Passenger sensing system

• US 6,104,972 A
• Filed: 10/22/1998
• Issued: 08/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Keiji, Oda, Naoki, Sano, Masahiko, Motoyama, Junshiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Donnelly, Arthur D
• Application Number:
  US09/176,770
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 701/45, 701/46, 701/36, 280/734, 340/436, 340/665, 340/667, 180/271
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01526 using piezoelectric elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01534 using electromagneticwaves, e.g. infrared

Abstract

A background heat source unit 4 having a plurality of heat sources, which are arranged substantially at a fixed interval and set to a temperature different from the body temperature of passenger and also from the ambient temperature, and an infrared sensor 7, are disposed such that they face each other via a passenger. Whether a passenger is present is checked according to the result of a check, made by comparing a detected temperature pattern of the background heat source unit 4, detected by the infrared sensor 7, and a reference temperature pattern of the background heat source unit 4, preliminarily stored in a control circuit 17, as to whether a non-identical area is present in the compared temperature patterns.

Claims

1. A passenger sensing system comprising a background heat source unit including a plurality of heat sources arranged substantially at a fixed interval, the background heat source unit being set to a temperature different from the body temperature of a passenger and also from the ambient temperature, an infrared sensor facing the background heat source unit, for detecting the temperature of the heat sources, and a control circuit for checking whether a passenger is present according to the result of a check, made by comparing a detected temperature pattern of the background heat source unit, detected by the infrared sensor, and a preliminarily stored reference temperature pattern of the background heat source unit, also whether a non-identical area is present in the compared temperature patterns.

2. The passenger sensing system according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit checks, by comparing the detected temperature pattern of the background heat source unit, detected by the infrared sensor, and the reference temperature pattern of the background heat source unit, preliminarily stored in it, whether a non-identical area is present in the compared temperature patterns and, when a non-identical area is present, computes the position thereof relative to the reference temperature pattern.

8. The passenger sensing system according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the heat sources in the background heat source unit are controlled, according to output signal from a temperature sensor for detecting the ambient temperature, to a temperature from the body temperature of passenger and also from the ambient temperature.

9. The passenger sensing system according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the background heat source unit is disposed on a ceiling part of the car or on a door side part of a seat of the car, and the infrared sensor is disposed that an upper half of a passenger will be found between the infrared sensor and the background heat source unit.

10. The passenger sensing system according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the background heat source unit includes a plurality of heat sources arranged at a fixed interval and made integral with a sheet-like insulating member having low heat conductivity.

11. The passenger sensing system according to claim 10, wherein the heat sources of the background heat source unit are bar-like or dot-like in shape.

12. The passenger sensing system according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the heat sources of the background heat source unit are constituted by substantially planer heaters and set to a temperature higher than the ambient temperature.

13. The passenger sensing system according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the heat source so the background heat source unit are constituted by a cooling assembly and set to a temperature lower than the ambient temperature.

3. A passenger sensing system comprising a background heat source unit including a plurality of heat sources arranged substantially at a fixed interval, the background heat source unit being set to a temperature different from the body temperature of a passenger and also from the ambient temperature, an infrared sensor facing the background heat source unit, for detecting the temperature of each of the heat sources, a body temperature detecting circuit for extracting a body temperature pattern of a passenger from the detected temperature pattern from the infrared sensor, and control circuit for checking whether a passenger is present according to the output signals from the infrared sensor and the body temperature detecting circuit, wherein the control circuit checks whether a passenger is present according to the result of a check, made by comparing a detected temperature pattern of the background heat source unit, detected by the infrared sensor, and a reference temperature pattern of the background heat source unit, preliminarily stored in it, as to whether a non-identical area is present in the compared temperature patterns and, when a non-identical area is present, checks whether a passenger is present by checking, according to output signal from the body temperature detecting circuit, whether a body temperature area is present in the non-identical area.

4. The passenger sensing system according to claim 3, wherein the control circuit compares a detected temperature pattern of the background heat source unit, detected by the infrared sensor, and a reference temperature pattern of the background heat source unit, preliminarily stored in it, when a non-identical area is present in the compared temperature patterns, checks, according to output signal from the body temperature detecting circuit, whether a body temperature area is present and, when a body temperature area is present, computes the position of the non-identical area relative to the reference temperature pattern.

