Detecting Unsafe Car Seat Passenger-Conditions

• US 20140306838A1
• Filed: 06/18/2014
• Published: 10/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Justin Edward Beumler
• Original Assignee: Justin Edward Beumler
• Inventors: Beumler, Justin Edward
• Granted Patent: US 9,378,641 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/988
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/28 Seats readily mountable on, and dismountable from, existing seats or other parts of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/2815 with additional belt accessories, e.g. a belt tension detector
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968

Abstract

In some aspects, a portable car-seat assembly for installation in a vehicle includes a temperature sensor that detects an ambient temperature inside the vehicle. The portable car-seat assembly also includes a location detector that detects a location of the car-seat assembly. The car-seat assembly is configured to initiate a predetermined action in response to detecting an unsafe passenger-condition based on the temperature. For example, a message indicating the temperature and the location of the car-seat assembly can be sent to a remote recipient.

Claims

1. A portable car-seat assembly for installation in a vehicle, the car-seat assembly comprising:

a temperature sensor adapted to detect an ambient temperature about the car-seat assembly;

a location detector adapted to detect a location of the car-seat assembly;

a data-processing apparatus adapted to;

detect an occurrence of an unsafe passenger-condition based on the ambient temperature detected by the temperature sensor; and

in response to detecting an occurrence of the unsafe passenger-condition, initiate transmission of a message to a remote recipient, the message indicating the location detected by the location detector.

2. The car-seat assembly of claim 1, comprising:

a seat adapted to support a passenger; and

a pressure sensor adapted to detect a passenger in the seat, wherein detecting the occurrence of the unsafe passenger-condition comprises detecting that;

the ambient temperature does not meet a predetermined safe-temperature-criterion, and

a passenger is detected in the seat.

3. The car-seat assembly of claim 2, wherein the predetermined safe-temperature-criterion comprises the ambient temperature being above a lower threshold and below an upper threshold.

4. The car-seat assembly of claim 3, further comprising a user interface adapted to receive user input specifying the upper and lower thresholds.

5. The car-seat assembly of claim 1, wherein the data-processing apparatus is adapted to:

initiate transmission of the message to a first remote recipient in response to detecting the occurrence of the unsafe passenger-condition; and

initiate transmission of the message to a second, different remote recipient in response to detecting a persistence of the unsafe passenger-condition for a predetermined amount of time.

6. The car-seat assembly of claim 5, wherein the second remote recipient comprises an emergency first responder.

7. The car-seat assembly of claim 1, further comprising a visual alert system adapted to generate a visual alert that is visible outside the vehicle in response a detected occurrence of the unsafe passenger-condition.

8. The car-seat assembly of claim 1, further comprising an audio alert system adapted to generate an audio alert that is audible outside the vehicle in response to a detected occurrence of the unsafe passenger-condition.

9. The car-seat assembly of claim 1, wherein the location detector comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit, and the message includes GPS coordinates detected by the GPS unit.

10. The car-seat assembly of claim 1, wherein the location detector comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit, and the message includes a physical address associated with GPS coordinates detected by the GPS unit.

11. The car-seat assembly of claim 1, wherein the message comprises a text message, and the car-seat assembly comprises a communication module adapted to send the message over a wireless communication network.

12. The car-seat assembly of claim 1, further comprising an electrical power system adapted to provide electrical power to the data-processing apparatus, the electrical power system including a solar receiver adapted to generate electrical energy based on solar energy.

13. The car-seat assembly of claim 1, wherein the car-seat assembly comprises at least one of a child booster seat or an infant car seat.

14. A method performed in a vehicle comprising a portable car-seat assembly, the method comprising:

monitoring temperature inside a vehicle;

detecting an occurrence of an unsafe passenger-condition based on the temperature inside the vehicle; and

in response to detecting the occurrence of the unsafe passenger-condition, initiating transmission of a message to a remote recipient, the message indicating a location of the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein detecting the occurrence of the unsafe passenger-condition comprises detecting that:

the temperature inside the vehicle does not meet a predetermined safe-temperature-criterion; and

a passenger is detected in the seat of a portable car-seat assembly inside the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 14, comprising:

initiating transmission of the message to a first remote recipient in response to detecting the occurrence of the unsafe passenger-condition; and

initiating transmission of the message to an emergency first responder in response to detecting a persistence of the unsafe passenger-condition for a predetermined amount of time.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising generating at least one of:

a visual alert that is visible outside the vehicle in response a detected occurrence of the unsafe passenger-condition;

or

an audio alert that is audible outside the vehicle in response to a detected occurrence of the unsafe passenger-condition.

18. The method of claim 14, comprising:

detecting the location of the vehicle by operation of a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit; and

determining a physical address associated with GPS coordinates detected by the GPS unit, wherein the message includes the physical address.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the message comprises a text message, and the method comprises sending the text message over a wireless communication network.

20. A passenger vehicle comprising:

a temperature sensor adapted to detect an ambient temperature about a passenger seat assembly in a vehicle;

a location detector adapted to detect a location of the vehicle;

a data-processing apparatus adapted to;

detect an occurrence of an unsafe passenger-condition based on the ambient temperature detected by the temperature sensor; and

in response to detecting an occurrence of the unsafe passenger-condition, initiate transmission of a message to a remote recipient, the message indicating the location detected by the location detector.