System and method for detecting surface vibrations

• US 10,345,137 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2018
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Guardian Optical Technologies Ltd. (Gentex Corporation)
• Inventors: Carmon, Gideon
• Primary Examiner(s): Ippolito, Nicole M
• Application Number:
  US16/049,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20180372536A1
• Time in Patent Office: 343 Days
• Field of Search: 2504931, 250504 R
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0022 for sensing anthropometric parameters, e.g. heart rate or body temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0026 for distinguishing between humans, animals or objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/266 with detection or alerting means responsive to presence or absence of children; with detection or alerting means responsive to improper locking or installation of the child seats or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/24 Cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2230/00 Communication or electronic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 9/00 Measuring mechanical vibrations or ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves by using radiation-sensitive means, e.g. optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/479 Speckle
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/4788 Diffraction for sizing particles G01N15/0205
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/106 for splitting or combining a plurality of identical beams or images, e.g. image replication
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/48 Laser speckle optics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51

Abstract

A system for detecting vibrations from a surface is provided. The system includes a coherent light source for projecting a multi-beam pattern onto the surface and an imaging device for mapping a speckle field generated by each spot formed on the surface by the multi-beam pattern to a unique region of an imaging sensor. The system further includes a processor for processing speckle field information received by the imaging sensor and deriving surface vibration information.

Claims

1. A system adapted for monitoring a passenger compartment of a vehicle, comprising:

an image sensor adapted to detect infra-red light;

a processor adapted to receive outputs of the image sensor via a wired or wireless connection with the image sensor;

a wide angle lens mounted in front of the image sensor and having a wide field of view; and

a mount adapted to connect the image sensor and the wide angle lens to the passenger compartment such that the wide field of view covers at least part of each of a plurality of seats in the passenger compartment so as to allow the processor to detect at least one human parameter in each of the plurality of seats based on an analysis of the outputs of the image sensor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor adapted to detect a presence or an absence of the human in each of the plurality of seats based on an analysis of outputs of the image sensor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein analysis is includes analysis of vibrations detected in areas covering the plurality of seats.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mount is adapted to connected to a reflecting mirror of the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one human parameter comprises a member of a group consisting of occupancy, mass, age, height, pose, and gaze direction.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a front upper console connected to the mount.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further adapted to extract a depth map from the outputs;

wherein the at least one human parameter is detected using the depth map.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the wide field of view of at least 140 degrees diagonal.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of seats are all of the seats of the passenger compartment.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a coherent light source for projecting a light pattern onto each of the plurality of seats;

wherein the processor is further adapted to extract parameters based on an analysis of the light pattern in the outputs of the image sensor.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said coherent light source projects a plurality of beams at a light wavelength longer than 650 nm.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further adapted to extract parameters based on an analysis of speckle field information from the outputs of the image sensor to detect heart beat and/or breathing of at least one passenger seated in the plurality of seats.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the speckle field information is derived by mapping a speckle field generated by a spot formed on by a coherent light source.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the wide angle lens is a fish-eye lens.

15. A method for monitoring a passenger compartment of a vehicle, comprising:

using an image sensor for capturing infra-red light reflected from a plurality of seats in the passenger compartment, the infra-red light is captured using an image sensor having wide angle lens and physically mounted on the passenger compartment such that a wide field of view of the wide angle lens covers at least part of each of a plurality of seats in the passenger compartment;

using a processor for receiving outputs of the image sensor via a wired or wireless connection with the image sensor; and

using the processor for detecting at least one human parameter in each of the plurality of seats by an analysis of outputs of the image sensor.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the infra-red light is reflected from a plurality of different spots projected on each of the plurality of seats.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising projecting a light pattern onto each of the plurality of seats;

wherein the detecting is based on parameters extracted from an analysis of the light pattern in the outputs of the image sensor.

18. A computer product for monitoring a passenger compartment of a vehicle, comprising:

a non transitory computer readable storage medium storing program instructions for;

using an image sensor for capturing infra-red light reflected from a plurality of seats in the passenger compartment, the infra-red light is captured using an image sensor having wide angle lens and physically mounted on the passenger compartment such that a wide field of view of the wide angle lens covers at least part of each of a plurality of seats in the passenger compartment;

using a processor for receiving outputs of the image sensor via a wired or wireless connection with the image sensor; and

using the processor detecting at least one human parameter in each of the plurality of seats by an analysis of outputs of the image sensor.