WO2020023826A1 - Réseau de capteurs utilisant une mousse électriquement conductrice - Google Patents

Réseau de capteurs utilisant une mousse électriquement conductrice Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2020023826A1
WO2020023826A1 PCT/US2019/043577 US2019043577W WO2020023826A1 WO 2020023826 A1 WO2020023826 A1 WO 2020023826A1 US 2019043577 W US2019043577 W US 2019043577W WO 2020023826 A1 WO2020023826 A1 WO 2020023826A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
substrate
sensor array
electrically conductive
foam substrate
polyurethane foam
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2019/043577
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Bruno D. CARRARO
Eric Kozlowski
Original Assignee
Magna Seating Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Magna Seating Inc. filed Critical Magna Seating Inc.
Publication of WO2020023826A1 publication Critical patent/WO2020023826A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
    • H05K1/00—Printed circuits
    • H05K1/16—Printed circuits incorporating printed electric components, e.g. printed resistor, capacitor, inductor
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
    • B60N2/002—Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon
    • B60N2/0021—Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon characterised by the type of sensor or measurement
    • B60N2/0024—Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon characterised by the type of sensor or measurement for identifying, categorising or investigation of the occupant or object on the seat
    • B60N2/0025—Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon characterised by the type of sensor or measurement for identifying, categorising or investigation of the occupant or object on the seat by using weight measurement
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
    • B60N2/002—Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon
    • B60N2/0021—Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon characterised by the type of sensor or measurement
    • B60N2/003—Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon characterised by the type of sensor or measurement characterised by the sensor mounting location in or on the seat
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2210/00—Sensor types, e.g. for passenger detection systems or for controlling seats
    • B60N2210/40—Force or pressure sensors
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
    • H05K1/00—Printed circuits
    • H05K1/16—Printed circuits incorporating printed electric components, e.g. printed resistor, capacitor, inductor
    • H05K1/167—Printed circuits incorporating printed electric components, e.g. printed resistor, capacitor, inductor incorporating printed resistors
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
    • H05K2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to printed circuits covered by H05K1/00
    • H05K2201/01—Dielectrics
    • H05K2201/0104—Properties and characteristics in general
    • H05K2201/0116—Porous, e.g. foam
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
    • H05K2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to printed circuits covered by H05K1/00
    • H05K2201/02—Fillers; Particles; Fibers; Reinforcement materials
    • H05K2201/0275—Fibers and reinforcement materials
    • H05K2201/0293—Non-woven fibrous reinforcement
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
    • H05K2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to printed circuits covered by H05K1/00
    • H05K2201/10—Details of components or other objects attached to or integrated in a printed circuit board
    • H05K2201/10007—Types of components
    • H05K2201/10151—Sensor
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
    • H05K3/00—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits
    • H05K3/10—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits in which conductive material is applied to the insulating support in such a manner as to form the desired conductive pattern
    • H05K3/12—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits in which conductive material is applied to the insulating support in such a manner as to form the desired conductive pattern using thick film techniques, e.g. printing techniques to apply the conductive material or similar techniques for applying conductive paste or ink patterns

