Iee International Electronics and Engineering S.a.

Guenter Goedert

Werner Bieck

Dietmar Jungen

Gianluca Favalli

Ingrid Scheckenbach

Edmund Marx

Oleg Zeiler

Jorg Beck

A vehicle seat occupant classification system for use in a vehicle seat includes a weight-responsive sensor, at least one bracket member serving as a holder for the weight-responsive sensor, and an evaluation unit configured to evaluate a status of the at least one weight-responsive sensor. The bracket member is fixedly attached to the seat base. If a mechanical load at least corresponding to a first pre-determined threshold value is applied by a seat occupant, a portion of the vehicle seat comes into mechanical interaction with the at least one weight-responsive sensor, and is configured to change a status of the at least one weight-responsive sensor if a mechanical load at least corresponding to a second pre-determined threshold value is applied. Relative movement between the seat base and the at least one weight-responsive sensor is at least excluded for applied mechanical loads that are smaller than the first pre-determined threshold value.

Weight-responsive vehicle seat occupant detection and classification method and system

A vehicle seat occupancy detection system includes at least one capacitive sensor member having at least one sensing electrode, an impedance measurement circuit for determining a complex impedance or a complex admittance of the at least one sensing electrode, an evaluation unit for generating an output signal based on a determined complex admittance of the at least one sensing electrode and comparison of the determined complex admittance to at least one predetermined value, and at least one electrically conductive ground connecting member that is intentionally electrically connected to the reference electrode and that is arranged in close proximity to the at least one sensing electrode. The at least one ground connecting member and the at least one sensing electrode are galvanically separated such that, when the seat gets wet, the sensing electrode is directly electrically connected to the reference electrode by the at least one ground connecting member.

Capacitive seat occupancy detection system operable at wet conditions

A vehicle seat suspension mat () comprises one or more suspension springs () for supporting a seat cushion () and an occupancy sensor module () supported by at least one suspension spring. The module includes a first plate () having a switch element () arranged thereon and a second plate () mounted in a cantilevered manner to the first plate, in such a way that the first and second plates form together a pair of jaws, which the switch element is arranged between. The first and second plates are configured so as to move closer together against their resiliency in response to compressive forces acting on the first and second plates.

Vehicle seat suspension mat

A vehicle seat suspension mat () comprises suspension springs () for supporting a seat cushion () and a pressure sensor module () arranged on the springs for being applied against a bottom surface of the seat cushion. The pressure sensor module produces an electrical signal responsive to pressure acting on it. The pressure sensor module comprises a base plate () and a film-type pressure sensor () arranged on the base plate. The pressure sensor includes a pressure-sensitive cell (). The base plate comprises a frame () and an actuator () that is linked to the frame in such a way that it is capable of movement relative to the frame. The actuator is arranged against the pressure-sensitive cell of the film-type pressure sensor and comprises a fixation element () fixing the base plate to the springs. The fixation element provides a spacing between the base plate and the springs.

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Trier, Germany

Guenter Goedert