Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Continental Automotive Gmbh

Asea Brown Boveri Ag

Gerhard Wild

Arnulf Pietsch

Michael Krempl

Gerd Winkler

Hubert Melzl

Erwin Hetzenecker

Jürgen Zacherl

Justin E Cresswell

Peter Karges

Karlheinz Wamke

Justin Cresswell

The invention relates to a method for determining the electrical resistance of an electrical supply lead to sensor elements and concerns a sensor arrangement. The sensor elements are interconnected to form a sensor arrangement, and the electrical total resistance of the supply lead to the sensor elements is determined by effecting a measurement involving an electrical component. The electrical total resistance of the supply lead to the sensor elements is compared to a reference value, whereby the reference value is the value of the electrical total resistance of a reference component of the circuit arrangement and of its electrical leads. The reference value is also determined by effecting a measurement.

Method for determining the electrical resistance of an electrical supply lead to sensor elements and a sensor arrangement

A device and a method for detecting seat occupancy, with the device including first and second sensor elements associated with a respective seat surface. First and second weight-dependent sensor signals are electrically obtainable from the sensor elements. The seat occupancy is determined by taking either the first or the second sensor signals in dependence on an ambient temperature.

Device and method for detecting seat occupancy

In an occupant detection or classification system for a motor vehicle, a sensor mat () measures the pressure or pressure distribution on a seating surface. A control unit () receives the signals from the sensor mat () representing an occupancy of the vehicle seat. The temperature of the foam core () underlying the seating surface is measured at a location other than in the center of the foam core and, specifically, at the control unit ().

System and method for occupant detection and classification in motor vehicles

The invention relates to planar sensor arrangements, in particular seat mat sensors, for recognition of seat occupancy in a motor vehicle, comprising several pressure sensitive sensor elements, arranged in a planar distribution, the electrical properties of which are dependent on the local value of a measured parameter and having at least one non-rotationally symmetrical sensor element on an insulation-dependent fold line of the sensor arrangement, with a longest sectional line through the active surface of the sensor element arranged along the fold line.

Sensor arrangement

A circuit configuration recognizes the occupancy of a seat and triggers a seat belt warning in a motor vehicle. Resistance elements are disposed in a separated and flat manner on a motor vehicle seat, in particular on a sensor seating mat, which alters the resistance values when a force is exerted thereon, for example, perpendicular to the surface of the vehicle seat, or by bending. The weight-sensitive resistance elements contain first resistance elements and additional resistance elements, and the resistance values thereof can be measured in respectively different measuring circuits without the measuring results for the first resistance elements influencing the measuring results for the additional resistance elements.

Circuit configuration for recognizing the occupancy of a seat and seatbelt warning in a motor vehicle

The invention relates to a method and a circuit arrangement for determining an electric measurement value for a resistance element (R), preferably for determining an electric current that flows through said resistance element (R), whereby the resistance element (R) to be measured is interconnected to additional resistance elements within a resistance array () consisting of columns (CL, CL, CL) and rows (R, R, R) of resistance elements. According to the invention, the load of a basic load resistance element (R), which is connected between the output of a measurement/supply unit () and the common ground terminal connection of the resistance array (), is applied to the measurement voltage (MEAS). The measurement voltage (MEAS) is simultaneously connected to the input of an impedance transformer (OCL, OR), whose output is connected in a subsequent step to the resistance elements in the resistance array () that are not to be measured. This prevents a voltage differential at the input of the operation amplifier, eliminating to a great extent undesired signal fluctuations, which could falsify the measurement result.

Method and circuit arrangement for determining an electric measurement value for a resistance element, preferably for determining an electric current that flows through the said resistance element

A sensor mat configuration includes a sensor mat having row lines, column lines, and a plurality of force-dependent resistors connected between the row lines and the column lines to form a matrix having rows and columns. The sensor mat configuration includes a printed circuit board having a plurality of fixed resistors. The first terminal of each one of the plurality of the fixed resistors is connected to a respective one of the column lines, and the second terminal of each one of the plurality of the fixed resistors are connected together, thereby forming an additional row of the matrix. The resistances of the plurality of the fixed resistors are known within a narrow tolerance range, which enables these resistors to be used in measurements for accurately determining the resistances of the force-dependent resistors of the sensor mat.

Sensor mat configuration enabling actual resistance values of force-dependent resistors of a sensor mat to be determined

A sensor configuration for measuring the local distribution of a measured variable has a plurality of sensor elements which are disposed in a distributed fashion and interconnected in an array. An electric response of the sensor elements is a function of the local value of the measured variable. At least one of the sensor elements has a series circuit composed of a series element which is independent of the value of the measured variable and a measuring element which is dependent on the value of the measured variable.

Sensor configuration

In a load-side filter of an n-phase converter circuit arrangement, the capacitors are arranged in at least two n-phase capacitor groups, one of which is hard-grounded and the other of which is grounded with a high impedance via a grounding resistor.

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Wuppertal, Germany

Gerhard Wild