Vehicle occupant proximity sensor
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for activating a vehicle occupant safety system including the steps of:
- a. Determining a position of a head of the occupant relative to the safety system; and
b. Determining whether to activate the vehicle occupant safety system based upon said step a.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle occupant proximity sensor includes a transmitting electrode in a vehicle seat and an array of receiving electrodes mounted in a vehicle headliner above the vehicle seat. The sensor determines the capacitance at each of the receiving electrodes, which varies based upon the proximity of the occupant to each receiving electrode, thus producing an array of proximity information indicating in two dimensions the position of the occupant.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method for activating a vehicle occupant safety system including the steps of:
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a. Determining a position of a head of the occupant relative to the safety system; and
b. Determining whether to activate the vehicle occupant safety system based upon said step a. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method for activating a vehicle occupant safety system including the steps of:
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a. Measuring capacitance at each of a plurality of points in a vehicle passenger compartment having an occupant safety system;
b. Determining a position of an occupant relative to the safety system based upon said step a; and
c. Determining whether to activate the vehicle occupant safety system based upon said step a. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22)
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13. A method for activating a vehicle occupant safety system including the steps of:
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a. Sensing a proximity of an occupant from each of a plurality of points in a vehicle passenger compartment having an occupant safety system; and
b. Determining a position of an occupant relative to the safety system based upon said step a.
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19. A vehicle passenger compartment proximity sensing system comprising:
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A capacitive sensor array measuring capacitance at a plurality of points in a passenger compartment; and
A controller determining a position of an occupant based upon the capacitance measured at the plurality of points.
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Specification