RU2593653C1 - Method of weighing individuals on vehicle seat, onboard system of weighing and weight moderator - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: motor industry.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to vehicle equipment, which enables to determine the weight of individuals sitting on a vehicle seat. Onboard system for weighing individuals in a vehicle includes a weighing device, weight moderator installed on a vertical platform, pressure switch and a computing and control device connected to the weighing device. Weighing device is installed in the vehicle seat and equipped with a source of output signal proportional to the weight of an individual sitting on a vehicle seat. Pressure switch is connected to computing and control device and equipped with a source of the output signal. Weighing method involves placing an individual on the vehicle seat, horizontal effect on the weight moderator of those parts of body which do not rest on the seat, pressing the switch with a signal sent to the computing and control device for beginning storing of weighing data and data processing of measurement in the computing and control device.

EFFECT: preventing excessive weight and obesity.

23 cl, 6 dwg

Description

Technical field

The invention relates to vehicle equipment, which allows to determine the weight of a person in a car seat. The invention can be used to adjust the pressure in the airbag, that is, the shock force of the airbag applied to the human body during a road accident. The invention can also be used to prevent overweight and obesity due to the large number of possible weighings and to identify the dynamics of weight gain, sufficient for timely warning a person about a detected tendency to overweight or obesity.

State of the art

To accurately measure the weight of a person in a car, it is necessary to measure the weight of his body on the seat and the weight of his legs. Usually this requires two weighing devices, which makes such a measurement of weight in a car quite difficult. When weighing a person using only one weighing device in the seat, the error in measuring weight can be 20-30%. In this case, a reduction in the error of weight measurement is possible when lifting the legs during weighing, which sometimes requires considerable effort and is usually not practiced. There are other ways of correlating weight with different positions of a person and parts of his body in the passenger compartment, which also does not guarantee accurate measurement of weight.

Known equipment for weighing a person in a car, including a weight sensor and a seat tilt sensor (patent US 5573269, 1996). The equipment does not allow to directly determine the true weight of a person, for which it is necessary to introduce a correction to the measured weight, determined by the data of the seat tilt sensor.

An on-board automobile weight determination system is also known which weighs the weight of the driver’s seat when the gear lever is in the neutral position and remembers its value in order to calculate the weight of the driver, who will later be weighed together with the seat (US patent 6649848, 2003 ) The inconvenience of using the system is that the driver should not touch the floor and pedals while weighing.

The weighing device in a car, described in patent RU 2354284, 2007, contains two weighing devices - the main one located in the car seat and an additional one for weighing the legs. Perhaps another additional device for weighing the hands lying on the steering wheel. The disadvantage of this apparatus is the complexity of the design and method of weighing due to the need for the simultaneous use of several weighing devices and the addition of the results.

Thus, all known methods for accurately measuring the weight of a person in a car are either rather complicated or inconvenient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention with a simpler design allows you to quickly get a more accurate result of weighing both the driver and passengers of the car.

The use of automobile transport, especially passenger, for accompanying regular and convenient measurements of the weight of the driver and passengers significantly exceeds the number of weight measurements obtained at home or as a result of visits to medical institutions. This allows us to make the short-term prediction of a tendency to excessive weight or obesity more efficient and reliable.

Weighing a person in a car is also desirable for systems with airbags in which, by accurately weighing a person, the excessive impact force of an airbag inflating that affects a person in the event of a road accident can be eliminated.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The above and other objectives and advantages will become more apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, including:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an on-board system for weighing a person in a car according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart according to one embodiment of a method for weighing a person in a car according to the invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart according to another embodiment of a method for weighing a person in a car in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of the location of a person when weighing in a car.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a weight moderator structure according to the invention.

FIG. 6 is an algorithm for automatically weighing a driver in a moving car during taxiing out of a parking lot.

In FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an on-board system for weighing a person in a car, consisting of a computing and control device 1, which includes a microcontroller and a wireless communication device, such as a smartphone, or can use the capabilities of an on-board computer, a simplified weighing device 2 for weighing a person in a car, which includes airborne weighing device 3 and weight moderator 4, communication device 5, which can be used as a smartphone, and meter 6 growth ma lazy children. The microcontroller and smartphone interact with other devices by using their memory, programs, and peripherals. The weighing apparatus 2 can interact with the communication device 5 with the programs loaded into it. The weighing system starts to function when the driver presses the engine start button. Voltage is applied to the weighing device 3, and it is calibrated by the computing and control device 1. A person’s weighing system in a car can operate autonomously or as a unit of another system where it is necessary to measure a person’s weight in a car, for example, in a person’s car safety systems, in particular using a pillow safety (Supplemental Restraint System -SRS), or in the Global Obesity Preventing System (GOPS system), which can include several external modules and modules located in the car.

If weighing a person in a car is used for the Global Obesity Preventing System (GOPS system), the person’s weight is converted to BMI (Body Mass Index). If a small child is weighed, BMI can be calculated by using the child's height measured using a growth meter 6 located on the car ceiling above the weighing device 3, corresponding to the weight measurement range. Wireless communication device 5 provides the person’s vehicle weighing system with the ability to send a message including the results of weight measurement and a warning in the event of a trend towards overweight or obesity through the Trend Obesity Preventing Service (TOPS).

In FIG. 2, a human weighting algorithm 80 is presented using a weight moderator located above the seat level. When the driver of the car in step 82 presses the button of the outdoor wireless vehicle control panel, voltage 83 is applied to the weighing device 3 and the weighing device 3 is calibrated. The microcontroller or smartphone 5 remembers the initial output voltage of the weighing devices 3 in the car seats. These data will be used in the future. After the driver has selected a specific seat and the name of the person to be weighed, the system checks whether the person selected for weighing is the driver or a small child. If the infant or young child is weighed, go to step 89. If the driver is weighed (step 84), the position of the gear lever is checked at step 85. If the gear lever is not in the neutral position (in the parking lot), this means that the vehicle is moving , and a follow-up diagram is shown in FIG. 6 "Automatic driver weighing."

If at step 85 the gearshift lever is in the neutral position, then at step 86 it is checked whether one of the weight moderators placed above the seat level is pressed and the timer 87 is started at the same time. If there is no signal to press one of the weight moderators within a predetermined time , then they return to step 86. If one of the weight moderators is pressed before the end of the predetermined waiting time and at the same time as the weight moderator is pressed, the weighed person will raise his legs from the floor of the car, then at 89, a person is checked in the appropriate seat. If so, the person will be weighed in steps 91-92 and the measurement data will be processed in step 95. If the infant or small child is weighed, go to step 94 and the child’s height will be measured and used to calculate the BMI value.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an algorithm for weighing a person in a car using a weight moderator located below the seat level. When the driver of the car in step 62 presses a button of the outdoor wireless vehicle control panel, voltage is supplied to the weighing device 3 in step 63 and the weighing device 3 is calibrated. The microcontroller or smartphone 5 remembers the initial output voltage of the weighing devices 3 in the car seats. After the driver has selected the seat and the name of the person to be weighed, the system checks whether the selected person is the driver or a small child. If the small child is weighed, go to step 69. If the driver is weighed (step 64), the position of the gear lever is checked at step 65. If the position of the gear lever is not in the neutral position (in the parking lot), this means that the car is moving, and a follow-up diagram is shown in FIG. 6 "Automatic driver weighing."

If at step 65 the gearshift lever is in the neutral position, then the person’s feet are checked on a weight moderator located below the seat level. If the person’s legs are not on the weight moderator, a timer 67 starts to wait for the legs to appear on the weight moderator for a predetermined time interval. If this does not happen, they return to step 66. If, on the other hand, a signal about the appearance of an individual’s leg appears on the weight moderator before the end of the predetermined time interval, at step 69, the presence of a person in the seat is checked by processing data from the weighing device 3. After the person appears in the seat weigh it in steps 71-72 and process the measured data in step 75. If a small child is weighed, go to step 74 and the child’s height will be measured and used to calculate B MI

In FIG. 4, reference numeral 9 denotes a weighing device located under the seat 10. Reference numeral 11 denotes a computing and control device connected by wires to the weighing device 9 and push switch 12, which is part of a weight moderator located above the seat level and integrated into the vehicle control panel. Position 13 denotes the floor of the car.

