VEHICLE WITH AIRBAG SUPPRESSION BASED ON OCCUPANT TRAJECTORY

Abstract

A method (100) for controlling an airbag (18A) on board a motor vehicle (10), comprising: Measuring, using a sensor arrangement (30) of the motor vehicle (10), a respective position of one or more landmarks located on a body region of interest of an occupant (11) of the motor vehicle (10); Receiving, via a control unit (50) of the motor vehicle (10) at a sampling rate, occupant marker signals from the sensor arrangement (30), the occupant marker signals containing data points indicating the respective position of the one or more marker points; Determining a predicted trajectory of the occupant (11), via the control unit (50), using the occupant marking signals; and automatically setting a restraint capacity setting of the airbag, via the control unit (50), depending on the predicted trajectory of the occupant (11), further comprising: Detecting, via the sensor arrangement (30), at least one dynamic vehicle event, a size of an oncoming occupant (11), an approach speed of an oncoming occupant (11), or an occupant movement event; and in response to at least one of the following events: the dynamic vehicle event, the size of the oncoming occupant (11), the approach speed of the oncoming occupant (11) or the occupant movement event, selectively increasing or Reducing a sampling rate of the controller (50) during a sampling time frame of interest, further comprising: Detecting at least one dynamic vehicle event, a size of an oncoming occupant (11), an approach speed of an oncoming occupant (11), or an occupant movement event via the sensor arrangement; and in response to at least one of the following events: the dynamic vehicle event, the size of the oncoming occupant (11), the approach speed of the oncoming occupant (11) or the occupant movement event, selectively increasing the number of data points to thereby increase the corresponding weighting of the data points, further comprising: Detecting an occupant movement event via the sensor arrangement (30); and Executing a control action on board the motor vehicle (10) in response to the occupant movement event, wherein the occupant movement event is an actual or predicted movement of at least a portion of the occupant's body region of interest into an airbag suppression zone, ASZ, of the airbag (18A), wherein the control action comprises providing an alert message to one or more message recipients in response to the occupant movement event.

Description

INTRODUCTIONIn a passenger compartment or interior of a motor vehicle, the vehicle seats are surrounded by or attached to one or more passenger restraint systems. Thus, the interior of modern vehicles is typically equipped with occupant restraint systems, such as lap and shoulder straps, inflatable airbags, seatbelt pretensioners, adjustable head restraints, knee bolsters, energy absorbing devices, etc.Particularly in airbags, inflation of one or more airbags in the vehicle cabin is automatically triggered when the on-board sensors detect sudden vehicle deceleration that requires airbag deployment. In response to measured forces or other characteristic values requiring such airbag deployment, the sensors send electronic signals to an airbag deployment control circuit. A typical airbag deployment circuit responds to the electronic signals by initiating a pyrotechnic process to generate and possibly release an inert inflation gas. The inflation gas is rapidly released into an airbag cushion of the airbag, resulting in rapid inflation of the airbag cushion. The inflated airbag cushion then deflates itself to complete the airbag deployment process.DE 102 41 993 B3 relates to a device and a method for detecting an object or a person in the interior of a vehicle. In this case, an evaluation unit of the device brings about the fact that the device for detecting an object or a person in the interior of a vehicle, comprising an image detection unit and an evaluation unit for the image data transmitted by the image detection unit, is operated in a first operating mode when an acceleration threshold value is undershot as detected by the evaluation unit and in a second operating mode when the acceleration threshold value is exceeded as detected by the evaluation unit.DE 102 46 055 A1 describes a device for protecting a vehicle occupant which triggers the restraining means in dependence on the movement of the vehicle occupant in the event of an accident. The movement is predicted by a height of the center of mass of the vehicle occupant and an effect of force on the vehicle occupant being determined by means of an occupant detection and an impact sensor system, and the movement of the vehicle occupant being thus predicted.DE 603 08 020 T2 relates to vehicle occupant safety systems and, in particular, to a vehicle occupant proximity sensor for use with a vehicle occupant safety system.DE 10 2006 040 244 B3 describes how a device and a method for detecting seat occupancy use a monocamera and a seat belt. The seat belt is provided with a plurality of markings which are arranged at a fixed distance from one another. An evaluation and control unit evaluates the images of the safety belt recorded by the monocamera. The markings are used to determine either a 3D point and / or a 3D profile of the belt profile between at least two defined points. This information serves to determine the seating position of an occupant.DE 10 2016 121 882 A1 describes how an image including the head of an occupant and a belt strap is received by an image sensor. A center line of the occupant is determined. A webbing extension length is determined based on the centerline. A safety device is adjusted based at least in part on the webbing extension length.DESCRIPTIONIt is an object of the present invention to avoid inaccurate or improper deployment and control of automotive air bag systems. This object is achieved by the subject matter according to claim 1.The control solutions described in detail below are collectively suitable for controlling the activation or deployment of an inflatable airbag on board a motor vehicle based at least in part on a passenger's motion sequence. For convenience herein, "an airbag" means "at least one airbag" or "one or more airbags" unless otherwise specified. Those skilled in the art will understand that a particular vehicle occupant may be restrained by multiple airbags in a modern vehicle interior, where the respective airbag(s) is / are deployed in response to a particular airbag deployment event, which in turn may depend on the respective location of the occupant in the vehicle interior. Therefore, the methodology described herein may be applied separately or jointly to each of the airbags used in the vehicle interior.To control deployment of the airbags within the scope of the present disclosure, interior sensors are mounted in a particular vehicle that are configured to measure one or more parameters, e.g., occupant size, mass, position, etc. The airbag deployment decision is made by an on-board controller based on these parameters, particularly based on the changing position and the resulting trajectory of the occupant, as discussed in detail below. In the context of the present solutions, one or more sensors may be used to detect and monitor changes in the position of the occupant in the vehicle interior.In particular, in an exemplary embodiment, a method for controlling an airbag on board a motor vehicle comprises measuring a respective position of one or more landmarks located on a body region of interest of an occupant of the motor vehicle, e.g. a point or more points on an outer surface of the occupant, using a sensor arrangement of the motor vehicle. The method of this embodiment also includes receiving, via a controller, a set of occupant marker signals as data points from the sensor unit. For example, the orientation signals of the occupant indicate a voltage or current level corresponding to the respective position of the one or more landmarks. The method further includes determining, by the controller, a predicted trajectory of the occupant ("occupant trajectory") using the occupant marker signals and automatically adjusting a restraint capacity setting of the airbag in response to the predicted occupant trajectory.The method may include, in one or more embodiments, detecting, via the sensor unit, at least one of a dynamic vehicle event, an oncoming object size, an approaching speed of an oncoming object, and an occupant movement event. In response, the method may include selectively adjusting a number of landmarks used as data points during a sampling time frame of interest, e.g., selectively repeating at least some of the data points during the sampling time frame of interest, thereby increasing a corresponding weight of the data points. The dynamic vehicle event may include a braking event of the motor vehicle, an avoidance maneuver event of the motor vehicle, an expected or imminent impact event of the motor vehicle, and / or an actual impact event of the motor vehicle, in one possible implementation.Selectively adjusting the number of landmarks used as the sampled data points during the sampling time frame of interest may be responsive to the occupant movement event, which in turn may include moving a portion of one or more heads, neck, torso, or foot of the occupant within a predetermined distance from the airbag, e.g., within an ASZ of the airbag or the prediction that it is within it.Determining the predicted trajectory of the occupant may include extrapolating the predicted trajectory of the occupant from a time of a last scan