Vehicle control apparatus for safety of a vehicle occupant, a vehicle system including the same and method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12296646-B2
Application number	US-202217971198-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2022
Priority date	Dec 21, 2021
Publication date	May 13, 2025
Grant date	May 13, 2025

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control apparatus for safety of a vehicle occupant, a vehicle system including the same, and a method thereof. An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a vehicle control apparatus, including: a processor configured to recognize information related to occupants in a vehicle using a radar and to generate information for air conditioning control and airbag control depending on the occupant information; and a communication device configured to transmit the information for the air conditioning control and the airbag control depending on the occupant information to an air conditioning control device and an airbag control device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle control apparatus, comprising:
a processor configured to recognize occupant information related to occupants in a vehicle using a radar, and to generate information for air conditioning control and airbag control depending on the occupant information; and
a communication device configured to transmit the occupant information for the air conditioning control and the airbag control, depending on the occupant information, to an air conditioning control device and an airbag control device;
wherein, when the types of occupants include an infant or a child, the processor is further configured to interwork with the air conditioning control device to set a wind strength of an outlet at a seat side where the infant or the child is positioned to a super breeze, the super breeze being a wind strength less than a predetermined first reference value.

2. The vehicle control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the occupant information includes at least one of seat positions of the occupants, a number of the occupants, physiques of the occupants, or a type of the occupants.

3. The vehicle control apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to recognize the occupant information by detecting breathing and movement of the occupants in the vehicle using the radar.

4. The vehicle control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to
recognize seat positions of the occupants based on whether a seat belt is fastened.

5. The vehicle control apparatus of claim 2 , wherein,
when the type of occupants include an infant or a child, the processor is further configured to interwork with the air conditioning control device to allow a vehicle interior temperature to reach a set temperature by:
setting a first wind strength of a first outlet at a seat side where the infant or the child is positioned to a breeze, the breeze being a wind strength greater than the predetermined first reference value and less than a predetermined second reference value; and
setting a second wind strength of a second outlet at a farthest seat side from a seat where the infant or the child is positioned to a strong wind, the strong wind being a wind strength greater than the predetermined second reference value.

6. The vehicle control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, when the type of occupants include an infant or a child, the processor is further configured to
interwork with the air conditioning control device to reduce wind strength of an outlet at a farthest seat side from a seat where the infant or the child is positioned when a vehicle interior temperature reaches a set temperature.

7. The vehicle control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein,
when the occupants are boarded in a driver seat and a front right seat, and no occupant is boarded in a rear seat, the processor is further configured to interwork with the air conditioning control device to turn off an output of an outlet of the rear seat.

8. The vehicle control apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to interwork with the air conditioning control device to control air conditioning to a previously set temperature and wind strength when the type of occupants include an adult.

9. The vehicle control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to transmit physique and position information of the occupants to the airbag control device.

10. The vehicle control apparatus of claim 2 , wherein when ignition of the vehicle is changed from an on state to an off state after opening and closing a vehicle door of the vehicle, the processor is further configured to:
recognize the occupant information related to the occupants in the vehicle; and
transmit a notification signal to at least one of an external user terminal, a fire station, or a police station in conjunction with a body control device when the type of occupants includes an infant or a child in the vehicle.

11. The vehicle control apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the processor is further configured to: check a vehicle interior temperature; and
interwork with the air conditioning control device to perform in-vehicle air conditioning when the type of occupants includes an infant or a child in the vehicle.

12. The vehicle control apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
process a radar transmission signal and a radar reception signal; and
recognize a number of the occupants, seat positions of the occupants, and whether the type of occupants include an adult by determining a frequency difference between a radar transmission signal strength of the radar transmission signal and a radar reception signal strength of the radar reception signal.

13. The vehicle control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether an occupant changes a seat in the vehicle depending on a change in a seat belt wearing status after initially recognizing the occupant information.

14. The vehicle control apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to: store the previous occupant information; and
re-recognize a new occupant information when the occupant changes the seat in the vehicle.

15. A vehicle system, comprising:
an air conditioning control device configured to control air conditioning of a vehicle;
an airbag control device configured to control airbag deployment of the vehicle; and
a vehicle control apparatus configured to:
recognize occupant information related to occupants in the vehicle using a radar,
generate information for air conditioning control and airbag control depending on the occupant information; and
transmit the occupant information to the air conditioning control device and the airbag control device;
wherein, when the type of occupants include an infant or a child, the vehicle control apparatus is further configured to interwork with the air conditioning control device to set a wind strength of an outlet at a seat side where the infant or the child is positioned to a super breeze, the super breeze being a wind strength less than a predetermined first reference value.

16. The vehicle system of claim 15 , wherein, when receiving the information for the airbag control, deploy an airbag based on an airbag deployment direction and an airbag deployment number depending on the information for the airbag control.

17. A vehicle control method, comprising:
recognizing, by one or more processors, occupant information related to occupants in a vehicle using a radar;
generating, by one or more processors, information for air conditioning control and airbag control depending on the occupant information; and
transmitting, by one or more processors, the information for the air conditioning control and the airbag control depending on the occupant information to an air conditioning control device and an airbag control device;
wherein, when the type of occupants include an infant or a child, the one or more processors is further configured to interwork with the air conditioning control device to set a wind strength of an outlet at a seat side where the infant or the child is positioned to a super breeze, the super breeze being a wind strength less than a predetermined first reference value.

18. The vehicle control method of claim 17 , wherein recognizing of the occupant information related to the occupants in the vehicle the using radar includes detecting breathing and movement of the occupants in the vehicle using the radar.

19. The vehicle control method of claim 17 ,

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Corp
• Ls Automotive Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jeon Seul Ki
• Kim Eung Hwan
• Jeong Eui Wan
• Choi Ihn Won
• Ryu Hwang Cheol
• Olyunin Nikolay

Classifications

• G08B21/24

  Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms · CPC title

• B60R2021/0032

  Position of passenger · CPC title

• B60R2021/01265

  Seat belts · CPC title

• B60R2021/01211

  Expansion of air bags · CPC title

• B60H2001/00114

  Heating or cooling details · CPC title