The embodiment of the weight moderator shown in FIG. 5, Used when the weight moderator is mounted on the car pedal. In the drawing, numeral 20 denotes a pedal, numeral 21 denotes a sleeve, inside of which a spring 22 is placed. The sleeve is attached with one end to a vertical platform 23. The spring 22 is bounded at both ends by washers 24 and 25, respectively. The washer 24 is connected by a rod 26 to the pedal 20. Between the opposite washer 25 and the vertical platform 23 is a push switch or button 27. Button 27 is connected to the computing and control device drives (not shown).

In FIG. 6 shows an algorithm 120 for automatically weighing a driver in a moving car while it is taxiing out of a garage, home or street parking. The automatic driver weighing procedure is as follows. When the car is in the parking lot with the doors closed, the driver at step 121, using the wireless vehicle control panel, turns on (energizes) the weighing devices that are being calibrated. The microcontroller or smartphone remembers the initial output voltage of the weighing devices in the car seats. When the driver sits in the seat, the gear lever is in the neutral position. Before taxiing the car out of the parking lot, the driver, in step 122, puts his left foot (for right-handed people) on the pedal of the weight moderator, puts his right foot on the brake pedal, switches the gear lever to the Forward / Backward position (depending on the position of the car in the parking lot), puts his hands on steering wheel on which weight moderators are installed. After that, the driver slightly releases the brake pedal for taxiing the car out of the parking lot at a parking speed and, possibly, repeatedly presses and releases the brake pedal during taxiing out of the parking lot. During this taxiing period, the driver will be automatically weighed. The position of the gearshift lever is checked at step 123. If the gearshift lever is still in the neutral position, they return to the beginning of step 123 in anticipation of taxiing. If the gearshift lever is in the Forward or Backward position, this means that the car is ready to taxi out and the condition of the brake pedal is checked at step 124. If the driver’s right foot is on the brake pedal and presses it, the car will not move and the brake will continuously scanned. If the driver decided to taxi the car out of the parking lot, he lifts his right foot off the brake pedal and releases it. The car starts to move. The state of the gas pedal is checked at step 125. If the gas pedal is pressed, then go to step 124. If the gas pedal is not pressed and the driver’s right foot is not on the floor, which is checked at step 126, then the computing and control device 1 starts reading at step 129 from weighing device in the driver's seat weighing results. At the same time, timer 128 begins to measure the time interval required by the weighing device in the driver's seat to complete one measurement of its weight. If the brake pedal is not pressed for an interval longer than the interval necessary for the weighing device in the driver's seat to complete one measurement of its weight, and the driver’s left foot on the pedals of the weight moderator, the computing and control device will record the result of one measurement of the driver’s weight in its memory at step 134. The output of the meter 130 of the number of measurements will increase by one. The timer 128 will be reset, and the computing and control device will begin to read from the weighing device in the driver's seat the next result of its weighing. Each time the right foot of the driver releases the brake pedal, the computing and control device starts to read the next result of its weighing from the weighing device in the driver's seat and continues until the brake pedal is pressed again by the driver to brake. Since the driver’s left leg is on the weight moderator, and the driver’s hands are on the steering wheel, which also has weight moderators, the driver’s weight, measured in the car, will be almost equal to its real weight. If during the next measurement of the driver’s weight, the brake pedal is pressed by the right foot of the driver before the measurement time ends, the computing and control device will delete the result of the current weight measurement in steps 127 and 133. If the number of measurements is insufficient, the weighing procedure will continue when the brake pedal is not pressed again until the required number of measurements in step 131 is obtained, which will be processed in step 134.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Proposed according to the invention, a method of weighing a person on a car seat is carried out using the on-board system of the car, comprising at least one weighing device connected to the car seat; at least one weight moderator and a computing and control device connected to the weighing device. The weight moderator contains a vertical platform and a horizontal guide, and at least one push-button switch is installed on the vertical platform.

