Device and Method for Distinguishing a Person From an Object on a Vehicle Seat

A device for differentiating between a person sitting on the seat surface of a vehicle seat and an object includes at least one largely flat bearing surface that is arranged over a large part of the seat surface including a central region. The novel device includes a vehicle seat, a cushion with weight sensors that are distributed over the seat surface of the vehicle seat in a plane manner, and an evaluation unit to which the signals of the weight sensors are supplied. A central region of the seat surface is curved in a concave manner in the direction of the bottom of the vehicle, in such a way that a first weight sensor arranged therein is closer to the bottom of the vehicle than a plurality of second weight sensors arranged in the region of the seat surface covered by the object, outside the central region. The capacity to differentiate between a person and an object is especially useful when the object is a child seat. In this case, the triggering of a passenger retaining means must be prevented.