Apparatus and method for measuring weight of an occupying item of a seat

• US 20010037904A1
• Filed: 05/04/2001
• Published: 11/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Automotive Technologies International Incorporated
• Inventors: Breed, David S., Johnson, Wendell C., DuVall, Wilbur E.
• Granted Patent: US 6,653,577 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 177/144
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/015 Attaching seats directly to vehicle chassis
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02246 Electric motors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0244 with logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0248 with memory of positions
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0252 with relations between different adjustments, e.g. height of headrest following longitudinal position of seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0268 using sensors or detectors for adapting the seat or seat part, e.g. to the position of an occupant
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0272 using sensors or detectors for detecting the position of seat parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0276 reaction to emergency situations, e.g. crash
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/067 by linear actuators, e.g. linear screw mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/28 Seats readily mountable on, and dismountable from, existing seats or other parts of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2806 for securing the child seat to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2863 backward facing
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/809 vertically slidable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/829 characterised by their adjusting mechanisms, e.g. electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/853 characterised by their adjusting mechanisms, e.g. electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/888 with arrangements for protecting against abnormal g-forces, e.g. by displacement of the head-rest
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/26094 characterised by fluid flow controlling valves
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2765 comprising means to control the venting
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/288 with means to adjust or regulate the amount of energy to be absorbed
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4685 : with means to adjust or regulate the tensioning force in relation to external parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/015 : including means for detecting the presence or position of passengers, passenger seats or child seats , and the related safety parameters therefor, e.g. speed or timing of airbag inflation in relation to occupant position or seat belt use
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01516 : using force or pressure sensing means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01526 : using piezoelectric elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0153 : using field detection presence sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01536 : using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01542 : detecting passenger motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01554 : Seat position sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/203 : in steering wheels or steering columns
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/201 : with the belt anchor connected to a slider movable in a vehicle-mounted track for passive restraint systems B60R22/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/06 : Systems determining the position data of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/87 : Combinations of sonar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/88 : Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications seismic or acoustic prospecting or detecting G01V1/00

Abstract

Vehicle seat structure including a seat defining a surface contacting an occupying item, slide mechanisms coupled to the seat for enabling movement of the seat and support members for supporting the seat on the slide mechanisms such that weight of the occupying item passes through the support members. At least one support member has a region with a stiffness lower than the stiffness of a remaining region thereof. A strain gage measurement system generates a signal indicative of the weight of the occupying item and includes at least one strain gage transducer arranged in the lower stiffness region of the support member to measure strain thereof. The lower stiffness region can have a smaller outer circumference than a circumference of the remaining region of the support member and/or at least one aperture extends partially across the circumference of the support member to thereby define the lower stiffness region.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat structure, comprising:

a seat defining a surface adapted to contact an occupying item;

slide mechanisms coupled to said seat for enabling movement of said seat;

support members for supporting said seat on said slide mechanisms such that at least a portion of the weight of the occupying item passes through said support members, at least one of said support members having a region with a stiffness lower than the stiffness of a remaining region of said at least one support member; and

a strain gage measurement system for generating a signal indicative of the weight of the occupying item, said strain gage measurement system including at least one strain gage transducer arranged in said lower stiffness region of said at least one support member to measure strain of said lower stiffness region of said at least one support member.

2. The seat of

claim 1

, wherein said lower stiffness region has a smaller outer circumference than a circumference of the remaining region of said at least one support member.

3. The seat of

claim 1

, wherein said at least one support member has at least one aperture extending partially across the circumference of said at least one support member to thereby define said lower stiffness region in an area of said at least one aperture.

4. The seat of

claim 1

, wherein said at least one support member has a first end connected to one of said slide mechanisms and a second end connected to said seat.

5. The seat of

claim 1

, wherein said strain gage measurement system further includes at least one additional strain gage transducer arranged on another of said support members.

6. The seat of

claim 5

, wherein said strain gage measurement system further includes a control system coupled to said strain gage transducers for receiving the strain measured by said strain gage transducers and providing the signal indicative of the weight of the occupying item.

7. The seat of

claim 1

, wherein said at least one support member is substantially vertically oriented.

8. The seat of

claim 1

, wherein said at least one support member is a rigid, non-bending component.

9. A method for measuring weight of an occupying item in a vehicle seat, comprising the steps of:

interposing support members between the seat and slide mechanisms which enable movement of the seat and such that at least a portion of the weight of the occupying item passes through the support members;

providing at least one of the support members with a region having a stiffness lower than the stiffness of a remaining region of said at least one support member;

arranging at least one strain gage transducer in the lower stiffness region of the at least one support member to measure strain of the lower stiffness region of the at least one support member; and

obtaining an indication of the weight of the occupying item based at least in part on the strain of the lower stiffness region of the at least one support member measured by the at least one strain gage transducer.

10. The method of

claim 9

, wherein the at least one support member is tubular and the lower stiffness region has a smaller outer circumference than a circumference of the remaining region of the at least one support member.