The method involves placing a person on a car seat, horizontal impact on the weight moderator of those body parts that do not rely on the seat, pressing a switch with an output signal to a computing and control device to start measuring and memorizing the weight of a person on the weighing device, and processing and storing measurement data in a computing and control device.

In order to fully rely only on the weighing device under the seat of the car, the person being weighed must tear off his legs from the floor. In this case, a moment of force arises, overturning the upper body forward. To compensate for this moment, you can lightly press horizontally with your finger on a vertical platform located, for example, on the steering wheel or on the front panel of the car, which will allow you to easily and effortlessly tear off your legs from the floor. The result of measuring the weight of the entire human body, including the legs, in this case will be very accurate, since horizontal finger pressure on the vertical platform of the car practically does not affect the measurement result. This is due to the fact that with such a press, no additional vertical force is created that can distort the result of the weight measurement. Horizontal pressure on various vertical areas of the car can be made closest to them and most convenient for this part of the person’s body on the seat (finger on the steering wheel or on the front panel, elbow on the front door, nape of the head on the headrest, etc.).

The indicated variant of the method of weighing a person in a car can be used to weigh the driver and any category of passengers in a parked car. Adult passengers can also be weighed in a moving car. As for the driver, he can be weighed automatically (meaning without any instructions or instructions) according to the second variant of the method of weighing a person in a car while taxiing the car out of the parking lot. The algorithm for automatically weighing the driver in a moving car during taxiing from the parking lot is shown in FIG. 6 and described above. If the compensating force is applied not strictly horizontally (and this happens in the vast majority of cases when pressing is performed with the foot), a weight moderator is used. The weight moderator redirects the inclined force applied to it in the horizontal direction. This improves weighing accuracy.

The weight moderator, which is another object of the invention, contains a vertical platform to which a push switch or at least one horizontal spring or elastic element can be connected with the possibility of redirecting the force to the weight moderator, applied not strictly horizontally to its vertical platform, into the horizontal force applied to the vertical platform of the car. The spring or elastic element may be located partially inside the cylinder, which is installed on a vertical platform of the weight moderator.

The weighted moderator can be placed above the seat level and integrated into the steering wheel, the control panel of the car or its side door, and the moderator is usually affected by the hands of a person being weighed.

The weight moderator can also be located below the seat level, for example, at the level of the foot pedals, including can be mounted on a footrest or pedals. It is also acceptable to install a weight moderator with the possibility of extension from the bottom of the seat. In this case, the horizontal impact on the weight moderator is made by the feet of the person being weighed. Moreover, if the weight moderator extends from the bottom of the seat, then he presses the back of the person’s legs and directs it forward and upward from the floor in the horizontal direction, which does not affect the measurement result at this time of the person’s weight.

Another object of the invention is an on-board system for weighing a person in a car. The on-board system includes:

a weighing device integrated in the car seat and provided with an output source proportional to the weight of the person sitting on the seat;

at least one weight moderator;

at least one push-button switch mounted on a vertical platform connected to a computing and control device and provided with an output signal source;

computing and control device (on-board computer) connected to the weighing device.

The push switch is located on a separate vertical platform of the car, which can be performed on the surface of the steering wheel or control panel of the car.

The on-board system may contain at least one pair of switches, one of which is located above the seat level, and the other is below the seat level, and the switches are part of the weight moderator.

In the on-board system, a weighing device can be integrated into at least one of the seats of the car, and the computing and control device is capable of separately weighing a passenger on each of the seats having an integrated weighing device.

The weight moderator for the rear seat is usually placed on a vertical platform in the back of the front seat.

Regardless of its location, the weight moderator can be configured to adjust its position.

For cases where the weight of the child is measured, in the on-board system according to the invention, at least one of the car’s seats is also equipped with an electronic device for measuring his height.

A method of controlling an on-board weighing system of a person in a car and the operation of the system itself include:

scanning calibration values of all weighing devices;

selection of an object for weighing using a program located in a computing and control device;

determining the presence of the selected object in the selected car seat;

measuring a person’s weight using a weighing device connected to the car seat by collecting data using a microcontroller of a computing and control device;

storing the weighing data of each individual person in a computing and control device for subsequent weighing and determining the dynamics of a person’s weight change;

the results of several weighings over a certain period of time determine the likelihood of an overweight person or obesity in the person and, if a person is likely to become overweight or obese, the on-board system sends a message to the person and / or his doctor.

