US 11,890,933 B2
Vehicle occupancy-monitoring system
Douglas L Welk, Rossville, IN (US); and Timothy A. Suda, Avon, IN (US)
Assigned to Aptiv Technologies Limited, St. Michael (BB)
Filed by Aptiv Technologies Limited, St. Michael (BB)
Filed on Nov. 3, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/052,532.
Application 18/052,532 is a continuation of application No. 17/131,606, filed on Dec. 22, 2020, granted, now 11,565,653.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/956,951, filed on Jan. 3, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0093419 A1, Mar. 23, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B60K 35/00 (2006.01); B60K 5/00 (2006.01); B60R 22/48 (2006.01); G08B 7/06 (2006.01)
CPC B60K 5/00 (2013.01) [B60R 22/48 (2013.01); G08B 7/06 (2013.01); B60K 2370/1529 (2019.05); B60R 2022/485 (2013.01); B60R 2022/4816 (2013.01); B60R 2022/4858 (2013.01); B60R 2022/4866 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, comprising:
receiving, with a controller circuit and from at least one occupancy monitoring sensor of a vehicle including a radar sensor, occupant data for a plurality of rows of seats in a cabin of the vehicle;
determining, based on the occupant data, a respective occupancy status at each individual seat in the rows of seats;
determining whether the occupant data relates to a person or an inanimate object; and
controlling, based on the occupant data relating to a person, a light bar positioned in a door panel or as a heads-up display (HUD) to illuminate light at each seat position in all the rows of seats, the light being indicative of the respective occupancy status determined at each individual seat in the rows of seats.