Patent Publication Number: US-2022227290-A1

Title: Vehicle alarm

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Center high-mounted stop lamps (CHMSL) are brake lamps positioned above a rear window of a vehicle and centered laterally on the vehicle. CHMSLs have been required by United States regulations for new cars and light trucks since the 1990s. The purpose of the CHMSL is to be visible to other vehicles. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a rear perspective view of an example vehicle. 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view of a center high-mounted stop lamp (CHMSL) unit of the vehicle. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective cutaway view of the CHMSL unit. 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram of the vehicle. 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram of a first example of a predesignated area. 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram of a second example of a predesignated area. 
         FIGS. 7A and 7B  are together a process flow diagram of an example process for activating an alarm for an object in a predesignated area. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A computer includes a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to detect an object in data received from a rear-facing radar on a vehicle, and activate an alarm in response to the object moving through a predesignated region behind the vehicle at a speed below a threshold speed or for a duration above a threshold time. 
     The instructions may include instructions to receive a plurality of inputs from a mobile device, and generate the predesignated region based on the inputs. The inputs may be positions of the mobile device, and the predesignated region may be circumscribed by the positions. 
     The instructions may include instructions to prevent the alarm from activating in response to the vehicle being in a gear other than park. 
     The instructions may include instructions to detect a trailer behind the vehicle, and the predesignated region may be a region between the vehicle and the trailer. The vehicle may be a first vehicle, the alarm may be a first alarm, and the instructions may include instructions to activate a second alarm in response to the object being present in the predesignated region while detecting a second vehicle that is rearward from the trailer relative to the first vehicle and that is moving forward relative to the first vehicle. Activating the second alarm may be illuminating a brake lamp of the vehicle. 
     The instructions may include instructions to prevent the alarm from activating in response to the object being present in the predesignated region while detecting a second vehicle that is rearward from the trailer relative to the first vehicle and that is moving forward relative to the first vehicle. 
     Detecting the trailer may include receiving a message from the trailer via Bluetooth Low Energy. 
     Detecting the trailer may include receiving image data from a camera including the trailer and performing image recognition on the trailer. 
     The instructions may include instructions to determine that the object is a person, recognize the person, and prevent the alarm from activating in response to recognizing the person. Recognizing the person may include receiving image data from a camera including a face of the person and performing image recognition on the face. 
     Recognizing the person may include receiving a message from a mobile device or key fob of the person. 
     A system includes a rear-facing radar on a vehicle, an alarm on the vehicle, and a computer communicatively coupled to the radar and the alarm, and the computer is programmed to detect an object in data received from the radar, activate the alarm in response to the object moving through a predesignated region behind the vehicle at a speed below a threshold speed or for a duration above a threshold time. 
     The system may further include a center high-mounted stop lamp (CHMSL) housing containing the radar, and the radar may be arranged in the CHMSL housing so that a field of view of the radar encompasses a storage area of the vehicle when the CHMSL housing is installed. The system may further include a lamp contained in the CHMSL housing and communicatively coupled to the computer, the vehicle may be a first vehicle, and the computer may be further programmed to detect a trailer behind the vehicle, the predesignated region being a region between the vehicle and the trailer; and activate the lamp in response to the object being present in the predesignated region while detecting a second vehicle that is rearward from the trailer relative to the first vehicle and that is moving forward relative to the first vehicle. 
     The system may further include a camera contained in the CHMSL housing and communicatively coupled to the computer, the computer may be further programmed to detect a trailer behind the vehicle by using image recognition on data received from the camera, and the predesignated region may be a region between the vehicle and the trailer. 
     The system may further include a camera contained in the CHMSL housing and communicatively coupled to the computer, and the computer may be further programmed to determine that the object is a person, recognize the person by performing image recognition on a face of the person in data received from the camera, and prevent the alarm from activating in response to recognizing the person. 
