Controlling vehicle operations based on object presence

• US 8,364,344 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2012
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• 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 JANE AMORES
• Application Number:
  US13/423,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20120209451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 316 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

Operation of a vehicle is controlled based on the presence of or absence of one or more identified 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. Controllers identify a response, which may include notifying a user about a present or absent object or generating a signal that inhibits the ignition from turning on.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a first transceiver that wirelessly scans and receives within a first scanning zone area first information emitted wirelessly by a first object that identifies the first object and second information emitted wirelessly by a second object that identifies the second object, wherein 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 either of;

the controller determines a presence of the first object within the first zone in response to the first transceiver wirelessly scanning the first zone and receiving 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; and

the controller determines an absence of the second object within the first zone in response to the first transceiver wirelessly scanning the first zone and not receiving 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.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller generates the inhibit signal in response to a combination of determining the presence of the first object within the first zone and the absence of the second object within the first zone in response to the first transceiver wirelessly scanning the first zone.

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 1, wherein the controller further ranks 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 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.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first object information includes a characteristic of the first object to generate a spark, wherein the storage component rules recognize that the identified vehicle region comprises combustive fuel, and wherein the controller generates the 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.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the action includes generating a signal that indicates that the vehicle should be inhibited from starting.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the action includes generating a signal that automatically inhibits the vehicle from starting.

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

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

10. 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 it either;

determines a presence of a first object within a first scanning zone area corresponding to an identified region within or about a vehicle in response to a first transceiver wirelessly scanning the first scanning zone and receiving first information emitted wirelessly from a first object within the first zone that identifies the first object, and rules stored in a storage component in communication with the processing unit indicate that objects having the first object identity should not be present in the identified vehicle region when the vehicle is running;

or

determines an absence of a second object within the first zone in response to the first transceiver wirelessly scanning the first zone and not receiving second information emitted wirelessly from the second object within the first zone that identifies the second object 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.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first object information includes a characteristic of the first object to generate a spark, and the storage component rules recognize that the identified vehicle region comprises combustive fuel.

12. The method of claim 10, 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 a combination of determining the presence of the first object emitted information and the absence of a second object emitted information relative to the first zone.

13. The method of claim 10, 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.

14. The method of claim 10, 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 determining the presence of the first object within the first zone or the absence of the second object within the first zone in response to the first transceiver wirelessly scanning the first zone as a function of considering a relative likelihood of harm occurring by not changing the situation.

15. 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 either of;

determines a presence of a first object within a first scanning zone area corresponding to an identified region within or about a vehicle in response to a first transceiver wirelessly scanning the first scanning zone and receiving first information emitted wirelessly from a first object within the first zone that identifies the first object, and rules stored in a storage component in communication with the processing unit indicate that objects having the first object identity should not be present in the identified vehicle region when the vehicle is running;

or

determines an absence of a second object within the first zone in response to the first transceiver wirelessly scanning the first zone and not receiving second information emitted wirelessly from the second object within the first zone that identifies the second object 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.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the first object information includes a characteristic of the first object to generate a spark, and the storage component rules recognize that the identified vehicle region comprises combustive fuel.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 15, 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 a combination of determining the presence of the first object within the first zone and the absence of the second object within the first zone in response to the first transceiver wirelessly scanning the first zone.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 15, 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.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 15, 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 or not 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.

20. 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 within a first scanning zone area first information emitted wirelessly by a first object that identifies the first object or second information emitted wirelessly by a second object that identifies the second object, wherein the first scanning zone area corresponds to an identified region within or about a vehicle;

a storage component that stores a set of 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

generating a signal that inhibits the vehicle from starting as a function of the stored rules in response to either of;

determining a presence of the first object within the first zone in response to the first transceiver wirelessly scanning the first zone and receiving 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; and

determining an absence of the second object within the first zone in response to the first transceiver wirelessly scanning the first zone and not receiving 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.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the first object information includes a characteristic of the first object to generate a spark, wherein the storage component rules recognize that the identified vehicle region comprises combustive fuel, and wherein the signal that inhibits the vehicle from starting is generated if the first transceiver wirelessly scans the first zone and receives the first information emitted wirelessly from within the first zone.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

generating the inhibit signal in response to a combination of determining the presence of the first object within the first zone and the absence of the second object within the first zone in response to the first transceiver wirelessly scanning the first zone.

23. The method of claim 20, 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 20, further comprising:

ranking a potential outcome of not changing a situation indicated by the first transceiver receiving or not 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.