Occupant Detection

• US 20110267186A1
• Filed: 04/29/2010
• Published: 11/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Rao, Manoharprasad K., Luu, Tai, Cuddihy, Mark A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,836,491 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/449
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00742 by detection of the vehicle occupants' presence; by detection of conditions relating to the body of occupants, e.g. using radiant heat detectors
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00778 the input being a stationary vehicle position, e.g. parking or stopping
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00978 Control systems or circuits characterised by failure of detection or safety means; Diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/08 responsive to conditions relating to the cargo, e.g. overload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/046 involving external transmission of data to or from the vehicle, e.g. via telemetry, satellite, Global Positioning System [GPS]

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for detecting an occupant in a vehicle. Successive images from an infrared camera are analyzed to detect thermal characteristics of an occupant as well as movement. If an operator of the vehicle has exited the vehicle, the vehicle is deactivated, an occupant is detected, and a temperature in the cabin of the vehicle is higher or lower than desired, a report is made to the operator via a mobile phone or key fob.

Claims

1. A method to detect the presence of an occupant in a vehicle seat, comprising:

capturing a thermal image of the seat;

processing the image for indicia of occupants wherein the indicia include thermal profile and movement; and

reporting to an electronic device when an occupant is detected based on at least thermal profile and movement.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic device is a vehicle restraint system, the method further comprising:

detecting whether the vehicle is activated wherein activated includes at least one of;

a vehicle ignition activated, a vehicle engine rotating, and a vehicle transmission being in a forward or reverse gear;

determining whether a seatbelt associated with the seat having an occupant is latched; and

activating an operator alert in response to three conditions being satisfied;

the seat has an occupant, the seatbelt is unlatched, and the vehicle is activated wherein the operator alert is at least one of a warning lamp and an audible warning signal.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic device is at least one of a mobile phone and a key fob, the method further comprising:

detecting whether an operator of the vehicle has exited the vehicle wherein the reporting to the electronic device is further based on detection of the operator having exited the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the reporting to the electronic device is further based on one of a temperature inside the vehicle exceeding an upper threshold temperature and the temperature inside the vehicle being less than a lower threshold temperature.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the reporting to the electronic device is further based on repeating the capturing a thermal image and processing the thermal image;

and determining that at least one occupant is in the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the repeating of the capturing the thermal image and processing the thermal image is conducted at fixed intervals, further comprising:

deactivating a device used to capture the thermal image and suspending thermal image processing in between the fixed intervals.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein the detection of the operator exiting the vehicle is based on at least one of an occupant sensing on a driver'"'"'s seat and a driver'"'"'s door being opened and subsequently closed.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

estimating a size classification of an occupant based on the thermal image; and

basing a deployment intensity of a passive restraint system associated with the seat on at least one of the estimated size classification.

9. A method to detect the presence of an occupant in a vehicle, comprising:

capturing a series of thermal images of a vehicle seat;

processing the images for indicia of occupants wherein the indicia include at least thermal profile and movement; and

sending an alert to a remote electronic device when an occupant is detected based on the indicia and the vehicle is in a key-off mode.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the remote device is a mobile phone and the alert comprises at least one of:

a phone call, a text message, an e-mail message, an audible alarm, a vibrating alarm, and an illuminated alarm.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the remote device is a key fob and the alert comprises at least one of:

an audible alarm, an illuminated alarm, and a vibrating alarm.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein:

the series of thermal images are captured during a burst interval;

the thermal images are captured by an infrared camera coupled to the vehicle; and

the images are provided to an electronic processor, the method further comprising;

suspending operation of the infrared camera upon completion of the burst interval.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the processing of the images comprises:

image processing at least one of the thermal images to detect an object in the image based on a region of the image being at a temperature indicative of a living being.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the processing of the image further comprises:

identifying a feature associated with the living being;

determining a position of the feature in multiple images; and

determining movement of the living being based on a displacement of the position of the feature among images.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the living being is one of a human being and an animal.

16. An occupant presence detection system for a vehicle, comprising:

an infrared camera coupled to the vehicle;

a processor coupled to the infrared camera wherein the camera is commanded to capture a series of consecutive images, the images are uploaded to the processor, the images are analyzed in the processor, and the presence of an occupant is based on both image processing indicating a potential occupant and movement of a feature of the potential occupant.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a transmitter coupled to the vehicle and electronically coupled to the processor wherein the processor commands the transmitter to send an alert to a key fob associated with the vehicle when the processor has detected an occupant in the vehicle and the keyfob is determined to be outside the vehicle.

18. The occupant presence detection system of claim 16 wherein the infrared camera is aimed at a specific seat of the vehicle.

19. The occupant presence detection system of claim 16, further comprising:

a key fob locator coupled to the vehicle and electronically coupled to the processor, the key fob locator indicating whether the key fob is outside the vehicle, wherein the sending of an alert to the key fob is further based on the key fob being outside the vehicle.

20. The occupant presence detection system of claim 16 wherein the infrared camera is aimed at multiple seats within the vehicle and the processor performs occupant presence detection for each of the multiple seats.