LU101162B1

LU101162B1 - Vehicle Occupant Detection

Info

Publication number: LU101162B1
Application number: LU101162A
Authority: LU
Inventors: Oliver Diekmann; Joseph M Funyak; Arnaud Meurens; Ingrid Scheckenbach; Bjorn Hansson; Russ Holland; Oleg Zeiler
Original assignee: Iee Sa
Priority date: 2019-03-22
Filing date: 2019-03-22
Publication date: 2020-09-23
Also published as: CN113574572A; CN113574572B

Abstract

A vehicle occupant detection system comprises a controller and a memory storing computer instructions, wherein the controller includes a processor and that is communicatively coupled to the memory; a plurality of life detection sensors, wherein the plurality of life detection sensors are installed within an interior cabin of a vehicle and are each associated with a life detection zone, and wherein the plurality of life detection sensors are communicatively coupled to the controller; a local warning system having at least one human-machine interface (HMI) output device, wherein the at least one HMI output device is used to indicate a result of an occupant detection scanning process carried out using the plurality of life detection sensors; wherein the controller, when executing the computer instructions using the processor, causes the vehicle occupant detection system to: acquire sensor data by scanning the life detection zone using the plurality of life detection sensors; determine whether an occupant is present based on the sensor data; and provide an indication to a user that an occupant is present using the HMI output device when it is determined that an occupant is present.

Description

VEHICLE OCCUPANT DETECTION | TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure relates to detecting occupants within a vehicle cabin.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION There is provided a vehicle occupant detection system and method that enables detection of occupants within a vehicle cabin. The vehicle occupant detection system and method can be used to carry out one or more remedial actions in response to detecting an occupant within the vehicle cabin—for example, by sending a notification to a driver of the vehicle informing the driver that an occupant (or lifeform) has been detected. In at least some embodiments, the vehicle occupant detection system includes carrying out an occupant detection scanning process in which one or more life detection sensors scan a vehicle cabin to detect one or more occupants (or other lifeforms). In one embodiment, when the occupant detection scanning process indicates the presence of an occupant, an alarm escalation process can be carried out, which can include providing local notification(s) at the vehicle so that a driver (or other user) is notified that an occupant is (or may be) present, as well as providing remote notification(s) to one or more remote individuals (e.g., a fleet manager) or systems (e.g., EMS services).

In at least some embodiments, the vehicle occupant detection system is configured to detect a child left behind on a school bus. The vehicle occupant detection system includes a controller (or central control unit CCU) that is connected to at least one life detection sensor and, in many embodiments, a plurality of such life detection sensors. According to at least some embodiments, the life detection sensors | are electromagnetic sensors that transmit electromagnetic signals (e.g., microwave sensors) and receive a reflected electromagnetic signal. In a particular embodiment, the life detection sensors use microwaves to detect breathing (or a breathing motion) of a lifeform through carrying out an occupant detection scanning process in which the life detection sensors scan the vehicle cabin. As used herein, “scan”, “scanning”, and its other various forms refers to operating the life detection sensors so as to capture information indicative of the presence of an occupant. The controller can -1-

receive sensor data from the life detection sensors and generates a scan result that indicates whether an occupant is present within the vehicle and, if so, one or more remedial actions (e.g., providing notifications pursuant to an alarm escalation process) can be carried out.

With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown an embodiment of a vehicle occupant detection system 10 that includes a controller 12, a battery 16, a local warning system 18, a remote warning system 20, and a plurality of life detection sensors 30. The vehicle occupant detection system 10 can be installed on a vehicle, including motorcycles, trucks, sports utility vehicles (SUVs), recreational vehicles (RVs), busses, trains, other locomotives, marine vessels, aircraft, other mass transit vehicles, etc.

The controller (or central control unit (CCU)) 12 controls certain aspects of the vehicle occupant detection system 10. According to various embodiments, the controller 12 can detect a vehicle occupant detection system activation event, obtain sensor data from the plurality of life detection sensors 30, and carry out one or more remedial actions. The controller 12 includes a processor 24 and memory 26 that includes computer instructions. The processor 24 can execute the computer instructions stored on the memory 26 so as to carry out one or more operations or features of the vehicle occupant detection system 10. The processor 24 of the controller 12 can be any type of device capable of processing electronic instructions including microprocessors, microcontrollers, host processors, controllers, vehicle communication processors, and application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). The memory 26 of the controller 12 may be a computer-readable medium, such as a powered temporary memory or any suitable computer-readable medium; these include different types of RAM (random-access memory, including various types of dynamic RAM (DRAM) and static RAM (SRAM)), ROM (read-only memory), solid-state drives (SSDs) (including other solid-state storage such as solid state hybrid drives (SSHDs)), hard disk drives (HDDs), or magnetic or optical disc drives. Although the memory 26 is illustrated as being a part of the controller 12, in other embodiments, the memory 26 can be a part of another device and can be communicatively coupled to the controller 12. As user herein, two devices being “communicatively coupled” -2-

means that at least one of the devices is able to send data and/or commands directly and/or indirectly to the other device.

The controller 12 is communicatively coupled to the plurality of life detection sensors 30 and, in at least some embodiments, is communicatively coupled to the life detection sensors 30 via a wired communications bus 22. In at least one embodiment, the controller 12 can direct the life detection sensors 30 to capture sensor data through sending a sensor capture request to the life detection sensors 30 via the communications bus 22. In one embodiment, the sensor capture request (or other message sent from the controller 12) can specify certain sensor operating parameters. The sensor capture request can be provided as a part of an occupant detection scanning process in which the life detection sensors 30 are operated to capture sensor data pertaining to one or more interior vehicle locations, such as areas in which an occupant may be present (e.g., bus seats). In another embodiment, the life detection sensors 30 may be operated so as to continuously or repeatedly send sensor data without a capture request needed. Or, in addition to or in lieu of a capture request, the controller 12 can switch on operating power to the life detection sensors 30 when scanning is desired and switch the power back off once the scan is complete. The life detection sensors 30 can send the sensor data to the controller 12, which can include sampled sensor data or other information pertaining to the detection of an occupant (or lifeform), which will be discussed more below.

Also, according to various embodiments, the controller 12 is communicatively coupled to the ignition unit 14 of the vehicle via a wired connection (e.g., a direct connection, via a communications bus) or wirelessly. The ignition unit 14 is an ignition unit of the vehicle on which the vehicle occupant detection system 10 is installed. The ignition unit 14 can include circuitry that controls the ignition of the vehicle. The controller 12 can receive an indication that the ignition has been turned off and/or that the ignition has been turned on. In embodiments where the vehicle is an electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle, the controller 12 can be coupled to a primary propulsion control unit or a vehicle start system so that the controller 12 can receive an indication of a change in the primary propulsion of the vehicle or an indication that the vehicle has been started. In one embodiment, when it is detected that the vehicle has been started (e.g., detecting that the ignition has been started), the vehicle )

occupant detection system can be turned on or activated, which can include executing a self-test (described more below). When the vehicle occupant detection system is activated, the vehicle occupant detection system is in a state in which the system listens for an occupant detection scanning process initiation event (also referred to as a “scanning initiation event”). When a scanning initiation event is detected, the occupant detection scanning process can be carried out (or may be carried out after a predetermined amount of time (e.g., ten (10) minutes)). In one embodiment, the scanning initiation event is when the ignition is turned off and/or when the vehicle enters a parking state (e.g., a parking brake is engaged). The parking state is a state in which the vehicle is in a parking transmission gear (e.g., the Park gear of PRNDL) or when a parking brake of the vehicle is engaged. Other types of scanning initiation event can be used, such as when a driver (or other user) presses a pushbutton or provides other input to command the system to start the occupant detection scanning process.

According to various embodiments, the controller 12 is communicatively coupled to the local warning system 18 and the remote warning system 20. The local warning system 18 can include any of a variety of local notification devices that notify an individual at or around the vehicle. Moreover, these local notifications can be either or both of interior vehicle notifications or exterior vehicle notifications. Interior vehicle notifications are those notifications presented within an interior cabin of the vehicle, or those that are directed to individuals within an interior cabin of the vehicle. Exterior vehicle notifications are those notifications presented outside the vehicle, or those that are directed to individuals located outside of the vehicle. Examples of local notification devices include audio speakers, vehicle horn(s), lights (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs), headlights, turn signals, cabin lights, other vehicle lights), and haptic sensors (e.g., haptic sensors installed in a driver’s seat that cause vibrations when activated). In one embodiment, any one or more of the local notification devices can be those installed as a part of manufacturing of the vehicle or those installed as a part of the vehicle occupant detection system 10.

The vehicle occupant detection system 10 also includes a battery 16. The battery 16 provides electrical power to various components of the vehicle occupant detection system 10, including, for example, the controller 12, the life detection -4-

P-IEE-526/L.U LU101162 sensors 30, the local warning system 18, and the remote warning system 20. In one embodiment, the battery 16 can be a vehicle battery—e.g., a 12V battery that is included as a part of the vehicle electrical system. In other embodiments, such as the illustrated embodiment, the battery 16 can be a separate battery that is dedicated for the vehicle occupant detection system 10, which can be an after-market device/system that is installed on a vehicle. For example, FIG. 9 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of the vehicle occupant detection system in which a dedicated battery is provided for purposes of powering components of the vehicle occupant detection system including the controller and the life detection sensors.

The remote warning system 20 can include any of a variety of remote notification devices that notify an individual that is located remotely from the vehicle. An example of a remote notification device is a cellular chipset that can send messages over a cellular network to other devices, such as a cellular telephone (e.g., smartphone), a remote server, or other remote device. In one embodiment, the cellular chipset can be used to send a short message service (SMS) message and/or an email to one or more designated individuals, such as a fleet manager, which is discussed more below. Additionally or alternatively, the cellular chipset can be used to make a voice call to one or more designated individuals, such as the fleet manager. And, in another embodiment, the cellular chipset can be used to send information or data to a remote server, such as a backend vehicle occupant detection system server that provides remote (or cloud) functionality for the vehicle occupant detection system 10. Additionally or alternatively, a short-range wireless communications (SRWC) circuit or chipset can be used to provide the system 10 with SRWC capabilities, which can be used to send and/or receive messages between a remote user and the system 10. Various SRWC technologies can be used including Wi-Fi™, Bluetooth™ (including Bluetooth™ Low Energy), Zigbee™, Z-wave, other IEEE

802.11 techniques, other IEEE 802.15 techniques, infrared techniques, etc. For example, a Wi-Fi™ router can be provided at a bus depot and the system 10 can establish a Wi-Fi™ connection with the Wi-Fi™ router. In at least some embodiments, the Wi-Fi™ router can be connected to one or more devices, and can be used to connect the system 10 to the Internet or other network. As another example of a remote notification device, a two-way radio can be used. Circuitry for implementing the two-way radio can be installed as a part of the vehicle occupant -5-

detection system 10 and used to provide communications between the system 10 and one or more remote users. Various other remote notification devices and/or techniques can be used as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

The plurality of life detection sensors 30 can be used to detect an occupant (or lifeform) within a particular region of the vehicle. The vehicle occupant detection system 10 can include any number N of life detection sensors. Although the present embodiment 10 of the vehicle occupant detection system includes a plurality of life detection sensors, in other embodiments, a single life detection sensor can be used. In one embodiment, each of the life detection sensors 30-1 to 30-N can be an active sensor that includes a transmitter that emits electromagnetic signals toward a seating area (or other area in which an occupant may be located) within an associated life detection zone. One or more reflected electromagnetic signals are then received at a receiver of the life detection sensor 30-1 to 30-N, and these reflected signal(s) can be sampled and/or otherwise processed by the life detection sensor. In one embodiment, the life detection sensors 30-1 to 30-N are each a radar unit that uses microwave technology. The radar unit can be any of a variety of radar units and, in one embodiment, can include a plurality of antenna elements for transmitting the electromagnetic signals and/or a plurality of antenna elements for receiving reflected electromagnetic signal(s). In one particular example, the radar includes a 4x2 antenna array; however, other configurations, including those with a different number of antennas, can be used. In some embodiments, separate antennas can be used for transmitting and receiving; however, in other embodiments, a single antenna can be used for both transmitting and receiving. In another embodiment, acoustic signals can be transmitted and received. In yet another embodiment, a passive sensor for the life detection sensors can be used in which the life detection sensors do not transmit acoustic or electromagnetic waves, but receive signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves, acoustic waves), such as a camera or microphone.

