SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CLASSIFYING A VEHICLE OCCUPANT

• US 20110040451A1
• Filed: 08/13/2010
• Published: 02/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH, Robert Bosch LLC (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Lee, Darren (Shih Yuan), Watts, Russell C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,499,879 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/015 including means for detecting the presence or position of passengers, passenger seats or child seats , and the related safety parameters therefor, e.g. speed or timing of airbag inflation in relation to occupant position or seat belt use
• 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 21/01556 Child-seat detection systems

Abstract

A system for classifying an occupant using a reduced quantity of force sensors. The system includes one or more force sensors, an electronic control unit (“ECU”), and a vehicle safety system. The force sensors are, for example, i-Bolt™ sensors, or other suitable force sensors or force sensing systems. The ECU includes, among other things, an occupant classification module and a safety monitoring module. The occupant classification module receives signals from the force sensors, determines one or more moments about a fixed point of a vehicle occupant control volume, and determines an occupant classification metric based on a mass of the control volume and a center of gravity of the control volume. The occupant classification module uses the occupant classification metric to classify an occupant into one of a plurality of occupant classifications. Based on the occupant classification, the safety monitoring module controls one or more vehicle safety systems.

Claims

1. A system for vehicle occupant classification and safety, the system comprising:

at least one force sensor; and

a controller including an occupant classification module and a safety module, the occupant classification module configured to

receive an output signal from the at least one force sensor,

determine a change in the output signal from the at least one force sensor,

generate an occupant classification metric, the occupant classification metric based on the change in the output signal from the at least one force sensor and at least one auxiliary datum, the occupant classification metric corresponding to a product of a mass and a location of a center of gravity of a control volume, and

classify a vehicle occupant based on the occupant classification metric.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller further includes a vehicle safety system configured to control a vehicle safety system based on the classification of the vehicle occupant.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one auxiliary datum is an acceleration.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller further includes a seat occupancy module configured to determine if a seat is occupied.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the controller further includes a seat offset module configured to determine a seat offset value when the seat is unoccupied.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the occupant classification module is further configured to compensate at least one of the output signal from the at least one force sensor and the occupant classification metric based on the seat offset value.

7. A method of classifying a vehicle occupant and controlling a system based on the classification, the method comprising:

receiving an output signal from at least one force sensor;

determining a change in the output signal from the at least one force sensor;

generating an occupant classification metric, the occupant classification metric based on the change in the output signal from the at least one force sensor and at least one auxiliary datum, the occupant classification metric corresponding to a product of a mass and a location of a center of gravity of a volume; and

classifying the vehicle occupant based on the occupant classification metric.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising controlling a vehicle safety system based on the classification of the vehicle occupant.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the vehicle safety system is an airbag deployment system.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one auxiliary datum is an acceleration.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining if a seat is occupied.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining a seat offset value when the seat is unoccupied.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising compensating at least one of the output signal from the at least one force sensor and the occupant classification metric based on the seat offset value.

14. A vehicle occupant classification system, the system comprising:

at least one force sensor;

an auxiliary sensor; and

a controller including an occupant classification module, the occupant classification module configured to

receive output signals from the at least one force sensor and the auxiliary sensor,

generate an occupant classification metric, the occupant classification metric based on the output signals from the at least one force sensor and the auxiliary sensor, and

classify a vehicle occupant based on the occupant classification metric;

wherein the occupant classification metric is associated with a product of a mass and a height of a center of gravity of a volume.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a safety module configured to control a vehicle safety system based on the classification of the vehicle occupant.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the vehicle safety system is an airbag deployment system.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the auxiliary sensor is an acceleration sensor.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the controller further includes a seat occupancy module configured to determine if a seat is occupied.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the controller further includes a seat offset module configured to determine a seat offset value when the seat is unoccupied.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the occupant classification module is further configured to compensate at least one of the output signal from the at least one force sensor and the occupant classification metric based on the seat offset value.