Patent ID: 11872937
Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 10:
11. A method for detecting one or more characteristics of one or more occupants including a driver within an automotive vehicle, comprising:
determining one or more of a respective location, a respective orientation, a respective size and a respective occupant type of each of the one or more occupants using one or more sensors, wherein each of the one or more sensors is an interior camera mounted within an interior of the vehicle, an exterior camera mounted on an exterior of the vehicle, a RADAR device mounted within the interior of the vehicle, a LiDAR device mounted within the interior of the vehicle or an ultrasonic device mounted within the interior of the vehicle; and
assessing whether any of the one or more occupants is disposed in a predetermined alertworthy disposition, wherein the predetermined alertworthy disposition comprises a body of the driver being less than a predetermined minimum distance away from a steering wheel of the vehicle and one or more of (i) at least one foot of the one or more occupants resting on a dashboard of the vehicle, (ii) at least one body of the one or more occupants facing in a non-forward direction and (iii) at least one of the one or more occupants being disposed in an orientation and/or a location that presents a potential for causing or exacerbating injury to at least one of the one or more occupants in the event of an impact event, wherein the potential is greater than a predetermined allowable potential; and
if any of the one or more occupants is assessed as being disposed in the predetermined alertworthy disposition, then providing a visual or auditory alert within the vehicle of the alertworthy disposition of the one or more occupants.