At least in one embodiment, the life detection sensors 30-1 to 30-N each have a field of view defined by the shape and/or configuration of the antenna. Within this field of view, the sensor measures distances to objects and can use a proprietary algorithm to determine if there is motion from the breathing of a child (or other occupant) within its field of view, at least according to some embodiments. An -6- aexample of a life detection sensor can be found in PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO2015/140333A1. In one particular embodiment, the life detection sensors 30- I to 30-N are each calibrated to detect an occupant that meets certain predetermined attributes, and these predetermined attributes can be empirically derived. In one embodiment, these predetermined attributes can be configured so that when they are applied to the sensor data or otherwise used by the vehicle occupant detection system, the vehicle occupant detection system detects whether an occupant is present, such as a child. For example, certain predetermined attributes can be developed through empirical testing and used to detect an occupant that is a 3 year old or greater. Although certain individuals may vary in size, the predetermined attributes can be developed based on a 50-precentile human weight and/or height for a particular target age of occupant(s) to be detected. Various predetermined attributes can be developed to detect individuals of various types, sizes, positions, orientations, etc. and/or can be based on the particular vehicle in which the sensors are used. The target occupant that is to be detected (or attempted to be detected by the system 10) can be unique to a particular context in which the system 10 is used or intended on being used. In some embodiments, the predetermined attributes can also be used to detect animals other than humans that may be present within the vehicle. In at least one embodiment, the detection of these non-human animals can be treated the same as the detection of a human. Moreover, in some instances, the life detection sensors 30-1 to 30-N may not be configured to distinguish between humans and non-human animals; however, in other embodiments, the life detection sensors 30-1 to 30-N can be configured to distinguish between humans and non-human animals.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, there is shown an embodiment of a life detection sensor that can be used with the system 10. The life detection sensors 30-1 to 30-N can each include a housing 102 (FIG. 2) that is configured to engage with a bracket 108 (FIG. 3), which can then be mounted to the interior side of the ceiling of the vehicle, for example. Of course, other mounting locations can be used as well. The housing 102 can include a cable connector portion 104 that is used to connect to a communication cable, as well as a hook and loop fastener portion 106 that is used to hold (or aid in holding) the housing 102 to the bracket 108. The bracket 108 can include a first portion 110 to engage and hold the housing 102 of the sensor, and can include a second portion 112 that is attached (e.g., via screws, adhesives, or hook and -7-

loop fasteners) to the ceiling (or other portion) of the interior of the vehicle. The first portion 110 and the second portion 112 can include complementary locking portions 114 (only shown on the first portion 110) that can be used to hold the first portion 110 to the second portion 112, which thereby holds the sensor in place fixedly with respect to the ceiling (or other interior portion of the vehicle to which the second portion 112 is connected to).

With reference to FIG. 4, there is shown an exemplary embodiment in which the vehicle occupant detection system 10 is installed on a bus 40. In the depicted embodiment, the vehicle occupant detection system 10 includes twelve (12) life detection sensors 30-1 to 30-12, each of which is associated with a single life detection zone 42a-421. Although FIG. 4, the description thereof, and other subsequent descriptions below may refer to a particular number of life detection sensors (e.g., twelve (12) life detection sensors), any suitable number N of life detection sensors can be used. In the illustrated embodiment, a first life detection sensor 30-1 is installed in or on a ceiling of the bus cabin in the middle of the first life detection zone 42-1. The other life detection sensors 30-2 to 30-12 are installed in a likewise manner with respect to life detection zones 42-2 to 42-12. The life detection sensors 30-1 to 30-12 can be installed in other positions, and can be directed such that the field of view of sensor (or the “sensor field of view”) covers a location corresponding to the life detection zones 42-1 to 42-12. The life detection zones can vary in size based on, for example, the sensor field of view or other properties of the vehicle occupant detection system 10 as implemented or configured for a particular application. Multiple different arrangements of sensors are possible to fit various implementation needs. In the illustrated embodiment, most of the life detection zones cover two bus bench seats. Each life detection sensor 30-1 to 30-12 can obtain sensor data that indicates whether (or a likelihood that) an occupant (or lifeform) is located within the associated life detection zone. As shown in FIG. 4, an occupant (or lifeform) has been detected in life detection zones 42-1 and 42-7 (indicated by the dark shading), and potentially in life detection zone 42-2 (indicated by light shading), but not in life detection zones 42-3 to 42-6 and 42-8 to 42-12 (indicated by medium shading). In one embodiment, the life detection sensors 30-1 to 30-12 can be arranged or positioned to ensure detection of breathing motion within the entire passenger compartment of the vehicle.

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The life detection sensors 30-1 to 30-12 can each be positioned to have their field of view encompassing two rows of seats (such as is shown in FIG. 4 of embodiments where the vehicle occupant detection system is installed on a bus). As shown in FIG. 5, each of the life detection sensors 30-1 to 30-12 include a field of view (and/or life detection zone) that is defined by a first angle o and a second angle B. The first angle a and the second angle B can be defined as shown in FIG. 5, which illustrates a side view cross-section of the bus. A vertical reference line 120 is illustrated as extending straight down, and the first angle o is the angle between this vertical reference line 120 and a first field of view reference line 122 in which the field of view extends forward along the periphery (or outside) of the field of view. The second angle B is the angle between this vertical reference line 120 and a second field of view reference line 124 in which the field of view extends backward along the periphery (or outside) of the field of view.

In some embodiments, the life detection sensors 30 can be mounted on the ceiling and in the center (or the aisle) of the bus, and can be positioned or angled so as to aim toward seats located on the right side or the left side. For example, with reference to FIG. 6, there is shown a front view of an interior cabin with two exemplary life detection sensors 30-1", 30-2' that are installed together within a dual sensor bracket 130. The first sensor 30-1' has a field of view directed to seats Szer7 on the left and the second sensor 30-2' has a field of view directed to seats Sgrigyr On the right. Moreover, in at least one embodiment where a bus or other similar vehicle is used, each life detection sensor 30-1', 30-2' can cover (or have a field of view that includes) four (4) to six (6) benches or seats. The dual-sensor bracket 130 can include a housing 132 as well as two sensor view portions 134-1", 134-2, each of which provides an opening or non-interfering area through which signals (e.g. electromagnetic signals) from the life detection sensors 30-1', 30-2' can be transmitted. The non-interfering area can be comprised of a material that does not interfere (or that negligibly interferes) with electromagnetic signals (or other signals) transmitted by the life detection sensors 30-1', 30-2' that are used as a part of the occupant detection scanning process.

As another example, as shown in the top-view illustration of FIG. 7, a quad- | sensor bracket 140 can be used in which four (4) life detection sensors 30-1" to 30-4" ‘

are mounted together. It should be noted that the ceiling of the bus and the floor of the bus are not shown in FIG. 7. The quad-sensor bracket 140 can include a housing 142 as well as four sensor view portions 144-1" to 144-4", each of which provides an opening or non-interfering area through which signals from the life detection sensors 30-1" to 30-4" can be transmitted. The quad-sensor bracket 140 can be installed on the ceiling above the center aisle of the bus, for example. In some embodiments, such configuration can be used so that the sensor field of view of the four life detection sensors 30-1" to 30-4" in the quad-sensor bracket covers sixteen (16) or more benches or seats. Other life detection sensor configurations and brackets can be used as well, such as a six-sensor bracket, an eight-sensor bracket, etc.

In one embodiment, the life detection sensors 30-1 to 30-12 can be connected by a modular wire harness 150, such as that which is shown in FIG. 8. The modular wire harness 150 can enable or allow scalable system size (e.g., number of sensors), which can depend on the size of the vehicle. For example, the modular wire harness 150 can include one or more segments, with each segment corresponding to one or more life detection sensors 30-1 to 30-12. For example, the first modular wire harness segment 152a corresponds to the life detections sensor 30-1 and the life detection sensor 30-7, the second modular wire harness segment 152b corresponds to the life detections sensor 30-2 and the life detection sensor 30-8, etc. Each modular wire harness segment 152 can include a first connector 154a-154f and a second connector 156a-156f. The first connector 154a-154f can engage the second connector of another adjacent modular wire harness segment 152. For example, the first connector 154b of the second modular wire harness segment 152b is a male connector that engages with the second connector 156a of the first modular wire harness segment 152a, which is a female connector that is complementary to the first connector 154b of the modular wire harness segment 152b. Other types of modular wire harnesses can be used as well.

In one embodiment, the life detection sensors 30-1 to 30-12 can each have and/or be associated with a unique identifier (ID) that is used for communications over the communications bus 22. Also, in one embodiment, each sensor 30-1 to 30- 12 is configured to operate over a unique or designated frequency band so that interference between sensors is avoided or reduced. The following information can - 10 -

be communicated from the sensor when requested by the controller 12: seat (or life detection zone) occupancy (e.g., empty, occupied), sensor status (e.g., working properly, powered on, powered off), an R value (e.g., value(s) indicating motion and/or a degree of motion), breathing confidence (e.g., regularity of motion), supply voltage, and sensor temperature as observed at the sensor (which can include a digital thermometer or other temperature sensing means). In one embodiment, the sensor status, supply voltage, and/or a sensor temperature can be provided from each of the life detection sensors as a part of a self-test, which is discussed more below. Also, in one embodiment, the life detection sensors 30-1 to 30-12 can each include one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs), or other light source that can emit a light to indicate whether an occupant is detected. For example, in one embodiment, each life detection sensor 30-1 to 30-12 can have LED(s) that emits a red, yellow, and/or green light depending on whether an occupant was detected by that life detection sensor or in an associated life detection zone—of course, in other embodiments, other colors and indicators can be used. In one embodiment, the LED is integrated into the housing 102 (FIG. 2) of the life detection sensor and in a manner such that the LED (or the light emitted thereby) is visible to an individual within the vehicle. After scanning is carried out by the sensor, then an occupant scanning detection process result (also referred to as a “scan result”) (e.g., whether an occupant is detected in the associated life detection zone) can be indicated by the LED(s)—for example, with reference to FIG. 4, the LED(s) of the life detection sensors 30-1 and 30-7 can emit a red light, the LED(s) of the life detection sensor 30-2 can emit a yellow light, and the LED(s) of the life detection sensors 30-3 to 30-6 and 30-8 to 30-12 can emit a green light. In other embodiments, only those sensors that detected any kind of life (or occupant) can emit a light—that is, for example with respect to the illustration of FIG. 4, only the LED(s) associated with the life detection sensors 30-1, 30-3, and 30-7 emit a light.

