Vehicle seat

• US 8,029,058 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2009
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Kato, Kohei, Akaike, Fumitoshi, Nishimura, Seiya
• Primary Examiner(s): MCPARTLIN, SARAH BURNHAM
• Application Number:
  US12/423,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20090302648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 297/217.2, 297/217.3
• US Class Current: 297/217.3
• 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 2/58 Seat coverings

Abstract

A vehicle seat includes a cushion frame having conductivity; a cushion pad coveringly mounted on the cushion frame; and a cushion cover configured to cover the cushion pad. First thread members having conductive fibers are interwoven into the cushion cover. A capacitance measurer is provided to the vehicle seat to measure capacitance between the cushion frame and the conductive fibers.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat including a seat cushion, comprising:

a cushion frame having conductivity;

a cushion pad coveringly mounted on the cushion frame; and

a cushion cover configured to cover the cushion pad, the cushion cover including at least an outermost layer that defines an exposed surface of the vehicle seat,

wherein conductive fibers are interwoven into and wrapped about by non-conductive materials of the outermost layer of the cushion cover; and

wherein a capacitance measurer is provided to measure a capacitance between the cushion frame and the conductive fibers.

2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the conductive fibers are interwoven in one direction.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of nonconductive materials are helically wrapped about the conductive fibers.

4. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the outermost layer of the cushion cover consists essentially of the conductive fibers and the plurality of nonconductive materials.

5. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the exposed surface of the cushion cover is generally planar.

6. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the exposed surface of the cushion cover defines a seating surface of the vehicle seat.

7. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the conductive fibers are visible from the exposed surface of the vehicle seat.

8. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the conductive fibers extend parallelly in a first direction.

9. The vehicle seat according to claim 8, wherein the first direction is parallel to a front of the vehicle seat.

10. The vehicle seat according to claim 8, further comprising:

a shorting wire that extends in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction,

wherein each of the conductive fibers is electrically interconnected with the shorting wire.

11. The vehicle seat according to claim 10, wherein the first direction is parallel to a front of the vehicle seat and the second direction is perpendicular to the front of the vehicle seat.