Vehicle Occupant Classification Using Seated Height and Weight
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Solution Overview
Problem
Determining occupant height and weight in vehicles is difficult and unreliable, as it requires accurate measurements that are often unavailable or change over time, making it challenging for vehicle safety systems to classify occupants effectively without user input.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle occupant classification system that measures seated height and weight, calculates a seated body mass index (BMI) by adjusting for seat angle, and uses this ratio to classify occupants as underweight, normal weight, or overweight, tuning safety subsystems accordingly without requiring user-provided data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If user-provided height and weight data are used, then occupant classification can be performed, but reliability deteriorates because data may be outdated or inaccurate
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the vehicle's existing sensors (weight sensor, camera, seat angle sensor) to automatically measure and determine current occupant height and weight without requiring user input. The processor calculates seated BMI from these measurements, enabling the system to self-update occupant data in real-time, thereby improving reliability while eliminating dependence on potentially outdated user-provided information
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary measurements of occupant weight and height using available sensors before safety system deployment. By pre-determining current occupant physical characteristics through automated sensing and calculation, the system ensures accurate, up-to-date data is available for real-time safety adjustments without relying on stored or user-provided information
2Reliability
If seated height and weight measurements are taken, then current occupant data is obtained, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the functions of multiple existing vehicle components (weight sensor for mass measurement, seat angle sensor for posture detection, camera for height estimation) into a unified occupant classification system. By combining these already-present sensors and processing their data together through the existing processor, the system obtains accurate current occupant data without adding significant hardware complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system makes existing vehicle sensors multi-functional by using the weight sensor not only for basic weight detection but also for calculating seated BMI when combined with seat angle and height data. The camera serves dual purposes for both general vehicle monitoring and specific occupant height measurement. This multi-functionality approach allows comprehensive occupant data collection without proportionally increasing device complexity
Data Source
AI summary
An image is received from an image sensor. The image includes an occupant's head. A seated height of the occupant is determined based at least in part on a distance from the image sensor to the occupant's head, and a detected angle of a vehicle seat. A safety device is adjusted based at least in part on the seated height of the occupant.