Capacitive sensing system

US9775195B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-9775195-B2
Application numberUS-54182609-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateAug 14, 2009
Priority dateAug 15, 2008
Publication dateSep 26, 2017
Grant dateSep 26, 2017

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  1. Title

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  2. Abstract

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  3. Assignees and inventors

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  4. Key dates

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  5. First independent claim

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  6. CPC / IPC classifications

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  7. Citations and related patents

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Abstract

Official abstract text for this publication.

A combined heating system and occupant sensing system for a vehicle seat includes first and second electrodes connected in series and a controller configured to direct a heating current to the first and second electrodes. The controller is configured to isolate the first and second electrodes from the heating current and, at the same time, provide a sensing current to only one of the first and second electrodes.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

What is claimed is: 1. A combined heating system and occupant sensing system for a vehicle seat, comprising: first and second electrodes electrically connected in series; and a controller configured to direct a same heating current to the first and second electrodes, wherein the controller is configured to isolate the first and second electrodes from the heating current and, at the same time, provide a sensing current to only one of the first and second electrodes. 2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an impedance between the second electrode and a node, and wherein the controller is configured to provide a shield signal to the node. 3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a substantially high impedance coupled between the first and second electrodes. 4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second electrodes are in a same plane or are in separate planes. 5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode is isolatable from a power supply and the second electrode is isolatable from ground using electronic switches. 6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode is isolatable from ground and the second electrode is isolatable from a power supply using electronic switches. 7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second electrode is made of a different material than the first electrode. 8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second electrode is a different shape than the first electrode. 9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode, the second electrode, or a combination thereof comprises a wire, a conductive film, a conductive sheet, or a conductive fabric. 10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second electrode is configured to heat a different portion of the seat than the first electrode. 11. A combined heating system and occupant sensing system for a vehicle seat comprising: first and second electrodes electrically connected in series; and a controller configured to direct a same heating current to the first and second electrodes, wherein the controller is configured to isolate the first and second electrodes from the heating current and, at the same time, provide a sensing current to only one of the first and the second electrodes, wherein there is an impedance between the second electrode and a node and the controller is configured to provide a shield signal to the node, and wherein a substantially high impedance is coupled between the first and second electrodes. 12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first and second electrodes are in a same plane or are in separate planes. 13. The system of claim 11 , wherein: the first electrode is isolated from a power supply and the second electrode is isolated from ground using electronic switches; or the first electrode is isolated from ground and the second electrode is isolated from a power supply using electronic switches. 14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the second electrode is at least one of a different shape than the first electrode and a different material from the first electrode. 15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the second electrode is configured to heat a different portion of the seat than the first electrode. 16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to receive a signal from the one of the first and second electrodes and to determine an environment above the seat from the signal. 17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the controller is configured to receive a signal from the one of the first and second electrodes and to determine an environment above the seat from the signal.

Assignees

Inventors

Classifications

  • H05B1/0238Primary

    For seats · CPC title

  • Methods and devices for control or regulation · CPC title

Patent family

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External sources

Frequently asked questions

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What does patent US9775195B2 cover?
A combined heating system and occupant sensing system for a vehicle seat includes first and second electrodes connected in series and a controller configured to direct a heating current to the first and second electrodes. The controller is configured to isolate the first and second electrodes from the heating current and, at the same time, provide a sensing current to only one of the first and …
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Tabaczynski Michael, Tk Holdings Inc
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification H05B1/0238. Mapped technology areas include Electricity.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue Sep 26 2017 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 8 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).