Patent ID: 6904347
Filing Date: 2005-06-07
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
1. A system for deploying a passenger side airbag in a vehicle for restraining a passenger, said airbag being mounted in an instrument panel of the vehicle in front of a passenger seat, said system comprising: an infrared source generating an infrared beam directed towards the passenger seat; an infrared detector responsive to infrared radiation reflected from objects in the passenger seat, said detector generating signals indicative of an image of the objects in the passenger seat based on the reflected infrared radiation; and a processor responsive to the image from the detector, said processor including face recognition software that identifies, acquires and tracks specific and individual facial features of the passenger, said processor causing the airbag to deploy in a crash event if the passenger is detected in the passenger seat and is a predetermined distance away from the instrument panel; wherein the infrared source is a cluster of infrared light emitting diodes; and wherein the infrared detector is an electronic video camera.