Method and device for controlling the operation of a vehicle-occupant protection device assigned to a seat, in particular in a motor vehicle

• US 20020149184A1
• Filed: 03/11/2002
• Published: 10/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dirk Zittlau, Ludwig Ertl, Thorsten Kohler
• Original Assignee: Dirk Zittlau, Ludwig Ertl, Thorsten Kohler
• Inventors: Kohler, Thorsten, Zittlau, Dirk, Ertl, Ludwig
• Application Number:
  US10/095,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20020149184A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/733
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0152 using strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01538 for image processing, e.g. cameras or sensor arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01554 Seat position sensors

Abstract

A three-dimensional image-forming method is utilized to generate three-dimensional position surface image data of an unoccupied seat and of a seat which is occupied with an object. By subtracting one of the image data items from the other one, the volume of a person located on the seat is determined. As a result, a vehicle-occupant protection device which is assigned to the seat can be controlled as a function of the position and the volume or weight of the person.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an operation of a protection device, which comprises:

acquiring a position and geometric dimensions of an object located on a seat;

determining a volume of the object located on the seat; and

controlling an operation of a protection device assigned to the seat in dependence on the volume of the object on the seat.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the object is a person and the protection device is a vehicle-occupant protection system in a motor vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1, which comprises incrementally changing the operation of the protection device, and adjusting increments of a change in dependence of the volume.

4. The method according to claim 1, which comprises determining a shape of the volume of the object located on the seat, and controlling the protection device in dependence on the shape of the volume.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the acquiring step comprises generating a three-dimensional position surface image of a seat surface and a backrest surface of seat in an unoccupied state, and generating a three-dimensional position surface image of the object located on the seat; and

the determining step comprises comparing the position surface images with one another to determine the volume.

6. The method according to claim 5, the step of generating the three-dimensional position surface image of the unoccupied seat by an image-forming method.

7. The method according to claim 5, which comprises sensing with a seat-occupation sensor whether or not the seat is occupied.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein a position surface image of the seating surface of the unoccupied seat is generated from a three-dimensional surface image of the seat and a signal supplied by at least one sensor sensing a relative position of the seat.

9. The method according to claim 8, which comprises sensing with a seat-occupation sensor whether or not the seat is occupied.

12. The device according to claim 9, which comprises a device for sensing a shape of the object located on the seat by reference to the three-dimensional surface image data for categorizing a sensed shape in accordance with predetermined categories, and for generating and feeding a category signal to said actuation device for actuating the protection device.

10. A device for controlling an operation of a protection device assigned to a seat, comprising:

an image data generation device for generating electronic, three-dimensional position surface image data of the seat in an unoccupied state and of the seat in an occupied state in which an object is located on the seat;

a comparison device connected to said image data generation device for comparing the three-dimensional position surface image data of the occupied state and of the unoccupied state of the seat, for determining therefrom image data of a surface image of the object located on the seat, and for determining therefrom a volume of the object; and

an actuation device connected to said comparison device for actuating the protection device in dependence on the volume of the object located on the seat.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the seat is a seat in a motor-vehicle and the protection device is a motor vehicle occupant protection device.