Automotive Technologies International, Inc.

Intelligent Technologies International, Inc.

Wilbur E Duvall

David S Breed

Wendell C Johnson

Jeffrey L Morin

Andrew J Varga

Vittorio R Castelli

William Thomas Sanders

Kunhong Xu

Method for controlling a vehicular component based on the position and velocity of an occupant in which the current position and velocity of the occupant are determined, an expected position of the occupant is determined based on the current position and current velocity of the occupant and the component is controlled in consideration of the expected position of the occupant. If the component is a deployable occupant protection device, deployment can be suppressed if the expected position of the occupant is not in a predetermined acceptable position for deployment of the occupant protection device, i.e., the occupant is out-of-position. The position and velocity can be determined several times after the start of the crash and prior to deployment of the occupant protection device so as to enable continual adjustment and control thereof based on the most recent position and velocity of the occupant. The position and velocity of the occupant can be determined using a wave transmitter/receiver arrangement. The velocity of the occupant can be determined from successive position measurements.

Method for controlling deployment of an occupant protection device

The fuel gage of the present invention uses a combination of (i) one or more load cells or fuel level measuring devices, plus in some cases other sensors which measure the pitch or roll angle of the vehicle or the fuel density, to approximately measure the quantity of the fuel in the tank and (ii) a processor and algorithm, which may be a look-up table or formulae, to correct for the inaccuracies arising from the pitch and roll angles of the vehicle, other external forces or from variations in fuel density. Although several weighing systems are disclosed for illustrative purposes, the invention applies to any method of making an approximate measurement of the fuel quantity (weight or volume) and then using analytical techniques to improve on the measurement.

Method and apparatus for measuring the quantity of fuel in a vehicle fuel tank subject to external forces

Arrangements for a vehicle including ultrasonic transmitters for transmitting ultrasonic waves into the passenger compartment, each transmitter operating at a distinct transmitting frequency and positioned at a distinct location relative to the other transmitter(s), at least one receiver disposed so as to receive ultrasonic waves transmitted from a transmitter and modified by passing through the passenger compartment, and a processor operatively coupled to the receiver(s). Based on the received waves, the processor determines whether an object is located in the passenger compartment, controls deployment of a safety restraint device and/or determines the location of an object in the passenger compartment. Other arrangements include receivers arranged at different locations in the vehicle and which facilitate a distance measurement capability. A processor analyzes the distances between the object and each receiver and based thereon, determines if an object is present, controls a safety restraint device and/or determines the location of an object.

Arrangements for detecting the presence or location of an object in a vehicle and for controlling deployment of a safety restraint

Methods for controlling deployment of an occupant restraint device in a vehicle and determining whether an object is a child seat in which one ultrasonic transducer is arranged on a ceiling of the vehicle and another ultrasonic transducer is arranged at a different location in the vehicle, ultrasonic waves are transmitted from each transducer into the passenger compartment and received thereby, and the distance from each transducer to the object is calculated based on the time difference between the transmitted waves when transmitted from the transducer and the reflected waves when received at the transducer. Deployment of the occupant restraint device is controlled based on the calculated distances and/or a determination is made whether the object is a child seat based on the calculated distances.

Methods for controlling deployment of an occupant restraint in a vehicle and determining whether the occupant is a child seat

Arrangement and method in a vehicle for identifying an occupying item in which information or data about the occupying item is obtained and a pattern recognition system analyzes this information or data with respect to size, position., shape and/or motion to determine what the occupying item is whereby a distinction can be made as to whether the occupying item is human or an inanimate object. The information or data may be obtained by one or more receiver arrays which converts electromagnetic radiation into electrical signals such that the information or data about the occupying item is in the form of one or more electrical signals representative of an image of the occupying item. The same information or data may be used in arrangements and methods for controlling a vehicular component which also include a pattern recognition system for receiving and analyzing the information or data and a control unit for controlling the vehicular component based on the analysis of the information or data about the occupying item with respect to the size, position, shape and/or motion by the pattern recognition system.