     The system may further include a camera contained in the CHMSL housing and communicatively coupled to the computer, and the computer may be further programmed to turn on the camera in response to the object moving through the predesignated region. 
     A method includes detecting an object in data received from a rear-facing radar on a vehicle, and activating an alarm in response to the object moving through a predesignated region behind the vehicle at a speed below a threshold speed or for a duration above a threshold time. 
     With reference to the Figures, a computer  102  includes a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to detect an object  104  in data received from a rear-facing radar  106  on a first vehicle  100  and activate a first alarm in response to the object  104  moving through a predesignated region  108  behind the first vehicle  100  at a speed below a threshold speed or for a duration above a threshold time. 
     The radar  106  is positioned to detect an object  104  such as a person that is passing near a storage area  114  of the vehicle  100  such as a bed of the pickup truck. A pickup truck bed is typically open, which exposes the contents of the bed. When the object  104  detected by the radar  106  is a person, the system herein provides a way to determine whether the person is quickly passing by the vehicle  100  or whether the person is loitering, based on the speed with which the person is walking or the duration during which the person lingers near the bed of the vehicle  100 . There is a higher risk of theft when the person is loitering than when the person is passing by, and the system can selectively activate the first alarm in the higher-risk situation and not the lower-risk situation. The first alarm can be, e.g., one or more of speakers  110  able to generate a sound, brake lamps  116 ,  122  able to flash, etc. 
     With reference to  FIG. 1 , the first vehicle  100  may be any suitable type of automobile, e.g., a passenger or commercial automobile such as a sedan, a coupe, a truck, a sport utility, a crossover, a van, a minivan, a taxi, a bus, etc. 
     The first vehicle  100  may include a body  112 . The first vehicle  100  may be of a unibody construction, in which a frame and the body  112  of the first vehicle  100  are a single component. The first vehicle  100  may, alternatively, be of a body  112 -on-frame construction, in which the frame supports the body  112  that is a separate component from the frame. The frame and body  112  may be formed of any suitable material, for example, steel, aluminum, etc. 
     The body  112  of the first vehicle  100  includes a storage area  114 , i.e., an area to place cargo to be transported by the vehicle. The storage area  114  can be exposed, such as a pickup-truck bed, as shown in  FIG. 1 . The storage area  114  can alternatively or additionally include a covering, such as a truck bed or a vehicle trunk with a lid. 
     The first vehicle  100  includes corner lamps  116 . The corner lamps  116  can be located at rear right and left corners of the first vehicle  100 . The corner lamps  116  may be any lighting system suitable for easy visibility by other vehicles operating near the first vehicle  100 , e.g., tungsten, halogen, high-intensity discharge (HID) such as xenon, light-emitting diode (LED), laser, etc. The corner lamps  116  can include casings that are transparent and, e.g., partially colored red to indicate braking, i.e., the corner lamps  116  are brake lamps. Another portion of the casings may be noncolored to indicate shifting into reverse, and another portion may be amber to indicate a turn signal. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the first vehicle  100  includes a center high-mounted stop lamp (CHMSL) housing  118 . The CHMSL housing  118  contains the radar  106 , a camera  120 , and at least one CHMSL lamp  122 . The CHMSL housing  118  can include an internal panel  124  and a lamp panel  126 . The internal panel  124  can be concealed inside the body  112  of the first vehicle  100 . The lamp panel  126  can be exposed on the body  112  of the first vehicle  100 . Some or all of the lamp panel  126  is transparent, and some or all of the transparent portion of the lamp panel  126  is colored, e.g., red to indicate braking. The lamp panel  126  covers the CHMSL lamps  122 , which can be illuminated to indicate the vehicle is braking, i.e., the CHMSL lamps  122  are brake lamps, and/or shifted into reverse. 
     The CHMSL lamps  122  are positioned inside the CHMSL housing  118 . The CHMSL lamps  122  may be any lighting system suitable for easy visibility by other vehicles operating near the first vehicle  100 , e.g., tungsten, halogen, high-intensity discharge (HID) such as xenon, light-emitting diode (LED), laser, etc. 
     The radar  106  is suitable for detecting objects  104 , e.g., in or near the storage area  114 . The radar  106  as is known uses radio waves to determine the relative location, angle, and/or velocity of an object  104  by tracking the time required for the radio waves generated by the radar  106  to reflect back to the radar  106 . The radar  106  runs at a scanning rate, which is a frequency of generating and transmitting the radio waves, e.g., twice per second, four times per second, etc. The power draw, i.e., the rate of power consumption, of the radar  106  depends on the scanning rate, i.e., typically is higher for higher scanning rates. 
