Patents by Inventor Michael R. Wills

Michael R. Wills has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Vehicle occupant position detector and airbag control system
    Patent number: 6394490
    Abstract: An automobile seat occupant sensor and airbag control system for detecting the location and weight of a person in a car and a seat inclination angle. The system includes an airbag and an airbag deployment mechanism for deploying the airbag. Several sensors are fixedly located in a weight path of the vehicle seat. The sensors are located between a seat bottom and a vehicle floor. A controller is connected between the airbag deployment mechanism and the sensors for controlling deployment of the airbag. The controller calculates a center of gravity of the seat occupant, weight of the occupant and a seat inclination angle and uses this information to control deployment of the airbag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: CTS Corporation
    Inventors: William Osmer, Michael R. Wills, Patrick B. Blakesley
  • Vehicle occupant position detector and airbag control system
    Publication number: 20010010424
    Abstract: An automobile seat occupant sensor and airbag control system for detecting the location and weight of a person in a car and a seat inclination angle. The system includes an airbag and an airbag deployment mechanism for deploying the airbag. Several sensors are fixedly located in a weight path of the vehicle seat. The sensors are located between a seat bottom and a vehicle floor. A controller is connected between the airbag deployment mechanism and the sensors for controlling deployment of the airbag. The controller calculates a center of gravity of the seat occupant, weight of the occupant and a seat inclination angle and uses this information to control deployment of the airbag.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2001
    Publication date: August 2, 2001
    Inventors: William Osmer, Michael R. Wills, Patrick B. Blakesley
  • Vehicle occupant position detector and airbag control system
    Patent number: 6250671
    Abstract: An automobile seat occupant sensor and airbag control system for detecting the location and weight of a person in a car and a seat inclination angle. The system includes an airbag and an airbag deployment mechanism for deploying the airbag. Several sensors are fixedly located in a weight path of the vehicle seat. The sensors are located between a seat bottom and a vehicle floor. A controller is connected between the airbag deployment mechanism and the sensors for controlling deployment of the airbag. The controller calculates a center of gravity of the seat occupant, weight of the occupant and a seat inclination angle and uses this information to control deployment of the airbag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2001
    Assignee: CTS Corporation
    Inventors: William Osmer, Michael R. Wills, Patrick B. Blakesley
  • Automobile seat having seat supporting brackets with a stepped weight sensor
    Patent number: 6231076
    Abstract: A vehicle seat weight sensor for sensing the weight of an occupant in a vehicle seat. The sensor has a substrate that is attached between the ends of a seat bracket such that a portion of the forces applied to the seat are transferred from a seat pan to an upper slide rail through the substrate. Strain gage resistors are located on the substrate to generate an electrical signal in response to the substrate being stressed. The electrical signal changes magnitude as a function of the weight of the seat occupant. The substrate has a pair of step sections for concentrating the forces onto the strain gage resistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Assignee: CTS Corporation
    Inventors: Patrick B. Blakesley, William Osmer, Michael R. Wills