Capacitive occupant sensor

• US 8,294,478 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2010
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Yamanaka, Shoichi, Hayakawa, Hideyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Assouad, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, SON T
• Application Number:
  US12/802,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20100315101A1
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 324/658, 324/686, 324/679, 702/47, 702/52, 738/62, 733/37, 297/452.48, 297/217.3, 257/415, 438/50
• US Class Current: 324/686
• 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: G01L 1/146 for measuring force distributions, e.g. using force arrays G01L1/148 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/088 operating with electric fields G01V3/082 takes precedence

Abstract

A capacitive occupant sensor includes a sensor mat having a base member and a main electrode arranged on the base member. The main electrode has a first electrode, and a second electrode to cover the first electrode. The second electrode is cheaper than the first electrode. The base member is constructed by U-parts, and an opening of the U-part is defined to be surrounded by two extending portions and a bent portion connecting the extending portions. The first electrode is located adjacent to the opening, when the first electrode is patterned on the bent portion.

Claims

1. A capacitive occupant sensor to detect an occupant seated on a vehicle seat comprising:

an electrostatic sensor mat arranged inside of the vehicle seat, the mat including

a base member, and

a main electrode arranged on the base member so as to detect the occupant based on a capacitance variation of the mat, wherein

the main electrode has

a first electrode disposed on the base member, and

a second electrode covering the first electrode, the second electrode being less expensive than the first electrode,

the base member includes a plurality of U-shaped U-parts, each of the U-parts having

two extending portions approximately linearly extending in a first direction,

a bent portion which is defined by bending a part of the extending portions, and

an opening which is defined by a part of the base member recessed in the first direction and surrounded by the extending portions and the bent portion,

the U-parts located adjacent to each other are connected with each other so as to define an S-shaped S-part, in a manner that the openings alternately open toward a first side of the first direction or a second side of the first direction,

the base member is constructed by a plurality of the S-parts, and

the first electrode is located adjacent to the opening when the first electrode is patterned on the bent portion.

2. The capacitive occupant sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the first electrode is patterned in the extending portions so as to extend to cross an extending direction of the extending portions.

3. The capacitive occupant sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the first electrode has an arc part and a linear part,

the arc part has a shape corresponding to a shape of the bent portion, and is patterned on an inner side of the bent portion of the U-parts defining the S-part, and

the linear part extends to connect the arc part patterned on the bent portion of one of the U-parts defining the S-part to the arc part patterned on the bent portion of the other of the U-parts defining the S-part.

4. The capacitive occupant sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the first electrode has a linear part, and

the linear part extends to connect inner sides of the bent portions of the U-parts defining the S-part.

5. The capacitive occupant sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the first electrode has a plurality of arc parts,

one of the plurality of arc parts has a shape corresponding to that of the bent portion, and is patterned on an inner side of the bent portion of one of the U-parts defining the S-part,

the other of the plurality of arc parts is connected to the one of the plurality of arc parts, and

the other of the plurality of arc parts has a shape corresponding to that of the bent portion, and is patterned on an inner side of the bent portion of the other of the U-parts defining the S-part.

6. The capacitive occupant sensor according to claim 1, wherein

at least a part of the first electrode is patterned on the extending portions of the U-part.

7. The capacitive occupant sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the U-parts are arranged in the first direction and a second direction approximately perpendicular to the first direction in the mat,

the opening of one of the U-parts defining the S-part faces to the first side of the first direction, and the opening of the other of the U-parts faces to the second side of the first direction, and

the opening open toward the first side of the first direction and the opening open toward the second side of the first direction have an overlap part overlapping with each other in the second direction.

8. The capacitive occupant sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the U-parts are arranged in the first direction and a second direction approximately perpendicular to the first direction in the mat, and

the mat has

a connecting portion located on an outer periphery of the mat, the connecting portion extending in the first direction, and

a through hole portion surrounded by the connecting portion and the U-parts arranged in the second direction, the through hole portion passing through the mat.

9. The capacitive occupant sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the U-parts are arranged in the first direction and a second direction approximately perpendicular to the first direction in the mat,

the mat has

a connecting portion located on an outer periphery of the mat, the connecting portion extending in the first direction, and

a plurality of through hole portions, the through hole portion being surrounded by the connecting portion and the U-parts arranged in the second direction, the through hole portion passing through the mat, and

the plurality of through hole portions is arranged in the first direction.

10. The capacitive occupant sensor according to claim 1, wherein

the U-parts are arranged in the first direction and a second direction approximately perpendicular to the first direction in the mat, and

the mat has

a connecting portion located on an outer periphery of the mat, the connecting portion extending in the second direction, and

a through hole portion surrounded by the connecting portion and the U-parts arranged in the first direction, the through hole portion passing through the mat.