Patent ID: 11886669
Assignee: JOYSON SAFETY SYSTEMS ACQUISITION LLC
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC G  B  H | IPC B  G  H

Claim 0:
1. A sensor system for a vehicle steering wheel, comprising:
a first electrode on the vehicle steering wheel;
a connected circuit between the first electrode and a controller, wherein the
controller is electrically and physically coupled to the first electrode via wiring to the connected circuit, the controller having a processor and a memory, the memory storing computer executable instructions for execution by the processor, the computer executable instructions causing the processor to send electrical signals to the first electrode and generate an electrical field at the first electrode,
wherein the first electrode also sends a respective electrical signal back to the controller via the connected circuit;
a second electrode on the vehicle steering wheel, at least a portion of the second electrode being disposed within the electrical field generated by the first electrode, the second electrode being physically decoupled from the controller,
wherein the electrical field generated by the first electrode induces a corresponding charge on the second electrode, and proximity of a conductive material to the first electrode or second electrode alters the respective electrical signal received by the controller from the first electrode;
wherein the controller transmits a first electrical input to the first electrode that generates heat on the steering wheel, and the controller transmits a second electrical input to the first electrode that induces the corresponding charge on the second electrode, wherein the first and second electrical inputs are time multiplexed, and
wherein the electrical signals, transmitted from the controller to the first electrode and generating the electric field, set a baseline signal for comparing to the respective electrical signal received by the controller back from the first electrode.