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AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsMark Cuddihy, Joseph Brown, Kirsten Carr
Estimating the term…
An assembly includes a seat 60 having a seat base 64, an occupant sensor positioned in the seat base, said occupant sensor comprising a fluid filled bladder coupled to a pressure sensor, said pressure sensor generating a pressure signal, and an audio system having an electrical output coupled to a speaker, said speaker positioned near the seat, said speaker audibly coupled to the bladder. The assembly includes a compensation circuit (12) for a sensor (22) generating electrical sensor output near a speaker (18) of an audio system (16) that comprises an inverting circuit (26) coupled to the electrical output (16) of the audio system. The inverting circuit (26) generates an inverted electrical signal corresponding to a speaker audio output. A sensor controller (24) coupled to the inverting circuit (26) and the sensor (22) generates a compensated electrical output in response to the electrical sensor output and the inverted electrical signal.
An assembly comprising:
A compensation circuit for compensating a pressure signal of a pressure sensor that is coupled to an occupant sensor positioned in a seat base of a seat, the occupant sensor having a fluid filled bladder, said pressure sensor generating a pressure signal, said compensation circuit coupled to an audio system having an electrical output that is coupled to a speaker, said speaker positioned near the seat, said speaker audibly coupled to the bladder, said compensation circuit comprising:
A method for compensating for an electrical output of a sensor comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Details of, or accessories for, apparatus for measuring steady or quasi-steady pressure
Measuring force, stress, torque, work, mechanical power, mechanical efficiency, or fluid pressure
Term ended 9 Sep 2022 (estimated)
The present invention relates generally to a compensation circuit for automotive sensors, and more particularly, to a circuit to compensate the output of a sensor for noise generated by an audio system.
Sensors are used for various applications in automotive vehicles. Sensors may be located in various locations such as the passenger compartment.
Audio systems include various speakers including a subwoofer. The subwoofer is large and difficult to package. As such, the subwoofer may be positioned in a close proximity to a sensor.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a compensation circuit according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plot of a normal sensor output.
FIG. 3 is a plot of the output of the subwoofer.
The present invention is described with respect to a sensor and subwoofer positioned in a passenger compartment of an automotive vehicle. The present invention may also be used for sensors positioned within the trunk compartment, engine compartment, or various other locations within the automotive vehicle.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a passenger compartment 10 of an automotive vehicle is illustrated having a compensation circuit 12 according to the present invention. The compensation circuit is electrically coupled to an audio system 14. Compensation circuit 12 is preferably coupled to an electrical output 16 of the audio system 14. The electrical output 16 is used to electrically power a speaker 18. Speaker 18 may, for example, be a subwoofer or other type of speaker. The electrical signal from the audio system generated by electrical output 16 is used to drive a transducer coil within speaker 18. The speaker 18 generates audible sound signals 20 which may be received and influence a sensor 22. Thus, the electrical signal corresponds to eventual output of the speaker. Sensor 22 may be one of a variety of types of sensors including a pressure sensor. Thus, the output of the pressure sensor 22 is changed according to the audible signals 20 generated by speaker 18. Sensor 22 is coupled to a sensor controller 24. Controller 24 is preferably microprocessor-based. However, analog and or digital circuitry may also act as a controller.
Compensation circuit 12 includes an inverting circuit 26 that has an input 28 coupled to the electrical output 16 of audio system 14 and therefore to the input of speaker 16. To filter out any DC offset, capacitor C1 may be employed. Capacitor C1 is coupled to input 28 and to a resistor R1. Resistor R1 is coupled between capacitor C1 and the inverting terminal 30 of an operational amplifier 32. Inverting terminal 30 of operational amplifier 32 may also be coupled to a feedback resistor R2 which in turn is coupled to an output 34 of operational amplifier 32. Operational amplifier 32 may also have a non-inverting terminal 36 coupled to a resistor R3 which in turn is coupled to a reference voltage