Vehicular occupant monitoring system

Abstract

A vehicular cabin monitoring system includes an interior rearview mirror assembly having a mirror head that accommodates a mirror reflective element. At least one camera is accommodated by the mirror head and views within the interior cabin of the vehicle. The camera and the mirror reflective element move together and in tandem with the mirror head. With the interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle, image data captured by the camera is processed for monitoring of the driver of the vehicle and image data captured by the camera is processed for monitoring of a passenger region within the interior cabin of the vehicle.

Description

PCT APPLICATION225894-566437 / DON01 FP5398WOVEHICULAR OCCUPANT MONITORING SYSTEMCROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims the filing benefits of U.S. provisional applicationSer. No. 63 / 747,943, filed Jan. 22, 2025, U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 63 / 727,720,filed Dec. 4, 2024, U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 63 / 719,719, filed Nov. 13, 2024,and U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 63 / 673,225, filed Jul. 19, 2024, which are allhereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of driver monitoring systemsor occupant monitoring systems for vehicles.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] It is known to provide a mirror assembly that is adjustably mounted to an interiorportion of a vehicle, such as via a single or double ball pivot or joint mounting configurationwhere the mirror casing and mirror reflective element are adjusted relative to the interiorportion of a vehicle by pivotal movement about the single or double ball pivot configuration.The mirror casing and reflective element are pivotable about one or two ball pivot joints bya user that is adjusting a rearward field of view of the reflective element.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] A vehicular cabin monitoring system includes an interior rearview mirrorassembly including a mirror head adjustable about a mounting structure. The mountingstructure is configured to mount the interior rearview mirror assembly at an interior portionof an interior cabin of a vehicle. The mirror head accommodates a mirror reflectiveelement. At least one camera is accommodated by the mirror head, and, with the interiorrearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle,each camera of the at least one camera views within the interior cabin of the vehicle. Eachcamera of the at least one camera and the mirror reflective element move together and intandem with the mirror head when, with the interior rearview mirror assembly mounted atthe interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle, the mirror head is adjusted about themounting structure to provide a rearward view for a driver of the vehicle provided by the1 61006458.1mirror reflective element. Image data captured by the at least one camera is transferred toan electronic control unit (ECU). The ECU includes electronic circuitry and associatedsoftware, and the electronic circuitry of the ECU includes an image processor operable toprocess image data transferred to the ECU. With the interior rearview mirror assemblymounted at the interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle, image data captured bythe at least one camera is processed at the ECU for monitoring of the driver of the vehicleand image data captured by the at least one camera is processed at the ECU formonitoring of a passenger region within the interior cabin of the vehicle. For example, themirror head may include a first camera that views through the mirror reflective element andtoward the driver’s head region of the cabin of the vehicle and a second camera that viewsthrough an aperture in a lower portion of the mirror casing and at least partially downwardand toward the passenger region of the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicular cabinmonitoring system, based on processing at the ECU of image data captured by the secondcamera, monitors the passenger region and, based on processing at the ECU of imagedata captured by the first camera, monitors the driver of the vehicle.According to another aspect, a vehicular cabin monitoring system includes an interiorrearview mirror assembly having a mirror head adjustable about a mounting structure, withthe mounting structure configured to mount the interior rearview mirror assembly at aninterior portion of an interior cabin of a vehicle. The mirror head accommodates a mirrorreflective element and a downward-viewing camera. With the interior rearview mirrorassembly mounted at the interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle, the downward-viewing camera views within the interior cabin of the vehicle. The downward-viewingcamera and the mirror reflective element move together and in tandem with the mirrorhead when, with the interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portion of theinterior cabin of the vehicle, the mirror head is adjusted about the mounting structure toprovide a rearward view for a driver of the vehicle provided by the mirror reflectiveelement. Image data captured by the downward-viewing camera is transferred to anelectronic control unit (ECU). The ECU includes electronic circuitry and associatedsoftware, and the electronic circuitry of the ECU includes an image processor operable toprocess image data transferred to the ECU. With the interior rearview mirror assemblymounted at the interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle, image data captured bythe downward-viewing camera is processed at the ECU for monitoring of a passenger2 61006458.1region within the interior cabin of the vehicle. Captured image data is processed at theECU for monitoring of the driver of the vehicle. The captured image data that is processedat the ECU for monitoring of the driver of the vehicle may be captured by the downward-viewing camera, or by a driver monitoring camera that may be disposed at the mirror heador at a second interior portion of the vehicle, such as at a steering column of the vehicle orat an instrument panel or dashboard of the vehicle or at an overhead console of thevehicle.

[0005] These and other objects, advantages, purposes and features of the presentinvention will become apparent upon review of the following specification in conjunctionwith the drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an interior rearview mirror assembly having adriver monitoring camera and a near infrared light emitter behind a reflective element ofthe interior rearview mirror assembly;

[0007] FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the interior rearview mirror assembly,showing the driver monitoring camera and light emitters without the reflective element;

[0008] FIGS. 3A and 3B are charts showing example positions within the cabin of thevehicle for the head and eyes of drivers having different statures;

[0009] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the interior rearview mirror assembly with adriver monitoring camera viewing through the mirror reflective element toward a driverregion of the cabin of the vehicle;

[0010] FIGS. 5A and 5B show an example field of view of the driver monitoring camera;

[0011] FIGS. 6A and 6B show an example field of view of the driver monitoring camerawith a wider field of view;

[0012] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the interior rearview mirror assembly with adriver monitoring camera viewing through the mirror reflective element toward a driverregion of the cabin of the vehicle and a secondary camera viewing downward through anaperture in the mirror casing toward a passenger region of the cabin of the vehicle;

[0013] FIG. 8 shows an example field of view of the secondary camera;

[0014] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the interior rearview mirror assembly with adriver monitoring camera viewing through the mirror reflective element toward the driver3 61006458.1region of the cabin of the vehicle and viewing through a periscope lens downward towardthe passenger region of the cabin of the vehicle;

[0015] FIGS. 10A and 10B show the driver monitoring camera tilted relative to themirror reflective element and viewing through a cover at a chin region of the mirror head;

[0016] FIGS. 10C and 10D show an example field of view of the tilted driver monitoringcamera of FIGS. 10A and 10B;

[0017] FIG. 11 shows the driver monitoring camera viewing through a curved mirrorreflective element;

[0018] FIG. 12A is a schematic diagram of the interior rearview mirror assembly with adriver monitoring camera viewing through the mirror reflective element toward a driverregion of the cabin of the vehicle and a secondary camera viewing downward toward apassenger region of the cabin of the vehicle and having a wide field of view;

[0019] FIGS. 12B and 12C are example fields of view of the driver monitoring cameraand secondary camera of FIG. 12A;

[0020] FIGS. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the fields of view of the drivermonitoring camera and the secondary camera;

[0021] FIGS. 14A, 14B, 15A and 15B show example fields of view of the drivermonitoring camera and the secondary camera;

[0022] FIGS. 16-18 are views of the interior rearview mirror assembly having thesecondary camera protruding through an opening in a lower edge portion of the mirrorcasing;

[0023] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing driver and passenger positions within the interiorcabin of the vehicle within the field of view of the driver monitoring camera;

[0024] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing driver and passenger positions within the interiorcabin of the vehicle within the field of view of the secondary camera;

[0025] FIG. 21 is an example field of view of the driver monitoring camera;

[0026] FIG. 22 is an example field of view of the secondary camera, showing theimager of the secondary camera shifted to a further forward position of the interior cabin ofthe vehicle;

[0027] FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the interior rearview mirror assembly showingnear infrared light emitters for illuminating the driver region and the passenger region ofthe interior cabin of the vehicle;4 61006458.1

[0028] FIGS. 24A-26B show example misuse cases that are detectable by a drivermonitoring system and / or occupant monitoring system of the vehicle via processing ofimage data captured by the driver monitoring camera and / or the secondary camera;

[0029] FIG. 27 is a plan view of the interior rearview mirror assembly having the drivermonitoring camera and the near infrared light emitters disposed behind the mirror reflectiveelement;

[0030] FIG. 28 is an exploded view of the interior rearview mirror assembly;

[0031] FIGS. 29A-29C show example fields of view of the driver monitoring camerawhen the mirror head is positioned to provide a rearward view to a female driver having astature in the 5th percentile, and with the front passenger exhibiting example behaviors;

[0032] FIGS. 29D-29F show example fields of view of the driver monitoring camerawhen the mirror head is positioned to provide a rearward view to a male driver having astature in the 95th percentile, and with the front passenger exhibiting example behaviors;

[0033] FIG. 30 is a perspective view of the interior rearview mirror assembly with thesecondary camera disposed at a lower edge region of the mirror head for viewingdownward toward the passenger region of the vehicle;

[0034] FIGS. 31A-31C show example fields of view of the downward viewing secondarycamera when the mirror head is positioned to provide a rearward view to a female driverhaving a stature in the 5th percentile, and with the front passenger exhibiting examplebehaviors;

[0035] FIGS. 31D-31F show example fields of view of the downward viewing secondarycamera when the mirror head is positioned to provide a rearward view to a male driverhaving a stature in the 95th percentile, and with the front passenger exhibiting examplebehaviors;

[0036] FIG. 32 is a perspective view of the interior rearview mirror assembly with atoggle mechanism at the lower edge region of the mirror head for adjusting the mirrorassembly between daytime and nighttime or anti-glare reflection states;

[0037] FIG. 33 is a diagram showing a field of view of the downward viewing secondarycamera;

[0038] FIG. 34 is an environmental view of the interior rearview mirror assembly withthe downward viewing secondary camera disposed mounted at the inner cabin surface ofthe vehicle windshield;5 61006458.1

[0039] FIGS. 35 and 36 are additional perspective views of the interior rearview mirrorassembly with the downward viewing secondary camera;

[0040] FIG. 37 is a perspective view of the interior rearview mirror assembly with asideward viewing passenger camera configured to view sideward from the mirror assemblyand toward the passenger region of the cabin of the vehicle;

[0041] FIGS. 38A-38C show example fields of view of the passenger camera when themirror head is positioned to provide a rearward view to a female driver having a stature inthe 5th percentile, and with the front passenger exhibiting example behaviors;

[0042] FIGS. 38D-38F show example fields of view of the passenger camera when themirror head is positioned to provide a rearward view to a male driver having a stature inthe 95th percentile, and with the front passenger exhibiting example behaviors;

[0043] FIGS. 39A-47C show example fields of view of the driver monitoring camera, thedownward viewing secondary camera and the passenger camera, with portions highlightedto show areas of interest during processing for driver monitoring and occupant monitoringfunctions;

[0044] FIGS. 48A-48E are schematic diagrams for example system architectures fordata transfer between the driver monitoring camera and secondary camera and anelectronic control unit (ECU);

[0045] FIGS. 49A-49C are schematic diagrams for example system on chip (SoC) andsystem in a package (SiP) implementations for the interior rearview mirror assembly;

[0046] FIG. 50A is a schematic diagram of the interior rearview mirror assembly withthe secondary camera viewing downward toward a passenger region of the cabin of thevehicle;

[0047] FIG. 50B is an example field of view of the secondary camera of FIG. 50A;

[0048] FIG. 51 is shows the example field of view of the secondary camera with anoverlay indicating different width dimensions of the field of view of the secondary camera;

[0049] FIG. 52 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle showing a plurality of time of flight(ToF) cameras within the interior cabin of the vehicle and their respective fields of viewwithin the interior cabin of the vehicle; and

[0050] FIGS. 53A-53D show example data point clouds captured by ToF sensors orcameras. 6 61006458.1DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0051] In some jurisdictions, regulations may require a driver monitoring system (DMS)and / or occupant monitoring system (OMS) of a vehicle to detect unsafe conditions orbehaviors of the driver or vehicle occupants. For instance, the European New CarAssessment Program (NCAP) provides information and ratings on the safety performanceof new vehicles and a driver monitoring category is a key category for a new vehicle toreceive a top safety performance rating. The rating system continues to increase theimportance of occupant monitoring assessments with a specific interest in monitoring thefront row passenger of the vehicle. By way of example, the system may be required todetermine an unsafe condition based on a passenger in the front seat of the vehicle beingtoo close to the airbag and / or having their feet or legs resting on the dashboard of thevehicle. Further, the system may be required to determine an unsafe condition based ondetection of a child and / or child seat in the front passenger seat. As discussed furtherbelow, an interior rearview mirror assembly includes one or more cameras at a mirror headof the mirror assembly, where the one or more cameras capture image data of a frontpassenger region throughout a range of motion of the mirror head. That is, to detectunsafe conditions and behaviors at the front passenger region of the cabin, the one ormore DMS and / or OMS cameras have a field of view that at least partially views the frontpassenger region of the cabin at all positions of the mirror head.

[0052] Referring now to the drawings and the illustrative embodiments depicted therein,an interior rearview mirror assembly 10 for a vehicle includes a casing 12 and a reflectiveelement 14 positioned at a front portion of the casing 12 (FIG. 1). In the illustratedembodiment, the mirror assembly 10 is configured to be adjustably mounted to an interiorportion of a vehicle (such as to an interior or in-cabin surface of a vehicle windshield or aheadliner of a vehicle or the like) via a mounting structure or mounting configuration orassembly or stay 16. The system includes a camera 18 disposed at and movable with themirror head. For example, the camera 18 may be disposed behind the mirror reflectiveelement 14 and view through the mirror reflective element 14 for capturing image datarepresentative of the interior cabin of the vehicle, including the driver’s head region andoccupant region of the vehicle cabin. The system may utilize aspects of driver monitoringsystems or occupant monitoring systems described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 11,930,264;7 61006458.111,827,153; 11,780,372 and / or 11,639,134 and / or International Publication No. WO2023 / 220222, which are all hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0053] The mirror assembly 10 may comprise an auto-dimming mirror reflectiveelement (e.g., an electrochromic mirror reflective element) or a prismatic mirror reflectiveelement. For a prismatic mirror, when the head or housing is set to a particular orientationby the driver of an equipped vehicle, a toggle operable by the driver moves the housingand reflective element to flip upward / downward, typically by about 4 degrees, to switchbetween a daytime or non-glare reducing position (where the driver views reflections at themirror reflector at the second or rear surface of the mirror reflective element) and anighttime or glare reducing position (where the driver views reflections at the first or frontsurface of the glass substrate of the mirror reflective element). With the auto-dimmingmirror, there is typically no movement once the mirror head is set for the particular driver.The electrochromic mirror reflective element dims responsive to an electric current appliedto an electrochromic medium of the mirror reflective element.

[0054] The mirror assembly 10 includes or is associated with a DMS and / or an OMS,with the mirror assembly 10 comprising a driver / occupant monitoring camera 18 disposedat a back plate 20 (and viewing through an aperture of the back plate) behind the reflectiveelement 14 and viewing through the reflective element 14 toward at least a head region ofthe driver of the vehicle (FIG. 2). That is, the driver monitoring camera 18 isaccommodated by the mirror head, and with the mounting structure 16 attached at theinterior portion of the cabin of the vehicle, the driver monitoring camera views within thecabin of the vehicle toward at least the head region of the driver.

[0055] The mirror assembly 10 may include a printed circuit board (PCB) 22 (FIG. 4)(such as disposed at the back plate) having a control or control unit comprising electroniccircuitry (e.g., disposed at the circuit board or substrate in the mirror casing), which mayinclude driver circuitry for controlling dimming of the mirror reflective element 14. Thecircuit board (or a separate DMS circuit board) includes a processor that processes imagedata captured by the camera 18 for monitoring the driver and determining, for example,driver attentiveness and / or driver drowsiness. The driver monitoring system includes thedriver monitoring camera 18 and may also include an occupant monitoring camera (or thedriver monitoring camera may have a sufficiently wide field of view so as to view the8 61006458.1occupant or passenger seat of the vehicle as well as the driver region), and may provideoccupant detection and / or monitoring functions as part of the OMS.

[0056] The DMS may include one or more infrared (IR) or near infrared (NIR) lightemitter(s) 24, which may be disposed at the back plate 20 and may, when electricallypowered to emit light, emit light that passes through another aperture of the back plate 20and through the reflective element 14 to illuminate the head region of the driver of thevehicle. For example, the mirror assembly 10 may include one or more IR or NIR lightemitting diodes (LEDs) or vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL) or the likedisposed at the back plate 20 behind the reflective element 14 and, when electricallypowered to emit light, emitting near infrared light (or other nonvisible light) through theaperture of the back plate 20 and through the reflective element 14 toward the head regionof the driver of the vehicle.

[0057] The interior rearview mirror 10 thus may include embedded cameras, IR / NIRilluminators and one or more processors for processing captured image data for the drivermonitoring application. The inward facing camera 18 and light emitters 24 are fixed withinthe mirror head, and thus both components may be coupled with the mirror body. In thesecases, the camera’s field of view is subject to change from driver to driver as the mirrorhead is adjusted to set the driver’s preferred rearward view provided by the mirrorreflective element 14. FIGS. 3A and 3B show example driver regions or driver positions 30within the cabin of the vehicle for the head and eyes of drivers having different staturesand / or seating positions, where the driver positions 30 may vary (e.g., up to 800millimeters or more) in proximity to the mirror assembly 10 and in height relative to thedriver seat.

[0058] Because the camera 18 moves with the mirror head, adjustment of the mirrorhead to set the driver’s preferred rearward view changes the position and viewing directionor principal viewing axis of the camera 18 relative to the fixed base portion or mountingstructure or stay 16, and thus relative to the vehicle. Put another way, the driver monitoringcamera and the mirror reflective element move together and in tandem with the mirrorhead when the mirror head is adjusted about the mounting structure to provide a rearwardview for the driver of the vehicle. Responsive to image processing of image data capturedby the DMS camera, DMS algorithms may calculate or determine the driver eye gazedirection relative to the camera 18, and thus relative to the mirror head. Precise eye gaze9 61006458.1direction analysis is important to understanding where the driver is looking within thevehicle cabin and / or where the driver is looking through the windows or windshield exteriorof the vehicle. This information allows the advanced driver or driving assistance systems(ADAS) of the vehicle to generate an alert or intervene appropriately when the user maybe distracted and / or when the user is looking off the road (i.e., not looking ahead of wherethe vehicle is traveling along the road). Further, the OMS may process image datacaptured by the camera at the mirror head to determine presence of passengers within thevehicle to determine behavior or seating positions of passengers within the vehicle and / orto determine presence of objects within the vehicle, such as within the footwells of thevehicle.

[0059] However, due to the placement of the DMS / OMS camera 18 behind the mirrorreflective element 14 of the interior rearview mirror assembly 10, a primary field of view 26of the camera 18 may be limited or clipped by portions of the mirror assembly 10 (FIGS. 4and 7). That is, only portions of the vehicle cabin that are rearward of the mirror reflectiveelement 14 may be visible to the camera and the camera cannot view portions of the cabinin front of the mirror reflective element. Thus, when the mirror head 12 is adjusted to set arearward view of the driver, there are some positions of the mirror head (such as those thatset for a shorter driver) that move the mirror to a position where at least a portion of a frontpassenger region 28 of the cabin may be out of the field of view of the driver monitoringcamera 18 (FIGS. 5A, 5B, 6A and 6B). In other words, as the mirror head 12 is tilted orpivoted toward the driver side of the vehicle, this may reduce visibility for the camera 18 ofthe passenger side of the vehicle. This reduces the ability of the system to determineunsafe conditions.

[0060] FIG. 5Brepresents the primary field of view 26 of the camera 18 when the mirrorhead is adjusted toward a driver region 30 within the cabin of the vehicle to set therearward view of the driver. In FIG. 5A, a plane emanating from the camera 18 mayrepresent the field of view 26 of the camera 18. As shown, when the mirror head isadjusted toward the driver region 30, at least a portion of the front passenger region 28 ofthe cabin may not be viewable by the camera 18, thus making it difficult for the system todetermine unsafe behaviors or seating positions of the passenger via processing of thecaptured image data.10 61006458.1

[0061] FIG. 4 schematically shows a position underneath the mirror assembly 10 andoutside the primary field of view 26 of the driver monitoring camera 18 that representspassenger feet on the dashboard of the vehicle. The position cannot be viewed by thedriver monitoring camera 18 because the imaging circle (i.e., primary field of view 26 thatcan be imaged by the camera 18) cannot be extended beyond about 87 degrees when thecamera 18 views behind flat glass of the mirror reflective element 14. That is, and asshown in FIG. 6B, even when the camera 18 has a field of view of about 202 degrees, themirror casing 12 may still block the camera 18 from viewing the passenger hip and feetpositions. Thus, because the position in FIG. 4 is outside the field of view 26 of the drivermonitoring camera 18, the system is unable to detect passenger feet on the dashboard.Moreover, increasing the scaling factor (magnification) of the captured image to achievethe wider field of view in FIG. 6B reduces the size of features in pixels of the image data(e.g., the driver eyes and / or passenger eyes). That is, although the camera 18 may betterview the passenger region 28, the increased scaling factor reduces the quality of capturedimage data (e.g., reduced clarity and / or size of the portions of the image datarepresentative of the driver’s eyes and head) and thus reduces the ability of the DMS toaccurately monitor the driver.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 7, a secondary camera 32 may be disposed at the mirrorassembly 10 that has a respective field of view 34 that is generally downward from themirror assembly 10 and toward the cabin of the vehicle. For example, the secondarycamera 32 may be disposed within the mirror head behind the mirror reflective element 14and view through an aperture formed in a lower portion of the mirror casing 12. Thesecondary camera 32 may have a wide field of view (e.g., a field of view of 60 degrees ormore, 90 degrees or more, 110 degrees or more, 180 degrees or more, and the like). Thesecondary camera 32 may be oriented at the mirror assembly such that a secondaryviewing axis 32a of the secondary camera (e.g., normal to a plane of an imager of thesecondary camera) is transverse (e.g., normal or perpendicular) to a principal viewing axis18a of the primary camera 18, or the secondary camera 32 may be biased or angledtoward the cabin of the vehicle to view more of the driver and passenger regions of thecabin and less of the dashboard. For example, a lens of the secondary camera 32 may betilted to bias or direct the field of view 34 or the secondary camera 32 may include a lens-to-imager shift. The principal viewing axis 18a of the primary camera 18 may be11 61006458.1substantially normal or substantially perpendicular to a plane of the mirror reflectiveelement 14, such as within one degree of normal (e.g., between 89 degrees and 91degrees) or such as within five degrees of normal (e.g., between 85 degrees and 95degrees) or such as within ten degrees of normal (e.g., between 80 degrees and 100degrees).

[0063] FIG. 8 represents an example field of view 34 of the secondary camera 32. Asshown, the secondary camera 32 may view the front passenger region 28 and the driverregion 30 (including the footwells and hand positions of the driver and passenger) atvarious positions of the mirror head. Thus, by processing image data captured by theprimary camera 18 and the secondary camera 32, the DMS / OMS may be able to monitorthe front passenger region 28 throughout the range of motion of the mirror head.

[0064] Optionally, image data captured by the secondary camera 32 may be used onlyfor object detection (e.g., to detect presence of objects within the footwells of the frontdriver and / or front passenger regions of the vehicle). Thus, the secondary camera 32 mayhave lower image resolution relative to the primary camera 18, such as to reduce costsand processing needs of the system. For example, the primary camera 18 may comprise a5.0 megapixel camera (or a higher resolution camera having more than five millionphotosensing elements) and the secondary camera 32 may comprise a 2.3 megapixelcamera (or a lower resolution camera having less than about two million photosensingelements). Optionally, because the secondary camera 32 views the passenger region, theprimary camera 18 may be configured to primarily view the driver region (e.g., a driverhead box or driver’s head region) and the image resolution of the primary camera 18 maybe reduced (e.g., to a 2.3 megapixel camera having a smaller field of view).

[0065] A secondary IR or near IR light emitter, such as a wide view IR LED, may bedisposed at the mirror head at or near the secondary camera 32 for illuminating the field ofview 34 of the secondary camera 32. For example, the secondary camera 32 and thesecondary near IR light emitter may be disposed behind a cover or lens at the mirrorcasing 12 that is at least partially transmissive to IR or near IR light and that at leastpartially blocks or attenuates visible light. That is, at least a portion of near IR light incidentat the cover may pass through the cover. The cover may be at least partially transmissiveto IR or near IR light to allow light emitted by the near IR light emitter to pass through thecover and to allow the secondary camera 32 to capture image data representative of near12 61006458.1IR light reflecting off objects within the cabin and that passes through the cover while thecover at least partially blocks visible light to hide or render covert the secondary camera 32and secondary near IR light emitter from view of the driver. The cover may be a long passIR filter that is two-shot molded with the housing. Optionally, the cover is attached to ordisposed at the mirror casing 12 via other means, such as snap attached at the mirrorcasing 12.

[0066] Optionally, the secondary camera 32 may be disposed behind an open aperturein the mirror casing 12 or the cover may be at least partially transmissive to visible light.That is, at least a portion of visible light incident at the cover may pass through the coverand / or the aperture formed in the mirror casing 12. The secondary camera 32 and / or thesecondary near IR light emitter may remain hidden from the driver and passenger becauseof the mirror orientation and / or position of the mirror head within the vehicle. For example,the aperture through which the secondary camera 32 views may be at least partiallyrecessed from an outermost surface of the mirror casing 12.

[0067] In the illustrated example of FIG. 7, the primary camera 18 includes an imagerdisposed at one PCB 22 and the secondary camera 32 includes an imager disposed atanother, secondary PCB 36 that may be disposed remote from the primary PCB 22. Theimage sensor and / or the PCB 22 of the primary camera 18 may be the same or similar tothe image sensor and / or PCB 36 of the secondary camera 32, with the primary camera 18and secondary camera 32 having different lenses to provide different fields of view (e.g.,the primary camera 18 may have a medium or standard field of view between 15 degreesand 60 degrees and the secondary camera 32 may have a wide field of view greater than60 degrees). The primary PCB 22 and the secondary PCB 36 may be electricallyconnected to one another and / or the ECU of the DMS for transmitting captured image datato provide the DMS / OMS function. That is, the ECU at the interior rearview mirrorassembly include two electrical connectors, one for each camera.

[0068] Optionally, the imagers of the primary camera and the secondary camera maybe disposed at a shared or common PCB that allows the respective image sensors of thecameras to be angled relative to one another (such as about 90 degrees relative to oneanother). For example, the PCB may include a flex PCB or a ridge flex PCB so that a firstportion of the PCB accommodating the image sensor of the primary camera and a secondportion of the PCB accommodating the image sensor of the secondary camera may be13 61006458.1disposed at an angle relative to one another, such as at an oblique angle or a right angle.The common PCB may electrically connect to the ECU of the interior rearview mirrorassembly via one connector.

[0069] In some examples, the image sensor of the primary camera and the imagesensor of the secondary camera may be disposed on a common rigid PCB. That is, thetwo image sensors may be disposed on plane or parallel relative to one another. Theimage sensor of the primary camera may use a typical camera lens to view the driverregion of the cabin and the image sensor of the secondary camera may view through alens that bends light to view at an angle relative to the plane of the image sensor and PCB.For example, the image sensor of the secondary camera may view through a periscopelens that bends light (such as about 90 degrees relative to the image sensor) to view thepassenger region of the cabin and / or the dashboard of the vehicle for the OMS function.

[0070] Optionally, image data captured by the secondary camera 32 may be processedto determine position and / or orientation of the interior rearview mirror head relative to oneor more features within the cabin of the vehicle (e.g., at the dashboard of the vehicle). Thismay allow the DMS / OMS to calibrate the position and / or orientation of the interior rearviewmirror head, such as for feedback to the DMS for determining gaze direction of the driver.In other words, based on processing of image data captured by the secondary camera 32,the system may determine position or angle or orientation of the mirror head relative to adetected feature of the vehicle cabin (e.g., a calibration target having known geometryand / or position). Based on processing of image data captured by the primary camera 18and based on the determined position or angle or orientation of the mirror head, the DMSmay determine the gaze direction of the driver. Optionally, the system may determineorientation of the mirror head via image processing and / or responsive to position sensors,such as by utilizing aspects of the systems described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 11,465,561 and / or11,292,389 and / or U.S. Publication Nos. US-2024-0223734 and / or US-2021-0323477,which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0071] Optionally, the mirror assembly may include a camera where a portion of thefield of view of the camera views through the mirror reflective element to view the driverregion and another portion of the field of view of the camera includes a reflective elementor lens or optic element that bends light or directs reflections toward the imager to allowthe camera to view downward and toward the passenger region of the cabin. For example,14 61006458.1and as shown in FIG. 9, the camera 18 captures image data representative of the driverregion of the cabin within a first portion of the primary field of view 26 and the camera 18captures image data representative of the passenger region of the cabin within a secondportion of the primary field of view 26. As shown, a reflective element or lens or opticelement such as a periscope lens 38 or light-refracting or light-directing element isdisposed within the second portion of the primary field of view 26 and directs light towardthe image sensor of the camera 18 representative of the secondary field of view 34.

[0072] That is, the image sensor of the camera 18 may capture a first portion of imagedata representative of light passing through a first lens and a second portion of image datarepresentative of light passing through a second lens. The first lens directs light to theimage sensor for viewing the driver region of the cabin and the second lens directs light tothe image sensor for viewing the passenger region of the cabin. The second lens may viewgenerally downward from the mirror head and toward the cabin of the vehicle. The firstportion of captured image data may be processed for the DMS function and the secondportion of captured image data may be processed for the OMS function.

[0073] In some examples, the mirror assembly may include a camera that is tilted orangled relative to the mirror reflective element so that the field of view of the cameraincludes the driver region and the passenger region when the mirror head is adjusted toprovide the rearward view to the driver. For example, and as shown in FIGS. 10A-10D, thecamera 18 is tilted downward relative to the mirror reflective element 14 of the mirrorassembly. That is, a plane of the image sensor of the camera 18 is angled relative to aplane of the mirror reflective element 14 (such as between 10 degrees and 40 degrees) sothat the camera 18 views downward relative to the mirror reflective element 14. This maymaintain full coverage of the driver and first row passenger without blockages caused bythe structure of the mirror assembly within the field of view of the camera.

[0074] The camera 18 may view through a chin cover 40 that extends below the mirrorreflective element 14 and that is generally parallel to the plane of the image sensor of thecamera 18. The cover 40 may be at least partially tinted or block or attenuate at least aportion of visible light to hide or render covert the camera 18 behind the cover 40. Tiltingthe camera relative to the mirror reflective element when viewing through the chin covermay reduce the height of the chin below the mirror reflective element. The mirror assembly15 61006458.1may utilize characteristics of the mirror assemblies described in International PublicationNo. WO 2023 / 220222, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0075] Optionally, and such as shown in FIG. 11, the mirror assembly may include acurved mirror reflective element, such as a curved electrochromic mirror reflective element,so that an outermost point or apex 42 of the mirror reflective element is disposed furtheroutboard of the mirror casing than respective edges 44 of the mirror reflective element.With the mirror reflective element attached to the mirror casing at its edges, this allows thecamera 18 to view through the apex 42 of the mirror reflective element and thus captureimage data representative of a field of view of 180 degrees or more without interferencefrom the mirror casing.

[0076] Optionally, the mirror assembly may include a prismatic mirror to refract at leasta portion of the field of view of the camera toward the passenger region of the cabin of thevehicle. In other words, a reflective element such as a prismatic mirror may be disposedwithin the field of view of the camera to warp or bend at least a portion of the view of thecamera toward the passenger region of the cabin. For example, a wedge-shaped elementmay be disposed in front of the secondary image sensor to refract or reflect light receivedfrom generally below the mirror head toward the image sensor of the camera, such as byutilizing aspects of the light-refracting element of U.S. Publication No. US-2023-0158955,which is hereby incorporated here by reference in its entirety.

[0077] In some examples, the secondary camera may have a wide field of view toinclude both passenger head regions and passenger lap or foot regions (and optionallyportions of the dashboard) so that image data captured by the secondary camera may beprocessed to perform passenger eye tracking, detect passenger hand positions, detectpassenger feet positions, determine presence of objects in the passenger footwell and thelike. For example, and referring to FIGS. 12A-15B, the field of view 34 of the secondarycamera 32 views the front passenger region 28 and the driver region 30 and includes atleast portions of the passenger head region, passenger lap region and passenger foot wellregion. The field of view 34 of the secondary camera 32 may further include rearpassenger positions. The field of view 26 of the primary camera 18 views the driver region30 and may view rear passenger positions.

[0078] The primary camera or DMS camera 18 may have a narrower or smaller field ofview with a larger imager footprint compared to the secondary camera or OMS camera 32,16 61006458.1such as to have greater magnification or relative size of driver features (e.g., eyes) in thecaptured image data and to improve performance of driver monitoring functions (e.g.,driver gaze tracking) (FIGS. 13A and 13B). For example, the primary camera 18 mayinclude a 2.5 megapixel imager with a vertical image bias of about 0.35 millimeters toproduce a field of view 26 that extends about 38.6 degrees below the primary viewing axis18a and about 26.1 degrees above the primary viewing axis 18a for a vertical field of viewextending about 64.7 degrees relative to the primary viewing axis 18a. Moreover, the fieldof view 26 may have a horizontal field of view extending about 106.5 degrees relative tothe primary viewing axis 18a and a diagonal field of view extending about 110 degreesrelative to the primary viewing axis 18a. The imager of the primary camera 18 may beconfigured to capture image data representative of visible light and / or infrared or nearinfrared light incident at the imager. The secondary camera 32 may include a 1.5megapixel imager with a vertical image bias of about 1.03 millimeters to produce a field ofview 34 that extends about 101 degrees below the secondary viewing axis 32a and about34.4 degrees above the secondary viewing axis 32a for a vertical field of view extendingabout 135.4 degrees relative to the secondary viewing axis 32a. Moreover, the field of view34 may have a horizontal field of view extending about 197.6 degrees relative to thesecondary viewing axis 32a and a diagonal field of view extending about 202 degreesrelative to the secondary viewing axis 32a. The imager of the secondary camera 32 maybe configured to capture image data representative of infrared or near infrared lightincident at the imager. Other configurations of the primary camera 18 and secondarycamera 32 may be utilized.

[0079] Thus, the primary camera 18 provides a high resolution micro four thirds (MFT)camera so that captured image data may be processed for driver eye tracking and / or otherDMS functions. Further, the primary camera 18 may have a large enough field of view tocover all driver head locations and optionally second row passenger detections. The fieldof view of the secondary camera 32 may cover the entirety of the front row passenger fromhead to foot well and the dashboard in front of the passenger. Moreover, the field of viewof the secondary camera 32 may cover a center pose or Cpose including the centerconsole, arm rest and infotainment screen. The secondary camera 32 may have a lowerresolution MFT than the primary camera 18.17 61006458.1

[0080] As shown in FIGS. 14A-14B, with the increased size and downward facing fieldof view 34, the secondary camera 32 is capable of capturing image data representative ofthe passenger placing their feet on the dashboard of the vehicle and representative of thepassenger being in close proximity to the dashboard and airbag (such as within 20centimeters or less). Further, the secondary camera 32 may be capable of viewing a childseat in the front passenger seat. The primary camera 18 may be able to view the rearpassenger seat positions. Thus, the image data captured by the primary camera 18 andthe secondary camera 32 may be processed for the OMS / DMS operation throughout therange of motion of the interior rearview mirror head.

[0081] In some examples, the interior rearview mirror assembly may be positioned at ornear or slightly below the heads of the driver and / or front passenger. In other words, theprimary camera and / or the secondary camera may need to view at least slightly above thelower edge of the mirror casing to view the heads of the driver and / or front passenger.Referring to FIGS. 16-18, the secondary camera 32 may protrude at least partially belowthe lower edge of the mirror casing 12 so that the secondary camera 32 views at leastpartially above the lower edge of the mirror casing 12 and the field of view 34 of thesecondary camera 32 may include the head region of the driver and / or front passenger. Inthe illustrated example, the secondary camera 32 (e.g., a lens element or lens barrel of thesecondary camera) extends about 5.8 millimeters below the mirror casing 12 so that thefield of view 34 having a width from the secondary viewing axis 32a of 101 degrees mayencompass the head region of the driver and / or passenger. The extension of thesecondary camera 32 may be adjusted based on the field of view of the camera 32, theposition of the interior rearview mirror assembly, the needs of the OSM algorithm and thelike. In some examples, the OSM algorithm may not need to view the head of thepassenger.

[0082] Although shown as positioned at a central region of the lower surface of themirror casing 12, the secondary camera 32 may be positioned offset toward the driver sideor passenger side of the mirror casing, such as to accommodate a toggle mechanism of aprismatic mirror reflective element and / or to include a greater proportion of the driverregion or passenger region in the field of view of the secondary camera 32. Further, acover or lens element or button 46 may attach at or be integrally formed with the mirror18 61006458.1casing 12 and extend over the lens of the secondary camera 32. Thus, the secondarycamera 32 views through the cover 46.

[0083] FIG. 19 shows the field of view 26 of the DMS camera 18, where the field ofview 26 may be large enough to cover all drivers (e.g., having different seat positions anddifferent statures with different positioning of the interior rearview mirror) and view thepassenger positions in the second row of the vehicle. FIG. 20 shows the field of view 34 ofthe secondary camera 32 that protrudes below the mirror casing 12, where the field of view34 may be large enough to cover all drivers, all passengers, and view the passengerpositions in the second row of the vehicle. Further, the secondary camera 32 may view alldriver hand positions, such as for detecting the driver’s use of a cell phone or mobiledevice and for detecting the driver’s hands on the steering wheel.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 21, the field of view 26 of the DMS camera 18 views the driverposition when the interior rearview mirror is adjusted to set the rearward view of the driver.Thus, the secondary camera 32 may be rotated in yaw toward the passenger position(e.g., by about 30 degrees) to counteract the interior rearview mirror head being aimedtoward the driver position. This may be accomplished at the imager PCB level or thecamera module level and may require the design of the mirror assembly to be adjustedbetween left hand drive vehicles and right hand drive vehicles. Further, this may allow forthe field of view of the primary camera 18 to be reduced to increase the resolution of theprimary camera imager.

[0085] Optionally, and such as shown in FIG. 22, the imager of the secondary camera32 may be shifted to a more forward position in the vehicle so that the field of view 34includes a greater proportion of the front row of the vehicle. Thus, the secondary camera32 may view a larger portion of the front passenger without needing to rotate the camera32 toward the passenger position. This may allow the design to be universal between lefthand drive vehicles and right hand drive vehicles. However, the ability of the secondarycamera 32 to view the second row of the vehicle may be limited and thus the primarycamera 18 image data may be utilized to view the second row (FIG. 21).

[0086] Referring to FIG. 23, the mirror assembly 10 may include first near infrared lightemitters 24a disposed behind the mirror reflective element 14 and operable to emit nearinfrared light that passes through the mirror reflective element 14 to illuminate at least thedriver region of the interior cabin of the vehicle. For example, the mirror assembly 10 may19 61006458.1include two narrow field light emitters (e.g., LEDs) per driver hand. That is, when the mirrorassembly is configured to accommodate only a left hand drive vehicle or a right hand drivevehicle, the mirror assembly may include two light emitters (e.g., LEDs). When the mirrorassembly is configured to accommodate both left hand drive vehicles and right hand drivevehicles, the mirror assembly may include four light emitters (e.g., LEDs), with each pair oflight emitters configured to respectively illuminate one side of the vehicle cabin. Based onthe field of view of the primary camera 18, no wide field light emitters (e.g., LEDs) may beneeded to illuminate the driver region. Further, the mirror assembly may include next genIR or near IR LEDs that may be about 10 percent to 15 percent brighter.

[0087] Second near infrared light emitters 24b may be disposed at or near thesecondary camera 32, such as at the lower edge region of the mirror casing 12. In theillustrated example, the second near infrared light emitters 24b are disposed behind acover 48 or transmissive portion of the mirror casing 12 that allows near infrared light topass through. The cover 48 may be relatively non-transmissive to visible light to at leastpartially hide the second light emitters 24b, and the cover 48 may or may not include a redglow filter. The second near infrared light emitters 24b may include one or two or morewide field LEDs that point generally downward from the mirror head. The number of LEDsmay be adjusted based on brightness requirements.

[0088] Image data captured by the primary camera 18 and / or the secondary camera 32may be processed by the system to perform occupant monitoring functions, such as todetermine seat belt usage, to determine occupant classification, to determine occupantpresence and the like. When determining seat belt usage for the driver and / or passengers(FIGS. 24A-24C), the system may process the captured image data to determine correctseat belt routing, such as to distinguish between a seatbelt with only the buckle secured, aseatbelt completely behind the occupant’s back, a seatbelt with the lap belt across theoccupant’s lap and the diagonal belt behind the occupant’s back, and to determine rearseat occupancy including the number of seats with occupancy detection. Whendetermining occupant classification (FIGS. 25A-26B), the system may process thecaptured image data to determine a passenger airbag status (e.g., with the passengerairbag active for an adult and inactive for a child), to determine that the front passenger isout of position (e.g., with their feet on the dashboard or sitting in close proximity to thepassenger airbag) and to determine a stature classification for the driver and / or front20 61006458.1passenger (e.g., to determine if the stature of the occupant is 5th percentile or lower, 50thpercentile or lower, 95 percentile or greater and the like). When determining or detectingoccupant presence, the system may process the captured image data to perform childpresence detection, such as to determine when a child has been left behind unattended inthe vehicle in any seating position and / or to determine when a child enters the unlockedvehicle at any seating position. Moreover, when determining occupant presence, thesystem may determine occupancy information during a collision, such as a number ofadults in the vehicle and / or a number of children in the vehicle with or without child seats.

[0089] Moreover, image data captured by at least the primary camera 18 may beprocessed by the system to perform driver monitoring, such as to determine driver fatigue,to determine driver distraction, and to determine driver impairment, as well as to link drivermonitoring to crash avoidance and collision mitigation. For example, the system mayprocess the captured image data to determine if the driver distraction is transient (and thuseasily recoverable by the driver) or non-transient. Driver monitoring image data may alsobe processed for driver controls, such as for controlling in-vehicle information systems(IVIS), for adjusting driver comfort settings, for driving controls, for advanced driver assistsystems (ADAS), for hazard detection and the like. Optionally, image data captured by theDMS / OMS cameras may be processed for vehicle assistance, such as speed assistance,acceleration performance, steering assistance and the like. Performance of the DMS / OMSduring monitoring of the misuse cases of FIGS. 24A-26B via processing of the image datacaptured by the primary camera 18 and the secondary camera 32 may be improvedcompared to systems having only one camera monitoring the driver position and thepassenger position of the vehicle.

[0090] FIGS. 27 and 28 depict the interior rearview mirror assembly with the drivermonitoring camera 18 disposed behind and viewing through the mirror reflective element14 at a central region of the mirror head 12. Relative to an axis normal to the plane of themirror reflective element 14, the camera 18 may have a yaw of zero degrees and a pitch ofzero degrees. That is, the camera 18 may view through the mirror reflective element 14and not be tilted or pivoted or pitched relative to the mirror reflective element 14. Thecamera 18 may have a diagonal field of view of 165 degrees.

[0091] FIGS. 29A-29Fdepict example fields of view 26 of the driver monitoring camera18 when the mirror head 12 is set to provide the rearward field of view to the driver and the21 61006458.1driver is a female having a stature or size in the 5th percentile and the passenger is a malehaving a stature or size in the 50th percentile (FIGS. 29A-29C) and when the driver is amale having a stature or size in the 95th percentile and the passenger is a male having astature or size in the 50th percentile (FIGS. 29D-29F). Thus, the example fields of view 26in FIGS. 29A-29F represent fields of view for the driver monitoring camera 18 when themirror head of FIGS. 27 and 28 is positioned for drivers of relatively small stature (FIGS.29A-29C) and when the mirror head is positioned for drivers of relatively large stature(FIGS. 29D-29F). In the example fields of view 26, the passenger is shown in a normalseated position, leaned forward and close to the dashboard, and with their feet resting onthe dashboard. Because the representative fields of view 26 predominantly include thedriver region 30 of the interior cabin of the vehicle and show only part of the passengerregion 28, the DMS / OMS may not be able to accurately determine the passenger behaviorvia processing of only the image data captured by the DMS camera 18.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 30, the secondary camera 32 may be disposed at a lowerregion of the mirror head 12 and viewing generally downward from the mirror head 12 tohave a field of view 34 that includes the driver region 30 and the front passenger region 28of the interior cabin of the vehicle. That is, the secondary camera 32 may be configured toview both the driver and front passenger of the vehicle. Further, the secondary camera 32may be disposed at a side portion of the lower region of the mirror head, such as toaccommodate the toggle mechanism 50 at a central portion of the lower region of themirror head that adjusts the mirror head between daytime and nighttime or anti-glarereflection modes (FIG. 32). For example, the secondary camera 32 may be offset from themounting structure 16 by about 45 millimeters (e.g., greater than 20 millimeters, such asgreater than 30 millimeters, such as around 40 millimeters to 60 millimeters). Thesecondary camera 32 may be offset on the side of the mirror head closer to the driver sideof the vehicle (e.g., to capture a greater portion of the driver region 30) or offset on the sideof the mirror head closer to the passenger side of the vehicle (e.g., to capture a greaterportion of the passenger region 28). The camera 32 may view through an aperture and / ora cover or lens disposed at a lower portion of the mirror casing. In the illustrated example,the camera 32 has a yaw of zero degrees and a pitch of 90 degrees relative to the axisnormal to the plane of the mirror reflective element 14. The camera 32 may have adiagonal field of view of 202 degrees to accommodate the translation of the camera 3222 61006458.1toward the side of the mirror head 12 without negatively affecting or reducing the regionsof the interior cabin that are within the field of view 34 (FIG. 33). The camera 32 may beaccommodated within the mirror head 12 in any suitable manner to have a field of view 34that includes at least the front passenger region 28 and the driver region 30 of the vehicle.

[0093] FIGS. 31A-31F depict example fields of view 34 of the secondary camera 32when the mirror head 12 is set to provide the rearward field of view to the driver and thedriver is a female having a stature or size in the 5th percentile and the passenger is a malehaving a stature or size in the 50th percentile (FIGS. 31A-31C) and when the driver is amale having a stature or size in the 95th percentile and the passenger is a male having astature or size in the 50th percentile (FIGS. 31D-31F). Thus, the example fields of view 34in FIGS. 31A-31F represent fields of view for the secondary camera 32 when the mirrorhead of FIG. 30 is positioned for drivers of relatively small stature (FIGS. 31A-31C) andwhen the mirror head is positioned for drivers of relatively large stature (FIGS. 31D-31F).In the example fields of view 34, the passenger is shown in a normal seated position,leaned forward and close to the dashboard, and with their feet resting on the dashboard.Because the representative fields of view 34 include both the passenger region 28 and thedriver region 30 of the interior cabin of the vehicle, the DMS / OMS may more readilydetermine the passenger behavior via processing of the image data captured by thesecondary camera 32.

[0094] Referring to FIGS. 34-36, the downward facing camera 32 at the lower portion ofthe mirror head 12 may protrude or be slightly proud of the exterior Class A surface of themirror casing so that the camera 32 may view points of interest at least partially above thelower edge of the mirror casing 12 of the interior rearview mirror assembly. This isbalanced with the need to reduce obstructions in the field of view of the driver through thewindshield of the vehicle (FIG. 34). For example, the camera 32 may protrude about fourmillimeters or less past the lower edge portion of the mirror head 12 (FIG. 35). Further,near IR light emitters 24b may be disposed at the lower edge portion of the mirror head 12at an opposite side of the mirror head from the camera 32.

[0095] As shown in FIG. 37, a sideward viewing passenger camera 52 may bedisposed at a side region of the mirror head 12 closer to the passenger side of the vehicleand view generally sideward and optionally at least partially downward from the mirrorhead 12. For example, the passenger camera 52 may be mounted at and / or include an23 61006458.1imager disposed at a flexible circuit element that is flexed or bent or angled relative to themirror reflective element 14. The camera 52 may view through an aperture and / or a coveror lens disposed at a side portion of the mirror casing. In the illustrated example, thecamera 52 has a yaw of 90 degrees and a pitch of 20 degrees relative to the axis normalto the plane of the mirror reflective element 14 and the camera 52 may have a diagonalfield of view of 165 degrees. The camera 52 may be accommodated within the mirror head12 in any suitable manner to have a field of view 54 that includes at least the frontpassenger region 28 of the vehicle. In other words, the passenger camera 52 may beconfigured to primarily view the front passenger region 28 of the vehicular cabin so thatimage data captured by the camera 52 may be processed for occupant monitoringfunctions.

[0096] FIGS. 38A-38F depict example fields of view 54 of the passenger camera 52when the mirror head 12 is set to provide the rearward field of view to the driver and thedriver is a female having a stature or size in the 5th percentile and the passenger is a malehaving a stature or size in the 50th percentile (FIGS. 38A-38C) and when the driver is amale having a stature or size in the 95th percentile and the passenger is a male having astature or size in the 50th percentile (FIGS. 38D-38F). Thus, the example fields of view 54in FIGS. 38A-38F represent fields of view for the passenger camera 52 when the mirrorhead of FIG. 37 is positioned for drivers of relatively small stature (FIGS. 38A-38C) andwhen the mirror head is positioned for drivers of relatively large stature (FIGS. 38D-38F).In the example fields of view 54, the passenger is shown in a normal seated position,leaned forward and close to the dashboard, and with their feet resting on the dashboard.Because the representative fields of view 54 predominantly include the passenger region28 of the interior cabin of the vehicle, the DMS / OMS may more readily determine thepassenger behavior via processing of the image data captured by the passenger camera52. The sideward viewing camera 52 may be paired with a DMS camera 18 viewingthrough the mirror reflective element and / or the secondary camera 32 disposed at thelower region of the mirror head 12 to collectively capture image data for both the DMS andOMS functions.

[0097] FIGS. 39A-47C depict example fields of view 26 of the primary DMS camera 18viewing through the mirror reflective element (FIG. 27), example fields of view 34 of thesecondary camera 32 viewing downward relative to the mirror head (FIG. 30) and example24 61006458.1fields of view 54 of the passenger camera 52 viewing sideward relative to the mirror head(FIG. 37) to demonstrate expected performance of the DMS and OMS functions viaprocessing of the captured image data representative of the fields of view. In the illustratedexamples, the mirror head is positioned for a female driver having a size or stature in the5th percentile and a male passenger having a size or stature in the 50th percentile.

[0098] As shown in FIGS. 39A-39C, the DMS camera 18 and the downward viewingsecondary camera 32 may view portions of the driver region 30 suitable for determiningcorrect seatbelt usage by the driver. For example, the DMS camera 18 and the secondarycamera 32 may view at least a chest region and / or a lap region of the driver at which aseatbelt is expected to be visible for determining whether the seatbelt is correctly routed.Further, the cameras may view a buckle of the seatbelt for determining whether theseatbelt and buckle are latched. The downward viewing secondary camera 32 may furtherview portions of the passenger region 28 suitable for determining correct seatbelt usage bythe front passenger. Because the sideward viewing passenger camera 52 may only viewthe passenger region 28, image data captured by the passenger camera 52 may not besuitable for determining correct seatbelt usage by the driver, but may be suitable fordetermining correct seatbelt usage by the front passenger. Thus, the downward viewingsecondary camera 32 and the sideward viewing passenger camera 52 may enable betterpassenger views than the primary camera 18 viewing through the mirror reflective elementto satisfy enhanced regulatory requirements.

[0099] Referring to FIGS. 40A-40C, the DMS camera 18 and the downward viewingsecondary camera 32 may view portions of a rear seat region or second row region 56 ofthe interior cabin of the vehicle suitable for determining rear seat occupancy and / or correctusage of seat belts by rear occupants. The sideward viewing passenger camera 52 mayview at least a portion of the rear seat region 56. Accordingly, the DMS camera 18 and thesecondary camera 32 may be configured to view each seating position in the second rowregion 56 (e.g., two seating positions or three seating positions) and the passengercamera 52 may be configured to view one or more seating positions in the second rowregion 56 (e.g., the seating position directly behind the front passenger). That is, the fieldof view 54 of the passenger camera 52 may be limited due to cabin geometry, driver andpassenger size, and seat positions.25 61006458.1

[0100] The DMS camera 18, the downward viewing secondary camera 32 and thesideward viewing passenger camera 52 may view portions of the front passenger region28 suitable for performing front passenger occupant classification, such as for determiningpassenger airbag status (FIGS. 41A-41C). That is, because each of the fields of view 26,34, 54 include at least a portion of the front passenger region 28 of the cabin, the capturedimage data may be suitable for determining whether the front passenger airbag should beactivated (e.g., for an adult passenger) or deactivated (e.g., for a child passenger). Forexample, the DMS camera 18, the secondary camera 32 and the passenger camera 52may each view at least a torso region of the front passenger. Because the secondarycamera 32 and the passenger camera 52 may view a greater portion of the frontpassenger region 28 than the DMS camera 18, the image data captured by the secondarycamera 32 and the passenger camera 52 may more reliably result in passenger airbagstatus determination.

[0101] As shown in FIGS. 42A-42C, the downward viewing secondary camera 32 andthe sideward viewing passenger camera 52 may view portions of the passenger region 28suitable for determining that the front passenger is out of position, such as when the frontpassenger has their feet resting on the dashboard and / or when the front passenger isleaning forward and is in close proximity to the dashboard. For example, the secondarycamera 32 and the passenger camera 52 may view a lap region of the front passengerand / or a footwell portion of the front passenger region 28. The DMS camera 18 may notview the lap region of the front passenger and / or the footwell portion of the front passengerregion 28 for suitable determination that the front passenger is out of position.Determination that the front passenger is out of position may result in the deactivation ofthe front passenger airbag and / or an alert provided to the passenger and / or driver of thevehicle.

[0102] Referring to FIGS. 43A-43C, the DMS camera 18 and the downward viewingsecondary camera 32 may view portions of the driver region 30 and the passenger region28 suitable for performing stature classification of the driver and / or passenger of thevehicle, such as for determining that the driver and / or passenger have a size or stature inthe 5th percentile, 50th percentile, 95th percentile and the like. Further, the passengercamera 52 may view a portion of the passenger region 28 suitable for performing statureclassification of the passenger. For example, the DMS camera 18 and the secondary26 61006458.1camera 32 may view at least torso portions of the driver and the passenger of the vehicle,and the passenger camera 52 may view at least a torso region of the passenger.

[0103] Because the DMS camera 18 and the downward viewing secondary camera 32view at least portions of the rear seat region 56 of the interior cabin of the vehicle and atleast portions of the driver region 30 and the front passenger region 28, image datacaptured by the DMS camera 18 and the secondary camera 32 may be processed fordetermining total occupancy of the vehicle, such as during a crash or collision event (FIGS.44A-44C). For example, image data may be captured to determine a number of adults andchildren (with or without child seats) present in the vehicle. The sideward viewingpassenger camera 52 may view the passenger region 28 and at least a portion of the rearseat region 56, but not the driver region 30 and thus may not be used alone fordetermining total vehicle occupancy.

[0104] As shown in FIGS. 45A-47C, the DMS camera 18 and the downward viewingsecondary camera 32 may view portions of the driver region 30 suitable for performingdriver monitoring functions, while the passenger camera 52 may not view the driver region30 and thus does not capture image data suitable for driver monitoring functions. Forexample, the DMS camera 18 and the downward viewing secondary camera 32 may viewat least a head region of the driver (FIGS. 45A-45C), such as for determining transientdriver states or short distractions of the driver like non-driving task related actions, drivingtask related actions and / or looking away from the road. Image data representative of atleast the head region of the driver may further be processed for determining non-transientdriver states such as driver impairment, microsleep, sleep and / or an unresponsive driver.These may include non-fatigue related actions, drowsiness related actions, short durationeye closure (e.g., one second to two seconds), continued eye closure (e.g., three secondsor longer), gaze not returning to the road within three seconds after a warning is issued,extended eye closure (e.g., six seconds or longer).

[0105] Moreover, the DMS camera 18 and the secondary camera 32 may view at leasta head region of the driver and / or a hands region of the driver (FIGS. 46A-46C), such asfor determining transient driver states. These may include basic and advanceddetermination of the driver using a cell phone or mobile device. Inputs from eye trackingusing the DMS camera 18 and phone tracking using the secondary camera 32 may becombined to enable advanced phone usage determinations. Further, the DMS camera 1827 61006458.1and the secondary camera 32 may view at least the hands region of the driver and / or asteering wheel region of the cabin of the vehicle (FIGS. 47A-47C), such as for detectingdriving controls or inputs. The secondary camera 32 may provide an ideal position for viewof the driver’s hands in proximity to the steering wheel.

[0106] In some examples, the interior rearview mirror assembly may include only thedownward facing secondary camera 32 and the image data captured by the downwardfacing camera 32 may be processed for both the DMS and OMS functions (FIGS. 50A, 5Band 51). In other words, the field of view 34 of the downward facing camera 32 may besufficient to view the driver region of the interior cabin of the vehicle and the frontpassenger region (and optionally rearward passenger regions). Thus, image data capturedby the single camera may be used to perform all the features of the DMS (e.g., eye gaze,drowsiness, hands on the wheel, and the like), the OMS (e.g., seatbelt usage, occupantpresence, occupant classification and the like) and Cpose. In such a single downward-viewing camera configuration, the mirror reflective element may comprise an auto-dimmingor electro-optic (e.g., electrochromic) mirror reflector or may comprise a prismatic mirrorreflective element. Optionally, the downward-viewing camera provides occupant detectionfunctionality and is used in conjunction and cooperation with a driver monitoring cameralocated elsewhere in the interior cabin of the vehicle (such as at a steering column orfascia portion) with the driver monitoring camera monitoring the driver’s eyes for drivermonitoring.

[0107] Put another way, DMS and OMS features provided by the downward viewingcamera 32 include stature classification, determination of the front passenger being out ofposition (e.g., the front passenger has their feet on the dashboard, the front passenger hastheir head in close proximity to the dashboard and / or airbag, and the like), child seatdetection, advanced phone use detection, hands on wheel detection, and the like. In someexamples, image data captured by the downward viewing camera 32 may be used forOMS features, such as determining that the passenger is out of position and / or placementof the driver’s hands on the steering wheel. More advanced DMS features may beprovided using image data captured by other cameras or sensor data captured by othersensors disposed in the vehicle cabin remote from the mirror assembly, such as at or nearthe gauge cluster or dashboard or center stack of the vehicle. Thus, the camera at themirror assembly may have a reduced field of view, such as a field of view of about 7028 61006458.1degrees to about 130 degrees by about 110 degrees to about 140 degrees (e.g., a field ofview of about 100 degrees by about 140 degrees) (FIG. 51).

[0108] To perform DMS functions with a downward camera having a wide field of view,the downward camera is configured to capture a sharp (high MTF) and high-resolutionimage of the driver’s eye. Although the driver’s eyes may be far off-axis from the camera(i.e., far from the primary viewing axis of the camera, such as by 80 degrees or more, 100degrees or more and the like), an optic element may achieve high MTF and high angularresolution in the field of view region likely to include the driver’s head region (e.g., betweenabout 80 degrees and 100 degrees off the primary viewing axis). For example, a microlensarray or freeform optic element may be used. To illuminate the driver’s head region,reflectors or optics that bend / reflect light from the downward facing LED 24b may be usedto direct near infrared light toward the driver’s head region. Optionally, near infrared lightLEDs may be disposed behind a chrome band or hiding layer of the mirror reflectiveelement, or at a side of the mirror head of the interior rearview mirror assembly (optionallywith the use of reflectors and optics to direct light toward the driver), or behind a smallbezel feature on the front of the interior rearview mirror assembly.

[0109] Optionally, the secondary camera 32 may be integrated with the interior rearviewmirror assembly or the secondary camera 32 may be a separate self-contained modulethat is plugged into a connector at the bottom of the interior rearview mirror assembly.Similarly, the sideward viewing passenger camera 52 may be integrated with the interiorrearview mirror assembly or a separate self-contained module that is plugged into aconnector at a side of the interior rearview mirror assembly. For example, the cameramodule may electrically connect to an electrical connector at the mirror head and bedisposed at an aperture formed through an edge region of the mirror casing. Optionally,the downward-facing camera and / or sideward-facing camera may capture image data thatis only used for OMS functions, with a camera capturing image data for DMS functionsdisposed elsewhere in the cabin of the vehicle (e.g., at the gauge cluster or overheadconsole module).

[0110] Because the field of view of the primary camera may overlap with the field ofview of the secondary camera, stereo vision algorithms may extract distance information inthe overlapping region. Furthermore, the two overlapping camera images may be mergedinto a single video image and thus may be processed simultaneously. For example, the29 61006458.1video may be processed via a one-box solution where all the video and DMS / OMSalgorithms are contained on an ECU in the interior rearview mirror head. Optionally, videoimages from one or both cameras is communicated to an external ECU for DMS / OMSfunctions. For example, when image data from both cameras is processed externally fromthe mirror head, the two streams may be serialized and transferred via one coaxial cableinstead of two separate coaxial cables.

[0111] Optionally, the downward-facing camera may be replaced with a differentsensor, such as radar, structured light with a pseudorandom pattern, structured light with aregular pattern, an indirect time of flight (ToF) sensor or a direct time of flight (dToF)sensor, single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) sensor, and / or a camera with atransmissive diffraction mask. Sensor data captured by the secondary sensor may beprocessed with the image data captured by the primary camera for the DMS and / or OMSfunctions.

[0112] Referring to FIGS. 48A-48E, the system may be operated via a variety ofdifferent vehicle architectures, such that image data captured by the cameras may beprocessed at an ECU 58 accommodated at the mirror assembly 10 and / or the ECU 58may be disposed remote from the mirror assembly 10. For example, in an embeddedarchitecture, the ECU 58 may be disposed at the mirror assembly 10 for processing imagedata captured by the DMS camera 18 and the secondary camera 32. The mirror assemblymay include a serializer / deserializer for outputting video images. In one examplearchitecture, the mirror assembly 10 may include an image signal processor (ISP) and aserializer / deserializer for transferring a data stream from the DMS camera 18 and thesecondary camera 32 to the ECU 58 remote from the mirror assembly 10. Optionally, inone example architecture, the serializer / deserializer may transfer image data as two ormore data streams (e.g., one from each camera) to corresponding two or more remoteECUs 58. Further, the mirror assembly 10 may transfer image data from the DMS camera18 and the secondary camera 32 via the serializer / deserializer as one data stream to theremote ECU 58. A common optical path for architecture variants may include a commonISP with camera and illumination control. As shown in FIGS. 49A-49C, the system mayprovide embedded system on chip (SoC) and system in a package (SiP) scalability.

[0113] As shown in FIGS. 52 and 53A-53D, one or more ToF sensors or camerasand / or dToF sensors or cameras 60 may be disposed at the mirror assembly 10. When30 61006458.1disposed at the mirror assembly 10, the one or more ToF and / or dToF cameras 60 may beoriented out of the bottom or lower portion of the mirror head and pointed at regions ofinterest, such as the driver region of the interior cabin of the vehicle, the passenger regionof the interior cabin of the vehicle, a rear seat position, and the like. Additionally, one ormore ToF and / or dToF cameras 60 may be disposed at other positions within the cabin ofthe vehicle and configured to view one or more occupants of the vehicle, such as at thevehicle dashboard, gauge cluster, or steering wheel or at a vehicle headliner, overheadconsole module, a grab handle, and the like.

[0114] The ToF and / or dToF sensors or cameras 60 may be configured to generatesensor data or a data point cloud 62 representative of occupants and objects disposedwithin the interior cabin of the vehicle. The ToF and / or dToF sensors or cameras 60 mayhave a wide field of view or sensing. Thus, based on the captured data point cloud 62, thesystem 12 may determine precise body positions. That is, the system 12 may determinerelative positions of a head, a chest or torso, legs, arms, and hands of the driver and / oroccupants of the vehicle. The system may control for clothing types (e.g., plastic mayabsorb signals transmitted from the ToF and / or dToF sensors or cameras 60 and thussignals may not reflect from the clothing of the occupant), ambient light levels, and the like.For example, the system 12 may determine a minimum number of points representative ofthe occupant for robust performance.

[0115] Data point clouds captured by the ToF and / or dToF sensors or cameras 60and / or determined positions of the driver and / or occupant of the vehicle may be fused withimage data captured by the cameras at the mirror assembly 10 to enhance driver andoccupant monitoring. That is, the ToF and / or dToF sensors or cameras 60 provide directand real-time sensing of body positions, enhancing the accuracy and reliability of the data.This data may be crucial for optimizing airbag deployment, seatbelt tensioning, and othersafety mechanisms as well as personalized in-vehicle experiences, health monitoring, andautonomous driving systems.

[0116] In some examples, the seatbelt 64 of the vehicle may include a material that atleast partially absorbs or attenuates IR light and / or NIR light. This may cause the seatbelt64 to appear as a void in the data point cloud 62 captured by the ToF and / or dToF sensorsor cameras 60. Thus, the system 12 may determine the position of the seatbelt 64 relativeto the body positions of the occupant, such as for ensuring seatbelt compliance,31 61006458.1determining the size and position of occupants (e.g., rear seat occupants), detection ofchild seats, and the like.

[0117] FIG. 53A shows an example point cloud 62 representative of the occupantproperly seated. FIG. 53B shows an example point cloud 62 representative of theoccupant with their head near the dashboard of the vehicle. FIG. 53C shows an examplepoint cloud 62 representative of the occupant with their feet or legs on the dashboard. FIG.53D shows an example point cloud 62 of the occupant with the seatbelt 64 void due to IRabsorbing material at the seatbelt 64.

[0118] The system may maximize DMS / OMS functionality for current and futureregulations and protocols and minimize vehicle integration / calibration and data collectionefforts. The system may accommodate a variety of different vehicle cabin configurationsand system architectures with remote or embedded data processing. Moreover, thesystem may reduce and / or eliminate dependency on complementary and / or supportingsensors. This reduces the complexity of existing sensors and reduces overall systemcosts. Further, the system may focus on specificity and sensitivity balance to operateduring real world experiences and not just satisfy regulations and / or protocols.

[0119] The mirror assembly may include a camera behind the mirror reflective elementand / or a downward-viewing camera at the mirror head and / or a sideward-viewing cameraat the mirror head. Optionally, the system may include a second row or third row sensor(e.g., a cabin-viewing camera or a cabin-sensing radar) for detecting and / or monitoringoccupants in the rear seats of the vehicle and / or for sensing the foot wells at the rear seatsof the vehicle.

[0120] One aspect of the disclosure provides an interior rearview mirror assemblyincluding a mirror head adjustable about a mounting structure. The mounting structure isconfigured to mount the interior rearview mirror assembly at an interior portion of aninterior cabin of a vehicle. The mirror head accommodates a mirror reflective element. Atleast one camera is accommodated by the mirror head, and with the interior rearviewmirror assembly mounted at the interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle, eachcamera of the at least one camera views within the interior cabin of the vehicle. Eachcamera of the at least one camera and the mirror reflective element move together and intandem with the mirror head when, with the interior rearview mirror assembly mounted atthe interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle, the mirror head is adjusted about the32 61006458.1mounting structure to provide a rearward view for a driver of the vehicle provided by themirror reflective element. Image data captured by the at least one camera is transferred toan electronic control unit (ECU). The ECU includes electronic circuitry and associatedsoftware. The electronic circuitry of the ECU includes an image processor operable toprocess image data transferred to the ECU. With the interior rearview mirror assemblymounted at the interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle, (i) image data capturedby the at least one camera is processed at the ECU for monitoring the driver of the vehicleand (ii) image data captured by the at least one camera is processed at the ECU formonitoring a passenger region within the interior cabin of the vehicle. This aspect mayinclude one or more of the following optional features.

