Method and apparatus for checking an occupant-specific setting of a vehicle component

Abstract

The invention concerns an apparatus (101) for checking an occupant-specific setting of a vehicle component (105) inside a motor vehicle (100). The apparatus (101) is designed to determine configuration data relating to a configuration of the vehicle component (105) on the basis of camera data from the interior camera (102) of the motor vehicle (100) recorded before the occupant gets into the motor vehicle (100), and to determine occupant data relating to the occupant on the basis of camera data from the interior camera (102) of the motor vehicle (100) recorded after the occupant has got into the motor vehicle (100). The apparatus (101) is additionally designed to determine, on the basis of the configuration data and of the occupant data, whether or not the configuration of the vehicle component (105) is suitable for the occupant.

Description

[0001] Method and device for checking an occupant-specific setting of a vehicle component

[0002] The invention relates to a method and a corresponding device designed to increase the safety of a vehicle occupant.

[0003] A vehicle typically includes one or more vehicle components that can be adjusted specifically for a vehicle occupant. In particular, a vehicle typically includes vehicle seats for one or more corresponding vehicle occupants. The safety and comfort of a vehicle occupant may depend on the correct adjustment of a vehicle seat, particularly the vehicle seat's headrest, for that particular vehicle occupant.

[0004] This document addresses the technical task of increasing the safety and comfort of a vehicle occupant in an efficient and reliable manner.

[0005] The problem is solved by each of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are described, among other things, in the dependent claims. It should be noted that additional features of a patent claim dependent on an independent patent claim can form a separate invention, independent of the combination of all features of the independent patent claim, without the features of the independent patent claim or only in combination with a subset of the features of the independent patent claim, which invention can be made the subject of an independent claim, a divisional application, or a subsequent application. This applies equally to technical teachings described in the description, which can form an invention independent of the features of the independent patent claims.According to one aspect, a device for checking an occupant-specific adjustment of a vehicle component in the interior of a motor vehicle is described. The vehicle component can be configured to be specifically adapted to the occupant, in particular to the occupant's height. The vehicle component can comprise, in particular be, the headrest of a vehicle seat.

[0006] The vehicle component can be arranged within the interior of the motor vehicle such that the vehicle component is at least partially obscured within the camera data of the interior camera of the motor vehicle when the occupant is arranged in the interior of the motor vehicle (in particular when the occupant is sitting on the vehicle seat).

[0007] The device is configured to determine configuration data relating to the configuration of the vehicle component based on camera data (with one or more camera images) from the interior camera of the motor vehicle, which were captured before the occupant entered the interior of the motor vehicle (in particular before the occupant sat down on the vehicle seat). The configuration data relating to the configuration of the vehicle component can include the height of the headrest, in particular relative to the seating surface of the vehicle seat.

[0008] The device can be designed to determine the configuration data relating to the configuration of the vehicle component at a first point in time on the basis of camera data from the interior camera of the motor vehicle and to store it in a memory unit of the vehicle. In this case, the occupant has preferably not yet entered the interior of the motor vehicle at the first point in time. It can be detected, for example, on the basis of the occupancy sensors of one or more vehicle seats; on the basis of the camera data from the interior camera; and / or • on the basis of a sensor at an access, in particular on a door, of the vehicle that no occupant is arranged in the interior of the motor vehicle, in particular that no occupant is sitting on the vehicle seat. It can then be decided that a first point in time exists at which the configuration data relating to the configuration of the vehicle component can be determined and stored in the memory unit.

[0009] The device is further configured to determine occupant data relating to the occupant based on camera data from the interior camera of the motor vehicle, which were captured after the occupant has entered the interior of the motor vehicle (in particular after the occupant has sat down on the vehicle seat). The occupant data relating to the occupant can include the height of the occupant's head, in particular relative to the seat surface of the vehicle seat on which the occupant is sitting.

[0010] The occupant data can be determined at a second time at which an occupant is located in the interior of the vehicle, in particular at which an occupant is sitting on the vehicle seat. The second time can follow the first time. The fact that an occupant is located in the interior of the vehicle and, in particular, that an occupant is sitting on the vehicle seat, can be determined

[0011] • based on the occupancy sensors of one or more vehicle seats;

[0012] • based on the camera data from the interior camera; and / or

[0013] • based on a sensor at an access point, in particular at a door, of the vehicle.

[0014] The device can be configured to read the configuration data from the vehicle's memory unit at the subsequent second point in time. The configuration data and / or the occupant data can be determined using an (artificial intelligence-based) image analysis algorithm based on the respective camera data. The interior camera can comprise an RBG (Red, Green, Blue) camera and / or an IR (Infrared) camera and / or a two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) camera.

[0015] The device is further configured to determine (at the second point in time) based on the configuration data and the occupant data whether the configuration of the vehicle component (in particular, the height of the headrest) is suitable for the occupant or not. Furthermore, the device can be configured to output a (warning) notification via the user interface of the motor vehicle if it is determined that the configuration of the vehicle component is not suitable for the occupant. This allows the safety and comfort of the motor vehicle to be efficiently increased.

[0016] Alternatively or in addition to issuing a notification, the configuration of the vehicle component can be automatically adjusted to achieve a configuration that is suitable for the occupant. The automatic adjustment of the configuration of the vehicle component can be initiated based on the determined configuration data and / or based on the determined occupant data. This allows the safety and comfort of the vehicle to be increased efficiently.

[0017] The device can (alternatively or additionally) be configured to determine whether or not the vehicle component is missing based on camera data from the interior camera of the motor vehicle, which was recorded before the occupant entered the interior of the motor vehicle. Furthermore, a (warning) message can be output via the user interface of the motor vehicle if it is determined that the vehicle component is missing. In this way, the safety and comfort of the motor vehicle can be efficiently increased. The device can be configured to determine whether or not an occupant is sitting on a vehicle seat. This can be determined, for example, based on the camera data from the interior camera and / or based on the occupancy sensor of the vehicle seat. The output of the (warning) message can be prevented if it is determined that no occupant is sitting on the vehicle seat. In this way, the comfort of the vehicle can be further increased.

[0018] According to a further aspect, a (road) motor vehicle (in particular a passenger car or a truck or a bus or a motorcycle) is described which comprises the device described in this document.

[0019] According to a further aspect, a method for checking an occupant-specific setting of a vehicle component in the interior of a motor vehicle is described. The method comprises determining, based on camera data from the interior camera of the motor vehicle that was recorded before the occupant entered the interior of the motor vehicle, configuration data relating to a configuration of the vehicle component. Furthermore, the method comprises determining, based on camera data from the interior camera of the motor vehicle that was recorded after the occupant entered the interior of the motor vehicle, occupant data relating to the occupant. The method further comprises determining, based on the configuration data and on the occupant data, whether the configuration of the vehicle component is suitable for the occupant or not.

[0020] According to a further aspect, a software (SW) program is described. The SW program can be configured to be executed on a processor (e.g., on a control unit of a vehicle) and thereby to carry out the method described in this document. According to a further aspect, a storage medium is described. The storage medium can comprise a SW program configured to be executed on a processor and thereby to carry out the method described in this document.

[0021] It should be noted that the methods, devices, and systems described in this document can be used both alone and in combination with other methods, devices, and systems described in this document. Furthermore, any aspects of the methods, devices, and systems described in this document can be combined in a variety of ways. In particular, the features of the claims can be combined in a variety of ways. Furthermore, features listed in parentheses are to be understood as optional features.

[0022] The invention will be described in more detail below using exemplary embodiments.

[0023] Figure 1 shows exemplary components of a vehicle;

[0024] Figure 2 shows an exemplary arrangement of the head of a vehicle occupant relative to the headrest of the vehicle seat on which the occupant is positioned; and Figure 3 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method for increasing the safety and / or comfort of a vehicle occupant.

[0025] As stated at the outset, this document deals with increasing the safety and / or comfort of a vehicle occupant of a vehicle. In this context, Fig. 1 shows an exemplary vehicle 100 with at least one vehicle seat 106 having a headrest 105. The headrest 105 can be arranged at a specific height 115 (e.g., relative to the seating surface of the vehicle seat 106). The vehicle seat 106 can be arranged in the interior and / or in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 100. The headrest 105 is an example of a vehicle component that can be individually adjusted for an occupant. The following will specifically address a headrest 105. It should be noted that the embodiments are generally applicable to a vehicle component.

[0026] The vehicle 100 may include a camera 102, in particular an interior camera, configured to capture camera data relating to the vehicle seat 106 and / or the headrest 105. Furthermore, the vehicle 100 may have a (control and / or evaluation) device 101 configured to evaluate the camera data captured by the camera 102, e.g., to detect the vehicle seat 106 and / or the headrest 105. For this purpose, an image analysis algorithm (possibly based on artificial intelligence) may be used.

[0027] The device 101 can be configured to determine the height 115 of the headrest 105 based on the camera data. This can be done in a particularly robust and precise manner based on camera data acquired before an occupant sits down on the driver's seat 106.

[0028] Furthermore, camera data can be captured by camera 102 after an occupant has sat down on vehicle seat 106 (as shown by way of example in Fig. 2). The occupant's head 205 can then be recognized based on the camera data (using the image analysis algorithm). Furthermore, the height 215 of head 205 (e.g., relative to the seating surface of vehicle seat 106) can be determined.

[0029] The device 101 can further be configured to determine whether the headrest 105 is correctly adjusted for the occupant based on the height 115 of the headrest 105 (determined using camera data from the empty vehicle seat 106) and the height 215 of the occupant's head 205 (determined using camera data from the vehicle seat 106 occupied by the occupant). If it is detected that the headrest 105 is not correctly adjusted, a notification can be issued to the occupant via the user interface 104 of the vehicle 100. The occupant can then change the height 115 of the headrest 105. This allows the occupant's driving safety to be increased in a particularly robust manner.

[0030] During operation of a vehicle 100, the headrest 105 of a vehicle seat 106 is typically obscured by the occupant positioned thereon (e.g., their clothing and / or headgear). As a result, in certain situations, detection of the headrest height 115 may not be possible.

[0031] This document describes a method in which a temporal sequence of events is used to detect the correct adjustment of the headrest 105. The state of the headrest 105 can be determined before the occupant sits down. The state, in particular the height 115, of the headrest 105 can be stored. After the occupant sits down (e.g., from the start of the journey), this stored height 115 can be compared with the detected head position of the occupant to check whether the headrest 105 is correctly adjusted for the occupant or not.

[0032] A 2D RGB-IR, or IR only, or a 3D camera 102, e.g., in the interior mirror, can be used to determine the camera data. The processing of the one or more camera images can be carried out with the aid of a computer vision system before the occupant sits down. Based on the one or more camera images, one or more critical vehicle components, such as the headrest 105, can be identified. In particular, a classification can be carried out as to whether the headrest 105 is present, folded down, or not present. Furthermore, the 3D coordinates and thus the setting of the headrest 105 can be determined before the occupant sits down. After the occupant sits down, a comparison can be carried out (based on one or more camera images) as to whether the corresponding seat 106 is occupied (e.g., using camera-based seat occupancy or sensors installed in the seat).Furthermore, the head position can be compared with the headrest height 115. If necessary (particularly in the event of an incorrect adjustment of the headrest 105), a notification can be issued to the user of the vehicle 100 indicating that a critical configuration exists, potentially endangering the occupants. Alternatively or additionally, an automatic adjustment of the configuration of the headrest 105 can be initiated.

[0033] Fig. 3 shows a flowchart of a (possibly computer-implemented) method 300 for checking an occupant-specific setting of a vehicle component 105 (in particular a headrest 105 of a vehicle seat 106) in the interior of a motor vehicle 100.

[0034] The method 300 comprises determining 301, based on camera data of the interior camera 102 of the motor vehicle 100, which were recorded before the occupant entered the interior of the motor vehicle 100, configuration data relating to the configuration of the vehicle component 105 (in particular relating to the height 115 of the headrest 105).

[0035] Furthermore, the method 300 comprises determining 302, based on camera data of the interior camera 102 of the motor vehicle 100, which were recorded after the occupant has entered the interior of the motor vehicle 100, occupant data relating to the occupant (in particular relating to the height 215 of the head 205 of the occupant).

[0036] The method 300 further comprises determining 303, based on the

[0037] Configuration data and, based on the occupant data, whether the configuration of the vehicle component 105 is suitable for the occupant (in particular, whether the height 115 of the headrest 105 matches the height 215 of the occupant's head 205). If this is not the case, a notification can be issued to the user, requesting them to change the configuration of the vehicle component 105. This allows the safety and comfort of the vehicle 100 to be increased in an efficient and reliable manner.

