Systems and methods for detecting and warning of the presence or absence of automobile occupant

• US 10,043,364 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2017
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Garcia, Juana Gabriela
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAH, TANMAY K
• Application Number:
  US15/457,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20170263098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• Field of Search: 340457
• 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 2/26 for children B60N2/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0202 Child monitoring systems using a transmitter-receiver system carried by the parent and the child
• 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

Abstract

Provided is a security device, comprising: a sensor that senses a presence in a vehicle and generates a presence signal; an ignition state detection device that detects a state of the vehicle, and generates a status signal; and a rules processor that determines from the presence signal and the status signal whether an alarm or message is to be generated.

Claims

1. A security device, comprising:

a sensor that senses a presence in a vehicle and generates a presence signal;

an ignition state detection device that detects a state of the vehicle, and generates a status signal;

a rules processor that determines from the presence signal and the status signal whether an alarm or message is to be generated; and

an alarm device having a housing and a sound generating device and a backup battery in the housing, wherein in response to the ignition state detection device detecting that an ignition of the vehicle is off, a circuit formed between a power source and the alarm device is broken and the rules processor compares the status signal and the presence signal to a stored user-defined condition provided by a user computer, and a comparison result activates the alarm device to generate an audio output using the backup battery.

2. The security device of claim 1, wherein the state of the vehicle includes a binary state of an ignition of the vehicle.

3. The security device of claim 2, wherein the status signal includes the absence of power to the security device, and wherein the alarm is stopped in response to a determination by the ignition state detection device of the absence of power.

4. The security device of claim 3, wherein the alarm is deactivated when the power is detected to be off.

5. The security device of claim 3, wherein when a determination is made that the ignition is turned on and the presence signal does not sense a weight, the alarm is deactivated.

6. The security device of claim 1, wherein the sensed presence includes the presence of an occupant of the vehicle and the sensor is constructed and arranged as a flat pad that is positioned in a driver seat of the vehicle, and wherein the rules processor generates the alarm or message when the sensor senses the presence of the occupant in the driver seat and the ignition state detection device detects that the ignition is on.

7. The security device of claim 1, wherein the sensed presence includes the presence of a person, child, animal or object and the sensor is constructed and arranged as a flat pad that is positioned in a child safety seat and wherein the rules processor generates the alarm or message when the sensor senses the presence of the child in the child safety seat and the ignition state detection device detects that power is received at the ignition state detection device.

8. The security device of claim 1, wherein when a vehicle ignition is determined to be off and the presence is determined to be in the vehicle, the rules processor sends a message to the alarm device to generate the alarm.

9. The security device of claim 1 further comprising an output device that receives a signal from the ignition state detection device whether the ignition is on or off.

10. The security device of claim 9 wherein when the ignition is determined to be turned off and the person is determined to be in the vehicle, the rules processor sends a message to the output device to output a message to a predetermined recipient.

11. The security device of claim 1, wherein the rules processor executes a software application that operates in conjunction with a combination of the sensor and ignition state detector to manage and personalize options for conditions related to the presence signal and the status signal.

19. The security device of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a first sensor that senses a presence in a vehicle and generates the presence signal, and wherein the security device further comprises a second sensor at a driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle that establishes whether a driver of the vehicle has left the vehicle.

12. A baby car seat, comprising:

a sensor that senses the presence or weight of a baby in a car seat;

an ignition state detection device that detects whether a car ignition is on or off;

an alarm device that receives a signal from the ignition state detection device whether the ignition is on or off, the alarm device having a housing and a sound generating device and a backup battery in the housing, wherein in response to the ignition state detection device detecting that the ignition of the vehicle is off, wherein a circuit formed between a power source and the alarm device is broken, wherein the alarm device is activated to generate an audio output using the backup battery; and

wherein;

when the ignition is turned off and the baby or pet is determined to be in the car seat, an alert is generated, and wherein the alert is deactivated when the car ignition is on.

13. The baby car seat of claim 12, wherein the ignition state detection device detects whether the car ignition is on or off by determining whether power is received from a vehicle power source at the ignition state detection device.

14. The baby car seat of claim 12, wherein the alarm device comprises a chime box, wherein when the chime box loses power due to the ignition being off, and a baby weight is detected, the chime box will generate a noise signal indicating the presence of the baby.

15. The baby car seat of claim 14, further comprising a single device serves as both the chime box and the ignition state detection device.

16. A car seat alarm system, comprising:

a sensor that senses the presence of a person in a vehicle and generates a presence signal;

an ignition state detection device that detects whether an ignition of the vehicle is on or off, and generates a status signal; and

an alarm device that generates an alarm in response to the presence signal and the status signal indicating that the vehicle is off, alarm device having a housing and a sound generating device and a backup battery in the housing, wherein in response to the ignition state detection device detecting that the ignition of the vehicle is off, wherein a circuit formed between a power source and the alarm device is broken, and wherein the alarm device is activated to generate an audio output using the backup battery.

17. The car seat alarm system of claim 16, further comprising:

a rules processor that determines from the presence signal and the status signal whether an alarm or message is to be generated, and compares the status signal and the presence signal to a stored user-defined condition provided by a user computer, and a comparison result activates the alarm device to generate an audio output using the backup battery.

18. The car seat alarm system of claim 16, wherein the rules processor processes a rule that incorporates an electronic signal sent to an application executed by a computer processor for connecting and generating an alarm to multiple devices to notify those devices of a status of the presence.