Patent ID: 7830246

Claim:
A sensor system for seat belt monitoring, the sensor system comprising: a seat belt latch sensor; an occupant sensor with an antenna, wherein the antenna comprises an only single antenna of the occupant sensor; and a processor operable to generate a seat belt warning in response to detection of an occupant by the occupant sensor and detection of lack of seat belt latching by the seat belt latch sensor; wherein the occupant sensor is operable to distinguish between human occupants of at least two different sizes, the processor operable to allow generation of the seat belt warning for one and avoid generation of any seat belt warning for another of the at least two different sizes; wherein the occupant sensor comprises an electric field or capacitive sensor, wherein the occupant sensor comprises an occupant detection circuit, the occupant detection circuit operable to detect the occupant as a function of a response of the antenna to a change in voltage or current, wherein the change in voltage or current is a change in discharge voltage or current.