Systems and methods for improving occupant safety with airbags

Abstract

A system for improving occupant safety with airbags is provided that can provide adaptive protection for occupants in various seating positions and various sitting positions. A method for improving occupant safety with airbags is also provided. A computer-readable medium is also provided. The system for improving occupant safety with airbags includes an in-vehicle observation system (1), an inflatable restraint system (2), a crash prediction system (4), and an integrated safety zone control unit (3). The integrated safety zone control unit (3) formulates a deployment strategy based on data sent from the in-vehicle observation system (1), the inflatable restraint system (2), and the crash prediction system (4), selectively inflates at least one airbag assembly (21), and controls the amount of inflation for the inflated airbag assembly (21).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system and method for improving occupant safety with an airbag. [Background technology]

[0002] Airbag systems are passive safety systems that are usually used in conjunction with seatbelts to provide effective crash protection for occupants. Statistics show that vehicle airbags can reduce the rate of head injury by 25% and the rate of facial injury by 80% in the event of a vehicle collision.

[0003] To improve safety, some vehicles provide more types of airbags and their mounting locations. For example, patent application publication number CN104691487A describes an airbag assembly that includes airbags positioned in the head, torso, and knees, which inflate in the event of a collision to provide uniform structural cushioning energy and protection for the head, torso, and lower extremities of front occupants.

[0004] However, the inventors have discovered that with the advancement of autonomous driving, seat positions and occupant sitting positions will change significantly. In existing vehicles, in-vehicle airbag assemblies function independently of each other and cannot cooperate or support each other, and cannot provide protection for occupants of various body types in various seat positions and sitting positions according to various collision situations. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an airbag system that can protect occupants in various seat positions and sitting positions. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a system for improving occupant safety through airbags that can provide adaptive protection for occupants in various seating positions and various sitting positions.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for improving occupant safety with an airbag that can provide adaptive protection for occupants in various seating positions and various sitting positions.

[0007] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a computer readable medium on which a method for improving occupant safety with airbags may be implemented. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve one of the above objects, a system for improving occupant safety by means of an airbag comprises: an in-vehicle observation system configured to acquire in-vehicle occupant posture data and / or in-vehicle occupant body shape data and / or in-vehicle seat posture data and / or in-vehicle occupant mental state data; an inflatable restraint system including a plurality of airbag assemblies; a vehicle external information monitoring module configured to monitor obstacles around the vehicle body; a body attitude monitoring module configured to monitor body motion and body attitude; a collision prediction system including: an integrated safety area control unit configured to calculate a collision probability and a collision moment between the vehicle body and an obstacle, and a position of the collision between the vehicle body and the obstacle based on a vehicle external information monitoring module and a vehicle body attitude monitoring module; receive data acquired by an in-vehicle observation system; and formulate a deployment strategy before the collision moment based on at least one of the received data; The expansion strategy is selectively inflating at least one airbag assembly of an inflatable restraint system based on the in-vehicle occupant position data and / or the in-vehicle occupant body shape data and / or the in-vehicle seat position data; selectively inflating at least one airbag assembly of an inflatable restraint system based on the location of the crash; Controlling the inflation amount of the inflating airbag assembly based on seat position and / or occupant position; Integrated safety area control unit including Includes:

[0009] In one or more implementations, the collision prediction system further includes an Internet-of-vehicles module, which, together with the vehicle exterior information monitoring module, provides exterior information of the vehicle body.

[0010] In one or more implementations, the integrated safety area control unit provides a collision determination based on the vehicle occupant mental state data and the collision probability, and if the result of the collision determination indicates yes, the integrated safety area control unit formulates a reminder strategy based on the collision determination; The reminder strategy involves pre-inflating the airbag assembly prior to the moment of impact.

[0011] In one or more implementations, the vehicle external information monitoring module includes one or a combination of millimeter wave radar, ultrasonic radar, laser radar, and an external camera.

[0012] In one or more implementations, the body attitude monitoring module includes a speed sensor, a yaw rate sensor, and a steering wheel angle sensor; The velocity sensor is configured to monitor vehicle body motion, and the yaw rate sensor and steering wheel angle sensor are configured to monitor vehicle body attitude.

[0013] In one or more implementations, the integrated safety area control unit includes a modeling unit and a calculation unit, wherein the modeling unit is configured to model an obstacle based on monitoring information from the vehicle external information monitoring module and to model a vehicle body based on monitoring information from the vehicle body attitude monitoring module; The calculation unit is configured to calculate a collision probability based on the modeling information.

[0014] In one or more implementations, the system further includes a cloud database and a simulation database, wherein the cloud database is configured to provide historical data of the vehicle crash, and the simulation database is configured to provide simulation data of the vehicle crash based on the modeling information; The calculation unit calculates the relative speed between the vehicle body and the obstacle during the collision and the collision overlap rate based on the historical data and the simulation data.

[0015] In one or more implementations, the in-vehicle observation system includes an image acquisition unit and a state capture unit, where the image acquisition unit is configured to acquire in-vehicle occupant posture data, in-vehicle occupant body shape data, and in-vehicle seat posture data, and the state capture unit is configured to acquire in-vehicle occupant mental state data.

[0016] In one or more implementations, the image acquisition unit is either or a combination of a 3D camera and a 2D camera.

[0017] In one or more implementations, the state capture unit is a camera and / or an in-vehicle radar.

