Vehicle interior monitoring apparatus, vehicle interior monitoring method, and non-transitory computer-readable medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025308366-A1
Application number	US-202519240164-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 17, 2025
Priority date	Jun 4, 2021
Publication date	Oct 2, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vehicle interior monitoring apparatus ( 10 ) includes an acquisition unit ( 110 ), a detection unit ( 120 ), and a notification processing unit ( 130 ). The acquisition unit ( 110 ) repeatedly acquires, after a power source of a vehicle is turned off and a door of the vehicle is opened and closed at least once, sensor data indicating a result of detection by a sensor of which a detection range is an interior of the vehicle. The detection unit ( 120 ) performs, by using the sensor data, detection processing of a living body existing in the interior, each time the acquisition unit ( 110 ) acquires the sensor data. The notification processing unit ( 130 ) performs monitoring on an environment of the interior when a living body existing in the interior is detected, and performs notification for a pre-registered terminal ( 40 ) when the environment meets a first criterion.

First claim

1 . A vehicle interior monitoring apparatus comprising:
at least one memory storing instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to perform operations comprising: acquiring sensor data generated by a sensor monitoring an interior of a vehicle of which a power source is turned off; performing, by using the sensor data, detection processing for presence or absence of a living body existing in the interior; outputting information based on a result of the detection processing; and; and stopping, in a case where the living body is detected, the detection processing until the door is opened.

2 . The vehicle interior monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the sensor includes an imaging apparatus.

3 . The vehicle interior monitoring apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the sensor further includes at least one of a millimetric wave sensor, an infrared sensor, a temperature sensor, and a vibration sensor.

4 . The vehicle interior monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the operations further comprise: performing, by using the sensor data, monitoring the interior; and notifying the terminal in a case where the interior after the living body is detected meets a first criterion.

5 . The vehicle interior monitoring apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the environment includes temperature.

6 . The vehicle interior monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
causing an output apparatus installed in the vehicle to perform output based on the result of the detection processing.

7 . The vehicle interior monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the living body includes at least one of a person and an animal.

8 . The vehicle interior monitoring apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise
estimating an age of a person in a case where the living body is the person, and performing the notification in a case where the age meets a second criterion.

9 . The vehicle interior monitoring apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the operations further comprise: performing the notification in a case where the environment exceeds the first criterion.

10 . The vehicle interior monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the operations further comprise: acquiring the sensor data in a case where a power source of a vehicle is turned off and a door of the vehicle is opened and closed at least once, and the door is locked.

11 . The vehicle interior monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the operations further comprise: notifying a first terminal; receiving a reply from the first terminal; and notifying a second terminal in a case where no reply is received from the first terminal within a predetermined time.

12 . The vehicle interior monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the operations further comprise: acquiring the sensor data in a case where a driver of the vehicle has left the vehicle.

13 . The vehicle interior monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the operations further comprise: acquiring the sensor data after a predetermined time has elapsed since a person in a driver's seat is no longer detected.

14 . The vehicle interior monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the operations further comprise: performing, by using the sensor data, monitoring of the interior.

15 . A vehicle interior monitoring method performed by a computer and comprising:
acquiring sensor data generated by a sensor monitoring an interior of a vehicle of which a power source is turned off; performing, by using the sensor data, detection processing for presence or absence of a living body existing in the interior; outputting information based on a result of the detection processing; and stopping, in a case where the living body is detected, the detection processing until the door is opened.

16 . The vehicle interior monitoring method according to claim 15 , wherein
the sensor includes an imaging apparatus.

17 . The vehicle interior monitoring method according to claim 16 , wherein
the sensor further includes at least one of a millimetric wave sensor, an infrared sensor, a temperature sensor, and a vibration sensor.

18 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program executable by a computer to perform operations comprising:
acquiring sensor data generated by a sensor monitoring an interior of a vehicle of which a power source is turned off; performing, by using the sensor data, detection processing for presence or absence of a living body existing in the interior; outputting information based on a result of the detection processing; and stopping, in a case where the living body is detected, the detection processing until the door is opened.

19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 18 , wherein
the sensor includes an imaging apparatus.

20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 19 , wherein
the sensor further includes at least one of a millimetric wave sensor, an infrared sensor, a temperature sensor, and a vibration sensor.

Assignees

• Nec Corp

Inventors

• Kawamura Toshiaki
• Watanabe Yoshihiro
• Suzuki Yuichi

Classifications

• G08B21/24

  Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms · CPC title

• G08B21/182

  Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold · CPC title

• G06V40/178

  estimating age from face image; using age information for improving recognition · CPC title

• G06V20/59

  inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions · CPC title

• G08B25/005

  Alarm destination chosen according to a hierarchy of available destinations, e.g. if hospital does not answer send to police station · CPC title