When boarding a car, a person (driver or passenger) intending to carry out the weighing procedure assumes a position in which with all his weight he will put pressure on the weighing device under the car seat. In FIG. 4 shows the position in which a person presses the weight moderator with his hand and at the same time raises his legs from the floor. In another variant of weighing, a person can raise his legs and with one foot press the pedal of the weight moderator (Fig. 5). In both cases, when the weight moderator is pressed, its spring or elastic element activates the pressure switch, after which it sends a signal to the computing and control device to start storing the weighing result of the person coming from the weighing device, and the weighing result is transmitted for subsequent processing.

In any of the variants of the invention, accurate one-time weighing of a person in a car occurs within one to two seconds. Since the same driver and the same passengers regularly use the same car for days, weeks, and months, information about the successive weighings of a particular person stored in the computing and control device of the on-board system will show the dynamics of the person’s weight change, including the likelihood of a person becoming overweight or obese.

A weight moderator and a push button integrated above a person’s seat in a car, for example, into a car’s control panel or into the back of a forward-looking person’s seat, can be replaced with a fingerprint or palm scanner, whose contact (sensitive) surface is vertical.

The driver of the car can select the seat in which the weighing device is built in and select (register in the on-board system) the person who will be weighed on this seat. When registering a person on a seat in which a weight device is integrated and a fingerprint scanner is available, different people can be weighed on this seat and the results of measuring their weights will be automatically entered into the corresponding memory cells of the computing and control devices, which is very important for large families. The obtained weight measurement results can be adjusted during processing. The weighing devices in the seats can have different weighing ranges (which are stored in the memory of the computing and control devices). This is taken into account by the driver or technical service representative in the mode of periodic verification and calibration of weighing devices. For example, in a separate seat isolated from the common bench of second-row passengers, available on large passenger cars, in which a weight device with a maximum permissible measurement weight, for example 50 kg, is built in, the driver can weigh the child. Correction of data from clothes and shoes, which depends on the weight and age of the person, as well as on the time of year, can be made on the basis of available or easily obtained statistics or by direct measurement in a car. Corrections of small stable errors when measuring a person’s weight, for example, caused by the state of the seat belt (using the state of the seat belt signal) or by foot pressing the low-level weight moderator or the brake pedal, can be detected and stored in the memory of the computing and control devices before using the vehicle, and this procedure can be repeated if necessary.

When measuring the weight of a child, the method provides for the following:

choosing a car seat equipped with a built-in weighing device, over which a device for measuring passenger height is installed on the car ceiling, connected to a computing and control device;

measure the weight of the child in the seat;

a device for measuring growth measures the distance from the device to the seat,

put the child in the seat

a device for measuring growth measures the distance from the device to the child’s head,

a device for measuring growth calculates the growth of the child and sends the result to a computing and control device.

Based on the results of several weighings over a certain period of time, the probability of the child’s excess weight or obesity is determined, and if the child is likely to become overweight or obese, the on-board system sends a message to the parents and / or the child’s doctor.

The advantage of the invention is that it provides accurate and convenient weighing for all age categories of car users.

Claims (23)

