Smart child safety equipment in vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11186244-B2
Application number	US-201916362116-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2019
Priority date	Mar 22, 2019
Publication date	Nov 30, 2021
Grant date	Nov 30, 2021

Abstract

A child safety seat may include a motion sensor, e.g., an accelerometer, and a pressure sensor, e.g., a air pressure sensor. The motion sensor is configured to detect a motion state of a vehicle where the child safety seat is installed, e.g., whether the vehicle is moving or non-moving. The pressure sensor is configured to detect a motion state of a door of the vehicle, e.g., a door open/close motion. Based on the information detected by the motion sensor and the pressure sensor, a controller determines whether an awareness scenario occurs.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a first sensor included in a child safety seat and configured to detect that a transportation machine changes a motion status from moving to non-moving, after the system is installed in the transportation machine;
a second sensor included in the child safety seat and configured to detect whether a driver side door of the transportation machine is opened after it is determined by the first sensor that the transportation machine changes the motion status from moving to non-moving and whether a backseat door of the transportation machine is opened within a threshold time after the driver side door is opened; and
a control unit communicatively coupled to the first sensor and the second sensor and, when in operation, the control unit generating a control event in response to the first sensor detecting that the transportation machine changes the motion status from moving to non-moving, and the second sensor detects that the driver side door of the transportation machine is opened after the transportation machine changes the motion status from moving to non-moving and the backseat door is not opened within the threshold time after the driver side door is opened.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor is a micro-electro-mechanical system accelerometer coupled to the child safety seat installed in the transportation machine.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor is a part of a portable integrated circuit.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second sensor is an air pressure sensor.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to differentiate between a first reading of the second sensor indicating a position of a first door of the transportation machine and a second reading of the second sensor indicating a position of a second door of the transportation machine, the first door being closer to the second sensor than the second door.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control unit generates the control event at least partially in response to a reading of the first sensor indicating that the transportation machine is in the non-moving state immediately subsequent to a moving state.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second sensor is configured to differentiate between detecting a position of a backseat door and detecting a position of a driver-side front door.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control unit generates a different control event in response to a reading of the first sensor indicating that the transportation machine is in a moving state and a reading of the second sensor indicating that the backseat door is open.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to be activated by a trigger event.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the trigger event is one or more of a user input or a sensing event with respect to the child safety seat coupled to the transportation machine.

11. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a third sensor configured to be coupled to the child safety seat and configured to detect that the child safety seat is in use.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the third sensor is a pressure sensor configured to detect that a subject is positioned in the child safety seat.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the third sensor is configured to detect that a latch of the child safety seat is engaged.

14. A module, comprising:
a platform included in a child safety seat installed on a vehicle;
a first motion sensor on the platform and configured to detect that a motion state of the vehicle changes from a moving state to a non-moving state;
a second sensor on the platform and configured to detect a motion state of a driver side door of the vehicle and a motion state of a backseat door of the vehicle; and
a data interface unit coupled to receive at least one of a first reading of the first motion sensor or a second reading of the second sensor and to generate an event in response to the first motion sensor detecting that the motion state of the vehicle changes from moving to non-moving, and the second sensor detecting that the driver side door of the vehicle is opened after the vehicle changes the motion state from moving to non-moving and the backseat door is not opened within a threshold time after the driver side door is opened.

15. The module of claim 14 , wherein the data interface unit is further configured to send the received at least one of the first reading or the second reading to a processing unit.

16. A method, comprising:
detecting, by a first sensor positioned in a child safety seat installed in a vehicle, that a motion state of the vehicle changes from a moving state to a non-moving state;
detecting a motion state of a driver side door of the vehicle by a second sensor positioned in the child safety seat and a motion state of a backseat door of the vehicle;
receiving from the first sensor a vehicle motion state signal indicating the motion state of the vehicle;
receiving from the second sensor a door motion state signal indicating the motion state of the door; and
implementing an action event in response to the first sensor detecting that the vehicle changes the motion state from moving to non-moving, and the second sensor detects that the driver side door of the vehicle is opened after the vehicle changes the motion state from moving to non-moving and the backseat door is not opened within a threshold time after the driver side door is opened.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first sensor is a micro-electro-mechanical system accelerometer attached to the child safety seat installed in the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the second sensor is a micro-electro-mechanical system air pressure sensor attached to the child safety seat installed in the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the action event is an alarm.

Assignees

• St Microelectronics Srl

Inventors

• Zancanato Alberto
• Ferraina Michele
• Dameno Matteo
• Tesi Mario

Classifications

• B60N2220/30

  using a neural network · CPC title

• B60N2210/50

  Inertial sensors · CPC title

• B60N2210/40

  Force or pressure sensors · CPC title

• B60N2210/14

  Inductive; Magnetic field · CPC title

• B60N2230/30

  Signal processing of sensor data · CPC title