Automobile seat having seat supporting brackets with a stepped weight sensor
First Claim
1. A vehicle seat weight sensor for sensing the weight of an occupant in a vehicle seat, the seat having an upper and a lower slide rail, a seat pan, a seat back and a seat bottom, the sensor comprising:
- a) at least one seat bracket having a first and second end, the seat bracket located between the seat pan and the upper slide rail;
a) a substrate attached substantially diagonally between the first and second ends of the bracket such that a portion of force applied to the seat bottom is transferred from the seat pan to the upper slide rail through the substrate;
b) a plurality of strain gauge resistors, located on the substrate, for generating an electrical signal in response to the substrate being stressed, the electrical signal changing as a function of the weight of the seat occupant; and
c) a plurality of fasteners, located at the first and second ends of the bracket, for attaching the substrate to the seat bracket.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle seat weight sensor for sensing the weight of an occupant in a vehicle seat. The sensor has a substrate that is attached between the ends of a seat bracket such that a portion of the forces applied to the seat are transferred from a seat pan to an upper slide rail through the substrate. Strain gage resistors are located on the substrate to generate an electrical signal in response to the substrate being stressed. The electrical signal changes magnitude as a function of the weight of the seat occupant. The substrate has a pair of step sections for concentrating the forces onto the strain gage resistor.
130 Citations
7 Claims
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1. A vehicle seat weight sensor for sensing the weight of an occupant in a vehicle seat, the seat having an upper and a lower slide rail, a seat pan, a seat back and a seat bottom, the sensor comprising:
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a) at least one seat bracket having a first and second end, the seat bracket located between the seat pan and the upper slide rail;
a) a substrate attached substantially diagonally between the first and second ends of the bracket such that a portion of force applied to the seat bottom is transferred from the seat pan to the upper slide rail through the substrate;
b) a plurality of strain gauge resistors, located on the substrate, for generating an electrical signal in response to the substrate being stressed, the electrical signal changing as a function of the weight of the seat occupant; and
c) a plurality of fasteners, located at the first and second ends of the bracket, for attaching the substrate to the seat bracket. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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Specification