Device for detecting the occupancy of a seat

• US 20060092023A1
• Filed: 10/19/2005
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Wagner, Roland, Stielow, Arnd, Hofbeck, Klaus, Rosel, Birgit
• Application Number:
  US11/254,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20060092023A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/561
• 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 2/0027 for detecting the position of the occupant or of occupant's body part
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/003 characterised by the sensor mounting location in or on the seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2230/30 Signal processing of sensor data

Abstract

A seat occupancy detection device contains at least one transmitting apparatus and at least one receiving apparatus located at a position in a seat which position is distanced from the at least one transmitting apparatus such that a person occupying the seat will be situated at least partially in the signal path between the at least one transmitting apparatus and the at least one receiving apparatus for influencing the signals as a function of seat occupancy. In this manner, occupancy of the seat is effectively detected.

Claims

1. A device for detecting an occupancy of a seat, comprising:

at least one transmitting apparatus for outputting emitted signals and disposed at a first position in the seat;

at least one receiving apparatus for receiving the emitted signals and disposed at a second position in the seat, the second position being distanced from the first position such that a person occupying the seat will be situated at least partially in a signal path between said at least one transmitting apparatus and said at least one receiving apparatus for influencing the emitted signals in dependency on seat occupancy;

at least one base station connected, for generating the emitted signals, to said at least one transmitting apparatus and, for evaluating received signals, to said at least one receiving apparatus; and

at least one sensor apparatus for determining an adjusted position of the seat in a form of seat position data, and the seat position data being taken into account when the received signals are evaluated.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein:

said at least one transmitting apparatus is a sending antenna and is integrated in a backrest of the seat; and

said at least one receiving apparatus is a receiving antenna and is integrated in a sitting area of the seat.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one transmitting apparatus is disposed in a backrest or a sitting area of the seat such that a person occupying the seat will at least partially not directly block said at least one transmitting apparatus.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one receiving apparatus is disposed in a sitting area or backrest of the seat and is embodied such that the person occupying the seat will at least partially mask said at least one receiving apparatus.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one transmitting apparatus is a single transmitting apparatus disposed in a backrest of the seat and said at least one receiving apparatus is one of a plurality of receiving apparatuses disposed in a sitting area of the seat.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein said base station has a switch apparatus for selecting which of said receiving apparatuses is to be evaluated.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one base station generates and modulates the emitted signals.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein:

said at least one receiving apparatus and said at least one transmitting apparatus are in each case embodied as both a transmitting and receiving apparatus; and

said base station having a changeover apparatus for changing over said at least one transmitting apparatus to said at least one receiving apparatus and said at least one receiving apparatus to said at least one transmitting apparatus.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein said base station has a local oscillator that is common to said at least one transmitting apparatus and said at least one receiving apparatus and whose function is to condition the emitted signals and/or the received signals.

10. The device according to claim 1, further comprising high-frequency lines connecting said at least one transmitting apparatus and said at least one receiving apparatus to said base station.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein said base station is one of a plurality of base stations and each of said at least one transmitting apparatus and said at least one receiving apparatus is connected to one of said base stations.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least one transmitting apparatus or said at least one receiving apparatus is embodied as an apparatus selected from the group consisting of a square shaped antenna, a rectangular shaped antenna, a long stretched-out shaped antenna, and a wire-form antenna.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one transmitting apparatus is one of a plurality of transmitting apparatuses disposed in a sitting area of the seat and said at least one receiving apparatus is one single receiving apparatus disposed in a back rest of the seat.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein said base station has a switch apparatus for selecting which of said transmitting apparatuses is to be driven.

15. The device according to claim 14, further comprising:

a first common high-frequency line for connecting said transmitting apparatuses to said base station; and

a second common high-frequency line connecting said receiving apparatus said base station.

16. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device detects the occupancy of the seat disposed in a motor vehicle.