Controlling vehicle operations based on object presence

• US 8,219,281 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2008
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boss, Gregory J., Finn, Peter G., Hamilton, Rick A. II, O'Connell, Brian M., Seaman, James W., Walker, Keith R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beck, Karen A
• Application Number:
  US12/329,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20100145563A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/51, 701/53, 701/54, 701/62, 701/63, 701/65, 701/99, 701/101, 701/102, 701/114, 701/29, 701/31, 701/35, 701/49, 701/45, 180/232, 180/287, 180/271, 180/284, 180/279, 180/282, 180/283, 340/426.16, 340/435, 340/436, 340/437, 340/438, 340/439, 340/547, 340/539.1
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/101 for preventing engine starter actuation or engagement
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2300/30 characterised by the use of digital means
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2300/302 using data communication

Abstract

A system, method, and program product controls an operation of a vehicle based on the presence of one or more foreign objects within one or more monitored zones about the vehicle. One or more transceivers receive information about the one or more foreign objects. Based on the received information and the one or more corresponding zones, one or more controllers identify a response, which may include notifying the user about the foreign object and/or generating a signal that inhibits the ignition from turning on. The system, method, and program product also control an operation of a vehicle based on the absence of an object of the vehicle. Likewise, the one or more controllers identify a response, which may include notifying the user about the missing object and/or generating a signal that inhibits the ignition from turning on.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a first transceiver that wirelessly scans and receives first information emitted wirelessly by a first object within a first scanning zone area, wherein the emitted first information identifies the first object, and the first scanning zone area corresponds to an identified region within or about a vehicle;

a storage component that stores rules that specify actions to perform as a function of an absence or a presence of certain identified objects within the identified vehicle region; and

a controller in communication with the first transceiver and the storage component that generates a signal that inhibits the vehicle from starting if the first transceiver wirelessly scans the first zone and receives the first information emitted wirelessly from within the first zone and the storage component rules indicate that objects having the first object identity should not be present in the identified vehicle region when the vehicle is running, wherein the first object information includes a characteristic of the first object to generate a spark, and wherein the storage component rules recognize that the identified vehicle region comprises combustive fuel.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first transceiver further wirelessly scans and receives second information that identifies a second object and is emitted wirelessly by the second foreign object within the first zone, and the controller generates the inhibit signal if the first transceiver wirelessly scans the first zone and does not receive the second information emitted wirelessly from within the first zone and the storage component rules indicate that an object having the second object identity must be present in the identified vehicle region when the vehicle is running.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller further generates a message to a user of the vehicle that identifies the first object as a foreign object located within the identified vehicle region, and that the vehicle is likely to be damaged if the identified foreign object is not removed from or secured within the identified vehicle region before the vehicle is operated.

4. The system of claim 2, further including a plurality of transceivers covering different zones of the vehicle, wherein each transceiver is configured to receive the first and second information about objects in corresponding zones and the first controller is configured to generate the inhibit signal based on the received first and second information and the zone corresponding to one or more of the transceivers.

5. The system of claim 4, further including a plurality of controllers configured to respectively receive the first and second information from a corresponding one of the plurality of the transceivers, wherein each of the plurality of controllers is configured to generate a signal that inhibits the vehicle from starting based on the received first and second information and the zone.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller further ranks a potential outcome of not changing a situation indicated by the first transceiver receiving the first information or not receiving the second object information emitted wirelessly from within the first zone in view of the storage component rules as a function of considering a relative likelihood of harm occurring by not changing the situation.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the action includes generating a signal that indicates that the vehicle should be inhibited from starting.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the action includes generating a signal that automatically inhibits the vehicle from starting.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a notifier that at least one of visually or audibly presents the identity of the first object to a user of the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an automobile and the system is part of a sub-system of the automobile.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a notifier that notifies a user of the vehicle of a possible consequence to the vehicle if the vehicle is started without removing the first object from the vehicle region corresponding to the first zone.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the first transceiver is a radio frequency identification reader configured to read information emitted by a radio frequency identification tag affixed to the first object, and the radio frequency identification tag emits the first information about the first object.