11. The method of

claim 9

, further comprising the step of arranging at least one aperture extending partially across the circumference of the at least one support member to thereby define the lower stiffness region in an area of the at least one aperture.

12. The method of

claim 9

, further comprising the step of forming the at least one support member by providing an elongate member and cutting around the circumference of the elongate member to thereby obtain the lower stiffness region.

13. The method of

claim 9

, wherein the step of interposing support members between the seat and slide mechanisms comprises the step of connecting a first end of the at least one support member to one of the slide mechanisms and a second end of the at least one support member to the seat.

14. A vehicle including an arrangement for controlling a component based on an occupying item of the vehicle, comprising:

a seat defining a surface adapted to contact the occupying item;

slide mechanisms coupled to said seat for enabling movement of said seat;

support members for supporting said seat on said slide mechanisms such that at least a portion of the weight of the occupying item passes through said support members, at least one of said support members having a region with a stiffness lower than the stiffness of a remaining region of said at least one support member; and

a strain gage measurement system for generating a signal indicative of the weight of the occupying item, said strain gage measurement system including at least one strain gage transducer arranged in said lower stiffness region of said at least one support member to measure strain of said lower stiffness region of said at least one support member; and

a processor coupled to said strain gage measurement system for receiving the signal indicative of the weight of the occupying item and generating a control signal for controlling the component.

15. The vehicle of

claim 14

, wherein said at least one support member is tubular and said lower stiffness region has a smaller outer circumference than a circumference of the remaining region of said at least one support member.

16. The vehicle of

claim 14

, wherein said at least one support member has at least one aperture extending partially across the circumference of said at least one support member to thereby define said lower stiffness region in an area of said at least one aperture.

17. The vehicle of

claim 14

, wherein said at least one support member has a first end connected to one of said slide mechanisms and a second end connected to said seat.

18. The vehicle of

claim 14

, wherein said strain gage measurement system further includes at least one additional strain gage transducer arranged on another of said support members.

19. The vehicle of

claim 14

, wherein the component is an airbag system.

20. The vehicle of

claim 14

, wherein said at least one support member is substantially vertically oriented.

21. The vehicle of

claim 14

, wherein said at least one support member is a rigid, non-bending component.

22. A method for controlling a component in a vehicle based on an occupying item, comprising the steps of:

interposing support members between a seat on which the occupying item may rest and slide mechanisms which enable movement of the seat and such that at least a portion of the weight of the occupying item passes through the support members;

providing at least one of the support members with a region having a stiffness lower than the stiffness of a remaining region of said at least one support member;

arranging at least one strain gage transducer in the lower stiffness region of the at least one support member to measure strain of the lower stiffness region of the at least one support member;

obtaining an indication of the weight of the occupying item based at least in part on the strain of the lower stiffness region of the at least one support member measured by the at least one strain gage; and

controlling the component based at least in part on the strain of the lower stiffness region of the at least one support member measured by the at least one strain gage transducer.

23. The method of

claim 22

, wherein the at least one support member is tubular and the lower stiffness region has a smaller outer circumference than a circumference of the remaining region of the at least one support member.

24. The method of

claim 22

, further comprising the step of arranging at least one aperture extending partially across the circumference of the at least one support member to thereby define the lower stiffness region in an area of the at least one aperture.

25. The method of

claim 22

, wherein the step of interposing support members between the seat and slide mechanisms comprises the step of connecting a first end of the at least one support member to one of the slide mechanisms and a second end of the at least one support member to the seat.

26. The method of

claim 22

, wherein the component is an airbag, the step of controlling the component comprising the step of controlling at least one of rate of deployment of the airbag, start time of deployment, inflation rate of the airbag, rate of gas removal from the airbag, maximum pressure in the airbag.

27. In a vehicle comprising a seat defining a surface adapted to contact an occupying item, slide mechanisms coupled to a substrate of the vehicle for enabling movement of the seat and connecting members connecting the seat to the slide mechanisms, an arrangement for measuring weight of an occupying item in the seat comprising

at least one of said connecting members comprising

an elongate stud having first and second threaded end regions and an unthreaded intermediate region between said first and second threaded end regions, said first threaded end region engaging said seat and said second threaded end region engaging one of said slide mechanisms, and

a strain gage measurement system arranged on said unthreaded intermediate region for measuring strain in said at least one connecting member at said unthreaded intermediate region which is indicative of weight being applied by an occupying item in said seat.

28. The vehicle of

claim 27

, wherein said strain gage measurement system comprises a SAW strain gage and associated circuitry and electric components capable of receiving a wave and transmitting a wave modified by virtue of the strain in said at least one connecting member.

29. The vehicle of

claim 27

, wherein said at least one connecting members is made of a non-metallic, composite material.

30. The vehicle of

claim 27

, further comprising an interrogator for communicating wirelessly with said strain gage measurement system.