Vehicle occupant sensing system for a vehicle seat assembly and method of operating the same
First Claim
1. A vehicle occupant sensing system comprising:
- at least one transmitter operable to create a transmitted magnetic field;
at least one receiver operatively fixed relative to said transmitter; and
at least one conductive object operable to create a resultant magnetic field due to interaction with the transmitted magnetic field, said receiver operable to detect changes in relative distance between said conductive object and said receiver in response to a load as a function of the strength of the resultant magnetic field experienced by said receiver.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle occupant sensing system including at least one transmitter operable to create a transmitted magnetic field and at least one receiver operatively fixed relative to the transmitter. Additionally, the vehicle occupant sensing system includes at least one conductive object operable to create a resultant magnetic field due to interaction with the transmitted magnetic field. The receiver is operable to detect changes in relative distance between the conductive object and the receiver, in response to a load, as a function of the strength of the resultant magnetic field experienced by the receiver. Furthermore, the vehicle occupant sensing system may be employed in a vehicle seat assembly for detecting a condition of the same. A method of operating the vehicle occupant sensing system is also disclosed.
105 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A vehicle occupant sensing system comprising:
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at least one transmitter operable to create a transmitted magnetic field;
at least one receiver operatively fixed relative to said transmitter; and
at least one conductive object operable to create a resultant magnetic field due to interaction with the transmitted magnetic field, said receiver operable to detect changes in relative distance between said conductive object and said receiver in response to a load as a function of the strength of the resultant magnetic field experienced by said receiver. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A vehicle seat assembly comprising:
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a seat cushion that includes a displaceable material and that defines a lower surface;
at least one transmitter operable to create a transmitted magnetic field;
at least one receiver operatively fixed relative to said transmitter; and
at least one conductive object operable to create a resultant magnetic field due to interaction with the transmitted magnetic field, said receiver operable to detect changes in relative distance between said conductive object and said receiver in response to displacement of said displaceable material as a function of the strength of the resultant magnetic field experienced by said receiver, thereby detecting a condition of the seat cushion. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of detecting a condition of a vehicle seat assembly with a vehicle occupant sensing system including at least one transmitter, at least one receiver, and at least one conductive object, said method comprising the steps of:
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generating a transmitted magnetic field;
generating a resultant magnetic field due to interaction of the conductive object with said transmitted magnetic field;
detecting changes in relative distance between the conductive object and the receiver as a function of the strength of the resultant magnetic field experienced by the receiver. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification