System and method for detection and notification of dangerous environmental situations in a vehicle

• US 20020145516A1
• Filed: 04/06/2001
• Published: 10/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pickover, Clifford Alan, Moskowitz, Paul Andrew
• Application Number:
  US09/826,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20020145516A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/522
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00742 by detection of the vehicle occupants' presence; by detection of conditions relating to the body of occupants, e.g. using radiant heat detectors
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00771 the input being a vehicle position or surrounding, e.g. GPS-based position or tunnel
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00778 the input being a stationary vehicle position, e.g. parking or stopping
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/008 the input being air quality
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 3/0085 Smell or pollution preventing arrangements B60H3/0007, B60H3/0071, B60H3/02, B60H3/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A system (and method) includes at least one sensor for sensing a presence of a vehicle occupant, and for sensing a dangerous environmental condition within a vehicle, at least one system for emitting a warning based upon the output of the at least one sensor, and a device for transmitting a signal from the at least one sensor to the warning device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

at least one sensor for sensing a presence of a vehicle occupant, and for sensing a dangerous environmental condition within a vehicle;

at least one system for emitting a warning based upon the output of said at least one sensor; and

a device for transmitting a signal from said at least one sensor to said warning device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the occupant includes at least one of an adult human, a child, a pet, and a non-pet animal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said vehicle comprises one of an automobile, a truck, a bus, a boat, a mobile home, and an elevator.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said dangerous environmental condition comprises one of high temperature, low temperature, high carbon monoxide level, said vehicle on fire, and said vehicle filling with water.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one system for emitting a warning comprises a visual warning indicator.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said visual warning indicator comprises at least one of an indicator light and flashing headlights of said vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one system for emitting a warning comprises an audio warning indicator.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said audio warning indicator comprises at least one of a buzzer internal to said vehicle and a car horn honking external to said vehicle.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one system for emitting a warning comprises a communications device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the communications device comprises a cellular phone.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the communications device transmits information containing at least one of vehicle identification number (VIN), a manufacturer of the vehicle, a model of the vehicle, and a color of the vehicle, a location of the vehicle, parameters characterizing the dangerous environmental situation, information regarding the occupant of the vehicle, and personal information regarding the occupant of the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said information regarding the occupant of the vehicle comprises information regarding whether said occupant is an adult human, a child, a pet, or a non-pet animal.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises one of a stationary vehicle and a vehicle in motion.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a system to activate one of a cooling device, a heater, a fire extinguisher, and a ventilator.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an incentive-providing system for providing an incentive for installation of the system.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an incentive-providing system for providing an incentive for use of the system.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor comprises a first sensor for sensing a presence of said occupant and a second sensor for sensing said dangerous environmental condition.

18. The system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of ones of said at least one sensor are provided at predetermined positions in said vehicle.

19. The system according to claim 1, wherein said device comprises an electronic control unit (ECU) for processing said output signal from said at least one sensor.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein said device further comprises a vehicle communication bus for carrying data to said electronic control unit.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein said device comprises a plurality of electronic control circuits connected to said vehicle communication bus.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein said plurality of electronic control circuits connected to said vehicle communication bus are selectively interfaced with a plurality of devices.

23. The system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor senses a weight of a passenger and outputs a value representing said weight to said device.

24. The system according to claim 20, wherein said bus comprises one of a Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1850 bus and a Controller Area Network bus.

25. The system according to claim 22, wherein said plurality of devices comprise at least one of a visual display device, an audio system, a telecommunications device, a fax machine, a touch screen, a speech synthesis device, a text-to-speech interface, a wireless control device, a ventilation device, a heating device, a cooling device, and a fire extinguisher.

26. The system according to claim 1, wherein said at least sensor includes a sensor for sensing a heartbeat of said occupant of said vehicle.

27. The system according to claim 26, wherein said sensor senses a heartbeat pattern of said occupant and whether said heartbeat pattern includes a predetermined shape.

28. A system for detecting and warning of a dangerous situation in a vehicle, comprising:

at least one sensor for sensing the presence of an occupant of a vehicle, and for sensing a dangerous environmental parameter; and

a controller for controlling a warning device based upon an output signal from the at least one sensor.

29. A method, comprising:

sensing a presence of a vehicle occupant;

sensing a dangerous environmental condition within a vehicle;

emitting a warning, by a warning device, based upon the sensing of said presence and said sensing of said dangerous environmental condition; and

transmitting a signal to said warning device.

30. A signal-bearing medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform a method for computer-implemented detection and notification of dangerous environmental conditions in a vehicle, said method comprising:

sensing a presence of a vehicle occupant;

sensing a dangerous environmental condition within a vehicle;

emitting a warning, by a warning device, based upon the sensing of said presence and said sensing of said dangerous environmental condition; and

transmitting a signal to said warning device.