Abstract:
A device and method for detecting operating conditions of a vehicle that could lead to toxic levels of carbon monoxide (CO) is disclosed. The device is inserted into an On-board Diagnostics (OBD-II) plug on a vehicle. It monitors operating conditions of the vehicle and detects situations that could lead to a toxic buildup of CO. If the situation where the engine running but the vehicle speed is not moving is detected, a signal is generated to cause a garage door to open. As an alternative, the method is accomplished in a processing device integral to the vehicle.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The invention relates generally to vehicle safety devices and more particularly to a device for protecting users from unsafe levels of carbon monoxide caused by vehicle operation in an enclosed space. 
     The dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning are well known. At high levels, carbon monoxide is toxic to humans. Many modern processes have the potential to produce lethal amounts of CO, and one of the most common places where carbon monoxide poisoning occurs is in the home, whether from a furnace or space heater malfunction, or from an unattended vehicle running in a closed garage. 
     CO is a gas that is odorless and colorless, therefore, it is difficult if not impossible for humans to detect that they are being poisoned, particularly while sleeping. For this reason, devices have been developed to monitor air quality and sound an alarm if a toxic level of CO is detected, similar to a smoke detector. 
     There are several types of sensors used in CO detectors. The simplest is a pad containing a chemical that changes color when exposed to CO. A biomimetic sensor operates similarly but uses chemicals that darken in proportion to the amount of CO in the environment, thus providing a more fine-tuned and reliable detection. An electrochemical sensor uses a fuel cell that generates a signal current related to the amount of CO in the atmosphere. Finally, a semiconductor sensor includes a sensing element that responds to CO in the atmosphere by changing its resistance, which can be monitored by an integrated circuit. 
     All of these sensors have downsides. The first three are chemical based, and therefore have a useful operational lifespan of approximately 5-7 years, sometimes much less. The semiconductor sensor must be heated to approximately 400° C., resulting in a large power demand and a useful lifespan of approximately 5-10 years. In addition, CO detectors are sensitive to their environment, and become less effective in environments experiencing temperature extremes, such as would exist in a garage, for example. 
     Thus, a need exists for a simple-to-use, reliable device that will protect against CO poisoning in a wide range of operating environments by detecting the root cause of the CO generation. 
     SUMMARY 
     The invention in one implementation encompasses a device and method for detecting operating conditions of a vehicle that could lead to toxic levels of carbon monoxide. 
     The apparatus according to an implementation of the invention includes a connector for inserting the device into the OBD-II plug of the vehicle and receiving data describing the operating condition of the vehicle and a body attached to the connector, said body enclosing at least a processor for receiving the data and detecting that the engine is running while the vehicle is not moving and generating a signal, a timer receiving the signal from the processor and starting a countdown period and a wireless interface for interacting with a garage door opener to open a garage door when the countdown period expires. 
     Another implementation of the invention encompasses a method for monitoring the operating conditions of a vehicle that could result in toxic levels of carbon monoxide (CO) including the steps of:
         a) determining that the vehicle engine is running;   b) if so, determining whether or not the vehicle is moving;   c) if it is not moving, activating a timer;   d) determining whether or not the timer has expired;   e) if not, determining whether the vehicle speed is moving and if so, resetting the timer and returning to step a);   f) if so, determining whether the engine is not running and if so, returning to step a) otherwise returning to step d);   g) if the timer has expired, send a signal to a garage door opener requesting a communication session; and   h) determining whether or not the garage door is open and if not, opening the garage door.       

    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Features of example implementations of the invention will become apparent from the description, the claims, and the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  depicts a device according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  depicts the device of  FIG. 1  in exploded view. 
         FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating a method performed by the device of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The OBD-II (On-board diagnostics) system became mandatory equipment on all vehicles sold in the United States in 1996. An OBD-II plug provides access to an on-board computer that monitors and reports the status of various vehicle subsystems. Various tools can be attached to the OBD-II plug for the purposes of reading codes and data related to vehicle performance. 
     According to an embodiment as shown in  FIG. 1 , the invention encompasses a CO alarm device  100  that is inserted into an OBD-II plug  110  in a vehicle (not shown). CO alarm device  100  has a case body  114  and a cover  116 , described in more detail below. Although a rectangular shape is shown, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that CO alarm device  100  could have a variety of shapes and dimensions so as to be conveniently located in a vehicle. In an improvement over the prior art, the inventive CO alarm device does not rely on sensing CO in the atmosphere. Instead, the CO alarm device monitors the operating parameters of the vehicle and detects conditions that have the potential to lead to toxic levels of CO. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , a CO alarm device  100  according to the invention is designed to be plugged into an OBD-II connector  110  located in a vehicle (not shown) by means of pins  112 . A case body  114  contains components for accomplishing the invention. In an embodiment, a cover  116  is attached to case body  114  by means of screws  118 , although one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that cover  116  could be attached to case body  114  by other means. 
