Apparatus and method for use with a seat of a vehicle
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for use in association with a seat of a vehicle, said apparatus comprising:
- a magnet which is disposed adjacent to the seat of the vehicle;
a Hall effect device which is exposed to a magnetic field which is provided by said magnet, the magnetic field to which said Hall effect device is exposed changes when occupancy of the seat of the vehicle changes between an unoccupied condition and an occupied condition to thereby change an output from said Hall effect device; and
a control apparatus which is connected with said Hall effect device.
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Abstract
A vehicle seat occupancy detector 30 provides an output indicative of whether or not the vehicle seat 12 is occupied. The seat occupancy detector 30 includes a Hall effect device 82 which is exposed to a magnetic field provided by a magnet 80.
13 Citations
13 Claims
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1. An apparatus for use in association with a seat of a vehicle, said apparatus comprising:
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a magnet which is disposed adjacent to the seat of the vehicle;
a Hall effect device which is exposed to a magnetic field which is provided by said magnet, the magnetic field to which said Hall effect device is exposed changes when occupancy of the seat of the vehicle changes between an unoccupied condition and an occupied condition to thereby change an output from said Hall effect device; and
a control apparatus which is connected with said Hall effect device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method comprising the step of:
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changing a magnetic field to which a Hall effect device is exposed when occupancy of a vehicle seat changes between an occupied condition and an unoccupied condition; and
providing an output signal from the Hall effect device indicative of whether or not the vehicle seat is occupied. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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Specification