Patent ID: 6918612

Claim:
An occupant classification system for a motor vehicle having an occupant seat, an inflatable restraint system for providing impact protection for an occupant of the seat, and a belt restraint system associated with the seat, the occupant classification system for classifying an occupant of the seat for purposes of providing a control signal for the inflatable restraint system as a function of certain types of occupants occupying the seat, the occupant classification system comprising: an array of on-off switches carried by a seat cushion of the seat wherein the seat cushion is divided into two or more discrete zones with at least two of the on-off switches in each of the zones; a seat belt tension sensor providing an output related to a belt tension acting on the belt restraint system; and a controller for receiving signals from the on-off switches and the seat belt tension sensor and for providing the control signal for the inflatable restraint system, wherein a belt tension signal related to a belt tension above a predetermined level associated with the presence of a child restraint seat in the seat will influence the controller to produce the control signal for disabling the inflatable restraint system and the outputs from the on-off switches will influence the controller based on the number of switches activated in each zone to provide the control signal distinguishing between occupants for controlling the inflatable restraint system.