Vehicle Object Detection Using Mobile Sensor Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Children and other objects are often inadvertently left in vehicles, leading to safety and health issues, particularly in hot weather, due to the lack of effective detection systems.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses movement type data from mobile communication devices to detect when an object is placed or removed from a vehicle and identifies conditions where the object is left in the vehicle with no users present, raising alerts or informing users accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If movement type data from mobile communication devices is used to detect objects in vehicles, then detection accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reuses existing mobile communication devices (smartphones, wearables) that users already carry, making them serve dual purposes: standard communication functions and object detection in vehicles. This avoids adding dedicated detection hardware while achieving accurate monitoring through the devices' existing sensors and processing capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system leverages the computational resources, sensors, and connectivity of users' own mobile devices to perform detection tasks. Each device independently processes its own sensor data and contributes to the collective detection system, eliminating the need for centralized complex processing infrastructure.
2Reliability
If sensor data from multiple users is processed to determine movement type data, then reliability of detection is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system processes sensor data at specific intervals or triggered by particular events (e.g., vehicle door closure, engine shutdown) rather than continuously. This periodic processing approach maintains detection reliability by checking at critical moments while significantly reducing overall energy consumption compared to continuous monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The system collects data from multiple user devices to ensure reliable detection, but only processes and analyzes the data when necessary conditions are met (such as when the vehicle is parked and engine is off). This partial processing approach achieves sufficient reliability without the excessive energy consumption of processing all collected data continuously.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively prevents children and other objects from being left in vehicles by providing timely alerts and notifications, thereby enhancing safety and reducing the risk of health issues.
Implementation Method 1
The said sensor data may include at least one of: audio data (e.g. audio data captured within the vehicle), accelerometer data and gyroscope data.
Implementation Method 2
The said sensor data may include at least one of: audio data (e.g. audio data captured within the vehicle), accelerometer data and gyroscope data.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus, method and computer program is described comprising: obtaining movement type data from one or more of a set of one or more users, wherein the movement type data includes an indication of an object being put into a vehicle by one of said users and an indication of the object being removed from the vehicle by one of said users; and identifying a condition in which the object is in the vehicle and none of the set of one or more users is within the vehicle.