to at least a time of a possible contact of the occupant with the airbag, a time of a next scan, or a time between the time of the possible occupant contact with the airbag and the time of the next scan. Alternatively, determining the predicted trajectory could include using one or more mathematical curve fitting techniques for the occupant's position using a fixed window or a movable window, one or more predictive filtering techniques for signal processing, or artificial intelligence or machine learning techniques.The motor vehicle may be equipped with a seat belt. In this case, the method may include using a seatbelt use status signal indicative of the occupant using the seatbelt to determine the location of an airbag suppression zone (ASZ) or adjust the airbag restraint capacity setting.Receipt of the occupant marker signals, determination of the predicted trajectory of the occupant, and automatic adjustment of the airbag restraint capacity setting may be performed by the controller before and after an airbag deployment decision of the controller. Additionally, in one or more embodiments, determining the predicted trajectory of the occupant may include adjusting, after deployment of the airbag in response to the decision about the deployment command, the adjustment of the restraint capacity when the predicted trajectory of the occupant will be within an ASZ when the occupant contacts the airbag.In this case, in some embodiments, the method may include adjusting, via the controller, the field of view focus in response to the predicted trajectory, a dynamic vehicle event, an oncoming object, or an occupant movement event.Automatically adjusting the restraining capacity setting may optionally include adjusting one or more decisions of the controller regarding the deployment command, the inflator output, the inflator output timing, the length of the tether of the airbag, the depth of the inflated cushion of the airbag, and the amount of air venting of the airbag. The method may also include tracking a trajectory of a forwardmost point in the occupant's body region of interest, such point being predicted to be in front of an edge of an ASZ. Adjusting the restraining capacity setting in such an embodiment may include suppressing the airbag in response to the trajectory of the foremost point when the foremost point is a point on a head, neck, torso, or leg of the occupant.The motor vehicle may also include an instrument panel, wherein automatically adjusting the restraining capacity of the airbag may also include suppressing the airbag when a leg of the occupant is placed on the instrument panel.In one or more embodiments, the method may include determining a seating height of the occupant relative to the vehicle interior, automatically selecting, via the controller, at least one of the one or more landmarks based on the height of the occupant as selected landmarks, and determining the predicted trajectory of the occupant using the selected landmarks.Another aspect of the disclosure includes a motor vehicle having a vehicle body defining a vehicle interior, also referred to in the art as a passenger compartment. The motor vehicle comprises an airbag arranged in the vehicle interior with an ASZ, a sensor arrangement likewise arranged in the vehicle interior and a control unit. The sensor assembly is configured to measure respective positions of one or more landmarks on a body region of interest of an occupant of the vehicle interior relative to a position of the airbag. The controller, in this representative implementation, is capable of controlling a restraint capacity setting of the airbag and receiving occupant marker signals from a sensor assembly according to a sampling rate. The data points of the occupant marker signals indicate the respective positions of the one or more marker points.The controller is also programmed to determine a predicted trajectory of the occupant using the occupant marker signals and automatically adjust a restraint capacity setting of the airbag depending on the predicted trajectory of the occupant. The landmark(s) may / may include a landmark closest to the airbag relative to each of the one or more landmarks.Also disclosed herein is a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having an instruction set recorded thereon. Execution of the instruction set by a processor of a controller of a motor vehicle having an airbag causes the controller to receive occupant marker signals from a sensor assembly, the occupant marker signals indicating at least one marker point on an occupant's body region of interest, which may in turn be located on an exterior surface of an occupant of the motor vehicle. Execution of the instruction set also causes the controller to determine a predicted occupant trajectory using the occupant marker signals and automatically adjust a restraint capacity setting of the airbag in response to the predicted occupant trajectory.The above features and advantages, as well as other features and advantages of the present teachings, will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of some of the best modes and other embodiments for carrying out the present teachings as defined in the appended claims when considered in connection with the appended drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURESThe accompanying figures, which form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a representative motor vehicle having a vehicle interior equipped with one or more airbags, the respective restraint capacity settings of which are adjusted by a controller based at least in part on or on predicted trajectories of an occupant's body or regions of interest of the body. FIG. 2A is a simplified side view of a belted occupant in a typical upright seating position. FIG. 2B is a side view of the occupant shown in FIG. 2A showing possible positions of the body OF and unbuckled occupant during a dynamic vehicle event relative to an example airbag position. FIG. 3 is a schematic circuit diagram of the occupant, associated occupant restraint systems, and a controller operable to selectively alter the restraint capacity settings of airbags and possibly other occupant restraint systems using a trajectory-based control strategy as set forth herein. FIG. 4 shows the head of the occupant depicted in FIGS. 1-3, where the head is depicted with multiple occupant markings or spots ("landmarks"), in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. FIG. 5 shows sampling adjustments that may be selectively performed according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram of a representative landmark trajectory versus event time illustrating an aspect of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a graph of longitudinal acceleration of the motor vehicle shown in FIG. 1 as a function of event time illustrating another aspect of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a flow diagram describing an example embodiment of a method for dynamically adjusting the restraint capacity settings of airbags and possibly additional passenger restraint systems, in accordance with the disclosure. FIG. 9 is a representative diagram describing an optional increase in data point weight based on vehicle deceleration.The appended figures are not necessarily to scale, and may provide a simplified representation of various preferred features of the present disclosure as disclosed herein, including, for example, certain dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes. Details associated with such features will be determined in part by the particular intended application and use environment.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe components of the disclosed embodiments may be arranged in a variety of configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed disclosure, but is merely representative of possible embodiments thereof. Moreover, while numerous specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of various representative embodiments, some embodiments may be practiced without some of the disclosed details. In order to improve clarity, the description of certain technical details known from the prior art has also been omitted. Moreover, the embodiment illustrated and described herein may also be embodied without an element that is not expressly described herein.The associated logic for activating the restraint device of an electronic control unit or a "control unit" is determined and adapted in real time on the basis of one or more predicted trajectories of different body regions of a passenger or occupant of a motor vehicle. Predicting occupant trajectories, as will be described in detail below, may include monitoring and measuring certain locations or points ("landmarks") on a body region of interest of the occupant body and estimating the location of these landmarks in the immediate future. The predicted occupant trajectories are used as input conditions to the restraint system activation logic of the aforementioned controller, where the controller ultimately determines the actual adjustment of the airbag restraint capacity and possibly other occupant restraint systems. In view of airbag inflation control decisions, inflation of the associated airbag cushions is selectively activated, suppressed, or deactivated as a result of execution of the disclosed restraint activation logic. In addition, the parameters of the airbag cushion, such as the amount of gas provided by the inflator, the cushion shape, and the air venting of the cushion, may also be adjusted. In other restraint devices that are not airbags, the respective