IEE is a sensor supplier specializing in automotive safety and comfort technology. Their VitaSense radar-based interior sensing solution for unattended child detection (UCD) is “likely to become a landmark product” for the company, says CTO Alain Schumacher. “In the U.S. alone, 39 children die of vehicular heatstroke on average each year. With our experience in intelligent sensor solutions, we were eager to develop a product capable to spot these children, who are frequently sleeping infants, to enable the triggering of saving measures”.
Founded in 1989 and headquartered at the Automobility Campus in Bissen, Luxembourg, the company runs operations in Europe, the U.S., and Asia. IEE employs over 4,100 people, more than 10 per cent of whom are focused on R&D.
IEE says that with a connected hardware platform and distributed, collaborative sensor systems, automakers can reduce build cost by reduced reliance on multiple sensors. With other important elements such as seatbelt reminders, hands-off detection, and occupant classification.
VitaSense is a highly accurate and reliable radar system made to detect even the vital signs of sleeping newborns. When an unattended child is detected, the vehicle’s alarm and communications systems can alert caretakers or passers-by that a child is still present in the car.
The small sensing unit is easy to integrate behind the vehicle headliner without altering the interior design. It emits low-power radio signals and analyzes reflections — this is radar. The slightest motions of an occupant influence the signals, allowing VitaSense to discriminate between a living being and an inanimate object.
