US6820897B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Vehicle object detection system and method
Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC
•
Filing: 2002-05-20
•
Granted: 2004-11-23
•
Expires: 2022-05-20
Abstract
Abstract System for obtaining information about an object in the vehicle including one or more resonators or reflectors arranged in association with the object, each resonator emitting an energy signal upon receipt of a signal at an excitation frequency, a transmitter device for transmitting signals at least at the excitation frequency of each resonator, an energy signal detector for detecting the energy signal emitted by each resonator upon receipt of the signal at the excitation frequency, and a processor coupled to the detector for obtaining information about the object upon analysis of the energy signal detected by the detector. The information obtained about the object may be a distance between each resonator and the detector, which positional information is useful for controlling components in the vehicle such as the occupant restraint or protection device. If the object is a seat, the information obtained about the seat may be an indication of the position of the seat, the position of the back cushion of the seat, the position of the bottom cushion of the seat, the angular orientation of the seat, and other seat parameters. The resonator(s) may be arranged within the object and may be a SAW device, antenna and/or RFID tag. When several resonators are used, each may be designed to emit an energy signal upon receipt of a signal at a different excitation frequency. The resonators may be tuned resonators including an acoustic cavity or a vibrating mechanical element.
Inventors
- 👤 David S. Breed
- 👤 Wilbur E Duvall
- 👤 Wendell C. Johnson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 06:06
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60J; B60J10/00; B60R; B60R21/00; B60R21/01; B60R21/015; B60N; B60N2/00; B60N2/002; B60N2/0021; B60N2/0022; B60N2/0023; B60N2/0024; B60N2/0026; B60N2/0027; B60N2/0028; B60N2/02; B60N2/0224; B60N2/02246; B60N2/0244; B60N2/0248; B60N2/0268; B60N2/0272; B60N2/0276; B60N2/0278; B60N2/24; B60N2/26; B60N2/28; B60N2/2803; B60N2/2806; B60N2/2857; B60N2/2863; B60N2/80; B60N2/806; B60N2/838; B60N2/853; B60N2/888; B60R1/00; B60R1/02; B60R1/08; B60R1/083; B60R1/088; B60R11/00; B60R11/02; B60R11/0241; B60R16/00; B60R16/02; B60R16/037; B60R21/013; B60R21/0136; B60R21/01512; B60R21/01516; B60R21/0153; B60R21/01534; B60R21/01536; B60R21/01538; B60R21/0154; B60R21/01542; B60R21/01552; B60R21/01554; B60R22/00; B60R22/18; B60R22/20; B60R25/00; B60R25/20; B60R25/25; B60R25/255; B60R25/257; E; E05; E05F; E05F15/00; E05F15/40; E05F15/42; E05F15/43; E05F15/431; E05F15/46; G; G01; G01F; G01F23/00; G01F23/20; G01F23/22; G01F23/28; G01F23/296; G01F23/2962; G01F23/80; G01F23/802; G01F23/804; G01S; G01S15/00; G01S15/87; G01S15/88; G01S17/00; G01S17/88; G01S7/00; G01S7/02; G01S7/41; G01S7/417; G01S7/48; G01S7/4802; G01S7/52; G01S7/539; G06; G06V; G06V40/00; G06V40/10; B60N2210/00; B60N2210/10; B60N2210/16; B60N2210/20; B60N2210/22; B60N2210/24; B60N2210/26; B60R1/12; B60R2001/1223; B60R2001/1253; B60R2021/0027; B60R2021/01315; B60R21/02; B60R21/16; B60R21/23; B60R21/231; B60R2021/23153; B60R21/26; B60R2021/26094; B60R21/276; B60R2021/2765; B60R2022/208; B60R22/48; B60R2022/4808; B60R2022/4825; B60R21/0134; B60R21/01544; B60R21/01548; B60R21/20; B60R21/215; B60R21/2165; B60R21/21656; E05F2015/432; E05F2015/433; E05Y; E05Y2900/00; E05Y2900/50; E05Y2900/53; E05Y2900/55; G01S13/00; G01S13/02; G01S13/04; G01S15/02; G01S15/04; G01S15/06; G01S17/89; G10; G10K; G10K2210/00; G10K2210/30; G10K2210/321; G10K2210/3219
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 44
Claim 1
Independent Claim
126 words
A vehicle, comprising: a frame; a vehicular component fixed to said frame; and a system for obtaining information about said component, said system comprising: at least one resonator or reflector arranged in association with said component, said at least one resonator being arranged to emit an energy signal upon receipt of a signal at an excitation frequency; transmitter means for transmitting signals at least at the excitation frequency of each of said at least one resonator; energy signal detector means for detecting the energy signals emitted by said at least one resonator upon receipt of the signal at the excitation frequency; and a processor coupled to said detector means for obtaining information about said component upon analysis of the energy signals detected by said detector means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
126 words
A vehicle, comprising: a frame; a vehicular component fixed to said frame; and a system for obtaining information about said component, said system comprising: at least one resonator or reflector arranged in association with said component, said at least one resonator being arranged to emit an energy signal upon receipt of a signal at an excitation frequency; transmitter means for transmitting signals at least at the excitation frequency of each of said at least one resonator; energy signal detector means for detecting the energy signals emitted by said at least one resonator upon receipt of the signal at the excitation frequency; and a processor coupled to said detector means for obtaining information about said component upon analysis of the energy signals detected by said detector means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the information obtained about said component is a distance between each of said at least one resonator and said detector means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
53 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said component is a seat having a seat bottom portion attached to a floor of the vehicle and a back portion arranged at an angle to said seat bottom portion whereby the information obtained about the seat is an indication of the position of the seat.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
17 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said at least one resonator is arranged within said component.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
20 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said at least one resonator is a SAW device, antenna or RFID tag.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
