Vehicular Occupant Sensing Techniques

• US 20080143085A1
• Filed: 02/25/2008
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1992
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Automotive Technologies International Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Automotive Technologies International Incorporated
• Inventors: Breed, David S., Johnson, Wendell C., DuVall, Wilbur E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,152,198 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/735
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01516 using force or pressure sensing means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0152 using strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0153 using field detection presence sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms

Abstract

Vehicular apparatus and method for determining a characteristic of an object that may be located on a seat of the vehicle includes emitters, each emitting a beam along a path on which the object may be located, each path being in a different direction, receivers, each receiving beams emitted from the array of emitters that are reflected from the object when present in the seat, and a processor coupled to the emitters and the receivers for determining time-of-flight of each reflected and received beam between emission of the beam from the emitters and reception of the beam at the receivers. The processor determines one or more characteristics of the object based on the determined time-of-flight of each reflected and received beam, taken either individually or in combination.

Claims

1. A vehicle including an apparatus for determining an object characteristic of an object that may be located on a seat of a vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of emitting means arranged on the vehicle, each of said emitting means emitting a beam along a path on which the object may be located, each path being in a different direction;

an array of receiving means arranged on the vehicle, each of said receiving means receiving beams emitted from said array of emitting means that are reflected from the object when present in the seat; and

a processor coupled to said emitting means and said receiving means for determining time-of-flight of each reflected and received beam between emission of the beam from said array of emitting means and reception of the beam at said array of receiving means, said processor being arranged to determine a characteristic of the object based on the determined time-of-flight of each reflected and received beam.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the object characteristic is the current distance that the object is located away from a location at which said emitting means and said receiving means are mounted such that said processor determines the distance between the object and the mounting location.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the object characteristic is the presence/absence of the object on the seat such that said processor determines whether the object is present on the seat.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the object characteristic is the type of object on the seat such that said processor determines the type of the object.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the type of object includes whether the object is a human or an inanimate object.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said array of emitting means includes an array of light emitting means, and said array of receiving means includes an array of light receiving means.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising an actuatable occupant protection or restraint device coupled to said processor, said processor being arranged to control said occupant protection or restraint device based on the determined characteristic of the object.

8. A vehicle including an apparatus for determining an object characteristic of an object that may be located on a seat of a vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of transmitter/receiver assemblies arranged at different locations on the vehicle to emit a beam along a path on which the object may be located and receive a beam reflected from the object when present in the seat or a part of the vehicle; and

a processor coupled to said transmitter/receiver assemblies for determining time-of-flight of each received beam between emission of the beam and reception of the beam, said processor being arranged to determine a characteristic of the object based on the determined time-of-flight of each received beam.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the object characteristic is the current distance that the object is located away from a location at which said transmitter/receiver assemblies are mounted such that said processor determines the distance between the object and the mounting location.

10. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the object characteristic is the presence/absence of the object on the seat such that said processor determines whether the object is present on the seat.

11. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the object characteristic is the type of object on the seat such that said processor determines the type of the object.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the type of object includes whether the object is a human or an inanimate object.

13. The vehicle of claim 8, further comprising an actuatable occupant protection or restraint device coupled to said processor, said processor being arranged to control said occupant protection or restraint device based on the determined characteristic of the object.

14. A method for determining an object characteristic of an object that may be located on a seat of a vehicle for vehicular component control, comprising:

emitting a plurality of beams along different paths toward an area of a compartment of the vehicle in which the object may be located;

receiving beams that are reflected from the object when present in the seat or a path of the vehicle;

determining time-of-flight of each received beam between emission of the beam and reception of the beam; and

determining a characteristic of the object based on the determined time-of-flight of each received beam.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the object characteristic is the current distance that the object is located away from a location from which the beam is emitted and received.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the object characteristic is the presence/absence of the object on the seat.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the object characteristic is the type of object on the seat.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising controlling at least one actuatable occupant protection or restraint device based on the determined characteristic of the object.

19. A method for determining an object characteristic of an object that may be located on a seat of a vehicle, comprising:

arranging a plurality of transmitter/receiver assemblies at different locations on the vehicle;

emitting beams from the transmitter/receiver assemblies each along a path on which the object may be located;

receiving beams reflected from the object when present in the seat or a part of the vehicle;

determining time-of-flight of each received beam between emission of each beam and reception of the beam; and

determining a characteristic of the object based on the determined time-of-flight of each received beam.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the object characteristic is the current distance that the object is located away from a location from which the beam is emitted and received.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the object characteristic is the presence/absence of the object on the seat.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the object characteristic is the type of object on the seat.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising controlling at least one actuatable occupant protection or restraint device based on the determined characteristic of the object.