Abstract: A vehicular actuation system installed in a vehicle includes an actuation device that includes an operation member manipulated by a vehicle occupant. The system also includes a detecting unit for detecting a three-dimensional image in an operational area of a predetermined range about the operation member. The system also includes a control unit that determines based on the detected three-dimensional image whether or not a palm or back of a hand of the vehicle occupant is present in the operational area. The control unit operates the actuation device when the palm or back of the hand of the vehicle occupant is present in the operational area. The system includes a first operation mode in which the operation member is directly manipulated by the hand of the vehicle occupant to operate the actuation device and a second operation mode in which the actuation device is operated by the control unit.

Abstract: An occupant information detection system for detecting information related to a vehicle occupant on a vehicle seat includes an image detecting section facing a vehicle seat area taking a three-dimensional image, an information extraction processing section extracting information related to a three-dimensional surface profile of a detected object on a vehicle seat based on the three-dimensional image, a conversion processing section converting the extracted information into numerical coordinates of a predetermined coordinate system, and a computation processing section deriving a computed value by subtracting an average of first and second coordinate components from a third coordinate component. The system also includes a determination processing section determining the concave-convex shape of a line segment formed by the arbitrary points and the middle point based on the computed value.

Abstract: An occupant detection apparatus can include a photographing device disposed to face to a vehicle rear seat for taking three-dimensional images; an information extracting section which extracts image information corresponding to an upper area of a seat of the rear seat from three-dimensional images taken by the photographing device; a division processing section which divides information extracted by the information extracting section into areas relating to respective sitting areas for occupants sitting in the rear seat; and a derivation processing section which derives, with regard to histogram showing frequency distribution of picture elements relative to distances from the photographing device, a first histogram corresponding to image information divided by the division processing section and also derives a difference histogram by deriving a second histogram from the derived first histogram, and thus derives information about each rear-seat occupant in each sitting area of said vehicle rear seat based on th

Abstract: An object detecting system, which is installed in a vehicle, uses a camera comprising an optical lens, a distance measuring image chip, and an illumination device to detect information about an object occupying a vehicle seat. The illumination device is sectioned into a plurality of illuminants, such as a first illuminant and a second illuminant, so that the light emitting modes of the illuminants are controlled to be changed individually.

Abstract: An object detecting system includes a plurality of photographing mechanisms that are used to detect information about objects inside and outside a vehicle. An object detecting system is installed in a vehicle and comprises a first camera and a second camera to obtain information about objects inside and outside the vehicle. They system further includes a controller for conducting controls to detect information about an object and an electrical power unit to supply electrical power from a vehicle battery to the respective cameras. At least one of the controller and the electrical power unit is shared by the first camera and the second camera.

Abstract: A technology is provided which is effective for precisely detecting information about a vehicle occupant in a vehicle seat. In one form, an occupant restraint system to be installed in a vehicle is adapted to associate occupant surface profile information relating to a specific body region of a vehicle occupant, which is obtained by a camera for obtaining an image relating to a single view point, with previously stored body information so as to derive body information about the vehicle occupant and varies the occupant restraining mode of an occupant restraint device according to the derived body information.

Abstract: An occupant information detection system for detecting information related to a vehicle occupant on a vehicle seat includes an image detecting section facing a vehicle seat area taking a three-dimensional image, an information extraction processing section extracting information related to a three-dimensional surface profile of a detected object on a vehicle seat based on the three-dimensional image, a conversion processing section converting the extracted information into numerical coordinates of a predetermined coordinate system, and a computation processing section deriving a computed value by subtracting an average of first and second coordinate components from a third coordinate component. The system also includes a determination processing section determining the concave-convex shape of a line segment formed by the arbitrary points and the middle point based on the computed value.

Abstract: An occupant detection apparatus including a photographing section that is disposed to face to a vehicle rear seat for taking three-dimensional images of the vehicle rear seat area. The apparatus includes an information extraction processing section that extracts only first image information about an upper area of a seat back of the vehicle rear seat area from the three-dimensional images including the first image information and second image information about areas other than the upper area of the seat back. The apparatus also includes a segmentation processing section that segments the first image information extracted by the information extraction processing section into areas relating to respective sitting areas of a plurality of rear-seat occupants. The apparatus further includes a derivation processing section that derives, with regard to each image information segmented by the segmentation processing section, information about the rear-seat occupant sitting in the vehicle rear seat.

Abstract: A vehicular actuation system installed in a vehicle includes an actuation device that includes an operation member manipulated by a vehicle occupant. The system also includes a detecting unit for detecting a three-dimensional image in an operational area of a predetermined range about the operation member. The system also includes a control unit that determines based on the detected three-dimensional image whether or not a palm or back of a hand of the vehicle occupant is present in the operational area. The control unit operates the actuation device when the palm or back of the hand of the vehicle occupant is present in the operational area. The system includes a first operation mode in which the operation member is directly manipulated by the hand of the vehicle occupant to operate the actuation device and a second operation mode in which the actuation device is operated by the control unit.

