CN106467078B

CN106467078B - System and method for occupant height

Info

Publication number: CN106467078B
Application number: CN201610653472.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 乐嘉良; 迈克·K·拉奥; 董明
Original assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Current assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Priority date: 2015-08-17
Filing date: 2016-08-10
Publication date: 2021-09-21
Anticipated expiration: 2036-08-10
Also published as: GB201613252D0; MX2016010645A; DE102016113933A1; RU2016133006A; GB2541543A; CN106467078A

Abstract

An image is received from an image sensor. The image includes the head of the occupant. The seating height of the occupant is determined based at least in part on a distance from the image sensor to the head of the occupant and the detected angle of the vehicle seat. The safety device is adjusted based at least in part on the seating height of the occupant.

Description

System and method for occupant height

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of motor vehicle technology, and more particularly to a system and method for occupant height.

Background

Vehicle passive safety systems may use occupant information, such as occupant height and weight. However, determining occupant information in a vehicle can be difficult and expensive. For example, it is difficult to determine the height of an occupant seated in a vehicle because the occupant is sitting.

Occupant detection and classification systems use various metrics to detect and classify vehicle occupants. The metric may be measured or based on user input. Sometimes, the metric relates to the size of the occupant. For example, the occupant detection system may determine whether an occupant is present in the vehicle based on the weight on the seat. Such systems can sometimes distinguish adult occupants from children, pets, or inanimate objects.

Disclosure of Invention

According to the present invention, there is provided a system comprising a computer including a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor, the instructions being:

receiving an image including a head of an occupant from an image sensor;

determining a seating height of the occupant based at least in part on a distance from the image sensor to a head of the occupant and the detected angle of the vehicle seat; and

the safety device is adjusted based at least in part on the seating height of the occupant.

According to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to locate an eye pupil in the image of the occupant.

According to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to determine the seating height of the occupant based at least in part on a distance from the image sensor to the eye pupil.

According to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to determine a head pose angle based on the image of the occupant.

According to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to receive an occupant weight from a weight sensor.

According to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to calculate a mass index based on the seating height and the occupant weight.

According to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the safety device is a seat belt and the instructions comprise instructions to adjust the position of the seat belt based on the quality index.

According to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the safety device is a seat belt and the instructions comprise instructions to adjust the seat belt pull rate based on the quality index.

According to the present invention, there is provided a system comprising:

an image sensor;

a seat including a seat back, a seat base, and an angle sensor disposed on the seat back; and

a computer comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor, the instructions being:

receiving an image including a head of an occupant from an image sensor;

determining a seating height of the occupant based at least in part on a distance from the image sensor to a head of the occupant and the detected angle of the seat; and

According to the present invention, there is provided a method comprising:

receiving an image including a head of an occupant from an image sensor;

According to an embodiment of the invention, further comprising locating an eye pupil in the image of the occupant.

According to one embodiment of the invention, further comprising receiving the weight of the occupant from the weight sensor.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, further comprising calculating the mass index based on the seating height and the occupant weight.

According to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the safety device is a seat belt, and the method further comprises adjusting the seat belt position based on the quality index.

According to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the safety device is a seat belt, and the method further comprises adjusting the seat belt pull rate based on the quality index.

Drawings

FIG. 1 illustrates an example vehicle having a system that can assign a category to an occupant based on the seating weight and seating height of the occupant;

FIG. 2A is a block diagram of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2B is another exemplary block diagram of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an exemplary system for determining the height of an occupant in a vehicle;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary image providing height determination information;

FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram for determining the height of an occupant and adjusting the safety system based on the height of the occupant;

6A-6C are diagrams illustrating example relationships between various metrics that may be used to determine an occupant's quality index;

FIG. 7 is a process flow diagram for determining and updating categories of occupants.

Detailed Description

A health professional uses the Body Mass Index (BMI) to roughly estimate a person's body type with respect to his or her height and weight. The BMI of a person may indicate whether the person is overweight, obese, under-weight, or under-weight. These same categories may be used to tune certain vehicle subsystems, such as the restraint system. The BMI may be calculated from the standing weight and standing height of a person. However, this information is difficult for the vehicle to obtain unless voluntarily provided by the occupant. Even if it is voluntarily provided, the weight of a person may often vary. Thus, merely requesting vehicle occupants to provide their height and weight is not necessarily a reliable way of determining the height and weight of the occupants.

One possible solution may have a vehicle classification system that determines the BMI of an occupant from his or her seating height and seating weight. An example classification system may include a processor programmed to determine a seating height and a seating weight associated with an occupant and assign a classification to the occupant based at least in part on a ratio of the seating weight to the seating height. The seating height may be a function of the vertical height adjusted by the seat angle. The seating weight may include the weight applied to the seat, thus excluding a majority of the occupant's legs. The ratio of seating weight to seating height may be referred to as a seating body mass index or seating BMI. In some cases, the seating BMI may be a function of the ratio of the seating weight to the square of the seating height.

A seated BMI may be associated with a more traditional BMI used by a medical professional. Thus, a seated BMI can be used to determine whether a particular occupant is overweight, or obese. The various vehicle subsystems may be adjusted accordingly.

The elements shown may take many different forms and include multiple and/or alternative components and facilities. The example components shown are not intended to be limiting. Indeed, additional or alternative components and/or embodiments may be used.

As shown in fig. 1, the host vehicle 100 includes an occupant classification system 105, which occupant classification system 105 can classify an occupant according to the occupant's body shape without the occupant providing his or her height and weight. The occupant classification system 105 may measure a seating height of an occupant, measure a seating weight of the occupant, determine a ratio of the seating weight of the occupant to the seating height, and assign a classification based at least in part on the ratio. Although shown as a car, the host vehicle 100 may include any passenger or commercial motor vehicle, such as a car, truck, sport utility vehicle, cross-over vehicle, van, minivan, taxi, bus, or the like. In some possible approaches, as discussed below, the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle configured to operate in an autonomous (e.g., unmanned) mode, a partially autonomous mode, and/or a non-autonomous mode.

As shown in fig. 2A, the occupant classification system 105 may include a weight sensor 110, a height sensor 115, a seat belt pull-out sensor 120, and a processor 125.

The weight sensor 110 may include an electronic computing device programmed to measure the seating weight of an occupant. The weight sensor 110 may be embedded in a vehicle seat (such as a driver seat). In some possible approaches, the weight sensor 110 may be programmed to measure the weight applied to the seat. This weight may be referred to as "seating weight" because it represents the weight when the occupant is seated. The seated weight of the occupant may be different than the standing weight of the occupant because the seated weight may exclude a majority of the weight of the occupant's legs. The weight sensor 110 can be further programmed to output a seating weight signal indicative of the seating weight measured by the weight sensor 110.

The height sensor 115 may include an electronic computing device programmed to measure the seated height of the occupant. The seating height may include a vertical height that includes a distance from, for example, a top of the seat to a top of the head of the occupant. Thus, the seating height may be based on the difference between the height of the top of the head of the occupant and the height of the top of the seat. The height of the top of the seat may be determined based on the height of the seat from the vehicle floor, the thickness of the seat, or both. The electronic computing device of the height sensor 115 may determine the seat angle from the input of a seat back angle sensor (not shown) incorporated into the seat back. The height of the top of the occupant's head may be determined by, for example, a vision sensor, such as a camera included in the height sensor 115. The height sensor 115 may be programmed to measure or estimate the height of the top of the occupant's head by detecting, for example, the height of the occupant's eye level. Because the seat angle may affect the height of the top of the occupant's head, the height sensor 115 may be programmed to take into account the seat angle and adjust the height of the top of the occupant's head according to the seat angle. The height sensor 115 can be programmed to output a seating height signal indicative of the seating height measured by the height sensor 115.

The belt pull-out sensor 120 may comprise an electronic computing device programmed to determine the seat belt pull-out length. The seat belt pullout length may include a length of seat belt paid out when the seat belt is fastened while the occupant is in the seat. The belt-out sensor 120 may be programmed to output a belt-out signal indicative of the length of the seat belt being pulled out.

The processor 125 may include an electronic computing device programmed to determine the class of occupant. The category may be based on, for example, the seating weight determined by the weight sensor 110, the seating height determined by the height sensor 115, and the seat belt pullout length determined by the belt pullout sensor 120. For example, the processor 125 can be programmed to receive a seating weight signal, a seating height signal, and a seat belt pull-out signal. In some possible embodiments, the processor 125 can be programmed to determine a seating body mass index, which can be a function of seating weight and seating height. For example, the seating body mass index may be a ratio of the seating weight measured in kilograms to the square of the seating height measured in meters, as shown in equation (1).

The processor 125 can be programmed to assign a category to the occupant based on the seated BMI. Example categories may include overweight, normal weight, overweight, or obesity.

In some cases, the processor 125 may be programmed to consider the length of seat belt pullout as indicated by the belt pullout signal when assigning a category to the occupant. That is, the length of seat belt pull-out may confirm the specified category (i.e., a greater belt pull-out length may indicate a larger occupant). Alternatively, the processor 125 may be programmed to adjust the classification based on the seat belt pull-out length. For example, a robustly-built occupant may have a relatively high seated BMI, but may not be as large as others of the same weight and height. Thus, where a seated BMI indicates a larger occupant, but a seat belt pull-out length indicates a smaller occupant, the processor 125 may be programmed to classify the occupant as having a normal weight.

Processor 125 may be programmed to adjust one or more vehicle subsystems according to the specified categories. For example, the processor 125 may be programmed to generate and output command signals that command the vehicle subsystems to adjust one or more settings according to the specified category. Examples of such vehicle subsystems may include control modules such as restraint control modules, body control modules, and the like. The command signals may indicate whether one or more airbags should be deployed, how to adjust the position of the side or rear view mirrors, the seat position, the steering wheel height, etc.

In another example, as shown in fig. 2B, the occupant classification system 105 may include a seat height sensor 14, an image sensor 12, an angle sensor 26, a safety device 40, a weight sensor 110, a data store 130, a seat belt pull-out sensor 120, and a processor 125 communicatively connected by a vehicle communication network bus 135. The processor 125 and the data store 130 may be included in a computing device 140.

The data store 130 may be of any known type, such as a hard disk drive, a solid state drive, a server, or any volatile or non-volatile media. Data store 130 may store data that is transmitted over bus 135.

Bus 135, for example, one or more known mechanisms for network communications in vehicle 10, such as a known Controller Area Network (CAN) bus or the like, may be used to provide various communications, including data from image sensor 12 and angle sensor 26 to processor 125.

The safety device 40 may be, for example, a seat belt, a cushion, an airbag, or the like. The safety device 40 may receive instructions from the processor 125 to adjust based on the seated occupant height, for example, by adjusting the D-ring position to adjust the seat belt pull rate or seat belt position, etc. The belt position may be, for example, a height of the seat belt in a vertical direction, a position of the seat belt in a longitudinal direction toward a front or rear of the vehicle 100, a position of the seat belt in a lateral direction toward an interior or exterior of the vehicle 100, and/or a rotation of the seat belt, for example, an orientation of the D-ring through which the belt passes relative to a longitudinal, lateral, and/or vertical axis as is known.

Fig. 3 shows a system 105 configured to determine a seating height in the vehicle 100. The system 105 includes an image sensor 12, a dashboard 16, and a vehicle floor 18. The system 105 further includes a seat 20, the seat 20 including a seat back 22, a seat base 24, a seat height sensor 14, an angle sensor 26, a weight sensor 110, and a head rest 28. The vehicle 100 is typically a land-based vehicle having three or more wheels. However, the vehicle 100 may be, for example, a ship or an airplane.

The image sensor 12 may be a 3D camera, such as a time-of-flight camera, configured to capture images and measure image distances from the camera. The image sensor 12 may also be a stereo camera, a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) sensor enhanced with an infrared sensor for measuring the distance of the image from the camera, a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) sensor, or the like. The image sensor 12 collects data (e.g., images) of the occupant and the seat 20 and the distance of the center of the image from the image sensor 12.

The image sensor 12 is typically mounted to a dashboard 16. The image sensor 12 is positioned a predetermined distance above the vehicle floor 18. Typically, the vehicle floor 18 is an interior vehicle surface on which the feet of an occupant rest in normal operation, but because the vehicle floor 18 is often not planar, the vehicle floor 18 for purposes of the system 105 is defined as a predetermined plane parallel to the ground from which other portions of the system 105 are measured. The proximity of the vehicle floor 18 to the plane allows for consistent measurement of distances, and thus the height of passengers, for consistent measurement of the image sensors 12, seat height sensors 14, and the like.

The image sensor 12 is mounted above the vehicle floor 18 at a mounting angle α at a height SMH. The angle α is an angle between the vehicle floor 18 and an axis CL of a camera lens included in the image sensor 12. The image sensor 12 is mounted at a distance DSE from the eyes of the occupant, for example, the distance DSE is the distance from the image sensor 12 to the eyes of the occupant.

The seat 20 supports an occupant during normal operation of the vehicle 10. Specifically, the seat back 22 supports the back and shoulders of the occupant, the seat base 24 supports the lower body of the occupant, and the headrest 28 supports the head of the occupant. The seat back 22, seat base 24, and head rest 28 may be generally constructed from, for example, metal, foam, leather, vinyl, fabric, or the like. The top of the seat base 24 is located at a seat height SH from the vehicle floor 18.

The seat height sensor 14 measures a height SH between the vehicle floor 18 and the seat height sensor 14. The seat height sensor 14 may be located proximate to a top surface of the seat base 24. The angle sensor 26 is mounted on the seat back 22 and rotates with rotation of the seat back 22. The angle sensor 26 measures rotation relative to the stationary seat base 24, measuring the angle between the seat base 24 and the backrest 22.

The angle sensor 26 measures the angle between the seat bottom 24 and the seat back 22. The measurements of the angle sensor 26 may be calibrated to the vehicle floor 18 to determine the angle β of the seat back. The angle sensor 26 may be of any known type, for example, a hall effect sensor. The measurements from the seat height sensor 14 and the angle sensor 26 are used along with the image from the image sensor 12 to determine the seated occupant height.

The seat 20 further includes a weight sensor 110. The weight sensor 110 may be installed in the seat base 24 to measure the seating weight of the occupant.

FIG. 4 shows an image 30 of an occupant captured by the image sensor 12. The image 30 includes a facial region 32 corresponding to the face of the occupant. The face region 32 includes two eye regions 34 corresponding to the eyes of the occupant. The computing device 140 identifies the facial region 32 using known image processing techniques.

Each eye region 34 includes an eye pupil 36 corresponding to an eye pupil of the occupant. In particular, the computing device 140 identifies the eye pupil 36 using known image processing techniques.

Fig. 5 shows a process 200 for determining a standing occupant height SOH. The process 200 begins at block 205, where the computing device 140 acquires an image 30 of the occupant from the image sensor 12 and stores the image 30 in the data store 130.

Next, at block 210, the computing device 140 obtains the angle β of the seat back between the seat back 22 and the vehicle floor 18 from the angle sensor 26.

Next, at block 215, the computing device 140 obtains the weight of the occupant from the weight sensor 110.

Next, at block 220, the computing device 140 estimates the head pose of the occupant based on the image. Specifically, the computing device 140 analyzes the image 30, including the eye pupil and shoulders of the occupant, to determine whether the occupant is looking forward, i.e., toward the image sensor 12. The image sensor 12 requires a clear view of the occupant's face and if the occupant's head is turned, the image sensor 12 may require a new image.

Next, at block 225, the computing device 140 collects the predetermined pose threshold values from the data store 130. Specifically, the occupant's head may be rotated an amount to determine the height of the occupant, as determined by the attitude threshold.

Next, at block 230, the computing device 140 determines whether the head pose of the occupant is within a pose threshold, i.e., whether the occupant's head is facing forward enough to determine the height of the seated occupant. If so, the process 200 moves to block 235. Otherwise, the process 200 returns to block 205 where another image 30 is captured with the image sensor 12.

At block 325, the computing device 140 identifies the eye region in the image 30 using known image analysis techniques.

Next, at block 240, using the image 30 and known image analysis techniques, the computing device 140 determines the passenger's eye pupil location and the distance DSE between the image sensor 12 and the occupant's eyes. The computing device 140 also determines the distance DECL between the pupil of the occupant and the axis CL of the image sensor 12.

Next, at block 245, the computing device 140 determines the height SVH observed by the sensor. Specifically, computing device 140 determines an eye height SVH observed by the sensor as

Where SMH is the sensor mounting height, i.e., the distance between the vehicle floor 18 and the image sensor 12, SH is the seat height, i.e., the distance from the vehicle floor 18 to the seat height sensor 14, DSE is the distance between the image sensor 12 and the eyes of the occupant, DECL is the distance between the eyes of the occupant and the axis CL of the image sensor 12, and α is the angle between the axis CL and the vehicle floor 18.

Next, at block 250, assuming that the occupant's upper body and head are aligned with the seat back 22, as described in the systems of FIGS. 1-4, the computing device determines the seated occupant's eye height OEH as

Where β is the seat back angle.

Next, at block 255, based on the seated occupant eye height OEH, the computing device 140 determines the standing occupant's height SOH to be

SOH＝OEH·C (4)

Where C is a multiplication factor based on the relationship between the seated eye height OEH and the standing occupant height SOH. For example, the average male standing eye height may be about 93.4% of the total height, and the average female standing eye height may be about 92.6% of the total height. The seated occupant eye height OEH may be approximately the difference between the standing eye height and the height between the person's waist and floor, which may be approximately 46.3% of the average male's overall height and 46% of the average female's overall height. Thus, in one example, C may be

Or about 2.16. That is, the overall height of the occupant may be about 2.16 times the eye height OEH of the seated occupant. The value of C may be adjusted based on known biometrics and the characteristics of the driver.

The system 105 may also determine an occupant seating height OSH. Similar to the standing occupant height SOH, the occupant seating height OSH may be determined from the seated occupant eye height OEH and the multiplication factor C as in equation (4). However, the occupant seating height OSH will require a different value of the multiplication factor C. For example, the difference between the average male's total standing height and standing eye height may be about 6.6% of the total height, and the difference between the average female's total height and standing eye height may be about 7.4% of the total height. By usingA typical value of C for an average male for determining occupant seating height OSH may be

Or about 1.142.

Next, at block 260, the computing device 140 calculates a quality index for the occupant. In particular, the computing device 140 may use the height and weight of the occupant as determined from the weight sensor to calculate the occupant's Body Mass Index (BMI). The BMI of an occupant is a measure of the ratio between the occupant's weight and height, and can be determined using the occupant standing and/or seating height, and the occupant standing and/or seating weight, as shown in FIGS. 6A-6C.

Next, at block 265, the computing device 140 determines whether the occupant BMI is above a predetermined threshold. For example, BMI values above 30, sometimes referred to as "obese," may require adjustment of safety device 40. If the BMI is above the predetermined threshold, the process 200 moves to block 270, otherwise, the process 200 ends.

At block 270, the computing device 140 adjusts the safety device 40 to accommodate the occupant, and the process 200 ends. For example, the computing device 140 may adjust seat belt pull-out and/or seat belt position by adjusting the position of the D-ring for occupants with high BMI, e.g., by moving the D-ring substantially vertically (e.g., up and down a vehicle pillar).

6A-6C are diagrams illustrating example relationships between various metrics that may be used to classify occupants and in the above-described processes. Fig. 6A shows a graph 400 relating standing height (in millimeters) to seating height (in millimeters). The Y-axis represents standing height and the X-axis represents seating height. Trend line 405 shows an example parametric relationship between occupant standing height and occupant seating height.

Referring now to fig. 6B, graph 410 relates standing weight (in kilograms) to seating weight (in kilograms). The Y-axis represents standing weight and the X-axis represents seating weight. Trend line 415 shows an example parametric relationship between standing weight and seating weight.

Fig. 6C is a graph 420 relating an in-Seat BMI (SBMI) to a standing BMI (SBMI Vs BMI). The Y-axis represents the standing BMI and the X-axis represents the seated BMI calculated according to, for example, equation (1). Trend line 425 shows an example parametric relationship between a standing BMI and a sitting BMI. This relationship may be used to build a database, table, or other relationship that relates occupant categories (such as overweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese) to various seated BMIs based on the established BMI categories.

Thus, the occupant classification system 105 can classify vehicle occupants using conventional BMI classifications based on his or her seating weight and height. By measuring the seating weight and the seating height, the occupant classification system 105 can specify the category without requiring user input to provide such information. Alternatively, if such information is provided, the occupant classification system 105 may use the seated BMI to identify the classification, or vice versa. Settings associated with various vehicle subsystems, such as airbags, rearview mirrors, and the like, may be adjusted according to the specified categories.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of an example process 300 that may be performed by the occupant classification system 105 for classifying an occupant according to his or her size without the occupant providing his or her height and weight.

At block 305, the occupant classification system 105 may determine a seating height of the occupant. The seating height may be determined from, for example, process 200 of fig. 5. The seating height may alternatively be determined from a seating height signal generated by the height sensor 115. Measuring the seating height may include the height sensor 115 determining a vertical height of the occupant when the occupant is seated, determining a seat angle (e.g., an angle of a seat back relative to a floor), and adjusting the vertical height according to the seat angle. The height sensor 115 may generate an output indicative of the seating height of the adjusted seating height. The processor 125 can receive the seating height signal and determine a seating height of the occupant based on the seating height signal.

At block 310, the occupant classification system 105 may determine a seating weight of the occupant. The seating weight may be determined, for example, from a seating weight signal generated by the weight sensor 110. The weight sensor 110 may measure the seating weight of the occupant and generate a seating weight signal accordingly. The processor 125 can receive the seating weight signal and determine a seating weight of the occupant from the seating weight signal.

At block 315, the occupant classification system 105 may determine a seating BMI based on, for example, a ratio of seating weight to seating height. For example, the seating BMI may be a function of the ratio of the seating weight to the square of the seating height as discussed with respect to equation (1). The processor 125 may determine the ratio.

At block 320, the occupant classification system 105 may assign a category to the occupant based on the seated BMI determined at block 315. The category may indicate that the occupant is overweight, obese, normal, or overweight. The processor 125 may assign a category to the occupant based on which category is associated with the seated BMI of the occupant determined at block 315. The category may be selected from a table, database, or the like that associates various seated BMI values with various categories.

At decision block 325, the occupant classification system 105 may identify the class specified at block 320. The confirmation category may include, for example, the processor 125 receiving a seat belt pull signal indicating an amount of seat belt pull. If, for example, the amount of seat belt pull-out does not match the body shape of other occupants with the same seated BMI as the current occupant, the processor 125 may determine that the occupant classification needs to be adjusted. For example, for a robustly-built occupant, seat belt pull out may be low despite the occupant having a relatively high seating BMI. In this example, seat belt pull out is inconsistent with a seated BMI. The processor 125 may identify the category if, for example, the amount of seat belt pull-out coincides with the body shape of other occupants having the same seated BMI as the current occupant. If the category is not confirmed, the process 300 may proceed to block 330. If the category is confirmed, the process 300 may proceed to block 335.

At block 330, the occupant classification system 105 may update the classification. For example, the processor 125 may base the updated category on the amount of seat belt pull and the ratio of seating height to seating weight. The updated category may be selected from, for example, a table, a database, or the like that associates various seating BMI values, various seat belt pullout amounts, and various categories. The process 300 may proceed to block 335.

At block 335, the occupant classification system 105 may generate and output command signals to one or more vehicle subsystems, such as the safety device 40. The command signal that may be generated and output by the processor 125 may command the subsystem to adjust one or more settings according to the specified category. Example vehicle subsystems may include control modules such as restraint control modules, body control modules, and the like. The command signal may indicate whether one or more airbags should be deployed, how to adjust the position of the side or rear view mirrors, the seat position, the steering wheel height, etc.

After block 335, the process 300 may end. However, in some cases, the process 300 may periodically restart or return to a previous block, such as block 305, so that the categories may be continuously reevaluated and updated as the host vehicle 100 operates.

In general, the described computing systems and/or devices may employ any number of computer operating systems, including, but not limited to, the following versions and/or variations: ford

Operating System, Microsoft Windows

Operating System, Unix operating System (e.g., sold by oracle corporation of Rebar beach California)

Operating system), the AIX UNIX operating system, the Linux operating system, the Mac OSX and iOS operating systems, the apple, inc, of cupertino, new york, the blackberry OS, the blackberry, inc, of luog, canada, and the android operating system, developed by google and the open cell phone union. Examples of computing devices include, but are not limited to, an in-vehicle meterA computer, a computer workstation, a server, a desktop, a laptop, or a handheld computer, or some other computing system and/or device.

Computing devices, such as those discussed herein, typically each include instructions executable by one or more computing devices, such as those listed above, and for implementing the blocks or steps of the processes described above. The computer-executable instructions may be compiled or interpreted from a computer program created using a variety of programming languages and/or techniques, including but not limited to Java^TMC, C + +, Visual Basic, Java Script, Perl, HTML, and the like, alone or in combination. Generally, a processor (e.g., a microprocessor) receives instructions, e.g., from a memory, a computer-readable medium, etc., and executes the instructions to perform one or more processes, including one or more of the processes described herein. Such instructions and other data may be stored and transmitted using a variety of computer-readable media. A file in a computing device is typically a collection of data stored on a computer readable medium, such as a storage medium, random access memory, or the like.

Computer-readable media include any medium that participates in providing computer-readable data (e.g., instructions). Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatile media may include, for example, optical or magnetic disks and other persistent memory. Volatile media may include, for example, Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), which typically constitutes a main memory. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk (floppy disk), a flexible disk (flexible disk), hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM (compact disk read Only memory), DVD (digital versatile disk), any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes arranged therein, a RAM (random Access memory), a PROM (programmable read Only memory), an EPROM (electrically programmable read Only memory), a FLASH-EEPROM (FLASH electrically erasable programmable read Only memory), any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can read.

As used herein, the adverb "substantially" means that the shape, structure, measurement, quantity, time, etc. may deviate from the accurately described geometry, distance, measurement, quantity, time, etc. due to imperfections in materials, machining, manufacturing, etc. In the drawings, like numbering represents like elements. In addition, some or all of these elements may be changed. With respect to the components, processes, systems, methods, etc., described herein, it should be understood that these are provided for the purpose of illustrating certain embodiments and should not be construed as limiting the claimed invention in any way.

A database, data repository, or other data store described herein may include various types of mechanisms for storing, accessing, and retrieving a variety of data, including a hierarchical database, a set of files in a file system, an application database in a proprietary format, a relational database management system (RDBMS), and so forth. Each such data store is typically included within a computing device using a computer operating system, such as one of those mentioned above, and is accessed via a network in any one or more of a variety of ways. The file system may be accessed from a computer operating system and may include files stored in a variety of formats. RDBMS typically use a Structured Query Language (SQL) such as the procedural SQL (PL/SQL) language mentioned above in addition to the language used to create, store, edit, and execute stored procedures.