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a pressure sensing array that includes an electrically conductive foam for a seat assembly in an automotive vehicle.
  • Automotive vehicles include one or more seat assemblies having a seat cushion and a seat back for supporting a passenger or occupant above a vehicle floor.
  • the seat assembly is commonly mounted to the vehicle floor by a riser assembly.
  • the seat back is typically operatively coupled to the seat cushion by a recliner assembly for providing selective pivotal adjustment of the seat back relative to the seat cushion.
  • Front passenger seat assemblies for automotive vehicles typically include a sensor in the seat cushion to determine the weight of an occupant in the seat assembly.
  • sensors are useful to optimize vehicle safety systems, such as airbag deployment systems.
  • a sensor may send the weight of an occupant to an occupant restraint controller, which may alter the intensity at which an airbag deploys depending on the weight of the occupant.
  • the airbag may deploy at a lower intensity or not deploy at all.
  • Piezoresistive materials and force sensing resistance inks are commonly used in sensor arrays because the electrical resistivity of these materials changes when a mechanical strain is applied. Flowever, these materials present considerable creep; i.e., they exhibit a continuous reduction in resistance while under a constant load.
  • a sensor array comprising an electrically conductive polyurethane foam substrate and a circuit.
  • the electrically conductive polyurethane foam substrate has a top surface and a bottom surface.
  • the circuit is printed on the top surface or the bottom surface of the electrically conductive polyurethane foam substrate.
  • the circuit includes an interdigitated pattern.
  • a sensor array comprising a substrate, a circuit and an electrically conductive polyurethane foam substrate.
  • the circuit is printed on the substrate and includes an interdigitated pattern.
  • the electrically conductive polyurethane foam substrate is on the interdigitated pattern.
  • a sensor array comprising a first substrate, a second substrate, a circuit and an electrically conductive polyurethane foam substrate.
  • the circuit comprises a first conductive trace, a second conductive trace and an interdigitated pattern.
  • the first conductive trace is printed on the first substrate.
  • the second conductive trace is printed on the second substrate.
  • the interdigitated pattern is printed on the second substrate and is connected to the second conductive trace.
  • the electrically conductive polyurethane foam substrate is on the interdigitated pattern to electrically connect the first conductive trace to the second conductive trace.
  • Figure 1 is a perspective view of a seat assembly for an automotive vehicle
  • Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of a sensor array for a seat assembly
  • Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of a sensor array for a seat assembly
  • Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of a third embodiment of a sensor array for a seat assembly.
  • Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a sensor array for a seat assembly.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a seat assembly 10 for use in an automotive vehicle.
  • the seat assembly 10 includes a seat cushion 12 and a seat back 14 operatively coupled to the seat cushion 12 for supporting a seat occupant in a generally upright seating position.
  • the seat back 14 is typically operatively coupled to the seat cushion 12 by a recliner assembly 16 for providing pivotal movement between an upright seating position and a plurality of reclined seating positions.
  • the seat assembly 10 includes a sensor array 18 in the seat cushion 12 to measure the amount of force applied to the seat cushion 12 by an occupant of the seat assembly 10.
  • the seat assembly 10 also includes a sensor array 18 in the seat back 14. Including the sensor array 18 in both the seat cushion 12 and the seat back 14 increases overall performance of the system.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a sensor array 18 in accordance with the present invention.
  • the sensor array 18 includes an electrically conductive polyurethane (PU) foam substrate 20 having a top surface 28 and a bottom surface 30.
  • PU electrically conductive polyurethane
  • Directional references employed or shown in the description, figures or claims, such as top, bottom, upper, lower, upward, downward, lengthwise, widthwise, left, right, and the like, are relative terms employed for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any respect.
  • the PU foam substrate 20 comprises a PU foam formulation as disclosed in U.S. Publication 2017/0320245, WO 2018/175843, or WO 2019/090048, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
  • the conductivity and permittivity of the PU foam substrate 20 change based on the degree of volumetric compression or deflection of the PU foam substrate 20.
  • the resistance of the PU foam substrate 20 decreases.
  • the resistance of the PU foam substrate 20 increases.
  • the resistance of the PU foam substrate 20 is inversely proportional to the magnitude of force applied to the PU foam substrate 20.
  • the PU foam substrate 20 exhibits high resiliency and low hysteresis, and consequently low creep when under a constant force.
  • the sensor array 18 includes a circuit 21 printed onto either the top surface 28 or the bottom surface 30 of the PU foam substrate 20.
  • the circuit 21 includes an interdigitated pattern 24 connecting two or more conductive traces 22, 23.
  • the sensor array 18 also includes thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) films 26 laminated onto both the top surface 28 and the bottom surface 30 of the foam substrate 20 to seal the foam substrate and circuitry 20, 21 together.
  • TPU thermoplastic polyurethane
  • the sensor array 18' includes TPU combined with a non- woven carrier (TPU+Nonwoven) 32 rather than a TPU film 26 laminated onto the bottom surface 30' of the foam substrate 20'.
  • the TPU+Nonwoven 32 reduces elongation of the sensor array 18'.
  • the sensor array 18" includes a circuit 21" which is printed onto a substrate 34.
  • the substrate 34 comprises polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymide (PI), or TPU+Nonwoven.
  • PET polyethylene terephthalate
  • PI polymide
  • TPU+Nonwoven a small piece of the electrically conductive PU foam substrate 20" is placed onto the interdigitated pattern 24", and a TPU film 26" is laminated onto the substrate 34.
  • the sensor array 18' includes a lower substrate 38 and an upper substrate 40.
  • Each substrate 38, 40 comprises PET, PI, or TPU+Nonwoven.
  • a first conductive trace 22'" is printed onto the lower substrate 38 and a second conductive trace 23'" is printed onto the upper substrate 40.
  • the interdigitated pattern 24'" is printed on the upper substrate 40 and is connected to the second conductive trace 23'".
  • the interdigitated pattern 24'" may be printed on the lower substrate 38 connected to the first conductive trace 22'".
  • a small piece of an electrically conductive PU foam substrate 20'" is placed onto the interdigitated pattern 24'".
  • An adhesive layer 36 attaches the upper substrate 40 to the lower substrate 38 to connect the interdigitated pattern 24'" to the first and second conductive traces 22'", 23'".
  • the adhesive layer 36 comprises polyurethane or polyacrylate.
  • the interdigitated pattern 24 represents a single sensing cell in the sensor array 18.
  • the sensor array 18 preferably includes a plurality of interdigitated patterns 24 to measure a plurality of forces applied to the seat cushion 12 and/or seat back 14 by an occupant.
  • the electrically conductive PU foam substrate 20 bridges the electrical connection across the interdigitated pattern 24 to provide electrical connection between the conductive traces 22, 23. Because the resistance of the PU foam substrate 20 is inversely proportional to the magnitude of force applied to the PU foam substrate 20, the PU foam substrate 20 acts as a variable resistor between the conductive traces 22, 23.
  • a multiplexer may be used to sample the signals among the individual sensing locations (i.e., from each interdigitated pattern 24) and then direct the signals to an electronic control unit (not shown) for further processing. For example, assuming the sensor array 18 includes "n" driving lines and "m" sensing lines, the multiplexer will transmit an array of (nxm) elements to the electronic control unit.
  • the electronic control unit may process the data depending on the intended use of the data.
  • the data may be provided to an occupant classification system to determine the weight of an occupant in the seat assembly.
  • the sensor array 18 may be used with the occupant classification system disclosed in U.S. Application No. PCT/US2019/42167 for "Systems and Methods for Occupant Classification," filed on July 17, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference.
  • the data may be used in advanced comfort solutions.
  • the array may be used to perform gradient calculations and thresholds on a particular seat segment relative to the H- Point of the occupant. The resulting pressure gradient relative to the Fl-Point may be used to adjust the positioning of the seat cushion and seat back to optimize occupant comfort.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Seats For Vehicles (AREA)

Abstract

Un réseau de capteurs 18 comprend un substrat 20 en mousse de polyuréthane électriquement conducteur et un circuit 21. Le substrat en mousse de polyuréthane électriquement conducteur a une surface supérieure 28 et une surface inférieure 30. Le circuit est imprimé sur la surface supérieure ou sur la surface inférieure du substrat en mousse de polyuréthane électriquement conducteur. Le circuit comprend un motif interdigité 24 et des traces conductrices 22, 23.
PCT/US2019/043577 2018-07-27 2019-07-26 Réseau de capteurs utilisant une mousse électriquement conductrice WO2020023826A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US201862703910P 2018-07-27 2018-07-27
US62/703,910 2018-07-27

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2020023826A1 true WO2020023826A1 (fr) 2020-01-30

Family

ID=67659961

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US2019/043577 WO2020023826A1 (fr) 2018-07-27 2019-07-26 Réseau de capteurs utilisant une mousse électriquement conductrice

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2020023826A1 (fr)

Citations (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5060527A (en) * 1990-02-14 1991-10-29 Burgess Lester E Tactile sensing transducer
US20070084293A1 (en) * 2005-10-14 2007-04-19 Terrance Kaiserman Pressure responsive sensor
US9075404B2 (en) 2009-10-16 2015-07-07 Bebop Sensors, Inc. Foot-operated controller
US9442614B2 (en) 2014-05-15 2016-09-13 Bebop Sensors, Inc. Two-dimensional sensor arrays
US20170184390A1 (en) * 2014-07-03 2017-06-29 Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. System for detecting deformation of cushion pad and production thereof
US20170305301A1 (en) 2016-04-22 2017-10-26 Bebop Sensors, Inc. Vehicle seat sensor systems for use with occupant classification systems
US20170320245A1 (en) 2016-05-04 2017-11-09 Magna Seating Inc Process To Manufacture Ultra High Filled Urethane Foam
WO2018175843A1 (fr) 2017-03-24 2018-09-27 Magna Seating Inc. Procédé de fabrication destiné à des mousses d'uréthane fortement chargées
WO2019090048A1 (fr) 2017-11-03 2019-05-09 Magna Seating Inc. Mousse d'uréthane électroconductrice

Patent Citations (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5060527A (en) * 1990-02-14 1991-10-29 Burgess Lester E Tactile sensing transducer
US20070084293A1 (en) * 2005-10-14 2007-04-19 Terrance Kaiserman Pressure responsive sensor
US9075404B2 (en) 2009-10-16 2015-07-07 Bebop Sensors, Inc. Foot-operated controller
US9442614B2 (en) 2014-05-15 2016-09-13 Bebop Sensors, Inc. Two-dimensional sensor arrays
US9652101B2 (en) 2014-05-15 2017-05-16 Bebop Sensors, Inc. Two-dimensional sensor arrays
US20170184390A1 (en) * 2014-07-03 2017-06-29 Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. System for detecting deformation of cushion pad and production thereof
US20170305301A1 (en) 2016-04-22 2017-10-26 Bebop Sensors, Inc. Vehicle seat sensor systems for use with occupant classification systems
US20170320245A1 (en) 2016-05-04 2017-11-09 Magna Seating Inc Process To Manufacture Ultra High Filled Urethane Foam
WO2018175843A1 (fr) 2017-03-24 2018-09-27 Magna Seating Inc. Procédé de fabrication destiné à des mousses d'uréthane fortement chargées
WO2019090048A1 (fr) 2017-11-03 2019-05-09 Magna Seating Inc. Mousse d'uréthane électroconductrice

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