Parked vehicle interior lifeform recognition

• US 9,963,011 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2016
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH, Bosch Automotive Service Solutions LLC (SPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH, Bosch Automotive Service Solutions LLC (SPX Corporation)
• Inventors: Wittliff, III, William W., Hargis, Jeremy L.
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US15/390,071
• Publication Number:
  US 20170190233A1
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00592 Add-on devices, e.g. heat/cooling boxes, compartment dividers, upgrade sets
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00742 by detection of the vehicle occupants' presence; by detection of conditions relating to the body of occupants, e.g. using radiant heat detectors
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00778 the input being a stationary vehicle position, e.g. parking or stopping
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/008 the input being air quality
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00978 Control systems or circuits characterised by failure of detection or safety means; Diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00985 Control systems or circuits characterised by display or indicating devices, e.g. voice simulators characterised by the input of sound using a voice synthesizer B60H1/00757; B60H1/00978 takes precedence
• 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: 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: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A dongle that may be plugged into an On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) port of a vehicle and provide notification if a human or animal is left within a parked car. The dongle accesses a first sensor from the vehicle'"'"'s communication system and a second sensor from within the dongle. If data from the first and second sensors exceeds predetermined threshold values programmed into the dongle'"'"'s memory, then the dongle sends out a response signal. The response signal may be sent to an owner'"'"'s cellular phone or to a 911 dispatch center. Additional sensors within the vehicle, or placed within the dongle, may also be used to verify the presence of a human or animal left within the parked vehicle.

Claims

1. A dongle configured to couple with an On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) system of a parked vehicle, the vehicle having a first sensor in communication with the OBD system providing first sensor data to the OBD system, the dongle comprising:

a housing;

a connector disposed along an edge of the housing, the connector configured to couple with an OBD port of an OBD system;

a Central Processing Unit (CPU) disposed within the housing and electrically connected to the connector, the CPU programmed to couple with and access data from the OBD system; and

a second sensor at least partially disposed within the housing and in communication with the CPU providing second sensor data to the CPU, wherein the CPU is programmed to, upon receiving second sensor data and first sensor data each respectively exceeding a second sensor data threshold value and a first sensor data threshold value, and the vehicle being in a parked state, send a response signal indicating the presence of a human or animal inside the parked vehicle.

2. The dongle of claim 1, wherein the second sensor is a carbon dioxide sensor and the second sensor data is carbon dioxide levels within an interior of the vehicle.

3. The dongle of claim 2, wherein the second sensor data threshold is 2500 parts per million of carbon dioxide or above.

4. The dongle of claim 1, wherein the first sensor is an interior cabin temperature sensor and the first sensor data is temperature level within an interior of the vehicle.

5. The dongle of claim 4, wherein the first sensor data threshold is 90 degrees Fahrenheit or above.

6. The dongle of claim 1, wherein the first sensor is at least one accelerometer and the first sensor data threshold value is transverse movement of the parked vehicle.

7. The dongle of claim 1, wherein the first sensor is a seat weight sensor and the first sensor data threshold value is fluctuations in weight on a seat inside the parked vehicle.

8. The dongle of claim 1, wherein the first sensor is an interior cabin motion sensor and the first sensor data threshold is motion within the cabin.

9. The dongle of claim 1, wherein the first sensor is a photo sensor having a view of an interior vehicle cabin and the first sensor data threshold is identification of a human or animal within the parked vehicle.

10. The dongle of claim 1, further comprising a third sensor at least partially disposed within the housing and in communication with the CPU providing third sensor data to the CPU, wherein the CPU is programmed to withhold the response signal until the third sensor data exceeds a third sensor data threshold value.

11. The dongle of claim 10, wherein the third sensor is a noise sensor and the third sensor data threshold is a fluctuating frequency above 85 hertz and 80 decibels.

12. The dongle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle has a third sensor in communication with the OBD system providing third sensor data to the OBD system, and the CPU is programmed to withhold the response signal until receiving third sensor data which exceeds a third sensor data threshold value.

13. The dongle of claim 1, further comprising a transmitter disposed within the housing and electrically connected to the CPU, and wherein the CPU sends the response signal to the transmitter to send a notification to a mobile electronic device.

14. The dongle of claim 13, wherein the mobile electronic device is a cellular phone and the response signal results in a text notification being sent to a pre-programmed cellular number.

15. The dongle of claim 1, further comprising a transmitter disposed within the housing and electrically connected to the CPU, and wherein the CPU sends the response signal as an emergency call to a 911 dispatch center.

16. The dongle of claim 1, wherein the response signal is sent into the OBD system to activate an air-conditioning system in the parked vehicle.

17. The dongle of claim 1, wherein the response signal is sent into the OBD system to crack open a window of the parked vehicle.

18. A lifeform recognition system for an interior of a parked automobile, the automobile having an on-board vehicle computer and at least one vehicle-based sensor providing vehicle-based sensor data to the on-board vehicle computer, the system comprising:

a dongle disposable within an interior of a parked automobile, the dongle having a central processing unit (CPU) configured to communicate with an on-board vehicle computer of the parked automobile and access the vehicle-based sensor data, the dongle having at least one dongle-based sensor configured to provide dongle-based sensor data to the CPU, and the CPU programmed to, upon receiving vehicle-based and dongle-based sensor data above a first and second sensor data threshold, respectively, send a response signal to a mobile electronic device located outside of the interior of the parked vehicle.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one vehicle-based and dongle-based sensors are selected from a group consisting of a carbon dioxide sensor, a temperature sensor, an accelerometer, a weight sensor, a motion sensor, a photo sensor, and a noise sensor, and the vehicle-based and dongle-based sensor data received by the CPU to trigger a response signal are from two different kinds of sensors.

20. The system of claim 19, where in the response signal is a text message sent to an owner of the parked automobile.