[0018] In one or more implementations, the in-vehicle occupant posture data includes occupant torso position data and / or occupant joint position data.

[0019] In one or more implementations, the in-vehicle seat posture data includes either or a combination of seat position data and seat back angle data.

[0020] In one or more implementations, the mental state data includes one or a combination of occupant health data and occupant facial data.

[0021] In one or more implementations, the system further includes a crash sensor configured to monitor vehicle body crash information and vehicle body crash severity information and send the information to an integrated safety zone control unit, and the integrated safety zone control unit controls the inflatable restraint system to inflate the airbag assembly according to a deployment strategy based on the received information.

[0022] In order to achieve another one of the above objects, a method for improving occupant safety by an airbag includes the following steps. acquiring vehicle occupant posture data and / or vehicle occupant body shape data and / or vehicle seat posture data and / or vehicle occupant mental state data; providing monitoring data of obstacles around the vehicle body; capturing vehicle body motion and vehicle body state; Calculating a collision probability and a collision moment between the vehicle and the obstacle, and a collision position between the vehicle body and the obstacle based on the obstacles around the vehicle body, the vehicle body motion, and the vehicle body state; Developing a deployment strategy, the deployment strategy comprising: selectively inflating at least one airbag assembly of an inflatable restraint system based on the in-vehicle occupant position data and / or the in-vehicle occupant body shape data and / or the in-vehicle seat position data; selectively inflating at least one airbag assembly of an inflatable restraint system based on the location of the crash; Controlling the inflation amount of the inflating airbag assembly based on seat position and / or occupant position; The steps include:

[0023] In one or more implementations, a method for improving occupant safety includes: Determine whether the occupant is aware of the possibility of a collision based on the vehicle occupant mental state data, the probability of the collision, and the moment of the collision, and if not, pre-inflate the airbag assembly. Further includes:

[0024] In one or more implementations, a method for improving occupant safety includes: executing a deployment strategy based on a crash signal detected by a crash sensor; Uploading post-crash data records to a cloud database Further includes:

[0025] To achieve yet another one of the above objects, a computer-readable medium is provided having stored thereon computer instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of a method for improving occupant safety with an airbag as described in any one of the above embodiments.

[0026] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0027] An in-vehicle observation system is used to sense the positions and states of the vehicle occupants and the seats in the vehicle in real time, so that the airbag deployment strategy can be formulated accurately and reliably. The position of the collision between the vehicle body and the obstacle is calculated before the collision occurs to further optimize the establishment of the airbag deployment strategy, so that the correct airbag with the appropriate size is adaptively deployed based on the position of the collision, thereby realizing the optimal protection strategy for the occupants.

[0028] Specific features and implementations of the present invention are further provided by the following embodiments and accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the present system in one implementation. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic flow chart of a method for improving occupant safety with an airbag in one implementation. [Figure 3]4 is a schematic flow chart of a method for improving occupant safety with an airbag in another implementation. [Figure 4] 4 is a schematic flow chart of a method for improving occupant safety with an airbag in yet another implementation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] Various different implementations or embodiments for implementing the technical solutions of the described subject matter are disclosed below. To simplify the disclosure, specific examples of various elements and configurations are described below, which are, of course, merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. For example, a first feature described hereinafter formed on or over a second feature may include an implementation in which the first feature is directly connected to the second feature, and may also include an implementation in which an additional feature is formed between the first and second features, such that the first feature is not directly connected to the second feature. Furthermore, throughout the disclosure, reference numerals and / or letters may be repeated in various instances. The repetition is for brevity and clarity and does not, in itself, represent a relationship between the implementations and / or structures discussed. Furthermore, when a first element is described as being connected or coupled to a second element, this is intended to include implementations in which the first element and second element are directly connected or coupled to each other, and also to include implementations in which the first element and second element are indirectly connected or coupled to each other through one or more other intervening elements.

[0031] Embodiment 1 The following embodiment of the system will be understood with reference to Figure 1. A system for improving occupant safety with airbags includes an in-vehicle observation system 1, an inflatable restraint system 2, an integrated safe zone control unit 3, and a collision prediction system 4.

[0032] The in-vehicle observation system 1 is configured to acquire one or a combination of in-vehicle occupant posture data, in-vehicle occupant body shape data, in-vehicle seat posture data, and in-vehicle occupant mental state data.

[0033] The inflatable restraint system 2 includes multiple airbag assemblies 21, each of which may be composed of an airbag, a gas generator, and an igniter. The gas generator's gas source is ignited by the igniter, generating a large amount of gas for filling the airbag. As a result, the airbag rapidly inflates within a very short period of time, forming an elastic cushion that releases and contracts in a timely manner to absorb impact energy and thereby effectively protect the human body from injury or mitigate the severity of injury. Of course, in another embodiment, the airbag assembly 21 may also be composed of an inflator pump, a high-pressure gas storage tank, and an airbag, and the airbag inflates through the high-pressure gas storage tank. After inflation, multiple airbag assemblies 21 may be positioned in multiple locations within the vehicle. For example, the airbag assembly 21 may include at least one or a combination of a front airbag that is positioned directly in front of the occupant after inflation, an adaptive knee airbag that is positioned under the occupant's knees after inflation, a seat cushion airbag that is positioned under the occupant's seat cushion after inflation, an active foot airbag that is positioned around the occupant's legs after inflation, a curtain airbag that is positioned between the occupant and the vehicle window after inflation, and a side airbag that is positioned between the driver and occupant after inflation.

