Seatsignal, Inc.

Other

The Penn State Research Foundation

Daniel B Thomasson

Thomas N Jackson

Stephen R Flanagan

Hagen Klauk

Mathias Bonse

David J Gundlach

A weight-sensitive mat or other sensor determines whether a child seat in a vehicle is occupied, a transmitter is proximate to the sensor, and a keychain fob or other portable unit includes a receiver and an alarm. Generally, if the child seat is occupied and the keychain fob is removed from proximity to the transmitter, the transmitter communicates this to the keychain fob receiver and the alarm is activated. Exemplary embodiments include an add-on kit including a base unit with a transceiver for use with existing car seats having a base and a detachable shell, an add-on kit without the base unit for use with existing unitary car seats, a car seat with the child sensor, transmitter, and/or base unit built into it, and an automatic checklist feature for diaper bags, strollers, etc.

Object-proximity monitoring and alarm system

A weight-sensitive mat or other sensor determines whether a child seat in a vehicle is occupied, a transmitter is proximate to the sensor, and a keychain fob or other portable unit includes a receiver and an alarm. Generally, if the child seat is occupied and the keychain fob is removed from proximity to the transmitter, the transmitter communicates this to the keychain fob receiver and the alarm is activated. Exemplary embodiments include an add-on kit including a base unit with a transceiver for use with existing car seats having a base and a detachable shell, an add-on kit without the base unit for use with existing unitary car seats, and a car seat with the child sensor, transmitter, and/or base unit built into it.

The method of the invention configures a tri-layer thin film transistor (TFT) on a substrate, the TFT including a stack including a gate electrode supported by the substrate, followed by a first layer of insulator, a layer of semiconductor and a second layer of insulator. The method employs a first step of illumination through the substrate, as shadowed by said gate electrode, to enable a patterning of the second layer of insulator into an insulator patch which is aligned with the gate electrode. A next step of illumination through the substrate, as shadowed by said gate electrode, enables a patterning of metallization contacts for the TFT in alignment with the insulator patch.

Method for manufacture of fully self-aligned tri-layer a-Si:H thin film transistors

An integrated organic/inorganic complementary thin-film transistor circuit comprises a first and a second transistor which are operatively connected on a common substrate, wherein the first transistor is an inorganic thin-film transistor and the second an organic thin-film transistor. The inorganic thin-film transistor is an n-channel transistor and the organic thin-film transistor is a p-channel transistor or vice versa. Each of the transistors has a separate gate electrode and the organic active semiconductor material is in the case of a p-channel semiconductor in the organic thin-film transistor electrically isolated from the inorganic thin-film transistor. In a first method for fabricating a transistor circuit of this kind separate gate electrodes are deposited for each transistor on a common substrate, the material for the source and the drain electrode of the organic thin-film transistor are deposited on the same layer level in the thin-film structure of the organic thin-film transistor and in each case the organic active semiconductor material in an organic p-channel transistor is provided electrically isolated from the inorganic n-channel transistor, and the organic active semiconductor material in an organic n-channel transistor optionally electrically isolated from the inorganic p-channel transistor.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Rosa, CA, United States of America

Daniel B Thomasson