Automatic passenger airbag switch

• US 9,725,061 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2015
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thunder Power New Energy Vehicle Development Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Thunder Power New Energy Vehicle Development Company Limited
• Inventors: Chen, Yong-Syuan, Hsiao, Jen-Chieh
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Bao Long T
• Application Number:
  US14/967,388
• Publication Number:
  US 20170129436A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 701 36, 701 45, 701 48, 701 344, 2807281, 280734, 280735, 296 104, 382106, 382154
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01512 Passenger detection systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01516 using force or pressure sensing means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01538 for image processing, e.g. cameras or sensor arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01552 detecting position of specific human body parts, e.g. face, eyes or hands
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/16 Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags protective garments with automatically inflatable shock-absorbing means A41D13/018; connection of valves to inflatable elastic bodies B60C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8006 for monitoring and displaying scenes of vehicle interior, e.g. for monitoring passengers or cargo
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/593 Recognising seat occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/166 using acquisition arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/168 Feature extraction; Face representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

Techniques described herein include a system and method for switching an airbag on or off based on determining that an object situated in a vehicle seat meets one or more conditions. In some embodiments, the vehicle seat may be fitted with a weight sensor configured to detect an object situated in the vehicle seat. The system may include a camera device configured to capture image information associated with the object situated in the vehicle seat. The image information may be processed to determine if the object is a person meeting one or more threshold conditions for activating the airbag. Upon processing the image information, the airbag may be provided with instructions to either activate or deactivate.

Claims

1. An airbag deployment apparatus, comprising:

an airbag deployment device configured to deploy an airbag in a collision event;

a sensor device configured to detect an object situated in a vehicle seat;

an optical sensor having an emitting portion positioned in front of the vehicle seat at a vertical height less than a maximum vertical height of the vehicle seat, the emitting portion of the optical sensor facing the vehicle seat and the optical sensor being configured to detect height information related to the object situated in the vehicle seat, wherein the emitting portion of the optical sensor emits a light beam over the vehicle seat at a height that corresponds to a height threshold, and wherein the light beam is parallel with a base of the vehicle seat; and

a processor device configured to activate the airbag deployment device upon determining, from the optical sensor, that the object situated in the vehicle seat obstructs the light beam emitted over the vehicle seat.

2. The airbag deployment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor device is a pressure sensor.

3. A method of activating and deactivating an airbag deployment device, comprising:

detecting an object situated in a vehicle seat;

activating an optical sensor having an emitting portion positioned in front of the vehicle seat at a vertical height less than a maximum vertical height of the vehicle seat, the emitting portion of the optical sensor facing the vehicle seat and the optical sensor being configured to detect height information related to the object situated in the vehicle seat, wherein the emitting portion of the optical sensor emits a light beam over the vehicle seat at a height that corresponds to a height threshold, and wherein the light beam is parallel with a base of the vehicle seat;

receiving information from the optical sensor related to whether the light beam emitted over the vehicle seat is obstructed; and

providing activation instructions to the airbag deployment device, based at least in part on whether the light beam emitted over the vehicle seat is obstructed.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein providing activation instructions to the airbag deployment device comprises at least one of:

upon determining that the light beam emitted over the vehicle seat is obstructed, activating the airbag deployment device; and

upon determining that the light beam emitted over the vehicle seat is not obstructed, deactivating the airbag deployment device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the object is detected as being situated in the vehicle seat using a weight sensor.

6. A vehicle airbag system, comprising:

a vehicle seat equipped with one or more weight sensors;

an airbag deployment device configured to deploy an airbag to the vehicle seat;

an optical sensor having an emitting portion positioned in front of the vehicle seat at a vertical height less than a maximum vertical height of the vehicle seat, the emitting portion of the optical sensor facing the vehicle seat and the optical sensor being configured to detect height information related to an object situated in the vehicle seat, wherein the emitting portion of the optical sensor emits a light beam over the vehicle seat at a height that corresponds to a height threshold, and wherein the light beam is parallel with a base of the vehicle seat;

a processor device; and

a memory including instructions that, when executed by the processor device, cause the vehicle airbag system to, at least;

receive information from the optical sensor related to whether the light beam emitted over the vehicle seat is obstructed; and

provide activation instructions to the airbag deployment device, based at least in part on whether the light beam emitted over the vehicle seat is obstructed.

7. The vehicle airbag system of claim 6, wherein the instructions further cause the vehicle airbag system to access a user profile related to the person situated in the vehicle seat, the user profile including data related to the person situated in the vehicle seat.

8. The vehicle airbag system of claim 7, wherein the user profile is associated with one or more configuration settings, wherein the instructions to the airbag deployment device are provided based at least in part on the one or more configuration settings.

9. The vehicle airbag system of claim 8, wherein the one or more configuration settings includes data related to at least one of an age or a medical condition.