Systems and methods of adjustable component management for a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12589709-B2
Application number	US-202318122318-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 16, 2023
Priority date	Mar 16, 2023
Publication date	Mar 31, 2026
Grant date	Mar 31, 2026

Abstract

A system for managing adjustments for a component of a vehicle includes a time-of-flight sensor configured to generate a point cloud representing a compartment of the vehicle. The system further includes an actuator configured to adjust the component of the vehicle. The system further includes processing circuitry in communication with the time-of-flight sensor and the actuator. The processing circuitry configured to detect an occupant in a seat of the vehicle based on the point cloud, define a first portion of the point cloud corresponding to the occupant and a second portion of the point cloud corresponding to the seat of the vehicle, calculate a volume of the occupant based on the first portion of the point cloud, estimate a bodyweight of the occupant based on the volume, and communicate an instruction to adjust the component of the vehicle in response to the estimation of the bodyweight.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for managing adjustments for a component of a vehicle, comprising:
one or more time-of-flight sensors configured to map a three-dimensional space of an interior of the vehicle and/or a region exterior to the vehicle, wherein the one or more time-of-flight sensors are further configured to generate a point cloud representing a compartment of the vehicle, the point cloud including three-dimensional positional information about the compartment; at least one additional sensor that is directable by a user toward the three-dimensional space to generate an additional point cloud from a viewing angle different than field-of-views of the one or more time-of-flight sensors already existing on the vehicle, wherein the at least one additional sensor comprises a mobile smart device which is separate from the vehicle and includes at least one LiDAR module; comparing point clouds generated by the one or more time-of-flight sensors to the additional point cloud to generate a more expansive or more accurate point cloud of a mapped three-dimensional space and provide an updated point cloud; at least one actuator configured to adjust the component of the vehicle; and processing circuitry in communication with the one or more time-of-flight sensors, the at least one additional sensor, and the at least one actuator, the processing circuitry configured to:
detect an occupant in a seat of the vehicle based on the updated point cloud;
define a first portion of the updated point cloud corresponding to the occupant and a second portion of the updated point cloud corresponding to the seat of the vehicle;
calculate a volume of the occupant based on the first portion of the updated point cloud;
estimate a bodyweight of the occupant based on the volume; and
communicate an instruction to adjust the component of the vehicle in response to an estimation of the bodyweight.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
calculate a product of the volume of the occupant and a density estimate, wherein the estimation of the bodyweight is based on the product of the volume of the occupant and the density estimate.

3 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a database in communication with the processing circuitry, the database including skeleton model data, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to define a skeleton model for the occupant based on the updated point cloud and the skeleton model data.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
determine a pose of the occupant based on the first portion of the updated point cloud and the skeleton model.

5 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the skeleton model includes keypoints corresponding to a central axis of body segments of the occupant, the processing circuitry further configured to:
compare the keypoints to the first portion of the updated point cloud; calculate a part of the volume for each of the body segments based on a comparison of the keypoints to the first portion; and calculate a sum of the parts of the volume to determine the volume of the occupant.

6 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
compare the first portion of the updated point cloud to the second portion of the updated point cloud; and estimate a coronal plane for the occupant based on a comparison of the first portion to the second portion.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the skeleton model includes keypoints corresponding to the coronal plane of the occupant, and wherein calculation of the volume is based further on the keypoints.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein estimation of the coronal plane is based on the processing circuitry:
detecting a first depth of a front of the occupant based on the first portion; detecting a second depth of a seating surface of the seat based on the second portion; and calculating an average depth based on the first and second depths.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
define a third portion of the updated point cloud corresponding to a structural surface of the compartment; compare the first portion of the updated point cloud to the third portion of the updated point cloud; and adjust an activation of the at least one actuator based on a comparison of the first portion to the third portion.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine an alignment vector between the first portion and the third portion of the updated point cloud, wherein an adjustment of the activation is based further on the alignment vector.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the component includes a restraint configured to align with the alignment vector upon deployment of the restraint.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein adjustment to the activation includes adjusting a timing of the deployment based on a comparison of the first portion to the third portion.

13 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more time-of-flight sensors include at least one LiDAR module configured to generate the three-dimensional positional information.

14 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one actuator is configured to adjust the seat.

15 . A method for managing adjustments for a component of a vehicle, comprising: mapping a three-dimensional space of an interior of the vehicle and/or a region exterior to the vehicle using one or more time-of-flight sensors; generating, via the one or more time-of-flight sensors, a point cloud representing a compartment of the vehicle, the point cloud including three-dimensional positional information about the compartment; detecting, via processing circuitry in communication with the one or more time-of-flight sensors, an occupant in a seat of the vehicle based on the point cloud; directing at least one additional sensor toward the three-dimensional space to generate an additional point cloud from a viewing angle different than field-of-views of the one or more time-of-flight sensors already existing on the vehicle, wherein the at least one additional sensor comprises a mobile smart device which is separate from the vehicle and includes at least one LiDAR module, the mobile smart device being directable toward the three-dimensional space by a user; comparing point clouds generated by the one or more time-of-flight sensors to the additional point cloud to generate a more expansive or more accurate point cloud of a mapped three-dimensional space and provide an updated point cloud; defining a first portion of the updated point cloud corresponding to the occupant and a second portion of the updated point cloud corresponding to the seat of the vehicle; calculating, via the processing circuitry, a volume of the occupant based on the first portion of the updated point cloud; estimating a bodyweight of the occupant based on the volume; and communicating, via the processing circuitry, an instruction to adjust the component of the vehicle via at least one actuator in response to an estimation of the bodyweight.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
defining a skeleton model for the occupant based on the updated point cloud and based on skeleton model data in a skeleton model database that is in communication with the processing circuitry.

17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
determining a pose of the occupant based on the first portion of the updated point cloud and the skeleton model.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Ghannam Mahmoud Yousef
• Abdallah Heba

Classifications

• G06T7/521

  from laser ranging, e.g. using interferometry; from the projection of structured light · CPC title

• G06T2207/30196

  Human being; Person · CPC title

• G06T2207/20044

  Skeletonization; Medial axis transform · CPC title

• G06T2207/10028

  Range image; Depth image; 3D point clouds · CPC title

• B60R2021/01231

  control of expansion timing or sequence · CPC title