Deployment zone definition and associated restraint control

• US 10,726,310 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2018
• Issued: 07/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arriver Software LLC (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Veoneer US Inc. (SSW Partners LP)
• Inventors: Gramenos, James N., Herbert, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Sun, Jiangeng
• Application Number:
  US15/942,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20190303729A1
• Time in Patent Office: 850 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/16 Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags protective garments with automatically inflatable shock-absorbing means A41D13/018; connection of valves to inflatable elastic bodies B60C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/25 Fusion techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/59 inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/593 Recognising seat occupancy

Abstract

An apparatus includes a first sensor, a second sensor and a control unit. The first sensor may be configured to perform a vision detection of an interior of a vehicle. The second sensor may be configured to perform a physical detection of the interior of the vehicle. The control unit may comprise an interface configured to receive the vision detection and the physical detection. The control unit may be configured to perform sensor fusion based on the vision detection and the physical detection, generate a mapping of the interior of the vehicle based on the sensor fusion, (c) compare the mapping with event information and (d) determine an arrangement of corrective measures in response to the comparison of the mapping and the event information. The mapping may classify objects, occupants and critical features within the interior of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first sensor configured to perform a vision detection of an interior of a vehicle to determine a location of one or more occupants;

a second sensor configured to perform a physical detection of said interior of said vehicle to determine a cabin configuration of a plurality of objects within said vehicle; and

a control unit (i) comprising an interface configured to receive said vision detection and said physical detection and (ii) configured to (a) perform sensor fusion based on said vision detection and said physical detection, (b) generate a mapping of said interior of said vehicle based on said sensor fusion, (c) compare said mapping with event information to determine whether the one or more occupants are in a forward facing position, (d) implement corrective measures when said one or more occupants are in said forward facing position and (e) modify said corrective measures in response to said comparison of said mapping and said event information indicating at least one of said occupants is rotated from said forward facing position, wherein said corrective measures are modified to tune deployment options of said corrective measures by disabling one or more of said corrective measures.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said vision detection comprises distinguishing between free-space and occupants within said interior of said vehicle.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first sensor comprises at least one of a camera, a radar device, an infrared device, a LIDAR device, a thermal imaging device, and a sonic imaging device.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said radar device implements terahertz wave technology.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said physical detection comprises sensing attributes of an object based on physical contact.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said attributes comprise a presence of said object, a location of said object, a position of said object, and an angle of said object.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said object comprises seats of said vehicle, a seatbelt, and a steering wheel.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second sensor performs said physical detection by measuring at least one of a pressure, a resistance, an inductance, a capacitance, and magnetics.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said mapping of said interior of said vehicle comprises detecting said objects, occupants and critical features with respect to zones of said interior of said vehicle.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein one or more of said zones is determined to be a keep-out zone based on a location of a force applied to said vehicle.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said corrective measures are modified if one of said objects, occupants and critical features is in said keep-out zone.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein (i) one of said corrective measures is a deployment of an air bag and (ii) said deployment of said air bag is inhibited if one of said objects, occupants and critical features is in said keep-out zone.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said modification of said corrective measures comprise using predictive positioning to estimate where said occupants will be at a future time; and

said plurality of objects include seats configured to be rotated in a non-front facing direction.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said modified of said corrective measures comprises deploying an air bag curtain to mitigate contact between two or more occupants.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a first sensor configured to perform a vision detection of an interior of a vehicle to determine a location of one or more occupants;

a second sensor configured to perform a physical detection of said interior of said vehicle to determine a cabin configuration of a plurality of objects within said vehicle; and

a control unit (i) comprising an interface configured to receive said vision detection and said physical detection and (ii) configured to (a) perform sensor fusion based on said vision detection and said physical detection, (b) generate a mapping of said interior of said vehicle based on said sensor fusion, (c) compare said mapping with event information to determine whether the occupants are in a forward facing position, (d) implement corrective measures when at least one of said occupants is in said forward facing position and (e) modify said corrective measures in response to said comparison of said mapping and said event information indicating at least one of said occupants is rotated from said forward facing position, wherein said corrective measures are modified to deploy an air bag curtain.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said air bag curtain is configured to mitigate contact between two or more occupants.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a first sensor configured to perform a vision detection of an interior of a vehicle to determine a location of one or more occupants;

a second sensor configured to perform a physical detection of said interior of said vehicle to determine a cabin configuration of a plurality of objects within said vehicle; and

a control unit (i) comprising an interface configured to receive said vision detection and said physical detection and (ii) configured to (a) perform sensor fusion based on said vision detection and said physical detection, (b) generate a mapping of said interior of said vehicle based on said sensor fusion, (c) compare said mapping with event information to determine whether the occupants are in an occupant zone, (d) implement corrective measures when at least one of said occupants is in said occupant zone and (e) modify said corrective measures in response to said comparison of said mapping and said event information indicating said one or more occupants are outside said occupant zone, wherein said corrective measures are modified to deploy an air bag to keep said occupants within a respective occupant zone.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said air bag is configured to mitigate contact between two or more occupants.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said air bag is configured to angle a front of a seat bottom upwards to mitigate slipping under a seatbelt.

20. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein:

said first sensor and said second sensor determine a keep-out zone, and

said control unit modifies said corrective measures to inhibit deployment of said air bag when an occupant or an object is within said keep-out zone.