SAFETY SYSTEM FOR A SADDLE TYPE VEHICLE FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The subject matter as described herein, relates generally to a safety system and more particularly, to a safety system for a saddle type vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The current traffic and road regulations put an obligation on an operator of a vehicle (both two and four wheeled) to put on personal protective equipment like a helmet or seat belt during the use of such vehicle. However, some operators continue to ignore and violate such regulations and do not wear any protective equipment while driving the vehicle.

[0003] A four wheeled vehicle including a car has a warning system to alert an operator about his personal protective equipment, for example, wearing his seat belt. Contrastingly, a two wheeled saddle type vehicle does not have an equivalent warning system to alert the operator in case he forgets or deliberately ignores to wear the helmet. Patent No. JP2031988 and JP2008179274 disclose inventions related to immobilizing a vehicle in the event of the operator failing to wear the helmet, by integrating an extra immobilizer unit in the helmet which communicates with the vehicle immobilizer unit and restricts the operator from starting the vehicle if he doesn't wear the helmet. However such safety systems force the vehicle operator to continuously wear the helmet even if for using the vehicle for a very small duration or distance. Additionally the operator doesn't have the flexibility to wear a different helmet of his choice. Moreover, the said helmet with the immobilizer unit should fit over the head of the person who wants to operate the vehicle failing which the person would not be able to ride the vehicle.

[0004] Further, such saddle type vehicle (including a geared, gearless or electric vehicle) starts moving as soon as the throttle is operated. However, it is advantageous if the vehicle does not move till the operator is actually sitting on the vehicle. The prior art discloses Patent No. FR2837444 wherein a biometric monitoring circuit for motor vehicle occupants is provided which has a video camera in the vehicle interior to detect the correctness of the driver by monitoring his facial features and thereafter immobilize the vehicle, if found incorrect. Patent No. JP2000168502 discloses a personal recognition system which monitors the iris of the driver to authenticate him to drive the vehicle.

[0005] However, such systems provide a security feature which suffices in an environment like car where the operator is comparatively safer owing to the vehicle construction, but may not be useful for a two wheeled saddle type vehicle due to its different construction.

[0006] Therefore there is a need of a safety system, preferably for a saddle type vehicle, which can immobilize the vehicle when the operator is not sitting on the vehicle seat. There is also a need for a single integrated safety system which can detect the presence of the operator on the vehicle seat preventing the vehicle from accidental movement on operation of throttle in the absence of the operator on the seat and simultaneously detect if the vehicle operator is wearing the helmet failing which it activates a warning system accordingly. It is also an object of the present subject matter to provide a safety system for a saddle type vehicle which does not restrict the operator to wear a particular type of helmet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] To this end, the present subject matter discloses a safety system for a saddle type vehicle comprising an image sensor member and a processing system, the said processing system operable on the output of the image sensor member and actuating either a movement enable system, or a movement enable system and a helmet detection system, wherein the safety system is operable after the ignition key ON event is completed, and wherein the vehicle is not mobilized till the processing system detects the presence of a rider on the vehicle. The image sensor member is positioned at an anterior portion of the saddle type vehicle in such a way so as to define a view area of the image sensor member.

[0008] The foregoing objectives and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present subject matter. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present subject matter as well as the subject matter itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the ensuing detailed description of the subject matter and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The above and other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will be better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a safety system according to the present subject matter.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram describing a movement enable system with an infra-red sensor member according to a first embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart describing step-by-step functionality of the movement enable system of Figure 2.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of an internal working of the infra-red sensor circuitry according to the first embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart describing a movement enable system with an image sensor member according to a second embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 6 shows the positioning of the image sensor member and the viewing range of the safety system, according to the second embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 7 shows the positioning of the image sensor member and the viewing range of the safety system, according to the first embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of a movement enable system module of the safety system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[00010] The present invention is now explained with the help of rendered FIGs. 1-8. According to an aspect, the present subject matter discloses a safety system for a saddle type vehicle operable after the completion of an ignition key ON event and encompassing a movement enable system. The movement enable system is actuated upon the presence of the operator (rider) on the vehicle seat and can operate individually or integrally with a helmet detection system depending upon their integration. However the vehicle may contain a safety system comprising only of the movement enable system.