[0034] The collision prediction system 4 includes a vehicle external information monitoring module 41 and a vehicle body attitude monitoring module 43. The vehicle external information monitoring module 41 is configured to monitor obstacles around the vehicle body, and the vehicle body attitude monitoring module 43 is configured to monitor vehicle body motion and vehicle body attitude.

[0035] The vehicle body attitude monitoring module 43 includes a speed sensor, a yaw rate sensor, and a steering wheel angle sensor, where the speed sensor is configured to monitor vehicle body motion, and the yaw rate sensor and steering wheel angle sensor are configured to monitor vehicle body attitude.

[0036] Specifically, in some implementations, the vehicle external information monitoring module 41 includes one or a combination of millimeter-wave radar, laser radar, and an external camera. The millimeter-wave radar and laser radar are configured to locate obstacles and acquire data such as the speed, angle, and distance of the obstacles. The millimeter-wave radar is less susceptible to interference from adverse weather conditions, has a long detection range, and can monitor obstacles at long distances. The laser radar is highly accurate and simple in data processing, and can complement the information acquired by the millimeter-wave radar in terms of data content and accuracy, resulting in more accurate monitoring results. The external camera is configured to acquire image information of the obstacles for use in distinguishing and identifying the obstacles.

[0037] The integrated safety area control unit 3 is configured to calculate the collision probability and collision moment between the vehicle body and an obstacle, as well as the location of the collision between the vehicle body and the obstacle, based on the vehicle external information monitoring module 41 and the vehicle body posture monitoring module 43. At the same time, the integrated safety area control unit 3 receives data acquired by the in-vehicle observation system 1 and formulates a deployment strategy before the moment of collision based on the received data. The data received by the integrated safety area control unit 3 may be one or a combination of in-vehicle occupant posture data, in-vehicle seat posture data, and in-vehicle occupant mental state data.

[0038] Specifically, in some implementations, the integrated safety zone control unit 3 may include a modeling unit and a calculation unit. The modeling unit models obstacles and the vehicle body, respectively. Specifically, the modeling unit continuously models obstacles in real time by fusing data acquired by the millimeter-wave radar, the laser radar, and the external camera. Furthermore, the modeling unit continuously models the moving vehicle body in real time based on vehicle body motion information monitored by a speed sensor, vehicle body yaw angular velocity information monitored by a yaw velocity sensor, and vehicle steering wheel angle information monitored by a steering wheel angle sensor.

[0039] The calculation unit compares the obstacle modeling information and the vehicle body modeling information, which are updated in real time, to calculate the collision probability and collision instant information, while the calculation unit updates the calculation result in real time during the calculation and continuously compares the calculation result with the real-time observation result to improve the calculation accuracy with reduced error.

[0040] The deployment strategy includes selectively inflating at least one of the airbag assemblies 21 of the inflatable restraint system based on in-vehicle occupant position data and / or in-vehicle occupant body shape data and / or in-vehicle seat position data, selectively inflating at least one of the airbag assemblies 21 of the inflatable restraint system based on the location of the crash, and controlling the amount of inflation for the inflating airbag assembly based on the seat position and / or seated position of the occupant. Specifically, at least one of the airbag assemblies 21 of the inflatable restraint system 2 may be selectively inflated based on the seat position and / or seated position of the occupant, and the amount of inflation for the inflating airbag assembly 21 may be controlled based on the seat position and / or seated position of the occupant.

[0041] An exemplary embodiment of the deployment strategy may be as follows: When the distance between the occupant and the seat back obtained by the in-vehicle observation system 1 is a first distance, and the first distance is greater than a first threshold, it is determined that the occupant is in a first posture, and at the same time, the integrated safety zone control unit 3 obtains the collision position as a first part of the vehicle body through calculation. In this case, the integrated safety zone control unit 3 formulates a first posture deployment strategy, which includes selectively inflating a first airbag assembly and controlling the inflation amount to be the first posture inflation amount.

[0042] Another exemplary embodiment of the deployment strategy may be as follows: When the distance between the occupant and the seat back acquired by the in-vehicle observation system 1 is a second distance and the vehicle seat is in a second position, the occupant is determined to be in a second posture, and the acquired collision location is a second part of the vehicle body. In this case, the integrated safety area control unit 3 formulates a second posture deployment strategy, which includes selectively inflating the airbag assembly and controlling the inflation amount to be the second posture inflation amount.

[0043] Yet another exemplary embodiment of the deployment strategy may be as follows: when the possible collision location is a third part of the vehicle body, the vehicle seat is in a third position, and the occupant's body size is small or the occupant is farther away from the interior front of the vehicle, the integrated safety area control unit 3 formulates a third attitude deployment strategy before the moment of collision, so that the airbag corresponding to the third part of the vehicle body is deployed with a larger size and then can contact the occupant's body earlier.

[0044] As with previous implementations, it will be appreciated that the integrated safe domain control unit 3 may include one or a combination of one or more hardware processors such as a system on a chip (SOC), microcontroller, microprocessor (e.g., an MCU chip or 51 single-chip microcomputer), reduced instruction set computer (RISC), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), application specific instruction integrated processor (ASIP), central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), physical processing unit (PPU), microcontroller unit, digital signal processor (DSP), field programmable gate array (FPGA), advanced RISC machine (ARM), programmable logic device (PLD), any circuit or processor capable of performing one or more functions.