With reference to FIG. 9, there is shown another embodiment of a vehicle occupant detection system 210 that includes a controller 212 (that corresponds to controller 12 of vehicle occupant detection system 10), a battery 216 (that corresponds to battery 16), a local warning system 218 (that corresponds to local warning system 18), a remote warning system 220 (that corresponds to remote warning system 20), and a plurality of life detection sensors 230 (that corresponds to S11 -

life detection sensors 30). Other components of FIG. 9 that include similar reference numerals to those of FIG. 1 denote like elements (e.g., ignition 214 is analogous or corresponds to ignition 14 of FIG. 1). The description of those like components will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity. It should be appreciated that any technically-feasible combination of the components of the vehicle occupant detection system 10 and the components of the vehicle occupant detection system 210 can be used according to various embodiments.

The vehicle occupant detection system 210 includes a battery system 215, which includes a dedicated battery 216 and a battery charger 217. The dedicated battery 216 is a battery that is provided as a part of the vehicle occupant detection system 210 specifically for purposes of providing this system 210 electrical power, as opposed to a vehicle battery that provides electrical power to many components of a vehicle and that is manufactured by the OEM. Thus, in at least one embodiment, the vehicle occupant detection system 210 is a separate, aftermarket system that is provided and installed separately from other portions of the vehicle that are installed by an OEM of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the vehicle occupant detection system 210 can be installed onto school busses that do not include means for detecting an occupant (or an occupant other than the driver). In such embodiments, the vehicle occupant detection system 210 can be retrofitted to the vehicle. The dedicated battery 216 can be any type of electrical battery that is suitable for providing electrical power to the components of the vehicle occupant detection system 210.

The battery charger 217 is a device that can be controlled to charge the dedicated battery 216 using an electrical power source, which is illustrated as a vehicle battery 219. The vehicle battery 219 can be a 12V battery that is typically used to power various electrical components of the vehicle. Other power sources instead of the vehicle battery 219 can be used as well to provide power to the dedicated battery 216. The controller 212 can control the battery charger 217, and can be used to electrically couple the dedicated battery 216 to the vehicle battery 219 or other electrical power source, such as an alternator, so as to charge the battery 216. The battery charger 217 can be powered when the dedicated battery 216 has a low state of charge (SoC) and/or when the vehicle is being driven and/or other receiving or generating electrical power.

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The battery system 215 can also include one or more battery sensors, which can be implemented as a part of the controller 212 and/or the battery charger 217. In other embodiments, the battery sensor(s) can be integrated with another component of the vehicle occupant detection system 210, or the battery sensor(s) can be separate from these other components. The battery sensor(s) can measure or capture a variety of information pertaining to the state of the battery system 215, including various metrics of the dedicated battery 216. In one embodiment, a battery state of charge (SoC) sensor can be provided to measure the SoC of the dedicated battery 216. This SoC information can be sent to the controller 212 and/or the battery charger 217, which can then modify the operation of the battery charger 217 (e.g., whether to charge the dedicated battery or not) based on the SoC information. Also, in one embodiment, when the SoC of the dedicated battery is low, such as below a predetermined threshold value, then the vehicle occupant detection system 210 can notify the driver (or other user) using the local warning system 218 so that the driver (or other user) can take other actions to ensure that no occupants (e.g., children) are left on the vehicle at the end of the trip.

In the illustrated embodiment of the vehicle occupant detection system 210, the controller 212 is a BABY-LIN-RM-II module that is manufactured by LIPOWSKY INDUSTRIE-ELEKTRONIK. This controller 212 can perform certain processing, and can connect to a first subset of the life detection sensors using a LIN bus 222. A second set, a third set, and a fourth set of the life detection sensors can each be coupled to an adapter 234a-c, which is then connected to the controller 212 via a USB connection 236 shown in red. The particular controller 212 illustrated in FIG. 9 is only capable of carrying out LIN communications with three (3) sensors 30- 1 to 30-3 of the first set. The adapters 234a-c, which are BABY-LIN-II modules that are manufactured by LIPOWSKY INDUSTRIE-ELEKTRONIK, are used to convert communications sent over the LIN bus 235 to a USB protocol so that the controller 212 can communicate with the second, third, and fourth sets of sensors. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the third adapter 234c connects to the fourth set of life detection sensors 30-10 to 30-12 using a LIN connection 235. The third adapter 234c then connects to the controller 212 via the USB connection 236. The first adapter 234a and the second adapter 234b are also used in a similar or the same way to connect the second and third sets of the life detection sensors 30-4 to 30-6 and 30-7 to 30-9 -13--

(respectively) to the controller 212, although this is not explicitly shown in FIG. 9. Although the vehicle occupant detection system 210 uses particular modules and a particular configuration, other embodiments can employ various different communication architectures, modules, devices, configurations, etc., as the vehicle occupant detection system 210 is but one embodiment.

The camera 240 can be any electronic digital camera that is suitable for capturing images or video, and for providing such image/video information to the controller 212. The camera 240 may include a memory device and a processing device to store and/or process data that it captures, and can be any suitable camera type (e.g., charge coupled device (CCD), complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), etc.) with any suitable lens. Although only a single camera 240 is shown and described herein, any number of cameras can be used with the system 210, including one or more exterior-facing cameras and/or interior-facing cameras. In one embodiment, the camera 240 can be mounted so as to face a passenger area or location in which one or more occupants may reside (or typically resides) while riding in the vehicle. In another embodiment, a plurality of cameras can be mounted and each can face a passenger area location in which one or more occupants may reside while in the vehicle. In one embodiment, one or more cameras can be positioned so as to face one or more life detection zones or a driver seating location. For example, according to some embodiments, the camera 240 can be used to detect a driver departure indication, which indicates that the driver has departed the vehicle.

Also, in some embodiments, the camera 240 can be used to provide a video or images to a user, such as a remote user (e.g., a fleet manager, an EMS operator). These videos and/or images can include a view of within a vehicle cabin (“interior cabin picture or video”), and can be sent using the cellular chipset 228 to the fleet manager or other user. The remote user can then view the video and/or images using an electronic display. In one embodiment, video is captured by the camera 240 and continuously streamed to the remote user and displayed for this remote user in a live or real-time manner so that the remote user can observe the interior of the vehicle cabin in real-time. In one embodiment, video and/or images that are captured using the camera 240 can be stored in a log file and/or sent from the system 210 to a remote server, which can then log and/or store the video and/or images. Also, in at least one -14-

embodiment, the system 210 can employ object recognition techniques so that occupants can automatically be identified. Thus, according to some embodiments, the system 210 can use the camera 240 to verify, confirm, or otherwise assess the scan results of the occupant detection scanning process that are produced by the life detection sensors 30-1 to 30-12, and/or to verify, confirm, or otherwise assess a driver departure indication, as mentioned above.

With reference to FIG. 10, there is shown an overview of the operation (or States) of the vehicle occupant detection system. Although the discussion below is discussed with respect to the system 210, this operation applies equally to other embodiments of the vehicle occupant detection system, including the vehicle occupant detection system 10 (FIG. 1), the vehicle occupant detection system 410 (FIG. 12), and the vehicle occupant detection system 610 (FIG. 17). When the ignition is turned on, the system 210 enters a standby mode 302. During the standby mode 302 and/or after the ignition is turned on, the battery charger 217 can be placed into a charge mode in which the dedicated battery 216 is charged, and/or the system 210 can run a self-test to ensure sensors are working properly, for example.

Then, when the vehicle receives an indication of a potential occupant departure/arrival, the system will enter armed mode 304. This indication can be, for example, an indication that emergency flashers (or other lights/notification devices) of the vehicle are activated, which are typically done so by the driver when the driver stops the bus to pick up or drop off an occupant in the case that the vehicle is a school bus. Of course, other predetermined events or indicators can be defined and used to provide an indication of a potential occupant departure/arrival or to otherwise enter the armed mode 304. When the system 210 is armed or in the armed mode 304, and then the vehicle is placed into a parking state and/or the ignition is turned off, the system 10 moves into a ready state 306. The ready state is a state of the system in which the system is ready to search for occupants, which can take place in response to a scanning initiation event, which can be detected by the controller 212, for example. In the illustrated embodiment, the scanning initiation event is an event in which the driver leaves the bus, which can be detected using a life detection sensor with a life detection zone containing a driver seat or operating location, pressure sensor in a driver seat, the camera 240 (e.g., using object recognition techniques), and/or other -15-

mechanisms, some of which are listed below. When the system 210 enters the ready state 306, the system 210 can start listening for a driver departure indication, which is an indication that the driver has left or departed the vehicle. According to various embodiments, several strategies can be used to detect a driver departure indication (or detect that the driver has left the bus), including the following:

1. determining that the ignition is off for a predetermined amount of time (or T seconds);

2. in embodiments where the driver seat is equipped with a driver presence detection sensor (e.g., a pressure sensor embedded in the driver seat) and associated logic: determining that the driver seat is empty AND that a predetermined amount of time (or T seconds) has passed;

3. when the bus is parked, the life detection sensors 230 are used to track the driver position and detect when he/she leaves the bus, and then the search is initiated a predetermined amount of time (or T seconds) after driver has left;

4. in embodiments where the vehicle is operated by a smart key (e.g., a key that is connected to the controller 212, such as through using Bluetooth™ and associated circuitry at the system 210) that is paired to the system 210, detecting that the key is not present; and/or

5. receiving a manual occupant detection scanning process command (or “manual start command” for short) to start the search, such as by the driver pressing a button or operating another human-machine interface used to provide input into the system 210.

In some embodiments, after a predetermined amount of time (or T seconds) has passed since receiving the scanning initiation event, the system will enter a cyclic search mode 308. In embodiments and/or scenarios where a manual start command is provided, then the system 210 can immediately begin the occupant detection scanning process without waiting a predetermined amount of time.

In the cyclic search mode 308, the life detection sensors 30-1 to 30-12 are used to determine whether an occupant is present and/or other information pertaining -16-

to the life detection zones. When a child or other occupant is detected (as indicated at 310), an interior alarm can be activated. The interior alarm can be a human-machine interface (HMI) output device that is a part of the local warning system 218 and that is directed to providing notifications to an interior cabin or area of the vehicle. The driver (or other operator) can then confirm that there is not an occupant within the vehicle via use of one or more human-machine interfaces, such as a microphone, pushbutton, etc. This confirmation is referred to as an occupancy presence driver confirmation, which is a confirmation by the driver or other designated individual that the occupant detection result of the scanning process is correct.

If the driver (or other operator) confirms that there is not an occupant within the vehicle, the driver can indicate this to the system 210 (e.g., using one or more of the human-machine interfaces) and then the interior alarm can be deactivated. After a predetermined amount of time has passed (denoted as Tis) and the driver (or other operator) has not confirmed that there is not an occupant within the vehicle, an exterior alarm can be activated (as indicated at 312). The exterior alarm can be an output device that is a part of the local warning system 218 and that is directed to providing notifications to an area external from the vehicle, such as to an outside area surrounding the vehicle. This exterior alarm can be flashing red lights (or brake lights/turn signals) and/or cyclic or repeated activation of a vehicle horn or other audio device. The driver (or other operator) can provide an occupancy presence driver confirmation via use of one or more human-machine interface (HMI) input devices that confirms that there is not an occupant within the vehicle and, if this occupancy presence driver confirmation is provided, the exterior alarm (and/or interior alarm if still activated) is/are deactivated.

