US 6,053,529 A · Occupant restraint system with seat position sensor

Abstract

A deployable passenger restraint system for an automotive vehicle has an occupant seat mounted on a seat track for adjustable movement in a longitudinal direction, the seat track having a movable rail in slidable relationship with the stationary rail mounted to the vehicle floor. The system includes a deployable restraint mounted in a forward location of the vehicle, a deployment mechanism for deploying the restraint, a deployment restraint processor for receiving and processing restraint deployment signals and for controlling the deployment mechanism, and a seat position sensor. The seat position sensor has a stepped flange adapted to be mounted along a predetermined length of a flange side of the movable rail, and a magnetic sensor adapted to be mounted to the stationary rail on a sensor side adjacent the flange side for sensing presence of the flange and relaying a single representative of seat position to the deployment processor. The magnetic sensor generates a single representing seat position in three zones, including a first zone represented by a first flange section having a first height, a second zone represented by a second flange section having a second height, and a blank section represented by that portion of the seat track not covered by a flange section.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A deployable passenger restraint system for an automotive vehicle comprising:

an occupant seat mounted on a seat track for adjustable movement in at least a longitudinal direction, the seat track having a movable rail attached in a slidable relationship with a stationary rail mounted to a vehicle floor;
a deployable restraint;
a deployable mechanism for deploying the restraint;
deployable restraint processor means for receiving and processing a plurality of restraint deployment signals and for controlling the deployment mechanism;
and
a seat position sensor comprising:
a generally L-shaped flange adapted to be mounted along a predetermined length of a flange side of the movable rail, the flange attached upside down with a horizontal leg attached on a first end to a flange side of the movable rail and a second end of the horizontal leg attached to a downturned leg;
and
a magnetic sensor adapted to be mounted to the stationary rail on a sensor side adjacent the flange side for sensing presence of the flange and relaying a signal representative of seat position to the deployable restraint processor means, wherein the magnetic sensor has a support member extending from a sensor side of the stationary rail and an upwardly oriented U-shaped sensor member mounted to the support member for receiving the flange therethrough.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Occupant restraint system with seat position sensor

Life of this patent

Occupant restraint system with seat position sensor

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims6