Method and apparatus for sensing seat occupant weight
First Claim
1. A system for measuring weight of an occupant seated on a vehicle seat comprising:
- a first track adapted to be mounted to a vehicle structure;
a second track supported for movement relative to said first track, said second track being deflectable in response to an occupant weight force; and
at least one sensor mounted to one of said first and second tracks for generating a signal representative of said occupant weight force.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for measuring the weight of a seat occupant is used to control airbag deployment. The system is incorporated into a vehicle seat supported on inboard and outboard track assemblies. The inboard and outboard track assemblies are mounted to a vehicle structure such that a center track portion remains unsupported. A first sensor assembly is mounted to the inboard track assembly and a second sensor assembly is mounted to the outboard track assembly. The first sensor assembly generates a first signal in response to measuring deflection of the inboard track assembly due to seat occupant weight. The second sensor assembly generates a second signal in response to measuring deflection of the outboard track assembly due to seat occupant weight. A central processor determines seat occupant weight based on the first and second signals. The central processor communicates with the airbag system to control the deployment of the airbag based on seat occupant weight.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A system for measuring weight of an occupant seated on a vehicle seat comprising:
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a first track adapted to be mounted to a vehicle structure; a second track supported for movement relative to said first track, said second track being deflectable in response to an occupant weight force; and at least one sensor mounted to one of said first and second tracks for generating a signal representative of said occupant weight force. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 22, 25, 26)
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14. A method for determining weight of a seat occupant comprising the steps of:
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providing a first track adapted for mounting to a vehicle structure and a second track supported for movement relative to the first tack, the first and second tracks cooperating with each other to define a guide that guides movement of a vehicle seat; mounting a sensor assembly to one of the first and second tracks; generating a signal from the sensor assembly in response to a seat occupant weight force; and determining seat occupant weight based on the signal. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23)
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20. A system for measuring seat occupant weight comprising:
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a first seat track adapted to be fixed to a vehicle structure; a second seat track supported for movement relative to said first seat track, said first and second seat tracks being deflectable in response to an occupant weight force; and at least one sensor mounted to said first seat track to generate a weight signal by measuring deflection of said first and second seat tracks due to seat occupant weight. - View Dependent Claims (21, 24)
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Specification