System to monitor presence of a body in an automobile seat

• US 10,766,381 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2014
• Issued: 09/08/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cornerstone 5 20 Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cornerstone 5 20 Incorporated
• Inventors: Bradley, Kaci Kay, Bradley, Justin Morgan
• Primary Examiner(s): Merlino, David P.
• Application Number:
  US14/223,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20150266395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,360 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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

Abstract

One example of a system to monitor a presence of a body in a seat of an automobile can implement a method using processing circuitry. After an automobile engine has stopped operating, the system determines a presence of a body in a seat of the automobile. The system provides a notification indicating the presence of the body in the seat in response to determining the presence of the body in the seat of the automobile.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

after an automobile engine has stopped operating, implementing, by processing circuitry, an operation to determine a presence of a body in a seat of the automobile;

in response to implementing the operation, determining the presence of the body in the seat of the automobile;

in response to determining the presence of the body in the seat of the automobile;

providing, by the processing circuitry, a notification indicating the presence of the body in the seat;

capturing an image of a seat of the automobile using a camera;

transmitting the image to a mobile device over a data transmission network;

executing, on the mobile device, a computer software application configured to provide an alert wherein the mobile device is connected to the automobile over the data transmission network;

executing, on the mobile device, the computer software application to display the image in a user interface of the mobile device;

transmitting a control signal from the computer software application on the mobile device to the automobile to cause one or more automobile functions to be performed, wherein the one or more functions comprises restarting a temperature control system of the automobile;

executing, by the processing circuitry, a timer for a duration after determining the presence of the body in the seat of the automobile; and

after the expiration of the duration, ceasing, by the processing circuitry, to provide the notification and the control signal, wherein the one or more automobile functions cease to be performed in response to ceasing to provide the control signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the notification indicating the presence of the body in the seat comprises providing an output signal to cause an alarm system of the automobile to sound.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more automobile functions further comprises restarting the automobile engine.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the notification comprises transmitting a second notification to at least one computer system over a second data transmission network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second data transmission network is at least one of a wired network, a wireless network, a Bluetooth network, or a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) network.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one computer system is a computer system of a service provider that monitors the automobile.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising transmitting an identifier representing a geographic location of the automobile over the second data transmission network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the seat of the automobile includes at least one of a front-facing child seat, a rearward facing infant seat, a booster seat, a seat for a handicapped person or a seat for an elderly person.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the presence of the body in the seat of the automobile comprises determining the presence of the body in the seat of the automobile for a threshold amount of time starting from a time at which the automobile engine stopped operating.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after providing the notification indicating the presence of the body in the seat:

sensing, for the duration, if the body is present in the seat;

determining the presence or an absence of the body in the seat before the duration expires in response to the sensing; and

continuing or ceasing to provide the notification in response to determining the presence or the absence, respectively, of the body in the seat after the duration expires.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the presence of the body in the seat comprises determining the presence of the body in the seat based on a load value represented by a load signal received from a load sensor connected to the seat and a second load value represented by a second load signal received from a second load sensor connected to a child seat.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the presence of the body in the seat comprises determining the presence of the body in the seat based on a signal received from a contact sensor connected to a fastening mechanism installed on the seat, the contact sensor configured to transmit the signal in response to the fastening mechanism being engaged to fasten the body to the seat.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the automobile engine has stopped operating by determining that an ignition of the automobile engine has gone to ground.

14. A method comprising:

determining, by processing circuitry implemented in an automobile, if an environmental automobile condition from among a plurality of environmental automobile conditions is satisfied, wherein a satisfied environmental condition comprises a difference between an interior temperature in a passenger compartment of the automobile and an ambient temperature being outside a predetermined range;

determining that a load is present in a seat of the automobile when the environmental automobile condition is satisfied;

providing an output signal indicating that the load is present in the seat of the automobile when the environmental automobile condition is satisfied;

capturing an image of the seat of the automobile using a camera;

transmitting the image to a mobile device over a data transmission network;

executing, on the mobile device, a computer software application configured to provide an alert wherein the mobile device is connected to the automobile over a data transmission network;

executing, on the mobile device, the computer software application to display the image in a user interface of the mobile device;

transmitting a control signal from the computer software application on the mobile device to the automobile; and

restarting the temperature control system of the automobile upon receiving the control signal.

15. An automobile monitoring system comprising:

a sensor connected to a seat of an automobile, the sensor to determine a presence of a body in the seat; and

processing circuitry to perform operations comprising;

after an automobile engine has stopped operating, starting a timer for a duration, the processing circuitry to determine the presence of the body in the seat of the automobile based on a signal received from the sensor after the duration expires;

after the automobile engine has stopped operating and before the duration expires;

determining that the automobile has been locked;

receiving the signal from the sensor indicating the presence of the body in the seat;

providing a notification indicating the presence of the body in response to receiving the signal indicating the presence of the body in the seat of the automobile;

when the difference between an interior temperature in a passenger compartment of the automobile and the ambient temperature is outside a predetermined range, restarting a temperature control system of the automobile to adjust the interior temperature;

causing a camera to capture an image of the seat of the automobile;

transmitting the image to a mobile device over the data transmission network;

causing the mobile device to execute a computer software application configured to provide an alert wherein the mobile device is connected to the automobile over a data transmission network;

causing the mobile device to execute the computer software application to display the image in a user interface of the mobile device;

transmitting a control signal from the computer software application on the mobile device to the automobile; and

restarting the temperature control system of the automobile upon receiving the control signal.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the sensor includes at least one of a load sensor to determine a presence of a load in the seat or a contact sensor connected to a fastening mechanism installed on the seat, the contact sensor configured to transmit the signal in response to fastening mechanism being engaged to fasten the body to the seat, and wherein providing the notification indicating the presence of the body in the seat comprises at least one of providing an output signal to cause an alarm system connected to the automobile engine to sound or providing a control signal to cause one or more automobile functions to be performed, the one or more automobile functions including at least one of restarting the automobile engine, or transmitting a second signal indicating the presence of the body in the seat to a computer system over the data transmission network.