Vehicle occupant detection system
AssigneeThe Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama
InventorsTimothy Austin Haskew, Edward Sazonov
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Various implementations of an occupant detection system may be used in a vehicle to detect the presence of a living occupant (human or otherwise) and generate a warning. The warning may be communicated to another person(s) or to other vehicle systems to alert people in the vicinity of the vehicle. The system prevents injury and death to people and pets that may be accidentally within a parked car and unable to egress. The system may be integrated into a new vehicle or housed in a separate device that can be plugged into a power outlet within the vehicle.
Claims21
An occupant detection system within a vehicle comprising:
- an electrical signal sensor;
- an accelerometer;
- a carbon dioxide sensor;
- and
- a processor in communication with a memory, wherein the processor executes computer-readable instructions stored on the memory, said instructions cause the processor to:
- receive a first signal from the electrical signal sensor indicating whether power to the vehicle is on or off, a second signal from the accelerometer indicating whether the vehicle is in motion, and a third signal from the carbon dioxide sensor associated with a concentration of carbon dioxide in a cabin of the vehicle,
- in response to the first signal indicating that the power is off and the second signal indicating that the vehicle is not in motion, compare a rate of change of the data associated with the third signal with a threshold level of an expected rate of change of carbon dioxide concentration within the cabin of the vehicle, and
- in response to the rate of change of the data associated with the third signal exceeding the threshold level, generate and communicate an alarm signal.
An occupant detection system within a vehicle comprising:
- an electrical signal sensor;
- an accelerometer;
- a carbon dioxide sensor;
- and
- a processor in communication with a memory, wherein the processor executes computer-readable instructions stored on the memory, said instructions cause the processor to:
- receive a first signal from the electrical signal sensor indicating whether power to the vehicle is on or off, a second signal from the accelerometer indicating whether the vehicle is in motion, and a third signal from the carbon dioxide sensor indicating a concentration of carbon dioxide in a cabin of the vehicle,
- in response to the first signal indicating that the power is off and the second signal indicating that the vehicle is not in motion, compare the data associated with the third signal with a threshold level of expected carbon dioxide concentration within a cabin of the vehicle, and
- in response to the data associated with the third signal exceeding the threshold level, generate and communicate an alarm signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.