Method and apparatus for assessing driver head pose with a headrest-mounted relative motion sensor
First Claim
1. Apparatus for assessing a head pose of a driver supported on a vehicle seat including an adjustable headrest, comprising:
- a relative motion sensor mounted on said headrest for sensing a posterior portion of the driver'"'"'s head and producing a signal responsive to motion of the driver'"'"'s head; and
a processor for processing the signal produced by the relative motion sensor for controlling adjustment of the headrest to provide both optimal driver safety and optimal sensitivity of the relative motion sensor, and assessing whether the driver'"'"'s head pose is forward or non-forward with respect to a vehicle frame of reference.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A relative motion sensor mounted in the headrest of a vehicle driver seat is used to assess the head pose of a vehicle driver and adjust the headrest position to optimize both the safety of the driver and the sensitivity of the relative motion sensor. At the beginning of each ignition cycle, the relative motion sensor is used to adjust the position of the headrest relative to the driver'"'"'s head for optimal driver safety, and the relative motion sensor is oriented to provide optimal sensitivity for head pose assessment when the headrest is positioned for driver safety.
26 Citations
8 Claims
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1. Apparatus for assessing a head pose of a driver supported on a vehicle seat including an adjustable headrest, comprising:
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a relative motion sensor mounted on said headrest for sensing a posterior portion of the driver'"'"'s head and producing a signal responsive to motion of the driver'"'"'s head; and a processor for processing the signal produced by the relative motion sensor for controlling adjustment of the headrest to provide both optimal driver safety and optimal sensitivity of the relative motion sensor, and assessing whether the driver'"'"'s head pose is forward or non-forward with respect to a vehicle frame of reference. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A method of assessing a head pose of a driver supported on a vehicle seat including an adjustable headrest, comprising the steps of:
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providing a relative motion sensor on said headrest for sensing a posterior portion of the driver'"'"'s head and producing a signal responsive to motion of the driver'"'"'s head; processing the signal produced by the relative motion sensor for controlling adjustment of the headrest to provide both optimal driver safety and optimal sensitivity of the relative motion sensor; and processing the signal produced by the relative motion sensor for assessing whether the driver'"'"'s head pose is forward or non-forward with respect to a vehicle frame of reference. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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Specification