[0121] In some implementations, the at least one camera includes (i) a first camerathat, with the interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portion of the interiorcabin of the vehicle, and with the mirror head adjusted to provide the rearward view for thedriver, views at least a driver’s head region within the cabin of the vehicle and (ii) a secondcamera that, with the interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portion ofthe interior cabin of the vehicle, and with the mirror head adjusted to provide the rearwardview for the driver, views at least the passenger region within the cabin of the vehicle. Infurther implementations, the first camera captures first image data that is processed at theECU for monitoring of the driver, and the second camera captures second image data thatis processed at the ECU for monitoring of the passenger region. In furtherimplementations, a principal viewing axis of the first camera is perpendicular to a plane ofthe mirror reflective element, and a principal viewing axis of the second camera istransverse to the principal viewing axis of the first camera.

[0122] In some further implementations, the principal viewing axis of the secondcamera is perpendicular relative to the principal viewing axis of the first camera. In somefurther implementations, the principal viewing axis of the first camera and the principalviewing axis of the second camera are disposed at an angle relative to one another that isbetween 85 degrees and 95 degrees. In some further implementations, the first cameraincludes a first imaging sensor disposed on a first printed circuit board (PCB), and thesecond camera includes a second imaging sensor disposed on a second PCB. The firstPCB and the second PCB are angled relative to one another.33 61006458.1

[0123] In some even further implementations, the first PCB and the second PCB aredisposed perpendicular to one another. In some even further implementations, the firstPCB and the second PCB are disposed at an angle relative to one another that is between85 degrees and 95 degrees.

[0124] In some further implementations, the first camera includes a first imaging sensordisposed at a first portion of a printed circuit board (PCB), and the second camera includesa second imaging sensor disposed at a second portion of the PCB. The first portion of thePCB and the second portion of the PCB are angled relative to one another.

[0125] In some even further implementations, the first portion of the PCB and thesecond portion of the PCB are disposed perpendicular to one another. In some evenfurther implementations, the first portion of the PCB and the second portion of the PCB aredisposed at an angle relative to one another that is between 85 degrees and 95 degrees.

[0126] In further implementations, the first camera includes a first imaging sensordisposed at a first portion of a printed circuit board (PCB), and the second camera includesa second imaging sensor disposed at a second portion of the PCB. The first camera viewsat least the driver’s head region through the mirror reflective element, and the secondcamera views at least the passenger region within the cabin of the vehicle via light directedtoward the second imaging sensor by an optic element.

[0127] In some further implementations, the second camera views at least thepassenger region within the cabin of the vehicle via light that passes through an apertureformed through a mirror casing of the mirror head. In some further implementations, thesecond camera views at least the passenger region within the cabin of the vehicle via lightthat passes through the mirror reflective element. In some further implementations, theoptic element includes a periscope lens disposed at the mirror head.

[0128] In some implementations, the first camera views through the mirror reflectiveelement and views the driver’s eyes. The second camera views through an apertureformed through the mirror head.

[0129] In some further implementations, the second camera views through a lighttransmissive cover disposed at the aperture. In some further implementations, a lenselement of the second camera protrudes at least partially through the aperture formedthrough the mirror head. In some further implementations, a first near infrared light emitterand a second near infrared light emitter are accommodated by the mirror head. The first34 61006458.1near infrared light emitter, when electrically operated, emits near infrared light that passesthrough the mirror reflective element to illuminate at least a driver region within the interiorcabin of the vehicle. The second near infrared light emitter, when electrically operated,emits near infrared light that illuminates at least the passenger region within the interiorcabin of the vehicle.

[0130] In some even further implementations, a cover element that is at least partiallytransmissive to near infrared light is disposed at an outer surface of a mirror casing of themirror head. The second near infrared light emitter emits near infrared light that passesthrough the cover element to illuminate at least the passenger region.

[0131] In some further implementations, with the interior rearview mirror assemblymounted at the interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle, the second camera isdisposed at a lower region of the mirror head and views at least partially downward fromthe mirror head toward the passenger region of the interior cabin of the vehicle. In somefurther implementations, with the interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the interiorportion of the interior cabin of the vehicle, the second camera is disposed at a passengerside portion of the mirror head and views at least partially sideward from the mirror headtoward the passenger region of the interior cabin of the vehicle. In some even furtherimplementations, a principal viewing axis of the second camera is parallel to a plane of themirror reflective element.

[0132] In some further implementations, the principal viewing axis of the first cameraand the principal viewing axis of the second camera are disposed at an angle relative toone another that is between 85 degrees and 95 degrees. In some even furtherimplementations, with the interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portionof the interior cabin of the vehicle, the second camera is disposed at a lower region of themirror head and views downward.

[0133] In some implementations, the first camera includes a first CMOS imaging arrayhaving at least one million photosensors arranged in rows and columns, and the secondcamera includes a second CMOS imaging array having at least one million photosensorsarranged in rows and columns. In some further implementations, the first CMOS imagingarray has at least five million photosensors arranged in rows and columns. In some evenfurther implementations, the second CMOS imaging array has at least two millionphotosensors arranged in rows and columns. In some further implementations, the first35 61006458.1CMOS imaging array has more photosensors than the second CMOS imaging array. Insome further implementations, the first camera has a field of view having a dimension thatis between 15 degrees and 60 degrees. In some even further implementations, the secondcamera has a field of view having a dimension that is greater than 60 degrees. In someeven further implementations, the second camera has a field of view having a dimensionthat is greater than 100 degrees.

[0134] In some aspects, the at least one camera includes a single camera that, with theinterior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portion of the interior cabin of thevehicle, and with the mirror head adjusted to provide the rearward view for the driver, (i)views at least a driver’s head region within the cabin of the vehicle and (ii) views at leastthe passenger region within the cabin of the vehicle. In further aspects, the single cameraviews at least the driver’s head region through the mirror reflective element, and the singlecamera views at least the passenger region within the cabin of the vehicle via light directedtoward the single camera by an optic element. In some further aspects, the single cameraviews at least the passenger region within the cabin of the vehicle via light that passesthrough an aperture formed through a mirror casing of the mirror head. In some furtheraspects, the single camera views at least the passenger region within the cabin of thevehicle via light that passes through the mirror reflective element. In some further aspects,the optic element includes a periscope lens.

[0135] In further aspects, the single camera includes an imaging sensor that is angledrelative to the mirror reflective element. With the interior rearview mirror assembly mountedat the interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle, the single camera views at leastthe driver’s head region and the passenger region through a light transmissive coverextending along a lower edge region of the mirror reflective element. In further aspects, thesingle camera views at least the driver’s head region and the passenger region through acurved portion of the mirror reflective element. In some further aspects, a principal viewingaxis of the single camera passes through an apex of the curved portion of the mirrorreflective element.

[0136] In further aspects, the single camera includes an imaging sensor that is angledrelative to the mirror reflective element. With the interior rearview mirror assembly mountedat the interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle, the single camera views at leastthe driver’s head region and the passenger region through an aperture formed through a36 61006458.1lower edge region of the mirror head. In some further aspects, the imaging sensor isperpendicular relative to the mirror reflective element. In some further aspects, the imagingsensor and the mirror reflective element are disposed at an angle relative to one anotherthat is between 85 degrees and 95 degrees. In some further aspects, a lens element ofthe single camera protrudes at least partially through the aperture formed through themirror head.

[0137] In some examples, the vehicular cabin monitoring system monitors at least thepassenger region by determining whether a passenger is seated at a passenger seat ofthe vehicle. In some examples, the vehicular cabin monitoring system monitors at least thepassenger region by determining whether a passenger of the vehicle is within a thresholddistance of a dashboard of the vehicle. In some examples, the vehicular cabin monitoringsystem monitors at least the passenger region by determining whether a passenger of thevehicle is within a threshold distance of an airbag of the vehicle. In some examples, thevehicular cabin monitoring system monitors at least the passenger region by determiningwhether a passenger has placed their feet on a dashboard of the vehicle. In someexamples, the vehicular cabin monitoring system monitors at least the passenger region bydetermining whether a child is present in the passenger region. In some examples, thevehicular cabin monitoring system determines orientation of the mirror head relative to themounting structure based on processing of image data captured by the at least onecamera.

[0138] In some implementations, the mirror reflective element includes anelectrochromic mirror reflective element, and dimming of the electrochromic mirrorreflective element is adjusted based on a determined level of ambient light at the interiorcabin of the vehicle. The level of ambient light at the interior cabin of the vehicle isdetermined based at least in part on processing at the ECU of image data captured by theat least one camera. In further implementations, the level of ambient light at the interiorcabin of the vehicle is determined based at least in part on processing at the ECU of theimage data used for monitoring the passenger region. In further implementations, the atleast one camera includes a downward-viewing camera that is disposed at a lower regionof the mirror head and that views at least partially downward from the mirror head. Thelevel of ambient light at the interior cabin of the vehicle is determined based on processingat the ECU of image data captured by the downward-viewing camera. In some further37 61006458.1implementations, the downward-viewing camera views at least partially forward from themirror head toward a windshield of the vehicle.

[0139] In some examples, the at least one camera includes a time of flight (ToF) sensoror camera, and the sensor or image data captured by the ToF sensor or camera includes adata point cloud. In some aspects, a time of flight (ToF) sensor is disposed within theinterior cabin of the vehicle. A data point cloud captured by the ToF sensor is processed atthe ECU for monitoring at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) the driver ofthe vehicle and (ii) the passenger region within the interior cabin of the vehicle. In furtheraspects, the ToF sensor is disposed at the interior rearview mirror assembly. In somefurther aspects, the ToF sensor is disposed at a lower portion of the mirror head of theinterior rearview mirror assembly. In further aspects, the ToF sensor is disposed at aheadliner of the vehicle. In further aspects, the ToF sensor is disposed at an overheadconsole module of the vehicle. In further aspects, the ToF sensor includes a direct ToFsensor. In further aspects, a seatbelt of the vehicle includes a material that at least partiallyabsorbs near infrared (NIR) light. The seatbelt, when viewed by the ToF sensor, causes avoid within the data point cloud captured by the ToF sensor. In some further aspects, thevehicular cabin monitoring system, based on processing at the ECU of the data point cloudcaptured by the ToF sensor, and based at least in part on the void within the data pointcloud caused by the seatbelt, determines at least one selected from the group consistingof (i) proper usage of the seatbelt and (ii) improper usage of the seatbelt. In some furtheraspects, the vehicular cabin monitoring system, based on processing at the ECU of thedata point cloud captured by the ToF sensor, and based at least in part on the void withinthe data point cloud caused by the seatbelt, determines a size of an occupant of thevehicle. In some further aspects, the vehicular cabin monitoring system, based onprocessing at the ECU of the data point cloud captured by the ToF sensor, and based atleast in part on the void within the data point cloud caused by the seatbelt, determines aposition of an occupant of the vehicle.

[0140] Another aspect of the disclosure provides a vehicular cabin monitoring systemthat includes an interior rearview mirror assembly. The interior rearview mirror assemblyincludes a mirror head adjustable about a mounting structure. The mounting structure isconfigured to mount the interior rearview mirror assembly at an interior portion of aninterior cabin of a vehicle. The mirror head accommodates a mirror reflective element. A38 61006458.1downward-viewing camera is accommodated by the mirror head. With the interior rearviewmirror assembly mounted at the interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle, thedownward-viewing camera views within the interior cabin of the vehicle. The downward-viewing camera and the mirror reflective element move together and in tandem with themirror head when, with the interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portionof the interior cabin of the vehicle, the mirror head is adjusted about the mounting structureto provide a rearward view for a driver of the vehicle provided by the mirror reflectiveelement. Image data captured by the downward-viewing camera is transferred to an ECU.The ECU includes electronic circuitry and associated software. The electronic circuitry ofthe ECU includes an image processor operable to process image data transferred to theECU. With the interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portion of theinterior cabin of the vehicle, image data captured by the downward-viewing camera isprocessed at the ECU for monitoring of a passenger region within the interior cabin of thevehicle. Captured image data is processed at the ECU for monitoring of the driver of thevehicle.

[0141] In some implementations of this aspect, captured image data processed at theECU for monitoring of the driver of the vehicle is captured by a driver monitoring cameraaccommodated by the mirror head and viewing through the mirror reflective element of themirror head. The driver monitoring camera, with the mirror head adjusted to provide therearward view for the driver, views at least a driver’s head region within the cabin of thevehicle, including viewing the driver’s eyes. In further implementations, the principalviewing axis of the driver monitoring camera and the principal viewing axis of thedownward-viewing camera are disposed at an angle relative to one another that isbetween 85 degrees and 95 degrees. In some further implementations, with the interiorrearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle,the downward-viewing camera is disposed at a lower region of the mirror head.

[0142] In some implementations of this aspect, a principal viewing axis of the drivermonitoring camera is perpendicular to a plane of the mirror reflective element, and thedownward-viewing camera views through an aperture formed through the lower region ofthe mirror head. The downward-viewing camera may view through a light transmissivecover disposed at the aperture. In further implementations, a first near infrared light emitterand a second near infrared light emitter are accommodated by the mirror head. The first39 61006458.1near infrared light emitter, when electrically operated, emits near infrared light that passesthrough the mirror reflective element to illuminate at least a driver region within the interiorcabin of the vehicle, and the second near infrared light emitter, when electrically operated,emits near infrared light that illuminates at least the passenger region within the interiorcabin of the vehicle. A cover element that is at least partially transmissive to near infraredlight may be disposed at an outer surface of a mirror casing of the mirror head, andwherein the second near infrared light emitter emits near infrared light that passes throughthe cover element to illuminate at least the passenger region.

[0143] In some further examples of this aspect, captured image data processed at theECU for monitoring of the driver of the vehicle is captured by a driver monitoring cameraaccommodated at a second interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle remote fromthe interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portion of the interior cabin ofthe vehicle. For example, the driver monitoring camera may be disposed at a steeringcolumn of the vehicle or at an instrument panel of the vehicle or at a dashboard of thevehicle or at an overhead console of the vehicle. The driver monitoring camera views atleast a driver’s head region within the cabin of the vehicle, including viewing the driver’seyes.

