System and method for detection and notification of unauthorized, animate beings in a vehicle

• US 20020163426A1
• Filed: 05/03/2001
• Published: 11/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Moskowitz, Paul Andrew
• Application Number:
  US09/847,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20020163426A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2099/005 Protections against martens or rodents
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/101 Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/304 Boats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1004 Alarm systems characterised by the type of sensor, e.g. current sensing means using door lock sensors B60R25/1001
• 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, in a vehicle, a presence of an unauthorized being, 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, in a vehicle space, a presence of an unauthorized being;

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 unauthorized being includes at least one of 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 vehicle space comprises one of a wheel well, an engine compartment, a bumper, a trunk, and a passenger compartment.

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, a display screen, and a flashing headlight 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, a text-to speech interface, a speech synthesis interface 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 at least one of a cellular phone and a Bluetooth communications device.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the communications device transmits information containing at least one of a vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle, a manufacturer of the vehicle, a model of the vehicle, a color of the vehicle, a location of the vehicle, and information regarding the unauthorized being in the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said information regarding the unauthorized being of the vehicle comprises information regarding whether said unauthorized being is a child, an infant, a pet, or 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 12, wherein the pet is one of a cat and a dog.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

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

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

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

17. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor comprises a sensor for sensing a presence of said unauthorized being.

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 12, wherein the non-pet animal is one of a rat, mouse, squirrel, skunk, possum, woodchuck, raccoon, and a bird.

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 speech synthesis interface, and a text-to-speech interface.

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

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

28. A system for detecting and warning of a presence of an unauthorized animate being in a vehicle, comprising:

at least one sensor for sensing a presence of an unauthorized being in a vehicle; and

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

29. A method, comprising:

sensing, in a vehicle, a presence of an unauthorized being;

emitting a warning, by a warning device, based upon the sensing of said presence; 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 unauthorized, animate beings in a vehicle, said method comprising:

sensing, in a vehicle, a presence of an unauthorized being;

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

transmitting a signal to said warning device.