In some embodiments, after search complete, the driver can perform a visual check by walking to the back of the bus. In some embodiments, a pushbutton (e.g., that is separate from the driver interface) can be provided at a back portion of an interior cabin of the bus (or other vehicle), and this button can be used to provide a confirmation that the driver (or other user) has confirmed that no occupants (other than themselves) are on the vehicle. This button can be communicatively coupled to the controller 212 (e.g., via a USB connection, a LIN connection, a CAN connection, -17-

wirelessly). This button at the back of the bus is an HMI input device that enables the driver (or other operator) to provide an occupancy presence driver confirmation.

After a second predetermined amount of time (denoted as Tzs) has passed since the system entered state 312, a message can be sent to a fleet manager (or other designated individual) using the remote warning system 220, for example (as indicated at 314). This message can be an SMS (short message service) message or email. Other notifications and remote communication technologies can be used as well. The driver (or other operator) can confirm via use of one or more human- machine interfaces that there is not an occupant within the vehicle and, if so, the exterior alarm (and/or interior alarm if still activated) is/are deactivated.

After a third predetermined amount of time (denoted as Tss) has passed since the system entered state 314, emergency services or another monitoring service can be contacted, and an emergency medical services (EMS) notification can be provided as indicated at 316. As shown in the exemplary EMS notification of FIG. 11, the EMS notification can include a VIN (or other unique identifier) of the vehicle, a geographic location (e.g., a GPS location) of the vehicle, a time of the event (or detection process), a date of the event (or detection process), a temperature of the vehicle, a message body, an interior cabin picture or video, and an occupant location indicator (e.g.. a graphical representation of the location of one or more detected occupants, an identifier of a life detection zone in which an occupant was detected). The geographic location can be a location that is determined using any of a variety of location services, such as triangulation techniques implemented by a cellular network and/or the cellular chipset 228. Additionally, or alternatively, the geographic location can be a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) location (e.g., a GPS location), which can be determined by a GNSS receiver that is provided as a part of the vehicle occupant detection system, such as the GNSS receiver 444 of the vehicle occupant detection system 410 (FIG. 12). The temperature of the vehicle can be determined by a temperature sensor, which can be included as a part of some embodiments of the vehicle occupant detection system, such as the temperature sensor 446 of the vehicle occupant detection system 410 (FIG. 12) discussed below. The occupant location indicator can be a graphical representation of the location of one or more detected occupants, such as a top view of the vehicle that includes providing an indicator for -18-

the life detection zone(s) to indicate that an occupant was detected (or not detected) within that life detection zone. The time of the event can be determined using an electronic clock of the vehicle, or that is provided separately with the vehicle occupant detection system. In one embodiment, a GNSS receiver can be used to obtain a present time based on receiving GNSS signal(s). The progression of states 310-316 is one embodiment of an alarm escalation process.

With reference to FIG. 12, there is shown a third embodiment of a vehicle occupant detection system 410. The vehicle occupant detection system 410 includes a controller 412, a battery 416, a local warning system 418, a remote warning system 420 (including cellular chipset 428), a communications bus 422, a plurality of life detection sensors 430, a camera 440, a driver interface 443 (an example of an interior alarm 442 and part of the local warning system 418), a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver 444, a temperature sensor 446, and one or more exterior alarms 448 (part of the local warning system 418). The components of FIG. 12 that include similar reference numerals to those of FIGS. 1 and/or 9 denote like elements. The description of those like components will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity. For example, controller 412 is analogous or corresponds to the controller 12 of the vehicle occupant detection system 10 (FIG. 1), and the plurality of life detection sensors 430 are analogous or corresponds to the plurality of life detection sensors 30 of the vehicle occupant detection system 10 (FIG. 1). It should be appreciated that any technically-feasible combination of the components of the vehicle occupant detection system 10, the components of the vehicle occupant detection system 210, and/or the vehicle occupant detection system 410 can be used according to various embodiments.

The battery 416 represents a battery that is used to provide electrical power to the controller, and potentially as well as to other components of the vehicle occupant detection system 410. The battery 416 can be a vehicle battery—e.g., a 12 V battery that is included as a part of the vehicle electrical system, and/or can be a separate battery that is dedicated for the vehicle occupant detection system 410, such as battery 216 of the vehicle occupant detection system 210.

The GNSS receiver 444 can be used to provide geographical coordinates of the vehicle occupant detection system 410. According to at least some embodiments,

the GNSS receiver 444 receives a plurality of GNSS signals from a plurality of GNSS satellites, which are then used to derive or otherwise obtain a GNSS location, which can be represented as geographical coordinates. The geographical coordinates can specify latitudinal, longitudinal, and/or elevation information. The GNSS receiver can be configured to comply with regulations or other requirements of a particular location in which the vehicle occupant detection system 410 is to be used or is anticipated as being used. Also, various GNSS systems use different names, such as global positioning system (GPS) in the United States and Galileo in Europe. The GNSS data obtained or derived from the GNSS signals can also be used to inform the system 410 of the current time, at least in some embodiments.

The temperature sensor 446 is a digital thermometer or other device that can measure a temperature of the vehicle occupant detection system 410 or the surrounding area, and that can report the temperature to the controller 412 in an electronic format. In one embodiment, the temperature sensor 446 can be used to detect an ambient temperature of a vehicle cabin, such as a passenger compartment. The detected temperature can be sent to a remote user, and/or can be used to assess the severity of leaving an individual (or other lifeform) within the vehicle. In some embodiments, multiple temperature sensors 446 can be used.

The vehicle occupant detection system 410 can also include a remote warning system 420, which is analogous to the remote warning system 20 of the vehicle occupant detection system 10 (FIG. 1) and the remote warning system 220 of the vehicle occupant detection system 210 (FIG. 9). In particular, the remote warning system 420 can include a cellular chipset 428, which can be used to communicate with one or more remote systems 452-456. In one embodiment, a cellular voice call can be placed over the cellular chipset 428 to a remote system/device. Additionally or alternatively, the cellular chipset 428 can be used to send one or more notifications or other electronic messages to one or more remote systems/devices. For example, the controller 412 can collect data concerning the operation and/or status of the vehicle { occupant detection system 410, which can then be reported via the cellular chipset 428 to a backend server that stores records or logs of the system 410 (and/or other instances of the system 410), as indicated at 452. In another example, the controller 412 can generate and send a message to a fleet manager concerning the detection of - 20 -

one or more occupants on the vehicle, as well as other information (e.g., status information), as indicated at 454. And, in yet another example, the controller 412 can prepare and send a notification or other message to an EMS system as indicated at

456. Although not depicted in FIG. 12, the cellular chipset 428 can send messages to these one or more remote systems 452-456 using a cellular carrier network, which can provide remote connectivity such as through the Internet.

The vehicle occupant detection system 410 can also include a local warning system 418, which is analogous to the local warning system 18 of the vehicle occupant detection system 10 (FIG. 1) and the local warning system 218 of the vehicle occupant detection system 210 (FIG. 9). The local warning system 418 includes one or more interior alarms 442 (e.g., an electronic display 441 that can display the driver interface 443) and one or more exterior alarms 448 (e.g., vehicle horn, exterior lights). The electronic display 441 and the driver interface 443 are discussed in more detail below. The one or more interior alarms 442 can include any devices, components, or modules that can provide an interior vehicle notification, which are those notifications presented within an interior cabin of the vehicle, or those that are directed to individuals within an interior cabin of the vehicle. As illustrated in FIG. 12, the interior alarm(s) 442 include the electronic display 441, which can display the driver interface 443. Other examples of interior alarms are discussed above, and include lights associated with the life detection sensors 430 and speakers within the vehicle cabin. The one or more exterior alarms 448 can include any devices, components, or modules that can provide an exterior vehicle notification, which are those notifications presented outside the vehicle, or those that are directed to individuals located outside of the vehicle.

The driver interface 443 is a graphical user interface (GUI) that is presented on an electronic display 441. The electronic display 441 can be any suitable display for presenting graphics and, in one embodiment, can include user input capabilities, which can be in the form of touch-screen capabilities or separate pushbuttons, knobs, dials, etc. that are coupled to the electronic display or otherwise coupled to the controller 412. In one embodiment, the electronic display 441 can be integrated into one or more components of the vehicle, such as a center console. Or, in another embodiment, the electronic display 441 can be a separate device (or provided as a part - 21 -

of a separate device), such as a tablet, smartphone, other handheld computer, etc. In such embodiments where the electronic display 441 is provided separately and not hardwired to the vehicle occupant detection system 410 (e.g., to the controller 412), the electronic display 441 (or device containing the electronic display 441) can communicate wirelessly with the vehicle occupant detection system 410, such as through the use of short-range wireless communications, such as BluetoothTM or Wi- Fi™, and/or through the user of long-range wireless communications, such as cellular communications. In such embodiments, the electronic display 441 (or device containing the electronic display 441) can include suitable circuitry needed to carry out such wireless communications. Alternatively, or additionally, the electronic display 441 (or device containing the electronic display 441) can be connected to the system 410 using a wired connection, such as a communications bus connection or a USB connection.

With reference to FIGS. 13-16, there are shown various different screens or graphics that can be presented using the driver interface 443. With reference to FIG. 13, there is shown an occupant detection scanning process start screen (also referred to herein as “start screen”) 500 that can be used as a part of an embodiment of the driver interface 443. The graphic presented on the start screen 500 depicts a top-view (or overview) of the vehicle as well as the various seats within the vehicle—in this example, the vehicle is a bus, although other vehicles can be used as well. The graphic can be selected or configured to resemble the layout of the vehicle on which the vehicle occupant detection system 410 is installed. In one embodiment, the electronic display 441 can be in a low power state or off state prior to initiating an occupant detection scanning process in which the vehicle occupant detection system 410 uses the plurality of sensors 430 for detecting the presence or absence of occupants (or life) on the vehicle.

The driver interface 443 can be activated in response to (or after) an occupant detection scanning process initiation signal (or “scanning initiation signal” for short), which can indicate that a scanning initiation event has been detected. For example, in one embodiment, the driver (or other operator) can press a pushbutton (not shown) that is coupled to the controller 412, which indicates to begin the occupant detection scanning process. In another example, a graphical button can be presented on the -22-

electronic display 441 (as a part of the driver interface 443, for example) and, in response to the driver (or other operator) pressing this graphical button (e.g., a “START” button), the occupant detection scanning process can begin and the start screen 500 can be displayed. In another embodiment, the scanning initiation signal can be certain predefined sensor information or signals that are received automatically based on processing sensor information. For example, the controller 412 can determine that the vehicle has arrived at a predefined geographic location (e.g., a bus depot, a bus station, a location along a route that is after the last bus stop) by comparing the geographic location (e.g., GPS coordinate(s)) of the vehicle to the predefined geographic location. In another embodiment, the vehicle can detect the presence of a particular wireless signal (e.g., a Wi-Fi™ signal), and can compare information contained in this signal (e.g., a service set identifier (SSID)) to predetermined information and, upon such information of this wireless signal matching the predetermined information, this signal can be considered a scanning initiation signal. In response to the scanning initiation signal, the controller 412 can begin the occupant detection scanning process.

