VEHICLE SAFETY SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING A SAFETY FEATURE
First Claim
1. A safety system for a vehicle, said safety system comprising:
- an imaging sensor configured to be disposed at a vehicle equipped with said safety system so as to have an exterior field of view external of the equipped vehicle;
said imaging sensor capturing image data;
an image processor operable to process image data captured by said imaging sensor to detect a vehicle exterior the equipped vehicle and to determine if a collision between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle is pending;
wherein, responsive to such determination of the pending collision, a safety feature of the vehicle is triggered before any actual impact occurs;
wherein the triggered safety feature comprises a reversible feature selected from the group consisting of (i) a reversible adjustment of a seat headrest of the equipped vehicle, (ii) a reversible adjustment of a seat belt of the equipped vehicle, (iii) a reversible adjustment of a seat setting of the equipped vehicle and (iv) a reversible adjustment of a door lock of the equipped vehicle; and
wherein, if the pending collision is avoided or otherwise does not occur, the adjusted safety feature returns to its unadjusted condition that existed prior to such determination of the pending collision.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A safety system for a vehicle includes an imaging sensor configured to be disposed at a vehicle so as to have an exterior field of view external of the equipped vehicle. An image processor is operable to process image data captured by the imaging sensor to detect a vehicle exterior the equipped vehicle and to determine if a collision between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle is pending. Responsive to such determination of the pending collision, a safety feature of the vehicle is triggered before any actual impact occurs. The triggered safety feature is a reversible adjustment of a seat headrest, a seat belt, a seat setting or a door lock of the equipped vehicle. If the pending collision is avoided or otherwise does not occur, the adjusted safety feature returns to its unadjusted condition that existed prior to such determination of the pending collision.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. A safety system for a vehicle, said safety system comprising:
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an imaging sensor configured to be disposed at a vehicle equipped with said safety system so as to have an exterior field of view external of the equipped vehicle; said imaging sensor capturing image data; an image processor operable to process image data captured by said imaging sensor to detect a vehicle exterior the equipped vehicle and to determine if a collision between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle is pending; wherein, responsive to such determination of the pending collision, a safety feature of the vehicle is triggered before any actual impact occurs; wherein the triggered safety feature comprises a reversible feature selected from the group consisting of (i) a reversible adjustment of a seat headrest of the equipped vehicle, (ii) a reversible adjustment of a seat belt of the equipped vehicle, (iii) a reversible adjustment of a seat setting of the equipped vehicle and (iv) a reversible adjustment of a door lock of the equipped vehicle; and wherein, if the pending collision is avoided or otherwise does not occur, the adjusted safety feature returns to its unadjusted condition that existed prior to such determination of the pending collision. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A safety system for a vehicle, said safety system comprising:
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an imaging sensor configured to be disposed at a rearward portion of a vehicle equipped with said safety system so as to have an exterior field of view rearward of the equipped vehicle; wherein said imaging sensor is part of a multi-camera vision system of the equipped vehicle, the multi-camera vision system comprising at least a rear-mounted camera that comprises said imaging sensor, a front-mounted camera, a driver-side camera included in a driver-side exterior mirror assembly of the equipped vehicle and a passenger-side camera included in a passenger-side exterior mirror assembly of the equipped vehicle; said imaging sensor capturing image data; an image processor operable to process image data captured by said imaging sensor to detect a vehicle approaching from rearward of the equipped vehicle and to determine if a collision between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle is pending; wherein, responsive to such determination of the pending collision, a safety feature of the vehicle is triggered before any actual impact occurs; wherein the triggered safety feature comprises a reversible feature selected from the group consisting of (i) a reversible adjustment of a seat headrest of the equipped vehicle, (ii) a reversible adjustment of a seat belt of the equipped vehicle, (iii) a reversible adjustment of a seat setting of the equipped vehicle and (iv) a reversible adjustment of a door lock of the equipped vehicle; wherein, if the pending collision is avoided or otherwise does not occur, the adjusted safety feature returns to its unadjusted condition that existed prior to such determination of the pending collision; and wherein, in determining if a collision between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle is pending, captured image data is fused with data captured by a sensing system of the equipped vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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23. A safety system for a vehicle, said safety system comprising:
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an imaging sensor configured to be disposed at a rearward portion of a vehicle equipped with said safety system so as to have an exterior field of view rearward of the equipped vehicle; said imaging sensor capturing image data; an image processor operable to process image data captured by said imaging sensor to detect a vehicle approaching from rearward of the equipped vehicle and to determine if a collision between the detected vehicle and the equipped vehicle is pending; wherein, responsive to such determination of the pending collision, a safety feature of the vehicle is triggered before any actual impact occurs; wherein the triggered safety feature comprises a reversible adjustment of a seat headrest of the equipped vehicle; and wherein, if the pending collision is avoided or otherwise does not occur, the adjusted seat headrest returns to its unadjusted condition that existed prior to such determination of the pending collision. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification