Motor vehicle seat arrangement occupancy detection

• US 20170166152A1
• Filed: 12/14/2016
• Published: 06/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: HOEFGEN-ALLMANN, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,166,942 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 2/686 Panel like structures
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/70 Upholstery springs ; Upholstery
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01516 using force or pressure sensing means
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/205 using distributed sensing elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/2206 Special supports with preselected places to mount the resistance strain gauges; Mounting of supports

Abstract

The present invention relates to a measurement arrangement for detecting an occupancy of a motor vehicle seat arrangement with at least one seat, which comprises a sensor arrangement with at least one sensor (10) for detecting a deformation of a lower side (21) facing away from the seating surface or of a force loading by a lower side (21) facing away from the seating surface of a seat cushion (20) of at least one seat of the motor vehicle seat arrangement, which is fastened on a structural element (40) of the motor vehicle.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A motor vehicle seat arrangement comprising at least one seat having a seating cushion with seating surface and a measurement arrangement including a sensor arrangement fastened on a structural element of a vehicle body having at least one sensor for detecting at least one of a deformation or a force loading of a lower side facing away from the seating surface.

17. The motor vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the motor vehicle seat arrangement in vehicle longitudinal direction is arranged behind at least one further seat of the motor vehicle.

18. The motor vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the motor vehicle seat arrangement in vehicle transverse direction comprises at least two seats arranged next to one another, the occupancy of which is individually detectable by the measurement arrangement.

19. The motor vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the seating cushion comprises a back seat cushion.

20. The motor vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the structural element comprises a body element of the motor vehicle.

21. The motor vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the structural element comprising a plate-like element having a stiffness in a vehicle vertical direction which is at least two times a stiffness of the seat cushion in the vehicle vertical direction.

22. The motor vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the lower side facing away from the seating surface contacts the sensor arrangement when in a deformed state.

23. The motor vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the lower side facing away from the seating surface comprises a recess for at least partial receiving the sensor of the sensor arrangement.

24. The motor vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the sensor comprises a foil-like measurement layer configured to electrically detect a deformation of the measurement layer.

25. The motor vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 24, wherein the foil-like measurement layer comprises an elastic support layer arranged on a side of the measurement layer facing away from the seat cushion.

26. The motor vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 25, wherein the foil-like measurement layer further comprises a carrier arranged on a side of the elastic support layer facing away from the measurement layer.

27. The motor vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the sensor comprises a foil-like measurement layer configured to electrically detect a force loading by the lower side facing away from the seating surface.

28. The motor vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 27, wherein the foil-like measurement layer comprises an electrical support layer arranged on a side of the measurement layer facing away from the seat cushion.

29. The motor vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 28, wherein the foil-like measurement layer further comprises a carrier arranged on a side of the elastic support layer facing away from the measurement layer.

30. The motor vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the at least one sensor is fastened on the structural element in a manner selected from the group consisting of a form-fit, frictionally engaged manner, a firmly bonded non-destructively detachable manner or a firmly bonded destructively detachable manner.

31. The motor vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the at least one seat cushion is fastened on the structural element.

32. The motor vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 31, wherein the structural element comprises a trough and the least one seat cushion is fastened in the trough of the structural element (40) in a rigid or articulated, non-destructively detachable or destructively detachable manner, and/or form-fit, frictionally engaged and/or firmly bonded manner.

33. The motor vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 32, wherein the least one seat cushion is fastened in the trough by a manner selected from the group consisting of a rigid, non-destructively detachable manner, an articulated, non-destructively detachable manner, destructively detachable manner, a form-fit, frictionally engaged manner and/or a firmly bonded manner.

34. A motor vehicle, comprising a vehicle body including a body structural element and a motor vehicle seat arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the sensor arrangement is fastened on the body structural element.