Vehicle Occupancy Sensors for Keyless Ignition Exit Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fob-less entry and ignition systems in vehicles often fail to turn off the engine when the user exits, as they lack a key-based mechanism to detect removal and deactivate the engine.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating occupancy sensing modules and a warning controller that initiate a timer upon detecting an occupant's exit, emitting an alert if the occupant does not re-enter a passcode or press an override button within a predetermined threshold, ensuring the engine remains activated only when intended.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If fob-less entry and ignition systems are used to enable keyless vehicle access and engine activation, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates because the system cannot detect when the user has exited and fails to turn off the engine
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces occupancy sensor modules as intermediary devices that detect whether an occupant is present in the vehicle. These sensors act as a mediator between the driver and the engine control system, providing the information needed to automatically deactivate the engine when the driver exits, thereby resolving the reliability issue while maintaining keyless operation.
2Reliability
If occupancy sensor modules and warning controllers are added to detect occupant exit and emit alerts, then reliability is improved by preventing unnecessary engine activation, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The warning controller is designed to perform multiple functions: it monitors occupancy sensor data, determines whether the driver has exited, controls the alert output to notify the driver, and can interface with the engine control system. By making the warning controller multi-functional, the patent reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each function, thereby mitigating the increase in device complexity.
3Loss of energy
If the system emits an alert when the driver exits without deactivating the engine, then loss of energy is reduced by preventing unnecessary fuel consumption, but object-generated harmful factors increase due to alert noise and distraction
Solution Approach 1:
The alert system is designed to activate only under specific conditions: when the occupancy sensor detects driver exit and the engine remains active. The alert is not continuously active but rather applied partially only when needed. This selective activation reduces energy waste from unnecessary engine operation while minimizing harmful distractions by avoiding constant alerting.
Data Source
AI summary
Method and apparatus are disclosed for monitoring and alerting vehicle occupants for ignition systems. An example vehicle includes a cabin, a touchscreen within the cabin, an engine to activate responsive to the touchscreen receiving a passcode, seats within the cabin, occupancy sensor modules to detect occupancy of the seats, and a warning controller. The warning controller is to initiate a timer upon detecting, via the occupancy sensor modules, that an occupant has exited the cabin and emit an alert responsive to the timer reaching a predetermined threshold.