Automatic passenger airbag switch

• US 9,446,730 B1
• Filed: 11/08/2015
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thunder Power New Energy Vehicle Development Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Thunder Power Hong Kong Limited (Thunder Power Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hsiao, Jen-Chieh, Chen, Yong-Syuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Bao Long T
• Application Number:
  US14/935,443
• Time in Patent Office: 317 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/45, 701/48, 701/34.4, 280/728.1, 280/734, 280/735, 296/1.04, 382/106, 382/154
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 vehicle in a collision event;

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

a pyroelectric sensor positioned on a ceiling of the vehicle above the vehicle seat, wherein the pyroelectric sensor is configured to detect height information related to the object situated in the vehicle seat by determining a distance between the pyroelectric sensor and a top of the object via infrared rays emitted by the object; and

a processor device configured to activate the airbag deployment device upon determining, from the pyroelectric sensor, that the object situated in the vehicle seat has a height above a height threshold.

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 in a vehicle, comprising:

detecting an object situated in a vehicle seat;

activating a pyroelectric sensor positioned on a ceiling of the vehicle above the vehicle seat, wherein the pyroelectric sensor is configured to detect height information related to the object situated in the vehicle seat by determining a distance between the pyroelectric sensor and a top of the object via infrared rays emitted by the object;

receiving information from the pyroelectric sensor related to whether the object situated in the vehicle seat has a height above a height threshold; and

providing activation instructions to the airbag deployment device, based at least in part on whether the object in the vehicle seat has a height above the height threshold.

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

upon determining that the object situated in the vehicle seat has the height above the height threshold, activating the airbag deployment device; and

upon determining that the object situated in the vehicle seat does not have the height above the height threshold, 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;

a pyroelectric sensor positioned on a ceiling of the vehicle above the vehicle seat, wherein the pyroelectric sensor is configured to detect height information related to the object situated in the vehicle seat by determining a distance between the pyroelectric sensor and a top of the object via infrared rays emitted by the object;

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 pyroelectric sensor related to whether the object situated in the vehicle seat has a height above a height threshold;

provide activation instructions to the airbag deployment device, based at least in part on whether the object in the vehicle seat has the height above the height threshold.

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 a 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.