US 12,030,407 B2
Method for determining an occupancy status of a seat and corresponding determination system
Samuel Baudu, Boulogne Billancourt (FR); Mamadou Balde, Morigny-Champigny (FR); Stéphane Le Roux, Lardy (FR); and Mohamed Rouchou, Juvisy sur Orges (FR)
Assigned to FAURECIA Sièges d'Automobile, Nanterre (FR)
Filed by FAURECIA Sièges d'Automobile, Nanterre (FR)
Filed on Nov. 24, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/534,746.
Prior Publication US 2022/0169151 A1, Jun. 2, 2022
Int. Cl. B60N 2/00 (2006.01); B60R 21/015 (2006.01); G01L 1/14 (2006.01); G01V 3/08 (2006.01)
CPC B60N 2/002 (2013.01) [B60R 21/01516 (2014.10); B60R 21/01532 (2014.10); B60R 21/01556 (2014.10); G01L 1/14 (2013.01); G01V 3/088 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for determining the occupancy status of a seat of a motor vehicle, the method being implemented by a determination system comprising a seat, at least six interdigitated capacitive sensors carried by the seat, and a controller connected to the interdigitated capacitive sensors, the controller comprising a memory comprising a database, the database comprising at least one reference capacitance value and one threshold value for each interdigitated capacitive sensor, the method comprising measuring at least three capacitance values for each interdigitated capacitive sensor, the following steps being implemented by the controller for the capacitance values measured by each interdigitated capacitive sensor:
calculating a resulting capacitance value based on at least two measured capacitance values,
calculating the difference between the resulting capacitance value and the reference capacitance value,
comparing the calculated difference to the threshold value, and
determining the occupancy status of the seat, based on the result of the comparison.