With reference to FIG. 14, there is shown a scanning-in-progress screen 520 that can be displayed as the occupant detection scanning process is being carried out. For example, after the system is initialized (e.g., in response to the occupant detection scanning process initiation signal), the occupant detection scanning process is carried out and the driver interface 443 can then display the scanning-in-progress screen 520. In one embodiment, if (or when) the vehicle ignition is engaged (or re-engaged) during the occupant detection scanning process, then the vehicle occupant detection system 410 enters a standby mode, enters a low-power or sleep mode, or may turn off.

In one embodiment, the occupant detection scanning process can be carried out from one end of the vehicle to the other, such as by first using the life detection sensors 30 at the front of the bus first, and then using the next set of adjacent life detection sensors 30 so that the scanning process progress from the front of the bus toward the back of the bus. In some embodiments, the life detection sensors 430 can scan (or obtain sensor information) simultaneously and, in such embodiments, the life detection sensors 430 can use various channel separation/modulation/collision- avoidance techniques so as to not create (or to reduce) interference between the - 23 -

various microwaves (or other electromagnetic waves) used by the life detection sensors 430. In other embodiments, a single life detection sensor can be operated (or can scan) at a given time, or a subset of life detection sensors can be operated (or can scan) at a given time. The scanning process can also be carried out multiple times for the same location for redundancy purposes. For example, the occupant detection scanning process can be carried out from the front of the vehicle to the back, and then from the back to the front. The scanning-in-progress screen 520 can provide information concerning the occupant detection scanning process, including the scan time (e.g., the amount of time the scan has taken so far and/or the overall time taken to complete the scan), warnings or other notifications (e.g., directions for the driver, such as informing the driver to stay seated in the driver seat), a scan progress indicator, and/or other information. In one embodiment, the scanning-in-progress screen 520 can include an animation that shows the area of the vehicle (or life detection zones) that is/are currently being scanned. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the scanner lines 522 indicate the portion of the vehicle that is currently being scanned. The animation can then progress (e.g., the green scanner lines can move) in accordance with the life detection sensors 430 that are being operated at the present time as a part of the occupant detection scanning process.

With reference to FIGS. 15 and 16, once the occupant detection scanning process is complete, then the driver interface 443 can present an occupant detection scanning process result screen (also referred to herein as a “scanning result screen”) 540, 560. FIG. 15 depicts an embodiment of a scanning result screen and, specifically, an occupant-not-detected result screen 540 that shows the results of the occupant detection scanning process in which no occupant (e.g., child) was detected. FIG. 16 depicts an embodiment of a scanning result screen and, specifically, an occupant-detected result screen 560 that shows the results of the occupant detection scanning process in which an occupant (e.g., child) was detected. The occupant- detected result screen 560 can provide an occupant location indicator 572, which indicates a life detection zone or other area in which an occupant was detected, and/or which indicates one or more life detection sensors that detected an occupant. In general with respect to FIGS. 15-16, the lighter-shaded squares indicate that the life detection sensor at that location (at the location of the square) did not detect an occupant (e.g., child) and the darker-shaded squares indicate that the life detection „24 -

sensor at that location (at the location of the square) did detect an occupant (e.g., child), such as is shown in FIG. 16 at 572. As illustrated, a graphic of the vehicle from a top-view can be presented and the sensor locations can be identified by a square or other indicator, which can then be colored or changed to reflect the results of the scanning process, such as that which is shown in FIGS. 15 and 16.

Each of the scanning result screens 540, 560 include a confirmation button 542, 562 that, when selected by the driver (or other operator), the vehicle occupant detection system 410 shutdowns, or enters a low power mode or standby mode. In embodiments when the electronic display is a touchscreen display, the confirmation button 542, 562 can include graphics presented on the screen 540, 560. These confirmation buttons can be used to provide an occupancy presence driver confirmation. In other embodiments, other human machine interface (HMI) input devices can be used to provide this occupancy presence driver confirmation, such as a physical pushbutton or voice input that is received by a microphone. These occupant detection scanning process result screens 540, 560 can also include other information such as an overall scanning result indicator 544 (e.g., “NO CHILD DETECTED” (FIG. 14), “CHILD DETECTED” (FIG. 15)). The overall scanning result indicator 544, the color scheme of the screen 540, 560, or other graphics of the screen 540, 560 can be green (or other predetermined color) when no child (or other occupant) is detected and red (or other predetermined color) when a child (or other occupant) is detected.

In one embodiment, when no occupant is detected, the system 410 will automatically shut-down (or enter a low power mode or standby mode) after a predetermined amount of time even when an occupancy presence driver confirmation is not received from the driver (or other operator). And, in one embodiment, when an occupant is detected, the system 410 will automatically initiate an alarm sequence (e.g., internal warnings, external warnings, acoustical signals, email, SMS message). After the alarm sequence (or after an occupancy presence driver confirmation is received), the system 410 can shutdown (or enter a low power mode or standby mode). This predetermined amount of time can be represented by a timer (as indicated at 546, 566) that is displayed and continuously updated (e.g., every second the number is decremented) until the system automatically shutdowns, at which time -25-

the electronic display 441 can enter a low-power or standby mode, or may turn off. The timer can be adjusted so as to change the predetermined amount of time using a system settings or configuration menu, as will be discussed in more detail below.

In some embodiments, in addition to the occupant detection scanning process screens (e.g., start screen 500, the scanning-in-progress screen 520, and the scanning result screens 540, 560), the driver interface 443 can include a settings screen that is used for modifying various settings of the vehicle occupant detection system 410 and/or the occupant detection scanning process. The settings screen (not shown) can be accessed by an operator (e.g., the driver) through entering credentials, or other authorization and/or authentication information. For example, a username and password pair (or other credentials (e.g., a 4 or 6 digit pin)) can be inputted by the operator using one or more HMI input devices, such as by using an onscreen keyboard that is presented on the electronic display 441 in the case that the electronic display 441 is a touchscreen or a physical keypad. In another embodiment, a physical key can be used to permit an operator access to the settings screen. For example, the vehicle occupant detection system 410 can include a key cylinder that can be engaged by a physical key. The key cylinder can also include circuitry or electronics that report the status of the key cylinder (e.g., whether the cylinder is in a locked (or rotated) state) to the controller 412. The controller 412 can then direct the driver interface 443 to display the settings screen. In yet another embodiment, a two (2) point (or 2-factor) authorization process can be used, such as that which requires a physical key and user credentials (e.g., username, password, pin, combination thereof).

As mentioned above, the settings screen can be used to modify various settings, such as settings for an alarm escalation sequence or process, the remote warning system, the local warning system, intrusion detection process, vehicle identification information, other vehicle information, and system testing process. For example, with respect to the remote warning system and/or the alarm escalation sequence or process (referred to herein as “alarm escalation process”), the settings screen can enable an operator to specify certain individuals to be notified in the case that an occupant is detected and/or to specify one or more means of communications (e.g., selecting between email, SMS, and/or a mobile application notification). As - 26 -

another example, with respect to the local warning system, the settings screen can enable an operator to specify one or more particular human-machine interface (HMI) output devices to be used in presenting warnings or other notifications locally at the vehicle, which can include speakers and lights. The settings screen can also enable an operator to start or carry out a calibration process for one or more of the life detection sensors 430.

In one embodiment, the settings screen can be provided to a fleet manager or other remote user that is authorized using a remote user interface. The settings screen can be presented at the remote user interface using a computer application and can include a graphical user interface (GUI). The settings can then be modified by the remote user and sent to the vehicle occupant detection system using cellular communications or other remote communications. In one embodiment, the fleet manager or other authorized remote user can access settings screens for a fleet of vehicles, and may modify or change settings for a group of vehicles. For example, the remote user can select a group of vehicle occupant detection systems and then change or modify settings, which can then be applied to the selected group. Various groupings can be used, such as those school busses that are a part of a particular school system. The remote user (e.g., fleet manager) can also access a user interface (e.g., a graphical user interface (GUI) presented on an electronic display) that shows the current status of one or more vehicle occupant detection systems, such as for a fleet of vehicles. For example, in one scenario, the remote user can be a fleet manager that can view the current status of vehicle occupant detection systems installed on a plurality of school busses. The current status can be a location of the busses, one or more scan results of the occupant detection scanning process, and/or other information obtained from the vehicle occupant detection system.

The system testing process can be used to test the functionality of one or more processes or steps, such as the alarm escalation sequence. For example, a user can press a “TEST” button on the settings screen or other screen of the driver interface

443. The system can then run a test by carrying out a test alarm escalation sequence, which can include sending messages (e.g., SMS, email) to one or more specified devices or individuals. Other parts or operations of the vehicle occupant detection - 27 -

system 410 can be tested as well, such as the local warning system, the intrusion detection process, the alarm escalation process, etc.

In one embodiment, when the settings screen is activated (or accessed), one or more processes can be suspended or stopped. For example, when an operator initiates access of the settings screen while the life detection sensors 430 are scanning as a part of the intrusion detection process, the intrusion detection process is suspended or stopped. After the operator ends access of the settings screen (e.g., navigates to another screen or logs out), the intrusion detection process can resume or be restarted, at least according to one embodiment.

In one embodiment, the vehicle occupant detection system 410 logs information pertaining to the operation of the vehicle occupant detection system 410. The information that is logged (referred to as the “log information”) can include results of the occupant detection scanning process, including information indicating which zones an occupant was or was not detected in, sensor information (e.g., raw sensor data, sampled sensor data) from the life detection sensors 430 as well as from other sensors, user interaction with the system 410 (including human-machine interface (HMI) input, and actuation of one or more components of the system by a user (e.g., engaging the vehicle's ignition)), alarm sequence history (e.g., operation of the alarm escalation process in response to a detected occupant), user setting changes, self-test results or data, etc. Any one or more of the events (or any portions of the log information) that are logged can include various types of metadata, including a time indicator (e.g., a timestamp), which can be associated with a time in which the event occurred, a time in which the event was logged, or both, for example. The log information can be stored in one or more log files, and these log files can be “read only” files that are not editable except by the vehicle occupant detection system 410. The one or more log files can be sent to a remote server using the cellular chipset 428, for example. Or, in another embodiment, a fleet manager (or other authorized individual) can locally copy or move the log files from memory of the vehicle occupant detection system 410 to another device that is external from the vehicle occupant detection system 410, such as a portable electronic device (e.g., a smartphone). Access to the log files can be restricted using a password, physical key, other security mechanisms, and/or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, an -28--

operator can access the log files (or the log information) locally using the driver interface 443, such as through use of the settings screen.

With reference to FIG. 17, there is shown a fourth embodiment of a vehicle occupant detection system 610. The components of FIG. 17 that include similar reference numerals to those of FIGS. 1, 9, and/or 12 denote like elements. The description of those like components will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity. The vehicle occupant detection system 610 includes an electronic control unit (ECU) or controller (referred to herein as “controller”) 612, a sensor interface 622, one or more life detection sensors 630, a user interface 660, a driver interface 643 including plurality of light indicators (e.g., LEDs 662, 664, 666) and a pushbutton 668, a vehicle interface 670, and a data interface 680. The sensor interface 622, the user interface 660, the vehicle interface 670, and the data interface 680 are physical interfaces that are connected to (or a part of) the controller 612. In one embodiment, the controller 612 can include a separate physical interface for each of these four interfaces. In another embodiment, any one or more of these interfaces can be integrated with one another, can include more than one physical interface, or any combination thereof.

