Seating sensing device and method of the same

• US 8,493,082 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2010
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Jeong, Ji Wook
• Primary Examiner(s): Vazquez, Arleen M
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, THANG XUAN
• Application Number:
  US12/882,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20110140723A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,042 Days
• Field of Search: 324/705, 324605-607, 324/691, 324/176, 324/525, 324/658, 280/734, 280/735, 738/626.32, 738/626.37, 736/320.46
• US Class Current: 324/705
• 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: B60R 21/01512 Passenger detection systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01526 using piezoelectric elements

Abstract

A seating sensing device embedded in a seat includes: a variable resistance unit generating resistance values corresponding to the circumference of the seat through a plurality of conductive threads installed in the seat; and a signal analysis unit analyzing variable quantities of the resistance values to acquire activity information on one or more of whether a user is seated or not, a seating posture, and a seating posture change.

Claims

1. A seating sensing device comprising:

a variable resistance unit configured to generate resistance values corresponding to a length in a seat region of a seat, the variable resistance unit including a plurality of conductive threads installed in the seat, the seat comprising a plurality of seat regions; and

a signal analysis unit configured to analyze variable quantities corresponding to the resistance values to acquire activity information indicating one or more of whether a user is seated or not, a seating posture, and a seating posture change, the signal analysis unit comprising a resistance-voltage converter configured to convert the resistance values into corresponding voltage values and an activity information generator configured to analyze a pattern in the voltage values to acquire the activity information,

wherein the activity information generator is configured to determine patterns of change in the seat regions in which the voltage values are increased to be greater than before, to confirm whether the seating posture of the user is changed or not, to generate and output the activity information indicating that the seating posture has been changed.

2. The seating sensing device of claim 1, wherein each of the conductive threads comprises:

a electroconductive fiber configured to generate a resistance value corresponding to a length thereof; and

an elastic thread having elasticity.

3. The seating sensing device of claim 2, wherein each of the conductive threads comprises the electroconductive fiber and the elastic thread are twisted around each other.

4. The seating sensing device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of conductive threads are disposed at even intervals from each other.

5. The seating sensing device of claim 1, wherein the variable resistance unit is installed as a cushion type on a seat board, installed as a patch type so as to be attached to or detached from the seat surface, installed as an embedded type so as to be embedded in the seat, or installed as a sheet type so as to cover the entire surface of the seat.

6. The seating sensing device of claim 1, wherein when a voltage value having a larger variable quantity than a seating detection reference value exists, the activity information generator generates and outputs the activity information indicating that the user is seated.

7. The seating sensing device of claim 1, wherein the activity information generator determines the seat regions in which the voltage values are increased, derives the seating posture of the user, and generates and outputs activity information indicating the derived seating posture.

8. The seating sensing device of claim 1, wherein the resistance-voltage converter comprises one or more voltage division circuits having one or more of the plurality of conductive threads as variable resistors and dividing voltages depending on the resistance values of the variable resistors.

9. The seating sensing device of claim 1, wherein the signal analysis unit further comprises a signal converter configured perform analog-digital conversion on the voltage values to convert the voltage values into corresponding digitized voltage values and to provide the digitized voltage values to the activity information generator.

10. The seating sensing device of claim 7, further comprising a display unit configured to generate any of a character, an image, and a sound corresponding to the activity information and to output the generated character, image, and sound to any of a monitor and a speaker which are embedded therein.

11. The seating sensing device of claim 1, further comprising a transmission unit configured to provide the activity information to an external device.

12. The seating sensing device of claim 1, wherein the length in the seat region of the seat comprises a circumference of the seat region.

13. The seating sensing device of claim 11, wherein the external device comprises any of a display device and an audio device.

14. A seating sensing method comprising:

generating resistance values corresponding to a length in a seat region of a seat through a plurality of conductive threads installed in the seat, the seat comprising a plurality of seat regions;

converting the resistance values into voltage values, respectively;

performing analog-digital conversion on the voltage values to convert the voltage values into digitized voltage values, respectively; and

analyzing the digitized voltage values to acquire activity information indicating one or more of whether a user is seated or not, a seating posture, and a seating posture change,

wherein, the step of analyzing the digitized voltage values comprises;

when the digitized voltage values indicate there is a seating posture change, determining patterns of change in the seat regions in which the voltage values are increased to be greater than before, confirming whether the seating posture of the user is changed or not, generating and outputting the activity information indicating that seating posture has been changed, and

wherein the length in the seat region of the seat comprises a circumference of the seat region.

15. The seating sensing method of claim 14, further comprising transmitting the activity information to an external device.

16. The seating sensing method of claim 15, wherein the external device collects seat occupation statistics.

17. The seating sensing method of claim 15, further comprising continuously monitoring the activity information of the seated user.

18. The seating sensing method of claim 15, further comprising reporting the activity information of the seated user using any of a display device and an audio device.