Apparatus for occupant detection
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for occupant detection in a vehicle, comprising:
- a dielectric substrate including,a reference plane, anda plurality of electrodes forming a capacitive array on said dielectric substrate and coupled to said reference plane, each of said plurality of electrodes being formed of a conductive polymer thick film ink, andsaid plurality of electrodes and said reference plane being connected to a controller that detects a change in capacitance between said plurality of electrodes and said reference plane, and identifies the presence and type of occupant in the vehicle.
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Abstract
An apparatus for occupant detection in a vehicle, including a dielectric substrate with a reference plane, and a plurality of electrodes forming a capacitive array on said dielectric substrate and coupled to said reference plane. Each of the plurality of electrodes being formed of a conductive polymer thick film ink. The plurality of electrodes and the reference plane are connected to a controller that detects a change in capacitance between the plurality of electrodes and the reference plane, and identifies the presence and type of occupant in the vehicle.
57 Citations
15 Claims
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1. An apparatus for occupant detection in a vehicle, comprising:
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a dielectric substrate including, a reference plane, and a plurality of electrodes forming a capacitive array on said dielectric substrate and coupled to said reference plane, each of said plurality of electrodes being formed of a conductive polymer thick film ink, and said plurality of electrodes and said reference plane being connected to a controller that detects a change in capacitance between said plurality of electrodes and said reference plane, and identifies the presence and type of occupant in the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An apparatus for occupant detection in a vehicle, comprising:
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a dielectric substrate including first and second sections; a reference plane disposed on said first section of said dielectric substrate; a plurality of electrodes forming a capacitive array on said second section of said dielectric substrate and coupled to said reference plane, each of said plurality of electrodes being formed of a conductive polymer thick film ink; a deformable bladder disposed between said first and second sections of said dielectric substrate; and a controller connected to said plurality of electrodes and said reference plane, said controller detecting a change in capacitance between said plurality of electrodes and said reference plane upon compression of said bladder, thereby identifying the presence and type of occupant in the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An apparatus for occupant detection in a vehicle, comprising:
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a dielectric unitary one-piece substrate including first and second sections, and an opening between said first and second sections, said dielectric substrate being formed of a low melting point material; a reference plane disposed on said first section of said dielectric substrate; a plurality of electrodes forming a capacitive array on said second section of said dielectric substrate and coupled to said reference plane, each of said plurality of electrodes being formed of a conductive polymer thick film ink; a deformable bladder disposed between said first and second sections of said dielectric substrate; and a controller connected to said plurality of electrodes and said reference plane, said controller detecting a change in capacitance between said plurality of electrodes and said reference plane upon compression of said bladder, thereby identifying the presence and type of occupant in the vehicle.
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Specification