Automotive occupancy sensor gray zone neural net conditioning process for airbag deployment systems

摘要

An automotive occupancy sensing system and method for use in conjunction with airbag deployment systems, by which occupant nature, location and motion parameters within the vehicle interior are determined by ultrasound (US) and/or infrared sensors. (IS). Criteria for airbag disablement or airbag modified/partial deployment are used to determine whether appropriate disablement or modified/partial deployment control signals are transmitted to the vehicle airbag deployment system. More particularly the system establishes a Keep Out Zone (KOZ) within the vehicle interior relative to the dashboard or instrument panel and determines actual or imminent incursions by occupants into the KOZ to produce a Keep Out Zone Incursion (KOZI) signal. The system is also characterized by establishing a “Gray Area” bounding the KOZ. Sensor signals from objects/persons in the Gray Zone area selectively used or discarded as part of the training process for a neural net AOS process, and thereby detection performance is substantially enhanced.