Vehicle Occupancy Sensing With Environmental Hazard Alerts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle occupancy sensor systems fail to provide a comprehensive solution that integrates wireless communication capabilities and effectively correlates occupancy data with environmental data to detect and mitigate dangerous conditions, such as heatstroke or hyperthermia, by activating vehicle systems and alerting remote devices.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle occupancy sensor system that combines presence sensors, environmental sensors, and a central processing unit to detect occupants and hazardous conditions, activating vehicle systems to mitigate risks and alert predetermined recipients through a wireless communications bus.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If individual sensors are used to detect occupancy, then the system structure is simple, but the system cannot provide comprehensive detection and wireless communication capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual sensors (infrared, ultrasonic, pressure sensors) into an integrated occupancy detection system that works together to provide comprehensive detection capabilities while maintaining relatively simple system structure through modular architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor system is designed to perform multiple functions: occupancy detection, environmental monitoring, and wireless communication alerting, allowing a single system to address various safety concerns rather than requiring separate systems for each function
2Ease of operation
If occupancy data and environmental data are collected separately, then the data collection is straightforward, but the system cannot effectively identify dangerous conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors both occupancy data and environmental data, comparing real-time readings against predetermined safety thresholds and providing feedback control that activates alerts when dangerous conditions are detected, creating a closed-loop safety monitoring system
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple types of data (occupancy status from sensors and environmental parameters like temperature) into a composite safety assessment, where the combination of data types provides more accurate dangerous condition detection than any single data source alone
3Device complexity
If no wireless communication capability is integrated, then the system is simpler, but the system cannot alert remote devices of dangerous conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a wireless communication bus as an intermediary component that bridges the sensor system and remote electronic devices, allowing safety alerts to be transmitted without requiring direct physical connection or complex wiring to external devices
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to an occupancy sensor system for a vehicle. The system includes a central processing unit (CPU) electrically connected to a power source of the vehicle, one or more sensors for inputting raw data into the CPU, an electronic device with a user interface, and a wireless communications bus connected to the CPU. The CPU compares the raw data received from the sensors with a predetermined safety threshold and transmits an alert to the electronic device via the wireless communications bus if the raw data is not within the safety threshold. The system further includes a global positioning system (GPS) transceiver coupled to the vehicle for receiving radio transmissions from GPS satellites, and a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader chip.