Patent ID: 7413048

Claim:
A method for determining weight of an occupying item of a seat in a vehicle having a seat cushion assembly and a seat back assembly defining a contact surface adapted to be in contact with the occupying item of the seat, comprising: arranging a support structure underneath the seat cushion assembly to support the seat on a substrate in the vehicle and such that when the occupying item is in the seat, a force exerted by the occupying item on the seat cushion assembly is transferred to the substrate by and through the support structure; mounting at least one strain measuring transducer at a respective location on the support structure to provide a measurement of the strain in the support structure at the location at which the strain measuring transducer is mounted, the respective location being one through which the force exerted by the occupying item on the seat cushion assembly is transferred to the substrate; and determining the weight of the occupying item of the seat based on the strain in the support structure measured by the at least one strain measuring transducer.