Image processing system for detecting when an airbag should be deployed
First Claim
1. An image processing system for use with an airbag deployment system having a seat, an occupant in the seat, a sensor for generating sensor readings, an airbag, and an airbag controller, said image processing system comprising:
- a segmented image of the occupant obtained from the sensor reading;
a tracking and predicting subsystem, including an occupant characteristic, said tracking and predicting subsystem identifying said occupant characteristic from said segmented image; and
a crash detection subsystem, including a crash determination, said crash detection subsystem generating said crash determination from said occupant characteristic.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The invention can determine whether a collision has occurred, whether an airbag should be deployed, and what the desirable strength of an airbag deployment should be based on occupant characteristics obtained from the segmented image of the occupant. Using interacting multiple model Kalman filters, the invention can infer three-dimensional characteristics from a two-dimensional image, and predict the location, velocity, and acceleration of the occupant. Kalman filters are used with respect to all measurements to incorporate past predictions and measurements into the most recent estimates and predictions in order to eliminate the “noise” associated with any particular measurement. The system can predict the position and shape of the occupant at a faster rate than the rate at which the sensor collects data. Occupant characteristics can be compared to corresponding predetermined data associated with various occupant modes, including the mode of crashing, to determine if a collision has occurred.
36 Citations
34 Claims
-
1. An image processing system for use with an airbag deployment system having a seat, an occupant in the seat, a sensor for generating sensor readings, an airbag, and an airbag controller, said image processing system comprising:
-
a segmented image of the occupant obtained from the sensor reading;
a tracking and predicting subsystem, including an occupant characteristic, said tracking and predicting subsystem identifying said occupant characteristic from said segmented image; and
a crash detection subsystem, including a crash determination, said crash detection subsystem generating said crash determination from said occupant characteristic. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
-
-
25. An image processing system for use with an airbag deployment system having a seat, an occupant in the seat, a sensor for capturing ambient images, an airbag, an airbag controller, said image processing system comprising:
-
a segmentation subsystem, including an ambient image and a segmented image, said segmentation subsystem generating said segmented image from said ambient image;
an ellipse fitting subsystem, including an ellipse, said ellipse fitting subsystem generating said ellipse from said segmented image;
a tracking and predicting subsystem, including a plurality of occupant characteristics, said tracking an predicting subsystem generating said plurality of occupant characteristics from said ellipse; and
a crash detection subsystem, including a crash determination, said crash detection subsystem generating said crash determination from said plurality of occupant characteristics. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
-
-
29. A method for detecting a vehicle collision by evaluating characteristics of the occupant in the vehicle, comprising the steps of:
-
isolating a segmented image of the occupant;
applying a plurality of mathematical heuristics to the segmented image of the occupant to generate a plurality of characteristics relating to the occupant; and
determining which of a plurality of motion models best describes said plurality of characteristics. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
-
Specification