In some examples, system elements may be embodied as computer readable instructions (e.g., software) on one or more computing devices (e.g., servers, personal computers, etc.), stored on a computer readable medium (e.g., disk, memory, etc.) associated therewith. A computer program product may contain such instructions stored on a computer readable medium for performing the functions described herein.

With respect to the media, processes, systems, methods, etc., described herein, it should be understood that although the steps of the processes, etc., have been described as occurring according to a certain ordered sequence, such processes may be implemented as steps performed in an order different than the order described herein. It is further understood that certain steps may be performed simultaneously, that other steps may be added, or that certain steps described herein may be omitted. For example, in process 200, one or more of steps 205-270 may be omitted, or steps may be performed in a different order than shown in FIG. 5. In other words, the description of the processes herein is provided for the purpose of illustrating certain embodiments and should not be construed as limiting the disclosed subject matter in any way.

Accordingly, it is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. In addition to the examples provided, many embodiments and applications will be apparent upon reading the above description. The scope of the invention should be determined, not with reference to the above description, but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is anticipated and intended that future developments will occur in the arts discussed herein, and that the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. In sum, it should be understood that the invention is capable of modification and variation and is limited only by the following claims.

All terms used in the claims are intended to be given their ordinary meaning as understood by those skilled in the art unless an explicit indication to the contrary is made herein. In particular, use of the singular articles such as "a," "the," "said," etc. should be read to recite one or more of the indicated elements unless a limitation to the contrary is explicitly recited in the claims.

The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings, and the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

The abstract is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Moreover, in the foregoing detailed description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

Claims

1. A system for determining occupant height comprising a computer including a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor, the instructions being:

receiving an image including a head of an occupant from an image sensor;

determining a seating height of the occupant, the seating height representing a length of the occupant from a top of a vehicle seat base to a top of a head of the occupant, the seating height of the occupant determined based at least in part on a height of an eye from the top of the vehicle seat base and a detected angle of the vehicle seat, wherein the height of the eye from the top of the vehicle seat base is obtained based at least in part on a distance of the image sensor from the head of the occupant, wherein an upper body and head of the occupant are aligned with a seat back;

receiving an occupant weight from a weight sensor;

calculating a mass index based on the seating height and the occupant weight; and

adjusting a safety device based at least in part on the quality index of the occupant.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to locate an eye pupil in the image of the occupant.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to determine the seating height of the occupant based at least in part on a distance from the image sensor to the eye pupil.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to determine a head pose angle based on the image of the occupant.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the safety device is a seat belt and the instructions include instructions to adjust a seat belt position based on the quality index.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the safety device is a seat belt and the instructions include instructions to adjust a seat belt pull rate based on the quality index.

7. A system for determining occupant height, comprising:

an image sensor;

a seat comprising a seat back, a seat base, and an angle sensor disposed on the seat back; and

receiving an image including a head of an occupant from the image sensor;

determining a seating height of the occupant, the seating height representing a length of the occupant from a top of the seat base to a top of a head of the occupant, the seating height of the occupant determined based at least in part on a height of an eye from the top of the seat base and the detected angle of the seat, wherein the height of the eye from the top of the seat base is obtained based at least in part on a distance of the image sensor from the head of the occupant, wherein an upper body and head of the occupant are aligned with a seat back;

receiving an occupant weight from a weight sensor;

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to determine a head pose angle based on the image of the occupant.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the safety device is a seat belt and the instructions include instructions to adjust a seat belt position based on the quality index.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the safety device is a seat belt and the instructions include instructions to adjust a seat belt pull rate based on the quality index.

11. A method of determining occupant height, comprising:

receiving an image including a head of an occupant from an image sensor;

receiving an occupant weight from a weight sensor;

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising locating an eye pupil in the image of the occupant.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the safety device is a seat belt, and further comprising adjusting a seat belt position based on the quality index.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the safety device is a seat belt, and the method further comprises adjusting a seat belt pull rate based on the quality index.