CAPACITIVE OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM HAVING AGING COMPENSATION AND METHOD
First Claim
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1. An occupant detection system comprising:
- a capacitive sensor comprising an electrode arranged in a seat proximate to an expected location of an occupant for sensing an occupant presence proximate thereto, said capacitive sensor configured to provide an output indicative of the sensed occupant presence; and
occupant detection circuitry for processing the capacitive sensor output and for further determining an aging compensation value to compensate for one or more aging characteristics of the seat, wherein the occupant detection circuitry detects a state of occupancy of the seat based on the capacitive sensor output and the aging compensation value.
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Abstract
An occupant detection system and method are provided. The system includes a capacitive sensor having an electrode arranged in a seat proximate to an expected location of an occupant for sensing an occupant presence approximate thereto. The capacitive sensor is configured to provide an output indicative of the sensed occupant presence. Occupant detection circuitry processes the sensor output and determines an aging compensation value to compensate for aging characteristics of the seat. The occupant detection circuitry detects a state of occupancy based on the sensor output and the aging compensation value.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. An occupant detection system comprising:
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a capacitive sensor comprising an electrode arranged in a seat proximate to an expected location of an occupant for sensing an occupant presence proximate thereto, said capacitive sensor configured to provide an output indicative of the sensed occupant presence; and occupant detection circuitry for processing the capacitive sensor output and for further determining an aging compensation value to compensate for one or more aging characteristics of the seat, wherein the occupant detection circuitry detects a state of occupancy of the seat based on the capacitive sensor output and the aging compensation value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of detecting an occupant in a seat, said method comprising the steps of:
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applying an alternating current signal to an electrode arranged in a seat proximate to an expected location of an occupant for generating an electric field at the expected location; detecting a voltage response to the electric field; generating a first output based on the voltage response indicative of a characteristic of an occupant; determining an aging characteristic of the seat; generating an aging compensation value indicative of the aging characteristic; and detecting a state of occupancy of the seat based on the first output and the aging compensation value. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification