Method for determining the position and vital parameters of an occupant of a transportation vehicle and transportation vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12315359-B2
Application number	US-202318447345-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2023
Priority date	Aug 15, 2022
Publication date	May 27, 2025
Grant date	May 27, 2025

Abstract

A method for determining the position and vital signs of an occupant of a transportation vehicle and a transportation vehicle having a radio system and a control unit connected to the radio system. The method is based on channel impulse response (CIR) measurements and is performed using at least two UWB antennas during the operation of the transportation vehicle to determine a position and a vital sign of one or more occupants of the transportation vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A transportation vehicle comprising:
a radio system with a transceiver with a first Ultra-Wide-Band (UWB) antenna and a second UWB antenna; and
a control unit connected to the radio system, wherein the control unit is configured to control the radio system to determine a position and vital signs of an occupant of a transportation vehicle by actuation of the radio system based on channel impulse response measurements using the first UWB antenna and the second UWB antenna during the operation of the transportation vehicle by determination of the position and a vital sign of the occupant based on a result of the channel impulse response measurements,
wherein, following detection of an accident of the transportation vehicle, the control unit controls actuation of the radio system to re-perform the determination of the position and vital signs of the transportation vehicle occupant based on new channel impulse response measurements using the first UWB antenna and the second UWB antenna after the accident, and
wherein the control unit is further configured to determine whether the occupant was ejected from the vehicle as a result of the accident by comparing the detected position and/or the vital sign of the occupant before the accident with the determined position and/or the vital sign of the occupant after the accident.

2. The transportation vehicle of claim 1 , wherein a seat-resolved detection of the occupant of the transportation vehicle takes place based on the determined position of the occupant before and after the accident.

3. The transportation vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the radio system is actuated based on a result of a comparison to transmit an emergency signal into surroundings of the transportation vehicle, wherein the emergency signal contains the determined positions and/or the determined vital signs of the occupant before and after the detected accident.

4. The transportation vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the first UWB antenna and the second UWB antenna transmit and receive BLUETOOTH® radio signals and the radio system is actuated to transmit the emergency signal as a UWB radio signal and/or a BLUETOOTH® radio signal using the first UWB antenna and/or second antenna.

5. The transportation vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the emergency signal contains general information about the transportation vehicle.

6. The transportation vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the radio system further contains a Near-Field-Communication (NFC) antenna for transmitting the emergency signal, wherein the information required for the emergency signal is stored in a memory after an accident.

7. The transportation vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the control unit is further configured to control:
actuation of the radio system for transmitting UWB pulses and receipt of impulse responses using at least one of the two UWB antennas; and
determination of the position and/or the vital sign of the occupant based on a result of the received impulse responses.

8. A method for determining the position and vital signs of an occupant of a transportation vehicle, wherein the transportation vehicle has a radio system with a transceiver with a first Ultra-Wide-Band (UWB) antenna and with a second UWB antenna and a control unit connected to the radio system, the method comprising:
actuating the radio system based on channel impulse response measurements using the first UWB antenna and the second UWB antenna during the operation of the transportation vehicle;
determining the position and a vital sign of the occupant based on a result of the Channel Impulse Response (CIR) measurements;
following detection of an accident of the transportation vehicle, actuating the radio system to re-perform the actuation and determination of the position and the vital sign of the occupant based on new channel impulse response measurements using the first UWB antenna and the second UWB antenna after the accident; and
determining whether the occupant was ejected from the vehicle as a result of the accident by comparing the detected position and/or the vital sign of the occupant before the accident with the determined position and/or the vital sign of the occupant after the accident.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein a seat-resolved detection of the occupant of the transportation vehicle takes place based on the determined position of the occupant before and after the accident.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the radio system is actuated based on a result of a comparison to transmit an emergency signal into surroundings of the transportation vehicle, wherein the emergency signal contains the determined positions and/or the determined vital signs of the occupant before and after the accident.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first UWB antenna and the second UWB antenna transmit and receive BLUETOOTH® radio signals and the radio system is actuated to transmit the emergency signal as a UWB radio signal and/or a BLUETOOTH® radio signal using the first UWB antenna and/or second antenna.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the emergency signal contains general information about the transportation vehicle.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the radio system further contains a Near-Field-Communication (NFC) antenna for transmitting the emergency signal, wherein the method further comprises storing information required for the emergency signal in a memory after an accident.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
actuating the radio system for transmitting UWB pulses and receiving impulse responses using at least one of the two UWB antennas; and
determining the position and/or the vital sign of the occupant based on a result of the received impulse responses.

Assignees

• Volkswagen Ag

Inventors

• Ette Bernd
• Sacher Patrick

Classifications

• A61B5/05

  Detecting, measuring or recording for diagnosis by means of electric currents or magnetic fields; Measuring using microwaves or radio waves (measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof A61B5/11; detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof A61B5/24) · CPC title

• A61B2503/22

  Motor vehicles operators, e.g. drivers, pilots, captains · CPC title

• A61B5/6893

  Cars · CPC title

• B60N2/0024

  for identifying, categorising or investigation of the occupant or object on the seat · CPC title

• H04B2201/71632

  Diversity · CPC title