WO2019152324A2

WO2019152324A2 - Auto safety device

Info

Publication number: WO2019152324A2
Application number: PCT/US2019/015450
Authority: WO
Inventors: Youval KRIGEL; Sharon KLUGER
Original assignee: Krigel Youval; Kluger Sharon
Priority date: 2018-01-30
Filing date: 2019-01-28
Publication date: 2019-08-08
Also published as: WO2019152324A3

Abstract

Certain embodiments of the current invention provide a solution to the problems associated with unintentionally leaving a vehicle occupied. In particular, a series of sfety features are incorporated into a device/system that can be easily integrated into any vehicle. By way of example, the inventors have discovered a process to provide an appropriate audio notice or reminder to the operator of a vehicle, which results in heightening the awareness of the operator while exiting the vehicle.

Description

AUTO SAFETY DEVICE

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/623,876 filed January 30, 2018, which is incorporated here by reference in its entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH

[0002] None..

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A. Field of the Invention [0003] The invention generally concerns a device, system, and/or method for vehicle safety.

In particular the system and/or method provides an audio notice or reminder to check vehicle occupancy before leaving a vehicle.

B. Description of Related Art

[0004] Every year a number of babies, children, and animals die from being left in a vehicle when the parent or owner leaves the vehicle without removing a baby, a child, or an animal from the vehicle exposing the occupant to extreme heat or cold. According to statistics, 15 to 25 children in the United States suffer from“death by hyperthermia” upon being left unattended in a vehicle child safety seat. Thousands of other children have been saved before succumbing when accidentally being left in a child safety seat. This period of time can be relatively short number of minutes to many hours. Studies have shown that most parents involved in such issues are in fact responsible and attentive parents who on that particular day are upset, busy, or otherwise confused or distracted by events that end up changing the normal course of a schedule.

[0005] U.S. Patent 7,830,270 describes a system requiring connection to seat belt sensors. And the driver needs to carry a portable dedicated transceiver unit, in order to get alerts remotely. The system can alert only the person with the transceiver unit. The range is limited to the power of the radio transmitter. There is no ability to send SMS and no automated calling capability. Additional inventions described in this patent provides no GPS information and provides no live video of car interior. [0006] U.S. Patent 9,417,078 describes a system that uses 0BD2 (On Board Diagnostics) port to determine that the journey has ended and requires a car seat buckle detector.

[0007] U.S. Patent 9,741,224 requires that the driver must carry a smart phone, in order to get any indication or alarm. This system provides output only if the ignition is off and requires a motion sensor or voice sensor to indicate motion or sound inside the vehicle. If the ignition is off but no motion or sound is detected - nothing will happen, no alarm or SMS will be sent. So, if the ignition is off and the baby is left asleep, the alarm and SMS will be activated only after the baby wakes up, which may be too late. Furthermore, this system does not provide GPS information. [0008] U.S. Patent Publication 2017/0046937 describes a system that is based on a car seat sensor and requires a seat belt sensor. If seat belt was not released it measures temperature changes and transmits a warning to a person’s cell phone.

[0009] U.S. Patent 9,734,687 describes a system that can transmit alerts using “radio frequency transmitter, for the purpose of activating remote receiver”. The range of a radio transmitter is relatively very small, about 200 feet. This system does not use cell phones as part of the system, so this system does not provide for SMS, automatic calling, GPS information, and live video of car interior.

[0010] There needs to be a system that notifies a guardian, parent, care giver or other authority that a baby, child or animal has been left in a vehicle. SUMMARY OF THU INVENTION

