Vehicle seat weight sensor
First Claim
1. A weight sensor for sensing the weight of an occupant in a vehicle seat, the seat having a seat pan and a seat member, the weight sensor, comprising:
- a) a planar substrate having a hole therethrough;
b) a case surrounding the substrate, the case having an upper boss, a lower boss and a pair of ends, the case adapted to be mounted between the seat pan and the seat member, the upper boss located adjacent the seat pan;
c) at least one strain gauge resistor mounted on the substrate for generating an electrical signal in response to the substrate being stressed by the weight of the seat occupant, the electrical signal changing as a function of the weight of the occupant; and
d) a fastener passing through the seat member, the case, the substrate and the seat pan, the fastener located adjacent the lower boss, the fastener securing the sensor between the seat pan and the seat member.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A seat weight sensor for detecting the weight of a seat occupant. The weight sensor has a case mounted between a seat pan and a seat member. One or more strain gauge resistors are mounted in the case. The resistors generate an electrical signal in response to the case being stressed by the weight of the seat occupant. The electrical signal changes as a function of the weight of the occupant. A fastener passes through the seat member, the case, and the seat pan. The fastener secures the sensor between the seat pan and the seat member. The case is adapted to transfer to the strain gage resistor the weight of the occupant up to pre-determined level. The case prevents the strain gage from receiving weight beyond that of the pre-determined level such that the sensor is not damaged by an excessive load. The case also allows the weight sensor to be insensitive to off-axis forces that might otherwise contribute to inaccurate weight readings.
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Citations
47 Claims
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1. A weight sensor for sensing the weight of an occupant in a vehicle seat, the seat having a seat pan and a seat member, the weight sensor, comprising:
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a) a planar substrate having a hole therethrough;
b) a case surrounding the substrate, the case having an upper boss, a lower boss and a pair of ends, the case adapted to be mounted between the seat pan and the seat member, the upper boss located adjacent the seat pan;
c) at least one strain gauge resistor mounted on the substrate for generating an electrical signal in response to the substrate being stressed by the weight of the seat occupant, the electrical signal changing as a function of the weight of the occupant; and
d) a fastener passing through the seat member, the case, the substrate and the seat pan, the fastener located adjacent the lower boss, the fastener securing the sensor between the seat pan and the seat member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A weight sensor for sensing the weight of an occupant in a vehicle seat, the seat having a seat pan and a seat member, the weight sensor, comprising:
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a) a case mounted between the seat pan and the seat member;
b) at least one strain gauge resistor mounted within the case for generating an electrical signal in response to the case being stressed by the weight of the seat occupant, the electrical signal changing as a function of the weight of the occupant;
c) a fastener passing through the seat member, the case, and the seat pan, the fastener securing the sensor between the seat pan and the seat member; and
d) the case adapted to transfer to the strain gage resistor the weight of the occupant up to a first magnitude, the case preventing the strain gage from receiving weight beyond that of the first magnitude. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A weight sensor for sensing the weight of an occupant in a vehicle seat, the seat having a seat pan and a seat member, the seat member having an aperture, the weight sensor mounted between the seat pan and the seat member, the weight sensor comprising:
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a) a case having a first and second end;
b) a lower boss extending from the case into the aperture;
c) an upper boss in contact with the seat pan;
d) a first blade located at the first end and a second blade located at the second end, the blades in contact with the seat member; and
e) at least one strain gauge resistor mounted within the case for generating an electrical signal in response to the case being stressed by the weight of the seat occupant, the electrical signal changing as a function of the weight of the occupant. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 40, 42)
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28. A weight sensor for sensing the weight of an occupant in a vehicle seat, the seat having a first and second seat member comprising:
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a) a case mounted between the first and second members, the case adapted to move along an axis substantially perpendicular to the direction of occupant weight;
b) at least one strain gauge resistor coupled to the case for generating an electrical signal in response to the case being stressed by the weight of the seat occupant, the strain gage resistor being sensitive to the weight of the seat occupant and insensitive to other loads. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A weight sensor for sensing the weight of an occupant in a vehicle seat, the seat having a first and second seat member, the weight sensor comprising:
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a) a case mounted adjacent the first seat member, the case having a first and second end;
b) the case having a boss in contact with the first seat member;
c) a first blade located at the first end and a second blade located at the second end, the blades extending through openings in the first seat member to be in contact with the second seat member; and
d) at least one strain gauge resistor mounted to the case for generating an electrical signal in response to the case being stressed by the weight of the seat occupant, the electrical signal changing as a function of the weight of the occupant. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 41, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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Specification