Patent attributes
Methods and systems for monitoring vehicle occupants using infrared and other sensors are disclosed. The systems may use infrared sensor data to identify each vehicle occupant using biometric signatures (such as heartbeat or facial recognition). Vehicle occupant characteristics may be determined that include skeletal characteristics of the occupants. Further monitoring of the occupants using sensor data may occur until an abnormal situation is detected. Abnormal situations may include medical emergencies, driver impairment, security threats, or similar situations requiring correcting action. The system may then determine and implement an appropriate response to the abnormal situation. Such responses may include generating alerts, adjusting vehicle environmental controls, taking control of operation of the vehicle (such as an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle), or initiating wireless communication with an outside party, such as an emergency service.