     The radar  106  can be arranged in the CHMSL housing  118  so that a field of view of the radar  106  encompasses the storage area  114  of the first vehicle  100  and a region behind the first vehicle  100  when the CHMSL housing  118  is installed. For example, the radar  106  can be bolted into a fixed position  134  relative to the CHMSL housing  118 . The radar  106  can face rearward and downward. 
     The camera  120  is any optical sensor or camera suitable for providing detailed data about a surrounding area, e.g., the storage area  114  and objects  104  in or near the storage area  114  or behind the first vehicle  100 . The camera  120  as is known detects electromagnetic radiation in some range of wavelengths. For example, the camera  120  may detect visible light, infrared radiation, ultraviolet light, or some range of wavelengths including visible, infrared, and/or ultraviolet light. The power draw of the camera  120  is higher than the power draw of the radar  106 , for any scanning rate of the radar  106 . 
     The camera  120  can be arranged in the CHMSL housing  118  so that a field of view of the camera  120  encompasses the storage area  114  and a region behind the first vehicle  100  when the CHMSL housing  118  is installed. For example, the camera  120  can be bolted into a fixed position  134  relative to the CHMSL housing  118 . The camera  120  can face rearward and downward. 
     With reference to  FIG. 4 , the computer  102  is a microprocessor-based computing device, e.g., a generic computing device including a processor and a memory, an electronic controller or the like, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The computer  102  can thus include a processor, a memory, etc. The memory of the computer  102  can include media for storing instructions executable by the processor as well as for electronically storing data and/or databases, and/or the computer  102  can include structures such as the foregoing by which programming is provided. The computer  102  can be multiple computers coupled together. 
     The computer  102  may transmit and receive data through a communications network  128  such as a controller area network (CAN) bus, Ethernet, WiFi, Local Interconnect Network (LIN), onboard diagnostics connector (OBD-II), and/or by any other wired or wireless communications network. The computer  102  may be communicatively coupled to the radar  106 , the camera  120 , the corner lamps  116 , the CHMSL lamps  122 , a transceiver  130 , the speakers  11 , and other components via the communications network  128 . 
     The transceiver  130  may be adapted to transmit signals wirelessly through any suitable wireless communication protocol, such as Bluetooth®, WiFi, IEEE 802.11a/b/g, other RF (radio frequency) communications, etc. The transceiver  130  may be adapted to communicate with a remote server, that is, a server distinct and spaced from the vehicle. The remote server may be located outside the vehicle. For example, the remote server may be associated with another vehicle (e.g., V2V communications), an infrastructure component (e.g., V2I communications via Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) or the like), an emergency responder, a mobile device  132  associated with the owner of the vehicle, etc. The transceiver  130  may be one device or may include a separate transmitter and receiver. 
     The mobile device  132  is a portable computing device such as a mobile phone, e.g., a smartphone, or a tablet. The mobile device  132  is a computing device including a processor and a memory. The mobile device  132  is owned and carried by a person who may be the operator or owner of the first vehicle  100 . 
     The speakers  110  are positioned to project sound externally from the first vehicle  100 . The speakers  110  are electroacoustic transducers that convert an electrical signal into sound. The speakers  110  can be any suitable type for producing sound audible to individuals in the vicinity of the first vehicle  100 , e.g., dynamic. The speakers  110  can include a horn of the first vehicle  100 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the computer  102  monitors data from the radar  106  and the camera  120  for certain behavior in the predesignated region  108 , as described below with respect to a process  700 . The predesignated region  108  is a bounded area located behind the first vehicle  100 . The predesignated region  108  can also encompass part of the first vehicle  100 , e.g., the storage area  114 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the predesignated region  108  can be generated based on input from a user, as described in more detail below with respect to blocks  704 - 708 . The input can be a plurality of positions  134 , represented as respective coordinates. The coordinates can be in an absolute coordinate system, e.g., based on GPS, or the coordinates can be in a coordinate system measured relative to the first vehicle  100 . The predesignated region  108  can be circumscribed by the positions  134 , i.e., can be a shape with edges connecting the positions  134 , with the location of the CHMSL housing  118  as one of the positions  134  in addition to the positions  134  provided by the inputs. For example, the predesignated region  108  can be a shape formed by connecting each position  134  in the order that the positions  134  were received as input, even if the shape is concave. Alternatively, the predesignated region  108  can be the smallest convex shape encompassing all the points, as shown in  FIG. 5 . A shape is called convex if, for any two points in the shape, the straight-line segment joining them lies entirely within the shape, and concave otherwise. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the predesignated region  108  can be generated based on detecting a trailer  138 , as described in more detail below with respect to blocks  712  and  716  of the process  700 . The predesignated region  108  can be a region between the first vehicle  100  and the trailer  138 . The predesignated region  108  can extend longitudinally relative to the first vehicle  100  from a point on the first vehicle  100 , e.g., the CHMSL housing  118 , to the trailer  138 , and the predesignated region  108  can extend laterally relative to the vehicle in both direction to a predefined distance beyond either the first vehicle  100  or the trailer  138 , whichever is farther. In  FIG. 6 , the first vehicle  100  and the trailer  138  are shown parked on a shoulder of a roadway  140  with an approaching second vehicle  136 , but the first vehicle  100  and the trailer  138  could be parked in any environment. 
       FIGS. 7A and 7B  together are a process flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process  700  for activating an alarm for an object  104  in a predesignated area under certain conditions. The memory of the computer  102  stores executable instructions for performing the steps of the process  700  and/or programming can be implemented in structures such as mentioned above. 
     As a general overview of the process  700 , the computer  102  generates the predesignated region  108  based on receiving a plurality of inputs in sequence if the user selects to use the inputs. If the user does not select to use the inputs, the computer  102  receives sensor data and, if a trailer  138  is detected, generates the predesignated region  108  between the first vehicle  100  and the trailer  138 . If no trailer  138  is detected, the computer  102  uses a default predesignated region  108 , e.g., the storage area  114 . The computer  102  receives radar data and, if an object  104  is detected, turns on the camera  120 . In response to detecting a second vehicle  136  that is rearward from the trailer  138  relative to the first vehicle  100  and that is moving forward relative to the first vehicle  100 , the computer  102  prevents a first alarm and activates a second alarm. The first alarm can be the speakers  110  or can be both the speakers  110  and the brake lamps  116 ,  122 , and the second alarm can be the brake lamps  116 ,  122  alone. Otherwise, if the first vehicle  100  is not in park, the computer  102  prevents any alarm from activating. If the first vehicle  100  is in park, the computer  102  performs image recognition and, if the object  104  is a recognized person, prevents any alarm from activating. Otherwise, the computer  102  activates the first alarm in response to the object  104  moving through a predesignated region  108  behind the first vehicle  100  at a speed below a threshold speed or for a duration above a threshold time. 
     The process  700  begins in a decision block  702 , in which the computer  102  determines whether the user has selected to generate the predesignated region  108  by using the inputs, e.g., via an application on the mobile device  132  that is in communication with the computer  102  via the transceiver  130 . For example, the user can select to use the inputs by starting the application for providing the plurality of inputs of the positions  134 . If the user has selected to generate the predesignated region  108  with the inputs, the process  700  proceeds to a block  704 . If the user has selected not to generate the predesignated region  108  with the inputs or has not made any selection, the process  700  proceeds to a block  710 . 
     In the block  704 , the computer  102  receives a next input from the mobile device  132 . The respective inputs are the respective positions  134  for generating the predesignated region  108  as shown in  FIG. 5 . For example, the user can create the input by standing with the mobile device  132  at the position  134  desired for the input and selecting an option in the application to create the next input. The input can thus include the position  134  of the mobile device  132  at the time of creating the input. The mobile device  132  can use built-in GPS functionality to determine the position  134  of the mobile device  132  and then send that position  134  as the input. 
     Next, in a decision block  706 , the computer  102  determines whether the user has selected an option in the application indicating that all the inputs have been sent to the computer  102 . If not, the process  700  returns to the block  704  to receive the next input. If so, the process  700  proceeds to a block  708 . 
     In the block  708 , the computer  102  generates the predesignated region  108  based on the inputs. As described above and shown in  FIG. 5 , the predesignated region  108  can be generated as a shape circumscribed by the positions  134 , i.e., with edges connecting the positions  134  into the shape. After the block  708 , the process  700  proceeds to a block  718 . 
     In the block  710 , i.e., if the user has not selected to generate the predesignated region  108  with the inputs, the computer  102  receives data from the radar  106  and/or the camera  120 , e.g., radar data from the radar  106  and image data from the camera  120 . 
