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:
Sep. 16, 2014
Filed:
Apr. 10, 2008
Christoph Wendt, Trier, DE;
Andreas Petereit, Schweich, DE;
Christoph Wendt, Trier, DE;
Andreas Petereit, Schweich, DE;
IEE International Electronics & Engineering S.A., Luxembourg, LU;
Abstract
An automotive vehicle has arranged therein a vehicle seat and is equipped with an occupant detection system for detecting whether an occupant is present on the vehicle seat, the system including a first antenna electrode arranged in the seat and a first sensing circuit associated with the seat, where the first sensing circuit includes an oscillation circuit operatively connected to the first antenna electrode for applying to the first antenna electrode a first oscillating signal and a first current detection circuit connected to the first antenna electrode for determining a current flowing into the first antenna electrode in response to the first oscillating signal being applied thereto, where the current flowing in the first antenna electrode indicates whether an occupant is present on the vehicle seat, and when in operation, the first sensing circuit codes the information whether an occupant is present on the vehicle seat into a first output signal which is output and which may be supplied to a restraint system control unit, the vehicle being further equipped with an appliance including an appliance control device arranged in the vehicle compartment at a location where an occupant of the seat can interact with it, a second antenna electrode is arranged with the appliance control device and a second sensing circuit is associated therewith, where the second sensing circuit is separate from the first sensing circuit and includes an electric signal detection circuit connected to the second antenna electrode and configured for determining an electric signal induced in the second antenna electrode in response to an electric field, which is radiated from an antenna electrode in the vehicle seat, being capacitively coupled into the second antenna electrode, the electric signal induced in the second antenna electrode indicates whether an occupant of the vehicle seat has a part of their body proximate to the appliance control device, and, when in operation, the second sensing circuit codes the information whether an occupant of the vehicle seat has a part of their body proximate to the appliance control device into a second output signal and outputs the second output signal.