Method for capacitative object recognition in motor vehicles

US6335684B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• Lutz Eisenmann · Reichenbach/Oberlausitz, DE
• Robert Griessbach · Weyarn, DE
• Yan Lu · Beijing, CN
• Christian Marschner · Munich, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 25, 2000
• Grant date: Jan 1, 2002
• Expiry date: Sep 25, 2020

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G07B13/04
• WIPO field: Transport
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A capacitive object detection system for a vehicle has first and second capacitive electrodes embedded in the vehicle seat. The two electrodes are excited by oppositely phased alternating voltages, which are adjusted by a controller such that the resulting alternating currents in their respective feed lines are substantially equal and oppositely phased. The presence, size and location of an adjacent object is then determined based on an analysis of the impedances of the first and second electrodes.