Occupancy sensing with heating devices
First Claim
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1. A system comprising:
- a first heater including a first plate coupled to a power source, wherein the first heater is configured to be located within a steering wheel;
a second heater including a second plate coupled to the power source, wherein the second heater is configured to be located within a vehicle seat; and
an input coupled to at least one of the first heater and the second heater, wherein the input is configured to provide a sensing signal to the at least one of the first heater and the second heater, wherein the sensing signal indicates a shift in capacitance between the first heater and the second heater, and wherein the shift in capacitance indicates whether a presence or an absence of an occupant is detected in a vehicle.
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Abstract
A system comprising: a heater located within a steering wheel and a heater located within a vehicle seat; wherein the steering wheel is a first plate and the vehicle seat is a second plate and a shift in a signal is monitored from the first plate, the second plate, or both so that a presence and absence of an occupant is detected, and wherein the heater in the steering wheel and the heater in the vehicle seat are a sensor.
198 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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a first heater including a first plate coupled to a power source, wherein the first heater is configured to be located within a steering wheel; a second heater including a second plate coupled to the power source, wherein the second heater is configured to be located within a vehicle seat; and an input coupled to at least one of the first heater and the second heater, wherein the input is configured to provide a sensing signal to the at least one of the first heater and the second heater, wherein the sensing signal indicates a shift in capacitance between the first heater and the second heater, and wherein the shift in capacitance indicates whether a presence or an absence of an occupant is detected in a vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method comprising:
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a) installing first and second heaters heater into first and second discrete components, respectively, of a vehicle that are located adjacent to each other; b) providing current to the first and second heaters from a power source connected to each of the first and second heaters; c) providing a sensing signal to at least one of the first and second heaters so that the sensing signal passes through the at least one of the first and second heaters, wherein the sensing signal indicates a shift in capacitance between the first heater and the second heater; and d) determining, based on the sensing signal, at least one of presence of an occupant, lack of occupant, and lack of contact between one of the first and second discrete components and the occupant. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification