Abstract: A passenger detection system is provided. The passenger detection system utilizes an oscillation circuit that causes an antenna electrode to emit an electric field that is disrupted by the electrical characteristics of an object placed on the seat. This disruption alters the current and phase of the signal in the antenna electrode. By comparing the current flowing in the antenna electrode and/or the difference between the phase of the signal in the antenna electrode and the oscillation circuit output signal with predetermined threshold values, it is possible to detect the presence of a passenger in a reliable and inexpensive manner.

Abstract: A passenger detection system is provided. The passenger detection system utilizes an oscillation circuit that causes an antenna electrode to emit an electric field that is disrupted by the electrical characteristics of an object placed on the seat. This disruption alters the current and phase of the signal in the antenna electrode. By comparing the current flowing in the antenna electrode and/or the difference between the phase of the signal in the antenna electrode and the oscillation circuit output signal with predetermined threshold values, it is possible to detect the presence of a passenger in a reliable and inexpensive manner. The determination is made with a two layer electrode arrangement, including smaller and larger electrodes. The two layers allow calculation of an amount of compression on the seat. The amount of compression is used to characterize the passenger.

Abstract: A vehicle passenger sensing system and method in which the presence and position of a passenger is determined by transmitting an electric field from a first electrode and measuring currents induced by the electric field in a plurality of receiver electrodes. The induced currents at the various receiver electrodes are then compared to determine the presence of an adult size passenger, to distinguish between front-facing and rear-facing child safety seats, and to detect when a passenger is out of position. A switching circuit is provided to selectively transmit the electric field from each of the plurality of electrodes.

Abstract: An apparatus for determining a plurality of video signal characteristics including analog video frequency, horizontal sync frequency and vertical sync frequency produced by a graphics controller providing the video signal to a video display monitor, includes a memory storing bits which correspond to a set of operating characteristics of the video display monitor, a first circuit coupled to the memory for producing voltage fluctuations on a line based on the stored bits in response to a signal which corresponds to a command to set the characteristics of the video signal provided to the video display monitor, and a second circuit for sensing the voltage fluctuations so as to permit determination of the set of operating characteristics. The first circuit includes a switch operatively coupled between a video line and ground to allow grounding of the video line based on the bits so as to produce the voltage fluctuations. The second circuit comprises a logic element for detecting the voltage fluctuations.

Abstract: A system architecture of a personal computer is modified to increase overall performance including the display of video signals while maintaining PC compatibility. A video control circuit is positioned onto a motherboard so that it directly interfaces with a local bus of a processing unit. The processing unit may include, for example, a 80386 microprocessor and a 82396 cache controller or simply a 80386 or 80486 microprocessor. As a result, the processing unit can directly read data from and write data to the video controller without always having to traverse the peripheral bus. Video data is thus transferred at the rate at which the processing unit operates and not at the slower rate of the peripheral bus.