[0045] The in-vehicle observation system 1 includes an image acquisition unit 11 and a state capture unit 12. The image acquisition unit 11 is configured to acquire in-vehicle occupant posture data, in-vehicle seat posture data, and in-vehicle occupant body shape data, and the state capture unit 12 is configured to acquire in-vehicle occupant mental state data. Specifically, the image acquisition unit 11 is either or a combination of a 3D camera and a 2D camera.

[0046] The in-vehicle occupant posture data acquired by the image acquisition unit 11 includes occupant torso position data, or occupant joint position data, or a combination thereof.

[0047] The in-vehicle seat posture data acquired by the image acquisition unit 11 includes either or a combination of seat position data and seat back angle data.

[0048] In embodiment 1, the method for improving occupant safety by an airbag may be as shown in Fig. 2. The method is applied to a vehicle, and the vehicle has an inflatable restraint system with a plurality of airbag assemblies. The method includes the following steps: S102: acquiring vehicle occupant posture data, vehicle seat posture data, and / or vehicle occupant mental state data; S1001: Providing monitoring data of obstacles around a vehicle body; S1002: capturing vehicle body motion and vehicle body state; S1003: calculating a collision probability and a collision moment between the vehicle and the obstacle, and a collision position between the vehicle body and the obstacle based on the obstacles around the vehicle body, the vehicle body motion, and the vehicle body state; S103: Develop a deployment strategy.

[0049] If the collision probability is low, steps S1001 to S1003 are repeated. If the collision probability is high, a deployment strategy is developed.

[0050] The developed deployment strategy includes selectively inflating at least one of the airbag assemblies 21 of the inflatable restraint system 2 based on in-vehicle occupant posture data and / or in-vehicle occupant body shape data and / or in-vehicle seat posture data, selectively inflating at least one of the airbag assemblies 21 of the inflatable restraint system 2 based on the location of the collision, and controlling the amount of inflation of the inflated airbag assembly 21 based on the seat position and / or the seating position of the occupant.

[0051] In future autonomous driving scenarios, occupants will not always sit upright in their seats, but will usually lean to the left, right, or forward. In this case, the occupant's position cannot be determined solely by the seat position. An adaptive airbag deployment strategy developed after observing the occupants and seat positions in the vehicle by the in-vehicle observation system 1 can better protect occupants in various seating positions, thereby improving the reliability of in-vehicle airbags. The location of a collision between the vehicle body and an obstacle is calculated before a collision occurs to further optimize the establishment of an airbag deployment strategy. As a result, an appropriate airbag with an appropriate size is adaptively deployed based on the location of the collision, thereby achieving an optimal protection strategy for the occupant.

[0052] Furthermore, the integrated safety area control unit 3 formulates a deployment strategy before the moment of impact. In existing in-vehicle safety systems, after a crash is detected, the seat position is compared based on sensor information, and then a deployment strategy is formulated based on the analysis results. As is well known, airbags should be deployed and inflated in place within tens of milliseconds after a crash, so that occupants can be effectively protected. Formulating an effective deployment strategy before a crash can enable appropriate airbags to inflate within a short period after the crash to protect occupants, which further improves the reliability of in-vehicle airbags.

[0053] Embodiment 2 In embodiment 2, the following systems or modules may also be added to embodiment 1, and only the added parts will be described below.

[0054] The collision prediction system 4 further includes an Internet-of-vehicles module 44, which may provide distance information between vehicles through communication with other moving vehicles and network systems. The Internet-of-vehicles module 44, together with the vehicle external information monitoring module 41, may provide external information of the vehicle body, and the modeling unit continuously updates the modeling of obstacles around the vehicle body in real time based on the external information of the vehicle body.

[0055] Embodiment 3 In embodiment 3, the following systems or modules may also be added to embodiment 1, and only the added parts will be described below.

[0056] The integrated safety zone control unit 3 provides a crash determination based on the occupant mental state data and the crash probability. The crash determination includes determining whether the occupant is aware of the possibility of a crash. If the occupant is likely aware of the possibility of a crash, a reminder strategy is developed. The reminder strategy includes pre-inflating the airbag with a small amount of gas or repeatedly inflating and deflating it before the moment of impact. It should be noted that the pre-inflation referred to here may be the supply of a small amount of gas into the airbag through a suitable inflator, such as a high-pressure gas storage tank. It can be understood that the inflation of a small amount of gas means that the inflation amount is less than the inflation amount in the airbag in the event of a crash.

[0057] In one embodiment, the airbag that inflates with a small amount of gas to act as a reminder may be a seat cushion airbag, a seat-mounted side airbag, a lumbar support airbag, or a combination thereof.

[0058] In one embodiment, the state capture unit 12 for acquiring in-vehicle occupant mental state data is a camera and an in-vehicle radar, and the acquired mental state data may include one or a combination of occupant health state data and occupant facial data. Specifically, the health state data monitored by the camera may include heart rate information, etc., and the information about the facial data may include facial emotional state information (such as excitement or anger), facial fatigue state information (such as blink frequency or yawning), facial gaze information (such as a camera tracking a person's gaze to determine whether the driver notices an obstacle), and facial orientation information (such as determining the occupant's head rotation based on the facial orientation for analysis to determine whether the person is paying attention to the road ahead). The in-vehicle radar may function to implement in-vehicle vital signs detection and heart rate detection.

