Printed strain gage for vehicle seats
First Claim
1. An apparatus for detecting a weight and position of an object in a vehicle seat, said apparatus comprising:
- a seat member providing structural support of at least a portion of the vehicle seat, said seat member subject to a stress when the object is on the vehicle seat;
an insulated coating on a selected area of said seat member; and
a strain gauge affixed to said insulated coating on said seat member in a location subject to said stress, said strain gauge including four traces of a thin-film conductive material in contact with said insulated coating, each of said four traces having a selected resistance, each of said four traces interconnected to form a Wheatstone bridge circuit, said strain gauge including a plurality of pads for making electrical connection to said strain gauge;
whereby said strain gauge is sensitive to said stress.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for a printed strain gauge affixed to a structural member of a seat for detecting and measuring the weight and position of an occupant or object on the seat. In various embodiments, a strain gauge is printed directly on a member of the seat that is subject to a bending force or other stress when an object is placed in the seat. The strain gauge includes at least one resister of thin-film conductive material printed on a stress bearing member. In one embodiment, the strain gauge is a resistor sensitive to the stress of said member. In another embodiment, the strain gauge is a group of resistors forming a Wheatstone bridge sensitive to the stress.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. An apparatus for detecting a weight and position of an object in a vehicle seat, said apparatus comprising:
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a seat member providing structural support of at least a portion of the vehicle seat, said seat member subject to a stress when the object is on the vehicle seat;
an insulated coating on a selected area of said seat member; and
a strain gauge affixed to said insulated coating on said seat member in a location subject to said stress, said strain gauge including four traces of a thin-film conductive material in contact with said insulated coating, each of said four traces having a selected resistance, each of said four traces interconnected to form a Wheatstone bridge circuit, said strain gauge including a plurality of pads for making electrical connection to said strain gauge;
whereby said strain gauge is sensitive to said stress. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An apparatus for detecting a weight and a position of an object in a vehicle seat, said apparatus comprising:
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a member subject to a stress when the object is on the vehicle seat; and
a first strain gauge affixed to said member, said first strain gauge subject to said stress, said first strain gauge including at least one trace of a thin-film conductive material applied directly to said member, each of said at least one trace having a selected resistance, said first strain gauge including a plurality of pads for making electrical connection to said strain gauge;
whereby said first strain gauge detects said stress of said member, thereby sensing the weight of the object on the vehicle seat. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. An apparatus for detecting a weight and a position of an object in a vehicle seat, said apparatus comprising:
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a member subject to a stress when the object is on the vehicle seat;
a circuit means for directly measuring said stress on said member.
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25. An apparatus for detecting a weight and position of an object in a vehicle seat, said apparatus comprising:
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a member subject to a stress when the object is on the vehicle seat; and
a strain gauge affixed to said member, said strain gauge subject to said stress, said strain gauge including four traces of a thin-film conductive material applied to said member, each of said four traces having a selected resistance, each of said four traces interconnected to form a Wheatstone bridge circuit, said strain gauge including a plurality of pads for making electrical connection to said strain gauge;
whereby said strain gauge detects said stress of said member, thereby sensing the weight of the object on the vehicle seat. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. An apparatus for detecting a weight and position of an object in a vehicle seat, said apparatus comprising:
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a member subject to a stress when the object is on the vehicle seat, said member being a seat pan; and
a first strain gauge affixed to said member, said first strain gauge subject to said stress, said first strain gauge insulated from said member;
whereby said first strain gauge detects said stress of said member, thereby sensing the weight of the object on the vehicle seat. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37)
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Specification