A system for detecting the presence of an occupant of a seat. The system includes a sensing mat that includes an upper conducting layer and a lower conducting layer. At least one of the conducting layers comprises a printed electronic circuit separated into conductive zones by at least one resistive zone. The mat also includes a plurality of sensing zones and each of the sensing zones include a conductive zone from the upper conducting layer and a conductive zone from the lower conducting layer. Each of the conducting layers are connected to a controller configured to detect a change in capacitance of each of the sensing zones resulting from a change in distance between the upper conducting layer and the lower conducting layer. The controller is connected to a vehicle network and is configured to provide data to the network that indicates the absence or presence of the occupant.

A load detection sensor 5 of the invention includes: a first electrode sheet 50 which includes first electrode 52 and a first contact point 53; a second electrode sheet 60 which includes a second electrode 62 and a second contact point 63; a spacer 70 which is disposed between the first electrode sheet and the second electrode sheet; one terminal 5A which is electrically connected to the first electrode 52; and the other terminal 5B which is electrically connected to the first contact point 53. A connection maintaining portion AP in which an electrical connection is maintained even when an external pressure is not applied thereto is formed by the first contact point 53 and the second contact point 63, and odd series of the switches SW electrically connected in series between one terminal 5A and the other terminal 5B are set.

An occupant support includes a seat and a seat cover. The seat is adapted to support an occupant resting thereon. The seat cover is couple to the seat and arranged to lie between the occupant and the seat.

An occupant support includes a seat and a seat cover. The seat is adapted to support an occupant resting thereon. The seat cover is couple to the seat and arranged to lie between the occupant and the seat.

The present disclosure provides various examples of a self-declaring wireless device installed on a vehicle operable to automatically detect, determine and declare occupancy information of the vehicle traveling on a restricted traffic lane to an electronic toll collection (ETC) system. According to one aspect, a process for performing self-declaration by a vehicle traveling on a restricted traffic lane includes the steps of: receiving sensor data collected by one or more sensors installed on the vehicle; determining occupancy data of the vehicle based on the received sensor data; and controlling a wireless transceiver installed on the vehicle to communicate with an electronic toll collection (ETC) system associated with the restricted traffic lane based on the determined occupancy data.

Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to detect and/or classify a vehicle occupant, such as a passenger seated within the cockpit of a vehicle. An occupant classification system includes an occupant weight sensor, an occupant presence sensor, and a logic device configured to communicate with the occupant weight sensor and the occupant presence sensor. The logic device is configured to receive occupant weight sensor signals from the occupant weight sensor and occupant presence sensor signals from the occupant presence sensor, determine an estimated occupant weight and an occupant presence response based, at least in part, on the occupant weight sensor signals and the occupant presence sensor signals, and determine an occupant classification status corresponding to the passenger seat based, at least in part, on the estimated occupant weight and/or the occupant presence response.

Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to detect and/or classify a vehicle occupant, such as a passenger seated within the cockpit of a vehicle. An occupant classification system includes an occupant weight sensor, an occupant presence sensor, and a logic device configured to communicate with the occupant sensors. The occupant weight sensor includes at least first and second conductive electrodes separated by a dielectric layer, top and bottom protective plastic layers configured to support the respective first and second conductive electrodes, and adhesive layers disposed between the plastic layers and the conductive electrodes and between the conductive electrodes and the dielectric layer. The top protective plastic layer is longer and/or wider than the first conductive electrode and the bottom protective plastic layer is longer and/or wider than the second conductive electrode to provide edge protection against electrical shorts for the first and second conductive electrodes.

A power supply unit including a slide rail that has an opening at an upper side a slider that slides along the slide rail, a first connector that is fixed to one end portion of the slide rail, a second connector that is fixed to the slider, and a flexible cable that is housed inside the slide rail, that has one end connected to the first connector, and that has another end folded back and connected to the second connector.

A method for a vehicle includes using sensors in a vehicle seat to detect biometrics of a person sitting in the seat and a vehicle controller determining from the biometrics of the person whether the person requires medical attention. In response to the person requiring medical attention, a request for assistance for the person is broadcasted via a V2X transceiver of the vehicle to medical practitioners of a medical practitioner network who are near a location of vehicle during the broadcasting. The medical practitioner network includes the person as a subscriber and medical practitioners as providers. Alternately, in response to the person requiring medical attention, the vehicle controller uses an autonomous vehicle control system of the vehicle to drive the vehicle to a medical facility.

A monitoring system includes: a monitoring device that outputs a warning when detecting abnormality of a monitoring target person in an interior of a vehicle; a housing arranged on a surface on the interior side of a roof of the vehicle; and a release operation unit arranged being exposed to an outer face of the housing, the release operation unit being able to receive an input of a warning release operation. The monitoring device, in a state of outputting the warning, releases the warning when the warning release operation is input to the release operation unit. As a result, the monitoring system can appropriately monitor the monitoring target person in the interior of the vehicle.