[0059] An exemplary embodiment of the reminder strategy may be as follows: When the occupant's heart rate data acquired by the state acquisition unit 12 is a first value and the occupant's eye blink frequency acquired by the state acquisition unit is a second value, it is determined based on information from the database that the occupant is in a first mental state at this time and may be aware of the occurrence of a collision. In this case, the deployment strategy is ready to be executed.

[0060] Another exemplary embodiment of the reminder strategy may be as follows: when the occupant's heart rate data acquired by the state capture unit 12 is a third value, the occupant's blink frequency acquired by the state capture unit is a fourth value, and the occupant's facial gaze acquired by the state capture unit leaves the road surface for a time longer than a first time, it is determined based on information from the database that the occupant is in a second mental state at this time and may be aware of the occurrence of a collision. In this case, a reminder strategy is formulated.

[0061] In embodiment 3, the method for improving occupant safety by an airbag may be as shown in Figure 3. In addition to the steps shown in Figure 2, the method may include: S1004: determining whether the occupant is aware of the possibility of a collision based on the vehicle occupant mental state data, the collision probability, and the moment of the collision; if not, proceeding to step S1005; if yes, proceeding to step S1006; S1005: Pre-inflate the airbag assembly to alert the occupant to the impact; Then, determine whether the collision has been avoided, and if so, proceed to step S1001 to continue monitoring for obstacles around the vehicle body, and if not, proceed to step S1006; S1006: Steps to prepare for deployment strategy implementation Further includes:

[0062] Embodiment 4 In embodiment 4, the following systems or modules may also be added to embodiment 1, and only the added parts will be described below.

[0063] The system for improving occupant safety through airbags further includes a cloud database and a simulation database, where the cloud database is configured to provide historical data of vehicle collisions, and the simulation database is configured to provide simulation data of vehicle collisions based on modeling information. The calculation unit calculates the relative speed between the vehicle and the obstacle during the collision and the collision overlap rate based on the historical data and the simulation data, and further calculates the collision probability. Specifically, the distance traveled by the vehicle in a certain period of time is S=VT, and the vehicle speed is V=aT. If deceleration cannot reduce the speed to 0 within the corresponding time and distance, the collision probability can be considered high. Furthermore, it takes time to turn the vehicle to a certain angle. If the vehicle cannot be sufficiently turned to a certain angle within the corresponding time and distance, the collision cannot be avoided. The collision location and overlap rate when a collision occurs can be calculated by calculating the angle at which the vehicle can be turned within a limited time.

[0064] An exemplary embodiment of calculating the collision probability may be as follows: the cloud database provides historical data of vehicle collisions as a first collision model, the simulation database is used to provide simulation data of vehicle collisions as a second collision model based on modeling information, and the calculation unit calculates the relative speed between the vehicle and the obstacle during the collision as a first speed by combining the data information of the first collision model and the second collision model, and calculates the collision overlap rate as a first overlap rate. In this case, the collision probability is calculated as a first probability based on the first speed and the first collision position.

[0065] Embodiment 5 In embodiment 5, the following systems or modules may also be added to embodiments 1 to 4, and only the added parts will be described below.

[0066] The system for improving occupant safety further includes a crash sensor configured to monitor vehicle body crash information and vehicle body crash severity information of the vehicle body and send the information to the integrated safety area control unit 3, and the integrated safety area control unit 3 controls the inflatable restraint system 2 to inflate the airbag according to a deployment strategy based on the received information.

[0067] In embodiment 5, the method for improving occupant safety by an airbag may be as shown in Figure 4. In addition to the steps shown in Figure 3, the method may include: S1007: Monitoring a collision by a vehicle body sensor; S1008: Deploying an airbag according to a preset strategy; S104: Uploading the post-crash data record to the cloud database; Further includes:

[0068] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is further provided herein a computer-readable storage medium.

[0069] The computer-readable storage medium provided in the present disclosure stores computer instructions, which, when executed by a processor, can implement at least some of the steps of the method for improving occupant safety with airbags provided in any one of the above embodiments, so that an appropriate airbag can be inflated within a short period of time after a collision to protect the occupant, which further improves the reliability of airbags in vehicles.

[0070] The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integrated within the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. Alternatively, the processor and the storage medium may reside as separate assemblies in a user terminal.

