US 11,972,644 B2
Vehicle safety system with smart state detection sensors
Marco Bracalente, Novi, MI (US); and Keith Miciuda, Grosse Pointe Park, MI (US)
Assigned to ZF ACTIVE SAFETY AND ELECTRONICS US LLC, Livonia, MI (US)
Filed by ZF ACTIVE SAFETY AND ELECTRONICS US LLC, Livonia (IS)
Filed on Jan. 21, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/153,959.
Application 17/153,959 is a division of application No. 15/991,084, filed on May 29, 2018, granted, now 10,964,133.
Prior Publication US 2021/0142593 A1, May 13, 2021
Int. Cl. G07C 5/08 (2006.01); B60R 21/01 (2006.01); B60R 21/013 (2006.01); B60R 21/015 (2006.01)
CPC G07C 5/0808 (2013.01) [B60R 21/013 (2013.01); B60R 21/01546 (2014.10); B60R 21/01554 (2014.10); G07C 5/0816 (2013.01); B60R 2021/01006 (2013.01); B60R 2021/01027 (2013.01); B60R 2021/01068 (2013.01); B60R 2021/01109 (2013.01); B60R 2021/01286 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A state detection sensor for a vehicle including a seat and a seatbelt associated with the seat, the seatbelt including a seatbelt buckle, the state detection sensor comprising:
a sensor housing configured to be mounted to the seatbelt buckle;
a position sensing component mounted in the sensor housing and being configured to provide seatbelt buckle latch condition data in response to detecting the presence or position of structure of the seatbelt buckle relative to the position sensing component;
an analog input component mounted in the sensor housing and being configured to receive from an external analog sensor located outside the seatbelt buckle an analog signal related to a seat condition of the seat associated with the seatbelt;
an analog to digital converter (ADC) component mounted in the sensor housing and being configured to receive the analog signal from the analog input component, digitize the analog signal, and provide digitized analog seat condition data; and
a communication component mounted in the sensor housing and being configured to communicate the seatbelt buckle latch condition data and the seat condition data via a two-wire power/communication serial bus,
wherein the state detection sensor is configured to power at least one of the position sensing component and the external analog sensor with power from the serial bus, and wherein the communication component is configured to be connected to the serial bus in parallel so as to communicate both the buckle state data and the digitized analog seat condition data to the ECU via the same two wires.