Method and system for determining weight and position of a vehicle seat occupant

• US 20050203688A1
• Filed: 04/29/2005
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1990
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Lichtinger, Harold, Oestreicher, Ralf, Reich, Dan, Homann, Michelle, Morell, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 7,024,295 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• 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 21/01516 using force or pressure sensing means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0152 using strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00681 Detecting the presence, position or size of a sheet or correcting its position before scanning H04N1/047 takes precedence; mode signalling H04N1/333; skew detection or correction in image signals H04N1/3878
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0071 Width
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00713 Length
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00779 Adjusting settings, e.g. mode, feeding rate or type of paper

Abstract

A method and system for determining weight and/or position of a vehicle seat occupant to be used for controlling the reaction of a safety restraint system. A plurality of spaced weight sensors are disposed between a seating surface and seat mounting surface to provide output signals indicative of an applied weight on each sensor. The sensors are spaced such that the sensors measure the weight applied to a seat back and the seating surface. A controller calculates the weight and/or position of the seat occupant in response to the output signals of the sensors. The controller sends the weight and position of the seat occupant to the safety restraint system to be used to tailor or suppress the reaction of the safety restraint system.

Claims

1-35. -35. (canceled)

36. A method of compensating for various influences on a sensor signal that provides an indication of a weight of a seat occupant in a vehicle supplemental restraint system, comprising the steps of:

processing the sensor signal using analog signal processing to compensate for at least one factor that influences the sensor signal; and

processing the sensor signal using digital signal processing to compensate for at least one other factor.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the factors include temperature and signal strength.

38. The method of claim 37, including compensating for temperature using the analog signal processing.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the sensor signal comprises a signal from a strain gage.

40. A vehicle weight classification system, comprising:

a plurality of sensors that provide an electrical signal indicative of the weight of a seat occupant;

a controller associated with the sensors that utilizes an analog signal to compensate for at least one factor that influences the sensor signal and that utilizes a digital signal to compensate for at least one other factor that influences the sensor signal and wherein the controller controls a supplemental restraint device.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the analog signal compensates for a temperature influence on the sensor signal.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the digital signal compensates for signal strength.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the sensors comprise a strain gage.