Vehicle heat alarm for vehicle occupants and pets

• US 9,381,857 B1
• Filed: 10/05/2012
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: All Distributors, LLC
• Original Assignee: All Distributors, LLC
• Inventors: Arnold, Bettye, Best, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, An T
• Application Number:
  US13/646,030
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 340/449, 340/522, 340/573.1, 340/425.5, 340/457, 340/438, 340/581, 340/584
• 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 2002/905 the head-rest or seat used as an anchorage point, for an object not covered by groups in B60N, e.g. for a canvas
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/005 automatically actuated
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/001 Alarm devices when the motor is stopped and the lights are on

Abstract

Systems, devices and methods of using motion detectors and heat sensors inside vehicles for activating alarms to protect vehicle occupants that include babies, children, infirm, elderly and pets. Headrest mounted motion detector(s) and heat sensor detect both motion and selected temperatures to remotely transmit alarm signals to the vehicle horn that can play an SOS sounding.

Claims

1. A vehicle heat alarm system, comprising:

a single housing having a forward facing wall and a rearward facing wall and side walls facing in different directions from the forward facing wall and the rearward facing wall, one of the side walls supporting a front seat facing scanning motion detector covering at least a front seat portion of the vehicle and the rearward facing wall supporting a separate rear seat facing scanning motion detector covering a rear seat of the vehicle, and the single housing having a heat sensor, and a removable strap mount adapted for mounting the single housing to a headrest on a seat inside of a vehicle; and

an alarm inside of the vehicle, wherein a combination of occupant motion detected by at least one of the rear seat and the front seat motion scanning detectors inside of the vehicle and a selected temperature detected by the heat sensor above a selected threshold activates the alarm.

2. The vehicle heat alarm system of claim 1, wherein the removable strap mount having hook and loop fasteners for adjustably attaching the housing to different sized vehicle headrests.

3. The vehicle heat alarm system of claim 1, wherein the alarm is an existing horn in the vehicle.

4. The vehicle heat alarm system of claim 3, further comprising:

an SOS alarm signal played on the vehicle horn.

5. The vehicle heat alarm system of claim 1, wherein the single housing further includes:

a separate side facing motion scanning detector for scanning inside of the vehicle.

6. The vehicle heat alarm system of claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless transmitter attached to the housing; and

a wireless receiver attached to the vehicle horn, wherein the occupant motion detected by the rear seat and the front seat motion scanning detectors and the selected temperature detected by the heat sensor above the selected threshold causes an alarm signal to be transmitted by the transmitter inside the vehicle to the receiver to activate the horn.

7. The vehicle heat alarm system of claim 1, further comprising:

removable batteries inside the single housing for providing power to both the rear seat and the front seat motion scanning detectors and the heat sensor; and

power supply for the vehicle battery being an existing 12 volt battery inside the vehicle.

8. The vehicle heat alarm system of claim 1, further comprising:

a switch having different heat temperature settings for different occupants inside the vehicle, the different occupants being selected from children, infirm/elderly and pets.

9. A method of activating a heat dependent alarm inside a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

providing a single housing having a forward facing wall and a rearward facing wall and side walls facing in different directions from the forward facing wall and the rearward facing wall;

supporting a rear seat motion scanning detector from the rearward facing wall, for covering a rear seat in the vehicle; and

supporting a front seat motion scanning detector from one of the side walls, for covering at least a front seat portion in the vehicle, together;

providing a heat sensor in the single housing;

mounting using a removable strap mount, the single housing with the front seat motion scanning detector and the rear seat motion scanning detector and the heat sensor to a headrest above a seat inside of the vehicle;

supplying power to the rear seat and the front eat motion scanning detectors and the heat sensor;

detecting motion of a vehicle occupant in at least one of the rear seat and the front seat portion of the vehicle, by at least one of the rear vehicle seat and the front vehicle seat motion scanning detectors;

detecting a selected temperature inside the vehicle; and

activating an alarm when both the motion of the vehicle occupant and the selected temperature have occurred over a selected time period.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the detecting step includes the step of:

activating the rear seat motion scanning detector and the front seat motion scanning detector only after the selected temperature has been reached by the heat sensor.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

combining a separate side seat facing motion detector with the rear seat motion scanning detector and the front seat motion scanning detector in the single housing.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the mounting step includes the step of:

strapping the single housing to the headrest using hook and loop fasteners.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

providing an existing horn in the vehicle as the alarm.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the activating step includes the steps of:

remotely sending an alarm signal from a wireless transmitter adjacent to the front seat and the rear seat motion scanning detectors and the heat sensor; and

remotely receiving the alarm signal by a wireless receiver located adjacent to the vehicle horn.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

powering the front seat and the rear seat motion scanning detectors and the heat sensor from removable batteries; and

powering the vehicle horn by an existing vehicle 12 volt battery.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

selecting different temperature settings for the heat sensor based on different vehicle occupants; and

selecting the different settings from the different occupants being selected from children, infirm/elderly and pets.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:

playing an SOS alarm signal on the vehicle horn.