restraint capacities may also be changed based on the predicted trajectories of the occupants within the scope of the disclosure.Referring to the Figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like features throughout the several views, FIG. 1 shows a mobile system in the non-limiting representative form of a motor vehicle 10. Although the motor vehicle 10 is described below as passenger cars for uniformity purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present teaching may be applied to other mobile systems that utilize one or more of the passenger vehicle 18 and a controller 50 in communication therewith, as described in detail below.The passenger restraint systems 18 may include one or more inflatable airbags 18A, which are referred to below for purposes of illustration and description only, and are referred to herein in the singular ("an airbag 18A", "the airbag 18A", etc.) without limiting the actual number of airbags 18A used in a particular construction of the vehicle interior 14 or the placement of these airbags 18A within the vehicle interior 14. The passenger restraint systems 18 may also include additional restraint devices including, but not necessarily limited to, seatbelts 18B, vehicle seats 20, head restraints 22, and one or more of the various devices described below with reference to FIG. 3.Within the scope of the present disclosure, the controller 50 schematically illustrated in FIG. 1 is configured to execute a computer readable / executable instruction set that embodies a method 100, a non-limiting example embodiment of which is described below with reference to FIG. 8. By executing the individual steps or logic blocks of method 100, controller 50 is capable of selectively adjusting a respective restraint capacity setting of each of passenger restraint systems 18. The controller 50 performs such actions based at least in part on a position of the occupant 11 and one or more trajectories of the occupant 11 ("occupant trajectories") within the vehicle interior 14.In particular, the controller 50 contemplated herein is programmed or otherwise configured to predict individual trajectories of one or more different body regions of interest of the occupant 11. This is done using measured landmarks of the occupant, e.g., on outer surfaces of the occupant 11, such points being referred to herein as "landmarks" for convenience. In this case, the control device 50 can use mathematical methods and / or application-suitable data filtering techniques in order to predict the next point of each landmark on a straight or curved trajectory. The predicted occupant trajectories are used by the controller 50 to selectively suppress or activate the airbag 18A as needed based on the current and imminent proximity of the occupant 11 to the airbag 18A. The occupant trajectories may also be used to modify the airbag restraining capacity / capacities by controlling the amount of inflation gas, the shape of the airbag cushion, and / or the venting of the airbag cushion. Moreover, in one or more embodiments, the present monitoring and control strategy may include changing the restraint capacity of the seatbelts 18B and the vehicle seats 20. In executing its programmed functions, controller 50 may continue to monitor the actual or predicted movements of occupant 11 after sampling, before and possibly after deployment of airbag 18A.The representative vehicle interior 14 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes movable or adjustable embodiments of the aforementioned vehicle seats 20. However, the present teaching is expandable to additional occupants 11 that may be seated elsewhere in the vehicle interior 14, including the front or rear occupants 11. Each vehicle seat 20 may be equipped with an adjustable head restraint 22, wherein the vehicle seats 20 and the head restraints 22 may have an adjustable position, angle, energy absorption, and / or other adjustment of the restraint capacity. The vehicle seats 20 and the head restraints 22 are therefore among the passenger restraint systems 18 in one or more embodiments of the present teachings. The vehicle seats 20 and the head restraints 22 may be manually movable, motorized, or otherwise configured to move when their deployment is commanded or triggered, for example, by a triggered spring, motor, or pyrotechnic device as is known in the art.Referring briefly to FIG. 3, the head restraints ("HR") 22 and the vehicle seats ("S") 20 may be equipped with adjustable features such as an energy absorbing device ("EA") 680 or airbags ("AB") 18A. The seatbelts ("SB") 18B may be equipped with adjustable devices such as a motorized or pyrotechnic pretensioner ("PT") 180 and an energy absorbing device ("EA") 280. The airbags 18A may be equipped with an inflator ("INF") 380, one or more airbag vents ("V") 480, and one or more airbag straps ("T") 580. The entirety of the passenger restraint systems 18, the combination of which may vary depending on the design of the motor vehicle 10 of FIG. 1, is used in conjunction with the airbag ("AB") 18A in one or more embodiments.Referring again to FIG. 1, as those skilled in the art will appreciate, a pyrotechnically deployable inflatable airbag system such as the representative airbag(s) 18A(s) of FIG. 1 is available in a variety of forms. The airbag 18A could be located, for example, in or near a dashboard 21, packaged in a steering wheel 19, in a panel adjacent thereto, along / below the dashboard 21, along the sides of the vehicle interior 14, in a roof 17 of the motor vehicle 10, at various locations within the vehicle seats 20, e.g., below a seat bottom cushion on the inside of a seat back 20B, on the outside of the seat back 20B, in the rear of the seat back 20B, in the head restraint 22, and possibly in the webbing 27 of the seatbelts 18B. The vehicle interior 14 could therefore be equipped with a model specific combination of front airbags, curtain airbags, knee airbags, seatbelt airbags, over-head airbags, lower leg airbags, side impact airbags, and / or other airbags 18A, within the scope of the disclosure. Such airbags 18A are inflated rapidly, e.g., in about fifty milliseconds (50 ms) or less, where the inflation is typically responsive to a chemical charge that generates an inflation gas, releases a stored inflation gas, or a combination of both, to allow each airbag 18A to rapidly deploy and expand.As shown in FIG. 2A, the controller 50 may determine a current position and a changing position of the occupant 11 in the vehicle interior 14 of FIG. 1. FIG. 2A corresponds to a typical upright seating position of the occupant 11 in an example, non-limiting scenario in which the occupant 11 faces the dashboard 21. Other embodiments are also conceivable in which the occupant 11 could be in a different position, posture or position and possibly near a differently disposed airbag 18A. When the occupant 11 sits on a seat cushion 20S, the occupant 11 typically abuts a back cushion 20B of the vehicle seat 20 with the occupant 11 being proximate the head restraint 22. The occupant 11 shown as a belted occupant in FIG. 1 wears the seatbelt 18A, wherein the seatbelt pretensioner 180 is also shown in FIG. 2A. In alternative embodiments (not shown), the seatbelt pretensioner 180 could be mounted at the end of a seatbelt buckle 18B or at an outer lower anchor of the seatbelt webbing 27.As shown in FIG. 2B, when the occupant 11 has properly fastened the seatbelt 18B, the occupant 11 is approached closer to the airbag 18A during a predetermined dynamic event, such as a full brake, an aggressive obstacle / object avoidance maneuver, an impact event, etc., to an unrestricted position, such as the representative position x 1. That is, the occupant 11 who is at a representative home position x 0 corresponding to the upright seating position of FIG. 2A tends to move a distance RR toward the airbag 18A. The non-limited forward position x 1 may also be reached during vehicle / occupant movement in which the occupant 11 moves a portion of his body forward, e.g., when leaning forward, to access an object located on the ground or stored in a glove compartment of the instrument panel 21.In contrast to the representative position x 0 the occupant 11 may, if unbuckled, reach a forward position that is closer to the instrument panel 21 and similar to the position x 1 during the vehicle dynamic event or the vehicle / occupant movement event, e.g., when a portion of one or more heads, neck, torso, or feet of the occupant 11 is within a predetermined distance of the airbag 18A. Compared to the illustrated position x 0 in this example deployment scenario, the representative position x 1 is closer to the airbag 18A.Also shown in FIG. 2B is a representative first airbag suppression zone (ASZ) having a first ASZ edge 25. The first ASZ edge 25 represents the outer boundary of a space between the airbag 18A (in the inflated state) and the occupant 11. If the occupant 11 is in front of the first ASZ edge 25 during deployment of the airbag 18A, the occupant 11 may be excessively loaded by the deploying airbag 18A. The first ASZ may be used for unbelted occupants 11 in some configurations, while in other configurations, the first ASZ may be used for seated occupants 11 regardless of their belted / unbelted status. In this manner, the controller 50 is able to suppress or otherwise change the restraining capacity setting(s) of the airbag 18A when the occupant 11 enters the space in front of the first ASZ edge 25.A representative second airbag suppression zone (ASZ) is also shown in FIG. 2B and has a second ASZ edge 26. The second ASZ edge 26 is located