Delco Electronics Corporation

Delphi Technologies, Inc.

Pamela Ann Roe

Morgan Daniel Murphy

Duane Donald Fortune

Stuart Stites Sullivan

Robert Joseph Myers

Gregory Allen Cobb

Robert K Constable

Phillip E Kaltenbacher, Ii

Robert Allan Perisho, Jr

William Lloyd Piper

Charles A Gray

David R Little

Henry M Sanftleben

Hamid Reza Borzabadi

Peter A Thayer

Douglas Allen Nunan

Dale J Igram

Mark Robert Vincen

Karl Edward Stone

Julia Ann Oberlin

Chiutsun Albert Lee

A belt tension sensor includes an armature that is displaced in relation to belt tension and an optical sensing mechanism that detects armature displacement as a measure of belt tension. In a first mechanization, a lens element is mounted on the armature for movement therewith, and light emitted by a light source passes through the lens element before impinging on a light responsive element; the lens element variably diffuses the emitted light in relation to the belt tension, and the light impinging on the light responsive element provides a measure of the belt tension. In a second mechanization, the armature includes a protuberance that abuts and variably collapses a compressible optical waveguide to vary its optical transmissivity in relation to the armature displacement, and the optical transmissivity of the optical waveguide provides a measure of the belt tension.

Optical seat belt tension sensor

An improved weight estimation apparatus in which an elastomeric bladder is supported on a semi-rigid backer board which is installed in a vehicle seat between the seat cushion and an underlying spring suspension. The bladder is secured onto the backer board, and the backer board is attached to the seat, enabling proper and consistent placement of the bladder relative to the seat surface. The backer board provides the reaction surface for the bladder, and masks non-uniformities of the seat structure. Additionally, the backer board will reduce or eliminate the effect of objects lying on the floor under the seat, which might otherwise pinch the bladder and produce weight estimation errors. Further, the board tends to protect the bladder from damage due to sharp objects, pinching by the suspension elements, and the effects of wires or cables routed through the seat. The backer board may be smooth to provide a uniform reaction surface, or contoured to increase or decrease sensitivity to weight applied on certain areas of the seating surface.

Bladder and support structure for occupant weight estimation

An improved weight-based occupant characterization method that can inexpensively and reliably distinguish between a child or small adult and a tightly cinched child seat. When the sensed weight is in a specified range that could be produced by a tightly cinched child seat, the system characterizes the occupant based on a detected variation in sensed weight during movement of the vehicle. If the variance of the sensed weight is below a threshold for a predetermined interval, the occupant is characterized as a child seat, since a tightly cinched seat belt severely restricts variance. If the variance exceeds the threshold for a predetermined interval, the occupant is characterized as a child or small adult. A correlative factor that can be used in distinguishing between a child seat and a child or small adult is determined by computing a slope reversal rate, or frequency, of the measured weight. In this case, a child seat is indicated by the combination of low variance and a high frequency, whereas a child or small adult is indicated by the combination of high variance and a low frequency. Additionally, movement of the vehicle can be detected when the variance of the sensed weight is within a predetermined range for at least a predetermined interval.

Vehicle occupant characterization method based on sensed occupant weight

An improved pressure-based weight estimation system that includes an adaptive technique for reliably and accurately determining the vacant, or unoccupied, seat pressure. The vacant seat pressure is initially determined by a factory calibration procedure, and is thereafter suitably updated by an adaptive learning algorithm based on temperature, time, and the measured pressure. If the seat temperature is within a normal range, and the measured pressure remains at least a predetermined amount below the calibrated vacant seat pressure for at least a predetermined time, a fraction of the difference between the measured and calibrated values is subtracted from the calibrated value to form a new calibration value. The predetermined difference amount determines the sensitivity of the control, and the predetermined time prevents adaptive correction of the calibration value due to transient pressure conditions.

Adaptive pressure based weight estimation system for a vehicle occupant

An improved weight estimation apparatus in which a closed, multiple cell elastomeric bladder filled with fluid is installed in the foam cushion of a vehicle seat bottom, with at least one pressure sensor installed in a closed exit port of the bladder. The multiple cells of the bladder are formed by a pattern of spot welds between the top and bottom layers of the bladder, creating an array of generally circular or hexagonal cells between which the fluid can freely flow. The array of cells maximizes the pressure response for improved sensitivity, and minimizes the amount of fluid required to detect occupant weight, thereby minimizing the weight of the fluid-filled bladder. The pattern of spot welds in the vicinity of the pressure sensing location may be altered to reduce sensitivity to forces applied in proximity to the exit port. In a first embodiment, a more dense pattern of spot welds is provided in the vicinity of the exit port, while in a second embodiment, continuous welding is used to form a pattern of closed fluid-free pockets in the vicinity of the exit port.

Vehicle occupant weight estimation apparatus having fluid-filled

A weight estimation apparatus for the passenger seat of a motor vehicle, in which a single bladder substantially encompassing the seat bottom is evacuated and then inflated with a known volume of air. The average pressure in the bladder is determined to estimate the passenger weight. According to a first embodiment, the apparatus continues to monitor the average pressure, and the process is re-initiated if the average pressure changes by at least a predetermined percentage. According to a second embodiment, a bleed valve allows the pressure in the bladder to slowly escape, and the apparatus monitors the rate of change in pressure as a corresponding indication of passenger weight; in this embodiment, the process of evacuating and inflating is re-initiated if the monitored change in pressure does not correspond with the estimated weight. The sides of the bladder may be pleated to permit the bladder to expand under the weight of an occupant without stretching the bladder, and thereby affecting the average pressure. A temperature sensor may be disposed in proximity to the bladder provides a temperature signal for compensating the weight estimation for temperature variations. Also, the pressure sensor may be configured to sense the gage pressure--that is, the differential pressure between the bladder pressure and atmospheric pressure; alternatively, the pressure sensor may be configured to detect absolute pressure, and a second absolute pressure sensor responsive to atmospheric pressure may be used to compensate for changes in atmospheric pressure.

Vehicle occupant weight estimation apparatus having controlled volume

An improved weight estimation apparatus includes a closed elastomeric bladder filled with fluid and installed in the foam cushion of a vehicle seat bottom, with at least one pressure sensor installed in a closed exit port of the bladder. A temperature sensor disposed in proximity to the bladder provides a temperature signal, and a controller estimates the weight of the occupant based on the temperature and pressure signals. The pressure sensor is preferably configured to sense the gage pressure--that is, the differential pressure between the fluid and atmospheric pressure--at the center of gravity of the fluid in order to provide a stable output independent of changing atmospheric pressure and changing orientation of the bladder due to vehicle pitch and roll.

Vehicle occupant weight estimation apparatus having fluid-filled seat

A backlighting device for a backlit graphic display used in an instrument panel of an automobile. The backlighting system involves the use of a fluorescent light source and a lightpipe which is tailored for use with the fluorescent light source so as to promote uniform transmission of light to the display, and to achieve a suitable level of light intensity when backlit by a minimal number of light sources. The backlighting system further involves forming the lightpipe from a material which readily transmits light, and preferably is sensitive to ultraviolet radiation, so as to enhance the lighting capability of the light source while also producing an aesthetically pleasing appearance for the display.

Fluorescent backlighting device for an instrument panel

An illuminated annunciator as in a gear selector has gear designation letters always lit and a ring around each letter selectively lit to indicate the active gear range. A generally conical light pipe with a conical central cavity has at one end an annular emitting surface adjacent the ring and at the other end it is illuminated by an LED. Another LED within the conical cavity illuminates the letter directly as well as via reflection from the wall of the cavity.

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Kokomo, IN, United States of America

Pamela Ann Roe