Detection system, informing system, actuation system and vehicle

• US 20060186651A1
• Filed: 02/16/2006
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Japan K.K.
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Aoki, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,059,867 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01538 for image processing, e.g. cameras or sensor arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/147 Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands

Abstract

A detection system is provided for easily detecting information about respective objects seated on a plurality of vehicle seats. An occupant information detection apparatus for a vehicle is disclosed which, in one form, comprises a single photographing section capable of detecting image, a projector lens and a mirror which have viewing angles wider than that of the single photographing section and can independently project the objects seated to the single photographing section to correspond to respective vehicle seats, and a control section for detecting information about objects seated on the respective vehicle seats.

Claims

1. A detection system for detecting objects on vehicle seats in a vehicle, the detection system comprising:

an image capturing device having a predetermined viewing angle and being mounted to the vehicle to direct the viewing angle in a predetermined direction so that there are portions of the vehicle seats that do not lie within the predetermined viewing angle;

a projecting mechanism having a predetermined viewing angle and being mounted to the vehicle to direct the viewing angle in a predetermined direction so the vehicle seat portions outside the image capturing device viewing angle are within the projecting mechanism viewing angle and are projected to the image capturing device by the projecting mechanism;

a safety device of the vehicle for protecting a vehicle occupant in the event of emergency conditions; and

a controller that receives and analyzes image information from the image capturing device for actuation of the safety device.

2. The detection system of claim 1 wherein the image capturing device is a camera and the projecting mechanism comprises at least one reflective surface.

3. The detection system of claim 1 wherein the projecting mechanism comprises a prism.

4. The detection system of claim 1 wherein the image capturing device predetermined viewing angle is less than the predetermined viewing angle of the projecting mechanism.

5. The detection system of claim 4 wherein the predetermined viewing angle of the image capturing device is approximately 80 degrees, and the predetermined viewing angle of the projecting mechanism is between approximately 100 degrees to approximately 120 degrees.

6. The detection system of claim 1 wherein the projecting mechanism has a reflective surface configured to divide the predetermined viewing angle of the image capturing device so that the predetermined viewing angle of the projecting mechanism reflective surface is a plurality of predetermined viewing angles each smaller than that of the image capturing device.

7. The detection system of claim 6 wherein the predetermined view angles of the projecting mechanism added together equal the predetermined viewing angle of the image capturing device.

8. The detection system of claim 6 wherein the projecting mechanism comprises a concave or convex mirror having the reflective surface thereon.

9. The detection system of claim 6 wherein the predetermined directions in which the image capturing device and projecting mechanism direct the respective viewing angles thereof are different.

10. The detection system of claim 1 wherein the safety device comprises an occupant restraint device that is operable to restrain the vehicle occupant in a vehicle seat during emergency conditions.

11. The detection system of claim 1 wherein the safety device comprises an indicator device operable to provide information regarding state of the vehicle occupant or object on a vehicle seat relative to proper use of an occupant restraint device of the vehicle.

12. The detection system of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to approximate a portion of a profile of an object or occupant on a seat in the predetermined viewing angle of the projecting mechanism and which is hidden from view.

13. A vehicle occupant detection system comprising:

front and rear seats of a vehicle;

a camera mounted to the vehicle having a field of view directed toward an area of the vehicle in which one of the front and rear vehicle seats is disposed; and

a light reflective projecting device mounted to the vehicle in the field of view of the camera and configured so that images of another area of the vehicle in which the other of the front and rear vehicle seats is disposed are received by the camera.

14. The vehicle occupant detection system of claim 13 wherein the camera field of view is directed toward the vehicle area in which the rear seats are disposed and the light reflecting projecting device projects images of the other area in which the vehicle front seats are disposed to the camera.

15. The vehicle occupant detection system of claim 13 wherein the front seats comprise a driver seat and a passenger seat that are in a wider viewing angle relative to the camera than that provided by the field of view of the camera, and the light reflective projecting device comprises two plane mirrors with one of the plane mirrors reflecting images from the driver seat to the camera and the other plane mirror reflecting images from the passenger seat to the camera.

16. The vehicle occupant detection system of claim 13 wherein the light reflective projecting device comprises a prism.

17. The vehicle occupant detection system of claim 13 wherein the camera field of view is formed by a predetermined viewing angle, and the projecting device is configured and arranged so that a predetermined portion of the camera viewing angle is redirected toward the other area of the vehicle in which the other of the front and rear seats are disposed.

18. The vehicle occupant detection system of claim 17 wherein the camera is mounted to be closer to the front seats, the projecting device redirects the predetermined portion of the camera viewing angle toward the front seats, and the camera viewing angle includes another predetermined portion directed toward the rear seats that is smaller than the predetermined viewing angle portion redirected toward the front seats.

19. The vehicle occupant detection system of claim 13 including a control section having a processing device that processes the images photographed by the camera to determine one of size and posture or both of an occupant on the seats, and a control device that receives information relating to the object from the control section for actuating a target device.

20. The vehicle occupant detection system of claim 19 wherein the target device comprises an occupant protection device.