Methods for controlling a system in a vehicle using a transmitting/receiving transducer and/or while compensating for thermal gradients

A method for identifying an object in a passenger compartment of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

• mounting a plurality of wave-emitting and receiving transducers on the vehicle, each transducer being arranged to transmit waves toward the object and receive waves modified by the object at a different frequency,
• controlling the transducers to simultaneously transmit waves at the different frequencies into the passenger compartment toward the same object in the passenger compartment, and
• identifying the object based on the waves received by a plurality of the transducers after being modified by the object.

In combination, a vehicle and an arrangement for identifying an object in a passenger compartment of the vehicle, the arrangement comprising:

• a plurality of wave-emitting and receiving transducers mounted on the vehicle, each transducer being arranged to transmit waves toward the object and receive waves modified by the object at a different frequency, said transducers being structured and arranged such that the frequencies of the waves transmitted and received by said transducers are spaced apart from one another to reduce the possibility of each transducer receiving waves transmitted by another transducer, and
• a processor coupled to said transducers for controlling said transducers to simultaneously transmit waves at the different frequencies into the passenger compartment toward the same object in the passenger compartment and receiving signals representative of the waves received by said transducers after being modified by the object, said processor being arranged to identifying the object based on the signals representative of the waves received by a plurality of said transducers.

A method for determining the position of an object in a passenger compartment of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

• mounting a plurality of wave-emitting and receiving transducers on the vehicle, each transducer being arranged to transmit waves toward the object and receive waves modified by the object at a different frequency,
• controlling the transducers to simultaneously transmit waves at the different frequencies into the passenger compartment toward the same object in the passenger compartment, and
• determining the position of the object based on the waves received by a plurality of the transducers after being modified by the object.

In combination, a vehicle and an arrangement for determining the position of an object in a passenger compartment of the vehicle, the arrangement comprising:

• a plurality of wave-emitting and receiving transducers mounted on the vehicle, each transducer being arranged to transmit waves toward the object and receive waves modified by the object at a different frequency, said transducers being structured and arranged such that the frequencies of the waves transmitted and received by said transducers are spaced apart from one another to reduce the possibility of each transducer receiving waves transmitted by another transducer, and
• a processor coupled to said transducers for controlling said transducers to simultaneously transmit waves at the different frequencies into the passenger compartment toward the same object in the passenger compartment and receiving signals representative of the waves received by said transducers after being modified by passing through the passenger compartment, said processor being arranged to determine the position of the object based on the signals representative of the waves received by a plurality of said transducers.

A method for categorizing and determining the position of an object in a passenger compartment of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

• mounting a plurality of wave-receiving transducers on the vehicle,
• training a first neural network on signals from at least some of the transducers representative of waves received by the transducers when different objects in different positions are situated in the passenger compartment such that the first neural network provides an output signal indicative of the categorization of the object, and
• training a second neural network on signals from at least some of said transducers representative of waves received by the transducers when different objects in different positions are situated in the passenger compartment such that the second neural network provides an output signal indicative of the position of the object.