WO2017220331A1 - System and method for passenger compartment detection in a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a system (1) for passenger compartment detection in a vehicle with a vehicle seat, comprising a control module (2) and at least one detection module (3), the control module (2) being provided for evaluating data measured by the detection module (3), the detection module (3) comprising at least one laser-based distance measuring device (4).

Description

 description

title

 System and method for interior sensing in a vehicle prior art

The invention is based on a system according to the preamble of claim 1. Further, the present invention is based on a method for

Passenger compartment.

Such systems and methods are well known. For example, it is known with the help of pressure mats in the vehicle seats one

Vehicle occupants to detect. It is disadvantageous that only a mass or a pressure is detected, so that when occupying an object is erroneously assumed by the presence of a vehicle occupant.

Furthermore, camera-based interior sensing systems are known. These are disadvantageous because they have a high space requirement and are highly dependent on the ambient lighting. At night or otherwise bad

Lighting conditions do not work reliably such system. In addition, at least two cameras are necessary to provide reliable information

To obtain distance and size ratios. Finally, systems are also known which use so-called time-of-flight measurements, ie cameras with transit time measurement for distance measurement, for sensing. Runtime measurements, however, are expedient especially at longer distances. In the short distances that are commonly found in vehicles, such time-of-flight measurements have only insufficient resolution. Furthermore, it is not possible with the known systems to reliably detect the condition of cargo holds, for example a parcel shelf in a vehicle, or to reliably detect objects on the vehicle seats, such as child seats, and in particular to check whether these are used.

Disclosure of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to propose a system and a method for interior sensing, which system is insensitive to external disturbances and reliably and quickly occupants and

Detecting and classifying objects in the interior.

The system according to the invention and the inventive method for interior sensing in a vehicle according to the siblings

Claims have the advantage over the prior art that through the use of the laser-based distance measuring device a compact and fast and from external conditions such. light

independent interior sensing is enabled. Since no image analysis is necessary, for example, in the event of an accident, an airbag deployment can be done very quickly. Furthermore, the system according to the invention can be retrofitted due to the small space required in a simple manner in older vehicles. Preferably, the vehicle is a motor vehicle,

in particular a passenger car or a truck. Particularly preferably, the vehicle has a plurality of vehicle seats, in particular

Vehicle front seats and vehicle rear seats. Preferably, this includes

Control module at least one microcontroller. Particularly preferred is the control module via a vehicle electronics with the at least one

Detection module connected, most preferably, the control module is wirelessly connected to the detection module. Preferably, this includes

Control module, an evaluation unit for evaluating the transmitted data from the detection module. Advantageous embodiments and developments of the invention are the dependent claims, as well as the description with reference to the

Drawings removable.

According to a preferred development, it is provided that the laser-based distance measuring device is a laser operating according to the self-mixing method, in particular a surface emitter with integrated photodiode (vertical cavity surface-emitting laser with integrated photodiode, VCS ELiP). The self-mixing-interference (SMI) measuring technique is already known and is based on reflecting a transmitted laser beam on an object and the reflected laser beam on the emitted one

Laser beam interferes, wherein the interference in the laser changes the optical and / or electronic properties of the laser light. These changes are analyzed, from which it is possible to deduce the distance of the reflecting object.

As a result, it is advantageously possible according to the invention to provide a very compact distance measuring device which permits precise and rapid measurements. In particular, distance measurements with a resolution in the mm range within \ is possible. Due to the temporally and spatially high resolution, it is also advantageously possible to carry out a classification by evaluating distance measurements which are carried out at the same location at different times, in particular a deviation from a desired position. For example, a toddler that has slipped into a child seat may be detected and a corresponding warning message issued, or a speaking and / or moving vehicle occupant may be detected, from which point a human may be distinguished as opposed to an object.

According to a preferred embodiment, it is provided that the

Laser-based distance meter is configured such that the

Distance measurement punctiform, linear and / or planar takes place. Particularly preferably, the laser-based distance measuring device for this purpose has a mirror arrangement, very particularly preferably a micromirror arrangement, in particular a micromirror array. The mirror assembly directs the Laser beam in particular such that it is moved along a line or surface and thus scans an area line or area.

Preferably, the laser-based distance measuring device is configured such that the laser beam performs an X-shaped scanning, whereby a compromise between a linear and a planar scanning is achieved.

This makes it advantageously possible according to the invention that a flexible scanning of the interior is possible by the laser-based distance measuring device. Thus, depending on the selected scanning and arrangement of the laser-based distance measuring device, any distance profile can be created.

