Patent ID: 6662138
Filing Date: 2003-12-09
Classification: B60N,G01G

Abstract:
A seated person determination apparatus for a vehicle seat, comprising:a seat sensor composed of a plurality of sensor portions placed in a seat pad of the vehicle seat, the sensor portions being distributed along a plane parallel to a surface of the vehicle seat, wherein a load exerted on the surface of the vehicle seat by a seated person or an object placed on the vehicle seat is detected by the plurality of sensor portions as a detected load; a calculating device that calculates a degree of conformity between a shape of a surface distribution of the detected load and a shape of a standard surface distribution of a load, wherein the shape of the standard surface distribution of the load simulates a shape of a contact surface formed by a buttocks of a person seated and the surface of the seat, wherein the degree of conformity is calculated as a child's pattern correlation coefficient and an adult's pattern correlation coefficient and uses a cross correlation method; and a decision device that differentiates the type of person seated from an object placed on the seat according to a degree of conformity between the shape of the surface distribution of the detected load and the standard surface distribution of the load.