INFRARED SENSOR ARRAYS FOR MONITORING VEHICLE OCCUPANTS AND WINDOWS

• US 20180244129A1
• Filed: 02/27/2017
• Published: 08/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Whitens, Mike James, Maranville, Clay Wesley, Flanigan, Cynthia Mowery, Schein, Victoria Leigh
• Granted Patent: US 10,183,546 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 1/00878 the components being temperature regulating devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/023 including defroster or demisting means
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/0077 Imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/106 Arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0025 Living bodies ear thermometers G01J5/0011; detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0037 for sensing the heat emitted by liquids
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/026 Control of working procedures of a pyrometer, other than calibration; Bandwidth calculation; Gain control
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0846 having multiple detectors for performing different types of detection, e.g. using radiometry and reflectometry channels
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/10 using electric radiation detectors

Abstract

Method and apparatus are disclosed for infrared sensor arrays for monitoring vehicle occupants and windows. An example vehicle includes a side window and an infrared sensor array. The infrared sensor array includes first pixels of measurement resolution to monitor an occupant and second pixels of measurement resolution to monitor the side window. The example vehicle also includes a cabin environment controller to detect, via the first pixels, whether a body temperature of the occupant is outside a predetermined temperature range and detect, via the second pixels, whether fog is on the side window.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a side window;

an infrared sensor array including first pixels of measurement resolution to monitor an occupant and second pixels of measurement resolution to monitor the side window; and

a cabin environment controller to;

detect, via the first pixels, whether a body temperature of the occupant is outside a predetermined temperature range; and

detect, via the second pixels, whether fog is on the side window.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the cabin environment controller selects the first pixels and the second pixels of the infrared sensor array based on a location of the occupant relative to the side window.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the cabin environment controller detects the location of the occupant based on a temperature map determined via the infrared sensor array.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the first pixels selected by the cabin environment controller have a temperature value that is greater than or equal to a body temperature threshold.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the second pixels selected by the cabin environment controller have a temperature value that is less than the body temperature threshold.

6. The vehicle of claim 2, further including a camera to detect the location of the occupant.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, further including an HVAC system in communication with the cabin environment controller, wherein the cabin environment controller adjusts an HVAC setting of the HVAC system.

8. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein:

the HVAC system includes a vent, a heater, and an air conditioner; and

the cabin environment controller adjusts the HVAC setting by at least one of adjusting a rate of airflow through the vent and adjusting, via the air conditioner or the heater, a temperature of air flowing through the vent.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the cabin environment controller adjusts an HVAC setting to decrease a cabin temperature in response to detecting, via the first pixels, that the body temperature of the occupant is greater than an upper limit of the predetermined temperature range.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the cabin environment controller adjusts the HVAC setting to increase the cabin temperature in response to detecting, via the first pixels, that the body temperature of the occupant is less than a lower limit of the predetermined temperature range.

11. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein, the cabin environment controller adjusts an HVAC setting to defog the side window in response to detecting, via the second pixels, that fog is on the side window.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the cabin environment controller adjusts the HVAC setting to a defog mode or a defrost-floor mode to defog the side window.

13. The vehicle of claim 1, further including:

a windshield; and

a windshield sensor adjacent to the windshield to detect whether fog is on the windshield.

14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the windshield sensor monitors at least one of an ambient temperature, a cabin temperature, and a cabin humidity to detect whether fog is on the windshield.

15. A method for monitoring vehicle occupants and windows, the method comprising:

monitoring a body temperature of an occupant via first pixels of measurement resolution of an infrared sensor array;

monitoring a side window via second pixels of measurement resolution of the infrared sensor array; and

adjusting, via a processor, an HVAC setting in response to detecting at least one of the body temperature being outside a predetermined temperature range and fog on the side window.

16. The method of claim 15, further including selecting the first pixels and the second pixels of the infrared sensor array based on a location of the occupant relative to the side window.

17. The method of claim 15, further including decreasing a cabin temperature by adjusting the HVAC setting in response to detecting, via the first pixels, that the body temperature of the occupant is greater than an upper limit of the predetermined temperature range.

18. The method of claim 17, further including increasing a cabin temperature by adjusting the HVAC setting in response to detecting, via the first pixels, that the body temperature of the occupant is less than a lower limit of the predetermined temperature range.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein adjusting the HVAC setting includes changing the HVAC setting to a defog mode or a defrost-floor mode to defog the side window in response to detecting, via the second pixels, fog on the side window.

20. The method of claim 15, further including monitoring, via a windshield sensor, at least one of an ambient temperature, a cabin temperature, and a cabin humidity to detect fog on a windshield.