Abstract: A smart airbag system including a sensor mechanism for controlling the deployment of an occupant protection apparatus in a motor vehicle, such as a gas-inflatable airbag, to protect an occupant of the vehicle in a crash. The system includes a sensor mounted to the vehicle for sensing accelerations of the vehicle and producing an analog signal representative thereof; an electronic converter for receiving the analog signal from the sensor and for converting the analog signal into a digital signal, and a processor which receives the digital signal. The processor includes a pattern recognition system and produces a deployment control signal to a gas control module which controls the flow of gas into or out of the airbag to optimize the injury protection capability of the airbag. The system also accepts inputs from occupant position, velocity and weight sensors and/or anticipatory crash sensors, when such are available, and may affect the deployment control signal based on these inputs.

Abstract: Method for developing and adapting a system for determining the location of an object in a passenger compartment of a vehicle using a variety of transducers and pattern recognition technologies and techniques that applies to any combination of transducers that provide information about vehicle occupancy. These include weight sensors, capacitive sensors, inductive sensors, ultrasonic, optic, infrared, radar among others. The adaptation process begins with a selection of candidate transducers for a particular vehicle model based on, e.g., cost, vehicle interior passenger compartment geometry, desired accuracy and reliability, vehicle aesthetics, vehicle manufacturer preferences. Once a candidate set of transducers is selected, these transducers are mounted in the test vehicle and the vehicle is subjected to an extensive data collection process wherein various objects are placed in the vehicle at various locations and various databases are collected.

Abstract: Arrangement and method for mapping a road during travel of a vehicle having two data acquisition modules arranged on sides of the vehicle, each including a GPS receiver and antenna for enabling the vehicle's position to be determined and a linear camera which provides one-dimensional images of an area on the respective side in a vertical plane perpendicular to the road such that information about the road is obtained from a view in a direction perpendicular to the road. A processor unit forms a map database of the road by correlating the vehicle's position and the information about the road. Instead of or in addition to the linear cameras, scanning laser radars are provided and transmit waves downward in a plane perpendicular to the road and receive reflected waves to provide information about distance between the laser radars and the ground for use in forming the database.

Abstract: Crash attenuator for protecting a truck or stationary structure from damage resulting from impact of an object including a frame mountable to the structure, a bumper having an impact-receiving face adapted to receive an impact from the object, a movable displacement structure interposed between the frame and bumper and having a first position in which the bumper is relatively distant from the frame and a second position in which the bumper is relatively proximate to the frame, and an energy dissipation system coupled to the displacement structure for dissipating impact energy of the object received by the bumper which causes the displacement structure to be moved from the first position toward the second position. The energy dissipation system includes one or more deformable members which deform upon movement of the displacement structure from the first position toward the second position with such deformation causing dissipation of impact energy.

Abstract: Methods for controlling a vehicle system in which radiation is directed from a transducer into the passenger compartment and is reflected off or modified by an object in the passenger compartment and received by the same or a different transducer. When ultrasonic waves are used, one or more techniques are used to compensate for thermal gradients in the passenger compartment and/or enable the use of a single transducer to send and receive waves, for example, a tubular mounting structure for the transducers, electronic reduction of ringing of the transducer, mechanical damping of the transducer cone, shaped horns, grills and reflectors for the output of the transducers to precisely control the beam pattern, a logarithmic compression amplifier, a temperature compensation method based on change in transducer properties with temperature and/or a dual level network, one level for categorization and the second for occupant position sensing.

Abstract: System and method for analyzing motion of occupants of the vehicle in which a wave-receiving system receives waves from spaces above seats of the vehicle in which the occupants would normally be situated and a processor coupled to the wave-receiving system determines movement of any occupants based on the received waves. The wave-receiving system may be arranged on a rear view mirror, in a headliner, roof, ceiling or windshield header, in an A-Pillar or B-Pillar, above a top surface of an instrument panel, and in connection with a steering wheel or an airbag module. The processor can be programmed to determine the location of the head, chest and/or torso of any occupants. If it determines the location of the head of any occupants, it could monitor the position thereof to determine whether the occupant is falling asleep or becoming incapacitated.

Abstract: Apparatus for disabling an airbag system for a seating position within a motor vehicle in which occupant sensors are situated adjacent or on a roof above the seat and the presence or absence of an occupant of the seating position is detected using the occupant sensor(s). The airbag system is disabled if the seating position is unoccupied. The position of an occupant is detected if the seating position is occupied and the airbag system is disabled if the occupant's position would result in injury to the occupant greater than any injury resulting from non-deployment. Further, the airbag deployment parameters, e.g., rate of inflation and time of deployment, may be modified based on the occupant's position to adjust inflation of the airbag according to proximity of the occupant to the airbag door.

Abstract: Vehicular rear seat area monitoring system including at least one wave-receiving sensor arranged behind the front seat to receive waves from a space above the rear seat and a processor coupled to the sensor(s) for controlling another system in the vehicle based on the waves received by the sensor(s). The sensors may be of several different types. For example, an optical sensor can be provided which receives images including the space above the rear seat, a CCD array, a CMOS array and an optical camera including a lens can be used, and a radar sensor is also a possibility. If one of the sensors is a radar sensor, then the processor may be designed or trained to analyze motion of objects in the rear seat based on the waves received by the radar sensor and control the system based on any motion of the objects.

Abstract: A unified software apparatus and method for evaluating a generic electrical signal and complex multiple-format video signals. The methods may be operated manually or programmatically and are especially intended for evaluating analog signals within an automated testing environment. The test signal data is supplied by an external source such as an external hardware digitizer or other means. This signal data may be analog or digital in nature and may comprise up to three separate channels. The apparatus generates visual aids and supporting numerical computations, resulting in concrete and tangible results, allowing analysis based upon user selected criteria such as voltage measurements, histograms, frequency domain computations, or total harmonic distortion. In addition to these methods, video waveforms may be analyzed for content based upon numerical measurements applied to a region-within-a-region concept.

Abstract: Control system and method for controlling a part of the vehicle in which sensor systems are mounted at different locations on the vehicle, each sensor system providing a measurement related to a state of the sensor system or a measurement related to a state of the mounting location. A processor coupled to the sensor systems diagnoses the state of the vehicle based on the measurements of the sensor system, e.g., by the application of a pattern recognition technique. The processor controls the part based at least in part on the diagnosed state of the vehicle. At least one of the sensor systems may be a high dynamic range accelerometer or a sensor selected from a group consisting of a single axis acceleration sensor, a double axis acceleration sensor, a triaxial acceleration sensor and a gyroscope, and may optionally include an RFID response unit.

Abstract: A phase noise measurement method including a low noise programmable synthesizer and a receiver/down converter is provided. The low noise synthesizer provides L-Band Signals which can selectively exhibit low noise close-in or low noise far out. The receiver/down converter provides for absolute, additive, and down converted/direct/multiple phase noise measurement.

Abstract: Arrangements for a vehicle including ultrasonic transmitters for transmitting ultrasonic waves into the passenger compartment, each transmitter operating at a distinct transmitting frequency and positioned at a distinct location relative to the other transmitter(s), at least one receiver disposed so as to receive ultrasonic waves transmitted from a transmitter and modified by passing through the passenger compartment, and a processor operatively coupled to the receiver(s). Based on the received waves, the processor determines whether an object is located in the passenger compartment, controls deployment of a safety restraint device and/or determines the location of an object in the passenger compartment. Other arrangements include receivers arranged at different locations in the vehicle and which facilitate a distance measurement capability.

Abstract: Methods for controlling deployment of an occupant restraint device in a vehicle and determining whether an object is a child seat in which one ultrasonic transducer is arranged on a ceiling of the vehicle and another ultrasonic transducer is arranged at a different location in the vehicle, ultrasonic waves are transmitted from each transducer into the passenger compartment and received thereby, and the distance from each transducer to the object is calculated based on the time difference between the transmitted waves when transmitted from the transducer and the reflected waves when received at the transducer. Deployment of the occupant restraint device is controlled based on the calculated distances and/or a determination is made whether the object is a child seat based on the calculated distances.