[0071] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software as a computer program product, the functions may be stored on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store suitable program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Any connection is also properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, microwave, etc., the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, microwave, etc. are included within the definition of medium. As used herein, disk and disc include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray® discs, although disks are often used to reproduce data magnetically and discs are used to reproduce data optically using laser light. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0072] Although the present invention has been disclosed above together with preferred embodiments, the preferred embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art may make possible changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, without departing from the content of the technical solutions of the present invention, any modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments according to the technical content of the present invention shall fall within the scope of protection defined by the claims of the present invention. <Additional Notes> [Form 1] 1. A system for improving occupant safety by means of an airbag, comprising: an in-vehicle observation system configured to acquire in-vehicle occupant posture data and / or in-vehicle occupant body shape data and / or in-vehicle seat posture data and / or in-vehicle occupant mental state data; an inflatable restraint system comprising a plurality of airbag assemblies; 1. A collision prediction system, comprising: a vehicle external information monitoring module configured to monitor obstacles around the vehicle body; a body attitude monitoring module configured to monitor body motion and body attitude; a collision prediction system comprising: an integrated safety area control unit configured to calculate a collision probability and a collision moment between the vehicle body and the obstacle, and a location of the collision between the vehicle body and the obstacle based on the vehicle external information monitoring module and the vehicle body attitude monitoring module, receive the data acquired by the in-vehicle observation system, and formulate a deployment strategy before the collision moment based on at least one of the received data, The deployment strategy comprises: selectively inflating at least one of the airbag assemblies of the inflatable restraint system based on the in-vehicle occupant position data and / or the in-vehicle occupant body shape data and / or the in-vehicle seat position data; selectively inflating at least one of the airbag assemblies of the inflatable restraint system based on the location of the crash; controlling the amount of inflation of the inflated airbag assembly based on seat position and / or occupant position; Integrated safety area control unit including A system comprising: [Form 2] 10. The system for improving occupant safety using an airbag as described in claim 1, wherein the collision prediction system further comprises an Internet-of-vehicles module, and the Internet-of-vehicles module, together with the vehicle external information monitoring module, provides external information about the vehicle body. [Form 3] In the system for improving occupant safety by an airbag according to the first aspect, the integrated safety zone control unit provides a collision determination based on the vehicle occupant mental state data and the collision probability, and if the result of the collision determination indicates yes, the integrated safety zone control unit formulates a reminder strategy based on the collision determination; The system, wherein the reminder strategy includes pre-inflating the airbag assembly prior to the moment of impact. [Form 4] In a system for improving occupant safety using an airbag as described in form 1, the vehicle external information monitoring module is characterized by comprising one or a combination of millimeter wave radar, ultrasonic radar, laser radar, and an external camera. [Form 5] In the system for improving occupant safety by an airbag according to the first aspect, the vehicle body attitude monitoring module includes a speed sensor, a yaw rate sensor, and a steering wheel angle sensor; The system, wherein the velocity sensor is configured to monitor the vehicle body motion, and the yaw rate sensor and the steering wheel angle sensor are configured to monitor the vehicle body attitude. [Form 6] In the system for improving occupant safety by an airbag according to aspect 1, the integrated safety area control unit includes a modeling unit and a calculation unit, and the modeling unit is configured to model the obstacle based on monitoring information from the vehicle external information monitoring module and to model the vehicle body based on monitoring information from the vehicle body attitude monitoring module; The system, wherein the calculation unit is configured to calculate the collision probability based on the modeling information. [Form 7] The system for improving occupant safety with an airbag according to claim 6 further comprises a cloud database and a simulation database, wherein the cloud database is configured to provide historical data of vehicle collisions, and the simulation database is configured to provide simulation data of the vehicle collisions based on the modeling information; The system, wherein the calculation unit calculates a relative velocity between the vehicle body and the obstacle during the collision and a collision overlap rate based on the historical data and the simulation data. [Form 8] A system for improving occupant safety using an airbag as described in form 1, wherein the in-vehicle observation system comprises an image acquisition unit and a state capture unit, the image acquisition unit is configured to acquire the in-vehicle occupant posture data, the in-vehicle occupant body shape data, and the in-vehicle seat posture data, and the state capture unit is configured to acquire the in-vehicle occupant mental state data. [Form 9] 9. A system for improving occupant safety with an airbag as described in claim 8, wherein the image acquisition unit is one or a combination of a 3D camera and a 2D camera. [Form 10] 9. A system for improving occupant safety by means of an airbag as described in claim 8, wherein the status acquisition unit is a camera and / or an in-vehicle radar. [Form 11] 9. A system for improving occupant safety with an airbag as described in claim 8, wherein the in-vehicle occupant posture data includes occupant torso position data and / or occupant joint position data. [Form 12] 9. A system for improving occupant safety through an airbag as described in claim 8, wherein the in-vehicle seat posture data includes one or a combination of seat position data and seat back angle data. [Form 13] 9. A system for improving occupant safety by means of an airbag as described in claim 8, wherein the mental state data includes one or a combination of occupant health state data and occupant facial data. [Form 14] 14. A system for improving occupant safety with an airbag as described in any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising a crash sensor configured to monitor vehicle body crash information and vehicle body crash severity information and send the information to the integrated safety zone control unit, and the integrated safety zone control unit controls the inflatable restraint system to inflate the airbag assembly according to the deployment strategy based on the received information. [Form 15] 1. A method for improving occupant safety with airbags, the method being applied to a vehicle having an inflatable restraint system with a plurality of airbag assemblies, the method comprising: acquiring vehicle occupant posture data and / or vehicle occupant body shape data and / or vehicle seat posture data and / or vehicle occupant mental state data; capturing monitoring data of obstacles around the vehicle body; capturing vehicle body motion and vehicle body state; Calculating a collision probability and a collision moment between the vehicle and the obstacle, and a collision position between the vehicle body and the obstacle based on the obstacle around the vehicle body, the vehicle body motion, and the vehicle body state; Developing a deployment strategy, the deployment strategy comprising: selectively inflating at least one of the airbag assemblies of the inflatable restraint system based on the in-vehicle occupant position data and / or the in-vehicle occupant body shape data and / or the in-vehicle seat position data; selectively inflating at least one of the airbag assemblies of the inflatable restraint system based on the location of the crash; controlling the amount of inflation of the inflated airbag assembly based on seat position and / or occupant position; and A method comprising: [Form 16] 16. The method for improving occupant safety by an airbag according to claim 15, further comprising: determining whether the occupant is aware of a possible collision based on the vehicle occupant mental state data, the collision probability, and the moment of the collision, and if not, pre-inflating the airbag assembly; The method further comprising: [Form 17] 16. The method for improving occupant safety by an airbag according to claim 15, further comprising: executing the deployment strategy based on a crash signal detected by a crash sensor; uploading the post-crash data record to a cloud database; The method further comprising: [Form 18] 18. A computer-readable medium storing computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement steps of a method for improving occupant safety with an airbag as described in any one of claims 15 to 17.

