Vehicle Seat Pinching Detection via Reverse Load State
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle seat load sensors struggle to accurately detect seat loads when foreign materials are pinched on the lower side, leading to potential errors in occupant detection and safety measures.
Innovation Solution
A pinching detection apparatus that includes a reverse load determining unit to identify when the seat is in a reverse load state based on load sensor data and a pinching determining unit to detect foreign materials by determining continuous reverse load states, using a threshold comparison and time-based criteria to differentiate between legitimate reverse loads and foreign material pinching.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a load sensor is provided on the lower side of the vehicle seat to detect seat load, then the sitting state of the occupant can be detected, but when a foreign material is pinched on the lower side of the vehicle seat, the seat load cannot be accurately detected leading to detection errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the detection approach by not directly detecting seat load, but instead detecting whether the vehicle seat is in a reverse load state (lifted upward). When the seat is continuously in the reverse load state, the system determines that a foreign material is pinched. This indirect detection method avoids the problem of direct load measurement being affected by pinched foreign materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary detection mechanism by using the reverse load state as an intermediate indicator. Rather than directly measuring seat load to determine sitting state, the system uses the reverse load state (caused by pinched foreign materials lifting the seat) as an intermediate signal to infer the presence of pinched materials, thereby protecting the accuracy of sitting state detection.
2Measurement precision
If the system detects reverse load state continuously to determine foreign material pinching, then detection accuracy is improved, but the system complexity increases due to additional determination units and continuous monitoring requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The existing load sensor is made multi-functional by using it not only for detecting seat load to determine sitting state, but also for detecting reverse load state to identify foreign material pinching. This eliminates the need for separate detection hardware, reducing system complexity while maintaining high detection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs periodic determination of the reverse load state at predetermined time intervals. Instead of continuous monitoring, the control unit checks the reverse load state periodically, which reduces processing burden and system complexity while still achieving accurate detection of foreign material pinching through the continuous state criterion.
Data Source
AI summary
A pinching detection apparatus of a vehicle seat includes: a reverse load determining unit that determines whether or not a vehicle seat is in a reverse load state in which the vehicle seat is lifted upward based on a seat load detected by a load sensor provided on a lower side of the vehicle seat; and a pinching determining unit that determines that a foreign material is pinched on the lower side of the vehicle seat when determining that the vehicle seat is continuously in the reverse load state.