Apparatus and Method for Analyzing Weight of an Occupying Item of a Vehicular Seat

1 . An arrangement for analyzing weight of an occupying item in a seat in a vehicle while the vehicle is moving, comprising:

at least one force sensor arranged to obtain a measurement of the force applied to the seat by the occupying item;

a measuring system arranged to measure dynamic forces applied to the seat resulting from motion of the vehicle; and

a processor coupled to said at least one weight sensor and said measuring system for receiving the measurement of the force applied to the seat from said at least one force sensor and the dynamic forces from said measuring system,

said processor being arranged to provide an indication of the weight of the occupying item based thereon,

said processor being arranged to differentiate between animate and inanimate objects by analyzing the measurements from said at least one force sensor over time and the dynamic forces applied to the seat from said measuring system over time.

2 . The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein said measuring system comprises at least one accelerometer.

3 . The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein said at least one force sensor comprises a bladder having at least one chamber and at least one transducer for measuring the pressure in a respective one of said at least one chamber.

4 . The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein said at least one force sensor comprises a pressure sensor or a strain gage sensor.

5 . The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein said measuring system is arranged to measure effects on the seat of road roughness, steering maneuvers, and a vehicle suspension system.

6 . The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein said processor is arranged to determine whether the occupying item is belted by analyzing measurements from said at least one force sensor over time and the dynamic forces applied to the seat from said measuring system over time.

7 . The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein said processor is arranged to determine the position of the occupying item on the seat by analyzing the measurements from said at least one force sensor over time and the dynamic forces applied to the seat from said measuring system over time.

8 . A method for classifying an occupying item in a seat, comprising:

obtaining data about the force applied to the seat by the occupying item at time intervals; and

identifying the existence of patterns in the data obtained about the force applied to the seat over time and analyzing any identified pattern to determine if it approximates a known pattern indicative of an animate object or an inanimate object, the step of identifying the existence of patterns comprising utilizing a pattern recognition algorithm to identify patterns in the data obtained about the force applied to the seat over time.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of identifying the existence of patterns further comprises training the pattern recognition algorithm by conducting tests in which different occupying items are placed in the seat and obtaining data about the force applied to the seat before, during and after placement of the occupying item in the seat.

10 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising measuring a function representative of forces which affect the weight of the occupying item, the step of identifying the existence of patterns further comprising identifying the existence of patterns in the data obtained about of the force applied to the seat and the function.

11 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising measuring dynamic forces applied to the seat, the step of identifying the existence of patterns further comprising of identifying the existence of patterns in the data obtained about of the force applied to the seat and the measurements of the dynamic forces applied to the seat.

12 . An arrangement for analyzing weight and determining position of an occupying item in a seat while the seat is moving, comprising:

at least one force sensor arranged to obtain a measurement of the force applied to the seat by the occupying item;

a determination arrangement arranged to determine a function representative of at least one force which affect the weight of the occupying item; and

a processor coupled to said at least one force sensor and said determination arrangement for receiving the measurement of the force applied to the seat from said at least one force sensor and the function from said determination arrangement and providing an indication of the weight of the occupying item based thereon,

said processor being arranged to determine the position of the occupying item on the seat by analyzing the measurements from said at least one force sensor over time and the function from said determination arrangement over time.

13 . The arrangement of claim 12 , wherein said determination arrangement comprises at least one accelerometer.

14 . The arrangement of claim 12 , wherein said at least one force sensor comprises a bladder having at least one chamber and at least one transducer for measuring the pressure in a respective one of said at least one chamber.

15 . The arrangement of claim 12 , wherein said at least one force sensor comprises a pressure sensor or a strain gage sensor.

16 . The arrangement of claim 12 , wherein said determination arrangement is arranged to measure effects on the seat caused by load of a seatbelt associated with the seat whereby the function is dependent on the load caused by the seatbelt.

17 . The arrangement of claim 12 , wherein said processor is arranged to determine whether the occupying item is belted by analyzing the measurements from by said at least one force sensor over time and the function from said determination arrangement over time.

18 . The arrangement of claim 12 , wherein said determination arrangement is arranged to measure effects on the seat of road roughness, steering maneuvers, and a vehicle suspension system whereby die function is dependent on the road roughness, steering maneuvers and the vehicle suspension system.

19 . An arrangement for determining weight and position of an occupying item in a seat in a vehicle while the seat is moving, comprising:

at least one force sensor arranged to obtain a measurement of the force applied to the seat by the occupying item;

a measuring system arranged to measure dynamic forces applied to the seat resulting from motion of the vehicle; and

a processor coupled to said at least one force sensor and said measuring system for receiving the measurement of the force applied to the seat from said at least one force sensor and the dynamic forces from said measuring system,

said processor being arranged to provide an indication of the weight of the occupying item based thereon,

said processor being arranged to determine the position of the occupying item on the seat by analyzing the measurements from said at least one force sensor over time and the dynamic forces applied to the seat from said measuring system over time.

20 . The arrangement of claim 19 , wherein said at least one force sensor comprises a bladder having at least one chamber and at least one transducer for measuring the pressure in a respective one of said at least one chamber.

21 . The arrangement of claim 19 , wherein said at least one force sensor comprises a pressure sensor or a strain gage sensor.

22 . The arrangement of claim 19 , wherein said measuring system is arranged to measure effects an the seat of road roughness, steering maneuvers, and a vehicle suspension system.

23 . The arrangement of claim 19 , wherein said processor is arranged to determine whether the occupying item is belted by analyzing measurements from said at least one force sensor over time and the dynamic forces applied to the seat from said measuring system over time.

24 . The arrangement of claim 19 , wherein said processor is arranged to determine the position of the occupying item on the seat by analyzing the measurements from said at least one force sensor over time and the dynamic forces applied to the seat from said measuring system over time.