Abstract:
A restraint system includes a plurality of sensors deployable in a vehicle, a restraint device, and a computing device. The restraint device includes a tether, a collar, an actuator coupled to a stopper, and an identification tag. The computing device is programmed to engage the stopper to prevent the tether from extending beyond a predetermined length upon at least one of the sensors indicating the identification tag.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    Drivers often bring their pets into their vehicles when driving. Pet owners may allow their pets to move freely around the vehicle. However, the pet may interfere with the pet owner driving. Furthermore, the pet may jump out of an open window. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0002]      FIG. 1  is a view of an exemplary restraint system in a vehicle. 
           [0003]      FIG. 2  is an exemplary view of the restraint system with a leash assembly attached to a vehicle seat. 
           [0004]      FIG. 3  is another exemplary view of the restraint system with the leash assembly attached to a seat belt. 
           [0005]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the leash assembly. 
           [0006]      FIG. 5A  is a plan view of a spindle of the leash assembly. 
           [0007]      FIG. 5B  is a cross-sectional view of the spindle of  FIG. 5A  showing actuation of a stopper to stop the spindle. 
           [0008]      FIG. 6  is a block diagram of the restraint system. 
           [0009]      FIG. 7  is a process flow diagram of an example process for operating the restraint system. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0010]    With reference to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views,  FIG. 1  illustrates a system  10  for restraining a pet in a vehicle  11 . The vehicle  11  includes a plurality of location sensors  12 , a console  14 , seats  16 , windows  18 , doors  20 , and a seat belt  22 . 
         [0011]    The location sensors  12  are located throughout the vehicle  11 . A location sensor  12  detects a proximity of a pet collar  32  RFID tag  34 , and provides data indicating a location of the sensor  12  and the proximity of the pet collar  32  in the vehicle  11  to a computer  60  via a network  70 , e.g. WiFi, Bluetooth, etc. The network  70  may include one or more known networks and/or networking technologies, such as wireless communication networks (e.g., Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11, etc.), a cellular network, local area networks (LAN) and/or wide area networks (WAN), including the Internet, providing data communication services. The location sensors may be housed in one or more of the console  14 , the seats  16 , the windows  18 , and the doors  20 . 
         [0012]    The console  14  divides a front compartment of the vehicle  11  and is positioned between the seats  16 . One of the location sensors  12  is located in the console  14  to send a signal of the location of the sensor  12  when actuated. 
         [0013]    The location sensors  12  can define boundaries of a space that a pet may traverse in the vehicle  11 . Specifically, the location sensors  12  identify boundaries within which the pet may move, and at which the pet may be prevented from further movement. For example, a location sensor  12  on the console  14  may be used to prevent the pet from moving toward the driver while the vehicle  11  is in motion, and a location sensor  12  on the window  18  may indicate that the pet is in a position to extend its head, legs, or other body parts out of the open window  18  during operation of the vehicle  11 . 
         [0014]      FIG. 2  illustrates an example of the system  10 . Here, the seat  16  includes a head rest  24 , a seat back  25 , and at least one post  26  connecting the head rest  24  to the seat back  25 . A securing latch  27  secures a leash assembly  28  to one or more posts  26 . The leash assembly  28  includes a case  29  and a tether  30  extending out from the case  29 . The tether  30  attaches to a collar  32  having an identifier tag  34 , e.g., a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag. 
         [0015]    The post  26  allows an anchor point for the leash assembly  28 . By securing the leash assembly  28  to the post  26  with the securing latch  27 , the leash assembly  28  may restrain the pet and the pet will not be able to remove the leash assembly  28  from the post  26 . The post  26  also transfers the energy from the leash assembly  28  as it is pulled by the pet into the seat back  25 , which provides support and is sturdier than other attachment points. The post  26  may be constructed from, e.g., metal, a composite material, etc. 
         [0016]    The securing latch  27  may be any suitable mechanism to secure the leash assembly  28  to an attachment point, e.g., the post  26 . For example, the latch  27  may be a fabric line, a metal lock, a hook-and-loop fastener, an elastic cord, etc. The securing latch  27  may be configured to be easily attachable by a person while difficult to disengage by the pet. 
         [0017]    The leash assembly  28  includes the case  29  and the tether  30  extending out from the case  29 . The case  29  houses the various components of the leash assembly, as discussed below. The tether  30  may extend and retract based on where the pet moves in the vehicle  11 . The tether  30  may be of any material having sufficient flexibility and strength to restrain a pet in the vehicle  11 , e.g., a fabric line, a polymer line, a metallic chain, etc. 
