Vehicle Occupant Protection System Dynamic Imaging Range Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle occupant protection systems face challenges in executing optimal protection control during collisions due to uncertainties in the riding state of occupants, particularly when collision types are varied and accurate information about the occupant's seating state and impact position is not readily available.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle occupant protection system incorporating an imaging device, occupant monitoring apparatus, and protection apparatus that adjusts its imaging range based on the captured image quality to determine the occupant's position and orientation accurately, allowing for tailored protection control during collisions, including the use of seatbelts and airbags.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the imaging range is fixed to capture the entire vehicle interior, then the coverage area is maximized, but the measurement precision of occupant position and orientation deteriorates when the occupant is not clearly visible
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging device dynamically adjusts its imaging range based on the detected occupant state. When the occupant is clearly visible in the full interior view, the system uses the wide imaging range. When the occupant becomes invisible or unclear (e.g., due to posture changes or occlusion), the system switches to a narrowed imaging range focused on the seat area to improve detection accuracy. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between maintaining wide coverage and ensuring precise measurement.
2Measurement precision
If the imaging range is narrowed to focus on the occupant, then the measurement precision of occupant position improves, but the coverage area and ability to detect collision type deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between wide and narrowed imaging ranges based on the detection results. The wide range is used for initial assessment and collision type detection, while the narrowed range is activated when precise occupant positioning is needed. This temporal separation of functions allows the system to achieve both wide coverage for adaptability and focused precision for measurement accuracy at different stages of the protection control process.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection using the wide imaging range to determine collision type and basic occupant state before switching to the narrowed range for precise position measurement. This preliminary action ensures that the system maintains adaptability to different collision scenarios while still achieving high measurement precision when needed for executing protection control.
3Device complexity
If the system uses a fixed imaging range, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ability to accurately determine riding state in various collision scenarios deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging device implements dynamic range adjustment with multiple predefined imaging ranges (wide and narrowed). This dynamic capability allows the system to adapt to various collision scenarios and occupant positions without requiring an overly complex system with continuous variable adjustment. The discrete range switching provides the necessary flexibility for accurate riding state determination while maintaining manageable system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle occupant protection system includes an imaging device, an occupant monitoring apparatus, and an occupant protection apparatus. The imaging device is configured to capture an image of an occupant riding in a vehicle. The occupant monitoring apparatus is configured to monitor the occupant on the basis of the captured image outputted from the imaging device, and configured to, in a case where a riding state of the occupant in the vehicle is undeterminable on the basis of the captured image outputted from the imaging device, switch an imaging range of the captured image to be outputted from the imaging device. The occupant protection apparatus is configured to execute, on the basis of the monitoring by the occupant monitoring apparatus, protection control that is based on the occupant riding in the vehicle.