Patent ID: 8836527
Filing Date: 2014-09-16
Classification: B60N,B60R

Abstract:
1. An automotive vehicle comprising a vehicle seat, an occupant detection system to detect whether an occupant is present on said vehicle seat, said occupant detection system including: a first antenna electrode arranged in said seat, a first sensing circuit associated with said seat, said first sensing circuit comprising an oscillation circuit operatively connected to said first antenna electrode for applying to said first antenna electrode a first oscillating signal and a first current detection circuit connected to said first antenna electrode for determining a current flowing into said first antenna electrode in response to said first oscillating signal being applied thereto, said current flowing in said first antenna electrode being indicative of whether an occupant is present on said vehicle seat, wherein said first sensing circuit, when in operation, codes the information whether an occupant is present on said vehicle seat into a first output signal and outputs said first output signal, a third antenna electrode operatively connected to said oscillation circuit, said third antenna electrode arranged in said vehicle seat and configured to radiate an electric field into the direction of the region configured to be occupied by an occupant on said seat when said oscillation circuit applies a second oscillating signal to said third antenna electrode; and an appliance including an appliance control device; wherein said vehicle further includes a second antenna electrode arranged with said appliance control device and a second sensing circuit associated with said appliance control device, said second sensing circuit being separate from said first sensing circuit, said second sensing circuit including an electric signal detection circuit connected to said second antenna electrode and configured to determine an electric signal induced in said second antenna electrode in response to an electric field, created by said third antenna electrode, being capacitively coupled into said second antenna electrode, said electric signal induced in said second antenna electrode being indicative of whether an occupant of said vehicle seat has a part of their body proximate to said appliance control device, and wherein said second sensing circuit, when in operation, codes the information whether an occupant of said vehicle seat has a part of their body proximate to said appliance control device into an second output signal and outputs said second output signal; and wherein said oscillation circuit is configured to apply said second oscillating signal to said third antenna electrode only when said first sensing circuit has detected an occupant to be present on said vehicle seat, wherein said oscillation circuit is configured to continue to apply said second oscillating signal to said third antenna electrode when measurements with said first sensing circuit are interrupted.