     Components inside case body  114  include a microcontroller board  120  attached to case body  114  by means of screws  122 . In an embodiment, microcontroller board  120  is an Arduino UNO® but any similar microcontroller board could be used, whether off-the-shelf or custom designed. A garage door opener circuit board  124  is attached to a communication interface board  126  for communicating with a garage door opener. In an embodiment, communication interface board  126  is an Arduino® SLAVE Bluetooth® Device, although other communication protocols could be used, for example, WiFi® or RF (radio frequency) signals. Communication interface board  126  is attached to microcontroller board  120  by means of screws  128  and spacers  130 , although one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that alternative mechanisms could be used to for attachment. 
     A flowchart illustrating the operation of the CO alarm device  100  is shown in  FIG. 3 . Start block  200  indicates a waiting state where device  100  monitors the output of OBD-II connector  110  of  FIG. 1  looking for appropriate codes. In step  202 , device  100  detects if the vehicle is running. If not, no action is taken at  204 . If the vehicle is running in step  202 , the inventive method detects whether or not the vehicle is moving in step  206 . This could be indicated by detecting vehicle speed=0, or detecting the transmission gear in Park, for example. If the vehicle is moving then this does not constitute a dangerous operating condition for the vehicle, no action is taken at  204  and the method returns to step  200  to monitor the output of OBD-II Connector  110 . If the answer at decision block  204  is yes, indicating that the engine is running but the vehicle is in park or otherwise not moving, a timer is activated at step  208 . In an embodiment, the timer is set for 15 minutes but a range of times could be used, for example, from  5  to approximately 30 minutes. The timer should be set for a time that is longer than the average stoplight or traffic stop, but shorter than the time required for an unsafe build-up of CO. One of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the timer could be incremented or decremented. 
     In step  210 , device  100  detects whether or not the timer has expired. If the timer has not reached 15 minutes in step  210 , at step  212  it is detected whether or not the vehicle is still not moving, as explained above. If the vehicle has started moving, it is assumed that the vehicle stopped for a reason other than parking in a garage, the timer is reset at step  216  and the method returns to block  200 . If the vehicle is still not moving, the method checks to see if the engine has been turned off at step  214 . If so, this indicates that a dangerous condition does not exist, no action is taken at step  204  and the method returns to block  200 . However, if the result of decision block  214  is no, this indicates a condition where the vehicle is not moving but the engine is still running, so the method returns to step  210  and the timer continues to run. 
     After step  210 , once the timer has expired, a signal is sent to the garage door operator in step  218 . Communication with the garage door is performed wirelessly using, for example, a Bluetooth® protocol as explained above. In an alternative embodiment, step  218  could also be performed before the timer is activated. 
     In step  220 , device  100  detects whether or not the garage door is open. If so, the process ends since the exhaust from the vehicle should be adequately vented. If the garage door is not open, the method proceeds to step  222 , where a signal is sent to the operator to open the garage door, thereby preventing an unsafe condition. 
     In an embodiment, communication between device  100  and a garage door operator is limited to a certain distance, for example, less than 15 feet. This is to allow for situations where a vehicle operator may leave a vehicle temporarily running in a location that is not enclosed, for example, a driveway. 
     In a further embodiment, step  222  also includes the action of sending a message to a user&#39;s cell phone or similar device. 
     Although a standalone device for connecting to a vehicle&#39;s OBD-II connector has been disclosed, in an alternative embodiment, a method according to the present invention could also be incorporated within a processor on the vehicle itself. 
     The apparatus  100  in one example comprises a plurality of components such as one or more of electronic components, hardware components, and computer software components. A number of such components can be combined or divided in the apparatus  100 . An example component of the apparatus  100  employs and/or comprises a set and/or series of computer instructions written in or implemented with any of a number of programming languages, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. The apparatus  100  in one example comprises any (e.g., horizontal, oblique, or vertical) orientation, with the description and figures herein illustrating one example orientation of the apparatus  100 , for explanatory purposes. 
     The steps or operations described herein are just for example. There may be many variations to these steps or operations without departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, the steps may be performed in a differing order, or steps may be added, deleted, or modified. 
     Although example implementations of the invention have been depicted and described in detail herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that various modifications, additions, substitutions, and the like can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and these are therefore considered to be within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.