Apparatus for detecting head of occupant in vehicle

摘要

An apparatus for detecting the head of an occupant in a seat within a vehicle includes an area image sensor for periodically taking an image of an area including the occupant in the seat, and outputting a signal sequentially representing 1-frame images of the area. A head position calculating section operates for deciding a position of a head of the occupant on the basis of the 1-frame images sequentially represented by the signal outputted by the area image sensor. The head position calculating section includes a device for calculating motion quantities of portions of each of the 1-frame images, a device for detecting, in each of the 1-frame images, a maximum-motion image region in which portions having substantially largest one among the calculated motion quantities collect to a highest degree, and a device for recognizing the detected maximum-motion image region as corresponding to the head of the occupant.