CHILD VEHICLE OCCUPANCY WARNING SYSTEM

A child vehicle occupancy warning system includes comprising a pressure sensor for detecting a weight being positioned on a child car seat. A transmitter is electrically coupled to the pressure sensor. A key fob includes a fob housing, a fob processor, and a fob transceiver. A base unit is positioned on a dashboard of a vehicle and includes a base housing, a base processor mounted in the base housing and a base transceiver for receiving wireless signals from the transmitter and sending and receiving signals with the fob transceiver. The base processor determines when the fob transceiver is beyond a predetermined distance from the base unit. A warning light emitter is electrically coupled to the base transceiver. The base processor turns on the warning light emitter when a weight detection signal is received by the base transceiver and the fob transceiver is beyond the predetermined distance.

(b) CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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(d) THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

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(e) INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIE THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM.

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(g) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The disclosure and prior art relates to unattended child warning devices and more particularly pertains to a new unattended child warning device for preventing a caregiver from unintentionally leaving a child unattended within a vehicle.

(h) BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a pressure sensor configured for detecting a weight positioned thereon wherein the pressure sensor is configured to be positioned on a child car seat and detect the weight of a child on the child car seat. A transmitter is electrically coupled to the pressure sensor and sends a weight detection signal when the pressure sensor detects the weight on the child car seat. A key fob includes a fob housing, a fob processor, and a fob transceiver mounted in the fob housing and electrically coupled to the fob processor. A base unit is configured for being positioned on a dashboard of a vehicle. The base unit includes a base housing, a base processor mounted in the base housing and a base transceiver for receiving wireless signals from the transmitter and sending and receiving signals with the fob transceiver. The base transceiver is positioned in the base housing and electrically coupled to the base processor. The base processor determines when the fob transceiver is beyond a predetermined distance from the base unit. A warning light emitter is electrically coupled to the base transceiver and is mounted on the base housing. The base processor turns on the warning light emitter when the weight detection signal is received by the base transceiver and the fob transceiver is beyond the predetermined distance.

(j) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular toFIGS. 1 through 6thereof, a new unattended child warning device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral10will be described.

As best illustrated inFIGS. 1 through 6, the child vehicle occupancy warning system10generally comprises a pressure sensor12configured for detecting a weight of at least 3.0 bs and generally greater than 5.0 lbs positioned thereon. The pressure sensor12is configured to be positioned on a child car seat14and detects the weight of a child on the child car seat14. It should be understood that the pressure sensor12may be positioned within the child car seat14or may be a pad16or similar structure positioned on the child car seat14. A transmitter18is electrically coupled to the pressure sensor12and sends a weight detection signal when the pressure sensor12detects the weight on the child car seat14.

A key fob20is provided and may include a conventional ring22for holding one or more keys. The key fob20includes a fob housing24having a fob processor26positioned therein. A fob transceiver28is mounted in the fob housing24and is electrically coupled to the fob processor26. The fob transceiver28may comprised a conventional transceiver though other means of sending and receiving signals such as passive RFID type assemblies may also be utilized particularly for transmitting a location of the key fob proximate other elements of the system10. A sound emitter30is mounted in the fob housing24and is electrically coupled to the fob transceiver28. A vibrating member32may also be mounted in the fob housing24and electrically coupled to the fob transceiver28. A light34may be mounted on the fob housing24and electrically coupled to the fob transceiver such that the light34is turned on when the vibrating member32or sound emitter30are turned on.

A base unit36is configured for being positioned on a dashboard38of a vehicle. The base unit36includes a base housing40having a bottom surface42comprising an anti-slip material such as an elastomeric material. Attachment members, such as suction cups, may be attached to the bottom surface42. A base processor44is mounted in the base housing40. A base transceiver46for receiving wireless signals from the transmitter18and sending and receiving signals with the fob transceiver28is electrically coupled to the base processor44. The base transceiver46is positioned in the base housing40. The base processor44determines when the fob transceiver28is beyond a predetermined distance from the base unit36.

A warning light emitter48is electrically coupled to the base transceiver46and is mounted on the base housing40. The warning light emitter48preferably has a relatively high intensity light to be easily viewable, during daytime sunlight, from a distance of greater than 100 feet and further may comprise a strobe light. An active light emitter50may also be electrically coupled to the base transceiver46and is mounted on the base housing40. The active light emitter50will comprise a relatively low intensity light such as not to be distracting to a driver of the vehicle but to allow the driver to see that the system10is operational.

In use then, generally, the active light emitter50is turned on when the weight detection signal is received by the base transceiver46and will turn off when no weight detection signal is received by the base transceiver46. Thus, the user of the system10will be able to determine if the pressure sensor12has detected the weight, presumably a child, positioned on the child car seat14. Once the base transceiver46receives the weight detection signal, that is when the pressure sensor12detects weight, the base transceiver46will emit an occupancy warning signal. Conversely, if no weight detection signal is received, the base transceiver46will emit an unoccupied signal. In this manner, the fob transceiver28will receive either the unoccupied signal or the occupancy warning signal when in wireless range of the base transceiver46.

The base processor44receives a fob signal from the fob transceiver28. The base processor44will turn on the warning light emitter48when the weight detection signal is received by the base transceiver46and the fob transceiver28is beyond the predetermined distance. The predetermined distance may be calculated by GPS with a GPS receiver built into each of the fob processor26and the base processor44such that the base processor44may calculate the distance between the key fob20and the base unit36. However, to conserve power, it may be preferred that the predetermine distance may instead be the distance at which the base transceiver46no longer is in wireless communication with the fob transceiver28. Depending on the type and power of the wireless signal being utilized, this distance may be between5.0feet and50.0feet and will typically be between 5.0 feet and 15.0 feet. Once the warning light emitter48is turned on, it is hoped that persons near the vehicle will see flashing light being emitted by the warning light emitter48and investigate to determine that a child has been left in the vehicle.

The fob processor26will therefore be receiving no signal, the occupancy warning signal or the unoccupied signal. If the fob processor26is receiving the occupancy warning signal and then receives no signal, the fob processor26will interpret this as the key fob20having moved beyond the predetermined distance. Because the fob processor26will therefore have last detected the occupancy warning signal subsequent to losing wireless communication with the base transceiver46, the fob processor26will turn on the sound emitter30and the vibrating member34to warn the user of the system10that they have left the vehicle while weight was still being detected on the pressure sensor12. However, if the fob processor26is receiving the unoccupied signal and then receives no signal, the fob processor26will interpret the condition as the key fob20having moved beyond the predetermined distance while no weight was positioned on the pressure sensor12. In this condition the sound emitter30and vibrating member32will not be turned on and will remain in a powered down state.