Granted Patent B2

US 7,770,920 · App. 11/876,292 · Granted Aug 10, 2010

Assignee: Automotive Technologies International, Inc.

Abstract

Claims (27)

1. A system for measuring the weight of an occupant in a vehicle seat having a bottom portion and a back portion at an angle to the bottom portion and for controlling a safety restraint system responsive thereto, comprising:

a bladder mounted within or beneath an upper surface of the bottom portion of the seat and supported by a base of the seat, said bladder being constructed from a flexible material and containing a fluid;

a pressure sensor operatively coupled to said bladder for generating a signal responsive to pressure of said fluid within said bladder caused by pressure applied to the upper surface of the seat; and

a processor coupled to said pressure sensor for determining the weight of the occupant from said signal and generating a control signal for controlling the safety restraint system responsive to said weight determination.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said bladder includes a plurality of chambers.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein said bladder is part of a container including an additional enclosure.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein said pressure sensor is a transducer.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein said bladder is mounted within the bottom portion of the seat.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein said bladder is mounted beneath the upper surface of the bottom portion of the seat.

7. A system for controlling a safety restraint system responsive to the weight on a vehicle seat having a bottom portion and a back portion at an angle to the bottom portion, comprising:

a fluid containing mechanism operatively coupled to the bottom portion of the seat and which generates a pressure within the fluid responsive to the weight on the bottom portion of the vehicle seat;

a sensing system that senses the pressure of said fluid; and

a control system that controls the safety restraint system responsive to the pressure of said fluid as sensed by said sensing system.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein said fluid containing mechanism includes a plurality of chambers.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein said fluid containing mechanism is part of a container including an additional enclosure.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein said sensing system comprises a transducer.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein said fluid containing mechanism is arranged within the bottom portion of the seat.

12. The system of claim 7 , wherein said fluid containing mechanism is arranged beneath an upper surface of the bottom portion of the seat.

13. A system for controlling a safety restraint system responsive to the weight on a vehicle seat, comprising:

a fluid confinement operatively coupled to the vehicle seat whereby the pressure of said fluid is responsive to the weight on the vehicle seat;

a pressure sensor operatively coupled to said fluid confinement and which generates a signal responsive to the pressure of said fluid; and

a signal processor operatively coupled to said pressure sensor and which controls the safety restraint system responsive to said signal.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein said fluid confinement is comprises a bladder.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein said fluid confinement includes a plurality of chambers.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein said pressure sensor is comprises a transducer.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein said fluid confinement is mounted within the bottom portion of the seat.

18. The system of claim 13 , wherein said fluid confinement is mounted beneath the upper surface of the bottom portion of the seat.

Assignments (3)

Continuity (45)