Abstract: A vehicle occupant detection system includes a processor that extracts, using an occupant detection area position information stored in a memory, an occupant detection area within a captured image of an in-vehicle camera, and detects any occupant in that area. The processor executes a correction mode using a correction-purpose image obtained by capturing, using the camera, a linearly-extending metal frame exposed when a vehicle door is open. In the correction mode, the processor detects an actual position of the metal frame in the correction-purpose image, calculates, as a shift amount, a difference between the actual metal frame position and an expected metal frame position in the correction-purpose image, and updates the occupant detection area position information in the memory such that an area reached by moving the occupant detection area of the current captured image by the shift amount serves as the occupant detection area of a new captured image.

Abstract: A tiptoe position estimating device includes: a camera configured to capture an image of an interior of a vehicle; and a human body information acquisition unit configured to acquire, from a captured image obtained by capturing an image of a person seated on a seat in the interior by the camera, position information of skeleton points at a plurality of positions of a body of the person. The human body information acquisition unit is configured to acquire thigh information which is position information of a skeleton point of a thigh of the person, and lower leg information which is position information of a skeleton point of a lower leg of the person. The human body information acquisition unit includes a tiptoe position estimating part configured to estimate a tiptoe position of a foot of the person based on the acquired thigh information and the acquired lower leg information.

Abstract: A vehicle doorway camera includes vehicle doors and a vicinity of the doors in a cabin within an imaging range. A vehicle interior monitoring ECU is provided with a gravity center calculating section and a determining section. The gravity center calculating section calculates an occupant's gravity center position included in a captured image. The determining section determines whether or not the gravity center position is included in a keep out area provided in the vicinity of the doors. A loudspeaker issues an alarm inside the cabin when it is determined by the determining section that the gravity center position is included in the keep out area.

Abstract: A tiptoe position estimating device includes: a camera configured to capture an image of an interior of a vehicle; and a human body information acquisition unit configured to acquire, from a captured image obtained by capturing an image of a person seated on a seat in the interior by the camera, position information of skeleton points at a plurality of positions of a body of the person. The human body information acquisition unit is configured to acquire thigh information which is position information of a skeleton point of a thigh of the person, and lower leg information which is position information of a skeleton point of a lower leg of the person. The human body information acquisition unit includes a tiptoe position estimating part configured to estimate a tiptoe position of a foot of the person based on the acquired thigh information and the acquired lower leg information.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: An occupant detection method includes detecting a load applied to a seat for a vehicle, detecting that an occupant is seated at the seat, holding a local maximum of the load which is detected when the occupant becomes seated, setting a standard value of the load in a state in which the occupant is seated at the seat, and estimating a body height of the occupant on the basis of a comparison between the local maximum of the load and the standard value of the load, wherein when the body height of the occupant is estimated, the larger a difference between the local maximum of the load and the standard value of the load is, the higher body height of the occupant is estimated.

Abstract: An occupant discrimination system of a vehicle seat includes a load detecting portion disposed on a lower side of a seat and detecting a load acting on the seat; an occupant discrimination portion discriminating a state of an occupant among a no occupant state, adult seated state, and child seat fixed states based at least on a load detected from the load detecting portion and a load continuation duration.

Abstract: An occupant sensing method includes steps of: sensing installation of a child seat on a seat of a vehicle; storing a detection value of a load sensor which is provided to be attached to the seat and detects an input load as a first load value, when the installation of the child seat is sensed; storing a detection value of the load sensor as a second load value when a predetermined time period has elapsed from a time point at which the installation of the child seat is sensed; and estimating a load change amount at the time of getting on/off which is a change amount of a load that is generated as the occupant gets on/off the child seat, based on a difference value between the first load value and the second load value.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: An occupant detection method includes detecting a load acting on a seat for a vehicle with use of a load sensor provided at the seat, monitoring a seating sensor output outputted from a seating sensor forming a detection region at the seat, and determining that a child occupant is seated at a child restraint seat installed at the seat when a detection value of the load sensor is equal to or larger than a minimum value determining that an adult occupant is seated at the seat and equal to or smaller than a maximum value determining that the child occupant is seated at the child restraint seat, in a case where the seating sensor output indicates a state in which a seating load of an occupant is not applied to the detection region, the seating load corresponding to a load of the occupant while the occupant is seated.

Abstract: An occupant detection method includes detecting a load applied to a seat for a vehicle, determining whether or not an occupant is seated at the seat, calculating a load deviation value indicating deviation of the load, determining whether or not the deviation exists at the seat on the basis of the load deviation value, and estimating that a seating posture of the occupant is inclined in a direction in which the load is deviated in a case where it is determined that the deviation exists and that a stable state is established, the stable state corresponding to a state in which a difference between a first change amount in a first cycle and a second change amount in a second cycle is within a predetermined range.

Abstract: An occupant detection method includes detecting a load applied to a seat for a vehicle, determining whether or not an occupant is seated at the seat, calculating a load deviation value indicating deviation of the load, determining whether or not the deviation exists at the seat on the basis of the load deviation value, and estimating that a seating posture of the occupant is inclined in a direction in which the load is deviated in a case where it is determined that the deviation exists and that a stable state is established, the stable state corresponding to a state in which a difference between a first change amount in a first cycle and a second change amount in a second cycle is within a predetermined range.

