Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
[001] Embodiments disclosed herein relate to safety systems in vehicles, and more particularly for detecting seat belts in a vehicle have been engaged in a proper manner.
BACKGROUND
[002] Vehicles are equipped with seat belts that are intended to be worn by occupants. Vehicles are also equipped with additional safety systems, such as airbags, which require the seat belts to be engaged properly to ensure the safety of the user. Vehicles are equipped with sensors to ensure that the seat belts are engaged properly. However, these sensors merely detect whether the seat belt has been inserted into its corresponding seat belt buckle. In an example scenario consider that the user has inserted the seat belt into its buckle behind the user’s back and then sits on the seat. As current systems merely check if the seat belt has been buckled in, they are unable to detect that the seat belt has not been engaged properly.
OBJECTS
[003] The principal object of embodiments herein is to disclose methods and systems for monitoring the engagement of seat belts in a vehicle by using at least one camera and one or more sensors present in a buckle of the seat belt.
[004] Another object of embodiments herein is to disclose methods and systems for determining that the seat belt has been engaged in an improper manner and notifying occupant(s) of the vehicle with one or more alerts.
[005] These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating at least one embodiment and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[006] Embodiments herein are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the drawings, in which:
[007] FIG. 1 depicts a system for monitoring the engagement of seat belts in a vehicle, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[008] FIG. 2 shows an example field of view of a camera in the vehicle, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[009] FIG. 3 depicts a flowchart indicating the process of monitoring the engagement of seat belts in the vehicle, according to embodiments as disclosed herein; and
[0010] FIG. 4 depicts a process of determining whether an occupant is wearing a seat belt from media captured by one or more cameras, according to embodiments as disclosed herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0012] The embodiments herein achieve method and system for monitoring the engagement of seat belts in a vehicle. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 4, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown embodiments.
[0013] FIG. 1 depicts a system (100) for monitoring the engagement of seat belts in a vehicle, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. The system (100), as depicted, comprises a control unit (CU) (101), a plurality of sensors (102), at least one camera (103), and at least one interface (104). In an embodiment herein, the CU (101), the plurality of sensors (102), the at least one camera (103), and the at least one interface (104) can communicate with each other using a Controller Area Network (CAN). In an embodiment herein, the CU (101), the plurality of sensors (102), the at least one camera (103), and the at least one interface (104) can communicate with each other using a Local Interconnect Network (LIN).
[0014] In an embodiment herein, the CU (101) can be a dedicated control unit. In an embodiment herein, the CU (101) can be a control unit, that performs one or more other functions in addition to embodiments as disclosed herein. The term ‘control unit (CU 101),' as used in the present disclosure, may refer to, for example, hardware including logic circuits, a hardware/software combination such as a processor executing software, or a combination thereof. For example, the processing circuitry more specifically may include, but is not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a System-on-Chip (SoC), a programmable logic unit, a microprocessor, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. For example, the body control unit (BCU) (301) may include at least one of, a single processer, a plurality of processors, multiple homogeneous or heterogeneous cores, multiple central processing units (CPUs) of different kinds, microcontrollers, special media, and other accelerators.
[0015] The sensors (102) can be present in the buckle of the seat belt. The number of sensors (102) present in the vehicle can be equal to the number of seat belt assemblies present in the vehicle. The sensors (102) can detect whether the seat belt has been engaged. In an embodiment herein, the sensors (102) can be reed sensors (102).
[0016] One or more cameras (103) can collect media/information of the occupant(s) of the vehicle, wherein the media can be at least one of images, videos, and so on. The cameras can be mounted on the vehicle, in such locations to get a clear field of view of all the occupants of the vehicle. The camera (103) can have a field of view, which can comprise the seat belt zone from the pillar loop of the seat belt to the buckle plate of the seat belt (region 2, as depicted in FIG. 2). The camera (103) can capture media of the field of view. If a particular seat (can be any seat in the vehicle, such as, but not limited to, a first row of the vehicle, a second row of the vehicle, a third row of the vehicle, and so on) is occupied, the camera (103) can capture media of the occupant with a field of view of at least region 2. In an embodiment herein, the camera (103) can capture media of the field of view at periodic intervals. In an embodiment herein, the camera (103) can capture media of the field of view of an event occurring (such as, the door opening, a user sitting in a seat in the vehicle, the vehicle being turned on, and so on). In an embodiment herein, the cameras (103) can be a Driver/Occupant Monitoring System (DOMS) camera, which is mounted on the roof of the vehicle, to get a field of view of all the occupants in the vehicle. The captured media can be provided to the CU (101).
[0017] The one or more interfaces (104) can enable the user and/or operator to interact with the vehicle, such as, receiving alerts. The interfaces can provide alerts in the form of at least one of an audio warning (such as, a chime, a periodic tone, a continuous tone, and so on) and a visual warning (on a dashboard of the vehicle, an instrument console of the vehicle, a device used by the user for accessing one or more features of the vehicle, a dongle, a key fob, and so on).
[0018] The CU (101) can receive inputs from the sensors (102) (wherein the inputs can be whether the respective seat belt has been engaged or not) and media captured by the camera(s) (103). The CU (101) can check if the seat belt is engaged using the inputs from the sensors (102). If the seat belt is engaged, the CU (101) can check the media if the user has engaged the seat belt properly (i.e., across the front of the user’s body).
[0019] The CU (101) can crop the received media with respect to a zone of the occupant inside the vehicle and can then detect one or more edges in the cropped media. The cropped media can include the region 2 (as depicted in FIG. 2). In an embodiment herein, the CU (101) can detect the one or more edges based on an edge detection method. In an embodiment herein, the CU (101) can use a coordinate-based detection method to detect if the user has engaged the seat belt properly. Using the detected edges, the CU (101) can check the continuity of the seat belt strap, visible length of the seat belt, and so on. The CU (101) can measure the seat belt strap length between the pillar loop & buckle plate of the seat belt. Since the start and end points of the strap of each of the seat belt are fixed across the vehicles, the CU (101) can be calibrated with respect to coordinate values of the start and end points of the straps of each of the seat belts. The CU (101) can determine that the seat belt is engaged if the seat belt is determined to be continuous and the length of the seat belt is greater than a minimum threshold length. The minimum threshold length can depend on the occupant, the total length of the seat belt, vehicle, and seat dimensions, and so on.
[0020] If the CU (101) detects that the seat belt is engaged based on the media from the camera (103) and the data from the sensor (102), then the CU (101) takes no further action.
[0021] If the CU (101) detects that the seat belt is not engaged based on either the media from the camera (103) or the data from the sensor (102), then the CU (101) can use the interface (104) for providing one or more alerts to the occupants of the vehicle. The CU (101) can continue providing the alerts, till the CU (101) detects that the seat belt is not engaged based on the media from the camera (103) and the data from the sensor (102).
[0022] In an embodiment herein, the CU (101) can detect the specific occupant who has not engaged the seat belt and accordingly the CU (101) can provide an alert indicating the specific occupant, who has not engaged the seat belt.
[0023] FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting the process of monitoring the engagement of seat belts in a vehicle. In step (301), the sensors (102) detect whether the seat belt has been engaged and provides the data to the CU (101). In step (302), the one or more cameras (103) captures media of the occupants of the vehicle and provides the captured media to the CU (101), wherein the media comprises at least region 2 (as depicted in FIG. 2). In step (303), the CU (101) checks if the seat belt is engaged based on the inputs from the sensors (102). If the seat belt is engaged, in step (304), the CU (101) checks if the user has engaged the seat belt properly (i.e., across the front of the user’s body) based on the media from the camera (103). If the CU (101) detects that the seat belt is engaged based on the media from the camera (103) and the data from the sensor (102), then the CU (101) takes no further action in step (306). If the CU (101) detects that the seat belt is not engaged based on either the media from the camera (103) or the data from the sensor (102), then the CU (101) uses the interface (104) for providing one or more alerts to the occupants of the vehicle in step (305). The CU (101) continues providing the alerts, till the CU (101) detects that the seat belt is not engaged based on the media from the camera (103) and the data from the sensor (102). The various actions in method (300) may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIG. 3 may be omitted.
[0024] FIG. 4 depicts a process of determining whether an occupant is wearing a seat belt based on media captured by one or more cameras (103). In step (401), the one or more cameras (103) capture media of the occupants of the vehicle and provides the captured media to the CU (101), wherein the media comprises at least region 2 (as depicted in FIG. 2). In step (402), the CU (101) crops the media with respect to a zone of the occupant inside the vehicle. In step (403), the CU (101) then detects one or more edges in the cropped media, wherein the cropped media can include the region 2 (as depicted in FIG. 2). In an embodiment herein, the CU (101) detects the one or more edges based on an edge detection method. Using the detected edges, in step (404), the CU (101) checks the continuity of the seat belt strap, visible length of the seat belt, and so on. The CU (101) measures the seat belt strap length between the pillar loop & buckle plate of the seat belt. If the CU (101) detects that the seat belt is engaged based on the media from the camera (103) (assuming that the data from the sensor (102) shows that the seat belt is engaged) (step 405), then the CU (101) takes no further action in step (406). If the CU (101) detects that the seat belt is not engaged based on either the media from the camera (103) or the data from the sensor (102), then the CU (101) uses the interface (104) for providing one or more alerts to the occupants of the vehicle in step (407). The CU (101) can continue providing the alerts, till the CU (101) detects that the seat belt is not engaged based on the media from the camera (103) and the data from the sensor (102). Further, the method includes stopping, by the Control Unit (101), the alerts, on determining that the sensor (102) has detected that the seat belt has been engaged and the Control Unit (101) determines that the seat belt has been engaged by using the captured media. The various actions in method (400) may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIG. 4 may be omitted.
[0025] The embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented through at least one software program running on at least one hardware device and performing network management functions to control the network elements. The elements include blocks which can be at least one of a hardware device, or a combination of hardware device and software module.
[0026] The embodiment disclosed herein describes methods and systems for monitoring the engagement of seat belts in a vehicle. Therefore, it is understood that the scope of the protection is extended to such a program and in addition to a computer readable means having a message therein, such computer readable storage means contain program code means for implementation of one or more steps of the method, when the program runs on a server or mobile device or any suitable programmable device. The method is implemented in at least one embodiment through or together with a software program written in e.g., Very high-speed integrated circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL) another programming language or implemented by one or more VHDL or several software modules being executed on at least one hardware device. The hardware device can be any kind of portable device that can be programmed. The device may also include means which could be e.g., hardware means like e.g., an ASIC, or a combination of hardware and software means, e.g., an ASIC and an FPGA, or at least one microprocessor and at least one memory with software modules located therein. The method embodiments described herein could be implemented partly in hardware and partly in software. Alternatively, the invention may be implemented on different hardware devices, e.g., using a plurality of CPUs.
[0027] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of embodiments and examples, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments and examples disclosed herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
, Claims:We claim,
1. A method (300) for monitoring engagement of a seat belt in a vehicle, the method (300) comprising:
detecting, by a sensor (102), if the seat belt is engaged by an occupant of the vehicle;
capturing at least one media, by at least one camera (103), wherein the captured media comprises a pillar loop of the seat belt to a buckle plate of the seat belt;
determining, by a Control Unit (101), if the sensor (102) has detected that the seat belt is engaged;
determining, by the Control Unit (101), if the seat belt has been engaged based on the captured media; and
providing, by the Control Unit (101), an alert to the occupant of the vehicle, on determining that the sensor (102) has detected that the seat belt has not been engaged or the Control Unit (101) determines that the seat belt has not been engaged based on the captured media.

2. The method (300) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor (102) is a reed sensor.

3. The method (300) as claimed in claim 1, wherein determining, by the control unit (101), if the seat belt has been engaged using the captured media comprises:
cropping (402), by the Control Unit (101), the captured media;
detecting (403), by the Control Unit (101), one or more edges in the cropped media using an edge detection method;
checking, by the Control Unit (101), continuity of the seat belt strap and visible length of the seat belt by measuring seat belt strap length between the pillar loop and the buckle plate of the seat belt; and
determining, by the Control Unit (101), that the seat belt is engaged if the seat belt is determined to be continuous and the length of the seat belt is greater than a minimum threshold length.

4. The method (300) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method (300) comprises,
continuously providing the alerts, by the Control unit (101), till the CU (101) detects that the seat belt is not engaged based on the media from the camera (103) and the data from the sensor (102); and
stopping, by the Control Unit (101), the alert, on determining that the sensor (102) has detected that the seat belt has been engaged and the Control Unit (101) determines that the seat belt has been engaged based on the captured media.

5. A system (100) for monitoring engagement of a seat belt in a vehicle, the system (100) comprising:
a sensor (102), wherein the sensor (102) is configured to detect that the seat belt is engaged by an occupant of the vehicle;
at least one camera (103), wherein the at least one camera (103) is configured to capture at least one media, wherein the captured media comprises a pillar loop of the seat belt to a buckle plate of the seat belt; and
a Control Unit (101), wherein the Control Unit (101) is configured to
determine that the sensor (102) has detected the seat belt has been engaged;
determine that the seat belt has been engaged based on the captured media; and
provide an alert to the occupant of the vehicle, on determining that the sensor (102) has detected that the seat belt has not been engaged or the Control Unit (101) determines that the seat belt has not been engaged based on the captured media.

6. The system (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the sensor (102) is a reed sensor.

7. The system (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the Control Unit (101) is configured to determine that the seat belt has been engaged based on the captured media by:
cropping the captured media;
detecting one or more edges in the cropped media using an edge detection method;
checking continuity of the seat belt strap, and visible length of the seat belt by measuring seat belt strap length between the pillar loop and the buckle plate of the seat belt; and
determining that the seat belt is engaged if the seat belt is determined to be continuous and the length of the seat belt is greater than a minimum threshold length.

8. The system (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the Control Unit (101) is configured to:
provide the alerts continuously, till the CU (101) detects that the seat belt is not engaged based on the media from the camera (103) and the data from the sensor (102); and
stop the alerts, on determining that the sensor (102) has detected that the seat belt has been engaged and the Control Unit (101) determines that the seat belt has been engaged based on the captured media.