Vehicular cabin monitoring system

1 . A vehicular cabin monitoring system, the vehicular cabin monitoring system comprising:

a radar sensor disposed at an interior cabin of a vehicle, the radar sensor sensing at least a portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle;

wherein the radar sensor comprises (i) at least one transmitter that transmits radio signals and (ii) a plurality of receivers that receive radio signals;

an electronic control unit (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 to generate a heat map image comprising range and angle information;

wherein radar data captured by the radar sensor is transferred to the ECU;

wherein the vehicular cabin monitoring system, via processing by the processor, defines a plurality of zones within the heat map image, wherein each zone of the plurality of zones corresponds to a different seat of the vehicle;

wherein the vehicular cabin monitoring system, via processing by the processor of radar data captured by the radar sensor and using a neural network trained with radar sensor data to process each zone of the plurality of zones, determines occupancy of each seat of the vehicle, and wherein the determined occupancy of each respective seat of the vehicle comprises one selected from the group consisting of (i) the respective seat of the vehicle is not occupied, (ii) the respective seat of the vehicle is occupied by an adult and (iii) the respective seat of the vehicle is occupied by a child;

wherein the vehicular cabin monitoring system generates an alert at least in part responsive to (i) determination that a seat of the vehicle is occupied by a child and (ii) determination that no seat of the vehicle is occupied by an adult; and

wherein the vehicular cabin monitoring system generates the alert at least in part responsive to determination that (i) the seat of the vehicle is occupied by the child and (ii) no seat is occupied by an adult for a threshold period of time.

2 . The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the threshold period of time comprises a threshold period of time after the vehicle is turned off.

3 . The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the neural network comprises a quantized neural network.

4 . The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the neural network comprises a convolutional neural network (CNN).

5 . The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the radar sensor is mounted at a headliner in the cabin of the vehicle.

6 . The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 5 , wherein the radar sensor is disposed between a first row of seats of the vehicle and a second row of seats of the vehicle.

7 . The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicular cabin monitoring system transmits the alert to at least one from the group consisting of (i) an owner of the vehicle and (ii) emergency services.

8 . The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the alert comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) flashing a light of the vehicle and (ii) honking a horn of the vehicle.

9 . The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicular cabin monitoring system, via processing by the processor of radar data captured by the radar sensor, applies a ground clutter filter to the radar data captured by the radar sensor.

10 . The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the radar sensor operates at a frequency that is different than a frequency at which an advanced driver assist system (ADAS) of the vehicle operates.

11 . The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicular cabin monitoring system, at least in part responsive to (i) determination that a first seat of the vehicle is occupied by a child, (ii) determination that a second seat of the vehicle is occupied by an adult and (iii) determination that the vehicle is off, generates a second alert indicating the child is present in the vehicle.

12 . A vehicular cabin monitoring system, the vehicular cabin monitoring system comprising:

a radar sensor disposed at an interior cabin of a vehicle, the radar sensor sensing at least a portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle;

wherein the radar sensor comprises (i) at least one transmitter that transmits radio signals and (ii) a plurality of receivers that receive radio signals;

an electronic control unit (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 to generate a heat map image comprising range and angle information;

wherein radar data captured by the radar sensor is transferred to the ECU;

wherein the vehicular cabin monitoring system, via processing by the processor, defines a plurality of zones within the heat map image, wherein each zone of the plurality of zones corresponds to a different seat of the vehicle;

wherein the radar sensor operates at a frequency that is different than a frequency at which an advanced driver assist system (ADAS) of the vehicle operates;

wherein the vehicular cabin monitoring system, via processing by the processor of radar data captured by the radar sensor, determines occupancy of each respective seat of the vehicle, and wherein the determined occupancy of each seat of the vehicle comprises one selected from the group consisting of (i) the respective seat of the vehicle is not occupied, (ii) the respective seat of the vehicle is occupied by an adult and (iii) the respective seat of the vehicle is occupied by a child;

wherein the vehicular cabin monitoring system generates an alert at least in part responsive to (i) determination that a seat of the vehicle is occupied by a child and (ii) determination that no seat of the vehicle is occupied by an adult; and

wherein the vehicular cabin monitoring system generates the alert at least in part responsive to determination that (i) the seat of the vehicle is occupied by the child and (ii) no seat is occupied by an adult for a threshold period of time.

13 . The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 12 , wherein the threshold period of time comprises a threshold period of time after the vehicle is turned off.

14 . The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 12 , wherein the radar sensor is mounted at a headliner in the cabin of the vehicle.

15 . The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 14 , wherein the radar sensor is disposed between a first row of seats of the vehicle and a second row of seats of the vehicle.

16 . A vehicular cabin monitoring system, the vehicular cabin monitoring system comprising:

a radar sensor disposed at an interior cabin of a vehicle, the radar sensor sensing at least a portion of the interior cabin of the vehicle;

wherein the radar sensor comprises (i) at least one transmitter that transmits radio signals and (ii) a plurality of receivers that receive radio signals;

an electronic control unit (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 to generate a heat map image comprising range and angle information;

wherein radar data captured by the radar sensor is transferred to the ECU;

wherein the vehicular cabin monitoring system, via processing by the processor, defines a plurality of zones within the heat map image, wherein each zone of the plurality of zones corresponds to a different seat of the vehicle, and wherein the plurality of zones comprises a first row of seats and a second row of seats;

wherein the vehicular cabin monitoring system, via processing by the processor of radar data captured by the radar sensor to process each zone of the plurality of zones, determines occupancy of each seat of the vehicle, and wherein the determined occupancy of each respective seat of the vehicle comprises one selected from the group consisting of (i) the respective seat of the vehicle is not occupied, (ii) the respective seat of the vehicle is occupied by an adult and (iii) the respective seat of the vehicle is occupied by a child;

wherein the vehicular cabin monitoring system generates an alert at least in part responsive to (i) determination that a seat of the vehicle is occupied by a child and (ii) determination that no zone of the vehicle is occupied by an adult; and

wherein the vehicular cabin monitoring system generates the alert at least in part responsive to determination that (i) the seat of the vehicle is occupied by the child and (ii) no seat is occupied by an adult for a threshold period of time, and wherein the threshold period of time comprises a threshold period of time after the vehicle is turned off.

17 . The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 16 , wherein the vehicular cabin monitoring system transmits the alert to at least one from the group consisting of (i) an owner of the vehicle and (ii) emergency services.

18 . The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 17 , wherein the alert comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) flashing a light of the vehicle and (ii) honking a horn of the vehicle.

19 . The vehicular cabin monitoring system of claim 18 , wherein the vehicular cabin monitoring system, via processing by the processor of radar data captured by the radar sensor, applies a ground clutter filter to the radar data captured by the radar sensor.