BYD Acquires Patent for Under-Vehicle Lifeform Detection System… 'What Is It For?'

*This content was translated by AI.

BYD has obtained a patent for a vehicle under-body lifeform detection system utilizing computer vision technology. The China National Intellectual Property Administration officially disclosed this patent on June 12 under application number 'CN122200729A'.

This technology is notable for extending computer vision capabilities, previously focused on driving assistance and battery management, into the safety zone surrounding the vehicle. The system's core principle involves capturing the under-body condition immediately after the vehicle power is turned off, storing a reference image, and continuously comparing subsequent under-body images against this reference.

The analysis process consists of two stages. First, instead of analyzing the entire under-body in real time, the system selectively identifies specific areas that differ from the reference image and designates them as target images. It then conducts precise analysis on these designated zones. This structure reduces unnecessary computations for non-changing components such as suspension, battery cases, aerodynamic panels, and structural elements, allowing the vehicle computer to focus its resources on detecting new objects or movements. In areas where changes are detected, the system determines the presence and status of actual lifeforms based on feature detection information.

The vehicle under-body presents a more challenging environment for analysis than indoor passenger detection systems due to factors such as shadows, brightness variations, road debris, mud, and road surface conditions. Conventional motion detection methods had limitations in distinguishing between such environmental changes and biological movement. BYD's approach generates a reference map tailored to each parked vehicle, reducing malfunctions and false alarms caused by static objects while improving the accuracy of identifying actual lifeforms such as animals and humans.

In addition to the under-vehicle detection system, BYD recently disclosed a patent for detecting passengers remaining inside the vehicle by combining radar channel impulse response data, frequency domain features, and arrival angle analysis. These two technologies aim to complementarily monitor the blind spots of the vehicle interior and under-body.

The patent document does not include specific details regarding actual vehicle application or commercialization timelines.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.