Occupant position sensor and method and arrangement for controlling a vehicular component based on an occupant's position

Method and system for detecting the presence of the child seat on the seat including a receiving unit for receiving waves from a space above the seat and a signal-generating component which generates a signal based on the received waves which is indicative of the occupancy of the space above the seat. A different signal is generated for different occupants of the seat when the seat is occupied. A signal from the receiving unit representative of the received waves is analyzed, e.g., by a processor applying pattern recognition techniques, in order to generate the signal indicative of the occupancy of the seat and thereby enable a determination of whether a child seat is present in the seat and optionally the orientation thereof. A wave-emitter may be provided for emitting waves, e.g., ultrasonic or electromagnetic waves, into the space above the seat. One or more other systems or components in the vehicle, e.g., an occupant restraint device, may be affected or controlled based on the signal indicative of the occupancy of the seat, and more particularly, the determination of whether a child seat is present on the seat.

Method and system for detecting a child seat

System and method for preventing vehicle accidents in which GPS ranging signals relating to a host vehicle's position on a roadway on a surface of the earth are received on a first communication link from a network of satellites and DGPS auxiliary range correction signals for correcting propagation delay errors in the GPS ranging signals are received on a second communication link from a station or satellite. The host vehicle's position on a roadway on a surface of the earth is determined from the GPS, DGPS, and accurate map database signals with centimeter accuracy and communicated to other vehicles. The host vehicle receives position information from other vehicles and determines whether any other vehicle from which position information is received represents a collision threat to the host vehicle based on the position of the other vehicle relative to the roadway and the host vehicle. If so, a warning or vehicle control signal response to control the host vehicle's motion is generated to prevent a collision with the other vehicle.

Accident avoidance system

System for determining the occupancy of a seat in a vehicle using a variety of transducers and pattern recognition technologies and techniques that applies to any combination of transducers that provide information about seat occupancy. These include weight sensors, capacitive sensors, inductive sensors, ultrasonic, optical, electromagnetic, motion, infrared, and radar among others. The system includes a processor coupled to the transducers for receiving the data from the transducers and processing the data to obtain an output indicative of the current occupancy state of the seat. An algorithm is resident in the processor and is created from a plurality of data sets, each representing a different occupancy state of the seat and being formed from data from the transducers while the seat is in that occupancy state. The algorithm produces the output indicative of the current occupancy state of the seat upon inputting a data set representing the current occupancy state of the seat and being formed from data from the transducers. The algorithm may be a neural network or neural fuzzy algorithm generated by an appropriate algorithm-generating program.

System for determining the occupancy state of a seat in a vehicle

A vehicle interior monitoring system to identify, locate and/or monitor occupants, including their parts, and other objects in the passenger compartment in which waves are transmitted into a space in the passenger compartment in which an occupying item might be situated and a receiver receives waves modified by passing through the space in the passenger compartment in which the occupying item might be situated. Outputs from the receiver are used to affect another system in the vehicle. Also, the outputs may be analyzed, e.g., by computational means employing pattern recognition technologies, to classify, identify and/or locate the contents. In general, the information obtained by the identification and monitoring system is used to affect the operation of some other system in the vehicle. When the system is installed in the passenger compartment of an automotive vehicle equipped with an airbag, the system determines the position of the vehicle occupant relative to the airbag and, e.g., disables deployment of the airbag if the occupant is positioned so that he/she is likely to be injured by the deployment of the airbag.

Method and system for controlling a vehicular system based on occupancy of the vehicle

System and method for preventing vehicle accidents in which the absolute position of the vehicle is determined, e.g., using a satellite-based positioning system such as GPS, and the location of the vehicle relative to the edges of the roadway is then determined based on the absolute position of the vehicle and stored data relating to edges of roadways on which the vehicle may travel. A system or component within the vehicle is initiated, e.g., an alarm or warning system, or the operation of a system or component is affected, e.g., an automatic guidance system, if the location of the vehicle approaches close to an edge of the roadway or intersects with an edge of the roadway.

Methods for classifying and ascertaining the identity of an object in a seat in a vehicle in which a wave-receiving sensor receives waves at least from a space above the seat and generates a signal representative of the received waves and a weight sensing system obtains information about the weight being applied to the seat. Tests are conducted on different objects, each test entailing receiving waves by means of the wave-receiving sensor and the information about the weight being applied to the seat from the weight sensing system while that object is situated in the seat and associating the signal representative of the received waves and information about the weight being applied to the seat with that object. An algorithm is generated from the tests and adapted to process a signal representative of waves received by the wave-receiving sensor and information about the weight being applied to the seat from the weight sensing system and classify or identify the object most closely associated therewith. In use, waves are received by the wave-receiving sensor and a signal representative thereof is generated and information about the weight being applied to the seat is obtained by the weight sensing system. The signal representative of the received waves and information about the weight being applied to the seat are input to the algorithm to thereby classify or ascertain the identity of the object. A component may be adjusted based on the classification or identity of the object.

Methods for identifying and classifying objects in a vehicle and methods for adjusting a vehicle component incorporating the same

Arrangement and method for controlling deployment of a side airbag to protect a vehicular occupant during a crash. The presence and/or position of the occupant is/are determined and deployment of the airbag is controlled based thereon. A transducer receives waves from a space above a seat portion of the seat and a signal representative of the presence and/or position of the occupant is generated based on the received waves. The transducer may transmits waves into the space above the seat portion. The transducer may be mounted in a door of the vehicle and possibly adjacent the airbag module. Deployment of the airbag can be suppressed, the time at which deployment of the airbag starts, the rate of gas flow into the airbag, the rate of gas flow from the airbag and/or the rate of deployment of the airbag is/are controlled based on the presence and/or position of the occupant.

Method and arrangement for controlling deployment of a side airbag

Electrical system in a vehicle including a plurality of devices used in the operation of the vehicle, a single communication bus to which the devices are connected and a single power bus to which the devices are connected. The devices include at least one accelerometer and/or at least one airbag initiator. The power bus provides power to the devices while the communication bus provides communications to and from the devices to, e.g., a control module. The devices are preferably provided with individual device addresses such that each device will respond only to its device address. Each bus may include a pair of wires and a single pair of wires may constitute both buses.

Vehicle electrical system

A vehicle interior monitoring system to identify, locate and monitor occupants, including their parts, and other objects in the passenger compartment and objects outside of a motor vehicle, such as an automobile or truck, by illuminating the contents of the vehicle and objects outside of the vehicle with electromagnetic, and specifically infrared, radiation and using one or more lenses to focus images of the contents onto one or more arrays of charge coupled devices (CCD arrays). Outputs from the CCD arrays are analyzed by appropriate computational means employing trained pattern recognition technologies, to classify, identify or locate the contents or external objects. In general, the information obtained by the identification and monitoring system is used to affect the operation of some other system in the vehicle. When system is installed in the passenger compartment of an automotive vehicle equipped with an airbag, the system determines the position of the vehicle occupant relative to the airbag and disables deployment of the airbag if the occupant is positioned so that he/she is likely to be injured by the deployment of the airbag.

Methods for determining the identification and position of and monitoring objects in a vehicle

Arrangements and method for determining the position of an occupant of a vehicle situated on a seat in the vehicle in which the position of the seat or a part thereof, e.g., the seat portion or back portion, is determined relative to a fixed point of reference to thereby enable an approximation of the position of the occupant to be obtained. The payout of a seatbelt from a seatbelt retractor can be measured and used to better provide the actual position of the occupant. An additional approximation of the position of the occupant can be obtained by receiving waves from the space above the seat in order to improve the determination of the likely, actual position of the occupant. Once the position of the occupant is determined, it can be used in the control of a deployable occupant restraint device such as an airbag.

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Kimberling City, MO, United States of America

Wilbur E Duvall