IEE Sensing Proposal for Safety Waiver Gets Mixed Response

The few comments filed were mixed on a proposal by IEE Sensing for a waiver allowing VitaSense, “a system that detects children left in vehicles and provides this information to the vehicle’s warning systems” to operate in the 76-81 GHz band (see 2005060054). Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety said the technology is needed to address the overheating of children “who have unknowingly been left in or entered vehicles without adult supervision.” Deny the petition, said ADC Automotive Distance Control Systems. The band is used for advanced driver assistance technologies, providing a 360-degree view of a vehicle’s surroundings, the company said. These radars “must operate seamlessly, continuously and in an RF environment that mitigates interference risks to the greatest extent possible,” ADC said. “A full notice-and-comment rulemaking proceeding would be necessary to address the myriad of questions about compatibility of in-cabin sensors with external vehicular radars that are posed but not answered by the IEE Sensing Petition,” said engineering company Robert Bosch. Comments were posted Thursday in FCC docket 20-144.