Vehicle occupancy monitor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12330574-B2
Application number	US-202318232535-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2023
Priority date	Jun 25, 2019
Publication date	Jun 17, 2025
Grant date	Jun 17, 2025

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a storage device, for monitoring a vehicle are disclosed. A vehicle monitoring system for monitoring a vehicle includes one or more processors and one or more computer storage media storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more processors, to cause the one or more processors to perform operations. The operations include: receiving, from a vehicle occupancy monitor and by the vehicle monitoring system, vehicle occupancy data that indicates presence of a vehicle occupant; receiving, by the vehicle monitoring system and from a sensor, sensor data that indicates an attribute of the vehicle; analyzing, by the vehicle monitoring system, the vehicle occupancy data and the sensor data; and based on analyzing the vehicle occupancy data and the sensor data, performing a vehicle monitoring system action.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
obtaining first sensor data generated by one or more occupancy sensors integrated with a vehicle;
determining, using the first sensor data, that a living entity that is likely unable to exit the vehicle is inside the vehicle;
obtaining second sensor data generated by one or more environmental sensors integrated with the vehicle;
determining, using the second sensor data, that a dangerous condition likely exists inside the vehicle;
in response to determining that the living entity is inside the vehicle and that the dangerous condition likely exists inside the vehicle, performing one or more actions, including sending a first alert to a first device associated with a first person associated with the vehicle;
after sending the first alert to the first device, obtaining additional sensor data generated by the one or more occupancy sensors integrated with the vehicle;
determining, using the additional sensor data, that the living entity that is likely unable to exit the vehicle remains inside the vehicle; and
in response to determining that the living entity that is likely unable to exit the vehicle remains inside the vehicle, performing one or more additional actions, including at least one of sending a second alert to the first device and sending an alert to a second device associated with a second person associated with the vehicle.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:
the one or more occupancy sensors include a pressure sensor; and
determining that the living entity is inside the vehicle includes determining that pressure data obtained from the pressure sensor represents a weight within a range of weights for the living entity.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:
the one or more environmental sensors include a thermometer; and
determining that the dangerous condition likely exists inside the vehicle includes determining that temperature data obtained from the thermometer represents a temperature within a range of dangerous temperatures.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the dangerous condition likely exists inside the vehicle includes determining that the living entity is the only occupant of the vehicle.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein determining that the dangerous condition likely exists inside the vehicle includes determining that a time duration for which the living entity has been the only occupant of the vehicle is at least a threshold time duration.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein performing the one or more actions includes sending a first alert to a first device associated with a first person associated with the vehicle, the method comprising:
after sending the first alert to the first device, obtaining additional sensor data generated by the one or more occupancy sensors integrated with the vehicle;
determining, using the additional sensor data, that the living entity remains inside the vehicle; and
in response to determining that the living entity remains inside the vehicle, performing one or more additional actions.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , wherein the one or more additional actions include at least one of sending a second alert to the first device and sending an alert to a second device associated with a second person associated with the vehicle.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more occupancy sensors include a camera including least one of a visible light camera, a thermal image camera, a LIDAR image camera, or an in-air SONAR image camera.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein determining that the living entity is inside the vehicle includes determining that an image captured by the camera depicts the living entity.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more occupancy sensors comprise at least one of a seat pressure sensor, a motion sensor, a microphone, or a camera.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more occupancy sensors includes a pressure sensor integrated with a car seat inside the vehicle.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more occupancy sensors includes an accelerometer integrated with a car seat inside the vehicle.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more environmental sensors comprise at least one of a thermometer, a carbon monoxide sensor, a vehicle door status sensor, a vehicle window status sensor, a vehicle ignition status sensor, or a vehicle speed sensor.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more actions comprise generating an alert for transmission through a wireless emergency alert network.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more actions comprise generating an alert for transmission to one or more of security personnel, emergency responders, or a business establishment, wherein transmission of the alert causes activation of a visual or audible alarm at a location of the at least one of the security personnel, the emergency responders, or the business establishment, wherein the location is within a designated radius to the vehicle.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more actions comprise at least one of activating a security alarm of the vehicle or flashing headlights of the vehicle.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein;
the one or more occupancy sensors includes a microphone; and
determining that the living entity that is likely unable to exit the vehicle is inside the vehicle comprises determining that audio data obtained from the microphone represents a child's voice, including determining that audio frequencies in the audio data obtained from the microphone correspond to audio frequencies of the child's voice.

18. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
obtaining first sensor data generated by one or more occupancy sensors integrated with a vehicle;
determining, using the first sensor data, that a living entity that is likely unable to exit the vehicle is inside the vehicle;
obtaining second sensor data generated by one or more environmental sensors integrated with the vehicle;
determining, using the second sensor data, that a dangerous condition likely exists inside the vehicle;
in response to determining that the living entity is inside the vehicle and that the dangerous condition likely exists inside the vehicle, performing one or more actions, including sending a first alert to a first device associated with a first person associated with the vehicle;
after sending the first alert to the first device, obtaining additional sensor data generated by the one or more occupancy sensors integrated with the vehicle;
determining, using the additional sensor data, that the living entity that is likely unable to exit the vehicle remains inside the vehicle; and
in response to determining that the living entity that is likely unable to exit the vehicle remains inside the vehicle, performing one or more additional actions, including at least one of sending a second alert to the first device and sending an alert to a second device associated with a second person associated with the vehicle.

19. A system

Assignees

• Alarm Com Inc

Inventors

• Beach Allison
• Scanlon Andrew
• Correnti Matthew Daniel
• Kelly Michael
• Picardi Robert Nathan

Classifications

• B60N2210/30

  Temperature sensors · CPC title

• B60N2210/22

  Optical; Photoelectric; Lidar [Light Detection and Ranging] · CPC title

• B60N2/274

  characterised by the communication means between the child seat and another entity, e.g. vehicle or portable device · CPC title

• B60N2/267

  alerting means responsive to presence or absence of children · CPC title

• B60N2210/50

  Inertial sensors · CPC title