IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0174803
(2002-06-19)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Breed, David S.
- Du Vall, Wilbur E.
- Johnson, Wendell C.
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출원인 / 주소 |
- Automotive Technologies International, Inc.
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
22 인용 특허 :
74 |
초록
▼
Arrangement and method for determining weight of an occupying item in a seat including one or more weight sensors arranged to obtain a measurement of the force applied to the seat, a forcing function determination arrangement for measuring a forcing function of the seat and a processor coupled to th
Arrangement and method for determining weight of an occupying item in a seat including one or more weight sensors arranged to obtain a measurement of the force applied to the seat, a forcing function determination arrangement for measuring a forcing function of the seat and a processor coupled to the weight sensor(s) and forcing function determination arrangement for receiving the measurement of the force applied to the weight sensor(s) and the measurement of the forcing function from the forcing function measurement system and determining the weight of the occupying item based thereon. The forcing function determination arrangement may include an accelerometer and measures effects on the seat caused by load of a seatbelt associated with the seat and/or effects on the seat of road roughness, steering maneuvers, and a vehicle suspension system.
대표청구항
▼
1. An arrangement for determining weight of an occupying item in a seat in a vehicle and whether the occupying item is alive 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; measuring means for mea
1. An arrangement for determining weight of an occupying item in a seat in a vehicle and whether the occupying item is alive 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; measuring means for measuring 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 means 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 means, said processor being arranged to determine 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 means over time. 2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said measuring means comprises at least one accelerometer.3. The arrangement of claim 2, wherein said at least one accelerometer includes a vertical accelerometer.4. 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.5. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said measuring means are 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 means 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 means over time.8. A method for classifying an occupying item in a seat, comprising the steps of:measuring the force applied to the seat by the occupying item at time intervals; and identifying the existence of patterns in the measurements of 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 the step of utilizing a pattern recognition algorithm to identify patterns in the measurements of 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 the step of training the pattern recognition algorithm by conducting tests in which different occupying items are placed in the seat and measuring 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 the step of measuring a function representative of forces which affect the weight of the occupying item, the step of identifying the existence of patterns further comprising the step of identifying the existence of patterns in the measurements of the force applied to the seat and the function.11. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of measuring dynamic forces applied to the seat, the step of identifying the existence of patterns further comprising the step of identifying the existence of patterns in the measurements of the force applied to the seat and the measurements of the dynamic forces applied to the seat.12. An arrangement for determining weight of an occupying item in a seat and whether the occupying item is alive 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 forces 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 determining the weight of the occupying item based thereon, said processor being arranged to differentiate between animate and inanimate objects by analyzing measurements from said at least one force sensor over time and the function from said determination arrangement over time in order to determine whether the occupying item is alive. 13. An arrangement for determining weight and 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 forces 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 determining 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. 14. The arrangement of claim 12, wherein said determination arrangement comprises at least one accelerometer.15. The arrangement of claim 14, wherein said at least one accelerometer includes a vertical accelerometer.16. 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.17. The arrangement of claim 12, wherein said at least one force sensor comprises a pressure sensor.18. The arrangement of claim 12, wherein said at least one force sensor comprises a strain gage sensor.19. 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.20. 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.21. 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.22. The arrangement of claim 13, wherein said determination arrangement comprises at least one accelerometer.23. The arrangement of claim 22, wherein said at least one accelerometer includes a vertical accelerometer.24. The arrangement of claim 13, 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.25. The arrangement of claim 13, wherein said at least one force sensor comprises a pressure sensor.26. The arrangement of claim 13, wherein said at least one force sensor comprises a strain gage sensor.27. The arrangement of claim 13, 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.28. The arrangement of claim 13, wherein said processor is arranged to determine whether the occupying item is bolted by analyzing the measurements from by said at least one force sensor over time and the function from said determination arrangement over time.29. The arrangement of claim 13, wherein said determination arrangement is arranged to measure effects on the seat of road roughness, steering maneuvers, and a vehicle suspension system whereby the function is dependent on the road toughness, steering maneuvers and the vehicle suspension system.30. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said at least one force sensor comprises a pressure sensor.31. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said at least one force sensor comprises a strain gage sensor.32. 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; measuring means for measuring 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 means 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 means, said processor being arranged to determine 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 means over time. 33. The arrangement of claim 32, wherein said measuring means comprises at least one vertical accelerometer.34. The arrangement of claim 32, 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.35. The arrangement of claim 32, wherein said at least one force sensor comprises a pressure sensor.36. The arrangement of claim 32, wherein said at least one force sensor comprises a strain gage sensor.37. The arrangement of claim 32, wherein said measuring means are arranged to measure effects an the seat of road roughness, steering maneuvers, and a vehicle suspension system.38. The arrangement of claim 32, 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 means over time.39. The arrangement of claim 32, 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 means over time.
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