Method for operating a seat occupancy detection system of a vehicle, computer-readable medium, system, and vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a seat occupancy detection system of a vehicle, the method comprising: detecting an occupant in a middle seat of a second row of seats of the vehicle by the vehicle's interior camera; receiving a confidence value of the detected occupant in the middle seat of the second row of seats of the vehicle from the vehicle's interior camera; if the confidence value of the detected occupant in the middle seat of the second row of seats of the vehicle falls below a predetermined confidence threshold: detecting a belt status for a right outer seat and / or a left outer seat of the second row of seats of the vehicle;If the belt status indicates that the detected occupant in the right outer seat or the left outer seat of the second row of seats is buckled up: Assign the detected occupant to the right outer seat or the left outer seat depending on the belt status.;

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for operating a seat occupancy detection system of a vehicle. The invention further relates to a computer-readable medium for operating a seat occupancy detection system of a vehicle, a system for operating a seat occupancy detection system of a vehicle, and a vehicle comprising a system for operating a seat occupancy detection system of a vehicle.

[0002] Methods for detecting whether a seat in a vehicle is occupied by a person are known from the prior art. An interior camera can be used to detect which seats are occupied. For example, an interior camera can be arranged centrally in the front, upper area of ​​the vehicle's interior in order to capture as many seats as possible. This arrangement of the interior camera can result in people in a second row of seats in a vehicle not being fully captured by the interior camera. This can lead to incorrect detection of the occupancy of the seats in the second row of seats in the vehicle.

[0003] It is therefore an object of the invention to operate a seat occupancy detection system in a vehicle more efficiently. In particular, an object of the invention is to detect seat occupancy in a second row of seats in a vehicle more efficiently.

[0004] This object is achieved by the features of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention emerge from the dependent claims.

[0005] According to a first aspect, the invention is characterized by a method for operating a seat occupancy detection system of a vehicle. The method can be a computer-implemented method and / or a control unit-implemented method. The vehicle can be a motor vehicle. The method comprises detecting an occupant in a middle seat of a second row of seats of the vehicle by the vehicle's interior camera, and receiving a confidence value of the detected occupant in the middle seat of the second row of seats of the vehicle from the vehicle's interior camera.If the confidence value of the detected occupant in the middle seat of the second row of seats of the vehicle falls below a predetermined confidence threshold, the method comprises detecting a belt status for a right outer seat and / or a left outer seat of the second row of seats of the vehicle, and assigning the detected occupant to the right outer seat or the left outer seat depending on the belt status if the belt status indicates that the detected occupant in the right outer seat or the left outer seat of the second row of seats is buckled up. Advantageously, the method can efficiently detect and correctly assign the middle seat occupancy of the vehicle's second row. If an occupant in one of the two outer seats in the second row bends their upper body toward the middle seat and the occupant is detected by the interior camera in the middle seat, the method can efficiently prevent the occupant from being incorrectly assigned to the middle seat in the second row. The seat occupancy can thus determine the seat occupancy of the second row, and in particular the middle seat in the second row, with increased confidence.

[0006] According to an advantageous embodiment, the method can further suppress the output of warning information regarding the fastening of the belt for the detected occupant in the middle seat of the second row of seats if the belt status indicates that the detected occupant in the right outer seat or the left outer seat of the second row of seats is buckled. This can efficiently prevent incorrect warning information regarding the fastening of the belt for the middle seat of the second row of seats of the vehicle from being output.

[0007] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the method can further include assigning the detected occupant to the middle seat and / or outputting a warning message to fasten the seat belt for the detected occupant in the middle seat of the second row of seats if the belt status indicates that the detected occupant is not buckled in the right outer seat or the left outer seat of the second row of seats. This allows the correct seat occupancy to be efficiently determined and the correct warning message to fasten the seat belt for the middle seat of the second row of seats of the vehicle to be output.

[0008] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the occupant in the middle seat of the vehicle's second row can be detected by the vehicle's interior camera while the vehicle is moving. This allows a change in seat occupancy to be efficiently detected while the vehicle is moving.

[0009] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the method can further comprise determining a total number of occupants of the second row of seats of the vehicle depending on historically detected occupants of the second row of seats of the vehicle during a current journey with the vehicle by the interior camera and the belt status of the left outer seat, the middle seat, and the right outer seat, and assigning the detected occupant to the right outer seat or the left outer seat depending on the belt status of all seats in the second row of seats and the determined total number of occupants in the second row of seats. This allows a seat occupancy of the second row of seats of the vehicle, and in particular of the middle seat of the second row of seats of the vehicle, to be determined more precisely.

[0010] According to a further aspect, the invention is characterized by a computer-readable medium for operating a seat occupancy detection system of a vehicle, wherein the computer-readable medium comprises instructions which, when executed on a computer and / or a control unit, carry out the method described above.

[0011] According to a further aspect, the invention is characterized by a system for operating a seat occupancy detection system of a vehicle, wherein the system is designed to carry out the method described above.

[0012] According to a further aspect, the invention is characterized by a vehicle comprising the above-described system for operating a seat occupancy detection system of a vehicle.

[0013] Further features of the invention emerge from the claims, the figures, and the description of the figures. All features and combinations of features mentioned above in the description, as well as the features and combinations of features mentioned below in the description of the figures and / or shown alone in the figures, can be used not only in the respective specified combination, but also in other combinations or even on their own.

[0014] A preferred embodiment of the invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Further details, preferred embodiments, and developments of the invention will emerge from these. In detail, schematically Fig. 1 an exemplary method for operating a seat occupancy detection system of a vehicle, and Fig. 2 an example seat occupancy of a vehicle.

[0015] In detail, Fig. 1 shows an exemplary method 100 for operating a seat occupancy detection system of a vehicle. An interior camera can be used to detect which seats in a vehicle are occupied by vehicle occupants. The interior camera is preferably integrated centrally in the front, upper area of ​​the vehicle's interior, for example in an interior mirror of the vehicle or in a roof lining of the vehicle. By integrating the interior camera in the front, upper area of ​​the vehicle's interior, the interior camera can at least partially capture all of the vehicle's seats. The vehicle's seat occupancy detection system can be necessary for one or more functions of the vehicle. For example, the seat occupancy detection system can be necessary for a function for issuing a seat belt reminder, which should only issue a reminder or warning when a seat in the vehicle is occupied by a vehicle occupant.

[0016] The seat occupancy detection system used by the interior camera may have limited ability to detect occupants in second row seats in the vehicle interior if the occupants do not have an upright posture in that second row seat. For example, an occupant in a left outer seat in the second row or a right outer seat in the second row may bend their upper body towards a middle seat. The further the upper body of the occupant in a left outer seat in the second row or a right outer seat in the second row is tilted towards the middle of the second row and thus towards the middle seat in the second row, the more difficult it is for the seat occupancy system used by the interior camera to correctly assign the occupant to a second row seat.In other words, the interior camera may assign the occupant to a second-row seat with less confidence. Because the second-row seats are obscured by front seats, such as a driver's seat and / or a front passenger seat, if the occupant's upper body is bent toward the middle second-row seat, the interior camera's seat occupancy detection may incorrectly assign the occupant to the middle second-row seat. The seat belt reminder function would erroneously issue a seat belt reminder or warning for the middle second-row seat.

[0017] The method 100 may detect 102 an occupant in a middle seat of a second row of seats of the vehicle through the vehicle's interior camera. The detected occupant may be an occupant sitting in a right outboard seat or a left outboard seat of the vehicle's second row of seats and leaning their upper body toward the middle seat. The occupant's leaning upper body may be detected by the interior camera as an occupant in the middle seat of the vehicle's second row of seats. At the same time, the interior camera may not detect an occupant in the seat in which the detected occupant is sitting and in which the detected occupant leans their upper body toward the middle seat.

[0018] The method further comprises receiving 104 a confidence value of the detected occupant in the middle seat of the vehicle's second row from the vehicle's interior camera. The confidence value may indicate a probability with which the interior camera detects an occupant in the middle seat. The confidence value of the detected occupant may depend on a degree of inclination of the occupant's upper body detected by the interior camera in the vehicle's middle seat. If the confidence value of the detected occupant in the middle seat of the vehicle's second row falls below a predetermined confidence threshold, the method 100 may detect 106 a belt status for a right outer seat and / or a left outer seat of the vehicle's second row.If the belt status indicates that the detected occupant in the right outer seat or the left outer seat of the second row is buckled in, the method 100 can assign 108 the detected occupant to the right outer seat or the left outer seat depending on the belt status. The method 100 can suppress output of a belt fastening warning for the detected occupant in the middle seat of the second row. In other words, the method 100 does not output any belt fastening warning for the detected occupant. The detected occupant is assigned to a seat and is buckled in with the belt of the assigned seat.

[0019] If the confidence value of the detected occupant in the middle seat of the second row of seats of the vehicle equals or exceeds a predetermined confidence threshold, the method 100 can assign 110 the detected occupant to the middle seat of the second row of seats of the vehicle. Detecting the belt status is not necessary to assign the detected occupant to a seat in the second row of seats, in particular to the middle seat of the second row of seats.

[0020] If the belt status indicates that the detected occupant in the right outboard seat or the left outboard seat of the second row is not buckled, the method 100 may assign the detected occupant to the middle seat of the second row 112. The method may identify the detected occupant as not buckled. The method 100 may output belt fastening warning information for the detected occupant in the middle seat of the second row.

[0021] In detail, Fig.2 shows an exemplary seat occupancy 200 of a vehicle 202. An interior camera 204 can capture all seats 206, 208, 210, 212, 214 of the vehicle 202. An occupant 216 sits on seat 214 and bends their upper body toward seat 212. Occupant 216 is detected on seat 212 by the interior camera 204. Furthermore, occupant 216 is buckled in with a seat belt of seat 214. By querying the belt status of seat 214, seat occupancy detection of the interior camera 204 can correctly assign occupant 216 to seat 214. Incorrect assignment of occupant 216 to seat 212 can be efficiently prevented.

[0022] Advantageously, the method can detect seat occupancy in a vehicle more efficiently. If image processing software of the interior camera can only determine whether an occupant is sitting in a middle seat of the vehicle's second row or in one of the two outer seats of the vehicle's second row with a confidence less than a predetermined confidence threshold, the method can detect a belt status of the second row and use it when assigning the occupant to a seat in the second row. This can efficiently increase the confidence when assigning an occupant to a seat in the second row. Furthermore, it can efficiently avoid issuing incorrect warning information regarding fastening a belt for a middle seat in the vehicle's second row. List of reference symbols 100 procedures 102 Detecting an occupant 104 Receiving a confidence value 106 Recording a belt status 108 Assigning the detected occupant 200 seats 202 vehicles 204 Interior camera 206 seats 208 seats 210 seats 212 seats 214 seats 216 inmates

Claims

[1] A method for operating a seat occupancy detection system of a vehicle, the method comprising: Detecting an occupant in a middle seat of a second row of seats in the vehicle by the vehicle's interior camera; Receiving a confidence value of the detected occupant in the middle seat of the second row of seats of the vehicle from the interior camera of the vehicle; If the confidence value of the detected occupant in the middle seat of the vehicle's second row of seats falls below a specified confidence threshold: Detecting a belt status for a right outer seat and / or a left outer seat of the second row of seats of the vehicle; If the belt status indicates that the detected occupant in the right outer seat or the left outer seat of the second row is buckled up: Assigning the detected occupant to the right outer seat or the left outer seat depending on the belt status. [2] The method of claim 1, the method further comprising: If the belt status indicates that the detected occupant in the right outer seat or the left outer seat of the second row is buckled up: Suppressing the issuance of a warning information to fasten the seat belt for the detected occupant in the middle seat of the second row of seats. [3] A method according to any one of the preceding claims, the method further comprising: If the belt status indicates that the detected occupant is not buckled up in the right outer seat or the left outer seat of the second row of seats: Assigning the detected occupant to the middle seat; and / or Issue a seat belt warning message for the detected occupant in the middle seat of the second row. [4] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the occupant in the middle seat of the second row of seats of the vehicle is detected by the interior camera of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling. [5] A method according to any one of the preceding claims, the method further comprising: Determining a total number of occupants of the second row of seats of the vehicle depending on historically detected occupants of the second row of seats of the vehicle of a current trip with the vehicle by the interior camera and the belt status of the left outer seat, the middle seat, and the right outer seat; and Assigning the detected occupant to the right outer seat or the left outer seat depending on the belt status of all seats in the second row and the determined total number of occupants in the second row. [6] A computer-readable medium for operating a seat occupancy detection system of a vehicle, the computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed on a computer and / or a control unit, carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5. [7] System for operating a seat occupancy detection system of a vehicle, the system being designed to carry out the method according to one of claims 1 to 5. [8] A vehicle comprising the system for operating a seat occupancy detection system of a vehicle according to claim 7.

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