According to a preferred embodiment, it is provided that the

Detection module additionally comprises a pressure and / or weight sensor and / or an imaging sensor, in particular a camera-based sensor comprises. Particularly preferably, the detection module comprises a pressure mat integrated into the vehicle seat. Most preferably, the detection module comprises a Stererokamerasystem.

As a result, it is advantageously possible according to the invention, the precise

Combining distance measurements of the laser-based distance measuring device with known techniques in order to achieve a comprehensive and most accurate interior sensing. In particular, redundant information from various sensors can be used to avoid identifying errors and to further improve the accuracy of the system. For example, it is provided that a pressure sensor in the form of a pressure mat integrated in the vehicle seat detects an occupancy of the vehicle seat, whereupon the laser-based distance measuring device determines a depth and / or height profile. This can in particular a

Misclassification (an item is recognized as a vehicle occupant) can be avoided. Alternatively or additionally, a preclassification - vehicle seat occupied or not - can be performed by a camera-based sensor and complemented by precise measurements in terms of size or distances by the laser-based distance meter, for example, to capture a positioning more accurate. According to a preferred development, it is provided that each

Vehicle seat of the vehicle is assigned a detection module. Alternatively or additionally, each vehicle seat arrangement is assigned a detection module; in particular, a detection module is associated with the front vehicle seats and a further detection module is assigned to the rear vehicle seats.

As a result, it is advantageously possible according to the invention that an exact

Sensing takes place and in particular caused by shading or occlusion of the area to be detected caused errors can be avoided.

According to a preferred embodiment, it is provided that the

Detection module is at least partially disposed above, below, in front of and / or behind the vehicle seat. Particularly preferred is a laser-based

Distance measuring device arranged above the vehicle seat and arranged a second laser-based distance measuring device in front of the vehicle seat, wherein the detection directions of both distance measuring devices are arranged in particular perpendicular to each other. Most preferably, a laser-based distance measuring device is arranged centrally above a vehicle seat.

As a result, it is advantageously possible according to the invention that a spatially complete image of the interior space is determined precisely by the combination of differently arranged sensors. Especially in the case of several laser-based

Distance measuring devices, it is advantageously possible to obtain a spatial profile of the interior, taking advantage of the laser-based distance measuring devices, in particular the high spatial and temporal

Resolving power.

According to a preferred development it is provided that at least the detection module is provided for monitoring a state of charge of the vehicle. Particularly preferably, at least one detection module for monitoring a cargo space, in particular a trunk and / or a parcel shelf, is provided. As a result, it is advantageously possible according to the invention to avoid the risk of poorly secured or loose objects. Particularly in the case of delivery vehicles, it is a reliable one

Cargo securing of considerable importance, not least because

Vehicle occupants can suffer serious injury from not or only poorly secured objects, for example in the case of sudden braking or change of direction. By a continuous sensing of the loading space, it is advantageously possible in this case to detect a slipping and / or falling cargo early and a driver

if appropriate, to warn or notify via means of notice.

According to a preferred embodiment, it is provided that the control module is connected to a security module, wherein the control module is configured such that it forwards data to the security module, wherein the data information about a presence and / or position of a vehicle occupant, in particular information about a Deviation of the position from a predetermined target position, and / or an object contains.

As a result, it is advantageously possible according to the invention to adapt safety functions of the vehicle according to the detected interior situation. In particular, this enables a so-called out-of-position detection. For example, when a vehicle occupant places his feet on a dashboard in a passenger seat, he may experience severe injury in the event of an accident and associated passenger airbag deployment

Suffer injuries. The system according to the invention now advantageously makes it possible for the detection module to detect the deviation of the position of the vehicle occupant, for the control module to recognize the deviation and forward it to the security module, whereupon the security module preferably issues a warning message and / or temporarily deactivates the corresponding airbag. Likewise, it is advantageously possible, as already described above, to detect an unwanted change in the position of a small child in a child seat and to warn a driver. According to a preferred development - in particular the method according to the invention - it is provided that in a fourth step the control module transmits the ascertained information to the security module.

As a result, it is advantageously possible according to the invention to realize the advantages described above, in particular to warn a driver and / or passenger, or to activate, deactivate and / or modify safety functions of the vehicle in a targeted manner. In particular, this controls

Security module the triggering behavior of at least one airbag and / or occupant restraint system in the event of an accident. By way of example and in addition, the possibility of an automatic airbag shutdown when using a child seat is still mentioned.

Embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the drawings and explained in more detail in the following description.

Brief description of the drawings

Show it

 FIGS. 1 a and 1 b show a schematic view of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention,

 FIGS. 2 to 7 show a system according to further embodiments of the invention

present invention in a schematic view.

Embodiment (s) of the invention

In the different figures, the same parts are always the same

Reference numerals provided and are therefore usually named or mentioned only once in each case.