13. A method for integrating computing infrastructure to control operation of a vehicle based on a presence or absence of an object, the method comprising:

integrating computer-readable program code into a computer system comprising a processing unit, a computer readable memory and a computer readable tangible storage device, wherein the computer readable program code is embodied on the computer readable tangible storage device and comprises instructions that, when executed by the processing unit via the computer readable memory, cause the processing unit to generate a signal that inhibits a vehicle from starting if a first transceiver wirelessly scans a first scanning zone area corresponding to an identified region within or about a vehicle and receives first information emitted wirelessly from a first object within the first zone that identifies the first object and includes a characteristic of the first object to generate a spark, and rules stored in a storage component in communication with the processing unit recognize that the identified vehicle region comprises combustive fuel and indicate that objects having the first object identity should not be present in the identified vehicle region when the vehicle is running.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to generate the inhibit signal in response to an absence of second object emitted information relative to the first zone as a function of the storage component rules, wherein the first transceiver wirelessly scans and receives the second information that identifies a second object and is emitted wirelessly by the second foreign object within the first zone and the storage component rules indicate that an object having the second object identity must be present in the identified vehicle region when the vehicle is running.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to generate a message to a user of the vehicle that identifies the first object as a foreign object located within the identified vehicle region, and that the vehicle is likely to be damaged if the identified foreign object is not removed from or secured within the identified vehicle region before the vehicle is operated, if the first transceiver wirelessly scans the first zone and receives the first information emitted wirelessly from within the first zone.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to rank a potential outcome of not changing a situation indicated by the first transceiver receiving the first object information or not receiving the second object information emitted wirelessly from within the first zone in view of the storage component rules as a function of considering a relative likelihood of harm occurring by not changing the situation.

17. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a computer readable tangible storage device having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer processing unit, cause the computer processing unit to generate a signal that inhibits a vehicle from starting if a first transceiver wirelessly scans a first scanning zone area corresponding to an identified region within or about a vehicle and receives first information emitted wirelessly from a first object within the first zone that identifies the first object and includes a characteristic of the first object to generate a spark, and rules stored in a storage component in communication with the processing unit recognize that the identified vehicle region comprises combustive fuel and indicate that objects having the first object identity should not be present in the identified vehicle region when the vehicle is running.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to generate the inhibit signal in response to an absence of a second object emitted information relative to the first zone as a function of the storage component rules, wherein the first transceiver wirelessly scans and receives the second information that identifies a second object and is emitted wirelessly by the second foreign object within the first zone and the storage component rules indicate that an object having the second object identity must be present in the identified vehicle region when the vehicle is running.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to generate a message to a user of the vehicle that identifies the first object as a foreign object located within the identified vehicle region, and that the vehicle is likely to be damaged if the identified foreign object is not removed from or secured within the identified vehicle region before the vehicle is operated, if the first transceiver wirelessly scans the first zone and receives the first information emitted wirelessly from within the first zone.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the computer readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to rank a potential outcome of not changing a situation indicated by the first transceiver receiving the first object information emitted wirelessly from within the first zone in view of the storage component rules as a function of considering a relative likelihood of harm occurring by not changing the situation.

21. A method for controlling operation of a vehicle based on a presence or absence of an object, the method comprising:

wirelessly scanning via a first transceiver and receiving first information emitted wirelessly by a first object within a first scanning zone area, wherein the emitted first information identifies the first object and includes a characteristic of the first object to generate a spark, and the first scanning zone area corresponds to an identified region within or about a vehicle; and

generating a signal that inhibits the vehicle from starting as a function of a set of rules stored in a storage component that recognize that the identified vehicle region comprises combustive fuel and specify actions to perform as a function of a presence of certain identified objects within the identified vehicle region, if the first transceiver wirelessly scans the first zone and receives the first information emitted wirelessly from within the first zone and the storage component rules indicate that objects having the first object identity should not be present in the identified vehicle region when the vehicle is running.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

generating the inhibit signal in response to an absence of second object emitted information relative to the first zone as a function of the storage component rules, wherein the first transceiver wirelessly scans and receives the second information that identifies a second object and is emitted wirelessly by the second foreign object within the first zone and the storage component rules indicate that an object having the second object identity must be present in the identified vehicle region when the vehicle is running.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

generating a message to a user of the vehicle that identifies the first object as a foreign object located within the identified vehicle region, and that the vehicle is likely to be damaged if the identified foreign object is not removed from or secured within the identified vehicle region before the vehicle is operated, if the first transceiver wirelessly scans the first zone and receives the first information emitted wirelessly from within the first zone.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

ranking a potential outcome of not changing a situation indicated by the first transceiver receiving the first object information emitted wirelessly from within the first zone in view of the storage component rules as a function of considering a relative likelihood of harm occurring by not changing the situation.