Automotive cargo space occupant detector

• US 6,339,376 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2000
• Issued: 01/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Okada, Hiroki
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US09/685,141
• Time in Patent Office: 461 Days
• Field of Search: 340/562, 340/438, 340/529, 340/530, 340/540, 340/541, 340/551, 340/552, 340/565, 340/566, 340/567, 340/667, 340/825.06, 340/825.17, 340/5.1, 340/5.2, 340/573.1, 340/425.5, 340/426, 340/561
• US Class Current: 340/562
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/26 by proximity of an intruder causing variation in capacitance or inductance of a circuit

Abstract

A moving object detecting apparatus, an abnormality alarm apparatus, and a load-carrying compartment opening control apparatus each have an oscillator circuit, an antenna, and a frequency fluctuation detector. If a moving object, such as a human or the like, exists near the antenna when a signal from the oscillator circuit is transmitted from the antenna, the load on the antenna fluctuates due to fluctuations in capacitance involved in the movement of the object. Due to the fluctuations in the antenna load, the oscillating frequency of the oscillator circuit fluctuates. The frequency fluctuations are detected by the frequency fluctuation detector.

Claims

1. An abnormality alarm apparatus, comprising:

at least one electrically conductive member provided in a load-carrying compartment isolated from a passenger compartment of a vehicle;

an oscillator circuit that is connected to the at least one electrically conductive member and that changes an oscillating frequency based on a change in capacitance of a space near the at least one electrically conductive member;

a frequency change detection circuit that detects a moving object in the space near the at least one electrically conductive member based on a change in the oscillating frequency of the oscillator circuit; and

an alarm device that produces an alarm based on a result of detection by the frequency change detection circuit, wherein the alarm device produces the alarm when the frequency change detecting circuit detects the moving object during stoppage of the vehicle.

2. An abnormality alarm apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one electrically conductive member is an antenna that transmits a high-frequency signal from the oscillator circuit.

3. An abnormality alarm apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the frequency change detection circuit includes a receiver that is disposed apart from the antenna and that receives an electromagnetic wave transmitted from the antenna, and the frequency change detector detects a change in the frequency of the electromagnetic wave received by the receiver.

4. An abnormality alarm apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the frequency change detection circuit includes a controller that controls an oscillation timing of the oscillator circuit based on the signal received by the receiver.

5. An abnormality alarm apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the controller synchronizes an oscillating process of the oscillator circuit and a receiving process of the receiver.

6. An abnormality alarm apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the electromagnetic wave transmitted from the antenna contains an identification signal.

7. An abnormality alarm apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the identification signal is a signal having a frequency that is higher than a frequency of a signal based on a change regarding the moving object.

8. An abnormality alarm apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frequency change detection circuit comprises a frequency counter.

9. An abnormality alarm apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frequency change detection circuit comprises a frequency-voltage converting circuit that converts a frequency into a voltage.

10. A load-carrying compartment opening control apparatus comprising:

at least one electrically conductive member provided in a load-carrying compartment isolated from a passenger compartment of a vehicle;

an oscillator circuit that is connected to the at least one electrically conductive member and that changes an oscillating frequency based on a change in capacitance of a space near the at least one electrically conductive member;

a frequency change detection circuit that detects a moving object in the space near the at least one electrically conductive member based on a change in the oscillating frequency of the oscillator circuit; and

an opener that opens an open-close member of the load-carrying compartment when the frequency change detection circuit detects the moving object during a stoppage of the vehicle.

11. A load-carrying compartment opening control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the at least one electrically conductive member is an antenna that transmits a high-frequency signal from the oscillator circuit.

12. A load-carrying compartment opening control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the frequency change detection circuit includes a receiver that is disposed apart from the antenna and that receives an electromagnetic wave transmitted from the antenna, and the frequency change detection circuit detects a change in the frequency of the electromagnetic wave received by the receiver.

13. A load-carrying compartment opening control apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the frequency change detection circuit includes a controller that controls an oscillation timing of the oscillator circuit based on the signal received by the receiver.

14. A load-carrying compartment opening control apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the controller synchronizes an oscillating process of the oscillator circuit and a receiving process of the receiver.

15. A load-carrying compartment opening control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the electromagnetic wave transmitted from the antenna contains an identification signal.

16. A load-carrying compartment opening control apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the identification signal is a signal having a frequency that is higher than a frequency of a signal based on a change regarding the moving object.

17. A load-carrying compartment opening control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the frequency change detection circuit comprises a frequency counter.

18. A load-carrying compartment opening control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the frequency change detection circuit comprises a frequency-voltage converting circuit that converts a frequency into a voltage.

19. A load-carrying compartment opening control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the opener that opens the open-close member of the load-carrying compartment allows an open-close member to open a short distance only when the moving object detection circuit detects the moving object.