Patent US3912939A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3912939A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method and apparatus for detecting the occupancy of a vehicle seat
Assignee: Lectron Products Inc
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Filing: 1974-04-01
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Granted: 1975-10-14
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Expires: 1994-04-01
Abstract
Abstract A seat occupant seat detector for a safety belt interlock/warning system including a square wave generator, a reference capacitor which is connected to receive the square wave, a large area conductor positioned in the seat bottom which is connected to receive the square wave, and a logic circuit responsive to the relative capacitance of the reference capacitor and the seat conductor comprising a pair of NAND gates connected to the capacitor and the seat conductor and arranged to provide an output signal in response to the relative rise time of the square wave at the capacitor and at the seat conductor.
Inventors
- 👤 Norman G Quantz
- 👤 Chen Yi Lee
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 11:29
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60R; B60R22/00; B60R22/48; B60R2022/4808; B60R2022/4816; B60R2022/4858; B60R2022/4866; B60R2022/4883; B60R2022/4891
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 30
Claim 1
Independent Claim
167 words
An apparatus for detecting the occupancy of a seat or the like by an occupant comprising: generating means for providing a time varying signal; reference capacitor means having a reference value of capacitance and operatively connected to said generating means to receive said signal; conductor means also operatively connected to said generating means to receive said signal and mountable in association with said seat so as to be in a position in the vicinity of said occupant, said conductor means being adapted to have a first value of capacitance when said seat is unoccupied and a second value of capacitance when said occupant occupies said seat; and detecting means operatively connected with said reference capacitor and said conductor means for detecting the change of the value of capacitance of said conductor means from said first value of capacitance to said second value of capacitance by responding to the relative capacitance of said reference capacitor means and said conductor means to provide a signal representative of said occupancy.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
167 words
An apparatus for detecting the occupancy of a seat or the like by an occupant comprising: generating means for providing a time varying signal; reference capacitor means having a reference value of capacitance and operatively connected to said generating means to receive said signal; conductor means also operatively connected to said generating means to receive said signal and mountable in association with said seat so as to be in a position in the vicinity of said occupant, said conductor means being adapted to have a first value of capacitance when said seat is unoccupied and a second value of capacitance when said occupant occupies said seat; and detecting means operatively connected with said reference capacitor and said conductor means for detecting the change of the value of capacitance of said conductor means from said first value of capacitance to said second value of capacitance by responding to the relative capacitance of said reference capacitor means and said conductor means to provide a signal representative of said occupancy.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
98 words
An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said generating means provides a time varying signal having a predetermined wave shape which is altered by the value of capacitance of said reference capacitor means to provide a reference altered signal and is altered by the value of capacitance of said conductor means to provide an occupant altered signal and wherein said detecting means receives said reference altered signal and said occupant altered signal and detects the relative capacitance of said reference capacitor means and said conductor means by responding to the shape of the reference and occupant altered signals.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said generating means is an oscillator which provides a repetitive signal.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
14 words
An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said generating means provides a square wave.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said detecting means compares the rise or decay of said reference and occupant altered signals.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said detecting means compares the rate of rise or decay of said reference and occupant altered signals.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
39 words
An apparatus according to claim 5 wHerein said detecting means includes threshold means for receiving said reference and occupant altered signals for responding to the time at which said reference and occupant altered signals attain a predetermined threshold value.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
43 words
An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said threshold means includes a logic circuit which responds to the attainment of said threshold by providing an output signal which changes from a first condition to a second condition upon the attainment of said threshold.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
55 words
An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said threshold means includes a pair of threshold devices with one of said threshold devices receiving said reference altered signal and the other of said threshold devices receiving said occupant altered signal for determining which of the reference and occupant altered signals first attains a predetermined threshold value.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
41 words
An apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said detecting means includes means for inhibiting one of said pair of threshold devices when the altered signal received by the other of said pair of threshold devices first attains said predetermined threshold value.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
77 words
An apparatus according to claim 10 wherein each of said pair of threshold devices has an output terminal for providing a predetermined output signal upon attainment of said threshold value by its respective one of said altered signals, the output terminal of one of said threshold devices being connected to the other threshold device to inhibit said other threshold device from providing its predetermined output signal when the one threshold device has provided its predetermined output signal.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
40 words
An apparatus according to claim 11 wherein each of said threshold devices is a logic circuit having said output terminal for providing an output signal having two logic states with one of said logic states representing said predetermined output signal.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
14 words
An apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said logic device is a NAND gate.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
190 words
