ACTIVATING AN ALARM IF A LIVING BEING IS PRESENT IN AN ENCLOSED SPACE WITH AMBIENT TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE A SAFE TEMPERATURE RANGE

• US 20180053397A1
• Filed: 03/05/2015
• Published: 02/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ent Services Development Corporation LP (DXC Technology Company)
• Original Assignee: Ent Services Development Corporation LP (DXC Technology Company)
• Inventors: KAUR, Satwant, SCHMIDT, Larry
• Application Number:
  US15/555,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20180053397A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0469 Presence detectors to detect unsafe condition, e.g. infrared sensor, microphone G08B21/0476 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms

Abstract

Example implementations relate to activating an alarm if a living being is present in an enclosed space having an ambient temperature outside a safe temperature range. In example implementations, it may be determined whether a living being has been present in an enclosed space, and an ambient temperature of the enclosed space has been outside a safe temperature range, for a threshold amount of time. An alarm may be activated if the living being has been present in the enclosed space, and the ambient temperature of the enclosed space has been outside the safe temperature range, for the threshold amount of time.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first sensor set to determine whether a living being is present in an enclosed space;

a second sensor set to determine whether an ambient temperature of the enclosed space is outside a safe temperature range, wherein the first and second sensor sets comprise passive thermal sensors;

a timing module, communicatively coupled to the first and second sensor sets. to determine whether the living being has been present in the enclosed space, and the ambient temperature of the enclosed space has been outside the safe temperature range, for a threshold amount of time; and

an alarm module, communicatively coupled to the timing module, to activate an alarm if the living being has been present in the enclosed space, and the ambient temperature of the enclosed space has been outside the safe temperature range, for the threshold amount of time.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the activated alarm comprises flashing lights along an exterior surface of the enclosed space.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the activated alarm comprises playing a pre-recorded message through a speaker along an exterior surface of the enclosed space.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the activated alarm comprises a text or audio alert transmitted from the alarm module to a user device of a person associated with the enclosed space; and

the alarm module is further to automatically contact an emergency service if the person associated with the enclosed space does not respond to the text or audio alert within a response time interval after the text or audio alert is transmitted to the user device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the first and second sensor sets are further to determine absolute temperatures in respective fields of view of the first and second sensor sets;

the timing module is further to determine whether a temperature of the living being and the ambient temperature of the enclosed space diverge for a predetermined amount of time; and

the alarm module is further to activate the alarm if the temperature of the living being and the ambient temperature of the enclosed space diverge for the predetermined amount of time.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first sensor set further comprises a presence determination module to:

determine temperatures in different areas of a field of view of the first sensor set;

identify an area of the field of view that has a different temperature than other areas of the field of view; and

determine whether the identified area includes a living being.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the first sensor set is to transmit, to the timing module if the first sensor set determines that the living being is present in the enclosed space, a signal indicative of the living being'"'"'s presence; and

the second sensor set is to transmit, to the timing module if the second sensor set determines that the ambient temperature of the enclosed space is outside the safe temperature range, a signal indicative of the ambient temperature being outside the safe temperature range.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the timing module is further to start a timer in response to receiving the signal indicative of the living being'"'"'s presence after receiving the signal indicative of the ambient temperature being outside the safe temperature range, or in response to receiving the signal indicative of the ambient temperature being outside the safe temperature range after receiving the signal indicative of the living being'"'"'s presence; and

the alarm module is further to activate the alarm if the timer indicates that the threshold amount of time has elapsed.

9. A machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions executable by a processor, the machine-readable storage medium comprising:

instructions to determine whether a living being has been present in an enclosed space, and an ambient temperature of the enclosed space has been outside a safe temperature range, for a threshold amount of time; and

instructions to activate an alarm if the living being has been present in the enclosed space, and the ambient temperature of the enclosed space has been outside the safe temperature range, for the threshold amount of time.

10. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the activated alarm comprises a text or audio alert transmitted to a user device of a person associated with the enclosed space, the machine-readable storage medium further comprising instructions to contact an emergency service if the person associated with the enclosed space does not respond to the text or audio alert within a response time interval after the text or audio alert is transmitted to the user device.

11. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising:

instructions to start a timer in response to receiving a signal indicative of the living being'"'"'s presence after receiving a signal indicative of the ambient temperature being outside the safe temperature range, or in response to receiving the signal indicative of the ambient temperature being outside the safe temperature range after receiving the signal indicative of the living being'"'"'s presence; and

instructions to activate the alarm if the timer indicates that the threshold amount of time has elapsed.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, from a first sensor set, presence data indicative of whether a living being is present in an enclosed space;

receiving, from a second sensor set, ambient temperature data indicative of whether an ambient temperature of the enclosed space is outside a safe temperature range;

determining, based on the presence data and ambient temperature data, whether the living being has been present in the enclosed space, and the ambient temperature of the enclosed space has been outside the safe temperature range, for a threshold amount of time; and

activating an alarm if the living being has been present in the enclosed space, and the ambient temperature of the enclosed space has been outside the safe temperature range, for the threshold amount of time.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein activating the alarm comprises transmitting a text or audio alert to a user device of a person associated with the enclosed space, the method further comprising:

automatically notifying, if the person associated with the enclosed space does not respond to the text or audio alert within a response time interval after the text or audio alert is transmitted to the user device, an emergency service about the living being in the enclosed space; and

transmitting, to the emergency service, location information for the enclosed space.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the first and second sensor sets comprise passive thermal sensors;

the enclosed space is a vehicle; and

activating the alarm comprises activating an alarm system of the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein activating the alarm system of the vehicle comprises using lights and a horn of the vehicle to transmit a distress signal.