[0011] Certain embodiments of the current invention provide a solution to the problems associated with unintentionally leaving a vehicle occupied. In particular, a series of sfety features are incorporated into a device/system that can be easily integrated into any vehicle. By way of example, the inventors have discovered a process to provide an appropriate audio notice or reminder to the operator of a vehicle, which results in heightening the awareness of the operator while exiting the vehicle. [0012] Certain embodiments are directed to a vehicle child safety system for alerting drivers to vehicle occupancy comprising one or more of (a) a controller configured to (i) monitor power usage of a vehicle and determine if the car is running or not, and (ii) receive input or transmit output during the use of the device; (b) a power connector couple to the controller and configured to plug into a power outlet of a vehicle to provide for powering the device and monitoring vehicle status; (c) a temperature sensor operatively coupled to the controller to trigger a response when interior vehicle temperature reaches a predetermined level; (d) global positioning module configured to determine and transmit the location of the device; (e) an audio and visual interface configured to receive inputs from a driver or transmit information to the driver and/or third parties; (f) communications module configured to send audio and text messages to a predetermined list of electronic devices. The system can further include one or more of a video camera to provide video of the vehicle’s interior; an input function for a panic button configured to be activated by a vehicle occupant or other person (e.g., a rescuer) in cases of emergency; fans or cooling mechanisms configured to cool the vehicle if an emergency situation is detected; and/or a vehicle control module that is interfaced with a vehicle on board computer(s) and is configured to operate the windows and/or the climate control functions of the vehicle.

[0013] Other embodiments are directed to methods of using such a system increasing vehicle safety in regard to leaving an unattended vehicle occupied comprising a system configured to perform one or more of the following steps, functions or processes: (a) while in idle mode with the vehicle off the system is querying if the vehicle power is on and the vehicle running by monitoring a power outlet of the vehicle; if the power is off, the system keeps checking for a voltage until it detects power in the power outlet of the vehicle; (b) after detecting a voltage indicating vehicle power is on the system switches from an idle mode to an active vehicle is running mode; (c) once in active vehicle is running mode the system monitors the voltage of the power outlet, presence of a voltage indicating that the vehicle is running; (d) when the vehicle is turned off the voltage at the power outlet drops to 0 volts and the system switches to an active vehicle has stopped running mode and the system (i) plays an audio check vehicle message to alert the driver to check the vehicle for occupancy and (ii) request acknowledgement of receiving the audio message; (e) the system waits for acknowledgement of the check vehicle message, if acknowledgement is received the system will enter idle mode, or if acknowledgement is not received within 2 to 10 seconds the system will play an audio file one or more times reminding the driver to acknowledge the check vehicle message; (f) if acknowledgement is not received the system will (i) play an audio file indicating that a message or a SMS or a text message is being sent by the system, and (ii) initiate measuring and logging interior vehicle temperature; (g) the system will retrieve the GPS coordinates and send a message to a predetermined list smartphones or contact numbers; and (h) the system will then activate lights and set off an alarm and/or the vehicle horn to draw attention to the vehicle. The device or system can monitor and/or detect at least 12 Volts of power through the power outlet. In certain aspects a message can include one or more of the GPS location of the vehicle, a map of the vehicle’s location, the temperature in the vehicle, and/or a message regarding driver’s failure to acknowledge. The method can also include the step of activating a cooling fan and/or lowering the windows if the temperature is above a set value. In certain aspects the system can call a predetermined list of phone numbers and play a recorded message notifying the recipient of the situation if the driver acknowledgement is not received. In certain aspects the recorded message can include notification of an emergency situation and alerting them to other incoming messages having more detail, such as a link to a live stream or a live video stream of the vehicle interior, e.g., view of the front and/or back seat of the vehicle.

[0014] Other embodiments of the invention are discussed throughout this application. Any embodiment discussed with respect to one aspect of the invention applies to other aspects of the invention as well and vice versa. Each embodiment described herein is understood to be embodiments of the invention that are applicable to all aspects of the invention. It is contemplated that any embodiment discussed herein can be implemented with respect to any method or composition of the invention, and vice versa.

[0015] The use of the word“a” or“an” when used in conjunction with the term“comprising” in the claims and/or the specification may mean“one,” but it is also consistent with the meaning of“one or more,”“at least one,” and“one or more than one.”

[0016] The term“about” or“approximately” are defined as being close to as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. In one non-limiting embodiment the terms are defined to be within 10%, preferably within 5%, more preferably within 1%, and most preferably within 0.5%. [0017] The term“substantially” and its variations are defined to include ranges within 10%, within 5%, within 1%, or within 0.5%.

