Seat position sensor

• US 20030117000A1
• Filed: 11/12/2002
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stoneridge Control Devices, Inc. (Stoneridge Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Stoneridge Control Devices, Inc. (Stoneridge Incorporated)
• Inventors: Southworth, Robert, White, Colin, Powers, Jerry, Baskin, Genn, Barnabo, Susan
• Granted Patent: US 6,907,795 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/217.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0224 Non-manual adjustments, e.g. with electrical operation
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0272 using sensors or detectors for detecting the position of seat parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01554 Seat position sensors

Abstract

A seat position sensor including a generally u-shaped housing and a cover disposed on the housing for blocking entry contaminants into a shunt opening of the housing. A sensor including mounting wings that flex upon mounting is also provided, as is a sensor including an integral connector, and a two-piece sensor configuration. A PCB including a heat throttle trace and a heat sink region, and a supply voltage circuit for a Hall Effect sensor including a parallel connected varistor are also provided.

Claims

1. A seat position sensor comprising:

a generally u-shaped housing including first and second arms separated by a shunt opening;

a magnet disposed in said first arm;

a Hall Effect sensor disposed in said second arm and in a magnetic field generated by said magnet; and

a cover disposed on said housing, said cover being spring biased in a first position wherein a portion of said cover obstructs said shunt opening and being movable against said spring bias to a second position for allowing entry of a shunt into said shunt opening.

2. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein said magnet comprises neodymium.

3. A sensor according to claim 1, wherein said Hall Effect sensor is a programmable Hall Effect sensor.

6. A sensor according to claim 3, wherein said connector is a right angle connector

4. A seat position sensor comprising:

a generally u-shaped housing including first and second arms separated by a shunt opening;

a magnet disposed in said first arm;

a Hall Effect sensor disposed in said second arm and in a magnetic field generated by said magnet; and

first and second mounting wings extending from opposite sides of said housing, each of said mounting wings including a mounting opening for receiving a fastener for fixing said housing to a mounting position;

said mounting wings configured to flex inward against said mounting position upon fastening said housing to said mounting position.

5. A seat position sensor comprising:

a generally u-shaped housing including first and second arms separated by a shunt opening;

a magnet disposed in said first arm;

a Hall Effect sensor disposed in said second arm and in a magnetic field generated by said magnet; and

a connector affixed to said housing and including at least one terminal electrically connected to said hall effect sensor.

7. A printed circuit board comprising:

a first conductive trace electrically to a second conductive trace through a heat throttle trace and a heat sink region.

8. A supply voltage circuit for a hall effect sensor comprising:

at least one varistor connected in parallel with at least one capacitor and first and second input terminals of said hall effect sensor; and

supply voltage input terminals for providing a supply voltage across said varistor.

9. A seat position sensor system comprising:

a magnet coupled to a first seat rail;

a sensor housing coupled to a second seat rail adjacent said magnet in at least one position of said seat; and

a Hall Effect sensor disposed in said housing and in a magnetic field of said magnet in said at least one position.