US 12,257,932 B2
Exterior imager utilized in adjusting a passenger compartment arrangement
Marcos Silva Kondrad, Macomb Township, MI (US); Patrick Maloney, Livonia, MI (US); Kevin Mozurkewich, Milford, MI (US); Johnathan Andrew Line, Northville, MI (US); and Robert Parenti, Dearborn, MI (US)
Assigned to Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed by Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed on Nov. 9, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/092,751.
Prior Publication US 2022/0144140 A1, May 12, 2022
Int. Cl. B60N 2/12 (2006.01); B60N 2/00 (2006.01); B60N 2/02 (2006.01); B60N 2/26 (2006.01); G06V 20/56 (2022.01); G06V 40/10 (2022.01); H04N 7/18 (2006.01)
CPC B60N 2/12 (2013.01) [B60N 2/0021 (2023.08); B60N 2/02246 (2023.08); B60N 2/0248 (2013.01); B60N 2/0273 (2023.08); B60N 2/0278 (2023.08); B60N 2/26 (2013.01); G06V 20/56 (2022.01); G06V 40/10 (2022.01); B60N 2/0268 (2023.08); B60N 2/0272 (2023.08); H04N 7/18 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle, comprising:
a passenger compartment;
an access door on at least a selected one of a right and left side of the vehicle;
a plurality of seating assemblies positioned within the passenger compartment in a current seat arrangement;
a sensor to capture images in its field of view, wherein the sensor is mounted on the vehicle the field of view thereof being oriented toward a vehicle-exterior environment, wherein the sensor is configured to collect images of prospective users exterior to the vehicle; and
a controller that references the sensor and includes a microprocessor and memory, wherein the memory comprises routines stored therein, and wherein the controller is configured to:
process the images collected of the prospective users exterior to the vehicle;
determine an arrangement of the plurality of seating assemblies within the passenger compartment based upon the images of the prospective users exterior to the vehicle, wherein the arrangement of the plurality of seating assemblies includes a child seat arrangement, and wherein the child seat arrangement includes one of the plurality of seating assemblies placed in a side-facing orientation in which a seating surface of the one of the plurality of seating assemblies is presented to the access door to decrease a difficulty of placing a child in the one of the plurality of seating assemblies; and
identify a first prospective user exterior to the vehicle and a second prospective user exterior to the vehicle, the second prospective user being smaller in stature than the first prospective user, wherein the controller is configured to control the plurality of seating assemblies to adjust the passenger compartment from the current seat arrangement into the child seat arrangement if the second prospective user has an age below a threshold age based on predefined criteria, and wherein the controller is configured such that it does not adjust the passenger compartment from the current seat arrangement into the child seat arrangement if the second prospective user does not have an age below the threshold age based on the predefined criteria.