1. A method of weighing a person in a car seat using an on-board system including
- a weighing device connected to the car seat;
- at least one weight moderator containing a vertical platform and a horizontal guide;
- at least one push-button switch mounted on a vertical platform;
- computing and control device connected to the weighing device,
the method involves placing a person on a car seat, horizontal impact on the weight moderator of those body parts that do not rely on the seat, pressing a switch with an output signal to the computing and control device to start storing the weighing data and processing the measurement data in the computing and control device . 2. The method according to p. 1, characterized in that the weight moderator is located below the seat level and the horizontal impact on the moderator is performed by the feet of the person being weighed. 3. The method according to p. 2, characterized in that for automatic weighing of the driver in a moving car provides the following actions:
the driver’s left foot is placed on the pedal of the weight moderator,
the driver’s right foot is placed on the brake pedal,
the condition of the brake pedal is checked with the brake signal,
the right foot of the driver releases the brake pedal - the car starts to move,
the condition of the gas pedal is checked with a gas signal,
the computing and control device, when the gas pedal is not pressed, begins to read the driver’s weighing results from the weighing device in his seat,
the previous action continues until the brake or gas pedal is pressed by the driver,
weighing results are processed in the computing and control device with the brake or gas pedal depressed. 4. The method according to p. 1, characterized in that the weight moderator is located above the seat level, and the horizontal impact on the weight moderator is carried out by the hands of the person being weighed, and the weight moderator transmits the received influence on the vertical part of the car horizontally. 5. On-board weighing system of a person in a car, including
a weighing device integrated in the car seat and provided with an output source proportional to the weight of the person sitting on the seat;
at least one weight moderator;
at least one push-button switch mounted on a vertical platform connected to a computing and control device and provided with an output signal source;
computing and control device connected to a weighing device. 6. The on-board system according to claim 5, in which the switch is located on a separate vertical platform of the car. 7. The on-board system according to claim 6, in which a separate vertical platform is made on the surface of the steering wheel or control panel of the car. 8. The on-board system according to claim 5, which contains at least one pair of switches, one of which is located above the seat level, and the other switch is located below the seat level, and the switches are part of the weight moderator. 9. The on-board system according to claim 5, in which the weighing devices are integrated in several seats of the car, and the computing and control device is configured to separately weigh a person in each of the seats having an integrated weighing device. 10. The on-board system according to claim 9, in which the weighing device is integrated in each of the seats of the car. 11. The on-board system according to claim 10, in which the weight moderator for the rear seat is placed on a vertical platform in the back of the front seat. 12. The on-board system according to claim 5, in which the weight moderator is configured to adjust its position. 13. The on-board system according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the car seats has a device for measuring passenger height. 14. A weighted moderator comprising a vertical platform receiving a horizontal force applied to a spherical or vertical surface of a force application site and transmitting a horizontal effect to a vertical surface of a vehicle. 15. The weight moderator according to claim 14, characterized in that at least one horizontal spring or elastic element is connected to the vertical platform of the weight moderator with the ability to redirect the force exerted on the weight moderator, applied not strictly horizontally, to the horizontal force applied to vertical platform of the car. 16. A weighted moderator according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that it is placed above the seat level and is integrated in the control panel of the car or in its side door. 17. The weight moderator according to claim 16, characterized in that it comprises a fingerprint or palm scanner accessible to a person in this seat, and the sensitive surface of the scanner is vertical, and its output signal is supplied to a computing and monitoring device. 18. The weight moderator according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that it is placed below the seat level and mounted on a footrest or pedal. 19. A weighted moderator according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that it is placed below the seat level and installed with the possibility of extension from the bottom of the seat. 20. The weight moderator according to claim 14, characterized in that the spring or elastic element is partially located inside the cylinder, which is mounted horizontally on a vertical platform of the weight moderator. 21. A method of controlling an on-board weighing system of a person in a car, including:
scanning calibration values of all weighing devices;
selection of an object for weighing using a program located in a computing and control device;
determining the presence of the selected object in the selected car seat;
measuring a person’s weight using a weighing device connected to the car seat by collecting data using a microcontroller of a computing and control device;
storing the weighing data of each individual person in a computing and control device for subsequent weighing and determining the dynamics of a person’s weight change;
the results of several weighings over a certain period of time determine the likelihood of an overweight person or obesity in the person and, if a person is likely to become overweight or obese, the on-board system sends a message to the person and / or his doctor. 22. The method according to p. 20, characterized in that when measuring the weight of the child provides the following actions:
choose a car seat equipped with a built-in weighing device, over which on the ceiling of the car is installed a device for measuring passenger growth, connected to a computing and control device,
put or place the child in the seat,
measure the weight of the child
put the child in the seat
measure the height of the child. 23. The method according to p. 22, characterized in that according to the results of several weighings over a certain period of time, the probability of excess weight or obesity of the child is determined and, if the child is likely to become overweight or obese, the on-board system sends a message to the parents and / or to the attending physician of the child.

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