Passenger-monitoring system for a motor vehicle, and corresponding method

Abstract

Described herein is a passenger-monitoring system (1) for a motor vehicle (V), comprising: - at least one opto-electronic vision device (2) provided for recording events that occur inside the motor vehicle (V), making available a plurality of first-level acquired data on the motor vehicle (V) and on the passengers; - an electronic processing and control unit (3) configured and programmed for processing the first-level acquired data on the basis of automatic-learning algorithms in order to supply a plurality of second-level acquired data; and - a data-transmission and reception unit (4) connectable to an external network infrastructure (5), configured to transmit and receive data to / from a central server (6) and / or other vehicles, - wherein the data-transmission and reception unit (4) is programmed for transmitting the second-level data so as to let an emergency vehicle know various information on the passengers following upon an accident, prior to arrival of the emergency vehicle at the rescue site.

Description

[0001] “Passenger-monitoring system for a motor vehicle, and corresponding method”

[0002] ****

[0003] TEXT OF THE DESCRIPTION

[0004] Field of the invention and prior art

[0005] The present invention relates in general to the field of vehicles for the transport of passengers and more in particular to a system and a method for monitoring the passengers of a motor vehicle in order to facilitate, in the case of a road accident, the rescue operations by an emergency vehicle.

[0006] In the context of systems for preventing road accidents and / or reducing the consequences and / or facilitating rescue operations, various solutions have been studied and proposed, amongst which the one described in the document US 2014 / 0135598 A1. The solution described in this document envisages means for automatic recognition of the driver of a road vehicle, which are provided for controlling different vital parameters of the driver in order to determine a state of potentially dangerous psychophysical condition that might cause a road accident.

[0007] The present invention stems from the desire to provide a system of the type referred to at the start of the present description that can act - in the case of a road accident - prior to arrival of an emergency vehicle at the rescue site so as to render more efficient the rescue operations as compared to cases where an emergency vehicle finds itself having to face a completely unknown situation.

[0008] Object of the invention

[0009] The object of the present invention is hence to propose a system and a corresponding method that will be able to implement various approaches that will facilitate the work of rescue in the case of a road accident involving one or more motor vehicles.

[0010] A further object of the invention is to propose a method that will apply a simple and effective communication process to supply information to an emergency vehicle prior to the rescue operations.

[0011] A further object of the invention is to provide the aforesaid system with relatively simple means, without significantly affecting the costs of development and production of the motor vehicle.

[0012] Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a system of the type referred to above that will present good characteristics of flexibility, in terms of ease of adaptation to different motor-vehicle architectures.

[0013] With a view to achieving one or more of the aforesaid objects, the subject of the invention is to provide a passenger-monitoring system for a motor vehicle, comprising:

[0014] - at least one opto-electronic vision device provided for recording events that occur inside the motor vehicle, making available a plurality of first-level acquired data on the motor vehicle and on the passengers,

[0015] - an electronic processing and control unit configured and programmed for processing the first-level acquired data on the basis of automatic-learning algorithms in order to supply a plurality of second-level acquired data defined by classified information regarding the status of the passengers, amongst which the number of passengers present inside the motor vehicle and the state of health following upon an accident; and

[0016] - a data-transmission and reception unit connected to said electronic processing and control unit and connectable to an external network infrastructure, configured to transmit and receive data to / from a central server and / or other vehicles,

[0017] - wherein the data-transmission and reception unit is programmed for transmitting said second-level data so as to let an emergency vehicle know various information on the passengers following upon an accident, prior to arrival of the emergency vehicle at the rescue site.

[0018] The object of the invention is also the method implemented according to the system described above.

[0019] Further characteristics of the invention are specified in the annexed dependent claims and in the ensuing description.

[0020] Brief description of the drawings

[0021] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings, which are provided purely by way of non-limiting example and in which:

[0022] - Figure 1 is a perspective view that illustrates the inside of a motor vehicle, in which some characteristics of the system according to the invention are represented;

[0023] - Figure 2 is a perspective view that illustrates a preferred embodiment of the system according to the invention; and

[0024] - Figure 3 is a diagram that illustrates operation of the system according to the invention.

[0025] Detailed description of preferred embodiments

[0026] In the ensuing description, various specific details are illustrated aimed at enabling an in-depth understanding of examples of one or more embodiments. The embodiments may be obtained without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other cases, known structures, materials, or operations are not illustrated or described in detail so that various aspects of the embodiments will not be obscured. Reference to “an embodiment” or “one embodiment” in the framework of this description is meant to indicate that a particular configuration, structure, or characteristic described in relation to the embodiment is comprised in at least one embodiment. Hence, phrases such as “in an embodiment” or “in one embodiment” that may be present in various points of this description do not necessarily refer to one and the same embodiment. Moreover, particular conformations, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any adequate way in one or more embodiments and / or associated to the embodiments in a way different from what has been illustrated herein so that, for example, a characteristic exemplified herein in relation to one figure may be applied to one or more embodiments exemplified in a different figure.

[0027] The references used herein are provided merely for convenience and hence do not delimit the sphere of protection or the scope of the embodiments.

[0028] In Figures 1-3, the reference V denotes as a whole a motor vehicle comprising a passenger-monitoring system 1 according to the present invention.

[0029] An architecture exemplifying the system 1 forming the subject of the present invention is summarized in the schematic view of Figure 3.

[0030] According to a first characteristic of the invention, the system 1 comprises at least one opto-electronic vision device 2 provided for recording events that occur inside the motor vehicle 1 , making available a plurality of first-level acquired data on the motor vehicle V and on the passengers.

[0031] As illustrated in Figure 1 , in one or more embodiments the optoelectronic device 2 is a camera capable of framing and filming the space inside the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle V. Preferentially, the camera is integrated in a front lighting module 7 of the passenger compartment, oriented so as to frame the front and rear seats, as well as the passengers on board. Alternatively, the camera may be applied on the windscreen of the motor vehicle, once again pointing towards the inside of the motor vehicle so as to be able to frame the space inside the passenger compartment.

[0032] The vehicle V further comprises a satellite locator device, provided for detecting in real time the instantaneous position of the motor vehicle V expressed in geographical co-ordinates (i.e., expressed by a certain value of latitude and longitude); also the instantaneous position of the vehicle V is made available in an on-board data network of a bus type and commonly referred to as CAN (Car Area Network) bus.

[0033] According to a further characteristic of the invention, the system 1 comprises an electronic processing and control unit 3 configured and programmed for processing the first-level data acquired by the optoelectronic vision device 2. The electronic processing and control unit 3 is configured for storing in a nonvolatile memory of the unit 3 the result of the processing carried out, in particular a plurality of second-level acquired data on the motor vehicle V and on the passengers. In one or more embodiments, the electronic processing and control unit 3 is operatively connected to the on-board data network of the motor vehicle V.

[0034] In one or more embodiments, the electronic processing and control unit 3 is an electronic apparatus provided with data-storage means and processing means, such as a processor, for data management. In particular, the electronic unit 3 is provided with circuitry designed to execute software instructions. Moreover, the electronic processing and control unit 3 is provided with means for receiving data coming from the network, from the opto-electronic vision device 2 (provided with internal microprocessor), or from other electronic devices.

[0035] According to the invention, the electronic processing and control unit 3 set on board the motor vehicle V is configured and programmed for processing the first-level acquired data on the basis of automatic-learning algorithms in order to calculate a plurality of second-level acquired data that define more detailed information than the first-level acquired data.

[0036] In one or more embodiments, the automatic-learning algorithms exploit machine-learning techniques for defining various objective classified information regarding the status of the passengers, starting from analysis of the first-level data. Preferentially, the first-level acquired data comprise one or more video sessions acquired by the opto-electronic vision device 2, which display the driver and all the passengers on board. In one or more embodiments, the above classified information - for example, resulting from processing of the video taken by the camera - comprises the number of passengers, their sex, age, and / or state of health (following upon an accident). More in particular, the objective classified information establishes a multitude of useful information for an emergency vehicle for enabling its organization prior to arrival at the rescue site.

[0037] As illustrated in Figures 1-3, the system 1 further comprises a data- transmission and reception unit 4 operatively connected to the electronic processing and control unit 3, and moreover connectable to a network infrastructure 5, for example a mobile-network infrastructure. The data- transmission and reception unit 4 is configured to transmit and receive data to / from a central server 6 and / or other vehicles that circulate in the same road network as that of the motor vehicle V. In one or more embodiments, the data-transmission and reception unit 4 comprises means for using the most common communication protocols and means for using different communication channels, such as Wi-Fi means, the mobile network, the 5G network, etc. Moreover, the data-transmission and reception unit 4 may comprise a module for receiving a GPS (Global Positioning System) signal of the motor vehicle V.

[0038] According to the invention, the data-transmission and reception unit 4 is programmed for transmitting the second-level data processed by the electronic processing and control unit 3 so as to let an emergency vehicle know (via direct communication or through a remote contact centre 8) various information on the passengers following upon an accident prior to arrival of the emergency vehicle at the rescue site.

[0039] By the expression “automatic-learning algorithms” is meant a particular branch of computer technology and of artificial intelligence that comprises automated algorithms that make it possible to perform given tasks, improving, via subsequent processing operations, the processing capacity, the classified response information, and their precision.

[0040] In a concrete example of embodiment, the electronic control and processing unit 3 is able to process the first-level data according to machine-learning techniques in order to determine the presence of small children on board the motor vehicle (by processing the ages of the passengers starting from the heights of the passengers framed by the camera), the number of the passengers (in such a way that the emergency vehicle will know how many people will be in need of rescue prior to its arrival) and the presence of serious injuries, such as wounds and fractures (by processing images of the video that films the passengers following upon the accident).

[0041] According to a further preferred characteristic, the system 1 comprises kinetic sensors (not illustrated), which, in the event of accident, are able to recognizing the kinetic force of the impact and hence the seriousness of the situation. In the case where the event, via a purposely provided scale of values, were to prove higher than a low-risk event, i.e. , the kinetic force of the impact were to be higher than a given threshold parameter, the data-transmission and reception unit 4 is provided for sending to a central server 6 and / or other vehicles a danger signal comprising a list of data, such as the geostationary position detected by the GPS module and preferably a brief graphical reconstruction of what has happened.

[0042] In one or more embodiments, the system 1 is provided with automatic confirmation means that are designed to recognize, preferably upon starting of the motor vehicle V, the number of the passengers inside the motor vehicle V, issuing a voice message for this purpose. The system 1 may then comprise starting-confirmation means to detect with certainty the number of the passengers inside the motor vehicle V framed by the opto-electronic vision device 2 so as to store immediately this information prior to subsequent acquisition aimed at storing further data subsequently processed by the unit 3.

[0043] The central server 6, for example connected to an operating centre of a hospital, has a computing unit connected to the communication network and designed to communicate with the emergency vehicle and with the system 1 of the motor vehicle according to the invention. For instance, the computing unit is provided for automatically processing the second-level data in order to define automatically what emergency vehicles are necessary and how many. In particular, the operating centre may comprise means for displaying on a map the position of the various motor vehicles on board which the monitoring systems 1 are mounted.

[0044] The communication network comprises a set of physical or logical connections and electronic apparatuses that enable transmission and reception of signals between the motor vehicle V, the operating centre, and the emergency vehicle. The network may, for example, be represented by a mobile-telecommunications network, a satellite network, Wi-Fi network, the Internet or the like, or by a combination thereof.

[0045] To improve the efficiency of the system 1 , in one or more embodiments, the communication network may comprise (Edge / MEC) local servers in which to process the images and extract the useful information therefrom.

[0046] In the light of the characteristics described previously, in use the system 1 is configured for implementing a method for monitoring the passengers of a motor vehicle, comprising the step of starting the optoelectronic vision device 2 for acquiring a plurality of first-level data on the motor vehicle V and on the passengers, in particular by framing the inside of the motor vehicle V and the passengers. The electronic processing and control unit 3 is configured and programmed for processing in real time the first-level data acquired on the basis of automatic-learning algorithms in order to supply a plurality of second-level acquired data defined by classified information regarding the status of the passengers. Following upon processing, the data-transmission and reception unit 4 transmits the second-level data so as to let an emergency vehicle know (directly or via a remote contact centre) various information on the passengers following upon an accident, prior to arrival of the emergency vehicle at the rescue site. In one or more embodiments, the vehicle V on which the system 1 according to the invention is installed receives messages in real time (via the data-transmission and reception unit 4) from other vehicles and / or from the central server 6, for example in order to receive confirmation signals so as to confirm the imminent arrival of an emergency vehicle.

[0047] As emerges clearly from the foregoing description, the system 1 according to the invention is designed to achieve the following advantages:

[0048] - intervening in a reliable way prior to arrival of the emergency vehicle at the rescue site;

[0049] - implementing the method with relatively simple and low-cost means, avoiding affecting significantly the costs of development and production of the motor vehicle; and

[0050] - ensuring ease of adaptation to different motor-vehicle architectures.

[0051] Of course, without prejudice to the principle of the invention, the details of construction and the embodiments may vary widely with respect to what has been described and illustrated herein, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the ensuing claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A passenger-monitoring system (1) for a motor vehicle (V), comprising:- at least one opto-electronic vision device (2) provided for recording events that occur inside the motor vehicle (V), making available a plurality of first-level acquired data on the motor vehicle (V) and on the passengers;- an electronic processing and control unit (3) configured and programmed for processing the first-level acquired data on the basis of automatic-learning algorithms in order to supply a plurality of second-level acquired data defined by classified information regarding the status of the passengers, amongst which the number of passengers present inside the motor vehicle (V) and the state of health following upon an accident; and- a data-transmission and reception unit (4) connected to said electronic processing and control unit (3) and connectable to an external network infrastructure (5), configured to transmit and receive data to / from a central server (6) and / or other vehicles,- wherein the data-transmission and reception unit (4) is programmed for transmitting said second-level data so as to let an emergency vehicle know various information on the passengers following upon an accident prior to arrival of the emergency vehicle at the rescue site.

2. The system (1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the opto-electronic device (2) is a pointing in the direction of the passengers of the motor vehicle (V), designed to film the space inside the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle (V).

3. The system (1 ) according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the electronic processing and control unit (3) is configured for storing in a nonvolatile memory the result of the processing carried out.

4. The system (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the electronic control and processing unit (3) is programmed for determining the presence of small children on board the motor vehicle, processing the ages of the passengers starting from their heights.

5. The system (1 ) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the data-transmission and reception unit (4) comprises a GPSmodule for receiving a GPS signal of the motor vehicle (V).

6. The system (1 ) according to claim 5, comprising kinetic sensors provided for recognizing the kinetic force of impact in the event of an accident, wherein the electronic processing and control unit (3) is provided for defining automatically a high-risk event if the kinetic force of the impact is higher than a given threshold parameter, wherein the data-transmission and reception unit (4) is provided for sending to the central server (6) and / or other vehicles a warning signal comprising an list of data, amongst which the geostationary position detected by said GPS module.

7. A method for monitoring the passengers of a motor vehicle (V), comprising:- providing on board a motor vehicle (V) a system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims;- connecting the data-transmission and reception unit (4) to a network infrastructure (5) external to the vehicle (V);- starting said opto-electronic vision device (2) for making available a plurality of first-level acquired data on the motor vehicle (V) and on the passengers;- processing the first-level data by means of the processing and control unit (3) on the basis of automatic-learning algorithms in order to supply second-level acquired data defined by classified information regarding the status of the passengers, amongst which the number of passengers present inside the motor vehicle (V) and their state of health following upon an accident; and- transmitting said second-level data to a central server (6) and / or other vehicles so as to let an emergency vehicle know various information on the passengers following upon an accident, prior to arrival of the emergency vehicle at the rescue site.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the central server (6) comprises a computing unit connected to the network infrastructure (5), designed to communicate with the emergency vehicle and with the system (1 ) of the motor vehicle (V).

9. The method according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the network infrastructure (5) comprises (Edge / MEC) local servers in which to process the images acquired by means of the opto-electronic vision device (2).

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