Potentials of In-Cabin CO₂ Sensing to Prevent Hot Car Deaths

Temperatures within a vehicle vary alongside outdoor weather conditions. However, even in moderate climates, heat can build up quickly inside a car, resulting in temperatures that are <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$10~^{\circ }$ </tex-math></inline-formula>F–<inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$20~^{\circ }$ </tex-math></inline-formula>F higher than outside temperatures in a matter of minutes. If an infant or toddler were to be trapped inside a vehicle, this may result in hyperthermia, and in severe cases death. A child detection system that takes advantage of CO<sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> exhalation is examined in this article. If noticeable increases or sudden fluctuations in CO<sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> levels are detected, the system could trigger warnings such as alarms or cellphone notifications and engage life saving measures, such as turning on AC or slightly opening windows, for instance. Our studies show that while changes in CO<sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> concentration can be recognized correctly by a logistic regression algorithm, the slowness of CO<sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> diffusion interferes with the accuracy of the model. Sensors that measure weight or detect motion can be applied to further optimize the entire detection system.