Method for protecting vehicle occupants

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10870330-B2
Application number	US-201815965475-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2018
Priority date	Apr 27, 2017
Publication date	Dec 22, 2020
Grant date	Dec 22, 2020

Abstract

In a method for protecting vehicle occupants in the passenger compartment of a vehicle, particularly a motor vehicle. It is provided as essential to the invention that at least one structure-borne sound signal is captured by at least one structure-borne sound sensor, the captured structure-borne sound signal is evaluated by at least one evaluation device, the structure-borne sound signal can be produced by at least one person located in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, and after the capture and evaluation of the structure-borne sound signal at least one control signal is sent to a triggering device of an air supply device to introduce air into the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for protecting vehicle occupants in a passenger compartment of a vehicle, comprising:
capturing at least one structure-borne sound signal by at least one structure-borne sound sensor;
evaluating the at least one structure-borne sound signal by at least one evaluation device; and
after said capturing the at least one structure-borne sound signal and evaluating the at least one structure-borne sound signal, sending at least one control signal to a triggering device of an air supply device for introducing air into the passenger compartment of the vehicle,
wherein the at least one structure-borne sound signal is produced by at least one person located in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, and
wherein at least one signal from at least one passenger compartment monitoring device is included in said evaluating the at least one structure-borne sound signal.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method can be started with the vehicle in a locked state.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least an inner surface of at least one window pane is monitored by the at least one structure-borne sound sensor.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one passenger compartment monitoring device consists of at least one seat occupancy sensor and/or at least one passenger compartment microphone and/or at least one passenger compartment camera and/or at least one air quality sensor.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one signal from at least one environmental monitoring device of the vehicle is included in said evaluating the at least one structure-borne sound signal.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein air is supplied by actuation of at least one electronic window regulator.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the air is supplied by switching on of at least one ventilation device.

8. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising:
examining the at least one structure-borne sound signal for a previously defined signal pattern; and
starting supplying the air after said examining the at least one structure-borne sound signal for the previously defined signal pattern is completed,
wherein the predefined signal pattern is a tapping sequence.

9. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising sending at least one notification, when the at least one ventilation device is switched on, to at least one previously specified mobile telephone.

10. A vehicle with a device for protecting vehicle occupants, said vehicle comprising:
at least one evaluation device configured to evaluate structure-borne sound signals;
at least one air supply device;
at least one control device, configured to control the at least one air supply device, connected to the at least one evaluation device;
at least one structure-borne sound sensor configured to capture a structure-borne sound signal whose source is located in the vehicle passenger compartment, the structure-borne sound signal being connected to at least one region of the passenger compartment of the vehicle so as to conduct a structure-borne sound; and
at least one passenger monitoring device connected to the at least one evaluation device.

11. The vehicle according to claim 10 , further comprising at least one environmental monitoring device connected to the evaluation device.

12. The vehicle according to claim 10 , further comprising a transmitting device connected to the evaluation device, the transmitting device being configured to transmit at least one message to at least one mobile telephone.

13. A method for protecting vehicle occupants, the method comprising:
capturing at least one structure-borne sound signal by at least one structure-borne sound sensor;
evaluating the at least one structure-borne sound signal by at least one evaluation device;
after said capturing the at least one structure-borne sound signal and said evaluating the at least one structure-borne sound signal, sending at least one control signal to a triggering device of an air supply device for introducing air into a passenger compartment of a vehicle;
examining the at least one structure-borne sound signal for a previously defined signal pattern, the previously defined signal pattern is a tapping sequence; and
starting a supply of air after said examining the at least one structure-borne sound signal for the previously defined signal pattern is completed,
wherein the at least one structure-borne sound signal is produced by at least one person located in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, and
wherein at least one signal from at least one passenger compartment monitoring device is included in said evaluating the at least one structure-borne sound signal.

Assignees

• Hella Gmbh & Co Kgaa

Inventors

• Niemann Thomas
• Jurgens Christian
• Fuchs Patrick
• Baumgartel Hauke

Classifications

• B60H1/00978

  Control systems or circuits characterised by failure of detection or safety means; Diagnostic methods · CPC title

• B60H1/00742

  by detection of the vehicle occupants' presence; by detection of conditions relating to the body of occupants, e.g. using radiant heat detectors · CPC title

• G08B21/22

  responsive to presence or absence of persons · CPC title

• B60R2021/01177

  Misdeployment, e.g. during assembly, disassembly, accident salvage or recycling · CPC title

• B60H1/008

  the input being air quality · CPC title