The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 15, 1998
Filed:
Oct. 22, 1996
David T Fu, Rochester Hills, MI (US);
Lear Corporation, Southfield, MI (US);
Abstract
A vehicle seat assembly comprising occupant sensing systems for use in headrest adjusting and/or air bag actuation systems. One sensing system includes a passive transducer array in the form of pressure transducers such as force sensing resistors vertically spaced in a first embodiment in a headrest cushion of the vehicle seat. In a second embodiment, the pressure transducers are vertically spaced in a backrest cushion of the seat. The pressure transducers generate signals which are processed by a controller to generate a control signal to control a bidirectional headrest motor coupled to the headrest of the vehicle seat. In another sensing system, occupant sensors in the form of either force sensing resistors or mechanical switches are embedded in the seat back cushion and the seat bottom cushion to generate signals which are processed by the controller to generate a control signal for use by an air bag actuation circuit to prevent air bag deployment when the controller determines that the vehicle seat is either unoccupied or is occupied by a rear-facing child car seat. The controller includes control logic to distinguish between a properly seated occupant and the rear-facing infant seat based on the electrical output signals from the occupant sensors located in the seat back and bottom cushion.