The sensor interface 622 corresponds to the communications bus 22 of the vehicle occupant detection system 10 (FIG. 1). In one embodiment, the sensor interface 622 can be a communications bus (e.g., a LIN bus, a CAN bus) that extends between the one or more life detection sensors 630 and the controller 612, and which can be comprised of one or more communication cables. In another embodiment, the sensor interface 622 can be a wireless interface, such as that which uses SRWC (e.g., Bluetooth™, Wi-Fi™). The life detection sensor(s) 630 correspond to the life detection sensors 30, 230, 430 of the vehicle occupant detection system 10, 210, 410 (FIGS. 1, 9, 12), respectively. In at least some embodiments, the sensor interface 622 can also be used to provide electrical power to the life detection sensor(s) 630. In one embodiment, power and data can be provided over a single cable, such as through using Power over Ethernet (PoE).

The user interface 660 provides a connection between one or more human- machine interfaces (HMIs) that are used for communications between the vehicle occupant detection system 610 and an operator (e.g., the driver). In one embodiment, the user interface 660 includes one or more wires or cables that are connected „29 -

between the controller 612 and the user interface devices 662-668. In at least one embodiment, the user interface 660 is used to inform the operator of the status of the system (e.g., using system status indicator 662), provide information pertaining to whether an occupant was detected (e.g., using occupant-not-present indicator 664, using occupant-present indicator 666), and receive input from the driver, such as an occupancy presence driver confirmation using the pushbutton 668. In the illustrated embodiment, the user interface 660 couples the system to one or more components of a driver interface 643, which is illustrated in FIG. 18.

As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the driver interface 643 includes the status indicator 662, the occupant-not-present indicator 664, the occupant-present indicator 666, and the pushbutton 668. The system status indicator 662, the occupant-not- present indicator 664, and the occupant-present indicator 666 are illustrated as each being a light emitting diode (LED), with the system status indicator 662 emitting an amber-colored light, the occupant-not-present indicator 664 emitting a green-colored light, and the occupant-present indicator 666 emitting a red-colored light. Other types of indicators can be used, including those that use one or more LEDs, other light sources, speakers, and/or other HMI output devices. In one embodiment, the pushbutton 668 is a physical switch that can be actuated through depressing a portion of the pushbutton 668. In other embodiments, other types of switches or electronic user input components can be used. Although the system status indicator 662, the occupant-not-present indicator 664, the occupant-present indicator 666, and the pushbutton 668 are discussed below with respect to certain functionality, in various embodiments, these components can be used in a variety of ways and for a variety of functionality, such as any of the HMI functionality discussed above with respect to other embodiments, including that which is discussed with respect to the local warning system 18, 218, 418 and the driver interface 443.

With reference back to FIG. 17, the vehicle interface 670 provides a connection between one or more electric or electronic components, devices, modules, or systems of the vehicle (collectively, the “vehicle electrical system”) and the vehicle occupant detection system 610. In one embodiment, the vehicle interface 670 includes one or more wires or cables that are connected between the controller 612 and the vehicle electrical devices. In one embodiment, the vehicle interface 670 can be or - 30 -

include an onboard diagnostics (OBD) connector, such as an OBD II connector. In another embodiment, the vehicle interface 670 can include on or more wires, cables, or devices that are connected to one or more communication busses of the vehicle, such as to a CAN bus of the vehicle. In other embodiments, the vehicle interface 670 can provide one or more direct connections between a vehicle electrical device and the controller 612. For example, an ignition unit of the vehicle can be directly wired to the controller 612, or other component or portion of the vehicle occupant detection system 610. In yet another embodiment, the vehicle interface 670 can be a wireless interface that uses, for example, short-range wireless communications, such as Wi- Fi™ and/or Bluetooth™.

The vehicle interface 670 is used to provide vehicle information to the vehicle occupant detection system 610, such as an ignition status and/or a parking brake status of the vehicle, and/or to provide access (or control) to one or more components of the vehicle, such as a vehicle horn and/or vehicle lights. As shown in FIG. 17, the vehicle interface 670 connects the controller 612 to portion of the vehicle electrical system that provides a parking state status as indicated at 672. The parking state status indicates whether the vehicle is in a parking state or not, and/or can provide a signal or indication when the parking state changes. Also, the vehicle interface 670 connects the controller 612 to portion of the vehicle electrical system that provides an ignition status as indicated at 674. The ignition status indicates whether the vehicle’s ignition is activated or turned on/off, and/or can provide signal or indication when the ignition state changes. In other embodiments where the vehicle is an electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle, the ignition status can indicate a status of the primary propulsion system. The vehicle interface 670 connects the controller 612 to portion of the vehicle electrical system that provides access to one or more output HMI devices of the vehicle as indicated at 676. As shown in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 17, the one or more output devices can include a vehicle horn 675 and vehicle lights 677. The vehicle lights 677 can be lights that are provided on the interior of the vehicle cabin, and/or can be lights that are provided on the exterior of the vehicle (e.g., brake lights, turn signals, school bus stop sign lights, flashers, headlights).

The vehicle interface 670 can also be used to provide power from the vehicle | electrical system to the vehicle occupant detection system 610 as indicated at 678. In -31-

one embodiment, the vehicle interface 670 can provide connect to one or more electric wires of the vehicle that deliver electric power. For example, the vehicle interface 670 can provide a connection between a vehicle battery (e.g., a 12V battery) and the controller 612. The controller 612 can then provide power to other components of the vehicle occupant detection system 610, such as the life detection sensor(s) 630. Or, the vehicle interface 670 can be used to provide power from the vehicle battery directly to these other components.

The data interface 680 provides a connection between the controller 612 and one or more data stores. The data stores can include one or more memory devices, any one or more of which can be located locally and/or as a part of the vehicle occupant detection system 610, or any one or more of which may be located remotely and which can be accessible using a remote data connection. In some embodiments where at least one of the memory devices is located remotely, the data interface 680 can provide a connection between the controller 612 and a cellular chipset 628. This cellular chipset 628 is analogous to the cellular chipset 228, 428 of the vehicle occupant detection system 210, 410, respectively, and that discussion above is incorporated herein and not repeated for the sake of brevity. In some embodiments, the data interface 680 can be used to receive remote commands via the cellular chipset 628, which can be received in the form of an email or SMS message. These remote commands can be commands to shut-off an alarm (e.g., such as to turn off or deactivate a local warning system). Also, as will be discussed more below, the system settings 684 can store remote user contact information, which can include phone numbers or email addresses of one or more designated remote users. In one embodiment, the system settings 684 stores remote user contact information for up to three remote users.

The data interface 680 is shown as providing access to log files 682 and system settings 684. The log files 682 and/or the system settings 684 can be stored locally at a memory device that is included as a part of the vehicle occupant detection system 610. In one embodiment, the memory device is separate from the controller 612 and, in some embodiments, the memory device is connected to the controller via a wired connection (e.g., a USB connection, a SATA connection). In another embodiment, the memory device on which the log files 682 and/or the system settings -32-

684 are stored is included as a part of the controller 612. The log files 682 can include one or more electronic files, and can be accessed by the controller 612 and/or sent to a remote device, such as through an email using cellular chipset 628. The system settings 684 are used to define settings of the system and, in some embodiments, can define customer-specific settings and system behavior. For example, the system settings 684 can define certain parameters of the alarm escalation process and/or the intrusion alert process, which, in some embodiments, can be customized for the particular customer. Also, the system settings 684 can store remote user contact information, such as phone number(s) and/or email address(es), which, in some embodiments, can be customized for the particular customer.

With reference to FIGS. 19-22, there are shown various timing diagrams illustrating certain functionality of the vehicle occupant detection system 610. It should be appreciated that the exemplary functionality described below applies equally to other embodiments of the vehicle occupant detection system, including the vehicle occupant detection system 10 (FIG. 1), the vehicle occupant detection system 210 (FIG. 9), and the vehicle occupant detection system 410 (FIG. 12).

In one embodiment, the vehicle occupant detection system 610 is activated in response to a rising edge of the ignition signal 674. The vehicle occupant detection system 610 can receive an indication of a rising edge of the ignition via the vehicle interface 670. In other embodiments, other ignition status(es) can be used as providing an indication to activate the system 610. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 19, in response to the initial ignition signal 702, the plurality of light indicators 662-666 are illuminated for three (3) seconds to provide a system activation indication to a driver (or other local user). In other embodiments, the system 610 can activate other HMI output devices to provide the driver (or other local user) the system activation indication, which is an indication that the vehicle occupant detection system 610 has been (or is being) activated. The HMI output devices can provide this system activation indication for a predetermined amount of time, which is three (3) seconds in the illustrated embodiment. In at least some embodiments, the actual state of the ignition does not influence the activation of the system 610 after the system 610 has already observed a first rising edge of the ignition. For example, when the driver turns a vehicle key to start the ignition of the vehicle, the system 610 will activate - 33 -

regardless of whether the vehicle is successfully started. In response to activating the system 610, a self-test can be carried out, which is described in more detail below with respect to FIG. 23.

In at least some embodiment, the vehicle occupant detection system 610 carries out the occupant detection scanning process in response to a falling edge of the ignition signal 674 as indicated at 704. Also, in some embodiments, the occupant detection scanning process is not carried out unless the vehicle is in the parking state (e.g., parking brake is engaged), which can be determined based on the parking state signal 672, which is illustrated as a parking brake signal in the illustrated embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, in response to detecting a falling edge of the ignition signal 674 (indicated at 704) and that the vehicle is in the parking state as indicated by the parking state signal 672, the vehicle occupant detection system 610 can then initiate a countdown of a predetermined amount of time before beginning the occupant detection scanning process. This predetermined amount of time is ten (10) minutes in the illustrated embodiment. As indicated at 720, the occupant detection scanning process begins after this predetermined amount of time.

When the occupant detection scanning process begins, the system status indicator 662 can begin blinking and can continuing blinking until the occupant detection scanning process is completed. Other forms of output can be provided to the driver (or other local user) that indicate the occupant detection scanning process is currently being performed. In some embodiments, the occupant detection scanning process is stopped when the ignition signal 674 indicates that the ignition is being started, which can be detected as a rising edge of the ignition signal. In some embodiments, the occupant detection scanning process is stopped when the parking state signal 672 indicates that the vehicle is no longer in the parking state (e.g., the parking brake is no longer engaged).

Once the occupant detection scanning process is complete, a result of this scanning process can be provided to the driver (or other local user). In one embodiment, when there is not an occupant detected by the occupant detection scanning process, the occupant-not-present indicator 664 can be illuminated for a predetermined amount of time, which is thirty (30) seconds in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 20. In one embodiment, when there is an occupant detected by - 34 -

P-IEE-526/L.U LU101162 the occupant detection scanning process, the occupant-present indicator 666 can be illuminated in a blinking manner for a predetermined amount of time, which is thirty (30) seconds in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 21. In some embodiments, the occupant-not-present indicator 664 can be illuminated in a blinking manner, and/or the occupant-present indicator 666 can be illuminated in a steady manner. Also, other forms of output can be provided to the driver (or other local user) in response to completing the occupant detection scanning process, including audio output, graphical output, etc. The scanning result indication (e.g., occupant-not-present indicator 664, the occupant-present indicator 666) can be stopped or deactivated when the driver (or other local user) presses the pushbutton 668 or otherwise provides an occupancy presence driver confirmation.

