Patent ID: 7219760

Claim:
An apparatus for use in a vehicle having a vehicle seat for a vehicle occupant and a vehicle floor pan for supporting the vehicle seat, said apparatus comprising: a sensor lever for transmitting the load of the vehicle occupant from the vehicle seat to the vehicle floor pan, said sensor lever having a first end portion, a second end portion opposite said first end portion, and a middle portion interposed between said first end portion and said second end portion, said middle portion of said sensor lever being fixedly associated with the vehicle seat, said sensor lever having a first sensor portion between said middle portion and said first end portion, said sensor lever having a second sensor portion between said middle portion and said second end portion, said first and second sensor portions bending as the vehicle seat moves vertically relative to the vehicle floor pan; and a carrier structure rigidly connected to said sensor lever at said first end portion and said second end portion for connection to the vehicle seat, said first and second sensor portions of said sensor lever providing an output signal indicative of the amount of movement of said middle portion of said sensor lever.