Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-22
2002-04-30
Mai, Lanna (Department: 3619)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C070S279100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06378899
ABSTRACT:
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. HEI 11-78229 filed on Mar. 23, 1999 including the specification, drawings and abstract is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an airbag control apparatus and, more particularly, to an airbag control apparatus having a manual cutoff switch that can be manually operated to bring an airbag apparatus installed in a vehicle into an ineffective state.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent No. 2753968 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,612,876) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 8-216825 disclose technologies for bringing a passenger seat-side airbag apparatus into an ineffective (activation-prevented) state when a child or a child seat occupies a passenger seat of a motor vehicle.
An airbag control apparatus of JP No. 2753968 is capable of changing an airbag apparatus between a normally effective (standby) state and an ineffective state by detecting the weight of a vehicle occupant on a seat cushion through the use of a seat load sensor provided in the seat cushion. In an airbag control apparatus of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 8-216825, a manual cutoff switch is provided in an airbag ignition circuit. By manually operating the manual cutoff switch, an airbag apparatus can be changed between a normally effective state and an ineffective state.
However, in the airbag control apparatus of JP No. 2753968, there exist areas in which the detection by the seat load sensor provided in the seat cushion is difficult, that is, generally termed gray zones. Therefore, there is a possibility that even though an adult actually is present on the seat cushion, it will be determined that an adult is not seated on the seat cushion, and therefore the airbag apparatus will be switched to the ineffective state, depending on the sitting posture of the adult occupant. In the airbag control apparatus of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 8-216825, the manual cutoff switch can be operated at will by an occupant. Therefore, there is a possibility of a false or inadvertent operation of the manual cutoff switch, that is, there is a possibility that the airbag apparatus will be in the ineffective state in a case where the apparatus actually needs to be in the normally effective state, or that the airbag apparatus will be in the normally effective state in a case where the apparatus actually needs to be in the ineffective state.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an airbag control apparatus capable of preventing inadvertent operation of a manual cutoff switch and therefore preventing inadvertent activation of an airbag apparatus.
In accordance with the invention, an airbag control apparatus includes a manual cutoff switch for changing an airbag apparatus between an effective state and an ineffective state in accordance with a will of an occupant, an occupant-detecting sensor that detects presence or absence of a seated occupant or a body build of the seated occupant, and a control device for changing the airbag apparatus between the effective state and the ineffective state by controlling the manual cutoff switch in accordance with a detection signal from the occupant-detecting sensor.
This airbag control apparatus is able to change the airbag apparatus between the effective state and the ineffective state by the control device controlling the manual cutoff switch in accordance with the detection signal from the occupant-detecting sensor. Therefore, the airbag control apparatus is able to prevent inadvertent activation of the airbag apparatus due to inadvertent or false operation of the manual cutoff switch.
In the airbag control apparatus of the invention, the control device may allow the manual cutoff switch to be switched to an ineffective side only when a state with no occupant or with an occupant having a body build less than a predetermined body build is detected by the occupant-detecting sensor.
Therefore, since the manual cutoff switch is allowed to be switched to the ineffective side only when the state with no occupant or with an occupant having a body build less than the predetermined body build is detected by the occupant-detecting sensor, it becomes impossible to switch the manual cutoff switch to the ineffective side in a condition where the airbag apparatus needs to be effective. Hence, the airbag apparatus can be reliably activated when the activation of the airbag apparatus is actually needed.
The airbag control apparatus of the invention may further include a lock mechanism that prevents the manual cutoff switch from being switched to an effective side when a state with no occupant or with an occupant having a body build less than a predetermined body build is detected by the occupant-detecting sensor.
Therefore, since the lock mechanism prevents the manual cutoff switch from being switched to the effective side when the state with no occupant or with an occupant having a body build less than the predetermined body build is detected by the occupant-detecting sensor, it becomes impossible to switch the manual cutoff switch to the effective side in a condition where it is desirable that the airbag apparatus be ineffective. Hence, the inadvertent activation of the airbag apparatus due to inadvertent operation of the manual cutoff switch can be prevented.
The airbag control apparatus of the invention may further include a lock mechanism that prevents the manual cutoff switch from being switched to the ineffective side when an occupant having a body build equal to or greater than the predetermined body build is detected by the occupant-detecting sensor.
Therefore, since the lock mechanism prevents the manual cutoff switch from being switched to the ineffective side when an occupant having a body build equal to or greater than the predetermined body build is detected by the occupant-detecting sensor, it becomes impossible to switch the manual cutoff switch to the ineffective side in a condition where the airbag apparatus needs to be effective. Hence, the inadvertent activation of the airbag apparatus due to inadvertent operation of the manual cutoff switch can be prevented.
The airbag control apparatus of the invention may further include a forcibly switching mechanism that forcibly switches the manual cutoff switch from the ineffective side to an effective side when an occupant having a body build equal to or greater than the predetermined body build is detected by the occupant-detecting sensor.
In this construction, when an occupant having a body build equal to or greater than the predetermined body build is detected by the occupant-detecting sensor, the forcibly switching mechanism forcibly switches the manual cutoff switch from the ineffective side to the effective side. Therefore, if the manual cutoff switch should be at the ineffective side in a condition where the airbag apparatus needs to be effective, the forcibly switching mechanism will forcibly switch the manual cutoff switch from the ineffective side to the effective side, so that the air-fuel ratio can be properly activated.
The airbag control apparatus of the invention may further include a forcibly switching mechanism that forcibly switches the manual cutoff switch from an effective side to the ineffective side when a state with no occupant or with an occupant having a body build less than the predetermined body build is detected by the occupant-detecting sensor.
In this construction, when the state with no occupant or with an occupant having a body build less than the predetermined body build is detected by the occupant-detecting sensor, the forcibly switching mechanism forcibly switches the manual cutoff switch from the effective side to the ineffective side. Hence, if the manual cutoff switch should be at the effective side in a condition where it is desirable that the airbag apparatus be ineffective, the manual cutoff switch will be forcibly switched from the effective sid
Mai Lanna
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Royal, Jr. Paul
Toyota Jidosha & Kabushiki Kaisha
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