Vehicle Occupant Imaging Layout for Accurate Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing occupant imaging devices in vehicles face issues with increased size, decreased detection accuracy due to separate substrates and long routing between illumination and imaging units, and obstructed driver vision from overhead consoles.
Innovation Solution
The illumination and imaging units are arranged vertically in the outer frame of a display device, excluding the passenger seat side portion, allowing for a common substrate, reduced part count, shorter routing, and minimized angular difference between optical axes, thus preventing size increase, maintaining detection accuracy, and ensuring driver vision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the illumination unit and imaging unit are arranged separately with long routing, then the device can be manufactured independently, but the device size increases and detection accuracy decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination unit and imaging unit are integrated onto a single common substrate, eliminating the need for separate substrates and long routing connections. This merging of components directly reduces the overall device complexity and routing length while maintaining detection accuracy through closer component integration.
2Measurement precision
If overhead console is added for imaging, then occupant monitoring is enabled, but driver vision is obstructed
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging function is extracted from the overhead console location and relocated to the display device mounted on the dashboard. This extraction removes the imaging unit from the position that obstructs driver vision while preserving the occupant monitoring capability through the relocated display device with integrated imaging unit.
3Ease of manufacture
If multiple separate components are used for illumination and imaging, then component independence is maintained, but the number of parts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination unit and imaging unit are combined into a single integrated assembly mounted on a common substrate. This merging reduces the total number of separate parts and components while maintaining manufacturability through standardized integration processes and modular design of the combined unit.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration prevents the display device from increasing in size, maintains detection accuracy, and ensures an appropriate field of vision for the driver by reducing the number of parts, shortening routing, and minimizing optical axis angular differences.
Implementation Method 1
an illumination unit that illuminates an area around a face of an occupant seated in a seat
Implementation Method 2
an imaging unit that captures images of the area around the face of the occupant seated in the seat
Data Source
AI summary
An occupant imaging device captures images of occupants inside a vehicle in which a display device having a display area is provided in front of and between a driver's seat and a passenger seat. The occupant imaging device includes an illumination unit that illuminates an area around the face of an occupant seated in a seat, and an imaging unit that captures images of the area around the face of the occupant seated in the seat. The display device includes an outer frame extending on at least left and right sides of the display area. The illumination unit and the imaging unit are arranged in the vertical direction in a region of the outer frame of the display device excluding a passenger seat side portion. The imaging unit captures images of an area around the face of an occupant including at least a driver seated in the driver's seat.