Optical identification and monitoring system using pattern recognition for use with vehicles

In a motor vehicle having an interior passenger compartment containing at least one occupying item having surfaces, an interior monitoring system comprising:

• (a) at least one infrared transmitter for transmitting infrared waves toward said at least one occupying item;
• (b) modulation means for modulating said transmitted waves such that said transmitted waves constitute a first signal at a first frequency in the infrared range;
• (c) generator means for generating a second signal having a second frequency in the infrared range slightly different from said first frequency;
• (d) at least one infrared receiver for receiving infrared waves transmitted from said at least one transmitter and reflected from said at least one occupying item, said at least one receiver being structured and arranged to generate a third signal at the same frequency as said first signal but shifted in phase and based on the received infrared waves;
• (e) first combining means for combining said first signal with said second signal to produce a first beat signal;
• (f) second combining means for combining said third signal with said second signal to produce a second beat signal;
• and
• (g) detection means for detecting a phase shift between said first beat signal and said second beat signal, said phase shift being a measure of the position of said at least one occupying item from said at least one transmitter.

In a motor vehicle having an interior passenger compartment containing at least one occupying item having surfaces, a system for determining the location of said at least one occupying item comprising:

• a) illumination means for illuminating a portion of said vehicle interior passenger compartment with electromagnetic radiation;
• b) receiver means for receiving reflected electromagnetic illumination from said surfaces of said at least one occupying item within said vehicle interior passenger compartment, said receiver means comprising at least one CCD array structured and arranged to obtain an image representative of the electromagnetic illumination reflected from said surfaces of said at least one occupying item and convert the image into electrical signals;
• c) processor means coupled to said at least one CCD array for processing said electrical signals converted from said image obtained by said at least one CCD array, said processor means being structured and arranged to process said electrical signals from said at least one CCD array into a measurement of the distance from said at least one occupying item to said at least one CCD array;
• (d) output means coupled to said processor means for affecting another system in the vehicle in response to the measured distance of said at least one occupying item from said at least one CCD array by said processor means.

In a motor vehicle having an occupying item, a vehicle occupant position sensor arrangement comprising:

• (a) at least one transmitter for transmitting electromagnetic radiation toward said occupant, said transmitted radiation illuminating a substantial portion of said occupant;
• (b) at least one receiver for receiving reflected radiation from said occupant, said receiver comprising means for measuring the position of said occupant, said position measurement means comprising a charge coupled device for converting the received radiation into electrical signals and trained pattern recognition means for processing said electronic signals based on the received radiation reflected from said occupant to obtain the position of said occupant based thereon, said pattern recognition means being structured and arranged to apply a pattern recognition algorithm generated from different positions of an occupant and patterns of received radiation reflected from the occupant in the different positions;
• (c) mounting means for mounting said at least one transmitter and said at least one receiver onto said vehicle;
• and
• (d) analysis means coupled to said position measuring means of said at least one receiver for responding to said position of said occupant to affect another system in said vehicle.

In a motor vehicle having an interior passenger compartment containing at least one occupying item having surfaces and at least one infrared transmitter for transmitting infrared waves toward said at least one occupying item, a method for determining the position of said at least one occupying item from said at least one transmitter comprising the steps of:

• modulating said transmitted waves from said at least one transmitter such that said transmitted waves constitute a first signal at a first frequency in the infrared range;
• generating a second signal having a second frequency in the infrared range slightly different from said first frequency;
• arranging at least one infrared receiver to receive infrared waves transmitted from said at least one transmitter and reflected from said at least one occupying item and generate a third signal at the same frequency as said first signal but shifted in phase and based thereon;
• combining said first signal with said second signal to produce a first beat signal;
• combining said third signal with said second signal to produce a second beat signal;
• and
• detecting a phase shift between said first beat signal and said second beat signal, said phase shift being a measure of the position of said at least one occupying item from said at least one transmitter.