Vehicle Passenger Detection Using Smart Key Position and Camera Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies fail to precisely detect passengers in a vehicle's rear seat, particularly due to limitations with ultrasonic sensors that struggle with small movements and varying detection performance based on surroundings.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle system equipped with a camera-based image acquisition unit and controller that determines the number of boarding or exiting passengers by processing images of a predetermined area, using positional relationships with the smart key and vehicle doors, and outputs confirmation messages to the driver.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ultrasonic sensors are used to detect passengers, then the detection coverage is provided, but the measurement precision deteriorates due to inability to detect small movements and varying performance based on surroundings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces ultrasonic sensors (acoustic field-based detection) with a camera system (optical field-based detection). The camera captures images and processes them to detect passengers, eliminating the limitations of ultrasonic wave detection such as sensitivity to small movements and environmental variations. This substitution of detection field fundamentally improves measurement precision while maintaining reliable detection coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an image processing unit as an intermediary between the camera and the detection system. This intermediary processes captured images to identify passengers, enhancing the precision of passenger detection by analyzing visual data rather than relying directly on ultrasonic signal variations that are affected by environmental factors.
2Measurement precision
If a camera-based system is implemented to improve passenger detection precision, then the measurement precision improves, but the device complexity increases due to additional image acquisition and processing components
Solution Approach 1:
The camera system serves multiple functions: it captures images for passenger detection, provides visual records for verification, and can potentially be used for other monitoring purposes. By making the camera system multi-functional, the patent justifies the increased device complexity through enhanced versatility and improved detection precision across multiple applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The image processing unit automatically processes captured images to detect passengers without requiring manual intervention. The system self-manages the detection process by acquiring images, processing them, and generating detection results, thereby reducing the operational complexity despite the increased structural complexity of having dedicated processing components.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle includes an image acquisition unit configured to acquire an image around the vehicle, and a controller configured to control the image acquisition unit to acquire an image of a predetermined area based on a positional relationship between a smart key and the vehicle, and an opening of at least one of rear doors of the vehicle, and determine the number of boarding passengers based on the image of the predetermined area.