Patent ID: 6771175
Filing Date: 2004-08-03
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
A method for estimating reliability of a system which classifies an occupant of a vehicle seat as an adult or a child based on output signals of at least one sensor that measures a parameter that characterizes said occupant, by comparing measured parameter values to a selected threshold value, said method comprising:providing a first test object having a measurable parameter value that represents a lower boundary limit for an adult; providing a second test object having a measurable parameter value that represents an upper boundary limit for a child, said upper boundary limit being smaller than said lower boundary limit for an adult; testing each of a plurality of n said systems comprising a sample, using said first and second test objects to generate n first measured values and n second measured values, respectively; calculating average and standard deviation of said first measured values; calculating average and standard deviation of said second measured values; determining for the first test object a first margin which is calculated as the surplus of average of said first values minus a constant times the standard deviation of the first values beyond said threshold value; determining for the second test object a second margin which is calculated as the surplus of said threshold value beyond the average of the second values plus the constant times the standard deviation of the second values; and concluding that said system has a desired minimum reliability at a desired level of confidence if both of said first and second margins are positive.