Apparatus for measuring shearing force upon sitting

• US 9,091,608 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2012
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Yonsei University
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation Yonsei University
• Inventors: Kim, Sung Rae, Kim, Hyung Joo, Lee, In Ju, Kim, Han Sung, Cho, Young Kuen, Kim, Seong Guk, Lee, Dae Won
• Primary Examiner(s): Macchiarolo, Peter
• Assistant Examiner(s): MERCADO, ALEXANDER A
• Application Number:
  US13/656,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20130319073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: 73/11.5, 737/68, 737/74, 738/55
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2/003 characterised by the sensor mounting location in or on the seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0035 characterised by the sensor data transmission, e.g. wired connections or wireless transmitters therefor; characterised by the sensor data processing, e.g. seat sensor signal amplification or electric circuits for providing seat sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/42 Strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/22 using resistance strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/2218 the supports being of the column type, e.g. cylindric, adapted for measuring a force along a single direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 25/00 Testing or calibrating of apparatus for measuring force, torque, work, mechanical power, or mechanical efficiency

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus for measuring a shearing force upon sitting in a seat in a vehicle. The apparatus includes a shearing force sensor, a signal processor, and a monitoring device. The shearing force sensor is disposed in a compartment in a seat and senses the shearing force generated upon sitting on the seat. The signal processor filters and amplifies a signal from the shearing force sensor 10, and converts an amplified analog signal into a digital signal. The monitoring device analyzes the signal converted by the signal processor and displays the signal. As a result, the apparatus measures all directions of shearing forces generated upon sitting.

Claims

1. An apparatus for measuring a shearing force upon sitting, comprising:

a shearing force sensor disposed in a specific area of a seat and configured to sense a shearing force generated by a shearing force sensor upon an individual sitting in the seat;

a signal processor configured to filter and amplify a signal received from the shearing force sensor and convert an amplified analog signal into a digital signal; and

a monitoring device configured to analyze the signal converted by the signal processor and display the signal on a screen, wherein a shear force resulting from an individual sitting in the seat is measured in all directions by the apparatus,

the shearing force sensor includes a lower plate, a middle plate, and an upper plate that are stacked in a three-layered structure, and

the middle plate includes;

a cross-shaped strain gauge fixing plate inducing independent strains by disposing strain gauges in transverse and longitudinal directions attached thereto, and

a fixing part separately disposed across the strain gauge fixing plate and configured to allow the strain gauge fixing plate to be fixed between the lower plate and the upper plate, responding to all directions of shearing forces.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the middle plate is mounted with a ball bearing that prevents the middle plate from contacting the upper plate so as not to be affected by a vertical load applied to the upper plate.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a shearing force sensor test apparatus for verifying whether a measurement value of the shearing force sensor is equal to a shearing force that is actually applied.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the shearing force sensor test apparatus comprises:

a sensor fixing part configured to fix the shearing sensor on a horizontal plane;

a pulley part connected to the sensor fixing part using a wire and configured to convert a vertical force applied to the shearing force sensor into a horizontal force; and

a standard weight placed on a lower end of the wire downwardly extending from the pulley part to apply a load,

wherein an accuracy of the measurement value of the shearing force sensor is verified by comparing a mass of the standard weight with a value measured by the shearing force sensor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lower plate, the middle plate, and the upper plate are prevented from being separated from each other by fixing corners thereof with fixing strings.

6. A method comprising:

sensing, by a shearing force sensor disposed in a specific area of a seat, a shearing force generated upon an individual sitting in a seat wherein a shear force resulting from an individual sitting in the seat is measured in all directions;

filtering and amplifying, by a signal processor, signals received from the shearing force sensor and converting amplified analog signals into digital signals; and

analyzing, by a monitoring device, the signal converted by the signal processor and displaying the signal on a screen, wherein

the shearing force sensor includes a lower plate, a middle plate, and an upper plate that are stacked in a three-layered structure, and

the middle plate includes;

a cross-shaped strain gauge fixing plate inducing independent strains by disposing strain gauges in transverse and longitudinal directions attached thereto, and

a fixing part separately disposed across the strain gauge fixing plate and configured to allow the strain gauge fixing plate to be fixed between the lower plate and the upper plate, responding to all directions of shearing forces.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising verifying, a shearing force sensor test apparatus, whether a measurement value of the shearing force sensor is equal to a shearing force that is actually applied.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions executed by a processor, the computer readable medium comprising:

program instructions that filter and amplify signals representing a shearing force generated upon an individual sitting in a seat wherein a shear force resulting from an individual sitting in the seat is measured in all directions and convert an amplified analog signals into digital signals; and

program instructions that analyze the converted digital signals and display the signals on a screen, where

the shearing force sensor includes a lower plate, a middle plate, and an upper plate that are stacked in a three-layered structure, and

the middle plate includes;

a cross-shaped strain gauge fixing plate inducing independent strains by disposing strain gauges in transverse and longitudinal directions attached thereto, and

a fixing part separately disposed across the strain gauge fixing plate and configured to allow the strain gauge fixing plate to be fixed between the lower plate and the upper plate, responding to all directions of shearing forces.