Method and apparatus for detecting an out of position occupant

An apparatus for detecting position of an occupant in a vehicle relative to a predetermined reference location in the vehicle's occupant compartment, said apparatus comprising:

• a displacement sensor mounted near the front of the occupant compartment of the vehicle at a known location relative to the predetermined reference location for sensing distance between the displacement sensor and the occupant and for generating an electric signal having a value indicative of the sensed distance between said displacement sensor and the occupant;
• an infrared sensor mounted in the occupant compartment at a location rearward of said displacement sensor and aimed at a location between the back of an associated occupant seat and the predetermined reference location, said infrared sensor having a plurality of viewing fields for sensing the location of the occupant relative to the predetermined reference location and for providing an output signal having a value indicative of the occupant's location relative to said predetermined reference location;
• and
• control means connected to said infrared sensor for determining the distance between the occupant and the predetermined reference location in response to the output of said infrared sensor, said control means being further connected to said displacement sensor for determining the distance between the occupant and the predetermined reference location in response to the output of said displacement sensor and providing an electric enable signal when at least one of the determined distances between the occupant and the predetermined reference location determined from the displacement sensor output and indicated by the infrared sensor output is at least a first predetermined distance from said predetermined reference location, said control means further providing a disable signal only when both determined distances indicate the occupant is less than a second predetermined distance from said predetermined reference location.

An apparatus for controlling actuation of a vehicle occupant restraint system, said apparatus comprising:

• a displacement sensor mounted to a dashboard a known distance from a predetermined reference location of the vehicle for sensing distance between the predetermined reference location and the occupant in a seat of the vehicle and for generating an electric signal having a value indicative of the sensed distance between said predetermined reference location and the occupant;
• an infrared sensor mounted at a location rearward of said displacement sensor and aimed at a location between the back of the occupant seat and the dashboard, said infrared sensor having a plurality of viewing fields for sensing the location of the occupant relative to said predetermined reference location and for providing an output indicative of the occupant'location relative to said predetermined reference location;
• control means connected to said infrared sensor for determining the distance between the occupant and said predetermined reference location in response to the output of said infrared sensor, said control means being further connected to said displacement sensor for providing an electric enable signal to permit actuation of the occupant restraint system when at least one of the distances between the occupant and the predetermined reference location indicated by said displacement sensor and determined from said infrared sensor is at least a predetermined distance;
• means for actuating said restraint system upon the occurrence of a vehicle crash condition only when said electric enable signal is provided;
• and
• means for providing a disable signal only when both said distance from said displacement sensor and distance determined from said infrared sensor are less than second predetermined distance from said predetermined reference location, said disable signal preventing actuation of said restraint system.

A passenger restraint system for a vehicle comprising:

• an air bag mounted in an air bag storage location in the occupant compartment of the vehicle;
• means for providing gas to inflate said air bag in response to a trigger signal;
• means for monitoring a vehicle crash event and providing an electric signal having a value indicative of the occurrence of a vehicle crash event;
• first sensing means mounted to a dashboard of the vehicle at a known location relative to the air bag storage location for sensing distance between the air bag storage location and an occupant and for generating a first electric signal indicative of the sensed distance between the air bag storage location and the occupant by said first sensing means;
• second sensing means mounted at a location rearward of said first sensing means relative to the vehicle and adjacent the occupant for sensing the distance between the air bag storage location and the occupant and for providing a second electric signal indicative of the sensed distance between the air bag storage location and the occupant by said second sensing means;
• and
• control means connected to said first sensing means and to said second sensing means for providing said trigger signal to said means for providing gas to said air bag when said means for monitoring a vehicle crash event provides said electric signal indicative of the occurrence of a vehicle crash event and when at least one of said first electric signal from said first sensing means and said second electric signal from said second sensing means indicates the occupant is at least a predetermined distance from said air bag storage location, said control means providing a disable signal only when both said first electric signal from said first sensing means and said second electric signal from said second sensing means indicate the occupant is less than said predetermined distance from said air bag storage location, said disable signal preventing said trigger signal.

