Capacitive occupancy detector apparatus

A personnel detector comprising

• personnel containment means
• first and second electrodes insulated from each other and arranged such that at least part of a person present in said personnel containment means is disposed therebetween;
• capacitance detecting means for detecting a capacitance between the first and the second electrodes and providing a representative electrical signal;
• processing means including storage means for storing the electrical signal;
• storage update means for causing the electrical signal stored in the storage means to be updated at given time intervals;
• comparison means for producing an electrical signal representing the arrival of a person whenever a difference between the electrical signal developed by the capacitance detecting means and the signal stored by the storage means exceeds a first threshold value;
• and
• means for setting a second threshold value based on the capacitance detected during the presence of a person and determining the departure of a person when the capacitance detected by the detecting means decreases below said second threshold value;
• wherein the first electrode comprises a conductive layer mounted on a door trim of the vehicle and the second electrode comprises the body of the vehicle.

A personnel detector comprising

• personnel containment means
• first and second electrodes insulated from each other and arranged such that at least part of a person present in said personnel containment means is disposed therebetween;
• capacitance detecting means for detecting a capacitance between the first and the second electrodes and providing a representative electrical signal;
• processing means including storage means for storing the electrical signal;
• storage update means for causing the electrical signal stored in the storage means to be updated at given time intervals;
• comparison means for producing an electrical signal representing the arrival of a person whenever a difference between the electrical signal developed by the capacitance detecting means and the signal stored by the storage means exceeds a first threshold value;
• and
• means for setting a second threshold value based on the capacitance detected during the presence of a person and determining the departure of a person when the capacitance detected by the detecting means decreases below said second threshold value;
• wherein the first electrode comprises a conductive layer mounted on an arm rest of the vehicle and the second electrode comprises the body of the vehicle.

A personnel detector comprising

• personnel containment means
• first and second electrodes insulated from each other and arranged such that at least part of a person present in said personnel containment means is disposed therebetween;
• capacitance detecting means for detecting a capacitance between the first and the second electrodes and providing a representative electrical signal;
• processing means including storage means for storing the electrical signal;
• storage update means for causing the electrical signal stored in the storage means to be updated at given time intervals;
• comparison means for producing an electrical signal representing the arrival of a person whenever a difference between the electrical signal developed by the capacitance detecting means and the signal stored by the storage means exceeds a first threshold value;
• and
• means for setting a second threshold value based on the capacitance detected during the presence of a person and determining the departure of a person when the capacitance detected by the detecting means decreases below said second threshold value;
• wherein the first electrode comprises a conductive layer mounted on a floor mat of the vehicle and covering a major portion of the floor mat and the second electrode comprises the body of the vehicle.