5. A passenger sensing system comprising a background heat source unit including a plurality of heat sources arranged substantially at a fixed interval, the background heat source unit being set to a temperature different from the body temperature of a passenger and also from the ambient temperature, an infrared sensor facing the background heat source unit, for detecting the temperature of each of the heat sources, a control circuit for checking whether a passenger is present according to the result of a check, made by comparing a detected temperature pattern of the background heat source unit, detected by the infrared sensor, and a preliminarily stored reference temperature pattern of the background heat source unit, as to whether a non-identical area is present in the compared temperature patterns, and an air bag unit having a function of expanding an air bag in response to a collision of the car, wherein the air bag of the air bag unit is set, according to check result data transmitted from the control circuit to the air bag unit, such that it is ready to be expanded or that its expansion is prohibited.

6. A passenger sensing system comprising a background heat source unit including a plurality of heat sources arranged substantially at a fixed interval, the background heat source unit being set to a temperature different from the body temperature of a passenger and also from the ambient temperature, an infrared sensor facing the background heat source unit, for detecting the temperature of each of the heat sources, a control circuit for comparing a detected temperature pattern of the background heat source unit, detected by the infrared sensor, and a preliminarily stored reference temperature pattern of the background heat source unit, and checking, when a non-identical area is present in the compared temperature patterns, whether a passenger is present by checking, according to output signal from the body temperature detecting circuit, whether a body temperature area is present in the non-identical area, and an air bag unit having a function of expanding air bag in response a collision of the car, wherein the air bag in the air bag unit is set, according to check result data transmitted from the control circuit to the air bag unit, such that it is ready for expansion or that its expansion is prohibited.

7. The passenger sensing system according to claim 6, wherein the control circuit checks, by comparing the detected temperature pattern of the background heat source unit, detected by the infrared sensor, and the reference temperature pattern of the background heat source unit, preliminarily stored in it, whether a non-identical area is present in the compared temperature patterns, when a non-identical area is present, computes the position thereof relative to the reference temperature pattern, and checks whether the passenger is seated in the seat at a position thereof within permissible range, and the air bag unit sets, according to the check result, the air bag such that the air bag is ready for expansion or that expansion of the air bag is prohibited.

14. A passenger sensing method using a background heat source unit having a predetermined temperature pattern and an infrared sensor, the background heat source unit and the infrared sensor being disposed such that they face each other, the method comprising the steps of comparing a detected temperature pattern of the background heat source unit, detected by the infrared sensor, and a reference temperature pattern of the sole background heat source unit, and checking whether a passenger is present by checking whether as non-identical area is present in the compared temperature patterns.

15. The passenger sensing method according to claim 14, wherein when a non-identical area is present in the compared detected and reference temperature patterns, the check as to whether a passenger is present is made by checking whether a passenger'"'"'s body temperature area is present in the non-identical area.

16. The passenger sensing method according to claim 14, wherein when a non-identical area is present in the compared detected and reference temperature patterns, the position at which the passenger is seated in the seat is detected by computing the position of the non-identical area relative to the reference temperature pattern.

17. The passenger sensing method according to claim 15, wherein when a non-identical area is present in the compared detected and reference temperature patterns, whether a passenger'"'"'s body temperature area is present in the non-identical area is checked and, when a body temperature area is present, the position of the non-identical area relative to the reference temperature pattern is checked.

18. A passenger sensing method using a background heat source unit having a predetermined temperature pattern and an infrared sensor, the background heat source unit and the infrared sensor being disposed such that they face each other, and comprising the steps of comparing a detected temperature pattern of the background heat source unit, detected by the infrared sensor, and a reference temperature pattern of the sole background heat source unit, checking whether a passenger is present by checking whether a temperature pattern is present in the non-identical area, and transmitting check result signal to an air bag unit to set an air bag in the air bag unit such that the air bag is ready for expansion or that expansion of the air bag is prohibited.