US 6,981,717 B2
Attachment structure of a load sensor for a vehicle seat
Kazunori Sakamoto, Chiryu (Japan); Yasuaki Suzuki, Kariya (Japan); Tsutomu Takeuchi, Gamagori (Japan); Morio Sakai, Toyota (Japan); Yasunori Hasegawa, Kasugai (Japan); and Kentaro Morishita, Nagoya (Japan)
Assigned to Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha, Kariya (Japan)
Filed on Sep. 13, 2002, as Appl. No. 10/242,435.
Claims priority of application No. 2001-278516 (JP), filed on Sep. 13, 2001.
Prior Publication US 2003/0067196 A1, Apr. 10, 2003
Int. Cl. B60R 21/32 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 280—735 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An attachment structure for installing a load sensor to a vehicle seat, the load sensor having a plate-shaped strain unit and a strain gauge for detecting a strain of the plate-shaped strain unit, comprising;
one end of the plate-shaped strain unit being fixed to a cushion frame of the vehicle seat by way of at least one first connecting member and the other end of the strain unit being fixed to a slide mechanism of the vehicle seat by way of at least one second connecting member;
a strain portion defined between the two ends of the plate-shaped strain unit and being deformable in a vertical direction relative to the vehicle seat;
a load input point from the seating portion defined approximately at a central portion of the strain portion of the plate-shaped strain unit;
strain restriction means for restricting the strain of the plate-shaped strain unit in the vertical direction to a predetermined value;
the at least one first connecting member comprising a first attachment bracket holding the one end of the plate-shaped strain unit and attached to the vehicle seat through a connecting pin located at a portion upward or downward relative to and opposed to the central portion of the strain portion of the plate-shaped strain unit; and
the at least one second connecting member comprising a second attachment bracket holding the other end of the strain unit and attached to the vehicle body, wherein the strain restriction means for restricting the strain of the plate-shaped strain unit is formed by inserting the connecting pin into a stopper hole provided in the second attachment bracket with a predetermined clearance in the vertical direction relative to the vehicle seat.