closer to the occupant 11 when in the representative initial position x 0. Similar to the first ASZ edge 25, the second ASZ edge 26 represents a boundary of the space between the airbag 18A and the occupant 11. The second ASZ may be used for belted and seated occupants 11 in one or more embodiments to suppress or otherwise alter the adjustment of the restraining capacity of the airbag 18A if the occupant 11 enters the space in front of the second ASZ edge 26.In an optional approach, the controller 50 may monitor the position of the occupant 11, likely when the occupant 11 is wearing the seatbelt 18B, prior to a dynamic vehicle event. Example dynamic vehicle events include, by way of example and without limitation, a braking event of the motor vehicle 10, an avoidance maneuver event of the motor vehicle 10, such as an aggressive steering motion to avoid an obstacle in the travel path of the motor vehicle 10, an expected or imminent impact event of the motor vehicle 10, or an actual impact event of the motor vehicle 10, and / or a motion event in the vehicle / occupant. The controller 50 may then determine whether to deploy the airbag 18A based on the position of the occupant 11 prior to the event, as the occupant 11 may be in many possible locations at such a time. This eliminates the need to dynamically assess occupant position during the event. The second ASZ would be farther from the airbag 18A than the first ASZ in this particular case, such that movement of the seatbelted occupant 11 during the event would not result in the occupant 11 entering the first ASZ defined by the edge 25. In an alternative approach, which may be less likely but still realizable with certain structures of the motor vehicle 10, the edge 26 of the second ASC may be closer to the airbag 18A than the edge 25, i.e., the distance between the edge 26 and the airbag 18A may be less than the distance between the edge 25 and the airbag 18A.As shown in FIG. 2B, the predicted trajectories of a belted and un belted occupant 11 may deviate significantly from each other. That is, the seatbelt 18B restrains forward movement of the occupant 11 (as shown by the solid outline of the occupant 11), which movement may not be restrained for unbelted occupants 11 (as shown by the dashed outline of the occupant at position x 1 ) unless the occupant 11 substantially bumps against the instrument panel 21 to reduce forward movement.For higher crash severity events, the present approach may include, in one or more optional embodiments, detecting a crash severity and / or an approaching speed or speed of an oncoming object relative to the motor vehicle 10 of FIG. 1. In response, the controller 50 may temporarily establish an un-suppressed airbag 18A restraint state or a higher airbag 18A restraint state based at least in part on the impact severity, the object approach speed or velocity, the object size, or a combination of these factors in addition to the predicted occupant trajectories. The application of this approach may be limited to occupants 11 detected as unbelted occupants 11, occupants 11 detected as belted occupants 11, or the approach may be applied to both unbelted and belted occupants 11 in a similar manner.The prediction of occupant trajectories and the consideration of such predicted occupant trajectories in subsequent decisions of the controller 50 about deployment of airbag restraint systems will be discussed, for simplicity and clarity, using a non-limiting example of FIG. 4. As part of the present strategy, the controller 50 of FIG. 3 may receive occupant marker signals (arrow CC LM) from an on-board sensor unit 30 according to a calibrated sampling rate, e.g., every 10-1000 ms or another nominal rate suitable for the application. The orientation signals (arrow CC LM) are collectively indicative of a current position of at least a portion of a body region of interest of the occupant 11 relative to the position or location of the airbag 18A.In the simplified representative case of a head 110 of the occupant 11, as shown in FIG. 4, one or more landmarks 32 may be associated with the head 110, the landmarks 32 occupying different positions, in this case on the outer surfaces 210. The present approach may optionally include measuring a seat height of the occupant 11 relative to the vehicle interior 14 via the sensor system 30 of FIG. 3. The approach may continue by automatically selecting or setting which one(s) of landmarks 32 to use for predicting the trajectory of the occupant. Alternatively, controller 50 may identify the outline or "outer shell" of occupant 11 and use such an outline or outer shell (or a superimposed skeleton) to identify suitable landmarks.In the non-limiting exemplary embodiment of FIG. 4, landmarks 32 include a point P 1 on the forehead of occupant 11, a point P 2 between the eyes of occupant 11, and a point P 3 at the nose tip of the occupant. Other landmarks 32 whose trajectories may be tracked within the scope of the present strategy could include a point P4on a chin of the occupant 11, one or more points P5on a cheekbone or other prominent location in the occupant's face, such as the eyes (not shown), a point P6on the top or apex of the head 110, and / or corresponding points P7(one of which is visible in FIG. 4) on the ears of the occupant 11. Thus, the landmarks 32 with respect to the first ASZ edge 25 (or the second ASZ edge 26 of FIG. 2B ) and the airbag 18A have different distances, respectively, and resultant trajectories that differ with the three-dimensional movement of the occupant 11.Landmarks 32 located at other body regions of interest of occupant 11, such as shoulders, arms, legs, feet, etc., may be similarly designated and tracked in real time within the scope of the present disclosure, as mentioned above and as appreciated in the art. Likewise, additional landmarks 32 on the head 110 or other body regions of interest may be used. Moreover, the foremost point of the exterior surface of the occupant 11 could be used for each body region of interest, regardless of the specific position in that region. The trajectory of the occupant may be calculated using a particular landmark 32 that is the shortest distance from the airbag 18A relative to each of the one or more landmarks 32, i.e., closest to the airbag 18A relative to the remaining landmarks 32, in some embodiments.Referring again to FIG. 3, each of the airbags 18A used in the vehicle interior 14 of FIG. 1 may include the above-mentioned inflator 380, airbag vent openings 480, airbag tether straps 580, or combinations thereof in these various configurations. The inflator(s) 380 may comprise an elongated body or a "penetrated" body, e.g., containing one or more selectively activated or stored propellant gas charges. In particular, in multi-stage embodiments of the airbag 18A, two or more such inflator devices 380 may be connected to the airbag 18A, with each inflator device 380 in turn having a corresponding adjustment in inflation performance. The inflator 380 is typically located in the same housing and may share components. The inflator 380 may be staggered or arranged to deploy at different times or at an adjustable distance from each other, or one of the inflator 380 may be activated and the other may not, in some embodiments.The airbag vent openings 480 of FIG. 3 may in turn open more to present a softer airbag 18A to the occupant 11 during deployment, or less to provide a harder surface of the airbag 18A. The airbag vents 480 may be embodied as single vents, or the size of the vents 480 may be controlled by the airbag hinges 580 in the airbag 18A or by a pyrotechnic device (not shown). The airbag straps 580, which in turn control the inflated shape of the airbag 18A, may be fixed length straps or straps that expand or release when a pyrotechnic device is triggered. Adjustment of the restraining capacity can therefore be controlled by adjusting the inflator performance, the venting performance and / or the length of the tethers. Moreover, adjustment of the restraining capacity of one or more of the vehicle seats 20 or seat-based devices may be controlled as part of the present strategy, including moving portions of the vehicle seats 20, head restraints 22, and associated energy absorbing devices 680, as well as the pretensioner 180, energy absorbing devices 280, etc., as schematically illustrated in FIG. 3.In one possible approach, the controller 50 of FIG. 3 may evaluate the landmarks 32 (FIG. 4 ) of the occupant 11 based on defined criteria, referred to herein as "occupant classes.". For example, when an occupant 11 enters the vehicle interior 14, the controller 50 could examine the occupant 11 for certain identifiable attributes or combinations thereof, e.g., occupant weight, size, seat height, shape, etc., and then compare these attributes to calibrated or predetermined thresholds.In this manner, controller 50 could measure a range of occupant classes using sensor unit 30 and automatically adjust the airbag 18A restraint capacity settings based on the predicted occupant trajectories and these additional criteria. Such action may result in an un-suppressed state or a higher restraint capacity state being established when the occupant class of the measured area is above a predetermined threshold, or when the occupant 11 is verified as being within or corresponding to a predetermined occupant class. Likewise, this action may result in a suppressed state or a reduced restraint capacity state being established when the occupant class is below a predetermined threshold or when the occupant 11 is verified by the controller 50 as being within or corresponding to a predetermined occupant class.As those skilled in the art will appreciate, one or more sensors 40 of a typical detection and airbag deployment system are configured to monitor or measure a variety of variables including, but not necessarily limited to, external shocks, wheel speeds, lateral and longitudinal accelerations, the presence status of the occupant in a seating area, the position of the occupant, the presence of objects / animals in a seating area, the position of objects / animals, the use of seatbelts, brake pressure, steering angle, inclination, yaw, roll, etc., some of which may also be detected by one or more sensors of the sensor assembly 30 shown in FIG. 2, or may be separately detected. The sensors 40 transmit electronic input signals to the controller 50 as restraint triggering signals (arrow CC T). The controller 50 analyzes the triggering signals (arrow CC T) and then controls the onboard functions of the passenger restraint system or systems 18, e.g., by locking the seatbelts 18B, controlling the seatbelt pretensioners 180 and the energy absorption 280, inflating one or more airbags 18A, controlling venting of one or more airbags 18A, controlling the length of the airbag chairs 580 of one or more airbags 18A, controlling the lock / unlock state of the door locks (not shown), positioning the head restraints 22 or the seats 20, controlling energy absorption 680 of the seats, etc. The controller 50 therefore obtains knowledge of multiple sensor readings of the sensors 40 and the sensor assembly 30 during operation of the motor vehicle 10 of FIG. 1.With respect to the sensor assembly 30 schematically illustrated in FIG. 3, representative sensor devices may include, without limitation, at least one seated sensor 30A such as a pressure sensing bladder, a resistance sensing surface that changes state as the surface is compressed, a force cell system, and / or a capacitive sensor. As used herein, "in-seat" refers to integration with a corresponding one of the vehicle seats 20 of FIG. 1, for example embedded within and / or associated with the vehicle seats 20.The on-board sensor unit 30 may also include one or more remote sensors 30B, i.e., "remote" with respect to the occupants 11 and the vehicle seats 20. In various possible embodiments, the remote sensors 30B could include radar, lidar, ultrasonic sensors, a camera, e.g., red-green-blue (RGB), RGB+irradio (IR), IR, time-of-flight (TOF), structured light, thermal image, stereo vision, etc.Other possible sensors of the representative sensor assembly 30 of FIG. 3 include biometric sensors 30C that could be mounted within the vehicle interior 14 and / or worn by the occupant 11. Exemplary biometric data that could be measured and reported by biometric sensors ("biosensors") 30C includes the heart beat or breathing rate of occupant 11 or their micromovements, voice, body temperature, brain currents, fingerprints, alcohol content, the presence of implanted medical devices such as pacemakers, other metal contents in the body, heat, muscle activation, etc. Such measurements may be used in one or more embodiments to further control the associated ASZ of airbag 18A or the retention capability of airbag 18A.The collective set of information provided to the controller 50 by the on-board sensor unit 30 of FIG. 3 also includes occupant position data from one or more occupant position sensors 30D, e.g., additional cameras, remote sensors, or proximity detectors, that may be employed to determine a position of the occupant 11 within the vehicle interior 14 of FIG. 1. Because the various landmarks 32 illustrated in FIG. 4 are monitored and tracked in real time, the occupant position sensors 30D may collectively be configured to generate a three-dimensional point cloud of the occupant 11 or at least the relevant anatomy, outer surface shells, skeletal overlays, joint positions, or body regions thereof, as appreciated in the art. Example hardware for such a purpose includes multiple LIDAR sensors or laser profile sensors, ultrasonic sensors, radar, time-of-flight (TOF), structured light, thermal image, stereo vision, etc., and these and other possible designs may be used in various implementations of the present teachings.As mentioned below, the collected data could be combined with the data from the various other sensors 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D and possibly one or more other sensors represented by 30N to "fine tune" the prediction accuracy of the controller 50 in predicting the trajectories of the landmarks 32 and then controlling the occupant restraint / s system 18. The other sensors 30N could include a buckle switch 30E and possibly a belt travel sensor 30F that detects the presence of the identifiable feature 118 of the seatbelt 18A or the webbing 27 in front of the occupant's torso and associates the identifiable feature 118 or its absence with a belted occupant 11. The presence and use of other sensors not expressly mentioned herein is possible in other configurations. It should be appreciated that some of the sensors 30A,..., 30N may detect more than one of the desired detection functions described herein.With respect to the identifiable features 118, in one or more embodiments, the identifiable features 118 may include a color and / or gloss of the webbing 27 of the seatbelts 18B, specific identifiable patterns on the webbing 27 such as stripes, checkers, and / or other discrete markings. The identifiable features 118 may include an embedded detectable element, such as a magnet, metal piece, or other object, that may be detected by the remote sensor 30B. Materials that reflect or block certain wavelengths of light may be coated onto the webbing or onto / within the threads within the seatbelt webbing 27, e.g., infrared (IR) absorbing and reflecting materials.When an identifiable feature 118 is used to detect the presence of the seatbelt 18B, the seatbelt 18B may be considered to be present / used by the occupant 11 when the shoulder belt is detected at the upper torso of the occupant and not present / unused when the shoulder belt is not detected at the upper torso of the occupant. The detection of the lap belt may not be part of the belt use determination logic in some embodiments, as the lap belt may be outside of the field of view of the relevant sensors of the sensor unit 30 or obscured by the body of the occupant or objects on the lap of the occupant. However, in other embodiments, the present method may also include detecting the lap belt.A seatbelt presence detection signal may also be generated by remote sensor 30B indicating the status of use of the seatbelt. In this manner, the controller 50 may evaluate the prediction and tracking of the occupant's trajectory associated with the use of the seatbelt and the presence and position of the occupant 11 relative to a defined boundary or edge of the ASZ, possibly in conjunction with one or more other conditions, as described below. The controller 50 may then selectively adjust the location of one or more ASCs as a control action in response to the various data.In accordance with the present disclosure, controller 50 executes computer readable instructions embodying method 100 in response to electronic input signals (arrow CC I) to perform the various functions described herein, the electronic input signals (arrow CC I) including the occupant marker signals described above (arrow CC LM) of FIG. 3. The term "controller" and related terms such as microcontrollers, electronic control units, etc., refer to one or various combinations of application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), electronic circuits, central processing units, e.g., microprocessors and associated transitory and non-transitory memory / storage components.The controller 50 of FIGS. 1 and 3 is schematically shown with a processor 52 of one or more such types, as well as a memory 54 including a tangible, non-transitory computer storage medium / medium (read-only, programmable read-only, semiconductor, random access, optical, magnetic, etc.). The memory 54, on which computer readable instructions embodying the method 100 may be recorded, is configured to store a machine readable instruction set in the form of one or more software or firmware programs or routines, combinational logic circuits, input / output circuits and devices, signal conditioning and buffer circuits, and other components that may be accessed by one or more processors to provide described functionality.The input / output circuits and devices include analog-to-digital converters and related devices that monitor inputs from sensors, these inputs being monitored at a preset sampling frequency or in response to a triggering event. Software, firmware, programs, instructions, control routines, code, algorithms, and similar terms refer to controller-executable instruction sets including calibrations and look-up tables. Each controller executes control routine(s) to provide the desired functions. Finally, the controller 50 outputs control signals (arrow CC O) to one or more of the passenger restraint systems 18 described herein to regulate their actual restraint capacity.In FIG. 5, representative trajectories for landmarks 32 are shown over time as landmarks 32 move forward toward airbag 18A. Tracking landmarks 32, some of which are exemplarily shown in FIG. 4, in predicting the trajectories of the occupants as set forth herein requires the collection of data samples 41 from the various sensors of sensor unit 30 of FIG. 3. The number of such data samples 41 for a particular location of occupant 11 within vehicle