3697results about "Child seats" patented technology

Arrangement and method for monitoring a tire mounted to the vehicle in which a thermal radiation detecting device detects the temperature of the tire at different circumferential locations along the circumference of the tire. The detected temperatures of the tire are analyzed to determine, for example, whether a difference in thermal radiation is present between the circumferential locations of the tire, and if so, an action is effected in response to the analysis. The thermal radiation detecting devices are preferably supplied with power wirelessly, e.g., through an inductive system, a capacitive system or a radio frequency energy transfer system.

System and method for preventing vehicle accidents in which the absolute position of the vehicle is determined, e.g., using a satellite-based positioning system such as GPS, and the location of the vehicle relative to the edges of the roadway is then determined based on the absolute position of the vehicle and stored data relating to edges of roadways on which the vehicle may travel. A system or component within the vehicle is initiated, e.g., an alarm or warning system, or the operation of a system or component is affected, e.g., an automatic guidance system, if the location of the vehicle approaches close to an edge of the roadway or intersects with an edge of the roadway.

Method for obtaining information about objects in an environment around a vehicle in which infrared light is emitted into a portion of the environment and received and the distance between the vehicle and objects from which the infrared light is reflected is measured. An identification of each object from which light is reflected is determined and a three-dimensional representation of the portion of the environment is created based on the measured distance and the determined identification of the object. Icons representative of the objects and their position relative to the vehicle are displayed on a display visible to the driver based on the three-dimensional representation. Additionally or alternatively to the display of icons, a vehicular system can be controlled or adjusted based on the relative position and optionally velocity of the vehicle and objects in the environment around the vehicle to avoid collisions.

Arrangement and method for obtaining information about a vehicle occupant in a compartment of the vehicle in which a light source is mounted in the vehicle, structured light is projected into an area of interest in the compartment, rays of light forming the structured light originating from the light source, reflected light is detected at an image sensor at a position different than the position from which the structured light is projected, and the reflected light is analyzed relative to the projected structured light to obtain information about the area of interest. The structured light is designed to appear as if it comes from a source of light (virtual or actual) which is at a position different than the position of the image sensor.

Method for obtaining information about objects in an environment around a vehicle in which infrared light is emitted into a portion of the environment and received and the distance between the vehicle and objects from which the infrared light is reflected is measured. An identification of each object from which light is reflected is determined and a three-dimensional representation of the portion of the environment is created based on the measured distance and the determined identification of the object. Icons representative of the objects and their position relative to the vehicle are displayed on a display visible to the driver based on the three-dimensional representation. Additionally or alternatively to the display of icons, a vehicular system can be controlled or adjusted based on the relative position and optionally velocity of the vehicle and objects in the environment around the vehicle to avoid collisions.

The invention relates generally to an adjustable seat back and belt positioning juvenile booster car seat that folds compactly for easy transportation.

Control system and method for controlling an occupant restraint system in which a plurality of electronic sensors are mounted at different locations on the vehicle, each sensor providing a measurement related to a state thereof or a measurement related to a state of the mounting location. A processor is coupled to the sensors and diagnoses the state of the vehicle based on the measurements of the sensors. The processor controls the occupant restraint system based at least in part on the diagnosed state of the vehicle in an attempt to minimize injury to an occupant.

Systems and methods which provide for an alarm or notification that a child is in a car seat. The systems generally determine if a child is in the seat and that the seat, and therefore the vehicle, is not in motion. Upon detecting both situations, the notification or alarm is activated. The system will generally provide for an alarm to a smartphone or other remote notification device to improve the likelihood that the alarm will be received.

Child safety seats with alarms notify the driver of a vehicle that an infant is in its carrier inside of the vehicle when a door is opened. Forgetting a child inside of the vehicle can result in severe injury to or the death of the child from extreme temperature conditions and / or dehydration. Child safety seats with alarms not only protect the child in the event of accident, but also detect the opening of a vehicle door and remind the driver of the presence of the child through visual and audio alerts. The detector and alarm system are automatically engaged when the buckle of the child safety seat is closed. The condition of the batteries powering the detector and alarm system are also monitored so that the user can be confident that the detector and alarm system have adequate power to function. A pressure transducer is employed as a detector to sense the changing air pressure caused by the opening or closure of a vehicle door. When such a condition is detected, red LEDs light up and an alarm is sounded from a speaker.

