System and Method for Monitoring the Interior of a Vehicle

Abstract

A system and method monitor the interior of a vehicle, in particular a parked vehicle. A detection unit is designed to detect a living being in an interior of the vehicle. At least one control unit is designed to actuate at least one vehicle function in order to influence at least one environmental condition in the interior of the vehicle if: the detection unit detects a living being in the interior of the vehicle, and the at least one environmental condition in the interior of the vehicle exceeds or falls below at least one predetermined threshold value; and/or the control unit is designed to actuate at least one vehicle function in order to influence at least one environmental condition in the interior of the vehicle if: the detection unit detects a living being in the interior of the vehicle, and the at least one environmental condition in the interior of the vehicle exhibits a rise or fall.

Claims

1. to 11. (canceled)

12. A system for monitoring an interior of a vehicle, comprising: a detection unit which is configured to detect living beings in the interior of the vehicle; and at least one control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to actuate at least one vehicle function in order to influence at least one environmental condition in the interior of the vehicle in response to: (i) the detection unit detecting a living being in the interior of the vehicle, and (ii) the at least one environmental condition in the interior of the vehicle exceeding or falling below at least one predetermined threshold value; and/or wherein the control unit is configured to actuate at least one vehicle function in order to influence at least one environmental condition in the interior of the vehicle in response to: (i) the detection unit detecting a living being in the interior of the vehicle, and (iii) the at least one environmental condition in the interior of the vehicle exhibiting a rise or fall.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the detection unit is further configured to detect living beings in the interior of the vehicle when the vehicle is in a parked state, and the control unit is further configured to actuate the at least one vehicle function in order to influence at least one environmental condition in the interior of the vehicle when conditions (i) and (ii) and/or (i) and (iii) are present if: (iv) the vehicle is in the parked state.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein the at least one environmental condition is selected from the group comprising: a temperature, an incidence of light, an oxygen content, and a carbon dioxide content.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the at least one vehicle function is selected from the group comprising: a cooling function, a heating function, a sunroof function, a window function, a door function, and a shading function.

16. The system according to claim 12, wherein the at least one vehicle function is selected from the group comprising: a cooling function, a heating function, a sunroof function, a window function, a door function, and a shading function.

17. The system according to claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to monitor the rise or fall of the at least one environmental condition and to determine a time at which the at least one environmental condition exceeds or falls below, or will exceed or fall below, the at least one predetermined threshold value.

18. The system according to claim 12, wherein the detection unit is configured to detect both living beings and the at least one environmental condition in the interior of the vehicle.

19. The system according to claim 12, wherein the detection unit comprises at least one camera, and the at least one camera comprises an integrated temperature sensor.

20. The system according to claim 12, wherein the detection unit comprises at least one of: a thermal imaging camera, a microphone, or a seat occupancy sensor.

21. The system according to claim 12, wherein the detection unit is configured to determine a position of a living being in the interior of the vehicle, and the control unit is configured to actuate the at least one vehicle function based on the detected position.

22. A method for monitoring an interior of a vehicle, comprising: detecting whether at least one living being is located in the interior of the vehicle; and detecting at least one environmental condition in the interior of the vehicle; wherein the method further comprises at least one of the following steps: (a) actuating at least one vehicle function in order to influence the at least one environmental condition in response to a living being being located in the interior of the vehicle and the at least one environmental condition exceeding or falling below at least one predetermined threshold value; or (b) actuating at least one vehicle function in order to influence the at least one environmental condition in response to a living being being located in the interior of the vehicle and the at least one environmental condition exhibiting a rise or fall.

23. A computer product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon program code which, when executed on one or more processors, carries out the acts of: actuating at least one vehicle function in order to influence at least one environmental condition in an interior of a vehicle in response to: (i) detecting a living being in the interior of the vehicle, and (ii) the at least one environmental condition in the interior of the vehicle exceeding or falling below at least one predetermined threshold value; and/or actuating at least one vehicle function in order to influence at least one environmental condition in the interior of the vehicle in response to: (i) detecting a living being in the interior of the vehicle, and (iii) the at least one environmental condition in the interior of the vehicle exhibiting a rise or fall.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0054] FIG. 1 schematically shows a vehicle having a system for monitoring the interior of a vehicle according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0055] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for monitoring the interior of a vehicle according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0056] Hereinbelow, the same reference signs are used for identical and identically acting elements unless stated otherwise.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0057] FIG. 1 schematically shows a vehicle 10 having a system 100 for monitoring the interior of the vehicle 10 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the vehicle can be a parked vehicle.

[0058] The system 100 comprises a detection unit 110 which is configured to detect living beings in an interior of the vehicle 10, for example if the vehicle 10 is in a parked state; and at least one control unit 120 which is configured to actuate at least one vehicle function 20, 22, 24, 26 in order to influence or change at least one environmental condition in the interior of the vehicle 10 if: [0059] (i) the detection unit 110 detects a living being, such as e.g. an occupant, in the interior of the vehicle 10, and [0060] (ii) the at least one environmental condition in the interior of the vehicle 10 exceeds or falls below at least one predetermined threshold value or lies outside of a normal range, and/or if the at least one environmental condition exhibits a rise or fall.

[0061] The at least one vehicle function 20, 22, 24, 26 can be, for example, a cooling function 20 (e.g. an air-conditioning system), a heating function 22 (e.g. a heating system, seat heating system, neck-level heating system, etc.), a sunroof function 24 (e.g. for opening or closing the sunroof) or a window function 26 (e.g. for opening or closing at least one window).

[0062] In one exemplary embodiment, vehicle-based sensors can be temporarily used during the parked state in order to detect, based on cameras by way of object detection and/or based on sound by way of characteristic sound detection, whether living beings are located in the vehicle interior. The present disclosure is, however, not limited to camera-based detection and a gas measurement (oxygen, carbon), a measurement of a humidity, etc. can, for example, be implemented.

[0063] At the same time, for example, the interior temperature (and optionally the exterior temperature) can be measured in order to decide whether the vehicle interior temperature is inhospitable. Measuring the interior temperature can, for example, be carried out and/or verified by the camera(s) for the object detection. For this purpose, a temperature sensor of the image sensor can be used, for example. In addition or alternatively, high interior temperatures can be inferred from noise in the camera image.

[0064] If environmental conditions that are inhospitable for the occupant are detected in the vehicle interior, the vehicle air-conditioning system can regulate the passenger interior to a minimum vital and/or comfortable temperature, in particular depending on a battery state-of-charge of the vehicle. This can also degrade from a comfortable temperature to a minimum vital temperature the nearer a depletion of energy reserves of the vehicle approaches.

[0065] In a further example, a CO2 sensor system can ensure activation of the vehicle air-conditioning system regardless of the exterior and interior temperature in the vehicle interior when a trigger (e.g. sound and/or object) is detected. Here, in some embodiments, windows and/or sunroofs can be opened in order to ensure a suitable 02 concentration as quickly as possible.

[0066] In yet a further example, a light sensor, which can measure the energy (e.g. watt per square meter) radiated from the sun onto the vehicle and/or the interior, can be used to activate the vehicle air-conditioning system.

[0067] If, for example, a baby, small child or pet is now located in the vehicle while the parents or the pet owner have left the vehicle and do not return to the vehicle for a relatively long duration during which the environmental conditions in the vehicle interior deteriorate, the vehicle air-conditioning system can be activated. For example, the interior temperature can be reduced such that there is no danger to the vehicle occupants.

[0068] FIG. 2 schematically shows a flowchart of a method 200 for monitoring the interior of a vehicle according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0069] The method 200 can be implemented by corresponding software which is able to be executed by one or more processors (e.g. a CPU).

[0070] The method 200 comprises in block 210 detecting whether at least one occupant is located in an interior of the vehicle; in block 220 detecting at least one environmental condition in the interior of the vehicle; and in block 230 actuating at least one vehicle function in order to influence or change the at least one environmental condition if an occupant is located in the interior of the vehicle and the at least one environmental condition exceeds or falls below at least one predetermined threshold value or lies outside of a normal range.

[0071] According to the invention, energy-consumption-optimized monitoring of the interior takes place, for example while the vehicle is stationary. This is in particular achieved as a result of only living beings and the at least one environmental condition being detected. If the environmental conditions lie in a range that is dangerous for living beings, suitable measures can be taken automatically. For example, windows can be opened and/or an air-conditioning system can be switched on if the temperature in the interior of the vehicle exceeds a certain threshold. Similarly, windows can be closed and/or a heating system can be activated if the temperature in the interior of the vehicle falls below a certain threshold. As a result, a danger to the health of occupants can be avoided, in particular even while the vehicle is stationary.

[0072] Although the invention has been explained and illustrated more specifically in detail by preferred exemplary embodiments, the invention is not limited by the disclosed examples and other variations can be derived therefrom by a person skilled in the art without departing from the protective scope of the invention. It is therefore clear that there are a multiplicity of possible variations. It is likewise clear that embodiments mentioned by way of example actually only illustrate examples which are in no way to be interpreted as a limitation of the protective scope, of the possible applications or of the configuration of the invention, for instance. Rather, the preceding description and the description of the figures enable a person skilled in the art to specifically implement the exemplary embodiments, wherein a person skilled in the art with knowledge of the disclosed concept of the invention can make various changes, for example in terms of the function or the arrangement of individual elements mentioned in an exemplary embodiment, without departing from the protective scope which is defined by the claims and the legal equivalents thereof, such as more in-depth explanations in the description, for instance.