interior 14 of FIG. 1 may be selectively increased when controller 50 determines that a threshold deceleration, force, or impact event is imminent, is occurring, or when occupant 11 is proximate airbag 18A whose restraint capacity settings are ultimately to be controlled. Controller 50 may optionally track one or more selected landmarks 32 on a body region of interest of occupant 11 using logic to treat landmarks 32 on the head / neck / torso differently than, e.g., landmarks 32 located on the exterior surfaces of the arms and / or legs / feet of the same occupant 11. The treatment may also be different depending on factors such as the seating height of the occupant 11. Moreover, the location of one or more ASCs or their edges may be automatically adjusted by the controller 50 based on the occupant trajectories and other relevant factors, e.g., experienced vehicle deceleration and seat belt use. Within the scope of the disclosure, the controller 50 of FIGS. 1 and 3 may adjust its sampling rate in response to various sampling rate criteria. For example, controller 50 may begin at a base scan rate ("BL") for use under normal driving conditions. In a forward occupant scenario ("FO"), i.e., when the electronic input signals (arrow CC I) indicate that the occupant 11 has moved forward in the vehicle interior 14 of FIG. 1, e.g., toward the respective first and second ASZ edges 25 and 26 of FIG. 2B, or toward another of the various airbags 18A disposed in the vehicle interior 14, the controller 50 may increase the sampling rate by an appropriate amount, e.g., by at least twice a sampling rate of an immediately previous measurement. This means that additional data samples 41F are added to the base rate. Conditions such as brake steps or higher acceleration ("B / A") may result in controller 50 adding additional data samples 41B, with additional samples 41A also being added in response to detected high acceleration steps ("A+").As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the decision of controller 50 when and how to adjust the sampling rate may depend on the occupant's position and vehicle acceleration, respectively. For example, the plot 60 of FIG. 6 shows a representative trajectory of the occupant (Tij OL), i.e., the curve 62, as a function of time (t), where the time is an event time or duration of a braking event or an actual or expected impact event of the motor vehicle 10. A threshold 64 suitable for application may be recorded in the logic of the controller 50, where adjustments to the sampling rate are triggered when the trajectory 62 of the occupant marker is above the threshold 64. Similarly, graph 70 of FIG. 7 shows a plot 72 of longitudinal acceleration (A LNG) of motor vehicle 10 as a function of the same event time (t) as in FIG. 6, using different thresholds 74 and 76 for higher acceleration and braking values (with lower acceleration), respectively. The sampling rates of FIG. 5 thus change as a function of the threshold value comparisons shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.Other approaches may be used to increase the data point weight or sampling rate, e.g., detection of an oncoming object that is likely to contact the motor vehicle 10, based on either a detected object size, the approach speed or velocity, or a combination of such factors. Moreover, in one or more embodiments, the amount of lateral or angular movement of the motor vehicle 10 could be used as a trigger for increasing data point weighting and / or sampling rate, as higher values of these measurements may occur during an avoidance maneuver.In a vehicle event that causes airbag 18A to be deployed, vehicle deceleration increases above a calibrateable value for "panic braking.". This increased deceleration may result in the occupant 11 moving forward faster relative to the vehicle 10 than during normal braking. The present strategy may be modified to increase the corresponding weights of the data points occurring at events that result in increased vehicle deceleration. Because only the existing data points can be used, the data points collected during the higher delay periods can be repeated to add weight to these data points, e.g., by using duplicate or triple data points for a particular data sample.Mathematical curve fitting techniques that use the data points from a sliding time window could have additional data points during the time frame corresponding to the higher deceleration event. The higher deceleration rate may be determined based on the vehicle acceleration level. The number of additional data points during a higher deceleration event may be associated with the vehicle deceleration value to add additional data points as the deceleration values are higher. To this end, in one or more embodiments, a look-up table could be used, e.g., a look-up table indexed by the delay stage and the number of data points. For example, a degree of delay (D) of less than or equal to about 1.5 g could be treated with one data point, while a degree of delay between about 1.5 g and about 3.0 g could be treated with two data points and a degree of delay of about 3.0 g or more could be treated with three data points. The acceleration level limits may be varied as a calibrateable input or may be hard coded into the particular algorithm / algorithms embodying the present method 100.In table 80 of FIG. 9, an example time window is shown as time (t) in seconds (s), i.e., t(s), for example, non-limited times. The vehicle deceleration (g) is also represented with representative values of 0.0 g, 0.5 g, 1.0 g, 2.5 g, and 4.8 g for simplicity. For each respective sample, an occupant marker ("OLL") is shown in millimeters (mm), also with representative values of 0 mm, 10 mm, 40 mm, 90 mm, 150 mm, and 350 mm. The actual values may vary depending on the event, the configuration of the motor vehicle 10, and the driving conditions, where the duration of the sampling time window is a calibrateable duration that may vary from the example values in FIG. 9. As mentioned above, controller 50 may selectively increase the number of data points depending on vehicle deceleration. Region 82, for example, shows two data points of 150 mm for the sample at time 1.2 s when the delay is between 1.5 g and 3.0 g. Region 84 at time 1.5s uses three data points of 350mm when the delay exceeds 3.0g. Thus, controller 50 may selectively increase the number of data points depending on vehicle deceleration in one possible implementation, wherein in some approaches, the previous number of samples is at least doubled.Referring to FIG. 8, in a representative embodiment, the method 100 is executed by the controller 50 using the processor 52 of FIG. 3, e.g., as an instruction set of tangible, non-transitory elements of the memory 54, to enable the controller 50 to situatally adjust the actual restraint capacity settings of the airbag 18A and possibly one or more other permutations of the passenger restraint systems 18 described above. The method 100 may be performed in various ways to provide a desired amount of control response over a continuous of retention capacity settings. The method 100 of FIG. 8 is therefore only one possible implementation of the present teaching.The method 100 begins, in this exemplary embodiment, with terminal or logic block B 102 ("REC CC I") after initialization of the controller 50, e.g., after a power-on operation of the motor vehicle 10 shown in FIG. 1, the term "block" refers to programmed logic, computer readable code, algorithm(s), or subroutine(s) used by the controller 50 to implement the corresponding functions.In block B 102, the controller 50 of FIGS. 1 and 3 receives the electronic input signals (arrow CC I of FIG. 3 ) from the sensor unit 30 and / or the sensor(s) 40, either wirelessly, via a controller area network (CAN) bus, or via other application-suitable communication paths, the electronic input signals (arrow CC I of FIG. 3 ) including the occupant marker signals (arrow CC LM). To this end, the electronic input signals (arrow CC I) may include occupant position signals from the position sensor 30D in FIG. 3 indicating the current location of the occupant 11 in the vehicle interior 14. Within the scope of the present disclosure, the occupant position signals (arrow CC LM) are passed to the controller 50 according to a calibrated sampling interval. As discussed above with particular reference to FIGS. 5-7, the sample interval may be adjusted in real time in one or more implementations of the method 100 based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, braking levels, longitudinal acceleration of the motor vehicle 10, etc.As also described above, the method 100 may include refinement of the trajectory-based triggering decisions of the controller 50 using other data or power factors, possibly including the "belted / unbuckled" status of the occupant 11. The decision as to which ASZ edge 25 or 26 is to be used for a particular occupant 11 is made in block B102. Likewise, other adjustments may be made at block 102, including adjusting a field of view focus of one or more sensors of sensor unit 30 and / or sensor / sensors 40 in response to the predicted trajectories of the occupants or predicting an airbag deployment event based on vehicle deceleration, etc. Adjusting the field of view allows controller 50 to focus on the body regions of interest, e.g., where occupant 11 is currently located and where it is predicted to be at one or more future times. The adjustment may also focus on predetermined "critical" body regions of interest, such as the occupant's head, neck, and chest / torso. The method 100 continues to block B 104 once the controller 50 has received the electronic input signals (arrow CC I) including the occupant marker signals (arrow CC LM).Block B 104 ("T 11 ") includes predicting a trajectory / trajectories of the occupant using the signals of the occupant marker (arrow CC LM in FIG. 3 ). Block B 104 may be performed using mathematical techniques and / or filtering techniques to predict a next point on a straight or curved line describing the trajectory of a particular landmark 32 and thus the corresponding point on the body region of interest of the occupant 11.As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, such methods may include, but are not limited to: (1) curve fitting methods, if there is no direct assumption about the noise and motion process, such as linear, polynomial, conical, geometric, etc., using various methods, e.g., least squares error, absolute error, etc.; (2) adaptive filtering methods or other prediction techniques for signal processing, such as, but not limited to, adaptive Wiener filtering, Kalman filtering, etc., which may include information or assumptions about the noise distribution and / or process or motion equations; (3) Artificial intelligence / machine learning techniques in which a model / neural network is trained using a set of inputs and outputs, where the inputs consist of previous values of the positions of the occupants / landmarks and may also contain environmental values (vehicle kinematics, etc.), and the output is the current position(s) of the occupants / landmarks. The control device 50 could determine the predicted trajectories of the occupant 11 in future time steps.The method 100 may include extrapolating the occupant trajectories from a time of a last scan to a time of a next scan, i.e., t-1 and t+1, respectively, a time of possible contact of the occupant 11 with the airbag 18A, e.g., an inflated cushion thereof, when the airbag 18A was deployed prior to the next data scan, or a time between the time of possible occupant contact with the airbag 18A and the time of the next scan. The trajectories may also be extrapolated to predict the position of the occupant for future measurement periods in a defined time continuous. Prediction of the trajectory may continue and the settings of the restraint capacity may be further adjusted if the predicted trajectory of the occupant is / are currently within the limits of the ASZ, prior to contact with the airbag 18A, and upon contact with the airbag 18A when the airbag 18A is deployed. The controller 50 could use a sliding window over time to determine an appropriate curve fit equation for the occupant landmarks 32. The method 100 then proceeds to block B 106.The above example statistical methods are appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art and can therefore be extended to the present object of predicting occupant trajectories in the vehicle interior 14. As an illustrative working example, one may apply (linear) adaptive filtering techniques to evaluate the curve fit to past trajectory positions performed for each time step: where X k is the measured position of the occupant 11 and includes noise, W k are the filter coefficients or weights, and y k is the estimated position of the occupant at time T, where y is k= ∑ i x ik w ik.Since d k is the actual location of the occupant, the error (e k) may be defined as follows:With R being the mean value of the square error, if R = ε [e k2] and P = ε [d k X k] where ε is the mean operator, the mean square error (MSE) can be calculated as follows:Differentiating with respect to W:The minimum is found for D=0:Approximation techniques could also be used, such as gradient descent and least mean square, recursive mean square, etc. The approach chosen and implemented by controller 50 may vary depending on the application and accuracy requirements. For example, controller 50 could use a higher order polynomial to accurately curve fit the trajectories of occupant landmarks for an occupant 11 moving forward or backward within the duration of an evaluation window for the trajectories. Or, controller 50 could perform a least squares evaluation between the difference between each actual trajectory data point and each curve fit data point for the curve fit equations used for the collective set of measured data points within a motion window and select the curve fit approach that provides the lowest least squares value. The least squares lowest value would again indicate the most accurate curve fit equation. The approach for the equation may vary for each occupant marker tracked. These or other approaches may be used within the intended scope of the present disclosure.In block B106 ("T 11 > CAL?"), the controller 50 determines whether the predicted trajectories of the occupants of block B104 are within a predetermined or calibrated limit. That is, controller 50 may compare the predicted occupant trajectories, i.e., controller 50 may compare the predicted occupant trajectories, i.e., the trajectories of the various landmarks 32 to the first ASZ edge 25 and possibly the second ASZ edge 26 in embodiments that use the second ASZ, and then determine whether the one or more of the predicted occupant / landmark trajectories will cause the landmark(s) 32 to move / move ahead of the ASZ edge 25 currently or within a forward time window, such as the time required to contact airbag 18A should airbag 18A be deployed before the next sample.For example, controller 50 could determine that an landmark 32 corresponding to example point P 1 in FIG. 4 and still behind first ASZ edge 25 will currently be moving toward and soon before first ASZ edge 25. The method 100 continues to block B 108 if one or more of the predicted trajectories will move before the first ASZ edge 25 (or the second ASZ edge 26) if they remain unchanged. The method 100 alternatively proceeds to block B 110 if the predicted trajectories are not within the representative time window before the first ASZ edge 25 (or the second ASZ edge 26). It is also possible that the method 100 proceeds to block B 108 if the current location of the landmark 32 of the occupant 11 is in front of the first or second ASZ edge 25 or 26.Block B 108 ("CA#1") of the method 100 includes executing a first control action via the controller 50 in response to suppression of one or more of the airbags 18A in the associated restraint activation logic of the controller 50. for example, the controller 50 may temporarily suppress the airbag 18A located in the predicted path of the occupant 11 in the restraint activation logic of the controller 50 before and possibly during the course of a triggering event. Block B 108, in one or more embodiments, may include processing additional evaluation criteria to further refine the settings for the retention capacity and the ASZ positions.In block B 108, the controller 50 may also consider the impact severity, the approach speed of the object relative to the motor vehicle 10 of FIG. 1, or both, to determine whether to suppress the airbags 18A. In the restraint activation logic of the controller 50, an un-suppressed restraint state of the airbag / s 18A or a higher restraint state of the airbag / s 18A may be set when the impact severity or the object approach speed is above a corresponding threshold, regardless of whether the occupant 11 has a certain body area within the ASZ edge 25, 26. The controller 50 could also utilize the optional occupant classes described above to determine how to adjust the restraint capacity settings of one or more airbags 18A. To this end, in the logic of the controller 50, an un-suppressed restraint state of each controlled airbag 18A or a higher restraint state of the airbag / s 18A may be set when the occupant class of the measured area is above a predetermined threshold or when the occupant 11 is verified to be within or matching a predetermined occupant class regardless of whether the occupant 11 has a particular body area within the particular first or second ASZ edge 25 or 26. The method 100 then returns to block 102.As for the occupant movement event, such an event may result in deployment of the airbag 18A when a portion of the head, neck, torso, and possibly feet of the occupant 11 is within a predetermined distance of the airbag 18A, e.g., within the first or second ASZ edges 25 or 26, as the occupant 11 moves within the vehicle interior 14. Deployment of the airbag 18A may be activated when the occupant 11 abuts the dashboard 21 with one or more arms while the head, neck, and upper torso remain behind the ASZ edge 25 or 26. As another option, the airbag 18A may be suppressed when one or both arms of the occupant 11 are forward of the corresponding first or second ASZ edges 25 or 26, depending on the implementation.B110 ("CA #2") may include controlling the respective restraint capacity settings of the various passenger restraint systems 18 in the usual manner. That is, execution of block B 110 by the controller 50 occurs when the various landmarks 32 at various regions of interest of the occupant's body do not have corresponding predicted trajectories that would result in movement of the occupant's body in front of the ASZ edge 25, 26 or in front of other defined ASZs. Example control actions performed at block B 110 could include adjustments to the restraint capacity settings based on the other criteria described above, including, but not limited to, changing the restraint capacity settings for one or more of the restraint systems 18 of FIG. 3, etc. However, such adjustments could be made separately from the trajectory-based airbag suppression settings performed at block B 108.Block B 110 may include, in one or more embodiments, processing additional evaluation criteria to further refine the settings of the retention capacity and the ASZ positions. For example, in addition to the position, trajectories, and possible belt use status of the occupant 11, the controller 50 could take into account the optional occupant classes described above when determining how or when to adjust the restraint capacity settings of one or more airbags 18A. For this purpose, in the logic of the control unit 50, an un-suppressed restraint state of each controlled airbag 18A or a higher restraint state of the airbag / airbags 18A may be set when the occupant class of the measured area is above a predetermined threshold value or when the occupant 11 is found to be within a predetermined occupant class or is verified accordingly.Also, in the restraint activation logic of the controller 50, a reduced restraint state of the airbag 18A or a suppressed state of the airbag 18A may be set when the occupant class of a measured area is below a predetermined threshold, or when the occupant 11 is verified to be within or matching a predetermined occupant class even if the occupant 11 has a certain body area outside the ASZ edge 25, 26. Automatically adjusting the restraint capacity settings may include, for example, adjusting a restraint system deployment command decision of the controller 50, an inflation output of the inflator 380 of FIG. 3, the timing of the inflation output, an inflated cushion depth of the airbag 18A, an airbag vent size (i.e., a size of the vent openings 480), etc.In an optional two-step embodiment of the airbag 18A, if a change in the restraining capacity below the full inflation force of at least one of the airbags 18A is required, the controller 50 of FIGS. 1 and 3 could activate logic for a lower total inflation force, e.g., about 70% of a possible total inflation force. The method 100 then proceeds to block B 110.In blocks B 108 or B 110, other control reactions could occur for various restraint systems 18, including adjustment of the pretensioner 180 and / or the energy absorbing device 280 shown in FIG. 3, possibly including the vehicle seat / seats 20 and the headrest(s) 22. If the occupant is determined to move within the ASZ edge 25, 26, the restraining capacity of the already deploying airbag is reduced by reducing the inflator performance in a two-stage inflator, adjusting the length of the tethers, or adjusting the air bag venting.As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the above embodiments enable occupant specific control of inflation of one or more of the airbags 18A illustrated in FIG. 1. Rather, unlike systems that selectively deactivate certain restraint devices, such as front airbags 18A, based on static weight thresholds, the present approach provides a degree of dynamic refinement by evaluating the position and prospective trajectory of the various occupants 11 in the vehicle interior 14 of FIG. 1 and thereafter controlling the settings of the restraint capacity along an allowable continuous. While such capacity adjustments are primarily directed to inflating the airbag 18A and adjusting the positions of one or more ASZs herein, the method 100 may be finely tuned to include adjusting one or more other restraint systems 18, as mentioned above.Other possible refinements may be included within the scope of the disclosure, including, but not limited to, considering the "occupant type", i.e., whether the occupant 11 is not human. Animals and items, e.g., cargo, packages, luggage, etc., are examples of non-human occupants 11 within the scope of the disclosure. The controller 50 may be calibrated in one or more configurations to assess occupant type and react accordingly in adjusting the restraint capacities. In one or more embodiments, the controller 50 of FIGS. 1 and 3 may suppress the airbag 18A when an animal or object is detected without the presence of a human. Thus, by changing the position of one or more ASCs in accordance with the present teachings, deployment of the airbags 18A is tuned to use of a particular seatbelt 18A.Moreover, the strategy described above may be extended to include transmitting, broadcasting, or otherwise providing an "ASZ intruder" alert or a series of alerts to one or more predetermined alert receivers, e.g., the occupant / s 11, a ride-sharing center, a software application ("app"), etc. Such alerts may be used to inform the receivers that the occupant 11 has been detected in the ASZ. For the occupant 11 or the recipients of the message located in the vehicle interior 14, the warning message may be audible, visual, and / or haptic and may be triggered by the controller 50 under quasi-static conditions, such as when the occupant 11 leans forward to access something or places his feet or legs on the dashboard 21. In one or more embodiments, the position of the occupant 11 could be recorded in the memory of the controller 50 or in an out-of-vehicle app so that the position / ASZ intervention data can be retrieved after a vehicle event that results in deployment of the airbag / airbags 18A, e.g., by emergency personnel, first responders, determiners, or other interested parties. These and other related advantages will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing disclosure. These and other related advantages will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing disclosure.The detailed description and the drawings or figures are supportive and descriptive of the present teachings, but the scope of the present teachings is defined solely by the claims. While some of the best modes and other embodiments for carrying out the present teachings have been described in detail, various alternative designs and embodiments for carrying out the present teachings are defined in the appended claims.

Claims

A method (100) of controlling an airbag (18A) onboard a motor vehicle (10), comprising: measuring, using a sensor assembly (30) of the motor vehicle (10), a respective position of one or more landmarks located on a body region of interest of an occupant (11) of the motor vehicle (10); receiving, via a controller (50) of the motor vehicle (10) at a sampling rate, occupant marker signals from the sensor assembly (30), the occupant marker signals including data points indicative of the respective position of the one or more marker points; determining, via the controller (50), a predicted trajectory of the occupant (11) using the occupant marker signals; and automatically adjusting, via the controller (50), a restraining capacity setting of the airbag in dependence on the predicted trajectory of the occupant (11), further comprising: detecting, via the sensor assembly (30), at least one of a dynamic vehicle event, a size of an oncoming occupant (11), an approaching speed of an oncoming occupant (11), and an occupant movement event; and responsive to at least one of the following events: the dynamic vehicle event, the size of the oncoming occupant (11), the approach speed of the oncoming occupant (11), or the occupant movement event, selectively increasing or decreasing a sampling rate of the controller (50) during a sampling time frame of interest, further comprising: detecting at least one of a dynamic vehicle event, a size of an oncoming occupant (11), an approach speed of an oncoming occupant (11), or an occupant movement event via the sensor arrangement; In response to at least one of the following events: the dynamic vehicle event, the size of the oncoming occupant (11), the speed of approach of the oncoming occupant (11), or the occupant movement event, selectively an increase in the number of data points to thereby increase the corresponding weight of the data points, further comprising: sensing an occupant movement event via the sensor assembly (30); and executing a control action onboard the motor vehicle (10) in response to the occupant movement event, wherein the occupant movement event comprises an actual or predicted movement of at least a portion of the occupant's body region of interest into an airbag suppression zone, ASZ, of the airbag (18A), wherein the control action comprises providing a warning message to one or more message receivers in response to the occupant movement event.The method of (100) claim 1, wherein determining the predicted trajectory of the occupant includes extrapolating the predicted trajectory of the occupant (11) from a time of last sampling to at least one of: the time of possible contact of the occupant (11) with the airbag (18A); a time for the next sampling; or a time between the time of possible occupant contact with the airbag (18A) and the time of next sampling.The method (100) of claim 1, wherein determining the predicted trajectory of the occupant (11) comprises using one or more mathematical curve fitting methods for the position of the occupant (11) using a fixed window or a movable window.The method (100) of claim 1, wherein determining the predicted trajectory of the occupant includes using one or more predictive filtering techniques for signal processing.The method (100) of claim 1, wherein determining the predicted trajectory of the occupant includes using an artificial intelligence or a machine learning method.The method (100) of claim 1, wherein the motor vehicle (10) has a seatbelt, and the method (100) further comprises: using a seatbelt use status signal indicative of occupant use of the seatbelt to determine the location of an airbag suppression zone, ASZ, or adjust the airbag restraint capacity setting.

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