Control Apparatus For an Occupant Protection Means in a Motor Vehicle
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Accused Products
Abstract
A control apparatus for an occupant protection device in a motor vehicle, including an apparatus for classifying an object and/or occupant on a motor vehicle seat is provided. The control apparatus includes a capacitive force sensor for recording a weight force acting on the motor vehicle seat, which is realized as a measurement capacitor which has at least one elastic, and therefore deformable, plate. The sensor signal is supplied to a control and evaluation circuit which allows the sensor signal to be classified, according to the weight or according to the weight distribution and therefore according to the position of the occupant and/or of the object on the motor vehicle seat, and controls the occupant protection device as a function of the classification. This provides a very robust control apparatus which is of straightforward design and permits very reliable classification and accordingly ensures reliable control of the occupant protection device.
41 Citations
30 Claims
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1-10. -10. (canceled)
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11. A control apparatus for an occupant protection device in a motor vehicle, comprising:
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a capacitive force sensor that records a weight force acting on the motor vehicle seat; and a control and evaluation circuit that detects signals from the capacitive force sensor, classifies, according to weight, at least one of an object and an occupant on a motor vehicle seat based on the detected signals, and controls the occupant protection device based on a classification of the at least one of the object and the occupant on the motor seat, wherein a measurement capacitor of the capacitive force sensor is deformable by the weight force acting on the motor vehicle seat, thereby changing the capacitance of the measurement capacitor, and the control and evaluation circuit evaluates a changed capacitance with respect to classifying the at least one of the object and the occupant on the motor vehicle seat, and to control the occupant protection device based on the changed capacitance. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification