Denso Corporation

Eiichi Nishio

Masahiro Taguchi

Tsutomu Kamizono

Hajime Nakagawa

Akinori Jitsui

Ichiro Ishiyama

An occupant detection system for detecting an occupant on a seat of a vehicle includes an antenna electrode in a seat bottom of the seat, and an electronic unit connected to the antenna electrode and the vehicle. The electronic unit applies a load current to the antenna electrode so as to generate a weak electric field, and detects a potential current passing through the antenna electrode. The electronic unit detects an occupant based on an impedance and a phase difference, which are based on the load current and the potential current.

Occupant detection system and method of determining occupant

A seat occupant sensor for use in automotive occupant restraint systems. The sensor has a sensing plate cantilevered by a stationary part installed on a vehicle body to be bent upon application of a weight load of an occupant on a seat. The sensor is equipped with a stopper mechanism which works to stop the sensing plate from bending out of a predetermined range in which the sensing plate is allowed to undergo a maximum bending stress within a bending stress limit of the sensing plate, thereby avoiding undesirable deflection or fracture of the sensing plate.

Seat occupant sensor with stopper mechanism

It is the objective of this invention to reduce deviation in contact resistance variation between electrodes among pressure-sensitive resistor sensors. The sensor is composed of a pair of films. One film has a plurality of electrode portions extending in a certain direction and the other film has at least one electrode portion that is arranged in a transverse relation with a plural of the electrode portions on the other film. Contact points generated by applied pressure are limited to crossing points between the electrode portions of the pair of films. As a result, variation in contact resistance due to applied pressure shift becomes more constant. Thus, it is possible to reduce deviation of contact resistance between the electrodes among sensors.

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Nagoya, Japan

Eiichi Nishio