Method for detecting a living being on a seat of a vehicle, detection arrangement and vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11709242-B2
Application number	US-202016823644-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2020
Priority date	Mar 19, 2019
Publication date	Jul 25, 2023
Grant date	Jul 25, 2023

Abstract

A method for detecting a living being on a seat of a vehicle, further relating to a detection arrangement and to a vehicle. The method may include emitting electromagnetic waves at predetermined frequency or at a predetermined frequency band towards the seat by an electromagnetic radiator, receiving electromagnetic waves reflected on a surface by a sensor, detecting an object on the seat from a transit time of the emitted and the reflected electromagnetic waves between the radiator, the surface and the sensor by a detection device, detecting movements of the object from the reflected electromagnetic waves by the detection device if an object has been detected, determining from the detected movements of the object whether the detected object is a living being, and outputting a detection signal by way of the detection device if it has been determined that the detected object is a living being.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of detecting a living being disposed on a seat of a vehicle, the method comprising:
emitting electromagnetic waves at a predetermined frequency or at a predetermined frequency band towards the seat by means of an electromagnetic radiator;
receiving reflected electromagnetic waves reflected from a surface by means of a sensor;
detecting an object disposed on the seat based on a transit time of the emitted electromagnetic waves and the reflected electromagnetic waves between the electromagnetic radiator, the surface and the sensor by means of a detection device;
detecting movement of the object from the reflected electromagnetic waves by means of the detection device if the object has been detected;
determining whether the detected object is a living being based on the detected movements of the object;
outputting a detection signal from the detection device in response to determining that the detected object is a living being,
wherein the detecting the object step includes determining a size of the object based on the reflected electromagnetic waves, and
filtering the reflected electromagnetic waves based on the determined size of the object and wherein the detecting movement step includes the filtering of the reflected electromagnetic waves.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining an area occupied by the object by comparing reflected electromagnetic waves from an occupied area with reflected electromagnetic waves from a reference area.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the determining an area occupied by the object step includes determining a size of the object by comparing the reflected electromagnetic waves from the occupied area with reflected electromagnetic waves from the reference area.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the detecting movement steps includes determining a size of the object being less than a reference size value.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the detecting movement step includes determining a relative speed of the emitted electromagnetic waves with respect to the reflected electromagnetic waves.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the detecting movement step includes determining a frequency shift of the emitted electromagnetic waves with respect to the reflected electromagnetic waves.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the detected object is a living being step includes analyzing the reflected electromagnetic waves in a time domain to detect predetermined patterns.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the predetermined patterns are associated with breathing movement of one or more people within a predetermined age range or breathing movements of one or more pets.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the emitting step includes modulating the electromagnetic waves in a range between 77 GHz and 81 GHz.

10. A detection arrangement for use in a vehicle including at least one seat for use by a person, the detection arrangement comprising:
an electromagnetic radiator configured to emit electromagnetic waves at least one frequency or within at least one frequency band;
a sensor configured to receive reflected electromagnetic waves reflected from a surface within the vehicle;
a detection device connected to the sensor and the electromagnetic radiator, wherein the detection device is configured to detect an object disposed on the seat, wherein the detection device is configured to detect a size of the object based on the reflected electromagnetic waves; and
a filter configured to filter the reflected electromagnetic waves based on the determined size of the object.

11. The detection arrangement of claim 10 , wherein the electromagnetic radiator includes a radar transmitter configured to emit radio waves or microwaves, and wherein the sensor is configured to receive reflected radio waves or reflected microwaves, each reflected from the seat, the object, or the person.

12. The detection arrangement of claim 10 , wherein the electromagnetic radiator includes an ultrasonic transmitter configured to emit electromagnetic waves within an ultrasonic frequency range, and wherein the sensor is configured to receive reflected electromagnetic waves ultrasound waves within the ultrasonic frequency range.

13. The detection arrangement of claim 10 , wherein the electromagnetic radiator includes a lighting unit configured to emit light within an infrared frequency range, and wherein the sensor includes a photonic mixer detector configured to receive reflected light within the infrared frequency range.

14. A method of detecting occupancy in a vehicle, the method comprising:
emitting electromagnetic waves at a predetermined frequency from an electromagnetic radiator towards a seat disposed in the vehicle;
receiving, by a sensor, reflected electromagnetic waves reflected from a surface;
comparing, by a processor, a first distance traveled by the electromagnetic waves to a second distance traveled by the reflected electromagnetic waves to determine whether a person, or an object, or a pet is disposed on the seat;

further comprising comparing a first number of reflected electromagnetic waves reflected from a surface of the seat to a second number of reflected electromagnetic waves reflected from the person, or the object, or the pet to determine a size of the person, or the object, or the pet and,
filtering the reflected electromagnetic waves based on the determined size of the person, object or pet, and
detecting a movement of the person, the object or the pet from the filtered reflected electromagnetic waves or sensor signals by means of a detection device.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising measuring a first speed of a first reflected electromagnetic wave reflected from the surface of the seat to a second speed of a second reflected electromagnetic wave reflected from the person, or the object, or the pet to determine whether the person, or the object, or the pet is moving.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
receiving, by the processor from the sensor, a signal progression pattern indicative of an absolute distance between the person, or the object, or the pet and the sensor within a first period, or movement of the person, or the object, or the pet with respect to the sensor within a second period; and
comparing the signal progression pattern to a stored reference pattern.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising receiving an adjustment position of the seat and altering the first distance traveled by the electromagnetic waves based on the adjustment position of the seat.

Assignees

• Brose Fahrzeugteile Se & Co Kg Bamberg

Inventors

• Gauerhof Sergej
• Topf Carsten
• Uebel Wolfgang
• Gruenewald Benjamin

Classifications

• G01S13/04 Primary

  Systems determining presence of a target (based on relative movement of target G01S13/56) · CPC title

• G01S15/04

  Systems determining presence of a target · CPC title

• G01V8/12 Primary

  using one transmitter and one receiver · CPC title

• G01S13/88 Primary

  Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications (electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00) · CPC title

• G01S15/88

  Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications (seismic or acoustic prospecting or detecting G01V1/00) · CPC title