SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING A POSITION OF A LIVING BEING IN A VEHICLE

• US 20140347209A1
• Filed: 05/19/2014
• Published: 11/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volvo Car Corporation (AB Volvo)
• Original Assignee: Volvo Car Corporation (AB Volvo)
• Inventors: HARDA, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 9,612,322 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/146
• 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: G01S 13/06 Systems determining position data of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/524 based upon the phase or frequency shift resulting from movement of objects, with reference to the transmitted signals, e.g. coherent MTi
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/56 for presence detection presence detection using near field arrangements G01V3/00, e.g. G01V3/08, G01V3/12; burglar, theft or intruder alarms with electrical actuation G08B13/22 - G08B13/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/415 Identification of targets based on measurements of movement associated with the target

Abstract

A system for determining a position of a living being in a vehicle interior includes at least three components, each component of a first type or a second type, one of the first or second type being a transmitter and the other a receiver. Two components are of the first type and one component is of the second type. Each component is adapted to transmit or receive a signal dependent on type. The signal is adapted for determining a presence of the living being and for determining a distance (d₁, d₂) between the living being and each component of the first type. The components have active sectors adapted to at least partly overlap within the vehicle interior. The components of the first type are located at different positions known relative to each other. The system is adapted to determine the living being position based on the determined distances (d₁, d₂).

Claims

1. A system for determining a position of a living being in an interior of a vehicle, said system comprising:

at least three components, each one of said at least three components being of a first component type or a second component type, one of said first or second component type being a transmitter and the other being a receiver, two of the components being of said first component type and one of the components being of said second component type, each of said at least three components being adapted to transmit or receive a signal dependent on component type, said signal for use in determining a presence of said living being and for determining a distance (d₁, d₂) between said living being and each one of said components being of said first component type;

wherein said at least three components have active sectors, which are adapted to at least partly overlap within said interior of said vehicle;

wherein said components of said first component type are adapted to be located at different positions, which positions are known relative to each other; and

wherein said system is adapted to determine said position of said living being based on said determined distances (d₁, d₂).

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said presence of said living being is determined by determining a movement of said living being.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said system further comprises a fourth component, which is of said first component type, said components being of said first component type being located at different positions, which are known relative to each other.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the relative positions of said components being of said first component type are selected such that a distance between them is at least 10 cm, preferably at least 30 cm, more preferably at least 50 cm and most preferably at least 100 cm.

5. The system according to any claim 1, wherein said signal is adapted for determining a distance in the range of 0.2-3 meters.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the active sector of said components is adapted to comprise at least 50% of the seats of said vehicle, preferably at least 70% and most preferably at least 90%.

7. The system according to claim 1 comprising a first transceiver comprising at least one component of each one of said first and second component type, and a second transceiver also comprising at least one component of each one of said first and second component type, said second transceiver having a known position relative to said first transceiver.

8. A vehicle comprising a system according to claim 1.

9. A method for determining a position of a living being in an interior of a vehicle, said method comprising:

a) transmitting a first signal into said interior of said vehicle;

b) receiving a first reflected signal from a first object;

c) determining whether or not said first object is a living being based on said first reflected signal;

d) associating said first object with a first distance;

e) receiving a second reflected signal from a second object, said second reflected signal at least partly following another signal path than said first reflected signal;

f) determining whether or not said second object is a living being based on said second reflected signal;

g) associating said second object with a second distance;

h) comparing said second reflected signal to said first reflected signal;

i) from said comparison, determining whether said living being associated with said second reflected signal is the same as said living being associated with said first reflected signal; and

j) if the same, using said first and second distances for determining the position of said living being.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein (c) and (f) are performed by determining if there is a movement associated with said first/second object and (h) is performed by comparing the movement associated with said first object to the movement associated with said second object.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein more than one pair of corresponding first and second objects are determined, each pair being associated with a living being, the determining of the position of the living being of each pair being performed by using said first and second distances being associated with said first and second objects of that pair.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein said determined position of said living being is used to determine if a vehicle seat is occupied.

13. The method according to claim 9 further assuming a plane of said vehicle, said position of said first living being is determined as its projection on said plane.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the determining of said position of said living being is based on the assumption that the living being is located in one of the vehicle seats.

15. The method according to claim 9 further comprising:

k) receiving a third reflected signal from a third object, said third reflected signal at least partly following another signal path than said first reflected signal and said second reflected signal;

l) determining whether or not said third object is a living being based on said third reflected signal;

m) associating said third object with a third distance;

n) comparing said third reflected signal to said first reflected signal and said second reflected signal;

o) from said comparison, determining whether or not said living being associated with said third reflected signal is the same as said living being associated with said first reflected signal and said second reflected signal; and

p) if the same, using said first, second and third distances for determining the position of said living being.