Vehicular occupant monitoring system
A vehicular sensing system includes a radar sensor that is operable to capture radar data. The radar sensor includes a transmitter that transmits radio signals and a receiver that receives radio signals. The radar sensor is integrated into a seat body or a seatbelt of the vehicle. Electronic circuitry of an electronic control unit includes a data processor for processing sensor data captured by the radar sensor. The vehicular sensing system, responsive to processing of sensor data captured by the radar sensor while an occupant of the vehicle occupies the seat and/or wears the seatbelt, determines a health characteristic of the occupant.
1 . A vehicular occupant monitoring system, the vehicular occupant monitoring system comprising:
a radar sensor disposed at a vehicle equipped with the vehicular occupant monitoring system, the radar sensor sensing within an interior cabin of the vehicle;
wherein the radar sensor comprises a transmitter that transmits radio signals and a receiver that receives radio signals;
wherein the radar sensor is integrated into a seatbelt of the equipped vehicle;
wherein the radar sensor is operable to capture radar data;
an electronic control unit (ECU), the ECU comprising electronic circuitry and associated software;
wherein the electronic circuitry of the ECU comprises a processor operable to process radar data captured by the radar sensor;
wherein the seatbelt is configured to provide tension to press the radar sensor against a chest of an occupant to stabilize measurements of the radar sensor;
wherein the vehicular occupant monitoring system, responsive to processing by the processor of radar data captured by the radar sensor while the occupant of the equipped vehicle wears the seatbelt, determines phase information that correlates to chest wall movement comprising a combination of rib cage expansion motion and heart apex pounding motion; and
wherein the vehicular occupant monitoring system, responsive to determining the phase information, determines a health characteristic of the occupant.
2 . The vehicular occupant monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the health characteristic comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) a heart rate of the occupant, (ii) a breathing rate of the occupant, and (iii) a heart rate variability of the occupant.
3 . The vehicular occupant monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the occupant comprises a driver of the equipped vehicle, and wherein the vehicular occupant monitoring system, responsive to determining the health characteristic of the driver, controls a speed of the equipped vehicle.
4 . The vehicular occupant monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicular occupant monitoring system determines, using the health characteristic, an alertness of the occupant.
5 . The vehicular occupant monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicular occupant monitoring system, responsive to processing by the processor of radar data captured by the radar sensor while the occupant of the equipped vehicle wears the seatbelt, transmits an alert to emergency services.
6 . The vehicular occupant monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicular occupant monitoring system determines the health characteristic of the occupant using a machine learning model.
7 . The vehicular occupant monitoring system of claim 6 , wherein the machine learning model is trained using data associated with the occupant.
8 . The vehicular occupant monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicular occupant monitoring system, responsive to processing by the processor of radar data captured by the radar sensor while the occupant of the equipped vehicle wears the seatbelt, stores the determined health characteristic at a profile associated with the occupant.
9 . The vehicular occupant monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein radar data captured by the radar sensor is provided to the ECU via a cable.
10 . The vehicular occupant monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicular occupant monitoring system, responsive to the determined health characteristic of the occupant satisfying a threshold health value, generates an alert for the occupant.
11 . A vehicular occupant monitoring system, the vehicular occupant monitoring system comprising:
a radar sensor, wherein the radar sensor comprises a transmitter that transmits radio signals and a receiver that receives radio signals;
wherein the radar sensor is operable to capture radar data;
wherein the radar sensor is integrated into a car seat configured to be disposed within a vehicle equipped with the vehicular occupant monitoring system;
an electronic control unit (ECU), the ECU comprising electronic circuitry and associated software;
wherein the electronic circuitry of the ECU comprises a processor operable to process radar data captured by the radar sensor when the car seat is disposed within the equipped vehicle;
wherein a seatbelt is configured to provide tension to press the radar sensor against a chest of an occupant of the car seat to stabilize measurements of the radar sensor;
wherein the vehicular occupant monitoring system, with the car seat disposed within the equipped vehicle, and responsive to processing by the processor of radar data captured by the radar sensor while the occupant of the equipped vehicle occupies the car seat, determines phase information that correlates to chest wall movement comprising a combination of rib cage expansion motion and heart apex pounding motion; and
wherein the vehicular occupant monitoring system, responsive to determining the phase information, determines a health characteristic of the occupant.
12 . The vehicular occupant monitoring system of claim 11 , wherein the health characteristic comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) a heart rate of the occupant, (ii) a breathing rate of the occupant, and (iii) a heart rate variability of the occupant.
13 . The vehicular occupant monitoring system of claim 11 , wherein the occupant comprises a child, and wherein the vehicular occupant monitoring system, responsive to determining the health characteristic of the child, alerts a user of the vehicle.
14 . The vehicular occupant monitoring system of claim 11 , comprising a temperature sensor, wherein the vehicular occupant monitoring system generates an alert responsive to a temperature of a cabin of the equipped vehicle captured by the temperature sensor.
15 . The vehicular occupant monitoring system of claim 11 , wherein the ECU is disposed in the vehicle and processes radar data that is captured by the radar sensor and that is wirelessly communicated to the ECU.
16 . The vehicular occupant monitoring system of claim 11 , wherein the ECU is disposed at the car seat and wirelessly communicates a signal to a vehicle-based ECU, and wherein the vehicle-based ECU, responsive to the determined health characteristic of the occupant satisfying a threshold health value, generates an alert.
17 . The vehicular occupant monitoring system of claim 11 , wherein the vehicular occupant monitoring system, responsive to the determined health characteristic of the occupant satisfying a threshold health value, generates an alert.
18 . A vehicular occupant monitoring system, the vehicular occupant monitoring system comprising:
a radar sensor disposed at a vehicle equipped with the vehicular occupant monitoring system, the radar sensor sensing within an interior cabin of the vehicle;
wherein the radar sensor comprises a transmitter that transmits radio signals and a receiver that receives radio signals;
wherein the radar sensor is integrated into a seatbelt of the equipped vehicle;
wherein the radar sensor is operable to capture radar data;
an electronic control unit (ECU), the ECU comprising electronic circuitry and associated software;
wherein the electronic circuitry of the ECU comprises a processor operable to process radar data captured by the radar sensor;
wherein the seatbelt is configured to provide tension to press the radar sensor against a chest of an occupant to stabilize measurements of the radar sensor;
wherein the vehicular occupant monitoring system, responsive to processing by the processor of radar data captured by the radar sensor while the occupant of the equipped vehicle wears the seatbelt, determines phase information that correlates to chest wall movement comprising a combination of rib cage expansion motion and heart apex pounding motion;
wherein the vehicular occupant monitoring system, responsive to determining the phase information, determines a health characteristic of the occupant;
wherein the vehicular occupant monitoring system determines a threshold health value based on a profile associated with the occupant; and
wherein the vehicular occupant monitoring system, responsive to the determined health characteristic of the occupant satisfying the determined threshold health value, generates an alert for the occupant.
19 . The vehicular occupant monitoring system of claim 18 , wherein the vehicular occupant monitoring system, responsive to processing by the processor of radar data captured by the radar sensor while the occupant of the equipped vehicle wears the seatbelt, stores the determined health characteristic at the profile associated with the occupant.
20 . The vehicular occupant monitoring system of claim 18 wherein the vehicular occupant monitoring system determines the health characteristic of the occupant using a machine learning model.
21 . The vehicular occupant monitoring system of claim 20 , wherein the machine learning model is trained using data associated with the occupant.