     Next, in a decision block  712 , the computer  102  detects whether the trailer  138  is behind the first vehicle  100 . For example, the trailer  138  can be equipped with a Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) transmitter, and detecting the trailer  138  can mean receiving a message from the trailer  138  via BLE. Because BLE has a short range, the BLE message indicates that the trailer  138  is nearby. For another example, the computer  102  can perform image recognition techniques on image data received from the camera  120  to recognize the trailer  138  in the image data. The computer  102  can identify the trailer  138  using conventional image-recognition techniques, e.g., a convolutional neural network programmed to accept images as input and output an identified object. A convolutional neural network includes a series of layers, with each layer using the previous layer as input. Each layer contains a plurality of neurons that receive as input data generated by a subset of the neurons of the previous layers and generate output that is sent to neurons in the next layer. Types of layers include convolutional layers, which compute a dot product of a weight and a small region of input data; pool layers, which perform a downsampling operation along spatial dimensions; and fully connected layers, which generate based on the output of all neurons of the previous layer. The final layer of the convolutional neural network generates a score for each potential object, and the final output is the object such as “trailer” with the highest score. If the computer  102  does not detect the trailer  138  behind the first vehicle  100 , the process  700  proceeds to a block  714 . If the computer  102  detects the trailer  138  behind the first vehicle  100 , the process  700  proceeds to a block  716 . 
     In the block  714 , the computer  102  uses a default predesignated region  108 . The default predesignated region  108  is stored in memory. For example, the default predesignated region  108  can be just the storage area  114 . For another example, the default predesignated region  108  can be the storage area  114  along with up to a predefined distance directly behind the vehicle  100 . The predefined distance can be chosen to encompass an area in which a person standing would be in reach of the storage area  114 . After the block  714 , the process  700  proceeds to a block  718 . 
     In the block  716 , the computer  102  generates the predesignated region  108  between the first vehicle  100  and the trailer  138 . As described above and shown in  FIG. 6 , the predesignated region  108  can extend longitudinally relative to the first vehicle  100  from a point on the first vehicle  100 , e.g., the CHMSL housing  118 , to the trailer  138 , and the predesignated region  108  can extend laterally relative to the vehicle in both direction to a predefined distance beyond either the first vehicle  100  or the trailer  138 , whichever is farther. The predefined distance can be chosen to provide sufficient time to activate the camera  120  (as described below with respect to a block  722 ) in response to detecting an object  104  before the object  104  is in reach of the first vehicle  100 , if the object  104  is a person. 
     Next, in the block  718 , the computer  102  receives radar data from the radar  106 . After the predesignated region  108  was generated in the block  708  or the block  716 , the user may have chosen to turn off the first vehicle  100 . When the first vehicle  100  is off, the camera  120  may be deactivated to save power while leaving the radar  106  activated because the radar  106  has a lower power draw than the camera  120 . 
     Next, in a decision block  720 , the computer  102  determines whether an object  104  has been detected in the radar data, specifically a newly present object  104  in the predesignated region  108 . For example, the computer  102  can determine from the radar data received from the radar  106  that radio waves in some direction indicate a shorter distance to the object  104  than before. If the computer  102  has not detected an object  104 , the process  700  returns to the block  718  to continue monitoring the radar data. If the computer  102  has detected an object  104 , the process  700  proceeds to a block  722 . 
     In the block  722 , the computer  102  turns on the camera  120  if the camera  120  is off. For example, the camera  120  may have been turned off based on the first vehicle  100  being turned off. 
     Next, in a block  724 , the computer  102  receives data from the radar  106  and/or the camera  120 , e.g., radar data from the radar  106  and image data from the camera  120 . 
     Next, in a decision block  726 , the computer  102  determines whether the predesignated region  108  was generated based on the trailer  138 , i.e., whether the block  716  was performed rather than the block  708  or the block  714 . If the predesignated region  108  is based on the inputs from the user, the process  700  proceeds to a decision block  732 . If the predesignated region  108  is based on the presence of the trailer  138 , the process  700  proceeds to a decision block  728 . 
     In the decision block  728 , the computer  102  determines whether the object  104  is present in the predesignated region  108  while the second vehicle  136  is rearward from the trailer  138  relative to the first vehicle  100  and moving forward relative to the first vehicle  100 . This situation is depicted in  FIG. 6 . As shown, if the object  104  is a person, the person&#39;s line of sight to the second vehicle  136  may be blocked by the trailer  138 . The computer  102  may use the radar data and/or the image data to make the determination. The radar data may indicate that a distance to an object  104  in a region rearward from the trailer  138  is decreasing. The image data may be subject to image recognition techniques such as described above. If there is not a second vehicle  136  that is rearward from the trailer  138  and moving forward, the process  700  proceeds to the decision block  732 . In response to detecting the second vehicle  136  that is rearward from the trailer  138  and moving forward, the process  700  proceeds to a block  730 . 
     In the block  730 , the computer  102  prevents the first alarm from activating and activates the second alarm. The first alarm can be the speakers  110  or can be both the speakers  110  and the brake lamps  116 ,  122 , and the second alarm can be the brake lamps  116 ,  122  alone. Activating the second alarm can be illuminating the brake lamps  116 ,  122 . Because the first alarm uses the speakers  110  and the second alarm doesn&#39;t, the second alarm has a lower likelihood of provoking a startle response from the person than the first alarm, while still providing a warning to the person. After the block  730 , the process  700  ends. 
     In the decision block  732 , the computer  102  determines whether the first vehicle  100  is in park or is in a gear other than park, e.g., first, second, reverse, neutral, etc. The gear of the first vehicle  100  can be broadcast by a control module over the communications network  128 . If the first vehicle  100  is in park, the process  700  proceeds to a block  734 . In response to the first vehicle  100  being in a gear other than park, the process  700  proceeds to a block  742 . 
     In the block  734 , the computer  102  can recognize a person, e.g., a face of the person, as the object  104  using conventional image-recognition techniques. Image data of the faces of certain people can be stored in the memory of the computer  102 , e.g., owners or regular operators of the first vehicle  100 . For example, the computer  102  can use a convolutional neural network programmed to accept the image data from the camera  120  as input and output an identified object  104 , e.g., a person or a particular face. A convolutional neural network includes a series of layers, with each layer using the previous layer as input. Each layer contains a plurality of neurons that receive as input data generated by a subset of the neurons of the previous layers and generate output that is sent to neurons in the next layer. Types of layers include convolutional layers, which compute a dot product of a weight and a small region of input data; pool layers, which perform a downsampling operation along spatial dimensions; and fully connected layers, which generate based on the output of all neurons of the previous layer. The final layer of the convolutional neural network generates a score for each potential object  104 , and the final output is the object  104  with the highest score. The image recognition can be performed twice, first to recognize the object  104  as a person and second, if the object  104  is a person, to recognize a portion of the person as one of the faces stored in memory. 
     Next, in a block  736 , the computer  102  determines whether the object  104  is a recognized person. For example, the computer  102  can determine whether the highest score from the second image recognition of the block  734  is one of the faces stored in memory. For another example, the computer  102  can determine that the object  104  is a recognized person based on receiving a message from the mobile device  132  or from a key fob of the person. The message can establish a communications channel between the mobile device  132  and the computer  102 , i.e., pairing or synchronizing. The message can be a signal from the key fob, which indicates that the key fob is within a certain range of the transceiver  130 . The identity of the mobile device  132  or key fob can be stored in memory, and the fact that the mobile device  132  or key fob matches one stored in memory indicates that the object  104  is a recognized person. In response to recognizing the person, the process  700  proceeds to a block  742 . If the object  104  is not a recognized person, i.e., the object  104  is an unrecognized person or a nonperson, the process  700  proceeds to a decision block  738 . 
     In the decision block  738 , the computer  102  determines whether the object  104  moved through the predesignated region  108  at a speed below a threshold speed. The threshold speed can be chosen to distinguish walking quickly past the storage area  114  of the first vehicle  100  from walking slowly by the storage area  114  of the vehicle. The computer  102  can determine the speed v of the object  104  by determining a first position  134  (x 1 , y 1 ) of the object  104  at a first time t 1  and a second position  134  (x 2 , y 2 ) of the object  104  at a second time t 2  using the radar data or the image data and then divide the distance between the positions  134  by the change in time: 
     
       
         
           
             v 
             = 
             
               
                 
                   
                     
                       ( 
                       
                         
                           x 
                           2 
                         
                         - 
                         
                           x 
                           1 
                         
                       
                       ) 
                     
                     2 
                   
                   + 
                   
                     
                       ( 
                       
                         
                           y 
                           2 
                         
                         - 
                         
                           y 
                           1 
                         
                       
                       ) 
                     
                     2 
                   
                 
               
               
                 
                   t 
                   2 
                 
                 - 
                 
                   t 
                   1 
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
     In response to the object  104  moving through the predesignated region  108  at a speed v below the threshold speed, the process  700  proceeds to a block  744 . If the object  104  moves through the predesignated region  108  at a speed above the threshold speed, the process  700  proceeds to a decision block  740 . 
     In the decision block  740 , the computer  102  determines whether the object  104  moved through the predesignated region  108  for a duration above a threshold time. The threshold time can be chosen to separate walking quickly past the storage area  114  of the first vehicle  100  from lingering near the storage area  114 . Using the radar data or the image data, the computer  102  can determine an initial time to at which the object  104  entered the predesignated region  108  and then determine whether the object  104  is still in the predesignated region  108  once the threshold time T has elapsed, i.e., at a time t 0 +T. In response to the object  104  moving through the predesignated region  108  for a duration above the threshold time, the process  700  proceeds to the block  744 . If the object  104  moves out of the predesignated region  108  within the threshold time, the process  700  proceeds to the block  742 . 
     In the block  742 , the computer  102  prevents the first alarm and second alarm from activating, i.e., prevents the speakers  110  from sounding and the brake lamps  116 ,  122  from illuminating. The block  742  is performed if either the first vehicle  100  is not in park or the object  104  is a recognized person. If the first vehicle  100  is in gear, then the first vehicle  100  has an operator that can notice if someone is near the storage area  114 , and activating an alarm may distract the operator. If the object  104  is a recognized person, then there is not a need to warn away that person, and doing so may cause annoyance. After the block  742 , the process  700  ends. 
     In the block  744 , the computer  102  activates the first alarm, e.g., produces a sound with the speakers  110 , as well as possibly illuminating the brake lamps  116 ,  122  such as by flashing. The first alarm can warn away a person from the storage area  114  of the first vehicle  100 . After the block  744 , the process  700  ends. 
     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 a networked device is generally a collection of data stored on a computer readable medium, such as a storage medium, a random access memory, etc. 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. 
     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. Use of “in response to” and “upon determining” indicates a causal relationship, not merely a temporal relationship. The adjectives “first” and “second” are used throughout this document as identifiers and are not intended to signify importance, order, or quantity. 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.