         [0018]    The tether  30  attaches to the collar  32 . The collar  32  attaches to the pet and restrains the pet in conjunction with the leash assembly  28 . The collar may be any of a variety of materials known for pet collars, e.g., fabric, metal, polymer, etc. 
         [0019]    The collar  32  includes an identification tag  34 , e.g., an RFID tag. The identification tag  34  is identifiable by the location sensors  12 . When the identification tag  34  approaches one of the location sensors  12 , the location sensor  12  sends a signal to the leash assembly  28 , which prevents payout of the tether  30  thereby restraining a pet that is secured by the tether  30 . 
         [0020]      FIG. 3  illustrates another example of the system  10 . Here, the latch  27  connects the leash assembly  28  to the seat belt  22 . Specifically, the seat belt  22  includes a buckle portion  36 , and a tongue portion  38 . The latch  27  connects to the tongue portion  38 , allowing the tether  30  to freely move into and out from the case  29 . As in  FIG. 2 , the tether  30  is attached to the collar  32 , which has an RFID tag  34 . 
         [0021]    The seat belt  22  includes the buckle portion  36  and the tongue portion  38 . The buckle portion  36  is fixed to the seat  16 . The tongue portion  38  includes a seat belt webbing (not shown) that is attached to the seat  16 . The securing latch  27  may attach to either the tongue portion  38 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , or the buckle portion  36  (not shown), providing an anchor point for the leash assembly  28 . 
         [0022]    By attaching the leash assembly  28  to the seat belt  22 , the leash assembly  28  may advantageously use the restraint mechanisms of the seat belt  22  (e.g. pretensioners, webbing locks, etc.) to aid in restraining the pet. For example, the seat belt  22  is generally designed to withstand forces equivalent to that of an adult human. Most animals to be restrained by the leash assembly  28  are smaller, i.e., have less mass, than an adult human, so the seat belt  22  will be able to secure the leash assembly  28 . 
         [0023]      FIG. 4  illustrates an exploded view of the leash assembly  28 . The leash assembly  28  includes the case  29 , including an upper case  42  and a lower case  56 , a battery  44 , a spring  46 , a motor  48 , a stopper  50 , a proximity sensor  52 , and a spindle  54 . The tether  30  wraps around the spindle  54  and extends through the case  29 . 
         [0024]    The upper case  42  and the lower case  56  (together forming the case  29 ) house the components of the leash assembly  28 . The case  29  may be of any suitable construction to house the components and may be constructed of, e.g., a polymer, a metal, a composite, etc. 
         [0025]    The battery  44  powers the components of the leash assembly  28 , including the motor  48  and the proximity sensor  52 . The battery  44  may be of any suitable type, e.g., lithium-ion. 
         [0026]    The spring  46  works in conjunction with the spindle  54  to retract the tether  30 . As the pet pulls on the tether  30  and the tether  30  unrolls from the spindle  54 , energy is stored in the spring  46 . When the pet moves such that the tether  30  has slack, the spring  46  unwinds and rotates the spindle  54 , retracting the tether  30  around the spindle  54 . The spring  46  may be arranged to absorb and release rotational energy of the spindle  54 , and may be disposed in the interior of the spindle  54 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , or in any suitable position to rotate the spindle  54  to retract the tether  30 . 
         [0027]    The spindle  54  houses the tether  30  and the spring  46 . The spindle  54  may be constructed of any suitable material, e.g. metal, polymer, etc. The tether  30  wraps around the spindle  54  for release and retraction of the tether  30 . 
         [0028]    The motor  48  moves the stopper  50  into the spindle  54  to prevent rotation of the spindle  54  and restrains the tether  30 . The motor  48  is of any type that may be provided to move the stopper  50 , e.g., a brushless electric motor, and is communicatively connected to the battery  44  and the proximity sensor  52 . The stopper  50  may be, e.g., a pointed object configured to apply friction to a part of the spindle  54  to stop the spindle  54  from rotating. 
         [0029]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  illustrate how the leash assembly  28  stops the tether  30 .  FIG. 5A  shows the spindle  54  with the tether  30  wrapped around the spindle  54  and the spring  46  contained within. The spindle  54  has a plurality of spaces  58 . 