[00011] According to another aspect, the present subject matter provides an integrated safety system for detecting the presence of an operator on a seat of a two wheeled saddle type vehicle and facilitating helmet detection. Consequently, the safety system immobilizes the vehicle in absence of the operator on the vehicle seat and thereby prevents its movement even on accidental operation of the throttle. It comprises of an image sensor member positioned on the body of the vehicle and a processing system to process the outputs of the sensor member. Based on the processing, the safety system enables either the movement enable system, or both the movement enable system and the helmet detection system. The image sensor member is contactless which eliminates many failure modes of the system.

[00012] According to yet another aspect of the present subject matter, the helmet detection system is operable irrespective of the type of helmet worn by the vehicle operator. Therefore, the operator is free to wear a helmet of any make or size. Various other features and embodiments of the invention here will be discernible from the following further description thereof, set out hereunder. The ensuing description is to be understood as an exemplary embodiment and reading of the invention is not intended to be taken restrictively. In the ensuing exemplary embodiments, the vehicle is a saddle ride type vehicle. However it is contemplated that the proposed invention may be applied to other types of vehicles within the spirit and scope of this invention including a scooter type motorcycle.

[00013] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of the safety system for the saddle type vehicle according to the present subject matter. The safety system comprises of a front end, namely an image sensor member 1 and a back end, namely a processing system 2. The processing system 2 may change according to the type of image sensor member 1 used. The image sensor member 1 senses the presence of the required object, i.e. the operator's body or helmet and the processing system 2 processes the image sensor member output. The processing system 2 further comprises of a noise cancellation module, an object detection module 4 and a rider presence detection module 5, the modules processed in the said order. After the image sensor member 1 completes the sensing, the object detection module 4 processes its output and the rider presence detection module 5 confirms whether the sensed object is actually a vehicle rider. A movement enable system 6 is activated after the positive detection of the rider's body within the viewing area of the image sensor member 1. After the completion of object detection module 4, a helmet detection system 7 may be activated simultaneously with the rider presence detection module 5 of the processing system and a warning system 8 coupled with the helmet detection module 7 initiates a warning if the operator is not found wearing the helmet.

[00014] The image sensor member 1 may be any sensor capable to detect the presence of human body within the pre-determined viewing area. The image sensor member 1 may be placed at any location of the vehicle where it is able to clearly focus on the rider's body and the viewing area is determined only in the condition of the rider actually sitting on the vehicle seat. The image sensor member 1 captures the object in its range and the noise cancellation module in the form of an image preprocessor module 3 may cancel out the noise which may arise during the sensing of the object. Thereafter, its output is fed into the object detection module 4 of the processing system. The veracity of the captured object as being the rider is confirmed by the rider presence detection module 5 of the processing system. The movement enable system 6 is actuated after the positive detection of the rider's body within the viewing area of the image sensor member 1. Further, the entire safety system is actuated and power is supplied to the image sensor member and the modules of the processing system only after the completion of the ignition key ON event.

[00015] According to a first embodiment of the present subject matter, the image sensor member may include an infra-red sensor or an ultrasonic sensor. FIG. 2 shows a block diagram illustrating the functioning of the movement enable system when the image sensor member is an Infra-red sensor. In an embodiment of the present subject matter, the infra-red sensor la is mounted on an anterior portion of the vehicle so that it properly focusses on the operator's body when he sits on the vehicle seat. According to an aspect of the present subject matter, the infra-red sensor is mounted on the instrument cluster or over the fuel tank, forwardly of the operator's body. When ignition is switched on, the infra-red sensor la linked to a signal conditioning circuit 3a and the object detection module 4 starts continuously monitoring its surroundings. The sensor la detects abrupt changes in temperature which occur at the point focusing the sensor because almost all objects emit heat energy in the form of infra-red radiation. Upon finding an object i.e. rider's body in the sensor's vicinity, the change in temperature is detected by the sensor circuitry which then validates the operator's presence based on predefined criteria hence activating the movement enable system 6 and facilitating the movement of the vehicle. According to an aspect, a plurality of infra-red sensors may also be used in the safety system for better focus and viewing area.

[00016] Referring to FIG. 3, the flowchart describes step-by-step functionality of the movement enable system of FIG. 2 using the infra-red sensor. When the operator activates the ignition system by turning on the Ignition key and thereby starts the engine using electric start or kick start (or applies throttle in case of motor), the engine starts (or the motor gets power supply) but the vehicle cannot move ahead unless the rider presence detection module of the processing system is completed. The infra-red sensor starts sensing its surroundings time to time at a predefined rate. The change in the temperature sensed is monitored continuously with the help of processing system. If it finds any change, it activates the movement enable system to facilitate the vehicle to respond to changes like throttle position sensor after which the vehicle moves accordingly. The presence of a plurality of sensors helps in reducing the errors and noise caused during the sensing time as well as help to detect if there is any movement of the focused object. FIG. 4 represents the internal circuitry functionality of the system in case of plurality of sensors.

[00017] Further, the movement of the vehicle upon detection of the presence of the operator sitting on the vehicle seat can be achieved by controlling the throttle of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 8, three situations might arise in this case depending upon the type of the vehicle, namely engine based vehicle, electric vehicle and hybrid vehicle. In case of the engine based vehicle, an electronic throttle control actuator can be used to limit the vehicle from moving even after continuous operation of the throttle unless the operator is present on the vehicle. In case of an electric or hybrid vehicle, a motor control system can be operated accordingly to enable or disable the motor from getting started unless the rider is present on the vehicle. Thus, if the rider is not sitting on the vehicle and not in the viewing area of the sensor member, the electronic throttle control actuator/ motor control system will not be operable and hence the vehicle remains in immobilized condition.

[00018] According to a second embodiment of the present subject matter, the image sensor member may be a camera and both the movement enable system and the helmet detection system are integrated into a single safety system. As described in FIG. 1, the image sensor is linked to an image pre-processor (noise cancellation module). FIG. 5 shows a flowchart describing step-by-step functionality of the safety system according to the second embodiment. The flowchart components represent the flow of the safety system with respect to finding the presence of an operator and the helmet simultaneously with use of the integrated safety system. When the operator activates the ignition system by turning on the ignition key and thereafter tries to start the engine using electric start or kick start, the engine starts but the vehicle cannot move ahead till the presence of operator on the vehicle seat is detected by the processing system. The processing system continuously monitors the view of the image sensor member and acquires the images from the image sensor continuously at a predefined frame rate.

These acquired images are then processed by image pre-processor to modify the image according to the processor needs and condition of the content of the image to suit the next stages, like making the image color independent, increasing the contrast if needed, removing noise and sharpening the image. Thereafter the processed image is handled by an object detection module which finds redundant areas in the processed image like background. For example, when the operator is within the viewing range of sensor, there will be a continuous change in the foreground of the image because of the movement of operator's body or face with time but the background will remain the same. If it doesn't find any object in the foreground, it tries to search for one. Based on this change in the foreground, the object detection module detects the background information which can be ignored in the next stages of processing the image. Upon finding the object of interest i.e. the operator's body or face, the movement enable system of the vehicle gets actuated thereby facilitating movement of the vehicle. The movement enable system facilitates the vehicle to respond to changes like throttle operation by the operator. If no operator is detected by the object detection module, the image sensor member continues to capture images and the vehicle remains immobilized.

[00019] In the aforementioned second embodiment, the helmet detection system is simultaneously activated along with movement enable system and it uses predefined feature detection algorithms to detect the presence of helmet through the viewing range of the image sensor member. If the operator is not found wearing the helmet, the helmet detection system alerts the operator through a warning system in the form of an audio means or visual means or both. The warning system may be time dependent. When the pre-defined time limit is exceeded, the warning system is disabled. The time limit is so set so as to ensure that the operator notices the warning issued to him during that time. Thus the image pre-processor, object detection module and helmet detection system jointly form the processing system which does the job of acquisition to recognition of the object in view of the image sensor.

[00020] Further, the safety system is capable to be mounted on the body of the saddle type vehicle as shown in FIGs. 6-7. FIG. 6 shows the positioning of the image sensor member and the viewing range of the safety system, according to the second embodiment of the present subject matter whereas FIG. 7 shows the positioning of the image sensor member and the viewing range of the safety system, according to the first embodiment of the present subject matter. The image sensor member may be placed at any location of the vehicle where it is able to clearly capture images of the operator sitting on the vehicle. According to the preferred embodiment, the image sensor member is disposed on an anterior portion of the vehicle so that it gets a clear view of the operator's face and body when he sits on the vehicle seat. The anterior portion may be an instrumental cluster over which the image sensor may be angularly disposed. According to an aspect of the present subject matter, the processing system can be a part of the instrument cluster along with the sensor member, whereas in another embodiment, the processing system may be disposed on a posterior portion of the vehicle along with the electronic control unit. The safety system and the electronic control unit are connected through wiring harness but in the latter case, the wiring harness requirement for connections between safety system and the main electronic controller unit is reduced.

[00021] Further, the view area of the image sensor member is adjusted such that it has a clear view of the operator's body and face. According to an aspect of the present subject matter, the viewing angle may be 70-170 degrees with respect to the handlebar. According to another aspect of the present subject matter, the image sensor member may be night capable so that the safety system is operative during darkness.

[00022] The present subject matter is thus described. The description is not intended to be exhaustive nor is it intended to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed embodiments may be modified in light of the above description. The embodiments described are chosen to provide an illustration of principles of the invention and its practical application to enable thereby one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Therefore the forgoing description is to be considered exemplary, rather than limiting, and the 5 true scope of the invention is that described in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A safety system for a saddle type vehicle comprising an image sensor member and a processing system, the said processing system operable on the output of the image sensor member and actuating either a movement enable system, or a movement enable system and a helmet detection system, wherein the safety system is operable after the ignition key ON event is completed, and wherein the vehicle is not mobilized till the processing system detects the presence of a rider on the vehicle.

2. The safety system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image sensor member is an infra-red sensor.

3. The safety system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image sensor member is a camera.

4. The safety system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said processing system further comprises of a noise cancellation module, an object detection module and a rider presence detection module, the modules processed in the said order.

5. The safety system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image sensor member is capable to detect the presence of the rider and a helmet worn by the rider.

6. The safety system as claimed in claim 1, wherein if the helmet detection system fails to detect the presence of the helmet on the rider, a warning 15 system is actuated by the processing system, the said warning system being a visual means or audio means or both.

7. The safety system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 5, wherein the image sensor member is positioned at an anterior portion of the saddle type vehicle in such a way so as to define a view area of the image sensor member.

8. The safety system as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the saddle type vehicle includes a motorcycle.

9. A method of enabling movement of a saddle type vehicle comprising the steps of: sensing the ignition key ON event, supplying power to an image sensor member and a processing system, searching for presence of rider in the viewing area of the image sensor member, cancelling out noise in the image sensor member output which is then processed by the processing system, activating a rider presence detection module on finding the presence of an object on the vehicle, activating a movement enable system after confirming the presence of a rider on the vehicle, wherein the said method capable to work with or without a helmet detection system and wherein a warning system is actuated, the warning system being a visual means or audio means or both, if the helmet detection system fails to identify the presence of helmet over the rider.