Temperature-Sensitive Vehicle Occupancy Detection and Alert System

• US 20150137962A1
• Filed: 10/27/2014
• Published: 05/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gary Binnicker
• Original Assignee: Gary Binnicker
• Inventors: Binnicker, Gary
• Granted Patent: US 9,428,109 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/457
• 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 2/26 for children B60N2/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons

Abstract

A temperature-sensitive vehicle occupancy detection and alert system. The system alerts users when a young child is left unattended in a vehicle in order to prevent the young child from being exposed to dangerously high or low temperatures within the interior of the vehicle. The system utilizes sensor data captured by a plurality of different sensors, including at least one occupancy sensor, at least one temperature sensor, and at least one distance sensor. The system applies logic to the captured sensor data to determine whether to alert a user as to the fact that an occupant has been left unattended and to control various functions of the automobile that would allow individuals external to the vehicle to rescue the occupant from the dangerous conditions or provide relief to the child from the conditions, including by unlocking the vehicle'"'"'s doors, lowering the vehicle'"'"'s windows, and/or activating the vehicle'"'"'s temperature control system.

Claims

1. A vehicle occupancy detection computer system, comprising:

one or more processors;

a non-transitory computer readable medium operatively connected to said one or more processors;

a logic stored in said non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executed by said one or more processors from the computer readable medium, causes said computer system to detect the presence of an occupant within a vehicle interior and trigger at least one alarm if said occupant is left unattended, by at least;

monitoring for the presence of said occupant within said vehicle interior via at least one occupancy sensor;

monitoring the distance between said computer system and a fob via at least one distance sensor;

monitoring the temperature within said vehicle interior via at least one temperature sensor;

if said vehicle interior is occupied and said fob exceeds a maximum distance tolerance from said computer system, triggering an emergency mode;

if said emergency mode is triggered, activating a fob alarm unit and a vehicle alarm unit;

if said emergency mode is triggered and said vehicle interior falls outside a temperature tolerance range, activating a supplemental emergency mode.

2. The vehicle occupancy detection computer system of claim 1, wherein if said vehicle interior exceeds a maximum tolerance temperature, said supplemental emergency mode comprises unlocking at least one door of said vehicle.

3. The vehicle occupancy detection computer system of claim 1, wherein if said vehicle interior exceeds a maximum tolerance temperature, said supplemental emergency mode comprises lowering at least one window of said vehicle.

4. The vehicle occupancy detection computer system of claim 1, wherein if said vehicle interior exceeds a maximum tolerance temperature, said supplemental emergency mode comprises unlocking at least one door of said vehicle and lowering at least one window of said vehicle.

5. The vehicle occupancy detection computer system of claim 1, wherein if said emergency mode if said vehicle interior falls below a minimum tolerance temperature, said supplemental emergency mode comprises activating a heating system of said vehicle.

6. The vehicle occupancy detection computer system of claim 1, wherein said occupancy sensor comprises one or more motion detectors.

7. The vehicle occupancy detection computer system of claim 1, wherein said occupancy sensor comprises one or more pressure sensors disposed within seats of said vehicle.

8. The vehicle occupancy detection computer system of claim 1, wherein said distance sensor comprises an infrared proximity sensor.

9. The vehicle occupancy detection computer system of claim 1, wherein said distance sensors comprises an ultrasonic proximity sensor.

10. The vehicle occupancy detection computer system of claim 1, wherein:

said distance sensor comprises a fob GPS receiver and a vehicle GPS receiver;

each of said fob GPS receiver and said vehicle GPS receiver adapted to receive GPS satellite signals and transmit said GPS satellite signals to said logic;

said logic is adapted to calculate the distance said fob GPS receiver and said vehicle GPS receiver.

11. The vehicle occupancy detection computer system of claim 1, further comprising a power source.

12. The vehicle occupancy detection computer system of claim 11, wherein said power source comprises a battery of said vehicle.

13. A computer-implemented method, comprising the steps of:

monitoring for the presence of an occupant within a vehicle interior via at least one occupancy sensor;

monitoring the distance between a computer and a fob via at least one distance sensor;

monitoring the temperature within said vehicle interior via at least one temperature sensor;

if said vehicle interior is occupied and said fob exceeds a maximum distance tolerance from said computer, triggering an emergency mode;

if said emergency mode is triggered, activating a fob alarm unit and a vehicle alarm unit;

if said emergency mode is triggered and said vehicle interior falls outside a temperature tolerance range, activating a supplemental emergency mode.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein if said vehicle interior exceeds a maximum tolerance temperature, said supplemental emergency mode comprises unlocking at least one door of said vehicle.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein if said vehicle interior exceeds a maximum tolerance temperature, said supplemental emergency mode comprises lowering at least one window of said vehicle.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein if said vehicle interior exceeds a maximum tolerance temperature, said supplemental emergency mode comprises unlocking at least one door of said vehicle and lowering at least one window of said vehicle.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein if said vehicle interior falls below a minimum tolerance temperature, said supplemental emergency mode comprises activating a heating system of said vehicle.