A vehicle seat includes a seat back, a seat cushion, and a system for facilitating relieving of fatigue of a person sitting on the vehicle seat for many hours. The system includes an angle sensor installed within the seat back for sensing variations in an angle of a pelvic region of the person sitting on the vehicle seat, an active device installed within the seat back for pressure-supporting the pelvic region of the person, an actuating device connected to the active device for actuating the active device and a sequential control unit electrically connected to the angle sensor and the actuating device for controlling the operation of the actuating device, the angle sensor being constructed so as to send the sequential control unit signals representing values of variations in the angle of the pelvic region of the person, the sequential control unit being constructed such that, when a value represented by a signal sent to the sequential control unit from the angle sensor is more than a predetermined value, the sequential control unit sends the actuating device a command to actuate the actuating device, whereby the active device is actuated, to thereby control supporting pressure that is applied to the pelvic region of the person.

By providing a plurality of cooperating, foldable panel members in combination with a plurality of foldable wheel assemblies, a unique wagon or cart construction is attained which is capable of being folded into a small, compact area, whenever desired, and then quickly and easily deployed into a fully erected and operational position, which enables virtually any desired object to be easily transported. In addition, in the preferred construction of this invention, an automatically deployed structural supporting member is incorporated into the wagon / cart for providing inherent strength and rigidity to the wagon / cart when fully erected. In this way, heavy objects previously incapable of being transported are capable of being accommodated with ease.

A system detects the presence of an unattended child within a vehicle and when the child is so detected, disables the vehicle's door locks by preventing doors from being locked or remaining locked and sounds an alarm. The presence of a child is detected by measuring pressure on the back seat and measurements above a threshold limit signify a child is present or if any of the rear seat belts are buckled a child is detected. The system can be shut off by the driver, although the system has an override in the shutoff mode so that if the temperature rises above or falls below a certain level and the presence of a child is detected, the alarm is sounded. In this mode, the presence of the child can also be detected by a motion sensor.

A child car seat comprises a base, and a seat main body supported by the base, in which the base is provided with a lower base portion mounted on a seat of a vehicle, and an upper base portion mounted so as to freely turn with respect to the lower base portion in such a manner as to reverse a direction with regard to a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and having an upper surface to which the seat main body is mounted.

A side-protective head restraint pad, pad assembly and safety seat. The restraint pad includes an air bladder with a pump for selectively inflating the air bladder and a release valve for selectively deflating the air bladder, an energy-absorbing component and a comfort component. A flexible enclosure is provided within which the air bladder, energy-absorbing component and comfort component are positioned in overlaid configuration to define a unit. The head restraint pad is adapted for being placed in a seat in lateral alignment with one side of the head of an occupant and inflatable or deflatable as appropriate to restrain the head against injurious lateral movement caused by a side impact relative to the seat.

Method and apparatus for sensing a crash of a vehicle in which acceleration and angular motion of the vehicle are measured and analyzed by a processor to determine whether a crash is occurring. A deployable occupant protection device is deployed by a processor when deployment criteria are satisfied. The processor may embody a pattern recognition technique for analyzing the measured acceleration and angular motion of the vehicle and determine whether deployment of the occupant protection device is beneficial. For example, the pattern recognition technique may be a neural network trained to determine whether the vehicle is experiencing a crash such as a rollover based on the measured acceleration and angular motion of the vehicle.

A seat belt alarm system activates an alarm when a child is buckled in a car seat and when the car key is removed from the ignition. The seat belt alarm system includes a belt buckle having a belt-buckled sensor and a transmitter that transmits a belt-buckled signal when the belt is buckled. A remote key module includes a key-removed sensor that senses when the key is not in a keyhole. The key module further includes a receiver and an alarm device that is activated when the key is not in the keyhole and the belt-buckled signal is received from the transmitter. In another variation, a controller is provided. The controller may be coupled to various components including the belt-buckled sensor, a key-removed sensor, a transmitter and additional devices such as a horn, air conditioning, etc. The controller instructs the transmitter to send an activate-alarm signal to a receiver in the key module when a belt-buckled signal and a key-removed signal are input to the controller. The alarm device may provide a sound, vibration, light, or another indicator. Another variation includes a removable baby seat with a seat belt alarm system. Still another variation includes an automobile having a seat belt alarm system.

A method for alerting a driver of an automotive vehicle (or other responsible party) to the presence or inferred presence of an object, a person, or a pet animal in rear seating rows of the vehicle. The open / closed condition of rear vehicle doors is monitored to determine whether the driver may have placed an object, child, or pet in the rear seating rows prior to the start of a drive-cycle, and an alert is generated at the end of the drive-cycle to remind the driver to check the rear seat. Sound detection and analysis may also be used to identify sounds characteristic of a human (a young child, for example) or a non-human animal (a pet, for example) and thereby verify that a child or pet is present.

A system detects the presence of a living being within a vehicle and triggers an alarm should the temperature rise above or fall below a predetermined threshold limit. The system uses a carbon dioxide monitor to determine for the living being's presence, which is backed up by one or more subsystems that include a motion sensor that senses motion, a sound sensor that senses sounds, especially those made by distressed living beings, and a camera that uses facial recognition software to detect a face within the vehicle. The alarm can be staged so that a lower level of alarm is triggered when the hazardous temperature is approaching, but has not yet reached critical levels, and one of the subsystems has detected a living being within the vehicle, but the others have not yet activated, and a higher level alarm once critical temperatures have been reached.

An infant carrier and car seat combination is illustrated which provides releasable lockability between the carrier and its base, infant seat belt tensioning and height adjustment, improved handle movement which resists twisting and carrier base adjustment through a movable base within the carrier base.

An adjustable child seat includes a backrest and a seat base and may be used with or without the backrest. The child seat includes adjustable arm rests. The height of the backrest and the depth of the seat base are also adjustable. The connection between the backrest and the seat base is configured to prevent unintentional separation but allows simple and intuitive separation when desired. A belt guide operating in either a seat belt locking mode or a seat belt free mode is also provided.

An approach for providing notifications to caregivers based on the detected presence of a child in a car seat is described. Physical presence of an object within a car seat is detected. A determination is made that a proximity threshold between a mobile device and the car seat is satisfied based on the presence information, range information associated with the mobile device, or a combination thereof. A notification message is generated in response to the detected physical presence of the object to indicate the presence of the object in the car seat based on the determination. Initiation of the transmission of the notification message to a mobile device within a predetermined proximity of the car seat is performed.

A wireless system that detects the presence of a child in a safety seat located in the passenger cabin of a vehicle includes a controller responsive to signals generated by sensors monitoring predefined functions of the vehicle, RFID tag device attached to the safety seat and RFID tag reader mounted in the cabin. The system generates control signals which activate an alarm, open the doors of the vehicle and roll down windows if the child is left in the safety seat of an unattended vehicle.

An infant rest, particularly for use with infant support devices, such as cribs, bassinets, strollers, infant seats and the like. The infant rest of the present invention provides not only support for the head of the infant from sudden movements and the impact from sudden movements but from the effects of the environment as well. A padded roll is formed by a doubled padded layer which provides protection from sudden movements and the impacts from sudden movement. A zipper or other fastener is disengaged to allow this doubled padded layer to extend upward into a single layer to form a bonnet around the head of the infant. This provides protection from excessive sun, wind, cold or other environmental causes.

A device for alerting a user to the presence of a child in a vehicle comprising a housing having a first sensor for sensing the presence of at least one of a child and infant positioned therein. A means for detecting the operative mode of a vehicle engine is connected to the first sensor. A means for indicating the presence to a third party is connected to the first sensor. The indicating means is activated and indicates to the third party the presence of said at least one child and infant upon the detecting means detecting that the vehicle engine is in a first off mode and the first sensor sensing the presence of the at least one child and infant.

This invention relates generally to a juvenile belt positioning booster car seat which folds, has an adjustable back height, and has folding armrests which ships in a minimally sized carton thereby reducing shipping and warehousing costs and which has a smoother exterior surface and enclosed height adjust mechanism to prevent pinch points and protect vehicle upholstery.