Abstract: System for determining the occupancy of a seat in a vehicle using pattern recognition technologies and techniques that apply to any combination of transducers that provide information about seat occupancy, for example, weight sensors, capacitive sensors, inductive sensors, ultrasonic, optical, electromagnetic, motion, infrared and radar sensors. A processor is coupled to the transducers for receiving data therefrom and processes the data to obtain an output indicative of the seat's current occupancy state. A combination neural network is resident in the processor and is created from data sets, each representing a different occupancy state of the seat and being formed from data from the transducers while the seat is in that occupancy state. The combination neural network produces the output indicative of the current occupancy state of the seat upon inputting a data set representing the current occupancy state of the seat and being formed from data from the transducers.

Abstract: System and method for controlling operation of a vehicle or a component thereof based on recognition of a individual including a processor embodying a pattern recognition algorithm trained to identify whether a person is the individual by analyzing data derived from optical images and an optical receiving unit for receiving images including the person and deriving data from the images. The optical receiving unit provides the data to the algorithm to obtain an indication from the algorithm whether the person is the individual. A security system enables operation of the vehicle when the algorithm provides an indication that the person is an individual authorized to operate the vehicle and prevents operation of the vehicle when the algorithm does not provide an indication that the person is an individual authorized to operate the vehicle. A component adjustment system adjusts the component based on the recognition of the individual.

Abstract: Method and weight sensor for determining the weight of an occupant of a seat including a bladder having one or more chambers adapted to be arranged in a seat portion of the seat and one or more transducers for measuring the pressure in a respective chamber. The weight distribution of the occupant in a seat can be measured by using a multi-chambered bladder, measuring the pressure in each chamber and determining the weight distribution of the occupant therefrom. The position of the occupant and center of gravity can also be determined based on the weight distribution.

Abstract: A method for generating a waveform at a particular frequency in which a segment RAM depth is determined based on the relationship between the frequency and a variable clock value, a RAM based memory system is provided with waveform information, and the waveform is sequentially generated from a combination of the waveform information in the RAM based memory system from a first memory site to a memory site dependent on the segment RAM depth. The generated waveform is filtered to obtain only the waveform at the desired frequency. The RAM based memory system is provided with the waveform information by dividing each desired waveform into segments depending on the clock value and storing each segment in a respective memory site. An analog to digital converter may be evaluated by directing the desired waveform to the analog to digital converter. The generated waveform is tuned in the filter to a center frequency if it is a sinewave or a tuned squarewave.

Abstract: Arrangement and method in a vehicle for identifying an occupying item in which information or data about the occupying item is obtained and a pattern recognition system analyzes this information or data with respect to size, position., shape and/or motion to determine what the occupying item is whereby a distinction can be made as to whether the occupying item is human or an inanimate object. The information or data may be obtained by one or more receiver arrays which converts electromagnetic radiation into electrical signals such that the information or data about the occupying item is in the form of one or more electrical signals representative of an image of the occupying item.

Abstract: A side impact airbag system for a vehicle including a system housing defining an interior space and arranged on a side of the vehicle alongside at least a portion of a passenger compartment of the vehicle. One or more airbags are arranged in the interior space of the system housing such that when inflating, the airbag(s) is/are expelled from the system housing into the passenger compartment. An inflator is arranged at least partially within the interior space of the system housing for inflating the airbag(s). A crash sensor, preferably an electronic crash sensor, initiates inflation of the airbag(s) via the inflator upon a determination of a crash requiring inflation of the airbag(s). The crash sensor includes a sensor housing arranged within and/or proximate to the system housing, and a sensing mass arranged in the sensor housing to move relative to the sensor housing in response to accelerations of the sensor housing resulting from the crash into the first side of the vehicle.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in obturating a root canal including a first member having a frame, a heatable probe mounted to the frame to project outward from the frame and adapted for insertion into or into proximity of the root canal, and one or more pressure sensors for detecting application of external pressure on the first member. Each pressure sensor is coupled to the heating probe such that the heating probe is heated upon the application of pressure on the first member. A second member covers the heating probe and is attachable to the first member in a position in which it covers the heating probe and movable from that position to expose the heating probe. Another apparatus for use in obturating root canals includes a cylindrical housing having an inwardly depressible region, a heatable probe adapted for insertion into or into proximity of the root canal, and a cradle having a seat in which the heating probe is received.