A method for detecting position of an occupant in an occupant compartment of a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:

• mounting a first sensor at a known location near the front of the occupant compartment for sensing the position of the occupant relative to a predetermined reference location in the occupant compartment;
• generating a first electric signal indicative of the sensed position of the occupant relative to the predetermined reference location by said first sensor;
• mounting a second sensor at a location rearward of said first sensor and adjacent the occupant for sensing the position of the occupant relative to the predetermined reference location in the occupant compartment;
• generating a second electric signal indicative of the sensed position of the occupant relative to the predetermined reference location by said second sensor;
• generating an electric enable signal when at least one of said first electric signal from said first sensor and said second electric signal from said second sensor indicates the occupant is at a first predetermined position relative to the predetermined reference location in the occupant compartment;
• and
• generating an electric disable signal only when both said first electric signal from said first sensor and said second electric signal from said second sensor indicate the occupant is at a second predetermined position relative to the predetermined reference location in the occupant compartment.

A method for detecting a position of an occupant in a vehicle relative to a predetermined reference location in the vehicle's occupant compartment, said method comprising the steps of:

• mounting a displacement sensor near the front of the occupant compartment of the vehicle at a known location relative to the predetermined reference location for sensing distance between the displacement sensor and the occupant;
• generating a first electric signal having a value indicative of the distance between said occupant and the displacement sensor as sensed by the displacement sensor;
• determining the distance between the occupant and the predetermined reference location in response to said first electric signal;
• mounting an infrared sensor in the occupant compartment at a location rearward of said displacement sensor and aimed at a location between the back of a seat in which the occupant sets and the predetermined reference location;
• dividing the field of view of said infrared sensor into a plurality of viewing fields;
• sensing, using the infrared sensor, the location of the occupant between the predetermined reference location and the back of the seat;
• generating a second electrical signal having a value indicative of the occupant's location relative to said predetermined reference location based the output of the infrared sensor;
• determining the distance between the occupant and the predetermined reference location in response to said second electric signal;
• providing an electric enable signal when at least one of the determined distances indicates that the occupant is at least a predetermined distance from said predetermined reference location;
• and
• providing a disable signal only when both the determined distances indicate the occupant is less than a second predetermined distance from said predetermined reference location.

A method for controlling actuation of a vehicle occupant restraint system, said method comprising the steps of:

• mounting a displacement sensor to a dashboard of the vehicle a known distance from a predetermined reference location;
• sensing the distance between the predetermined reference location and the occupant in a seat of the vehicle using the displacement sensor;
• generating a first electric signal having a value indicative of the sensed distance between said predetermined reference location and the occupant by said displacement sensor;
• mounting an infrared sensor at a location rearward of said displacement sensor and aiming said infrared sensor at a location between the back of the occupant's seat and the predetermined reference location;
• dividing the viewing field of said infrared sensor into a plurality of separate viewing fields for sensing the location of the occupant relative to the predetermined reference location;
• generating a second electric signal having an output indicative of the occupant's location relative to said predetermined reference location;
• determining the distance between the occupant and the predetermined reference location in response to the output of said infrared sensor;
• generating an electric enable signal when at least one of the determined distances indicates that the occupant is at least a predetermined distance from said predetermined reference location;
• actuating the restraint system upon the occurrence of a vehicle crash condition only when the electric enable signal is provided;
• and
• providing an electric disable signal only when both the determined distances indicate the occupant is less the predetermined distance from said predetermined reference location, said disable signal preventing actuation of said restraint system.

A method for controlling a passenger restraint system for a vehicle including an air bag mounted at an air bag storage location, and means for providing gas to inflate said air bag in response to a trigger signal, said method comprising the steps of:

• mounting a first sensor to a dashboard of the vehicle at a known position relative to the air bag storage location;
• sensing the distance between the dashboard and an occupant with said first sensor;
• generating a first electric signal indicative of the sensed distance between the air bag storage location and the occupant by said first sensor;
• mounting a second sensor at a location rearward of said first sensor relative to the vehicle and adjacent the occupant;
• sensing the distance between the air bag storage location and the occupant with said second sensor;
• generating a second electric signal indicative of the sensed distance between the air bag storage location and the occupant by said second sensor;
• monitoring for a vehicle crash event;
• and
• providing said trigger signal to the means for providing gas to the air bag when a vehicle crash event is monitored and when at least one of said first electric signal from the first sensor and the second electric signal from the second sensor indicates the occupant is at least a predetermined distance from said air bag storage location and providing a disable signal to prevent said trigger signal only when both the first electric signal from said first sensor and the second electric signal from said second sensor indicates the occupant is less than the predetermined distance from said air bag storage location.