wearing state of the seat belt has changed from non-wearing to wearing,
An occupant detection device for a vehicle, wherein an occupant determination result for a seated state is updated based on a maximum detected value within a predetermined time before and after the change.
The vehicle occupant detection device according to claim 1,
The vehicle occupant detection device includes a door closing determination unit capable of determining the presence / absence of getting on / off based on opening / closing of a door as means for determining whether to get on / off.
The vehicle occupant detection device according to claim 4,
The vehicle occupant characterized in that the door closing determination unit examines a waveform of a detection value of the load sensor and determines door closing based on a load fluctuation pattern indicating door closing included in the waveform of the detection value. Detection device.