Object detection for a stopped vehicle

1. A detection system for use on a vehicle for detecting the presence of an object that emits thermal radiation, said system comprising:

a thermal detector mounted on a vehicle for detecting thermal temperature in a coverage zone;

a motion sensor for detecting if the vehicle is stopped; and

a controller for monitoring the detected temperature of the coverage zone while the vehicle is stopped, wherein the controller determines a reference temperature of the coverage zone and compares the monitored temperature to the reference temperature to determine a change in monitored temperature, and wherein the controller determines the presence of an object in the coverage zone based on the change in monitored temperature while the vehicle is stopped.

2. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the controller determines the reference temperature upon detecting the vehicle is stopped.

3. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the controller further generates an output signal to initiate a countermeasure in response to detecting the presence of an object.

4. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the coverage zone comprises a blind spot of the vehicle.

5. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the thermal detector comprises an infrared sensor.

6. The system as defined in claim 5 , wherein the thermal detector comprises a thermopile sensor.

7. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the change of temperature is an increase in temperature beyond a predetermined threshold.

8. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the detector is located in a tail lamp assembly of the vehicle.

9. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the object comprises another vehicle.

10. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the motion sensor comprises a speed sensor.

11. A method of detecting the presence of a thermal emitting object in relation to a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a thermal detector on a vehicle for detecting thermal temperature in a coverage zone;

sensing when the vehicle is stopped;

detecting a first temperature in the coverage zone when the vehicle is stopped;

detecting a second temperature subsequent to the first temperature detection in the coverage zone while the vehicle is stopped;

comparing the first and second temperatures; and

determining the presence of a thermal emitting object based on the comparison.

12. The method as defined in claim 11 , wherein the step of determining the presence of an object comprises determining the presence of a thermal emitting object when the difference in the first and second temperatures exceeds a threshold value.

13. The method as defined in claim 11 , wherein the first temperature comprises a reference temperature recorded when the vehicle is initially determined to be stopped.

14. The method as defined in claim 11 , wherein the step of detecting the second temperature is repeated and the second temperature is continuously compared to the first temperature.

15. The method as defined in claim 11 further comprising the step of initiating a countermeasure when the presence of an object is detected.

16. The method as defined in claim 11 , wherein the step of determining comprises determining the presence of an object in a blind spot of the vehicle.

17. The method as defined in claim 11 , wherein the step of sensing when the vehicle is stopped comprises sensing vehicle speed, wherein the vehicle is determined to be stopped when the vehicle speed approaches zero miles per hour.

18. The method as defined in claim 11 , wherein the step of providing a detector comprises providing a detector in a rear tail lamp assembly of the vehicle.

19. The method as defined in claim 11 , wherein the steps of detecting first and second temperatures are performed using a thermopile sensor.

20. The method as defined in claim 11 , wherein the steps of detecting first and second temperatures are performed using an infrared sensor.