Abstract: An occupant detection method includes detecting a load applied to a seat for a vehicle, detecting that an occupant is seated at the seat, holding a local maximum of the load which is detected when the occupant becomes seated, setting a standard value of the load in a state in which the occupant is seated at the seat, and estimating a body height of the occupant on the basis of a comparison between the local maximum of the load and the standard value of the load, wherein when the body height of the occupant is estimated, the larger a difference between the local maximum of the load and the standard value of the load is, the higher body height of the occupant is estimated.

Abstract: An occupant sensing method includes steps of: sensing installation of a child seat on a seat of a vehicle; storing a detection value of a load sensor which is provided to be attached to the seat and detects an input load as a first load value, when the installation of the child seat is sensed; storing a detection value of the load sensor as a second load value when a predetermined time period has elapsed from a time point at which the installation of the child seat is sensed; and estimating a load change amount at the time of getting on/off which is a change amount of a load that is generated as the occupant gets on/off the child seat, based on a difference value between the first load value and the second load value.

Abstract: An occupant discrimination system of a vehicle seat includes: a load detecting portion disposed on a lower side of a seat and detecting a load acting on the seat; an occupant discrimination portion discriminating a state of an occupant among a no occupant, adult seated state, and child seat fixed states based on a load detected from the load detecting portion and a load continuation duration; and a door opening and closing detecting portion detecting an opening and closing state of a door, wherein the occupant discrimination portion changes the state transition condition from the no occupant or child seat fixed state to the adult seated state such that it is difficult to transition in a state in which the door is detected to be in an open state in comparison to a state in which the door is detected to be in a closed state.

Abstract: A seat-occupancy state detection device includes: a seat occupancy sensor forming a pressure sensitive portion on a seat occupancy surface of a seat; a load sensor detecting a load applied to the seat occupancy surface; and a seat-occupancy state determination unit determining a seat occupancy state based on an ON/OFF state of the seat occupancy sensor and the load, wherein the seat-occupancy state determination unit includes a seat non-occupancy state determination section determining a seat non-occupancy state in a case where the seat occupancy sensor enters an OFF state and the load is equal to or lower than a first threshold value, and a threshold-value setting section setting a threshold value of the load, which is used in determination of the seat non-occupancy state, to a higher value, as duration increases after the seat occupancy sensor enters the OFF state.

Abstract: A seat-occupancy state detection device includes: a seat occupancy sensor that forms a pressure sensitive portion on a seat occupancy surface of a seat; a load sensor that detects a load applied to the seat occupancy surface; a seat-occupancy state determination unit that determines a seat occupancy state of an occupant on the seat, based on an ON/OFF state of the seat occupancy sensor and the load which is detected by the load sensor; and an abnormality determination unit that determines an occurrence of a first abnormality in which the ON state of the seat occupancy sensor is maintained, in a case where the seat occupancy sensor is in the ON state, and the load, which is detected by the load sensor, is equal to or lower than a first threshold value indicating an unloaded state.

Abstract: A seat passenger determination apparatus includes: a first determination processing unit configured to determine a passenger is not seated on a vehicle seat by having gotten out of the vehicle and transfer the mode to a not-seated recognition mode when a load variation width detected by a load detection apparatus falls within a first threshold value in a state in which a non-fastened state of a seatbelt is detected; and a second determination processing unit configured to determine the passenger is not seated on the vehicle seat by having gotten out of the vehicle and transfer the mode to the not-seated recognition mode when the load variation width detected by the load detection apparatus falls within a second threshold value which is larger than the first threshold value during a predetermined time when the fact that the seatbelt has changed from the fastened state to the non-fastened state is detected.

Abstract: A seat passenger determination apparatus includes: a door closing timing detector configured to detect door closing timing after having gotten out of the vehicle directly or indirectly; a counter unit configured to start counting when the load detected by the load detector falls within a threshold value and reset the count when the load is deviated from the threshold value; a determination processing unit configured to determine that no passenger is seated on the vehicle seat because the passenger has gotten out, and transfer the mode to the not-seated recognition mode when the state in which the load within the predetermined threshold value continues for a predetermined time is detected by the counter unit; and a count restricting unit configured to stop the counting process performed by the counter unit temporarily when the door-closed state is detected by the door closing timing detector during the determination by the determination processing unit.

Abstract: A seat load detection apparatus includes: a load detector detecting part of a load acting on a vehicle seat which is capable of changing the posture of a seatback forward from the first stage position as a most upright position of a seatable position to the forwardly inclined position which is a forwardly inclined position on which the passenger cannot be seated; a load body determination unit determining a load body acting on the vehicle seat on the basis of a detected load detected by the load detector; a seat posture detector detecting the forwardly inclined position of the seatback; and a state determination unit determining the state change of the vehicle seat on the basis of the variation of the detected load and restrict the determination of the state change of the vehicle seat on the basis of an output from the seat posture detector.