Patent ID: 7100980

Claim:
A vehicle occupant sensing system for a vehicle seat assembly, said vehicle occupant sensing system comprising: a plurality of emitters; a plurality of sensors, wherein each of said sensors is operatively paired to one of said emitters and adapted to detect relative distance therebetween, and thereby detect a condition of the vehicle seat assembly; and a biasing pad having a top surface and a bottom surface, said top surface adapted to be disposed below a lower surface of a seat cushion of the vehicle seat assembly so that said top surface of said biasing pad is adapted to be biased into contact with the lower surface of the seat cushion of the vehicle seat assembly, being deflectable in response to deflection of the seat cushion, said biasing pad supporting said plurality of emitters and said plurality of sensors such that said operatively paired emitters and sensors are biased away from each other and such that said operatively paired emitters and sensors are supported so that they are movable toward and away from the other.