[0018] The terms“inhibiting” or“reducing” or“preventing” or any variation of these terms includes any measurable decrease or complete inhibition to achieve a desired result. [0019] The term“effective,” as that term is used in the specification and/or claims, means adequate to accomplish a desired, expected, or intended result.

[0020] The use of the term“or” in the claims is used to mean“and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only or the alternatives are mutually exclusive, although the disclosure supports a definition that refers to only alternatives and“and/or.” [0021] As used in this specification and claim(s), the words“comprising” (and any form of comprising, such as“comprise” and“comprises”),“having” (and any form of having, such as “have” and“has”),“including” (and any form of including, such as“includes” and“include”) or “containing” (and any form of containing, such as“contains” and“contain”) are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. [0022] The compositions and methods of making and using the same of the present invention can“comprise,”“consist essentially of,” or“consist of’ particular ingredients, components, blends, method steps, etc ., disclosed throughout the specification.

[0023] Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the specific examples, while indicating specific embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The following drawings form part of the present specification and are included to further demonstrate certain aspects of the present invention. The invention may be better understood by reference to one or more of these drawings in combination with the detailed description of the specification embodiments presented herein.

[0025] FIGS. 1-1A. Depicts a flow chart detailing one example of a process using a system or device to enhance vehicle safety. PET ATT, ED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] With reference to the flowchart of FIGS. 1-1 A, a system (e.g., Vehicle Child Safety Device (VCSD)) including a microprocessor, power adapter, audio speakers, user interface, a temperature module, a GPS module, a communication module, and an optional video camera can be connected to a battery and/or a power outlet of a vehicle. In certain aspects the video camera and optional fans are powered by a battery system, preferably a rechargeable battery system. One example of VCSD operation can include, but is not limited to the following, the microprocessor first checks if the vehicle power is ON. The circuitry of the VCSD monitors the power outlet of the vehicle. If the power is OFF, the device keeps checking the voltage using a software loop until it senses for example 12 Volts in the power outlet of the vehicle. Sensing 12 Volts tells the system that the vehicle is running and a software variable‘vehiclelsRunning’ can be set to 'TRUE'. The software of the device now keeps monitoring the voltage of the power outlet. Presence of the 12 Volts means the vehicle is running.

[0027] When the driver turns the vehicle OFF, the voltage at the power outlet will drop to 0 volts. The VCSD circuitry will sense the power drop and a software variable‘vehiclelsRunning’ can be set to 'FALSE'. The microprocessor will now play an audio message to alert the driver and remind him not to forget anyone in the vehicle. The system provides a voice reminder and a request to acknowledge that no one was left in the car, thus, no additional device is needed to hear and acknowledge the message, i.e., a smartphone is not required. In addition, the audio message will ask the driver to activate, e.g., press, an 'Acknowledge' indicator, e.g, a button, to acknowledge that the message was received. The system monitors for acknowledgement, e.g., if the driver pressed the 'Acknowledge button'. If acknowledgement was received then the system will play an audio message indicating acknowledgement was received, e.g., stating 'acknowledge' and wishing the driver a nice day. The current system reminds the driver to check if anyone is left in the car regardless of motion, sound, or circumstance. [0028] If acknowledgement was not received, e.g., the 'Acknowledge' button was not pressed, the system will play another audio file to remind the driver to acknowledge, e.g., press the Acknowledge' button. If acknowledgement is not received after several seconds (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 29 seconds or so) the system will play one more reminders and/or alert sounds. If there is no response from the driver the system will play an audio file informing the driver that an emergency message, e.g., a SMS, is being sent. At this point, the system can initiate monitoring the climate in the vehicle, e.g., measuring and logging the temperature in the vehicle. In certain aspects, if the temperature is above a set value (e.g., 55, 60, 65, 70, to 75, 80, 85, 90 °F) the system can activate cooling or heating measures, e.g., lowering windows, activating vehicle climate system, activating cooling fans, etc.. The system can turn on a set of external fans placed near the back seat to reduce the temperature, and also will provide an option to connect to the car windows system (via wires or wireless) to lower the windows if the inside temperature is dangerous.

