Sartorius Ag

Guenther Maaz

Christian Oldendorf

Christoph Berg

Erich Bettwieser

A method and device for identifying the type of occupancy of a supporting surface, particularly of a motor vehicle seat (), with the aid of force sensor-assisted signals. The sensor signals s, which are recorded at predetermined instants t, or quantities derived therefrom, are continuously stored in a memory () in such a manner that, the sensor signals from the recent past, or the quantities derived therefrom are available for analysis at any time, and that the type of occupancy is derived from these stored values using at least two independent calculation methods or using a neural network.

Methods and devices for identifying the type of occupancy of a supporting surface

Electronic scale including a line power voltage supply ( ); a line switch ( ); and a separate voltage supply ( ), which is independent of the line powered voltage supply ( ) and which supplies at least one clock module ( ) with voltage. The scale has a normal operating state in which all the electronic components are supplied with voltage, a standby operating state in which the essential heat-generating components are switched on while components susceptible to deterioration over time and the display ( ) are switched off and, in addition a further operating state (sleep mode) in which the line switch ( ) is open. After expiry of a prescribed time and/or at a prescribed time of day, the clock module ( ) automatically terminates the further operating state and switches over into the normal operating state or the standby operating state. This makes it possible to lower the energy consumption of the scale, which in the case of conventional electronic scales is scarcely less in the standby operating state than in the normal operating state. Specifically, the sleep mode according to the invention eliminates power consumption of the actual electronic system and also avoids all the power losses in the transformer and in the power supply unit.

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Uslar, Germany

Guenther Maaz