With reference to FIG. 22, there is shown a time diagram of an alarm strategy or alarm escalation process 730. In one embodiment, the alarm escalation process 730 is carried out in response to detecting an occupant as a result of the occupant detection scanning process. In general, the alarm escalation process 730 includes a plurality of stages in which various alarms and/or notifications are provided. In at least some embodiments, the alarm escalation process 730 is terminated when the pushbutton 668 is pressed, or when other input is received from the driver, other local user, or a remote user. The first stage 732 of the alarm escalation process 730 includes providing a local notification. The local notification can be an interior vehicle location and/or an exterior vehicle notification. For example, as shown in FIG. 22, the occupant-present indicator 666 is illuminated in a blinking fashion for thirty (30) seconds, as indicated at 732. In one embodiment, the first stage can include a first sub-stage in which an interior vehicle notification (e.g., the blinking red light of the occupant-present indicator 666) is provided for a first predetermined amount of time and, after this first predetermined amount of time, a second sub-stage can be carried out in which an exterior vehicle notification is provided, such as through use of the vehicle horn or exterior vehicle lights. After the first stage 732, a second stage 734 is carried out in which a remote user is contacted, such as via an SMS message that is sent using the cellular chipset 628. In one embodiment, the SMS message is sent to a fleet manager, or other designated individual or system. The SMS message can indicate an overall result of the occupant detection scanning process, as well as more detailed information, such as one or more life detection zones -35-

P-IEE-526/L.U LU101162 in which an occupant was detected. Other remote notifications can be provided as well. In addition, as a part of the second stage 734, interior vehicle lights can be illuminated, which can include controlling the vehicle lights using the controller 612 via the vehicle interface 670. If an SMS message or other input is received that indicates an individual is aware that an occupant has been detected in the vehicle (e.g., an occupancy presence driver confirmation is provided), then the alarm escalation process can be stopped. For example, as indicated at 740, a SMS reply message is received. In a scenario where no response is received within a predetermined amount of time, then the alarm escalation process 730 can escalate to the third stage 736 in which the vehicle horn can be activated and/or another exterior vehicle notification can be provided. Also, in one embodiment, when no response is received within a predetermined amount of time after beginning the second or third stage, then emergency medical services (EMS) can be notified, which can include placing a call or sending information using the cellular chipset 628. Any of the information sent to a remote user or system can also indicate a geographic location of the vehicle.

With reference to FIG. 23, there is shown a state diagram according to an embodiment 800 of a method of carrying out a remedial action in response to detecting an occupant within a vehicle. Although the method 800 is discussed with respect to the vehicle occupant detection system 610, the method 800 can be used with various other occupant detection systems, including the vehicle occupant detection system 10, the vehicle occupant detection system 210, and the vehicle occupant detection system 410.

The method 800 begins with the vehicle occupant detection system in a standby mode or state as indicated at 803. In the standby mode 803, the vehicle occupant detection system waits for a vehicle occupant detection system activation event (also referred to as a “system activation event”), which is an ignition ON signal as indicated in the illustrated embodiment. Then, when a vehicle occupant detection system activation event is detected (e.g., detecting that the vehicle ignition is ON), the method 800 proceeds to a self-test state 810 in which the vehicle occupant detection system performs a self-test. The self-test includes one or more operations in which the vehicle occupant detection system determines whether one or more devices and/or -36-

functions are operational and/or running correctly. During the self-test, if it is detected that the ignition is turned off, the method continues back to step 805 where the vehicle occupant detection system enters the standby mode. After the self-test, the vehicle occupant detection system enters a driving state 815 in which the vehicle is driven. In many embodiments, the driving state 815 is entered once the vehicle exits a parking state as depicted in the illustrated embodiment. As mentioned above, the parking state is a state in which the vehicle is in a parking transmission gear (e.g., the Park gear of PRNDL) or when a parking brake of the vehicle is engaged. The parking state is not explicitly shown as a separate element in FIG. 23 since the vehicle can be in a parking state while the vehicle and/or vehicle occupant detection system is in one of the states shown in FIG. 23. During the driving state, if the ignition is turned off prior to the vehicle being placed into the parking state, then the vehicle occupant detection system enters the standby mode 805. Otherwise, as indicated at the transition between state 815 and 820, once the vehicle is placed into the parking state, the vehicle is considered to be in a stopped state 820. In the stopped state 820, when the vehicle exits the parking state (e.g., a parking brake is released or disengaged, the vehicle is placed into a drive gear) and/or the ignition is turned off, the vehicle occupant detection system enters the clear vehicle state 825. Also, when the vehicle is in the stopped state 820, if a manual start command is provided, the vehicle occupant detection system enters the scanning state immediately (or, in some embodiments, after a predetermined amount of time). The manual start command is any manual input from a user that indicates to start the occupant detection scanning process, which is illustrated as “BUTTON PRESSED”. In one embodiment, the pushbutton 668 can be used to provide the manual start command while the vehicle is in the stopped state 820.

The clear vehicle state 825 is a state in which the vehicle occupant detection system waits a first predetermined amount of time before carrying out the occupant detection scanning process. As illustrated in FIG. 23, once a first timer (TIMER) that is set to the first predetermined amount of time expires, the vehicle occupant detection system enters the scanning state 830 in which the occupant detection scanning process is carried out. As illustrated in FIG. 23, during the scanning state 830, if the vehicle exits the parking state then the occupant detection scanning process is stopped (or at least paused) and the vehicle then enters the driving state 815. In „37 -

some embodiments, the vehicle ignition may be off at this time and so the system will enter the standby mode 805 as indicated by the transition between the driving state 815 and the standby mode 805. It should be appreciated that although FIG. 23 depicts that the system enters the driving state 815 when the parking state is exited while in the scanning state 830, the actual operation may be to enter the standby state 805 directly from the scanning state 830 when the parking state is exited. As a result of the occupant detection scanning process, a scan result is obtained and, when the scan result indicates that no occupant is detected, then the vehicle occupant detection system provides an occupant-not-present indication, which can be any indication that no occupant was detected. In the illustrated embodiment, the occupant-not-present indication is a green light that is displayed or otherwise provided as indicated at 835, which can be provided by the driver interface 643 using the occupant-not-present indicator 664. When the scan result indicates that an occupant has been detected, then the vehicle occupant detection system provides an occupant-present indication, which can be any indication that an occupant was detected. In the illustrated embodiment, the occupant-present indication is a red light that is displayed or otherwise provided as indicated at 840, which can be provided by the driver interface 643 using the occupant-present indicator 666. In some embodiments, when the scan results are unclear as to whether an occupant is present, the system can treat these results the same as if an occupant was detected. However, a separate indicator can be provided in some embodiments, such as a yellow light, a red blinking light, or illuminating both the green and the red light at the same time.

In the occupant-not-present state 835, the system waits a second predetermined amount of time before entering the standby state 855. This second predetermined amount of time is represented by the TIMER; in FIG. 23. Also, in at least some embodiments, when in the occupant-not-present state 835, if the ignition of the vehicle is turned on or an occupancy presence driver confirmation is provided (e.g., by pressing the pushbutton 668 of the driver interface 643 as represented in FIG. 23 as “BUTTON PRESSED”), then the vehicle occupant detection system enters the standby state 855. In the occupant-present state 840, after a third timer (TIMER3) expires (i.e., after a third predetermined amount of time), the system enters the remote notification state 845 as indicated by the transition “TIMER; EXPIRED”. In the remote notification state 845, the vehicle occupant detection system sends a remotenotification to one or more remote users to inform them that an occupant is (or may be) present. If no acknowledgement or response is received after a fourth predetermined amount of time as indicated by “TIMER4 EXPIRED”, then the vehicle occupant detection system enters an exterior vehicle notification state 850, which is a state in which the vehicle occupant detection system provides an exterior vehicle notification (e.g., a vehicle horn as illustrated in FIG. 23). After a fifth predetermined amount of time as indicated by “TIMER EXPIRED”, the vehicle occupant detection system enters the standby state 855. Also, when the vehicle occupant detection system is in either state 840, 845, or state 850, if the ignition of the vehicle is turned on or an occupancy presence driver confirmation is provided, the vehicle occupant detection system enters the standby state 855. The standby state 855 is the same as the standby state 805. The progression of notifications provided in states 840-850 represents an embodiment of an alarm escalation process. It should be appreciated that the first predetermined amount of time, the second predetermined amount of time, the third predetermined amount of time, the fourth predetermined amount of time, and the fifth predetermined amount of time can all be the same amount of time, all be a different amount of time, or some combination thereof. Also, these predetermined amount of times can be configured for the particular application in which the vehicle occupant detection system is used, and may be modified by an authorized user using a driver interface.

With reference to FIG. 24, there is shown a flowchart illustrating an embodiment 900 of a method of carrying out a remedial action in response to detecting an occupant within a vehicle. The method 900 can be used with and/or carried out by various occupant detection systems, including the vehicle occupant detection system 10, the vehicle occupant detection system 210, the vehicle occupant detection system 410, and the vehicle occupant detection system 610.

The method 900 begins with step 910, wherein a vehicle occupant detection system activation event (also referred to as a “system activation event”) is detected. As discussed above, in one embodiment, the system activation event is a rising edge of an ignition signal from a vehicle to which the vehicle occupant detection system is installed. In other embodiments, the system activation event can be the disengaging of a parking brake, the shifting of a transmission gear (e.g., shifting to or from one of -39-

PRNDL), opening or closing a vehicle door, the presence of a driver (e.g., which can be detected using a pressure sensor within a driver seat or other driver detection mechanism), the presence of voice within the vehicle (e.g., as detected using a microphone), etc. Any one or more of these events or other events can be detected by programming the vehicle occupant detection system to listen for certain signals that indicate the occurrence of such events. After the system activation event is detected, the method 900 proceeds to step 920.

In step 920, in response to detecting the system activation event, the vehicle occupant detection system enters a standby mode. The standby mode is a mode in which the vehicle occupant detection system listens for a scanning initiation event. The scanning initiation event can be any event that is predetermined to cause the occupant detection scanning process to be carried out presently or after a predetermined amount of time (see step 950, for example). In one embodiment, the scanning initiation event is when the ignition is turned off and/or when a parking brake is engaged. Other types of scanning initiation event can be used, such as when a driver (or other user) presses a pushbutton or provides other input to indicate to start the occupant detection scanning process. The method 900 continues to step 930.

In steps 930 and 940, the scanning initiation event is detected and, in the illustrated embodiment, this includes detecting that the vehicle ignition is off (step 930) and detecting that the vehicle is in the parking state (e.g., parking brake of the vehicle is engaged) (step 940). In one embodiment, these detections can be performed by listening for one or more particular signals over a vehicle interface of the vehicle, such as through using the vehicle interface 670 described above with respect to the vehicle occupant detection system 610 (FIG. 17). Once it is detected that the vehicle ignition is off and that the vehicle is in the parking state (and/or another scanning initiation event is detected), the method 900 continues to step 950.

In step 950, the vehicle occupant detection system waits a predetermined amount of time. The predetermined amount of time can be any amount of time, such as thirty (30) seconds, ten (10) minutes, etc. In some embodiments and/or scenarios, this waiting step can allow the driver of the vehicle (or other passengers who may still be present) to depart the vehicle. In some embodiments, this predetermined amount of time can be adjusted for the particular application and/or context in which the - 40 -

vehicle occupant detection system is used. In some embodiments, this step may be omitted and the occupant detection scanning process can be carried out after the scanning initiation event is detected, and/or in response to a manual start command. The method 900 then continues to step 960. : In step 960, the occupant detection scanning process is carried out in response to the detection of the scanning initiation event. The occupant detection scanning process includes using the plurality of life detection sensors to obtain sensor data that can be used to determine whether an occupant is present in the vehicle. In one embodiment, the scanning process causes the plurality of life detection sensors to transmit electromagnetic signals toward a life detection zone and to receive one or more reflected electromagnetic signals. The received reflected electromagnetic signal(s) can then be sampled or otherwise processed at the life detection sensor and sensor data derived from the received reflected electromagnetic signal(s) is sent to a controller (e.g., controller 12, 212, 412, 612), which can be a central control unit. In one embodiment, the plurality of life detection sensors can transmit electromagnetic signals at the same time and, in some instances, different modulation or channel separation techniques can be used so as to avoid or reduce interference between the electromagnetic signals.

In another embodiment, the plurality of life detection sensors can transmit electromagnetic signals at a different time than one another. For example, in one embodiment with reference to FIG. 4, a first life detection sensor (e.g., sensor 30-1) can perform a scan, then a second life detection sensor (e.g., sensor 30-7) can perform a scan, then a third life detection sensor (e.g., sensor 30-2) can perform a scan, then a fourth life detection sensor (e.g., sensor 30-8) can perform a scan, etc. In another embodiment, a first life detection sensor (e.g., sensor 30-1) can perform a scan at the same time as a second life detection sensor (e.g., sensor 30-10), then a third life detection sensor (e.g., sensor 30-7) and a fourth life detection sensor (e.g., sensor 30- 4) can perform a scan at the same time, then a fifth life detection sensor (e.g., sensor 30-2) and a sixth life detection sensor (e.g., sensor 30-11) can perform a scan at the same time, etc. until all of the sensors have been operated. In some instances, each sensor can perform two scans so as to more effectively ensure that an occupant is not present or is present. In one embodiment, a first life detection sensor (e.g., sensor 30- - 41 -

1) scans, then a second life detection sensor (e.g., sensor 30-2) scans, etc. until the last life detection sensor scans (e.g., sensor 30-12) and, after all of the sensors have performed a first scan, a second scan can be performed by each of the sensors, which can be carried out in the same order as the first scan or in a reverse order of the first scan, for example. The method 900 continues to step 970.

In step 970, a scan result is determined from the sensor data obtained during the occupant detection scanning process. The scan result indicates whether an occupant is present (or is detected as being present). In at least some embodiments, the scan result can also indicate one or more life detection zones (or other locations) in which an occupant was detected. Also, in some embodiments, it may be unclear whether an occupant is present and, in such cases, the scan result can indicate this uncertainty. For example, as illustrated FIG. 4, an occupant was detected in life detection zones 42-1 and 42-7 as indicated by dark-shading, and it is unclear whether an occupant is present in life detection zone 42-2 as indicated by light-shading. In one embodiment, the scan result can be determined by a central control unit or a controller. In one embodiment, each life detection sensor can determine whether an occupant was detected in its associated life detection zone and then this information can be sent to a controller or central control unit. The method 900 continues to step

980.

In step 980, one or more remedial actions are carried out by the vehicle occupant detection system. The one or more remedial actions can include providing a local interior notification, a local exterior notification, and/or a remote notification. Various types of these notifications are discussed above, and can include emitting light using one or more light sources (e.g., LEDs on a driver interface, LEDs on the life detection sensors), operating the vehicle horn, presenting a notification on a driver interface, sending an SMS message or email to a remote device, notifying police or an EMS system, etc. In one embodiment, the one or more remedial actions can be a part of an alarm escalation process, such as that which is described above. The method 900 then ends.

In another embodiment, the method 900 can include carrying out an intrusion detection process, which further includes periodically (e.g., after waiting a predetermined amount of time after step 970 or 980) proceeding back to step 960 to „42 -

perform the occupant detection scanning process so as to detect intruders (or other individuals who may enter the vehicle). When an occupant (or intruder) is detected, then the remedial action(s) of step 980 can include sending a remote notification to a designated individual, such as a fleet manager or a designated monitor. This intrusion detection process can be terminated when a system activation event is detected (see step 910).

In some instances, it may be desirable to carry out the occupant detection scanning process while the vehicle ignition is on, or in response to a scanning initiation event other than when the ignition is turned on and/or when the vehicle is placed into the parking state. For example, a bus driver may leave the bus idling and depart a bus while a child is on the bus for various reasons, such as to go the bathroom. In some embodiments, the scanning initiation event can be an event in which the driver (or other operator) departs the vehicle. The driver’s departure can be detected using a driver presence detection sensor, which can be a pressure sensor within the driver’s seat, a camera, and/or a life detection sensor directed to a driver seat or operating location.

In some embodiments, the vehicle occupant detection system can be installed on a vehicle that is an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. Thus, according to such embodiments, instead of determining an ignition status (as discussed above according to various embodiments), the vehicle occupant detection system can determine a primary propulsion state of the vehicle, such as whether the vehicle is activated so as to be ready for being propelled.

In some embodiments, the vehicle occupant detection system can be installed on another vehicle besides a bus, such as a train. In one embodiment, each train car can include one or more life detection sensors (e.g., a plurality of life detection sensors) and a controller—in some embodiments, each of the train cars can be considered as having a vehicle occupant detection sub-system that is a part of a vehicle occupant detection system for the entire train. The train can also include a central control device that can receive scan results from each controller of each train car (or sub-system), which can then process these scan results and provide these results to a train operator and/or to a remote user using a cellular chipset or other remote communication device. Of course, such embodiments can be applied to other - 43 -

types of mass transit vehicles as well, such as multi-cabin busses, ferries, other boats, etc.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description is of one or more preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention. The invention is not limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed herein, but rather is defined solely by the claims below. Furthermore, the statements contained in the foregoing description relate to particular embodiments and are not to be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention or on the definition of terms used in the claims, except where a term or phrase is expressly defined above. Various other embodiments and various changes and modifications to the disclosed embodiment(s) will become apparent to those skilled in the art. All such other embodiments, changes, and modifications are intended to come within the scope of the appended claims.

As used in this specification and claims, the terms “for example,” “e.g.,” “for instance,” and “such as,” and the verbs “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and their other verb forms, when used in conjunction with a listing of one or more components or other items, are each to be construed as open-ended, meaning that the listing is not to be considered as excluding other, additional components or items. Other terms are to be construed using their broadest reasonable meaning unless they are used in a context that requires a different interpretation. In addition, the term “and/or” is to be construed as an inclusive OR. Therefore, for example, the phrase “A, B, and/or C” is to be interpreted as covering all the following: “A”; “B”; “C”; “A and B”; “A and Cc”; “B and C”; and “A, B, and C.” - 44 -

Claims

1. A vehicle occupant detection system, comprising: a controller and a memory storing computer instructions, wherein the controller includes a processor and that is communicatively coupled to the memory; a plurality of life detection sensors, wherein the plurality of life detection sensors are installed within an interior cabin of a vehicle and are each associated with a life detection zone, and wherein the plurality of life detection sensors are communicatively coupled to the controller; a local warning system having at least one human-machine interface (HMI) output device, wherein the at least one HMI output device is used to indicate a result of an occupant detection scanning process carried out using the plurality of life detection sensors; wherein the controller, when executing the computer instructions using the processor, causes the vehicle occupant detection system to: acquire sensor data by scanning the life detection zone using the plurality of life detection sensors; determine whether an occupant is present based on the sensor data; and provide an indication to a user that an occupant is present using the HMI output device when it is determined that an occupant is present.

2. The vehicle occupant detection system of claim 1, further comprising a vehicle interface that couples the controller to a portion of a vehicle electrical system of the vehicle, wherein the controller is configured to detect one or more vehicle conditions of the vehicle electrical system via the vehicle interface, and wherein the one or more vehicle conditions include a parking brake status and/or an ignition status.

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3. The vehicle occupant detection system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one HMI output device includes a plurality of light sources.

4. The vehicle occupant detection system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the local warning system includes a driver interface, wherein the driver interface includes at least one HMI input device.

5. The vehicle occupant detection system of claim 4, wherein the driver interface is a graphical user interface (GUI) that is presented on an electronic display, and wherein the electronic display is communicatively coupled to the controller.

6. The vehicle occupant detection system of claim 4, wherein the at least one HMI input device is a physical pushbutton.

7. The vehicle occupant detection system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the local warning system includes one or more interior notification devices and/or one or more exterior notification devices.

8. The vehicle occupant detection system of any of the preceding claims, further comprising a remote warning system that includes a cellular chipset and/or a short- range wireless communications controller.

9. The vehicle occupant detection system of claim 8, wherein the cellular chipset is configured to carry out any one or more of the following: sending a short message service (SMS) message, sending a multimedia messaging service (MMS) message, sending other text message(s), establishing a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) connection, sending information or data using an IP, sending an email, establishing a voice call, sending sensor data, sending log files or log data, sending a scan result of the occupant detection scanning process, sending video or images captured using a camera, sending a geographic location of the vehicle occupant detection system and/or the vehicle, sending information pertaining to the occupant detection scanning process, sending system settings, and sending vehicle status information pertaining to the one or more vehicle conditions. - 46 -

10. The vehicle occupant detection system of claim 9, wherein the SMS message, the MMS message, and/or the email includes information or data indicating a scan result of the occupant detection system.

11. The vehicle occupant detection system of any of the preceding claims, further comprising a dedicated battery that is provided to provide power to at least part of the vehicle occupant detection system.

12. The vehicle occupant detection system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the vehicle occupant detection system is an aftermarket device that is retrofitted to the vehicle.

13. The vehicle occupant detection system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the vehicle is a mass transit vehicle.

14. The vehicle occupant detection system of claim 13, wherein the mass transit vehicle is an airplane or other aerial passenger vehicle, a train or other locomotive, or a boat or other marine vehicle.

15. The vehicle occupant detection system of claim 13, wherein the mass transit vehicle is a bus.

16. The vehicle occupant detection system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of life detection sensors are installed on a ceiling of a passenger cabin of the bus, and wherein each of the plurality of life detection sensors have a field of view that covers its associated life detection zone.

17. The vehicle occupant detection system of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of life detection sensors are associated with a different one of the life detection zones and wherein the life detection zones include seating locations within the bus.

18. The vehicle occupant detection system of any of the preceding claims, further comprising a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver that is used to determine a geographic location of the vehicle occupant detection system.

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19. A method of carrying out a remedial action in response to detecting an occupant within a vehicle, wherein the method is carried out by a vehicle occupant detection system, and wherein the method comprises: detecting a system initiation event at the vehicle occupant detection system; carrying out an occupant detection scanning process using a plurality of life detection sensors installed in the vehicle, wherein each of the plurality of life detection sensors obtains sensor data as a part of the occupant detection scanning process; determining whether an occupant is present at the vehicle based on the sensor data; and providing a notification that indicates whether an occupant is present at the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the notification includes indicating one or more life detection zones in which an occupant was detected. - 48 -