Air conditioning system for motor vehicles

• US 10,414,242 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2015
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hanon Systems (Hahn & Co. Auto Holdings Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hanon Systems (Hahn & Co. Auto Holdings Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lee, Jeong Hoon, Kim, Young Gyu, Kim, Yeon Seob
• Primary Examiner(s): Hwu, Davis D
• Application Number:
  US15/505,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20170267062A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 165202
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00742 by detection of the vehicle occupants' presence; by detection of conditions relating to the body of occupants, e.g. using radiant heat detectors
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00792 Arrangement of detectors B60H1/00742, B60H1/0075, B60H1/00785 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/3015 Optical cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/143 Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/593 Recognising seat occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/161 Detection; Localisation; Normalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/166 using acquisition arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

An air conditioning system for motor vehicles includes a plurality of infrared image sensors configured to take images of a vehicle room to detect infrared rays radiated from vehicle occupants, and an analysis unit configured to analyze vehicle occupant information based on the images taken by the infrared image sensors. The infrared image sensors are installed in front upper regions of the vehicle room so as to take images of different imaging areas.

Claims

1. An air conditioning system for motor vehicles, comprising:

a plurality of infrared image sensors configured to take images of a vehicle room to detect infrared rays radiated from vehicle occupants; and

an analysis unit configured to analyze vehicle occupant information based on the images taken by the infrared image sensors,

wherein the infrared image sensors are installed in front upper regions of the vehicle room so as to take images of different imaging areas,

and wherein the infrared image sensors are arranged so that the imaging areas partially overlap with each other,

and wherein the analysis unit is configured to grasp the number of the vehicle occupants and the body temperature and body size of the vehicle occupants by analyzing the ratio and color of infrared ray detection sections of the images taken by the infrared image sensors.

2. The air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein the infrared image sensors include a first infrared image sensor installed in a driver-seat-side front pillar and a second infrared image sensor installed in a passenger-seat-side front pillar.

3. The air conditioning system of claim 2, wherein one of the first and second infrared image sensors is arranged to take an image of a facial portion of a driver-seat-side vehicle occupant existing within the vehicle room, and the other of the first and second infrared image sensors is arranged to take an image of a facial portion of a passenger-seat-side vehicle occupant existing within the vehicle room.

4. The air conditioning system of claim 3, wherein the first infrared image sensor is arranged to take the image of the facial portion of the driver-seat-side vehicle occupant existing within the vehicle room, and the second infrared image sensor is arranged to take the image of the facial portion of the passenger-seat-side vehicle occupant existing within the vehicle room.

5. The air conditioning system of claim 2, wherein one of the first and second infrared image sensors is arranged to take an image of facial portions of the vehicle occupants existing within the vehicle room, and the other of the first and second infrared image sensors is arranged to take an image of torso portions of the vehicle occupants existing within the vehicle room.

6. The air conditioning system of claim 5, wherein the first infrared image sensor is arranged to take the image of the facial portions of the vehicle occupants existing within the vehicle room, and the second infrared image sensor is arranged to take the image of the torso portions of the vehicle occupants existing within the vehicle room.

7. The air conditioning system of claim 2, wherein one of the first and second infrared image sensors is tilted at a predetermined angle so as to take an image of a facial portion of a passenger-seat-side vehicle occupant and an image of a torso portion of a driver-seat-side vehicle occupant, and the other of the first and second infrared image sensors is tilted at a predetermined angle so as to take an image of a facial portion of the driver-seat-side vehicle occupant and an image of a torso portion of the passenger-seat-side vehicle occupant.

8. The air conditioning system of claim 7, wherein the first infrared image sensor is tilted at a predetermined angle so as to take the image of the facial portion of the passenger-seat-side vehicle occupant and the image of the torso portion of the driver-seat-side vehicle occupant, and the second infrared image sensor is tilted at a predetermined angle so as to take the image of the facial portion of the driver-seat-side vehicle occupant and the image of the torso portion of the passenger-seat-side vehicle occupant.

9. The air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein the analysis unit is configured to acquire three-dimensional vehicle occupant information by three-dimensionally converting mutually-overlapping sections of the images taken by the infrared image sensors.

12. The air conditioning system of claim 3, wherein the analysis unit is configured to acquire three-dimensional vehicle occupant information by three-dimensionally converting mutually-overlapping sections of the images taken by the infrared image sensors.

10. An air conditioning system for motor vehicles, comprising:

a plurality of infrared image sensors configured to take images of a vehicle room to detect infrared rays radiated from vehicle occupants; and

an analysis unit configured to analyze vehicle occupant information based on the images taken by the infrared image sensors,

wherein the infrared image sensors are installed in front upper regions of the vehicle room so as to take images of different imaging areas,

and wherein the infrared image sensors are arranged so that the imaging areas partially overlap with each other,

and wherein the infrared image sensors include a first infrared image sensor installed in a driver-seat-side front pillar and a second infrared image sensor installed in a passenger-seat-side front pillar, and wherein the analysis unit is configured to grasp the number of the vehicle occupants and the body temperature and body size of the vehicle occupants by analyzing the ratio and color of infrared ray detection sections of the images taken by the infrared image sensors.

11. The air conditioning system of claim 10, wherein the analysis unit is configured to acquire three-dimensional vehicle occupant information by three-dimensionally converting mutually-overlapping sections of the images taken by the infrared image sensors.