Abstract: An occupant detection apparatus can include a photographing device disposed to face to a vehicle rear seat for taking three-dimensional images; an information extracting section which extracts image information corresponding to an upper area of a seat of the rear seat from three-dimensional images taken by the photographing device; a division processing section which divides information extracted by the information extracting section into areas relating to respective sitting areas for occupants sitting in the rear seat; and a derivation processing section which derives, with regard to histogram showing frequency distribution of picture elements relative to distances from the photographing device, a first histogram corresponding to image information divided by the division processing section and also derives a difference histogram by deriving a second histogram from the derived first histogram, and thus derives information about each rear-seat occupant in each sitting area of said vehicle rear seat based on th

Abstract: An object detecting system, which is installed in a vehicle, uses a camera comprising an optical lens, a distance measuring image chip, and an illumination device to detect information about an object occupying a vehicle seat. The light emitting mode of a first illuminant and a second illuminant of the illumination device is controlled in such a manner that the quantity of incident light onto the distance measuring image chip is equalized to respective portions in the focusing area.

Abstract: The disclosed occupant detection system may include a photographing device, an information extracting device, a detection processing device, an integration processing device, and a determination processing device. The photographing device takes 3D images of a vehicle's driver. The information extracting device extracts information about at least one of a position or movement of the driver's head or hand. The detection processing device detects whether or not the at least one of the position or movement of the driver's head or hand is in a preset specified state. The integration processing device adds up the time in which the at least one of the position or movement of the driver's head or hand is not in the specified state. The determination processing device determines that the driver's attention is diminished when the time added up exceeds a preset reference value.

Abstract: A system is provided for detecting photographed images of a plurality of objects. In the object detection system, reflected lights reflected by a plurality of objects, i.e. an object A and an object B, are allowed to enter into a distance measuring imaging chip through an optical system, whereby produced images of the object A and the object B are entirely or partially superposed on each other on a predetermined imaging area of the distance measuring imaging chip. In addition, the object detection system is adapted to individually select between a state that only the object A is projected to the imaging area and a state that only the object B is projected to the imaging area by a shading filter.

Abstract: A technology is provided which is effective for precisely detecting information about a vehicle occupant in a vehicle seat. In one form, an occupant restraint system to be installed in a vehicle is adapted to associate occupant surface profile information relating to a specific body region of a vehicle occupant, which is obtained by a camera for obtaining an image relating to a single view point, with previously stored body information so as to derive body information about the vehicle occupant and varies the occupant restraining mode of an occupant restraint device according to the derived body information.

Abstract: The disclosed vehicle occupant detecting system may comprise a three-dimensional surface profile detector, a digitizer, a storage device, a position detector, and a processor. The three-dimensional surface profile detector is may detect a three-dimensional surface profile of a vehicle occupant from a single view point. The digitizer may digitize the three-dimensional surface profile into a numerical coordinate system. The storage device may have previously stored information of features on a stored three-dimensional surface profile of a plurality of regions of a human body. The position detector detects information about one or more positions of the vehicle occupant by correlating the numerical coordinate system to the previously stored information of the features. The processor computes a distance between predetermined regions and derives a physique of the vehicle occupant, determines whether or not the vehicle occupant sits in the vehicle seat in a normal state, or a combination thereof.

Abstract: A system is provided which is effective for precisely detecting the positional conditions of a vehicle seat. A vehicle seat detecting system which is installed in a vehicle employs a system for detecting a three-dimensional surface profile of a vehicle seat from a single view point by a camera to conduct a process for deriving information about a seat back shoulder region among respective regions of the vehicle seat and then to detect the positional conditions of the vehicle seat based on the derived information about the seat back shoulder region.

Abstract: An object detecting system for detecting information about objects on vehicle seats utilizes a camera having a single view point, which is effective for conducting a rationalized setting for the viewing field of the camera. According to the setting for the viewing field of the camera in an object detecting system which is installed in a vehicle, respective halves of the object on the driver seat and the object on the front passenger seat are covered by the viewing field of the camera.

Abstract: An object detecting system for detecting information about objects on vehicle seats utilizes a camera having a single view point, which is effective for conducting a rationalized setting for the viewing field of the camera. According to the setting for the viewing field of a camera in an object detecting system which is installed in a vehicle, an object on a front passenger seat is all covered by the viewing field of the camera while an object on a driver seat is completely covered by the viewing field of the camera.

Abstract: An object detecting system includes a plurality of photographing mechanisms that are used to detect information about objects inside and outside a vehicle. An object detecting system is installed in a vehicle and comprises a first camera and a second camera to obtain information about objects inside and outside the vehicle. They system further includes a controller for conducting controls to detect information about an object and an electrical power unit to supply electrical power from a vehicle battery to the respective cameras. At least one of the controller and the electrical power unit is shared by the first camera and the second camera.

Abstract: An object detecting system, which is installed in a vehicle, uses a camera comprising an optical lens, a distance measuring image chip, and an illumination device to detect information about an object occupying a vehicle seat. The light emitting mode of a first illuminant and a second illuminant of the illumination device is controlled in such a manner that the quantity of incident light onto the distance measuring image chip is equalized to respective portions in the focusing area.