US-20260124963-A1 - APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

US20260124963A1US 20260124963 A1US20260124963 A1US 20260124963A1US-20260124963-A1

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an apparatus for rear seat detection. The apparatus may include: an indoor camera configured to provide image data; an indoor radar configured to provide radar data; a controller including a first processor and a second processor. The first processor configured to obtain information on a change in a front passenger seat and a rear seat of a vehicle based on processing the image data. The second processor configured to obtain motion information on an object in the rear seat of the vehicle based on processing the radar data. The first controller may identify a change of a detection area in the rear seat, and determine whether a human is seated in the rear seat of the vehicle.

Inventors

Jang-Woong Park
Jeong Kim

Assignees

HL KLEMOVE CORP.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251218
Priority Date: 20221202

Claims (20)

1 . An object detection apparatus comprising: an indoor camera having a field of view for a vehicle interior and configured to provide image data; an indoor radar having a sensing area for the vehicle interior and configured to provide radar data; a controller including a first processor and a second processor, the first processor configured to process the image data to obtain information on a change in a front passenger seat and a rear seat of a vehicle, and the second processor configured to process the radar data to generate a point cloud, wherein the controller is configured to: identify a change of a detection area in the rear seat based on the information on the change in the front passenger seat and the rear seat of the vehicle, and determine whether a human is seated in the rear seat of the vehicle based on the point cloud for the detection area where the change is identified.
2 . The object detection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to identify the change of the detection area in the rear seat when the vehicle's ignition is on.
3 . The object detection apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to identify the change of the detection area in the rear seat when a transmission is in a drive mode.
4 . The object detection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to obtain motion information on an object in the rear seat of the vehicle based on the point cloud, and determine whether the human is seated in the rear seat of the vehicle based on the motion information on the object.
5 . The object detection apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to obtain the motion information on the object based on information of the point cloud including x, y, and z coordinate information of points constituting the object.
6 . The object detection apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the motion information includes location information and velocity information of the object.
7 . The object detection apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to obtain a respiratory rate and a heart rate of the object based on the motion information, and determine whether the object is moving based on the respiratory rate and the heart rate of the object.
8 . The object detection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to obtain coordinate information of each vertex of a changed detection area based on identifying the change of the detection area in the rear seat.
9 . The object detection apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to identify the changed detection area based on the obtained coordinate information.
10 . The object detection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller transmits information indicating that the human is seated in the rear seat of the vehicle to a vehicle controller configured to detect whether a seat belt is worn.
11 . A method comprising: obtaining, by an indoor camera, image data; obtaining, by an indoor radar, radar data; obtaining, by at least one processor, information on a change in a front passenger seat and a rear seat of a vehicle based on processing the image data; obtaining, by the at least one processor, a point cloud based on processing the radar data; identifying, by the at least one processor, a change of a detection area in the rear seat based on the information on the change in the front passenger seat and the rear seat of the vehicle, and determining, by the at least one processor, whether a human is seated in the rear seat of the vehicle based on the point cloud for the detection area where the change is identified.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the identifying of the change of the detection area in the rear seat is performed when the vehicle's ignition is on.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the identifying of the change of the detection area in the rear seat is performed when a transmission is in a drive mode.
14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein determining whether the human is seated in the rear seat of the vehicle comprises: obtaining motion information on an object in the rear seat of the vehicle based on the point cloud, and determining whether the human is seated in the rear seat of the vehicle based on the motion information on the object.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the obtaining of the motion information on the object is based on information of the point cloud including x, y, and z coordinate information of points constituting the object.
16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the motion information includes location information and velocity information of the object.
17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the obtaining of the motion information on the object comprises: obtaining a respiratory rate, and a heart rate of the object based on the motion information, and determining whether the object is moving based on the respiratory rate and the heart rate of the object.
18 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising: obtaining coordinate information of each vertex of a changed detection area based on identifying the change of the detection area in the rear seat.
19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the identifying of the changed detection area is based on the obtained coordinate information.
20 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising transmitting information indicating that the human is seated in the rear seat of the vehicle to a vehicle controller configured to detect whether a seat belt is worn.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/217,785, filed on Jul. 3, 2023, which claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0166945, filed on Dec. 2, 2022, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in their entity. TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus for notifying whether a rear seat occupant is seated and a controlling method thereof. BACKGROUND In most vehicles, a conventional seat belt alert is a safety function that determines whether a seat is occupied using a pressure sensor mounted only on a driver's seat and a front passenger's seat, and notifies a dangerous situation with a cluster warning sound when not wearing a seat belt. However, in relation to notification of whether a rear seat is occupied, tilting the front passenger seat or sliding the rear seat may change a location of the seat and thus cause false detection regarding the sitting of a rear seat occupant. SUMMARY Therefore, it is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide an apparatus capable of notifying whether a rear seat occupant is seated more accurately through an indoor camera and an indoor radar, and a controlling method thereof. Additional aspects of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure. In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus may include: an indoor camera having a field of view for a vehicle interior and configured to provide image data; an indoor radar having a sensing area for the vehicle interior and configured to provide radar data; a controller including a first processor and a second processor, the first processor configured to obtain information on a change in a front passenger seat and a rear seat of a vehicle based on processing the image data, and the second processor configured to obtain motion information on an object in the rear seat of the vehicle based on processing the radar data. The first controller may identify a change of a detection area in the rear seat based on the information on the change in the front passenger seat and the rear seat of the vehicle, and determine whether a human is seated in the rear seat of the vehicle based on the motion information on the object in the detection area where the change is identified. The controller may obtain motion information including a distance, a velocity, and an angle of arrival of the object by performing digital signal processing on the radar data. The controller may obtain a respiratory rate, a heart rate, and point cloud information of the object based on the motion information. The controller may determine whether the object is moving based on the obtained information. The point cloud information may include x, y, and z coordinate information of points constituting the object. The controller may obtain coordinate information of each vertex of a changed detection area based on identifying the change of the detection area in the rear seat. The controller may identify the changed detection area based on the obtained coordinate information. The controller may obtain a respiratory rate, a heart rate, and point cloud information of the object based on the motion information in the detection area where the change is identified. The controller may determine that the human is seated in the rear seat of the vehicle, based on a point cloud being formed in the detection area where the change is identified. The controller may transmit information indicating that the human is seated in the rear seat of the vehicle to a vehicle controller configured to detect whether a seat belt is worn. In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a method may include: obtaining image data by an indoor camera; obtaining radar data by an indoor radar; obtaining information on a change of a front passenger seat and a rear seat of a vehicle based on processing the image data by at least one processor; obtaining motion information on an object in the rear seat of the vehicle based on processing the radar data by the at least one processor; identifying a change of a detection area in the rear seat based on the information on the change in the front passenger seat and the rear seat of the vehicle by the at least one processor; and determining whether a human is seated in the rear seat of the vehicle based on the motion information on the object in the detection area where the change is identified by the at least one processor. The obtaining of the motion information may include obtaining motion information including a distance, a velocity, and an angle of arrival of the object by performing digital signal processing on the radar data. The obtaining of the motion information may include obtaining a respiratory rate, a heart r