Claims

1. 1. A system for improving occupant safety by means of an airbag, comprising: an in-vehicle observation system configured to acquire at least one of in-vehicle occupant posture data, in-vehicle occupant body shape data, and in-vehicle seat posture data; an inflatable restraint system including a plurality of airbag assemblies; 1. A collision prediction system, comprising: a vehicle external information monitoring module configured to monitor obstacles around the vehicle body; a body attitude monitoring module configured to monitor body motion and body attitude; a collision prediction system comprising: an integrated safety area control unit configured to calculate a collision probability and a collision moment between the vehicle body and the obstacle, and a collision position between the vehicle body and the obstacle based on the vehicle external information monitoring module and the vehicle body attitude monitoring module; receive at least one of the in-vehicle occupant attitude data, the in-vehicle occupant body shape data, and the in-vehicle seat attitude data acquired by the in-vehicle observation system; and formulate a deployment strategy before the collision moment based on at least one of the received data; The deployment strategy comprises: selectively inflating at least one of the airbag assemblies of the inflatable restraint system based on at least one of the in-vehicle occupant position data, the in-vehicle occupant body shape data, and the in-vehicle seat position data; selectively inflating at least one of the airbag assemblies of the inflatable restraint system based on the location of the crash; controlling the amount of inflation of the inflated airbag assembly based on seat position and / or occupant position; Integrated safety area control unit including Equipped with the in-vehicle observation system is further configured to acquire in-vehicle occupant mental state data, the integrated safety zone control unit further receives the in-vehicle occupant mental state data acquired by the in-vehicle observation system, and provides a collision judgment based on the in-vehicle occupant mental state data and the collision probability; if the result of the collision judgment indicates yes, the integrated safety zone control unit formulates a reminder strategy based on the collision judgment; The system, wherein the reminder strategy includes pre-inflating the airbag assembly prior to the moment of impact.

2. 2. The system for improving occupant safety with an airbag according to claim 1, wherein the collision prediction system further comprises an Internet-of-vehicles module, and the Internet-of-vehicles module, together with the vehicle exterior information monitoring module, provides information about the exterior of the vehicle body.

3. 2. The system for improving occupant safety with an airbag according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle external information monitoring module comprises one or a combination of a millimeter wave radar, an ultrasonic radar, a laser radar, and an external camera.

4. 2. The system for improving occupant safety with an airbag according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle body attitude monitoring module comprises a speed sensor, a yaw rate sensor, and a steering wheel angle sensor; The system, wherein the velocity sensor is configured to monitor the vehicle body motion, and the yaw rate sensor and the steering wheel angle sensor are configured to monitor the vehicle body attitude.

5. A system for improving occupant safety by means of an airbag, comprising: an in-vehicle observation system configured to acquire at least one of in-vehicle occupant posture data, in-vehicle occupant body shape data, and in-vehicle seat posture data; an inflatable restraint system including a plurality of airbag assemblies; 1. A collision prediction system, comprising: a vehicle external information monitoring module configured to monitor obstacles around the vehicle body; a body attitude monitoring module configured to monitor body motion and body attitude; a collision prediction system comprising: an integrated safety area control unit configured to calculate a collision probability and a collision moment between the vehicle body and the obstacle, and a collision position between the vehicle body and the obstacle based on the vehicle external information monitoring module and the vehicle body attitude monitoring module; receive at least one of the in-vehicle occupant attitude data, the in-vehicle occupant body shape data, and the in-vehicle seat attitude data acquired by the in-vehicle observation system; and formulate a deployment strategy before the collision moment based on at least one of the received data; The deployment strategy comprises: selectively inflating at least one of the airbag assemblies of the inflatable restraint system based on at least one of the in-vehicle occupant position data, the in-vehicle occupant body shape data, and the in-vehicle seat position data; selectively inflating at least one of the airbag assemblies of the inflatable restraint system based on the location of the crash; controlling the amount of inflation of the inflated airbag assembly based on seat position and / or occupant position; Integrated safety area control unit including Equipped with the integrated safety area control unit comprises a modeling unit and a calculation unit, and the modeling unit is configured to model the obstacle as obstacle modeling information based on monitoring information from the vehicle external information monitoring module, and to model the vehicle body as vehicle body modeling information based on monitoring information from the vehicle body attitude monitoring module; The system, wherein the calculation unit is configured to calculate the collision probability based on the obstacle modeling information and the vehicle body modeling information.

6. 6. The system for improving occupant safety with an airbag according to claim 5, further comprising a cloud database and a simulation database, wherein the cloud database is configured to provide historical data of vehicle crashes, and the simulation database is configured to provide simulation data of the vehicle crashes based on the obstacle modeling information and the vehicle body modeling information; The system, wherein the calculation unit calculates a relative velocity between the vehicle body and the obstacle during the collision and a collision overlap rate based on the historical data and the simulation data.