[0038] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown. In particular, it should be noted that the description and figures are intended only to illustrate the principle of the proposed methods, devices, and systems by way of example.

Claims

Claims 1) Device (101) for checking an occupant-specific setting of a vehicle component (105) in an interior of a motor vehicle (100); wherein the device (101) is configured - to determine configuration data relating to a configuration of the vehicle component (105) on the basis of camera data from an interior camera (102) of the motor vehicle (100) which were recorded before the occupant entered the interior of the motor vehicle (100); - to determine occupant data relating to the occupant on the basis of camera data from the interior camera (102) of the motor vehicle (100) which were recorded after the occupant has entered the interior of the motor vehicle (100); and - to determine, on the basis of the configuration data and on the basis of the occupant data, whether the configuration of the vehicle component (105) is suitable for the occupant or not. 2) Device (101) according to claim 1, wherein the device (101) is configured to output an indication via a user interface (104) of the motor vehicle (100) when it is determined that the configuration of the vehicle component (105) is not suitable for the occupant. 3) Device (101) according to claim 2, wherein the - the vehicle component (105) comprises a headrest (105) of a vehicle seat (106); and - the device (101) is arranged - to determine whether or not an occupant is sitting on the vehicle seat (106); and - to prevent the indication from being issued if it is determined that there is no occupant sitting on the vehicle seat (106). 4) Device (101) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the device (101) is designed - to determine the configuration data relating to the configuration of the vehicle component (105) at a first point in time based on camera data from the interior camera (102) of the motor vehicle (100) and to store them in a memory unit of the vehicle (100); wherein, in particular, at the first point in time, the occupant has not yet entered the interior of the motor vehicle (100); and - reading the configuration data relating to the configuration of the vehicle component (105) from the memory unit at a subsequent second point in time; wherein, in particular, at the subsequent second point in time, the occupant has already entered the interior of the motor vehicle (100). 5) Device (101) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the vehicle component (105) is designed to be specifically adapted to the occupant, in particular to a body size of the occupant. 6) Device (101) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the vehicle component (105) is arranged within the interior of the motor vehicle (100) in such a way that the vehicle component (105) is at least partially concealed within the camera data of the interior camera (102) when the occupant is arranged in the interior of the motor vehicle (100). 7) Device (101) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein - the vehicle component (105) comprises, in particular is, a headrest (105) of a vehicle seat (106); and - the configuration data relating to the configuration of the vehicle component (105) include a height (115) of the headrest (105), in particular relative to a seat surface of the vehicle seat (106); and - the occupant data relating to the occupant include a height of the occupant's head (205), in particular relative to the seating surface of the vehicle seat (106). 8) Device (101) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the device (101) is arranged - to determine whether the vehicle component (105) is missing or not based on camera data from the interior camera (102) of the motor vehicle (100) which were recorded before the occupant entered the interior of the motor vehicle (100); and - to output an indication via a user interface (104) of the motor vehicle (100) if it is determined that the vehicle component (105) is missing. 9) Device (101) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the device (101) is configured to determine the configuration data and / or the occupant data using an image analysis algorithm based on the respective camera data. 10) Device (101) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the device (101) is arranged - based on an occupancy sensor of a vehicle seat (106) of the vehicle (100); and / or - based on a sensor at an access, in particular at a door, of the vehicle (100); to determine that the occupant has entered the interior of the motor vehicle (100). 11) Method (300) for checking an occupant-specific setting of a vehicle component (105) in an interior of a motor vehicle (100); wherein the method (300) comprises - determining (301), on the basis of camera data from an interior camera (102) of the motor vehicle (100) which were recorded before the occupant entered the interior of the motor vehicle (100), configuration data relating to a configuration of the vehicle component (105); - determining (302), on the basis of camera data from the interior camera (102) of the motor vehicle (100) which were recorded after the occupant has entered the interior of the motor vehicle (100), occupant data relating to the occupant; and - Determining (303), based on the configuration data and on the occupant data, whether the configuration of the vehicle component (105) is suitable for the occupant or not.

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