SYSTEM AND METHOD TO CORRECT OVERSATURATION FOR IMAGE-BASED SEATBELT DETECTION

1 . A method for detecting seatbelt positioning, comprising:

capturing, by a camera, a source image of an occupant in a vehicle;

determining a position of a head of the occupant in the source image;

determining a region of interest for a seatbelt based on the position of the head of the occupant;

determining an oversaturation condition in the region of interest for the seatbelt;

adjusting the source image to form an adjusted image compensating the oversaturation condition in the region of interest for the seatbelt;

converting the adjusted image to a black-and-white image; and

detecting the seatbelt within the black-and-white image.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein capturing the source image of the occupant includes capturing the source image in near infrared (NIR).

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the source image includes adjusting an exposure of the source image based on at least one of: a contrast ratio in the region of interest for the seatbelt, or causing a predetermined pattern of the seatbelt to be detected within the region of interest for the seatbelt.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein adjusting the source image includes adjusting the exposure of the source image based on the contrast ratio in the region of interest for the seatbelt.

5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein adjusting the source image includes adjusting the exposure of the source image based on causing the predetermined pattern of the seatbelt to be detected within the region of interest for the seatbelt.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the region of interest for the seatbelt is below the position of the head of the occupant.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the oversaturation condition in the region of interest for the seatbelt further includes determining a predetermined number of pixels within a given region and each having a brightness level greater than a predetermined brightness level.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the seatbelt within the black-and-white image includes scanning across the black-and-white image to detect a plurality of transitions between black and white segments corresponding to stripes extending lengthwise along a length of the seatbelt, and using detections of the plurality of transitions to indicate a detection of the seatbelt.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein converting the adjusted image to the black-and-white image includes using a binary threshold to determine whether a given pixel in the black-and-white image should be black or white based on whether a corresponding source pixel within the adjusted image is brighter than a given brightness value, wherein the given brightness value is based on an average of brightness values of pixels in the adjusted image and located within a predetermined distance of the corresponding source pixel.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying a median filter to the source image to remove glints prior to determining the oversaturation condition in the region of interest for the seatbelt.

11 . A system for detecting seatbelt positioning, comprising:

a seatbelt having a predetermined pattern;

a camera configured to capture a source image of an occupant wearing the seatbelt; and

a controller in communication with the camera and configured to:

determine a position of a head of the occupant in the source image;

determine a region of interest for the seatbelt based on the position of the head of the occupant;

determine an oversaturation condition in the region of interest for the seatbelt;

adjust the source image to form an adjusted image that compensates the oversaturation condition in the region of interest for the seatbelt;

convert the adjusted image to a black-and-white image; and

detect the seatbelt within the black-and-white image.

12 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the camera is configured to capture the source image in near infrared (NIR).

13 . The system of claim 10 , wherein adjusting the source image includes adjusting an exposure of the source image based on at least one of: a contrast ratio in the region of interest for the seatbelt, or causing the predetermined pattern of the seatbelt to be detected within the region of interest for the seatbelt.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein adjusting the source image includes adjusting the exposure of the source image based on the contrast ratio in the region of interest for the seatbelt.

15 . The system of claim 13 , wherein adjusting the source image includes adjusting the exposure of the source image based on causing the predetermined pattern of the seatbelt to be detected within the region of interest for the seatbelt.

16 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the region of interest for the seatbelt is below the position of the head of the occupant.

17 . The system of claim 10 , wherein determining the oversaturation condition in the region of interest for the seatbelt further includes determining a predetermined number of pixels within a given region and each having a brightness level greater than a predetermined brightness level.

18 . The system of claim 10 , wherein detecting the seatbelt within the black-and-white image includes scanning across the black-and-white image to detect a plurality of transitions between black and white segments corresponding to stripes extending lengthwise along a length of the seatbelt, and to use detections of the plurality of transitions to indicate a detection of the seatbelt.

19 . The system of claim 10 , wherein converting the adjusted image to the black-and-white image includes the controller determining whether a given pixel in the black-and-white image should be black or white based on whether a corresponding source pixel within the adjusted image is brighter than a given brightness value, wherein the given brightness value is based on an average of brightness values of pixels in the adjusted image and located within a predetermined distance of the corresponding source pixel.

20 . The system of claim 10 , further comprising the controller being configured to apply a median filter to the image of the occupant to remove glints prior to determining the oversaturation condition in the region of interest for the seatbelt.