[0029] The current system can send messages, e.g., SMS, to multiple recipients or subscribers (such as spouse, care giver, daycare). In certain aspects the current system can automatically call multiple phone subscribers (such as spouse, care giver, daycare). The system will be provided with a contact list, which can include email addresses, phone numbers, text numbers, etc. The System will retrieve GPS coordinates and send message(s), e.g., a SMS, to all the listed contacts, e.g., devices, smartphones, etc. The message can include the GPS location and/or a map to the location, the temperature in the vehicle and/or a brief message regarding driver’s failure to acknowledge. The system will then call all listed phones or smartphones and play a recorded message notifying the recipient of the potentially unattended occupied vehicle situation. The system can notify recipients of the emergency situation and alert them of the incoming messages, e.g., SMS, having more details. The system can be provided with an option to connect to the car alarm system (via wires or wireless) to activate the car alarm. The system can then activate lights and set off an alarm to draw attention to the vehicle.

[0030] The system can include and monitor a‘Panic/Reset button’. This button or indicator may be activated by a person, e.g., an elderly person, who was left in the car or by a rescuer. If the button is activated, the system will send updated messages to all listed recipients. [0031] The system can be configured to send live video of the car interior and voice to multiple subscribers (such as spouse, care giver, daycare).

Claims

1. A vehicle child safety system for alerting drivers to vehicle occupancy comprising:

a controller configured to (i) monitor power usage of a vehicle and determine if the car is running or not, and (ii) receive input or transmit output during the use of the device;

a power connector couple to the controller and configured to plug into a power outlet of a vehicle to provide for powering the device and monitoring vehicle status;

a temperature sensor operatively coupled to the controller to trigger a response when interior vehicle temperature reaches a predetermined level;

global positioning module configured to determine and transmit the location of the

device;

an audio and visual interface configured to receive inputs from a driver or transmit

information to the driver and/or third parties;

communications module configured to send audio and text messages to a predetermined list of electronic devices.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a video camera to provide video the vehicle’s interior.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising an input function for a panic button configured to be activated by a vehicle occupant in cases of emergency.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising fans configured to cool the vehicle if an emergency situation is detected.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a vehicle control module that is interfaced with a vehicle on board computer(s) and is configured to operate the windows and/or the climate control functions of the vehicle.

6. A method of increasing vehicle safety in regard to leaving an unattended vehicle occupied comprising a system configured to perform the following steps:

(a) while in idle mode with the vehicle off the system is querying if the vehicle power is on and the vehicle running by monitoring a power outlet of the vehicle; if the power is off, the system keeps checking for a voltage until it detects power in the power outlet of the vehicle;

(b) after detecting a voltage indicating vehicle power is on the system switches from an idle mode to an active vehicle is running mode;

(c) once in active vehicle is running mode the system monitors the voltage of the power outlet, presence of a voltage indicating that the vehicle is running;

(d) when the vehicle is turned off the voltage at the power outlet drops to 0 volts and the system switches to an active vehicle has stopped running mode and the system (i) plays an audio check vehicle message to alert the driver to check the vehicle for occupancy and (ii) request acknowledgement of receiving the audio message;

(e) the system waits for acknowledgement of the check vehicle message, if

acknowledgement is received the system will enter idle mode, or if acknowledgement is not received within 2 to 10 seconds the system will play an audio file one or more times reminding the driver to acknowledge the check vehicle message;

(f) if acknowledgement is not received the system will (i) play an audio file indicating that a message is being sent by the system, and (ii) initiate measuring and logging interior vehicle temperature;

(g) the system will retrieve the GPS coordinates and send a message to a predetermined list smartphones or contact numbers; and

(h) the system will then activate lights and set off an alarm and/or the vehicle horn to draw attention to the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the device monitors and detects at least 12 Volts of power through the power outlet.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the message includes the GPS location of the car, the temperature in the vehicle, and a message regarding driver’s failure to acknowledge.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising activating a cooling fan if the temperature is above a set value and sending a signal to lower the windows.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising calling a predetermined list of phone numbers if the driver acknowledgement is not received and playing a recorded message.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the recorded message includes notification of an emergency situation and alerting them to incoming messages including more details.