Rear Seat Occupant Detection Using Door Events and Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for preventing people and items from being left behind in vehicles are inaccurate, often triggering alarms due to false determinations based solely on rear door opening and closing events, without reliable verification of the presence of a person or item inside the vehicle.
Innovation Solution
An information processing device mounted in vehicles that presumes a person or item is left behind based on rear door activity before and after vehicle movement, and performs sensing using seat sensors or cameras to verify the presence, with notifications sent to users and a center server if the temperature inside the vehicle exceeds a threshold.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If door opening/closing events are used to determine presence, then the system can detect potential left-behind situations, but false alarms occur due to inaccurate determination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple detection methods (door event monitoring, seat sensor detection, camera imaging, and temperature monitoring) into an integrated presence determination system. This merging of detection channels allows cross-validation of presence status, reducing false alarms while maintaining high detection accuracy for actual left-behind situations.
2Reliability
If sensing is performed continuously to verify presence, then false alarms are reduced, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs sensing operations periodically rather than continuously. Temperature monitoring occurs at set intervals, camera imaging is triggered by door events or periodic schedules, and seat sensors are activated based on door opening/closing patterns. This periodic operation maintains detection reliability while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous monitoring.
3Measurement precision
If multiple sensing methods are used to verify presence, then determination accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs a multi-functional architecture where a single control unit coordinates multiple sensing components (door sensors, seat sensors, cameras, temperature sensors). This universal control approach allows one system to perform multiple detection functions, improving precision through diverse sensing methods while managing complexity through centralized control logic rather than separate dedicated systems for each function.
Data Source
AI summary
An information processing device associated with a vehicle includes a processor. The processor is configured to presume that a person or an item has been left behind in a rear seat of the vehicle, based on whether a rear door was opened and closed in a predetermined period before running of the vehicle and whether the rear door was opened and closed in a predetermined period after running of the vehicle. The processor is configured to perform sensing of the rear seat based on a presumption result. The processor is configured to notify the user based on a sensing result.