Universal occupant detection and discrimination system for a multi-place vehicle
First Claim
1. Apparatus for detecting and identifying occupants of a vehicle cabin having a plurality of seating locations, comprising:
- a plurality of transmitters located in proximity to said plurality of seating locations, each transmitter transmitting a uniquely identifiable signal that is coupled to and through an occupant of the respective seating location;
a receiver disposed at a central location of said cabin that is remote from said transmitters for receiving signals that are transmitted by said transmitters and coupled to and through occupants of said respective seating locations; and
processing means for identifying the signals received by said receiver to determine a total number of said occupants and their seating locations.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A universal, compartment-wide system identifies the presence and position of occupants of a multi-place vehicle by utilizing the occupants to conduct and radiate place-specific radio frequency signals that are received at various locations in the passenger compartment. The place-specific radio frequency signals are developed by low power transmitters disposed in the various seat/place locations, and a receiver disposed at a central location that is remote from the transmitters receives and decodes the signals radiated by the occupants to determine the number and location of the occupants. Additional receivers may be installed in specified regions to detect occupant intrusion into such regions, and in various control panels to assess driver distraction and to tailor the functional content and capability depending on whether a driver or non-driver is interacting with the control panel.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. Apparatus for detecting and identifying occupants of a vehicle cabin having a plurality of seating locations, comprising:
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a plurality of transmitters located in proximity to said plurality of seating locations, each transmitter transmitting a uniquely identifiable signal that is coupled to and through an occupant of the respective seating location;
a receiver disposed at a central location of said cabin that is remote from said transmitters for receiving signals that are transmitted by said transmitters and coupled to and through occupants of said respective seating locations; and
processing means for identifying the signals received by said receiver to determine a total number of said occupants and their seating locations. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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Specification