Motor vehicle occupant sensing systems

• US 5,802,479 A
• Filed: 03/25/1996
• Issued: 09/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Methode Electronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Advanced Safety Concepts, Inc.
• Inventors: Kithil, Philip W., Barron, Michael H., McIntosh, William C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Walker, Tyrone V.
• Application Number:
  US08/621,465
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: 364/424.055, 340/562, 340/870.37, 324/662, 324/687, 324/671, 324/686, 324/688, 280/732, 280/735, 257/306, 257/750, 257/295, 257/532, 257/277, 361/301.2, 361/321.6, 361/329, 361/502, 361/504, 361/523, 361/298.2, 365/149, 607/101
• 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 2021/01006 Mounting of electrical components in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01306 monitoring vehicle inclination
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23324 Inner walls crating separate compartments, e.g. communicating with vents
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01532 using electric or capacitive field sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0154 in combination with seat heating
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/233 comprising a plurality of individual compartments; comprising two or more bag-like members, one within the other B60R21/232 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/088 operating with electric fields G01V3/082 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms

Abstract

A roof-mounted passenger position sensor array of capacitive coupling passenger position sensors, to determine position and motion of a passenger by analysis of distances of the passenger to the various sensors of the array and analysis of the changes of said distances with time.

Claims

1. A capacitive coupling sensor array comprising a first sensor having a first geometry and a second sensor having a second geometry, said first and second sensors being placed such that equipotential lines of said first and second sensors overlap.

2. The capacitive coupling sensor array of claim 1 wherein said first and second geometries are selected from the group consisting of circular, oval, square, rectangular, triangular, and polygonal of greater than four sides.

3. The capacitive coupling sensor array of claim 1 wherein said sensor array is mounted proximate a roof of a motor vehicle.

4. The capacitive coupling sensor array of claim 3 wherein a long axis of said first sensor is perpendicular to a long axis of said second sensor.

5. The capacitive coupling sensor array of claim 4 wherein said first geometry is rectangular and said second geometry is oval.

6. The capacitive coupling sensor array of claim 5 wherein said first sensor is rearward of said second sensor in said motor vehicle.

7. A vehicle occupant sensing system comprising one or more capacitive coupling sensors, said sensors comprising a receive electrode and a drive electrode, said receive electrode placed within said drive electrode such that a spacing between edges of said receive electrode from said drive electrode is non-homogenous, said sensors generating equipotential field lines of non-uniform curvature.

8. The vehicle occupant sensing system of claim 7 wherein said sensors are mounted proximate a roof of a motor vehicle.

9. A vehicle occupant sensing system comprising one or more capacitive coupling sensors, said sensors comprising a flexible circuit board adhered and electrically contacted to a flexible connector.

10. The vehicle occupant sensing system of claim 9 wherein said sensors are mounted on a curvilinear portion of a roof of a motor vehicle.

11. A dynamically variable capacitive coupling sensor comprising at least three electrodes in a concentric arrangement, each of said electrodes being sequentially configurable as a drive electrode, grounded gap, and receive electrode.

12. The dynamically variable capacitive coupling sensor of claim 11 wherein said sensor is mounted proximate a roof of a motor vehicle and is comprised by an occupant sensing system of said motor vehicle.

13. A motor vehicle occupant sensor comprising a plurality of capacitive coupling sensors, wherein each of said capacitive coupling sensors comprises a capacitive coupling detector driven by a electrical driving means, wherein each of said detectors comprises two electrodes, wherein said driving means comprises an oscillator connected to one of said electrodes, and wherein signal processing means are connected to the other of said electrodes.

14. The motor vehicle occupant sensor of claim 13 wherein a single oscillator drives all of said capacitive coupling sensors.