Weight Measuring Systems and Methods for Vehicles
First Claim
1. A seat assembly in a vehicle adapted to be attached to a substrate of the vehicle, comprising:
- a seat having a bottom portion and a back portion coupled at an angle to a rear portion of said bottom portion;
a support structure arranged at least partially under said seat and to support said seat on the substrate at a plurality of locations including two rearward locations on opposite lateral sides of said seat and at least one forward location; and
a weight measuring system arranged in connection with said support structure for determining an approximate weight of an occupying item of the seat, said weight measuring system consisting of only one or two sensors arranged at said rearward locations at which said support structure supports said seat on the substrate or only one or two sensors arranged at said at least one forward location at which said support structure supports said seat on the substrate, each of said one or two sensors providing data relating to the force or pressure being applied at the respective location which is used to derive the approximate weight of the occupying item.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Vehicular seat assembly includes a seat having a bottom portion and a back portion coupled at an angle to a rear portion of the bottom portion, a support structure arranged at least partially under the seat and to support the seat on a substrate at a plurality of locations including two rearward locations on opposite lateral sides of the seat and at least one forward location, and a weight measuring system arranged in connection with the support structure for determining an approximate weight of an occupying item of the seat. The weight measuring system consists of only one or two sensors, e.g., strain gage sensors, arranged at the rearward locations or only one or two sensors arranged at the forward location(s). Each sensor provides data relating to the force or pressure being applied at the respective location which is used to derive the approximate weight of the occupying item.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A seat assembly in a vehicle adapted to be attached to a substrate of the vehicle, comprising:
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a seat having a bottom portion and a back portion coupled at an angle to a rear portion of said bottom portion;
a support structure arranged at least partially under said seat and to support said seat on the substrate at a plurality of locations including two rearward locations on opposite lateral sides of said seat and at least one forward location; and
a weight measuring system arranged in connection with said support structure for determining an approximate weight of an occupying item of the seat, said weight measuring system consisting of only one or two sensors arranged at said rearward locations at which said support structure supports said seat on the substrate or only one or two sensors arranged at said at least one forward location at which said support structure supports said seat on the substrate, each of said one or two sensors providing data relating to the force or pressure being applied at the respective location which is used to derive the approximate weight of the occupying item. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A vehicle, comprising:
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a substrate defining an interior passenger compartment; and
a seat assembly comprising a seat having a bottom portion and a back portion coupled at an angle to a rear portion of said bottom portion;
a support structure arranged at least partially under said seat and to support said seat on said substrate at a plurality of locations including two rearward locations on opposite lateral sides of said seat and at least one forward location; and
a weight measuring system arranged in connection with said support structure for determining an approximate weight of an occupying item of said seat, said weight measuring system consisting of only one or two sensors arranged at said rearward locations at which said support structure supports said bottom portion on said substrate, each of said one or two sensors providing data relating to the force or pressure being applied at the respective location which is used to derive the approximate weight of the occupying item. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method for determining weight of an occupying item in a seat in a vehicle, comprising:
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providing a seat having a bottom portion and a back portion coupled at an angle to a rear of the bottom portion;
mounting the seat to a substrate of the vehicle defining a passenger compartment of the vehicle;
arranging a support structure at least partially under the seat and to support the seat on the substrate at a plurality of locations including two rearward locations on opposite lateral sides of the seat and at least one forward location;
arranging only one or two sensors at the rearward locations at which the support structure supports the seat on the substrate or only one or two sensors at the at least one forward location at which the support structure supports the seat on the substrate, each of the one or two sensors providing data relating to the force or pressure being applied at the respective location; and
deriving an approximate weight of an occupying item of the seat based on the data from the sensors.
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Specification