         [0030]    As shown in  FIG. 5B , when activated by the proximity sensor  52 , the motor  48  moves the stopper into one of the spaces  58 , stopping rotation of the spindle  54  and the tether  30 , restraining the pet. The stopper  50  is designed to fit into one of the spaces  58 , thus preventing the spindle  54  from rotating any further and preventing release of the tether  30 . When the proximity sensor  52  is moved away from one of the location sensors  12 , the motor  48  deactivates, releasing the stopper  50  and allowing the spindle  54  to move freely. 
         [0031]    The location sensors  12  are situated in the vehicle  11  to define the area that the pet may traverse. For example, it is undesirable to have the pet interfere with the driver, so the location sensor  12  in the console  14  would prevent the pet from moving beyond the console  14 . Similarly, the location sensors  12  in the doors  20  and the windows  18  prevent the pet from leaving the vehicle  11  if the doors  20  and the windows  18  are open. 
         [0032]      FIG. 6  illustrates a block diagram of the system  10 . The system  10  includes the vehicle  11 , which includes the computing device  60 , the location sensors  12 , and the leash assembly  28 . The computing device  60  includes a bus  62 , a processor  64 , a memory  66 , and a data store  68 . The bus  62  may be, e.g., a controller area network (CAN) bus or the like, such as is known, to provide various communications, including one or more instructions from the memory  66  to the processor  64 . 
         [0033]    The system  10  further includes the network  70  which transmits data between the computing device  60 , the location sensors  12 , and the actuator  52 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 7  illustrates a process  100  for restraining the pet with the system  10 . The process  100  begins in a block  105 , where the computing device  60  determines whether it has received data from one or more location sensors  12  indicating that the identification tag  34  is in proximity to each of the one or more location sensors  12 . If so, the process  100  moves to a block  110 . Otherwise, the process  100  moves to a block  125 . 
         [0035]    In the block  110 , the location sensor  12  sends a signal over the network  70  to the computing device  60  to actuate the leash assembly  28 . 
         [0036]    Next, in a block  115 , the computing device  60  sends a signal over the network  70  to the actuator  52  in the leash assembly  28 . 
         [0037]    Next, in a block  120 , the actuator  52  activates the motor  48 , moving the stopper  50  into one of the spaces  58  on the spindle  54 , stopping payout of the tether  30 . 
         [0038]    Next, in the block  125 , the computing device  60  determines whether the computing device  60  is still receiving a signal from one of the location sensors  12 . If so, the process  100  ends. If not, the process  100  moves to a block  130 . 
         [0039]    In the block  130 , the computing device  60  sends a deactivation signal over the network  70  to the actuator  52 . 
         [0040]    Next, in a block  135 , the actuator  52  deactivates the motor  48 , releasing the stopper  50  and allowing payout of the tether  30 , and the process  100  ends. 
         [0041]    Computing devices generally each include instructions executable by one or more computing devices such as those identified above, and for carrying out blocks or steps of processes described above. Computer-executable instructions may be compiled or interpreted from computer programs created using a variety of programming languages and/or technologies, including, without limitation, and either alone or in combination, Java™, C, C++, Visual Basic, Java Script, Perl, HTML, etc. In general, a processor (e.g., a microprocessor) receives instructions, e.g., from a memory, a computer-readable medium, etc., and executes these instructions, thereby performing one or more processes, including one or more of the processes described herein. Such instructions and other data may be stored and transmitted using a variety of computer-readable media. A file in the computing device is generally a collection of data stored on a computer readable medium, such as a storage medium, a random access memory, etc. 
         [0042]    The memory  66  and the data store  68  may each be, e.g., a computer-readable medium. The memory  66  stores instructions executable by the processor  64  to control the motor  48 . A computer-readable medium includes any medium that participates in providing data (e.g., instructions), which may be read by a computer. Such a medium may take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, etc. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical or magnetic disks and other persistent memory. Volatile media include dynamic random access memory (DRAM), which typically constitutes a main memory. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EEPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can read. 
         [0043]    Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present disclosure, including the above description and the accompanying figures and below claims, is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided would be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading the above description. The scope of the invention should be determined, not with reference to the above description, but should instead be determined with reference to claims appended hereto and/or included in a non-provisional patent application based hereon, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is anticipated and intended that future developments will occur in the arts discussed herein, and that the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. In sum, it should be understood that the disclosed subject matter is capable of modification and variation. 
         [0044]    The disclosure has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Many modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possible in light of the above teachings, and the disclosure may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.