Vehicle Child Presence Sensor with Geofence and Emergency Notification
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a recurring issue of children being left unattended in vehicles, leading to vehicular heatstroke due to parental distraction, with existing measures being inadequate in preventing accidental deaths, as the temperature inside a vehicle can rapidly increase, posing a significant risk to young children who are more susceptible to heat-related injuries.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a sensor device placed in the vehicle, connected to a safety seat, which monitors the presence of a child, temperature, humidity, sound, vibration, and location, triggering an emergency countdown timer if certain conditions are met, and automatically sends notifications to emergency responders if the vehicle is left unattended or if hazardous conditions are detected.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a parent leaves a child in a parked vehicle, then the parent can attend to other tasks or travel, but the child is exposed to rapidly rising temperatures and risk of heatstroke
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor device autonomously monitors temperature, child presence, and vehicle conditions without requiring parental intervention. The system self-activates when the vehicle ignition is detected and automatically triggers emergency notifications when hazardous conditions are detected, eliminating the need for continuous parental attention while protecting the child.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors temperature and child presence conditions, providing real-time feedback through emergency notifications to parents when hazardous conditions are detected. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables parents to respond to rising temperatures even when occupied with other tasks or traveling.
2Reliability
If multiple sensors and monitoring functions are added to detect child presence and environmental conditions, then the reliability of detecting hazardous conditions improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor device integrates multiple monitoring functions including temperature sensing, child presence detection via weight sensors, geofence tracking, and emergency notification capabilities into a single multi-functional unit. This consolidation achieves comprehensive hazard detection while minimizing the number of separate components required.
Solution Approach 2:
The system combines temperature sensors, weight sensors, GPS tracking, and communication modules into an integrated sensor device that works in unison. By merging these functions into one device rather than using separate systems, the patent reduces overall system complexity while maintaining high detection reliability.
3Loss of time
If an emergency notification system is implemented to alert responders, then the response time to prevent heatstroke improves, but the loss of time for false alarms may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system activates an emergency countdown timer when hazardous conditions are detected, providing a buffer period before triggering emergency notifications. This preliminary action allows for verification of conditions and prevents immediate false alarms while still enabling rapid response to genuine emergencies.
Solution Approach 2:
The emergency notification system dynamically adjusts its trigger behavior based on the duration and persistence of hazardous conditions. The countdown timer mechanism allows the system to differentiate between temporary fluctuations and sustained dangerous conditions, improving the accuracy of emergency triggers while maintaining rapid response capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a memory and at least one processor to perform one of (1) determine that a vehicle is within a geofence, receive a checkout notification in response to the user selecting a checkout user interface element displayed on a display, and disable the emergency countdown timer, (2) determine that the vehicle is within the geofence, display the checkout user interface on the display, fail to receive the checkout notification, and after the particular period of time, send the at least one of the text message and the automated call to the emergency responder requesting assistance for a person in a seat of the vehicle, and (3) determine that the vehicle is outside of the geofence and after the particular period of time, send at least one of a text message and an automated call to an emergency responder requesting assistance for the person in the seat of the vehicle.