US12569151USUSPTO Grant XML

System for monitoring an occupant of a motor vehicle

The monitoring system ( 1 ) comprises: a light source ( 3 ), an image acquisition device ( 5 ) comprising a shutter ( 11 ) which allows light to pass during a period (P 1 ) when the source is active and during a period (P 2 ) when the source is inactive, the light received by a sensor ( 9 ) comprising a component (Ca) due to ambient illumination and a component (Ci) due to the light source; a processing unit ( 7 ) configured for determining a physiological parameter of the occupant by photoplethysmography. The shutter ( 11 ) allows light to pass during a third period (P 3 ), said light comprising the component (Ca) due to ambient illumination and the processing unit ( 7 ) being configured for subtracting this component (Ca) from the light received ( 9 ) during the other two periods for the purpose of isolating the component (Ci) due to the source in acquired images.

Patent

Brief

Patent brief

Problem

How can battery fires and thermal runaway in EV packs be prevented?

Novelty

The shutter ( 11 ) allows light to pass during a third period (P 3 ), said light comprising the component (Ca) due to am...

Uses

Battery packs, Vehicle safety, Pack telemetry

Assignee

VALEO COMFORT AND DRIVING ASSISTANCE

Published

Mar 10, 2026

Inventors

Nicolas Ringelstein, Frederic Autran

Domain

Mobility / storage

Plain-English summary

Problem

How can battery fires and thermal runaway in EV packs be prevented?

Solution

Key novelty

The shutter ( 11 ) allows light to pass during a third period (P 3 ), said light comprising the component (Ca) due to ambient illumination and the processing unit ( 7 ) being configured for subtracting this component (Ca) from the light received ( 9 ) during the other two periods for the purpose of isolating the component (Ci) due to the source in acquired images.

Applications

Battery packsVehicle safetyPack telemetry

Relevant search intents

monitoring

Claims preview

1 . A system for monitoring an occupant of a motor vehicle, the system comprising: a pulsed light source configured for emitting a train of light pulses towards the occupant, the train of light pulses comprising a first light pulse; an image acquisition device configured to acquire one or more images, the image acquisition device comprising an image sensor and a first shutter configured for allowing a reflected light to pass towards the image sensor during a first acquisition period in which the pulsed light source emits the first light pulse, wherein the image acquisition device further comprises a time-of-flight camera, a second shutter configured for allowing the reflected light to pass towards the image sensor during a second acquisition period in which the pulsed light source is inactive, and a third shutter configured for allowing the reflected light to pass towards the image sensor during a third acquisition period, the third acquisition period being initiated outside the first and the second acquisition periods, the pulsed light source being inactive during the third acquisition period, wherein the second acquisition period is initiated outside the first acquisition period, wherein a duration of each of the first and the second acquisition periods is at least equal to the duration of the first light pulse emitted by the pulsed light source, wherein the reflected light received by the image sensor in the first acquisition period and the second acquisition period comprises an ambient light component due to ambient illumination and an emitted light component due to at least one light pulse of the train of light pulses emitted by the pulsed light source; and a processing unit configured for determining at least one physiological parameter of the occupant by photoplethysmography based on one or more images acquired by the image acquisition device, and for defining a physiological state of the occupant based on the at least one physiological parameter, wherein the reflected light received by the image sensor in the third acquisition period comprises the ambient light component due to the ambient illumination, and wherein the processing unit is configured for subtracting the ambient light component due to the ambient illumination from the reflected light received by the image sensor during the first and the second acquisition periods, in order to isolate the emitted light component due to the first light pulse emitted by the pulsed light source in the one or more images acquired by the image acquisition device during the first and the second acquisition periods. 2 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the duration of each of the first, second and third acquisition periods is equal to 20 ns. 3 . The system according to claim 2 , wherein the durations of the first, second and third acquisition periods are identical to each other.

Linked approaches

Battery monitoring systems

Sensors and control systems that detect and mitigate thermal events early.

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