[0144] In some examples of this aspect, with the interior rearview mirror assemblymounted at the interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle, and with the mirror headadjusted to provide the rearward view for the driver, the downward-viewing camera viewsat least a driver’s head region within the cabin of the vehicle, including viewing the driver’seyes. Captured image data processed at the ECU for monitoring of the driver of the vehicleis captured by the downward-viewing camera.

[0145] In some examples, image data captured by the secondary camera 32 may beprocessed for determining a level of ambient light at or near the mirror head, such as forcontrolling dimming of the electrochromic mirror reflective element 14 of the mirrorassembly 10. For example, at least a portion of the field of view 34 of the downwardviewing camera 32 may be aimed forward of the vehicle and / or include at least a portion ofthe dashboard of the vehicle (FIG. 7) and the level of ambient light may be determinedbased on processing at least portions of the captured image data representative of theseportions of the field of view 34 of the secondary camera 32. In other words, the level ofambient light may be determined based at least in part on processing portions of image40 61006458.1data captured by the secondary camera 32 that are representative of the portions of thefield of view 34 that are forward of the vehicle (e.g., behind the mirror head and toward thewindshield and / or a front portion of the vehicle) and / or that include the dashboard of thevehicle. This may obviate the need for a forward ambient light sensor at the mirrorassembly. The mirror assembly may utilize characteristics of the mirror assemblies andsystems described in U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 63 / 714,978, filed Nov. 1, 2024,which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0146] As discussed above, the mirror assembly may comprise an electro-optic orelectrochromic mirror assembly that includes an electro-optic or electrochromic variablyreflective mirror reflective element. The variably reflective mirror reflective element of themirror assembly may utilize aspects of the mirror reflective elements described incommonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 11,766,968; 7,626,749; 7,274,501; 7,255,451;7,195,381; 7,184,190; 6,690,268; 5,140,455; 5,151,816; 6,178,034; 6,154,306; 6,002,544;5,567,360; 5,525,264; 5,610,756; 5,406,414; 5,253,109; 5,076,673; 5,073,012; 5,115,346;5,724,187; 5,668,663; 5,910,854; 5,142,407 and / or 4,712,879, which are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0147] Although shown as an electrochromic mirror application, it is envisioned that themirror assembly may comprise a prismatic reflective element. The prismatic mirrorassembly may be mounted or attached at an interior portion of a vehicle (such as at aninterior surface of a vehicle windshield) via the mounting means described above, and thereflective element may be toggled or flipped or adjusted between its daytime reflectivityposition and its nighttime reflectivity position via any suitable toggle means, such as byutilizing aspects of the mirror assemblies described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,318,870 and / or7,249,860, and / or U.S. Publication No. US-2010-0085653, which are hereby incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties. Optionally, for example, the interior rearview mirrorassembly may comprise a prismatic mirror assembly, such as the types described in U.S.Pat. Nos. 7,289,037; 7,249,860; 6,318,870; 6,598,980; 5,327,288; 4,948,242; 4,826,289;4,436,371 and / or 4,435,042, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties. Optionally, the prismatic reflective element may comprise a conventionalprismatic reflective element or prism or may comprise a prismatic reflective element of thetypes described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,420,756; 7,289,037; 7,274,501; 7,249,860; 7,338,177and / or 7,255,451, which are all hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.41 61006458.1

[0148] The mirror assembly may comprise any suitable construction, such as, forexample, a mirror assembly with the reflective element being nested in the mirror casingand with a bezel portion that circumscribes a perimeter region of the front surface of thereflective element, or with the mirror casing having a curved or beveled outermost exposedperimeter edge around the reflective element and with no overlap onto the front surface ofthe reflective element (such as by utilizing aspects of the mirror assemblies described inU.S. Pat. Nos. 7,184,190; 7,274,501; 7,255,451; 7,289,037; 7,360,932; 7,626,749;8,049,640; 8,277,059 and / or 8,529,108, which are hereby incorporated herein by referencein their entireties) or such as a mirror assembly having a rear substrate of an electro-opticor electrochromic reflective element nested in the mirror casing, and with the frontsubstrate having a curved or beveled outermost exposed perimeter edge, or such as amirror assembly having a prismatic reflective element that is disposed at an outerperimeter edge of the mirror casing and with the prismatic substrate having a curved orbeveled outermost exposed perimeter edge, such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos.9,827,913; 9,174,578; 8,508,831; 8,730,553; 9,598,016 and / or 9,346,403, and / or U.S.Des. Pat. Nos. D633,423; D633,019; D638,761 and / or D647,017, which are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties (and with electrochromic and prismaticmirrors of such construction are commercially available from the assignee of thisapplication under the trade name INFINITYTM mirror).

[0149] The driver monitoring system and / or head and face direction and positiontracking system and / or eye tracking system and / or gesture recognition system may utilizeaspects of the systems described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 11,827,153; 11,780,372; 11,639,134;11,582,425; 11,518,401; 10,958,830; 10,065,574; 10,017,114; 9,405,120 and / or7,914,187, and / or U.S. Publication Nos. US-2024-0383406; US-2024-0223734; US-2024-0168355; US-2024-0190456; US-2023-0158955; US-2022-0377219; US-2022-0254132;US-2022-0242438; US-2021-0323473; US-2021-0291739; US-2020-0320320; US-2020-0202151; US-2020-0143560; US-2019-0210615; US-2018-0231976; US-2018-0222414;US-2017-0274906; US-2017-0217367; US-2016-0209647; US-2016-0137126; US-2015-0352953; US-2015-0296135; US-2015-0294169; US-2015-0232030; US-2015-0092042;US-2015-0022664; US-2015-0015710; US-2015-0009010 and / or US-2014-0336876,and / or International PCT Application No. PCT / US2025 / 027206, filed May 1, 2025 (Attorney42 61006458.1Docket DON01 FP5372WO), and / or International Publication No. WO 2023 / 220222, whichare all hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0150] The interior-viewing camera may be disposed at the mirror head of the interiorrearview mirror assembly and moves together and in tandem with the mirror head whenthe driver of the vehicle adjusts the mirror head to adjust his or her rearward view. Theinterior-viewing camera may be disposed at a lower or chin region of the mirror head belowthe mirror reflective element of the mirror head, or the interior-viewing camera may bedisposed behind the mirror reflective element and viewing through the mirror reflectiveelement. Similarly, the light emitter may be disposed at the lower or chin region of themirror head below the mirror reflective element of the mirror head (such as to one side orthe other of the interior-viewing camera), or the light emitter may be disposed behind themirror reflective element and emitting light that passes through the mirror reflectiveelement. The ECU may be disposed at the mirror assembly (such as accommodated bythe mirror head), or the ECU may be disposed elsewhere in the vehicle remote from themirror assembly, whereby image data captured by the interior-viewing camera may betransferred to the ECU via a coaxial cable or other suitable communication line. Cabinmonitoring or occupant detection may be achieved via processing at the ECU of imagedata captured by the interior-viewing camera. Optionally, cabin monitoring or occupantdetection may be achieved in part via processing at the ECU of radar data captured by oneor more interior-sensing radar sensors disposed within the vehicle and sensing the interiorcabin of the vehicle.

[0151] The coaxial cable provides bi-directional communication between the mirrorhead and the ECU that is located at the vehicle remote from the mirror head. For example,the coaxial cable may provide power from the ECU to the mirror head and may providecontrol signals or data to the mirror head, and may receive image data from the camera atthe mirror head. The coaxial cable and electronic connection between the ECU and themirror head may utilize aspects of the systems described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 10,567,705;10,298,823; 10,099,614; 10,089,537; 9,900,490 and / or 9,609,757, which are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Thus, the bi-directional coaxial cablemay commonly carry (i) image data captured by the DMS camera from the mirror head tothe ECU, (ii) control signals from the ECU to the mirror head (such as for controlling the43 61006458.1camera and / or a light emitter and / or dimming circuitry of the mirror head), and (iii) electricalpower from a DC power supply of (or connected to) the ECU to the mirror head.

[0152] The camera includes a lens and imaging sensor. The imaging sensor of thecamera may capture image data for image processing and may comprise, for example, atwo dimensional array of a plurality of photosensor elements arranged in at least 640columns and 480 rows (at least a 640 x 480 imaging array, such as a megapixel imagingarray or the like), with a lens focusing images onto the imaging array. The photosensorarray may comprise a plurality of photosensor elements arranged in a photosensor arrayhaving rows and columns. The imaging array may comprise a CMOS imaging array havingat least 300,000 photosensor elements or pixels, preferably at least 500,000 photosensorelements or pixels and more preferably at least one million photosensor elements or pixelsor at least two million photosensor elements or at least three million photosensor elementsor pixels or at least five million photosensor elements or pixels arranged in rows andcolumns. The imaging array may be sensitive to near-infrared light. The imaging array maycapture color image data, such as via spectral filtering at the array, such as via an RGB(red, green and blue) filter or via a red / red complement filter or such as via an RCC (red,clear, clear) filter or the like. The logic and control circuit of the imaging sensor mayfunction in any known manner, and the image processing and algorithmic processing maycomprise any suitable means for processing the images and / or image data.

[0153] Optionally, the driver monitoring system may be integrated with a cameramonitoring system (CMS) of the vehicle. The integrated vehicle system incorporatesmultiple inputs, such as from the inward viewing or driver monitoring camera and from theforward or outward viewing camera, as well as from a rearward viewing camera andsideward viewing cameras of the CMS (e.g., a rearward-viewing camera disposed at therear of the vehicle remote from the rear backup camera of the vehicle, and rearward-viewing cameras disposed at respective sides of the vehicle, such as at respective side-mounted exterior rearview mirror assemblies of the vehicle), to provide the driver withunique collision mitigation capabilities based on full vehicle environment and driverawareness state. The image processing and detections and determinations are performedlocally within the interior rearview mirror assembly and / or the overhead console region,depending on available space and electrical connections for the particular vehicleapplication. The CMS cameras and system may utilize aspects of the systems described in44 61006458.1U.S. Pat. No. 11,242,008 and / or U.S. Publication Nos. US-2024-006427; US-2021-0162926; US-2021-0155167; US-2018-0134217 and / or US-2014-0285666, which are allhereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0154] The ECU may receive image data captured by a plurality of cameras of thevehicle, such as by a plurality of surround view system (SVS) cameras and a plurality ofcamera monitoring system (CMS) cameras and optionally one or more driver monitoringsystem (DMS) cameras. The ECU may comprise a central or single ECU that processesimage data captured by the cameras for a plurality of driving assist functions and mayprovide display of different video images to a video display screen in the vehicle (such asat an interior rearview mirror assembly or at a central console or the like) for viewing by adriver of the vehicle. The system may utilize aspects of the systems described in U.S. Pat.No. 11,242,008; 10,442,360 and / or 10,046,706, and / or U.S. Publication Nos. US-2024-006427; US-2021-0155167 and / or US-2019-0118717, which are all hereby incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties.

[0155] Changes and modifications in the specifically described embodiments may becarried out without departing from the principles of the present invention, which is intendedto be limited only by the scope of the appended claims as interpreted according to theprinciples of patent law.45 61006458.1

Claims

1. CLAIMS:

1. A vehicular cabin monitoring system, the vehicular cabin monitoring systemcomprising: an interior rearview mirror assembly comprises a mirror head adjustable about amounting structure, wherein the mounting structure is configured to mount the interiorrearview mirror assembly at an interior portion of an interior cabin of a vehicle;wherein the mirror head accommodates a mirror reflective element;wherein at least one camera is accommodated by the mirror head, and wherein,with the interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portion of the interiorcabin of the vehicle, each camera of the at least one camera views within the interior cabinof the vehicle;wherein each camera of the at least one camera and the mirror reflective elementmove together and in tandem with the mirror head when, with the interior rearview mirrorassembly mounted at the interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle, the mirror headis adjusted about the mounting structure to provide a rearward view for a driver of thevehicle provided by the mirror reflective element;an electronic control unit (ECU);wherein image data captured by the at least one camera is transferred to the ECU;wherein the ECU comprises electronic circuitry and associated software, andwherein the electronic circuitry of the ECU comprises an image processor operable toprocess image data transferred to the ECU; andwherein, with the interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portion ofthe interior cabin of the vehicle, (i) image data captured by the at least one camera isprocessed at the ECU for monitoring the driver of the vehicle and (ii) image data capturedby the at least one camera is processed at the ECU for monitoring a passenger regionwithin the interior cabin of the vehicle.

2. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the at least one cameracomprises (i) a first camera that, with the interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at theinterior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle, and with the mirror head adjusted toprovide the rearward view for the driver, views at least a driver’s head region within the46 61006458.1cabin of the vehicle and (ii) a second camera that, with the interior rearview mirrorassembly mounted at the interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle, and with themirror head adjusted to provide the rearward view for the driver, views at least thepassenger region within the cabin of the vehicle.

3. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the first camera capturesfirst image data that is processed at the ECU for monitoring of the driver, and wherein thesecond camera captures second image data that is processed at the ECU for monitoring ofthe passenger region.

4. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 2, wherein a principal viewing axisof the first camera is perpendicular to a plane of the mirror reflective element, and whereina principal viewing axis of the second camera is transverse to the principal viewing axis ofthe first camera.

5. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the principal viewing axisof the second camera is perpendicular relative to the principal viewing axis of the firstcamera.

6. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the principal viewing axisof the first camera and the principal viewing axis of the second camera are disposed at anangle relative to one another that is between 85 degrees and 95 degrees.

7. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the first cameracomprises a first imaging sensor disposed on a first printed circuit board (PCB), andwherein the second camera comprises a second imaging sensor disposed on a secondPCB, and wherein the first PCB and the second PCB are angled relative to one another.

8. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 7, wherein the first PCB and thesecond PCB are disposed perpendicular to one another.47 61006458.

19. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 7, wherein the first PCB and thesecond PCB are disposed at an angle relative to one another that is between 85 degreesand 95 degrees.

10. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the first cameracomprises a first imaging sensor disposed at a first portion of a printed circuit board (PCB),and wherein the second camera comprises a second imaging sensor disposed at a secondportion of the PCB, and wherein the first portion of the PCB and the second portion of thePCB are angled relative to one another.

11. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the first portion of thePCB and the second portion of the PCB are disposed perpendicular to one another.

12. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the first portion of thePCB and the second portion of the PCB are disposed at an angle relative to one anotherthat is between 85 degrees and 95 degrees.

13. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the first cameracomprises a first imaging sensor disposed at a first portion of a printed circuit board (PCB),and wherein the second camera comprises a second imaging sensor disposed at a secondportion of the PCB, and wherein the first camera views at least the driver’s head regionthrough the mirror reflective element, and wherein the second camera views at least thepassenger region within the cabin of the vehicle via light directed toward the secondimaging sensor by an optic element.

14. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 13, wherein the second cameraviews at least the passenger region within the cabin of the vehicle via light that passesthrough an aperture formed through a mirror casing of the mirror head.

15. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 13, wherein the second cameraviews at least the passenger region within the cabin of the vehicle via light that passesthrough the mirror reflective element.48 61006458.

116. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 13, wherein the optic elementcomprises a periscope lens disposed at the mirror head.

17. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the first camera viewsthrough the mirror reflective element and views the driver’s eyes, and wherein the secondcamera views through an aperture formed through the mirror head.

18. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 17, wherein the second cameraviews through a light transmissive cover disposed at the aperture.

19. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 17, wherein a lens element of thesecond camera protrudes at least partially through the aperture formed through the mirrorhead.

20. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 17, wherein a first near infrared lightemitter and a second near infrared light emitter are accommodated by the mirror head, andwherein the first near infrared light emitter, when electrically operated, emits near infraredlight that passes through the mirror reflective element to illuminate at least a driver regionwithin the interior cabin of the vehicle, and wherein the second near infrared light emitter,when electrically operated, emits near infrared light that illuminates at least the passengerregion within the interior cabin of the vehicle.

21. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 20, wherein a cover element that isat least partially transmissive to near infrared light is disposed at an outer surface of amirror casing of the mirror head, and wherein the second near infrared light emitter emitsnear infrared light that passes through the cover element to illuminate at least thepassenger region.

22. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 17, wherein, with the interiorrearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle,the second camera is disposed at a lower region of the mirror head and views at least49 61006458.1partially downward from the mirror head toward the passenger region of the interior cabinof the vehicle.

23. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 17, wherein, with the interiorrearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle,the second camera is disposed at a passenger side portion of the mirror head and views atleast partially sideward from the mirror head toward the passenger region of the interiorcabin of the vehicle.

24. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 23, wherein a principal viewing axisof the second camera is parallel to a plane of the mirror reflective element.

25. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 17, wherein the principal viewingaxis of the first camera and the principal viewing axis of the second camera are disposedat an angle relative to one another that is between 85 degrees and 95 degrees.

26. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 25, wherein, with the interiorrearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle,the second camera is disposed at a lower region of the mirror head and views downward.

27. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the first camera includesa first CMOS imaging array having at least one million photosensors arranged in rows andcolumns, and wherein the second camera includes a second CMOS imaging array havingat least one million photosensors arranged in rows and columns.

28. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 27, wherein the first CMOS imagingarray has at least five million photosensors arranged in rows and columns.

29. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 28, wherein the second CMOSimaging array has at least two million photosensors arranged in rows and columns.50 61006458.

130. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 27, wherein the first CMOS imagingarray has more photosensors than the second CMOS imaging array.

31. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 27, wherein the first camera has afield of view having a dimension that is between 15 degrees and 60 degrees.

32. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 31, wherein the second camera hasa field of view having a dimension that is greater than 60 degrees.

33. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 31, wherein the second camera hasa field of view having a dimension that is greater than 100 degrees.

34. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the at least one cameracomprises a single camera that, with the interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at theinterior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle, and with the mirror head adjusted toprovide the rearward view for the driver, (i) views at least a driver’s head region within thecabin of the vehicle and (ii) views at least the passenger region within the cabin of thevehicle.

35. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 34, wherein the single camera viewsat least the driver’s head region through the mirror reflective element, and wherein thesingle camera views at least the passenger region within the cabin of the vehicle via lightdirected toward the single camera by an optic element.

36. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 35, wherein the single camera viewsat least the passenger region within the cabin of the vehicle via light that passes throughan aperture formed through a mirror casing of the mirror head.

37. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 35, wherein the single camera viewsat least the passenger region within the cabin of the vehicle via light that passes throughthe mirror reflective element.51 61006458.

138. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 35, wherein the optic elementcomprises a periscope lens.

39. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 34, wherein the single cameracomprises an imaging sensor that is angled relative to the mirror reflective element, andwherein, with the interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portion of theinterior cabin of the vehicle, the single camera views at least the driver’s head region andthe passenger region through a light transmissive cover extending along a lower edgeregion of the mirror reflective element.

40. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 34, wherein the single camera viewsat least the driver’s head region and the passenger region through a curved portion of themirror reflective element.

41. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 40, wherein a principal viewing axisof the single camera passes through an apex of the curved portion of the mirror reflectiveelement.

42. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 34, wherein the single cameracomprises an imaging sensor that is angled relative to the mirror reflective element, andwherein, with the interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portion of theinterior cabin of the vehicle, the single camera views at least the driver’s head region andthe passenger region through an aperture formed through a lower edge region of themirror head.

43. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 42, wherein the imaging sensor isperpendicular relative to the mirror reflective element.

44. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 42, wherein the imaging sensor andthe mirror reflective element are disposed at an angle relative to one another that isbetween 85 degrees and 95 degrees.52 61006458.

145. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 42, wherein a lens element of thesingle camera protrudes at least partially through the aperture formed through the mirrorhead.

46. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the vehicular cabinmonitoring system monitors at least the passenger region by determining whether apassenger is seated at a passenger seat of the vehicle.

47. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the vehicular cabinmonitoring system monitors at least the passenger region by determining whether apassenger of the vehicle is within a threshold distance of a dashboard of the vehicle.

48. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the vehicular cabinmonitoring system monitors at least the passenger region by determining whether apassenger of the vehicle is within a threshold distance of an airbag of the vehicle.

49. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the vehicular cabinmonitoring system monitors at least the passenger region by determining whether apassenger has placed their feet on a dashboard of the vehicle.

50. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the vehicular cabinmonitoring system monitors at least the passenger region by determining whether a childis present in the passenger region.

51. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the vehicular cabinmonitoring system determines orientation of the mirror head relative to the mountingstructure based on processing of image data captured by the at least one camera.

52. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the mirror reflectiveelement comprises an electrochromic mirror reflective element, and wherein dimming ofthe electrochromic mirror reflective element is adjusted based on a determined level ofambient light at the interior cabin of the vehicle, and wherein the level of ambient light at53 61006458.1the interior cabin of the vehicle is determined based at least in part on processing at theECU of image data captured by the at least one camera.

53. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 52, wherein the level of ambientlight at the interior cabin of the vehicle is determined based at least in part on processingat the ECU of the image data used for monitoring the passenger region.

54. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 52, wherein the at least one cameracomprises a downward-viewing camera that is disposed at a lower region of the mirrorhead and that views at least partially downward from the mirror head, and wherein thelevel of ambient light at the interior cabin of the vehicle is determined based on processingat the ECU of image data captured by the downward-viewing camera.

55. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 54, wherein the downward-viewingcamera views at least partially forward from the mirror head toward a windshield of thevehicle.

56. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the at least one cameracomprises a time of flight (ToF) camera, and wherein the image data captured by the ToFcamera comprises a data point cloud.

57. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1, wherein a time of flight (ToF)sensor is disposed within the interior cabin of the vehicle, and wherein a data point cloudcaptured by the ToF sensor is processed at the ECU for monitoring at least one selectedfrom the group consisting of (i) the driver of the vehicle and (ii) the passenger region withinthe interior cabin of the vehicle.

58. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 57, wherein the ToF sensor isdisposed at the interior rearview mirror assembly.

59. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 58, wherein the ToF sensor isdisposed at a lower portion of the mirror head of the interior rearview mirror assembly.54 61006458.

160. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 57, wherein the ToF sensor isdisposed at a headliner of the vehicle.

61. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 57, wherein the ToF sensor isdisposed at an overhead console module of the vehicle.

62. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 57, wherein the ToF sensorcomprises a direct ToF sensor.

63. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 57, wherein a seatbelt of the vehiclecomprises a material that at least partially absorbs near infrared (NIR) light, and whereinthe seatbelt, when viewed by the ToF sensor, causes a void within the data point cloudcaptured by the ToF sensor.

64. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 63, wherein the vehicular cabinmonitoring system, based on processing at the ECU of the data point cloud captured bythe ToF sensor, and based at least in part on the void within the data point cloud causedby the seatbelt, determines at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) properusage of the seatbelt and (ii) improper usage of the seatbelt.

65. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 63, wherein the vehicular cabinmonitoring system, based on processing at the ECU of the data point cloud captured bythe ToF sensor, and based at least in part on the void within the data point cloud causedby the seatbelt, determines a size of an occupant of the vehicle.

66. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 63, wherein the vehicular cabinmonitoring system, based on processing at the ECU of the data point cloud captured bythe ToF sensor, and based at least in part on the void within the data point cloud causedby the seatbelt, determines a position of an occupant of the vehicle.55 61006458.

167. A vehicular cabin monitoring system, the vehicular cabin monitoring systemcomprising: an interior rearview mirror assembly comprises a mirror head adjustable about amounting structure, wherein the mounting structure is configured to mount the interiorrearview mirror assembly at an interior portion of an interior cabin of a vehicle;wherein the mirror head accommodates a mirror reflective element;wherein a downward-viewing camera is accommodated by the mirror head, andwherein, with the interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portion of theinterior cabin of the vehicle, the downward-viewing camera views within the interior cabinof the vehicle;wherein the downward-viewing camera and the mirror reflective element movetogether and in tandem with the mirror head when, with the interior rearview mirrorassembly mounted at the interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle, the mirror headis adjusted about the mounting structure to provide a rearward view for a driver of thevehicle provided by the mirror reflective element;an electronic control unit (ECU);wherein image data captured by the downward-viewing camera is transferred to theECU; wherein the ECU comprises electronic circuitry and associated software, andwherein the electronic circuitry of the ECU comprises an image processor operable toprocess image data transferred to the ECU;wherein, with the interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portion ofthe interior cabin of the vehicle, image data captured by the downward-viewing camera isprocessed at the ECU for monitoring of a passenger region within the interior cabin of thevehicle; andwherein captured image data is processed at the ECU for monitoring of the driver ofthe vehicle.

68. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 67, wherein captured image dataprocessed at the ECU for monitoring of the driver of the vehicle is captured by a drivermonitoring camera accommodated by the mirror head, and wherein the driver monitoring56 61006458.1camera, with the mirror head adjusted to provide the rearward view for the driver, views atleast a driver’s head region within the cabin of the vehicle.

69. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 68, wherein the principal viewingaxis of the driver monitoring camera and the principal viewing axis of the downward-viewing camera are disposed at an angle relative to one another that is between 85degrees and 95 degrees.

70. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 69, wherein, with the interiorrearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle,the downward-viewing camera is disposed at a lower region of the mirror head.

71. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 70, wherein the driver monitoringcamera views through the mirror reflective element of the mirror head.

72. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 71, wherein a principal viewing axisof the driver monitoring camera is perpendicular to a plane of the mirror reflective element.

73. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 72, wherein the downward-viewingcamera views through an aperture formed through the lower region of the mirror head.

74. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 73, wherein the downward-viewingcamera views through a light transmissive cover disposed at the aperture.

75. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 73, wherein a first near infrared lightemitter and a second near infrared light emitter are accommodated by the mirror head, andwherein the first near infrared light emitter, when electrically operated, emits near infraredlight that passes through the mirror reflective element to illuminate at least a driver regionwithin the interior cabin of the vehicle, and wherein the second near infrared light emitter,when electrically operated, emits near infrared light that illuminates at least the passengerregion within the interior cabin of the vehicle.57 61006458.

176. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 75, wherein a cover element that isat least partially transmissive to near infrared light is disposed at an outer surface of amirror casing of the mirror head, and wherein the second near infrared light emitter emitsnear infrared light that passes through the cover element to illuminate at least thepassenger region.

77. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 67, wherein captured image dataprocessed at the ECU for monitoring of the driver of the vehicle is captured by a drivermonitoring camera accommodated at a second interior portion of the interior cabin of thevehicle remote from the interior rearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portion ofthe interior cabin of the vehicle, and wherein the driver monitoring camera views at least adriver’s head region within the cabin of the vehicle.

78. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 77, wherein the second interiorportion of the interior cabin of the vehicle comprises one selected from the groupconsisting of (i) a steering column of the vehicle, (ii) an instrument panel of the vehicle, (iii)a dashboard of the vehicle and (iv) an overhead console of the vehicle.

79. The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 67, wherein, with the interiorrearview mirror assembly mounted at the interior portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle,and with the mirror head adjusted to provide the rearward view for the driver, thedownward-viewing camera views at least a driver’s head region within the cabin of thevehicle, and wherein captured image data processed at the ECU for monitoring of thedriver of the vehicle is captured by the downward-viewing camera.58 61006458.1

Images