35 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein further comprising at least one additional resonator, each of said resonators being arranged to emit an energy signal upon receipt of a signal at a different excitation frequency.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
61 words
The vehicle of claim 6 , wherein said component is a seat, a first one of said resonators being arranged at a front of a seat bottom portion, a second one of said resonators being arranged at a back of the seat bottom portion and a third one of said resonators being arranged at a top of a seat back portion.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said transmitter means and said detector means are co-located constituting at least one transducer.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said component is a seatbelt whereby the information obtained about the seatbelt is an indication of whether the seatbelt is in use.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
28 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said component is a seatbelt whereby the information obtained about the seatbelt is an indication of the position of the seatbelt.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
38 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said component is a window of the vehicle whereby the information obtained about the window is an indication of whether the window is open or closed, or the state of openness.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
12 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said component is a door.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
25 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said at least one resonator comprises a tuned resonator including an acoustic cavity or a vibrating mechanical element.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
16 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said at least one resonator is a SAW device.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
21 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said at least one resonator is a tuned resonator including a vibrating mechanical element.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
103 words
A vehicle, comprising: a frame; a vehicular component fixed to said frame; and a system for obtaining information about said component, said system comprising: at least one reflector arranged in association with said component, said at least one reflector being arranged to reflect an energy signal; transmitter means for transmitting energy signals in a direction of each of said at least one reflector; energy signal detector means for detecting energy signals reflected by said at least one reflector; and a processor coupled to said detector means for obtaining information about said component upon analysis of the energy signals detected by said detector means.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
103 words
A vehicle, comprising: a frame; a vehicular component fixed to said frame; and a system for obtaining information about said component, said system comprising: at least one reflector arranged in association with said component, said at least one reflector being arranged to reflect an energy signal; transmitter means for transmitting energy signals in a direction of each of said at least one reflector; energy signal detector means for detecting energy signals reflected by said at least one reflector; and a processor coupled to said detector means for obtaining information about said component upon analysis of the energy signals detected by said detector means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
16 words
The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein said at least one reflector comprises a parabolic-shaped reflector.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
22 words
The device of claim 16 , wherein said at least one reflector comprises a corner cube reflector or a cube array reflector.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
16 words
The device of claim 16 , wherein said at least one reflector comprises an antenna reflector.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
28 words
The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein the information obtained about said component is a distance between each of said at least one reflector and said detector means.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
53 words
The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein said component is a seat having a seat bottom portion attached to a floor of the vehicle and a back portion arranged at an angle to said seat bottom portion whereby the information obtained about the seat is an indication of the position of the seat.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
17 words
The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein said at least one reflector is arranged within said component.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
21 words
The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein said transmitter means and said detector means arc co-located constituting at least one transducer.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
29 words
The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein said component is a seatbelt whereby the information obtained about the seatbelt is an indication of whether the seatbelt is in use.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
28 words
The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein said component is a seatbelt whereby the information obtained about the seatbelt is an indication of the position of the seatbelt.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
38 words
The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein said component is a window of the vehicle whereby the information obtained about the window is an indication of whether the window is open or closed or the state of openness.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
12 words
The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein said component is a door.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
24 words
The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein said transmitter means comprise an infrared laser system and at least one reflector comprises an optical mirror.
Claim 31
Independent Claim
113 words
A method for obtaining information about a vehicular component of a vehicle, comprising the step of: arranging at least one resonator in connection with the component, each of the at least one resonator being arranged to emit an energy signal upon receipt of a signal at an excitation frequency; fixing the component to a frame of the vehicle such that the component is part of the vehicle; transmitting signals at least at the excitation frequency of the at least one resonator; detecting the energy signals emitted by the at least one resonator upon receipt of the signal at the excitation frequency; and analyzing the detected energy signals to derive information about the component.
Claim 32
Independent Claim
113 words
A method for obtaining information about a vehicular component of a vehicle, comprising the step of: arranging at least one resonator in connection with the component, each of the at least one resonator being arranged to emit an energy signal upon receipt of a signal at an excitation frequency; fixing the component to a frame of the vehicle such that the component is part of the vehicle; transmitting signals at least at the excitation frequency of the at least one resonator; detecting the energy signals emitted by the at least one resonator upon receipt of the signal at the excitation frequency; and analyzing the detected energy signals to derive information about the component.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 29 , wherein the detected energy signals are analyzed to determine a distance between each of the at least one resonator and a detector device which detects the energy signals.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 29 , wherein the at least one resonator is arranged in a vehicle seat and the detected energy signals are analyzed to determine the position of the seat.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 29 , wherein the at least one resonator is arranged within the component.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
97 words
The method of claim 29 , wherein the component is a seat having a seat bottom portion attached to a floor of the vehicle and a seat back portion arranged at an angle to the seat bottom portion, the step of arranging the at least one resonator comprising the steps of arranging a first one of the resonators at a front of the seat bottom portion, arranging a second one of the resonators at a hack of the seat bottom portion and arranging a third one of the resonators at a top of the seat back portion.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 29 , wherein the at least one resonator is a tuned resonator including an acoustic cavity or a vibrating mechanical element.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 29 , wherein the component is a seatbelt.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 29 , wherein the component is a window.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
12 words
The vehicle of claim 29 , wherein the component is a door.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
122 words
A vehicle, comprising: a vehicular component; and a system for obtaining information about said component, said system comprising: a plurality of resonators arranged in association with said component and at different positions, each of said resonators being arranged to emit an energy signal at a different frequency upon receipt of a signal at a different excitation frequency; transmitter means for transmitting signals at least at the excitation frequency of each of said resonators; energy signal detector means for detecting the energy signals emitted by said resonators upon receipt of the respective transmitted signal at the excitation frequency; and a processor coupled to said detector means for obtaining information about said component upon analysis of the energy signals detected by said detector means.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
122 words
A vehicle, comprising: a vehicular component; and a system for obtaining information about said component, said system comprising: a plurality of resonators arranged in association with said component and at different positions, each of said resonators being arranged to emit an energy signal at a different frequency upon receipt of a signal at a different excitation frequency; transmitter means for transmitting signals at least at the excitation frequency of each of said resonators; energy signal detector means for detecting the energy signals emitted by said resonators upon receipt of the respective transmitted signal at the excitation frequency; and a processor coupled to said detector means for obtaining information about said component upon analysis of the energy signals detected by said detector means.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
95 words
A vehicle, comprising: a vehicular component; and a system for obtain no information about said component, said system comprising: a plurality of reflectors arranged in association with said component and at different positions, each of said reflectors being arranged to reflect an energy signal; transmitter means for transmitting energy signals in a direction of each of said reflectors; energy signal detector means for detecting energy signals reflected by said reflectors; and a processor coupled to said detector means for obtaining information about said component upon analysis of the energy signals detected by said detector means.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
95 words
A vehicle, comprising: a vehicular component; and a system for obtain no information about said component, said system comprising: a plurality of reflectors arranged in association with said component and at different positions, each of said reflectors being arranged to reflect an energy signal; transmitter means for transmitting energy signals in a direction of each of said reflectors; energy signal detector means for detecting energy signals reflected by said reflectors; and a processor coupled to said detector means for obtaining information about said component upon analysis of the energy signals detected by said detector means.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2007-11-23 | 2008-05-24 | 2008-11-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-11-23 | 2012-05-24 | 2012-11-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-11-23 | 2016-05-24 | 2016-11-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |