1461188933-ed15bfa6-4410-464f-8a36-2299985d27ea

1. A method at classifying vehicle occupants comprising the steps of:
generating a stereo image pair of occupant from two cameras;
inputting the image pair into an occupant classification controller;
processing the stereo image pair into a differential edge density feature by the controller;
inputting the differential edge density feature into a state machine of the controller;
determining, by the state machine and using the differential edge density feature, if the occupant has changed with regard to occupant type;
if the occupant has changed with regard to occupant type, applying a static classification process having a prior knowledge of the occupant type in memory of the controller;
determining if prior occupant type has changed by the state machine between an adult and a child;
establishing whether the occupant is an adult or a child;
switching on a corresponding adult or child dynamic classifier of the controller;
switching off a static classifier of the static classification process; and
utilizing the differential edge density features by the corresponding adult or child dynamic classifier to determine an occupant class output which signifies occupant position.
2. The method of classifying vehicle occupants set forth in claim 1 wherein the occupant class output is outputted from a neural network engine having the adult and child dynamic classifiers, and is inputted into a restraint controller of a restraint system.
3. The method of classifying vehicle occupants set forth in claim 2 comprising the further steps of:
disarming the restraint system by the classification controller if the occupant class output signifies occupant is out of position; and
not disarming the restraint system by the classification controller if the occupant class output signifies occupant is in a normal position.
4. The method of classifying vehicle occupants set forth in claim 1 comprising the further step of combining wavelet features with the differential edge density features as an input into the adult and child dynamic classifiers to determine the occupant class output.
5. The method of classifying vehicle occupants set forth in claim 4 wherein the occupant class output is either out of position or normal position.
6. The method of classifying vehicle occupants set forth in claim 4 comprising the further step of applying a classification threshold to the occupant class output to determine validity of the output.
7. The method of classifying vehicle occupants set forth in claim 6 comprising the further step of training the adult and child classifiers with three prescribed input occupant categories signifying occupant out of position, occupant in normal position and empty seat.
8. The method of classifying vehicle occupants set forth in claim 7 comprising the further steps of:
forcing a low confidence value for invalidity of the output by the prescribed input occupant category signifying empty seat if an empty seat is present;
switching on the static classifier for receipt of the low confidence output; and
updating the occupant type.
9. The method of classifying vehicle occupants set forth in claim 1 wherein the occupant change is between adult and adult, adult and child, child and child, adult and empty seat, and child and empty seat.
10. The method of classifying vehicle occupants set forth in claim 1 comprising the further step of utilizing the prior occupant type if the occupant has not changed, as detected by the state machine.
11. The method of classifying vehicle occupants set forth in claim 10 comprising the further step of outputting the prior occupant type as the classification if the occupant remains in position as indicated by the differential edge density feature and thus the dynamic classification process is not required.
12. The method of classifying vehicle occupants set forth in claim 11 comprising the further step of initializing the corresponding adult or child dynamic classifier if the occupant has not remained in position.
13. The method of classifying vehicle occupants set forth in claim 12 comprising the further steps of:
comparing the output of the adult or child dynamic classifier to a classification threshold;
recording the output as an occupant class output if the output passes the classification threshold; and
recording the output as an invalid output if the output does not pass the classification threshold.
14. The method of classifying vehicle occupants set forth in claim 13 comprising the further steps of:
switching on the static classifier for receipt of the invalid output; and
updating of the occupant type by the static classifier.
15. A method of classifying vehicle occupants comprising the steps of:
generating a stereo image pair of an occupant from two cameras;
determining if the occupant has changed between an adult and adult, an adult and child, and a child and child by a state machine of a neural network engine;
determining if the adult or child has altered position within the vehicle by the state machine;
if position is altered, initiating a corresponding adult or child dynamic classifier to compute a classification output; and
if the position is not altered, recording a previous classification as the current classification.
16. The method of classifying vehicle occupants set forth in claim 15 comprising the further steps of:
processing the classification output through a pre-established confidence threshold to determine validity of the classification output;
if valid, releasing the classification output to a restraint system; and
if invalid, sending the classification output to a static classifier for updating of an occupant type.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. An acylamide compound of the formula (1), prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof:
wherein R1 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms;
R2 is an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, aryl group having 6 to 10 carbon atoms, heteroaryl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, arylalkyl group having 7 to 20 carbon atoms, heteroarylalkyl group having 2 to 11 carbon atoms or alkylthioalkyl group having 2 to 6 carbon atoms;
R3 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and R2 and R3 may bond each other to form a ring;
R4 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 16 carbon atoms;
R5 is a straight-chain hydrocarbon group having 5 to 21 carbon atoms which may have 1 to 3 double bond(s); and
X is an oxygen atom or NH.
2. The acylamide compound, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof according to claim 1, wherein, in the formula (1), R1 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; R2 is a straight- or branched-chain alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, cyclic alkyl group having 3 to 10 carbon atoms, aryl group having 6 to 8 carbon atoms, heteroaryl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, arylalkyl group having 7 to 17 carbon atoms, heteroarylalkyl group having 2 to 8 carbon atoms or alkylthioalkyl group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms; R3 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; R4 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; R5 is a straight-chain alkyl group having 5 to 21 carbon atoms which may have one double bond; and X is an oxygen atom.
3. The acylamide compound, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof according to claim 2, wherein, in the formula (1), R1 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; R2 is a straight- or branched-chain alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, phenylalkyl group having 7 to 8 carbon atoms or alkylthioalkyl group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms; R3 is a hydrogen atom; R4 is a hydrogen atom; and R5 is a straight-chain alkyl group having 5 to 21 carbon atoms which may have one double bond.
4. The acylamide compound, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof according to claim 2, wherein, in the formula (1), R1 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; R2 is a methyl group, isopropyl group, isobutyl group, sec-butyl group, phenylmethyl group or methylthioethyl group; R3 is a hydrogen atom; R4 is a hydrogen atom; and R5 is a straight-chain alkyl group having 5 to 21 carbon atoms which may have one double bond.
5. An acylamide compound of the following structural formulae, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof:
6. The acylamide compound, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof according to claim 2, wherein, in the formula (1), R1 is a hydrogen atom; R3 is a hydrogen atom; R4 is a hydrogen atom; X is an oxygen atom; R5 is a straight-chain alkyl group having 5 to 21 carbon atoms which may have one double bond; and R2 is either one of the following substituents:
a tert-butyl group;
2,2,2,2\u2032,2\u2032,2\u2032-hexafluoroisopropyl group;
cyclohexyl group; or
diphenylmethyl group,
except for a compound wherein R2 is a tert-butyl group, and R5 is a normal dodecyl group or 10-decenyl group.
7. The acylamide compound, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof according to claim 2, wherein, in the formula (1), R1 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; R2 is a straight- or branched-chain alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, phenylalkyl group having 7 to 8 carbon atoms or alkylthioalkyl group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms; R3 is an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; R4 is a hydrogen atom; and R5 is a straight-chain alkyl group having 5 to 21 carbon atoms which may have one double bond.
8. The acylamide compound, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof according to claim 1, wherein, in the formula (1), R1 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; R2 is a straight- or branched-chain alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; R3 is a hydrogen atom; R4 is a hydrogen atom or a straight-chain, branched-chain or cyclic alkyl group having 1 to 16 carbon atoms; R5 is a straight-chain alkyl group having 5 to 21 carbon atoms which may have one double bond; and X is NH.
9. An adiponectin inducer or secretagogue, or a preventivetherapeutic agent of hypoadiponectinemia, which comprises the acylamide compound, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof according to claim 1.
10. A therapeutic agent of metabolic syndromes which comprises the acylamide compound, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof according to claim 1.
11. A therapeutic agent of hyperlipemia which comprises the acylamide compound, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof according to claim 1.
12. A preventivetherapeutic agent of diabetes which comprises the acylamide compound, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof according to claim 1.
13. An improving agent of impaired glucose tolerance which comprises the acylamide compound, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof according to claim 1.
14. An improving agent of insulin resistance or enhancing agent of insulin sensitivity, which comprises the acylamide compound, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof according to claim 1.
15. A therapeutic agent of hypertension, preventivetherapeutic agent of vascular disorders or an anti-inflammatory agent, which comprises the acylamide compound, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof according to claim 1.
16. A therapeutic agent of hepatic inflammation, fatty liver, hepatic fibrosis or liver cirrhosis, which comprises the acylamide compound, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof according to claim 1.
17. A preventivetherapeutic agent of non-alcoholicnonviral steatohepatitis (NASH) or non-alcoholicnonviral fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which comprises the acylamide compound, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof according to claim 1.
18. A preventivetherapeutic agent of obesity which comprises the acylamide compound, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof according to claim 1.
19. A food and beverage comprising the acylamide compound, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof according to claim 1, on which it is indicated to have an effect of preventingtreating hypoadiponectinemia, hyperlipemia, hypertension or vascular disorders.
20. A food and beverage comprising the acylamide compound, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof according to claim 1, on which it is indicated to have an effect of preventingtreating diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance.
21. A food and beverage comprising the acylamide compound, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof according to claim 1, on which it is indicated to have an effect of improving insulin resistance or an effect of enhancing insulin sensitivity.
22. A food and beverage comprising the acylamide compound, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof according to claim 1, on which it is indicated to have an effect of preventingtreating fatty liver, hepatic fibrosis or liver cirrhosis.
23. A food and beverage comprising the acylamide compound, prodrugs thereof, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof according to claim 1, on which it is indicated to have an effect of preventingtreating obesity.