Signal Processing System

• US 20130158895A1
• Filed: 12/19/2011
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Infotechnology Center Co., Ltd. (Toyota Motor Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Bessho, Takeshi, Honda, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 8,935,105 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/41
• 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 21/015 including means for detecting the presence or position of passengers, passenger seats or child seats , and the related safety parameters therefor, e.g. speed or timing of airbag inflation in relation to occupant position or seat belt use
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01526 using piezoelectric elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/00 Apparatus for, or methods of, measuring force, work, mechanical power, or torque, specially adapted for specific purposes

Abstract

A system and method for processing sensor signals is disclosed. The system comprises a sensor array, a multiplexer, a converter, a selection module and a combination module. The sensor array measures a physical parameter in a first dimension on a seat and generates a first set of sensor signals. The sensor array measures the physical parameter in a second dimension on the seat and generates a second set of sensor signals. The multiplexer multiplexes the first set of sensor signals into a first signal stream and the second set of sensor signals into a second signal stream. The converter converts the first signal stream to a first set of digital signals and the second signal stream to a second set of digital signals. The selection module determines a set of first-dimension data and a set of second-dimension data. The combination module forms a set of two-dimensional data.

Claims

1. A method for processing sensor signals, the method comprising:

measuring one or more physical parameters in a first dimension on a seat and generating a first set of sensor signals for the first dimension;

measuring the one or more physical parameters in a second dimension on the seat and generating a second set of sensor signals for the second dimension;

multiplexing the first set of sensor signals into a first signal stream and the second set of sensor signals into a second signal stream;

converting the first signal stream to a first set of digital signals and the second signal stream to a second set of digital signals;

determining a set of first-dimension data from the first set of digital signals and a set of second-dimension data from the second set of digital signals; and

combining the set of first-dimension data and the set of second-dimension data to form a set of two-dimensional data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of two-dimensional data includes one or more data points representing one or more measurements for the one or more physical parameters in a two-dimensional domain comprising the first dimension and the second dimension.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating a first set of location data associated with the first set of digital signals;

generating a second set of location data associated with the second set of digital signals;

determining location data associated with the set of first-dimension data from the first set of location data; and

determining location data associated with the set of second-dimension data from the second set of location data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the set of two-dimensional data is formed based at least in part on the set of first-dimension data, the location data associated with the set of first-dimension data, the set of second-dimension data and the location data associated with the set of second-dimension data.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

combining the first set of sensor signals and the second set of sensor signals to generate a power signal;

regulating the power signal;

determining whether a voltage of the power signal is above a threshold; and

responsive to a determination that the voltage is above the threshold, charging a battery based at least in part on the power signal.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

measuring a seating position and a loading weight on the seat based at least in part on the set of two-dimensional data;

generating an airbag-triggering signal based at least in part on the loading weight;

detecting a seat occupancy based at least in part on the seating position and the loading weight; and

measuring a degree of seating comfort based at least in part on the seating position.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the set of first-dimension data from the first set of digital signals and the set of second-dimension data from the second set of digital signals further comprising:

selecting one or more first digital signals that have amplitudes greater than a threshold as the set of first-dimension data from the first set of digital signals; and

selecting one or more second digital signals that have amplitudes greater than the threshold as the set of second-dimension data from the second set of digital signals.

8. A system for processing sensor signals, the system comprising:

a sensor array measuring one or more physical parameters in a first dimension on a seat and generating a first set of sensor signals for the first dimension, the sensor array measuring the one or more physical parameters in a second dimension on the seat and generating a second set of sensor signals for the second dimension;

a multiplexer communicatively coupled to the sensor array, the multiplexer multiplexing the first set of sensor signals into a first signal stream and the second set of sensor signals into a second signal stream;

a converter communicatively coupled to the multiplexer, the converter converting the first signal stream to a first set of digital signals and the second signal stream to a second set of digital signals;

a selection module communicatively coupled to the converter, the selection module determining a set of first-dimension data from the first set of digital signals and a set of second-dimension data from the second set of digital signals; and

a combination module communicatively coupled to the selection module, the combination module combining the set of first-dimension data and the set of second-dimension data to form a set of two-dimensional data.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the set of two-dimensional data includes one or more data points representing one or more measurements for the one or more physical parameters in a two-dimensional domain comprising the first dimension and the second dimension.

10. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

a counter communicatively coupled to the multiplexer, the converter, the selection module and the combination module, the counter generating a first set of location data associated with the first set of digital signals, the counter generating a second set of location data associated with the second set of digital signals; and

wherein the selection module is further configured to determine location data associated with the set of first-dimension data from the first set of location data and determine location data associated with the set of second-dimension data from the second set of location data.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the set of two-dimensional data is formed based at least in part on the set of first-dimension data, the location data associated with the set of first-dimension data, the set of second-dimension data and the location data associated with the set of second-dimension data.

12. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

a power combiner communicatively coupled to the sensor array, the power combiner combining the first set of sensor signals and the second set of sensor signals to generate a power signal; and

a voltage regulator communicatively coupled to the power combiner, the voltage regulator regulating the power signal, the voltage regulator determining whether a voltage of the power signal is above a threshold, responsive to a determination that the voltage is above the threshold the voltage regulator charging a battery based at least in part on the power signal.

13. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

an application unit communicatively coupled to the combination module, the application unit measuring a seating position and a loading weight on the seat based at least in part on the set of two-dimensional data, the application unit generating an airbag-triggering signal based at least in part on the loading weight, the application unit detecting a seat occupancy based at least in part on the seating position and the loading weight, the application unit measuring a degree of seating comfort based at least in part on the seating position.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the selection module is further configured to:

select one or more first digital signals that have amplitudes greater than a threshold as the set of first-dimension data from the first set of digital signals; and

select one or more second digital signals that have amplitudes greater than the threshold as the set of second-dimension data from the second set of digital signals.

15. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium encoding instructions that, in response to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

multiplexing a first set of sensor signals into a first signal stream and a second set of sensor signals into a second signal stream, the first set of sensor signals representing one or more measurements for one or more physical parameters in a first dimension on a seat, the second set of sensor signals representing one or more measurements for the one or more physical parameters in a second dimension on the seat;

converting the first signal stream to a first set of digital signals and the second signal stream to a second set of digital signals;

determining a set of first-dimension data from the first set of digital signals and a set of second-dimension data from the second set of digital signals; and

combining the set of first-dimension data and the set of second-dimension data to form a set of two-dimensional data.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the set of two-dimensional data includes one or more data points representing one or more measurements for the one or more physical parameters in a two-dimensional domain comprising the first dimension and the second dimension.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the computing devices to perform operations further comprising:

generating a first set of location data associated with the first set of digital signals;

generating a second set of location data associated with the second set of digital signals;

determining location data associated with the set of first-dimension data from the first set of location data; and

determining location data associated with the set of second-dimension data from the second set of location data.

18. The computing program product of claim 17, wherein the set of two-dimensional data is formed based at least in part on the set of first-dimension data, the location data associated with the set of first-dimension data, the set of second-dimension data and the location data associated with the set of second-dimension data.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the computing device to perform operations further comprising:

measuring a seating position and a loading weight on the seat based at least in part on the set of two-dimensional data;

generating an airbag-triggering signal based at least in part on the loading weight;

detecting a seat occupancy based at least in part on the seating position and the loading weight; and

measuring a degree of seating comfort based at least in part on the seating position.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein determining the set of first-dimension data from the first set of digital signals and the set of second-dimension data from the second set of digital signals further comprising:

selecting one or more first digital signals that have amplitudes greater than a threshold as the set of first-dimension data from the first set of digital signals; and

selecting one or more second digital signals that have amplitudes greater than the threshold as the set of second-dimension data from the second set of digital signals.