7. A system for improving occupant safety by means of an airbag, comprising: an in-vehicle observation system configured to acquire at least one of in-vehicle occupant posture data, in-vehicle occupant body shape data, and in-vehicle seat posture data; an inflatable restraint system including a plurality of airbag assemblies; 1. A collision prediction system, comprising: a vehicle external information monitoring module configured to monitor obstacles around the vehicle body; a body attitude monitoring module configured to monitor body motion and body attitude; a collision prediction system comprising: an integrated safety area control unit configured to calculate a collision probability and a collision moment between the vehicle body and the obstacle, and a collision position between the vehicle body and the obstacle based on the vehicle external information monitoring module and the vehicle body attitude monitoring module; receive at least one of the in-vehicle occupant attitude data, the in-vehicle occupant body shape data, and the in-vehicle seat attitude data acquired by the in-vehicle observation system; and formulate a deployment strategy before the collision moment based on at least one of the received data; The deployment strategy comprises: selectively inflating at least one of the airbag assemblies of the inflatable restraint system based on at least one of the in-vehicle occupant position data, the in-vehicle occupant body shape data, and the in-vehicle seat position data; selectively inflating at least one of the airbag assemblies of the inflatable restraint system based on the location of the crash; controlling the amount of inflation of the inflated airbag assembly based on seat position and / or occupant position; Integrated safety area control unit including Equipped with the in-vehicle observation system is further configured to acquire in-vehicle occupant mental state data; The in-vehicle observation system comprises an image acquisition unit and a state capture unit, wherein the image acquisition unit is configured to acquire in-vehicle occupant posture data, in-vehicle occupant body shape data, and in-vehicle seat posture data, and the state capture unit is configured to acquire in-vehicle occupant mental state data.

8. 8. The system for improving occupant safety with an airbag according to claim 7, wherein the image acquisition unit is one or a combination of a 3D camera and a 2D camera.

9. 8. A system for improving occupant safety by means of an airbag according to claim 7, characterized in that said condition capture unit is a camera and / or an in-vehicle radar.

10. 8. The system for improving occupant safety with an airbag according to claim 7, wherein the in-vehicle occupant posture data includes occupant torso position data and / or occupant joint position data.

11. 8. The system for improving occupant safety with an airbag as recited in claim 7, wherein the in-vehicle seat posture data includes one or a combination of seat position data and seat back angle data.

12. 8. The system for improving occupant safety with an airbag as claimed in claim 7, wherein the in-vehicle occupant mental state data includes one or a combination of occupant health state data and occupant facial data.

13. 13. A system for improving occupant safety with an airbag according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising a crash sensor configured to monitor vehicle body crash information and vehicle body crash severity information and send the information to the integrated safety zone control unit, wherein the integrated safety zone control unit controls the inflatable restraint system to inflate the airbag assembly according to the deployment strategy based on the received information.

14. A method for improving airbag occupant safety in a vehicle having an inflatable restraint system with a plurality of airbag assemblies, comprising: acquiring at least one of in-vehicle occupant posture data, in-vehicle occupant body shape data, and in-vehicle seat posture data; capturing monitoring data of obstacles around the vehicle body; capturing vehicle body motion and vehicle body state; Calculating a collision probability and a collision moment between the vehicle and the obstacle, and a collision position between the vehicle body and the obstacle based on the obstacle around the vehicle body, the vehicle body motion, and the vehicle body state; Developing a deployment strategy, the deployment strategy comprising: selectively inflating at least one of the airbag assemblies of the inflatable restraint system based on at least one of the in-vehicle occupant position data, the in-vehicle occupant body shape data, and the in-vehicle seat position data; selectively inflating at least one of the airbag assemblies of the inflatable restraint system based on the location of the crash; controlling the amount of inflation of the inflated airbag assembly based on seat position and / or occupant position; and Including, further comprising the step of acquiring vehicle occupant mental state data; The method further comprises determining whether the vehicle occupant is aware of a possible collision based on the vehicle occupant mental state data, the collision probability, and the moment of the collision, and if not, pre-inflating the airbag assembly.

15. A method for improving airbag occupant safety in a vehicle having an inflatable restraint system with a plurality of airbag assemblies, comprising: acquiring at least one of in-vehicle occupant posture data, in-vehicle occupant body shape data, and in-vehicle seat posture data; capturing monitoring data of obstacles around the vehicle body; capturing vehicle body motion and vehicle body state; Calculating a collision probability and a collision moment between the vehicle and the obstacle, and a collision position between the vehicle body and the obstacle based on the obstacle around the vehicle body, the vehicle body motion, and the vehicle body state; Developing a deployment strategy, the deployment strategy comprising: selectively inflating at least one of the airbag assemblies of the inflatable restraint system based on at least one of the in-vehicle occupant position data, the in-vehicle occupant body shape data, and the in-vehicle seat position data; selectively inflating at least one of the airbag assemblies of the inflatable restraint system based on the location of the crash; controlling the amount of inflation of the inflated airbag assembly based on seat position and / or occupant position; and Including, executing the deployment strategy based on a crash signal detected by a crash sensor; uploading the post-crash data record to a cloud database; The method further comprising:

16. A computer-readable medium storing computer instructions for causing a processor to perform the steps of the method of any one of claims 14 and 15.

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