Method and apparatus are disclosed for determining vehicle seat occupancy. An example vehicle includes a vehicle seat, an accelerometer coupled to the vehicle seat, and a restraint control module. The restraint control module is configured to determine a minute of arc measurement for the vehicle seat based on data received from the accelerometer, determine that the vehicle seat is occupied based on the minute of arc measurement, and provide an alert.

The invention refers to a crash monitoring system (10) for a vehicle (50) equipped with an airbag (52). The system (10) comprises an occupant monitoring system (12) configured for providing a mass value corresponding to a mass of the head (42) of an occupant (40) of the vehicle (50); an airbag pressure sensor (14) configured for providing a pressure value corresponding to a gas pressure within the airbag (52) of the vehicle (50); an airbag contact sensor (16) configured for providing a contact area value corresponding to a contact area at which the head (42) of the occupant (40) of the vehicle (50) contacts the airbag (52) of the vehicle (50); and a processing unit (18) configured for providing an acceleration value corresponding to an acceleration of the head (42) of the occupant (40) of the vehicle (50) based on the mass value, the pressure value and the contact area value. The invention further refers to an airbag system and a vehicle comprising such an occupant monitoring system and to a corresponding method of generating an acceleration value corresponding to an acceleration of the head (42) of an occupant (40) of a vehicle (50) in a crash situation.

A vehicle seat includes a seat cushion that includes a seat cushion frame, a riser that supports the seat cushion frame, a seat position adjusting device that moves and adjusts the seat cushion back and forth, and a load detector that detects a load applied to the seat cushion. The riser includes a bottom wall and a sidewall that extends upward from an end portion of the bottom wall. The seat position adjusting device includes an upper rail that supports the riser and slides a lower rail. The load detector is positioned between the upper rail and the bottom wall. The upper rail, the load detector, the bottom wall, and the bracket are co-clamped with a first fastening member, and the bracket is secured to the sidewall with a second fastening member.

A passenger's weight measurement device for a vehicle seat includes an upper rail provided on a lower rail that is fixable to a vehicle floor, the upper rail being movable in at least one of rear and front directions; a load sensor fixed onto the upper rail; and a frame provided on the load sensor and below the vehicle seat. In plan view, the load sensor protrudes from the frame in at least one of left and right directions.

A seating detection method includes: detecting whether a seat belt sensor in a vehicle seat is in an ON state or an OFF state; detecting whether a pressure sensitive sensor in a seat skin constituting a seating surface is in an ON state or an OFF state; and determining a foreign object insertion state in which a foreign object is inserted between the seating surface and a child seat based on whether the seat belt sensor is in the ON state or the OFF state and whether the pressure sensitive sensor is in the ON state or the OFF state. When the pressure sensitive sensor is changed from the ON state to the OFF state in a state in which the seat belt sensor is maintained in the ON state after the seat belt sensor is changed to the ON state, it is determined as the foreign object insertion state.

A passenger's weight measurement device for a vehicle seat includes an upper rail provided on a lower rail that is fixable to a vehicle floor, the upper rail being movable in at least one of rear and front directions; a load sensor fixed onto the upper rail; and a frame provided on the load sensor and below the vehicle seat. In plan view, the load sensor protrudes from the frame in at least one of left and right directions.

A seat occupancy determination apparatus includes a seatbelt attachment detection device, a first load detection device and a second load detection device arranged under a vehicle seat and each detecting part of a load acting on the vehicle seat, a control processor obtaining a first load value and a second load value, the control processor including a sum load value calculation portion computing a sum load value, a no-occupancy determination portion, a slope way determination portion determining that a vehicle is stopped on a slope way, a seatbelt attachment determination portion, a tentative determination portion tentatively making a seat occupancy determination, a forward movement determination portion determining that the vehicle starts moving forward and runs steadily on a flat ground, and a definite determination portion determining that an adult is seated and determining that a child safety seat is fastened.

A vehicle seat includes a load sensor for measuring a load applied from an occupant and a seat cushion frame, wherein the seat cushion frame comprises right and left side frames extending in a front-and-rear direction, the load sensor is attached to the seat cushion frame, and a concave portion is formed in at least one of the right and left side frames at a position opposite to the load sensor.

A vehicle classification system includes a processor programmed to determine a seated height and seated weight associated with a vehicle occupant. The processor is further programmed to assign a classification to the vehicle occupant based at least in part on a ratio of the seated weight to the seated height.

An image is received from an image sensor. The image includes an occupant's head. A seated height of the occupant is determined based at least in part on a distance from the image sensor to the occupant's head, and a detected angle of a vehicle seat. A safety device is adjusted based at least in part on the seated height of the occupant.