Apparatus and method for measuring weight of an occupying item of a seat

A method for classifying an occupying item in a seat, comprising the steps of:

• measuring the force applied to the seat by the occupying item at time intervals;
• and
• identifying the existence of patterns in the measurements of the force applied to the seat over time and analyzing any identified pattern to determine if it approximates a known pattern indicative of an animate object or an inanimate object,
• the step of identifying the existence of patterns comprising the step of utilizing a pattern recognition algorithm to identify patterns in the measurements of the force applied to the seat over time.

An arrangement for determining weight of an occupying item in a seat and whether the occupying item is alive while the seat is moving, comprising:

• at least one force sensor arranged to obtain a measurement of the force applied to the seat by the occupying item;
• a determination arrangement arranged to determine a function representative of forces which affect the weight of the occupying item;
• and
• a processor coupled to said at least one force sensor and said determination arrangement for receiving the measurement of the force applied to the seat from said at least one force sensor and the function from said determination arrangement and determining the weight of the occupying item based thereon,
• said processor being arranged to differentiate between animate and inanimate objects by analyzing measurements from said at least one force sensor over time and the function from said determination arrangement over time in order to determine whether the occupying item is alive.

An arrangement for determining weight and position of an occupying item in a seat while the seat is moving, comprising:

• at least one force sensor arranged to obtain a measurement of the force applied to the seat by the occupying item;
• a determination arrangement arranged to determine a function representative of forces which affect the weight of the occupying item;
• and
• a processor coupled to said at least one force sensor and said determination arrangement for receiving the measurement of the force applied to the seat from said at least one force sensor and the function from said determination arrangement and determining the weight of the occupying item based thereon,
• said processor being arranged to determine the position of the occupying item on the seat by analyzing the measurements from said at least one force sensor over time and the function from said determination arrangement over time.

An arrangement for determining weight and position of an occupying item in a seat in a vehicle while the seat is moving, comprising:

• at least one force sensor arranged to obtain a measurement of the force applied to the seat by the occupying item;
• measuring means for measuring dynamic forces applied to the seat resulting from motion of the vehicle;
• and
• a processor coupled to said at least one force sensor and said measuring means for receiving the measurement of the force applied to the seat from said at least one force sensor and the dynamic forces from said measuring means, said processor being arranged to determine the weight of the occupying item based thereon,
• said processor being arranged to determine the position of the occupying item on the seat by analyzing the measurements from said at least one force sensor over time and the dynamic forces applied to the seat from said measuring means over time.