Systems and methods for determining if a child safety seat is in a moving vehicle

• US 9,266,535 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2014
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cars-N-Kids LLC
• Original Assignee: Cars-N-Kids LLC
• Inventors: Schoenberg, Gregory B.
• Primary Examiner(s): RUSHING, MARK S
• Application Number:
  US14/205,707
• Publication Number:
  US 20140253313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/584, 340/457, 340/521
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2/28 Seats readily mountable on, and dismountable from, existing seats or other parts of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2812 for securing the child to the child seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01526 using piezoelectric elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/10 related to vehicle motion
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/005 Alarm destination chosen according to a hierarchy of available destinations, e.g. if hospital does not answer send to police station

Abstract

Systems and methods which provide for an alarm or notification that a child is in a car seat. The systems generally determine if a child is in the seat and that the seat, and therefore the vehicle, is not in motion. Upon detecting both situations, the notification or alarm is activated. The system will generally provide for an alarm to a smartphone or other remote notification device to improve the likelihood that the alarm will be received.

Claims

1. A method for determining if a vehicle is in motion, the method comprising:

providing a three-dimensional accelerometer placed in a vehicle and a processor for processing the output of such accelerometer;

measuring said output for all three dimensions of said accelerometer in a specified time period;

averaging said output for each of said three dimensions in said specified time period to provide a cluster;

creating an array of said clusters having a fixed length;

comparing consecutive clusters in said array to determine if there is a change in any dimension;

if there is a change in any dimension;

determining a magnitude of that change and comparing the magnitude against a fixed value;

if there is both a change in said dimension and said magnitude of said change is above said fixed value, increasing a tally;

otherwise, decreasing said tally; and

using said tally to determine if said vehicle is in motion.

2. A non-transitory computer readable media comprising:

computer readable instructions for measuring the output of all three dimensions of a three dimensional accelerometer in a specified time period;

computer readable instructions for averaging said output for each of said three dimensions in said specified time period to provide a cluster;

computer readable instructions for creating an array of said clusters having a fixed length;

computer readable instructions for comparing consecutive clusters in said array to determine if there is a change in any dimension;

computer readable instructions for determining a magnitude of that change and comparing the magnitude against a fixed value, if there is a change in any dimension;

computer readable instructions for increasing a tally, if there is both a change in said dimension and said magnitude of said change is above said fixed value;

otherwise, computer readable instruction for decreasing said tally; and

computer readable instructions for using said tally to determine if said vehicle is in motion.