System for a vehicle, comprising an operating device designed to operate an actuator selectively according to a value measured by a measuring device arranged in a seat

• US 6,652,000 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2001
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Faurecia Sieges D'Automobile (Stellantis NV)
• Original Assignee: Faurecia Sieges D'Automobile (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Pajon, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fleming, Faye M.
• Application Number:
  US09/930,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20020021215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 280/735, 280/734, 180/271, 180/273
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0152 using strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01532 using electric or capacitive field sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons

Abstract

System for a vehicle that has a seat fitted with a measuring device of the electromagnetic field type, an airbag arranged to protect the occupant of the seat in the event of an accident, this airbag having several modes of operation, and an operating device designed to cause the airbag to inflate in the event of an accident, selectively according to one of the modes of operation of this airbag on the basis of a parameter representing the mass of the occupant of the seat, as measured by the electromagnetic field-type measuring device.

Claims

1. System for a vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle seat which comprises a seat part and a backrest defining an accommodating space intended to accommodate an occupant having a mass,

an electromagnetic field measuring device comprising at least one pair of electrodes arranged in the seat part, to generate an electromagnetic field in said accommodating space and to measure at least one value associated with an electromagnetic characteristic of propagation of said electromagnetic field in the accommodating space,

at least one actuator device having several modes of operation, said actuator device being adapted to be activated in several different ways corresponding respectively to the several modes of operation,

and an operating device designed to activate the actuator device selectively according to one of its several modes of operation depending on said value measured by the measuring device,

wherein the system comprises at least one central electronic unit designed to measure said mass of the occupant on the basis of said at least one value and to transmit a mass parameter representing said mass to said memory of the operating device,

and wherein the operating device has a memory in which said mass parameter is stored, said operating device being designed to choose the mode of operation of the actuator device according to said mass parameter.

2. System according to claim 1, in which the actuator device is an air bag designed to protect the occupant of the seat in the event of an accident, and the operating device is designed to inflate the air bag in the event of an accident.

3. System according to claim 2, in which the memory of the device for controlling the airbag further comprises at least one position parameter representing a position of the occupant in the seat, said operating device being designed to choose the mode of operation of the airbag according to said position parameter, and said central electronic unit being designed to determine said position parameter on the basis of said at least one value and to transmit said position parameter to said memory.

4. System according to claim 1, in which said central electronic unit belongs to the measuring device.

5. System according to claim 1, in which the measuring device comprises at least two pairs of electrodes arranged in the seat part of the seat.

6. System according to claim 1, in which the measuring device further comprises at least one pair of electrodes arranged in the backrest of the seat.

7. System according to claim 1, in which each electrode of the measuring device is in the form of a sheathed flexible conducting wire of a length of between 10 and 40 cm, the two electrodes of each pair of electrodes being separated from one another by a distance of between 2 and 10 cm.

8. System according to claim 1, in which the measuring device is designed to generate an electric field in said accommodating space and to measure at least one value associated with a characteristic of propagation of said electric field in said accommodating space.

9. System according to claim 8, in which said characteristic of propagation of the electric field in the accommodating space is the electric permittivity.

10. System according to claim 8, in which the measuring device is designed to generate an electric field that is continuous in periods.

11. System according to claim 8, in which the measuring device is designed to generate an electric field which is continuously variable.

12. System according to claim 1, in which the mass parameter is a mass category.