In Figure la, a system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in a schematic view. On the left side of the

Figure is a vehicle seat with a seated vehicle occupant indicated. The system 1 for interior sensing comprises a

Detection module 3, which here is a first, above the vehicle seat arranged laser-based distance measuring device 4 and a second, before the vehicle seat angordnetes laser-based distance measuring device 4 'comprises. Both laser-based distance measuring devices 4, 4 'are preferably lasers operating according to the self-mixing principle, which measure distances by a mirror arrangement along a line and thus create distance profiles. Here, for example, measures the arranged above the vehicle seat laser-based distance measuring device 4 in the direction of travel from back to front and / or vice versa, creating a depth profile is generated, and arranged in front of the vehicle seat laser-based distance measuring device 4 'measures from bottom to top and / or vice versa, where down on one

Vehicle floor and top of a vehicle roof refers. This will create a height profile.

The measurement data are transmitted by the detection module 3 to a control module 2, which evaluates the data and thus detects the vehicle occupant in the present case and also determines its position. These data are in turn transmitted from the control module 2 to a security module 7

forwarded, which in dependence of the data determined by the control module 2, the safety functions of the vehicle, for example a

Vehicle occupant restraint system and / or an airbag system controls.

In the context of the system according to the invention or the method according to the invention, it is also possible that the control module 2 detects a change in the position of the vehicle occupant, which indicates a fall asleep or a safety-endangering position and informs the security module 7, whereupon this example, the vehicle occupants via a audible and / or visual indicator warns.

In Figure lb schematic distance profiles, as determined by the detection module 3, are shown in the right part of the figure. It can be seen directly that by combining the depth profile determined by the first laser-based distance measuring device 4 and the height profile determined by the second laser-based distance measuring device 4 '

Presence of a vehicle occupant can be closed. For this purpose, the control module 2 preferably comprises an evaluation unit, which in particular uses of pattern recognition algorithms associating the (combined) distance profiles with vehicle occupants or objects and / or positions.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a system 1 according to a further embodiment of the present invention, wherein the

Embodiment is substantially identical to the other embodiments. Here, in addition to the laser-based distance measuring devices 4, 4 'known from FIGS. 1a and 1b, the detection module 3 comprises a first camera-based sensor 6 and a second camera-based sensor 6'. These are arranged on both sides of the vehicle seat and thus, in combination with the laser-based distance measuring devices 4, 4 ', enable complete spatial interior sensing.

It is preferably provided that the control module 2 has an image recognition, so that, for example via the camera-based sensors 6, 6 'a preclassification can be made and is supplemented by the laser-based distance measuring devices 4, 4' with accurate distance data.

Due to the fact that the camera-based sensors only serve for pre-classification, that is to say in particular for checking whether a vehicle seat is occupied or not, expensive image analysis methods are advantageously eliminated.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a system 1 according to a further embodiment of the present invention, wherein the

Embodiment is substantially identical to the other embodiments. Here is a vehicle is shown in a schematic front view. In the case shown here, the vehicle has two vehicle seats, for example a driver's seat and a passenger's seat. Each of the vehicle seats is assigned a detection module 3, 3 ', wherein the camera-based sensors 6, 6' can be assigned to both detection modules 3, 3 '. As in the previously described embodiments, each detection module 3, 3 'comprises a laser-based device arranged above the respective vehicle seat

Distance measuring device 4, 4 'and arranged in front of the vehicle seat laser-based distance measuring device 4 ". 4"'. Thus, the position of each vehicle occupant can be determined individually and accurately. FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of a system 1 according to a further embodiment of the present invention, wherein the

Embodiment is substantially identical to the other embodiments. Here, however, a detection module 3 is associated with both vehicle seats together, which comprises a laser-based distance measuring device 4 and two camera-based sensors 6, 6 '.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of a system 1 according to a further embodiment of the present invention, wherein the

Embodiment substantially identical to the other embodiments, in particular those described in connection with Figure 4

Embodiment is. In contrast to the embodiment in FIG. 4, however, here the laser-based distance measuring device 4 is arranged in front of the vehicle seats, for example on a dashboard. The laser-based distance measuring device 4 preferably scans the interior in a planar manner, but with a corresponding orientation, a line-shaped scanning can also be sufficient. For example, it may be sufficient to determine a width profile approximately at chest height of a vehicle occupant in order to reliably conclude the presence and / or the position of the vehicle occupant.

In FIGS. 6a to 6f, systems 1 according to further embodiments of the present invention are shown in schematic view, the embodiments being substantially identical to the others

Embodiments are. It is common to the embodiments of FIGS. 6a to 6f that they dispense with camera-based sensors 6 and different ones

Possibilities of the arrangement of laser-based distance measuring devices 4, 4 'represent the interior sensing. Under the respective representations example distance profiles are shown as they could be detected by the respective arrangement shown.

