Vehicle occupant sensing system
First Claim
1. A vehicle occupant sensing system comprising:
- a single laser array mounted to a vehicle structure for generating a first beam directed toward a first occupant zone, a second beam directed toward a second occupant zone, and a third beam directed toward a third occupant zone with said first, second and third beams all being generated from generally the same location on said vehicle structure;
a first sensor assembly for receiving reflection beams resulting from said first beam hitting a first portion of an occupant located in said first zone, said first sensor assembly generating a first signal proportionally representing said first portion of the occupant present in said first zone;
a second sensor assembly for receiving reflection beams resulting from said second beam hitting a second portion of the occupant located in said second zone, said second sensor assembly generating a second signal proportionally representing said second portion of the occupant present in said second zone;
a third sensor assembly for receiving reflection beams resulting from said third beam hitting a third portion of the occupant located in said third zone, said third sensor assembly generating a third signal proportionally representing said third portion of the occupant present in said third zone; and
a central processor for receiving said first, second, and third signals and combining said signals to determine the position of the occupant within the vehicle.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle occupant sensing system includes a laser array that generates three beams. A first beam is directed toward an upper body zone, a second beam is directed toward a middle body zone, and a third beam is directed toward a lower body zone. A first sensor assembly receives reflection beams from the upper body zone and generates a first signal that represents a proportional amount of an occupant present in the upper body zone. A second sensor assembly receives reflection beams from the middle body zone and generates a second signal that represents a proportional amount of the occupant present in the middle body zone. A third sensor assembly receives reflection beams from the lower body zone and generates a third signal that represents a proportional amount of the occupant present in the lower body zone. The laser array and the first, second, and third sensor assemblies are all mounted within a common housing that is mounted to a vehicle structure such as an A-pillar or rear view mirror. A central processor receives the first, second, and third signals and combines the signals to generate a control signal representative of the position of the occupant within the vehicle. The control signal is used to control deployment of an airbag based on the position of the occupant within the vehicle.
58 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A vehicle occupant sensing system comprising:
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a single laser array mounted to a vehicle structure for generating a first beam directed toward a first occupant zone, a second beam directed toward a second occupant zone, and a third beam directed toward a third occupant zone with said first, second and third beams all being generated from generally the same location on said vehicle structure;
a first sensor assembly for receiving reflection beams resulting from said first beam hitting a first portion of an occupant located in said first zone, said first sensor assembly generating a first signal proportionally representing said first portion of the occupant present in said first zone;
a second sensor assembly for receiving reflection beams resulting from said second beam hitting a second portion of the occupant located in said second zone, said second sensor assembly generating a second signal proportionally representing said second portion of the occupant present in said second zone;
a third sensor assembly for receiving reflection beams resulting from said third beam hitting a third portion of the occupant located in said third zone, said third sensor assembly generating a third signal proportionally representing said third portion of the occupant present in said third zone; and
a central processor for receiving said first, second, and third signals and combining said signals to determine the position of the occupant within the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 10, 11, 12, 21)
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3. A vehicle occupant sensing system comprising:
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a laser array mounted to a vehicle structure for generating a first beam directed toward a first occupant zone, a second beam directed toward a second occupant zone, and a third beam directed toward a third occupant zone;
a first sensor assembly for receiving reflection beams resulting from said first beam hitting a first portion of an occupant located in said first zone, said first sensor assembly generating a first signal proportionally representing said first portion of the occupant present in said first zone;
a second sensor assembly for receiving reflection beams resulting from said second beam hitting a second portion of the occupant located in said second zone, said second sensor assembly generating a second signal proportionally representing said second portion of the occupant present in said second zone;
a third sensor assembly for receiving reflection beams resulting from said third beam hitting a third portion of the occupant located in said third zone, said third sensor assembly generating a third signal proportionally representing said third portion of the occupant present in said third zone wherein said laser array and said first, second, and third sensor assemblies are mounted within a common housing; and
a central processor for receiving said first, second, and third signals and combining said signals to determine the position of the occupant within the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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13. A vehicle occupant sensing system comprising:
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a housing mounted to a vehicle structure;
a laser array mounted within said housing for generating a first beam directed toward an upper zone, a second beam directed toward a middle zone, and a third beam directed toward a lower zone;
a first sensor assembly for receiving reflection beams from said upper zone, said first sensor assembly generating a first signal proportionally representing a first portion of an occupant present in said upper zone;
a second sensor assembly for receiving reflection beams from said middle zone, said second sensor assembly generating a second signal proportionally representing a second portion of the occupant present in said middle zone;
a third sensor assembly for receiving reflection beams from said lower zone, said third sensor assembly generating a third signal proportionally representing a third portion of the occupant present in said lower zone wherein said first, second, and third sensor assemblies are mounted within said housing;
a central processor for receiving said first, second, and third signals and combining said signals to generate a control signal representative of the position of the occupant within the vehicle an airbag system for receiving said control signal such that deployment of an airbag is varied depending on the position of the occupant within the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 22, 23)
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17. A method for sensing an occupant position within a vehicle comprising the steps of:
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generating a first laser beam from a first position in the vehicle toward a first zone;
generating a second laser beam from the first position toward a second zone;
generating a third laser beam from the first position toward a third zone;
receiving a reflection from the first laser beam when the first laser beam strikes a portion of an occupant in the first zone;
generating a first signal representing a first proportional amount of the occupant in the first zone;
receiving a reflection from the second laser beam when the second laser beam strikes a portion of an occupant in the second zone;
generating a second signal representing a second proportional amount of the occupant in the second zone;
receiving a reflection from the third laser beam when the third laser beam strikes a portion of an occupant in the third zone;
generating a third signal representing a third proportional amount of the occupant in the third zone; and
combining the first, second, and third signals to determine occupant position within the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 24, 25)
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Specification