Continental’s Digital Access Technology Expanded by Life-Saving Feature for Child-Presence Detection

Frankfurt, Germany, April 12, 2023. Technology company Continental has expanded its digital access system CoSmA by a Child-Presence-Detection function (CPD) for even more passenger safety. When the outdoor temperatures reach 30 degrees Celsius, in-car temperatures can reach up to 45 degrees within half an hour. This has the potential to be life-threatening for young children as researched by University of Georgia. As a consequence, nearly 40 children in the US die from heatstrokes in the car annually, according to the National Security Council. Continental’s Child Presence Detection function uses ultra-wideband (UWB) technology to prevent such tragedies in the future. It detects a child in the cabin and sends out a warning within seconds. The CPD function also addresses vehicle manufacturer’s needs to meet in-cabin safety targets in view of the upcoming Euro NCAP safety rating and US regulations, which are driving for new child safety requirements in the vehicle by 2025.

“We were first to market with the ultra-wideband for digital vehicle access. We are now using this technology to save lives by detecting left-behind children in a vehicle. With this approach we are also increasing value for our customers”, says Jean-Francois Tarabbia, head of the business area Architecture and Networking at Continental.

CPD is seamlessly embedded into the already existing CoSmA UWB Digital Access Solution, which enables drivers to use their smartphone as a car key for hands-free access. To be able to detect children who were left behind, the UWB system is working in a so-called reflective-mode. Thereby, it receives its own transmitted UWB signals back from micro motions of an object. By detecting a change in frequency or phase of a returned signal, distance and the velocity of the moving target can be measured. Even the tiniest motion like the movement of a child’s chest while breathing can be detected by the sensors.

Based on unique respiration rates and micro-body-movements, the CPD with UWB system can classify passengers as infants, children or adults. If children are left behind in the car, the CPD system can send an audible, visual or haptic alert to the driver after ten seconds at the latest. UWB based CPD is also able to detect infants and children in any seating position, no matter if they are covered by a blanket or stay hidden in the cabin-footwell.

Using CoSmA UWB transceivers not only for access solutions but also for CPD ultimately makes additional hardware redundant and allows overall system cost savings and simplification. As a pioneering solution, CoSmA continues to enhance and innovate user experience in vehicles of the digital age.