It is in principle possible that the detection modules 3 in the illustrated embodiments not shown here pressure sensors in the

Vehicle seats include, in particular to allow a rough detection of the occupancy of a vehicle seat. In FIG. 6a, a laser-based distance measuring device 4 is arranged above the vehicle seat and is set up in such a way that it detects a line-shaped depth profile. In FIG. 6b, a laser-based distance measuring device 4 is alternatively or additionally shown, which is likewise arranged above the vehicle seat, for example in a vehicle roof, but accommodates a line-shaped height profile, that is to say a distance profile along a transverse direction of the vehicle. The embodiment according to FIG. 6c, on the other hand, comprises a first, before

Vehicle seat arranged laser-based distance measuring device 4, which creates a width profile approximately at chest height of the vehicle occupant, again perpendicular to a direction of travel, while another laser-based

Distance measuring device 4 'in the bottom region of the vehicle seat is arranged in front of selbigem and here creates a profile of the legs of the vehicle occupant.

 This makes it possible, for example, to distinguish a vehicle occupant from an object located on the vehicle seat, since the

Subject legs.

The embodiment according to FIG. 6d again comprises only one laser-based distance measuring device 4, which is again arranged in front of the vehicle seat, but is configured in such a way that it produces a line-shaped height profile. It is thereby advantageously possible to adapt vehicle functions to the height profile of a driver, for example an occupant restraint system, in particular a vehicle seat belt, or exterior and / or interior mirrors corresponding to the head height of the vehicle occupant determined by the control module 2, not shown here, from the height profile.

The system 1 according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 e has a laser-based distance measuring device 4, which is arranged in front of the vehicle seat but has a cross-shaped or X-shaped scanning profile. Thus, both a height and a width profile can be created in a simple manner and be concluded from this to the position of the vehicle occupant. The embodiment shown in FIG. 6f corresponds essentially to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6e, for which reason reference is made in principle to the relevant embodiments, in which case, however, the

laser-based distance measuring device 4 is arranged centrally above the vehicle seat.

In FIGS. 7a and 7b, a system 1 according to another is shown

Embodiment of the present invention shown in schematic view, wherein the embodiment is substantially identical to the other embodiments. Here, in particular, an embodiment of a method according to the invention for interior sensing is shown. Here you can see a child seat mounted on a vehicle seat opposite to the direction of travel. In Figure 7a, the child seat is empty. That through the above

Vehicle seat arranged laser-based distance measuring device 4 determined distance profile thus shows the depth profile of the empty child seat. By contrast, FIG. 7b schematically shows a child located in the child seat and the associated depth profile. The difference between the two depth profiles is immediately apparent. The evaluation unit of the control module 2 can this

Detect the difference and, for example, automatically deactivate the associated airbag in order to prevent injury to the child in the event of an accident

avoid.

Claims

claims 1. System (1) for interior sensing in a vehicle with a  A vehicle seat comprising a control module (2) and at least one  Detection module (3), wherein the control module (2) for evaluating by the detection module (3) measured data is provided, characterized in that the detection module (3) comprises at least one laser-based distance measuring device (4). 2. System (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the  laser-based distance meter (4) after the  Self-mixing method working laser, in particular a  Surface emitter with integrated photodiode, is. 3. System (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized  in that the laser-based distance measuring device (4) is configured such that the distance measurement is punctiform, linear and / or planar. 4. System (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized  in that the detection module (3) additionally comprises a pressure and / or weight sensor (5) and / or an imaging sensor (6), in particular a camera-based sensor. 5. System (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized  characterized in that each vehicle seat of the vehicle Detection module (3) is assigned. 6. System (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized  in that the detection module (3) is arranged at least partially above, below, in front of and / or behind the vehicle seat. 7. System (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized  in that at least the detection module (3) is provided for monitoring a state of charge of the vehicle. 8. System (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized  characterized in that the control module (2) is connected to a security module (7), wherein the control module (2) is configured to forward data to the security module (7), wherein the data  Information about a presence and / or a position of a  Vehicle occupant, in particular information about a deviation of the position of a predetermined target position, and / or an object contains. 9. A method for interior sensing in a vehicle comprising a system according to claim 1, wherein in a first step the detection module measures data, wherein in a second step the detection module delivers the measured data to the control module (2), wherein in a third step, the control module (2) determines from the measured data information about a presence and / or position of a vehicle occupant, in particular information about a deviation of the position from a predetermined desired position, and / or an object. 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein in a fourth step, the control module (2) transmits the determined information to the security module (7).