Seat occupancy sensor having an array of sensors shifted from a center of a seat of a vehicle

A seat occupancy sensor comprising:

• a first sensor group having a plurality of first sensors that are arrayed in a front-rear direction of a seat of a vehicle and that become conductive as a load is applied thereto;
• a second sensor group having a plurality of second sensors that are arrayed in the front-rear direction, farther on a front side of the seat and closer to an end of the seat in a width direction than the first sensor group, and that become conductive as the load is applied thereto;
• and
• an electronic control unit configured to determine that someone is sitting on the seat when both of at least one of the first sensors and at least one of the second sensors become conductive,
• wherein each of the first sensors is connected in series to a different one of the second sensors.

A seat occupancy sensor comprising:

• a first sensor group having at least three first sensors that are arrayed in a front-rear direction of a seat of a vehicle and that become conductive as a load is applied thereto;
• a second sensor group having at least three second sensors that are arrayed in the front-rear direction, farther on a front side of the seat and closer to an end of the seat in a width direction than the first sensor group, and that become conductive as the load is applied thereto;
• and
• an electronic control unit configured to determine that someone is sitting on the seat when:
• (i) one of the first sensors becomes conductive,
• (ii) one of the second sensors becomes conductive, and
• (iii) a quantity of sensors, of the first and second sensors, exist between the one of the first sensors that has become conductive and the one of the second sensors that has become conductive, the quantity of sensors being one less than both a quantity of the first sensors in the first group and a quantity of the second sensors in the second sensor group.