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:
Aug. 01, 2000
Filed:
May. 12, 1999
David L Becker, White Lake, MI (US);
Laverne R Newman, Southfield, MI (US);
TRW Inc., Lyndhurst, OH (US);
Abstract
An apparatus (10) for sensing a forward position of a vehicle seat (12)in a vehicle includes a permanent magnet (72) that is located adjacent the forward position and produces a magnetic field. A Hall effect device (70) is disposed in the magnetic field. A first member is mountable to the vehicle seat (12) and is movable with the seat in a path that extends adjacent the magnetic field to a predetermined forward position adjacent the Hall effect device (70) and the magnet (72). The first member is made of a ferromagnetic material. The magnet (72) creates a magnetic field of a first flux density that acts on the Hall effect device (70) to cause the Hall effect device (70) to provide a first output signal when the first member is rearward of the predetermined forward position. The magnet (72) creates a magnetic field of a second flux density that acts on the Hall effect device (70) to cause the Hall effect device (70) to provide a second output signal different than the first output signal when the first member is at or forward of the predetermined forward position.