An apparatus for detecting the occupancy of a seat or the like by an occupant comprising: oscillator means for providing a repetitive time varying signal having a predetermined wave shape; reference capacitor means receiving said signal for altering the wave shape of said signal in accordance with the value of capacitance of said reference capacitor means to provide a reference altered signal; conductor means receiving said signal which is mountable in association with said seat so as to be in a position in the vicinity of said occupant when said occupant occupies said seat so that the value of capacitance of said conductor will be changed by said occupancy, said conductor means altering the wave shape of said signal in accordance with the value of capacitance of said conductor for providing an occupant altered signal; and comparator means receiving said reference altered signal and said occupant altered signal for determining a change in the wave shape of said occupant altered signal relative to said reference altered signal upon the change in capacitance of said conductor means when said occupant occupies said seat to provide a signal representative of said occupancy.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
190 words
An apparatus for detecting the occupancy of a seat or the like by an occupant comprising: oscillator means for providing a repetitive time varying signal having a predetermined wave shape; reference capacitor means receiving said signal for altering the wave shape of said signal in accordance with the value of capacitance of said reference capacitor means to provide a reference altered signal; conductor means receiving said signal which is mountable in association with said seat so as to be in a position in the vicinity of said occupant when said occupant occupies said seat so that the value of capacitance of said conductor will be changed by said occupancy, said conductor means altering the wave shape of said signal in accordance with the value of capacitance of said conductor for providing an occupant altered signal; and comparator means receiving said reference altered signal and said occupant altered signal for determining a change in the wave shape of said occupant altered signal relative to said reference altered signal upon the change in capacitance of said conductor means when said occupant occupies said seat to provide a signal representative of said occupancy.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said oscillating means provides a square wave.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
22 words
An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said comparator means compares the rise or decay of said reference and occupant altered signals.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
24 words
An apparatus according to claim 16 wherein said comparator means compares the rate of rise or decay of said reference and occupant altered signals.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
22 words
An apparatus according to claim 17 wherein said comparator means compares the rate of rise of said reference and occupant altered signals.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
40 words
An apparatus according to claim 16 wherein said comparator means includes a threshold means for receiving said reference and occupant altered signals for responding to the time at which said reference and occupant altered signals attain a predetermined threshold value.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
43 words
An apparatus according to claim 19 wherein said comparator means includes a logic circuit which responds to the attainment of said threshold by providing an output signal which changes from a first condition to a second condition upon the attainment of said threshold.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
55 words
An apparatus according to claim 20 wherein said threshold means includes a pair of threshold devices with one of said threshold devices receiving said reference altered signal and the other of said threshold devices receiving said occupant altered signal for determining which of the reference and occupant altered signals first attains a predetermined threshold value.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
41 words
An apparatus according to claim 21 wherein said comparator means includes means for inhibiting one of said pair of threshold devices when said altered signals received by the other of said pair of threshold devices first attains said predetermined threshold value.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
77 words
An apparatus according to claim 22 wherein each of said pair of threshold devices has an output terminal for providing a predetermined output signal upon attainment of said threshold value by its respective one of said altered signals, the output terminal of one of said threshold devices being connected to the other threshold device to inhibit said other threshold device from providing its predetermined output signal when the one threshold device has provided its predetermined output signal.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
40 words
An apparatus according to claim 23 wherein each of said threshold devices is a logic circuit having said output terminal for providing an output signal having two logic states with one of said logic states representing said predetermined output signal.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
14 words
An apparatus according to claim 24 wherein said logic device is a NAND gate.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
42 words
An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said reference capacitor means has a value of capacitive which is intermediate the value of capacitance of said conductor means before said occupancy and the value of capacitance of said conductor means after said occupancy.
Claim 29
Independent Claim
120 words
A method for detecting the occupancy of a seat or the like by an occupant comprising the steps of: supplying a time varying signal to a reference capacitor; supplying a time varying signal to a conductor associated with the seat and positioned to be in the vicinity of said occupant when said occupant occupies said seat so that the value of capacitance of said conductor will be affected by said occupancy; and comparing the value of capacitance of said reference capacitor with the value of capacitance of said conductor before and after said occupant occupies said seat to detect the change in the value of capacitance of said conductor relative to said reference capacitor when said occupant occupies said seat.
Claim 30
Independent Claim
120 words
A method for detecting the occupancy of a seat or the like by an occupant comprising the steps of: supplying a time varying signal to a reference capacitor; supplying a time varying signal to a conductor associated with the seat and positioned to be in the vicinity of said occupant when said occupant occupies said seat so that the value of capacitance of said conductor will be affected by said occupancy; and comparing the value of capacitance of said reference capacitor with the value of capacitance of said conductor before and after said occupant occupies said seat to detect the change in the value of capacitance of said conductor relative to said reference capacitor when said occupant occupies said seat.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3806867A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-10-13 | 1979-04-14 | 1979-10-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-10-13 | 1983-04-14 | 1983-10-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-10-13 | 1987-04-14 | 1987-10-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |