Imaging sensor placement in an airbag deployment system
First Claim
1. A method of controlling deployment of an airbag in a vehicle, the method comprising:
- a) classifying an occupant of the vehicle as one of a plurality of possible classifications with regard to airbag deployment vulnerability, based upon information received by a processing facility obtained from a solitary imaging sensor for the airbag;
b) defining a suppression zone for the airbag having a longitudinal extent between suppression zone maximum and minimum longitudinal references of the vehicle;
c) determining whether an occupant is intruding upon the suppression zone based upon information about the occupant received exclusively from the solitary imaging sensor;
d) conditioning deployment of the airbag at least in part on the determination in step (c) as to whether the occupant is intruding upon the suppression zone for the airbag;
e) mounting the solitary imaging sensor such that an image entrance plane center (IEPC) point is disposed;
i) within 200 mm of an airbag suppression zone rear plane that defines a minimum longitudinal (rearmost) extent of the suppression zone, or within 200 mm of a windshield header of the vehicle if the windshield header is rearward of the airbag suppression zone rear plane; and
ii) 500 mm to 700 mm distant from a focus of view (FOV) point that is defined for the vehicle with respect to an expected typical position of the occupant.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An airbag deployment system employing an imaging sensor in order to obtain current information about an occupant is disclosed. The system uses the occupant information to condition the appropriate deployment of the airbag. In particular, the imaging sensor is located according to a combination of one or more constraints, so as to optimize the usefulness of the resulting image information. Location constraints are described in detail with respect to an Airbag Suppression Zone, a windshield header, a vehicle headliner, a radius from a reference Focus Of View point, and a vertical volume containing the seat of the protected occupant. At least one version of all such constraints may be imposed concurrently, or a more limited combination of constraints may be imposed on the camera location.
63 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method of controlling deployment of an airbag in a vehicle, the method comprising:
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a) classifying an occupant of the vehicle as one of a plurality of possible classifications with regard to airbag deployment vulnerability, based upon information received by a processing facility obtained from a solitary imaging sensor for the airbag;
b) defining a suppression zone for the airbag having a longitudinal extent between suppression zone maximum and minimum longitudinal references of the vehicle;
c) determining whether an occupant is intruding upon the suppression zone based upon information about the occupant received exclusively from the solitary imaging sensor;
d) conditioning deployment of the airbag at least in part on the determination in step (c) as to whether the occupant is intruding upon the suppression zone for the airbag;
e) mounting the solitary imaging sensor such that an image entrance plane center (IEPC) point is disposed;
i) within 200 mm of an airbag suppression zone rear plane that defines a minimum longitudinal (rearmost) extent of the suppression zone, or within 200 mm of a windshield header of the vehicle if the windshield header is rearward of the airbag suppression zone rear plane; and
ii) 500 mm to 700 mm distant from a focus of view (FOV) point that is defined for the vehicle with respect to an expected typical position of the occupant. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A vehicle occupant imaging system obtaining information used to control deployment of a vehicle airbag device for an occupant, the system comprising:
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a) an imaging camera having an image entrance plane with location defined in part by an image entrance plane center (IEPC) point;
b) an image processor configured to determine occupant classification and location information based upon image data obtained from the imaging camera; and
c) an airbag controller configured to determine when to deploy an airbag for the occupant, and configured to condition force and/or velocity of airbag deployment based upon the determination in step (b) of a location of the occupant with respect to an airbag suppression zone (ASZ);
d) wherein the IEPC point of the imaging camera is disposed;
i) within 200 mm of a plane that defines a minimum longitudinal (rearmost) extent of the ASZ, or within 200 mm of a windshield header of the vehicle if the windshield header is rearward of the ASZ rearmost plane; and
ii) 530 mm to 675 mm distant from a focus of view (FOV) point that is defined for the vehicle as a point that is 75 mm forward of a chest of a nominal occupant positioned on a seat of the vehicle that is centered within an available fore-aft adjustment range, in a horizontal plane that is 442 mm vertically above a horizontal plane that passes through a hip pivot point of the nominal occupant, and is in a vertical plane that passes through a lateral center of the nominal occupant and is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification