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.

An automated ridesharing dispatch system includes a communications interface configured to receive ride requests from a plurality of users and to receive from a plurality of communication devices associated with a plurality of ridesharing vehicles, indications of current locations of the plurality of ridesharing vehicles. The system also includes a memory configured to store a plurality of rules including a rule to select a fastest route for guiding a ridesharing vehicle, and a rule for reducing backtracking, even in instances where backtracking would result in shorter travel time. The system also includes at least one processor configured to assign the plurality of users to a common ridesharing vehicle, use the stored plurality of rules to determine a route for the ridesharing vehicle other than the fastest route, and in order to reduce backtracking, direct the ridesharing vehicle along the determined route other than the fastest route.

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for managing a fleet of ridesharing vehicles. In one implementation, the system may include a communications interface and at least one processor configured to: identify a first ridesharing vehicle and a second ridesharing vehicle currently without passengers; receive a first request from a first user; receive a second request from a second user; assign the first and second users to the first vehicle; generate a route for picking up and dropping off the first and second users; receive a third request from a third user; calculate a first arrival time of the first vehicle and a second arrival time of the second vehicle at the third pick-up location; when both the first arrival time and the second arrival time are below a predetermined threshold, assign the third user to the first vehicle; and generate an updated route to pick-up the third user.

The systems and methods described herein can be applied to a vehicle equipped with a sensor suite that can observe information about a location, for example, a traffic light duration. The system can record information, e.g., the traffic light colors, duration of color changes, and location of the traffic lights and can upload this information to the cloud. Then, the system can augment or learn about the location, e.g., learning of traffic patterns, and store the augmented data as database-based information, where available. The learned information can help a requesting vehicle to better estimate an estimated time of arrival (ETA) for common routes taken, provide more accurate ETAs based on historical knowledge, and/or calculate or provide alternative route information.

Methods and systems for detection of removable vehicle seats may be used to indicate presence or absence of a child in the vehicle. In some examples, an alarm system includes a radio frequency (RF) transceiver and a removable seat magnetic coupling. Various actions are triggered when the parent (e.g., guardian) goes beyond a predefined range while the removable seat is within the vehicle, such as sounding an alarm on a mobile electronic device.

Various systems, mediums, and methods may be implemented to retrieve data from a user's mobile device. In one example, a system may determine a number of reviews received by the user's mobile device. Some of the reviews may include poor reviews, such as low ratings (e.g., one or two star ratings), negative written reviews, and/or other forms of data indicative of various establishments and/or services. In such instances, the system may generate notifications and transmit the notifications to merchant devices, such that the merchants may be alerted of the user having a history of providing poor reviews. As such, the system and/or the merchants may be notified accordingly to ensure the user will be satisfied with the services provided and to avoid a negative review from the user.

The current invention are a wireless sensor and app to alert a user if they are walking away from a vehicle in which they left a child in a car seat. A pressure pad sensor is triggered by the weight of a child. An attached transmitter wirelessly communicates to any wireless device with the app. If the receiving device leaves the range of transmission before the transmissions cease, an alarm will be triggered in the receiving device. This allows a user's smartphone to also serve as an alert when about to forget a child in a car. An additional, optional, heart rate and temperature monitor ankle strap would allow the user to monitor a child during long trips.

The present invention provides a way to alert the driver when a child is left unattended in the car seat. The invention uses short-range wireless technology (eg Bluetooth) to trigger an alarm when the paired device goes beyond a defined perimeter. The paired device is a key FOB or a smartphone application. The invention has two sides. Each side is attached to the two buckle inserts of the standard car seat belt harness. Closure of the buckle causes both sides of the invention to make contact, which turns on/arms the invention. When armed, and the paired device goes beyond a defined range i.e. the driver walks away from the car, an alert on the paired device will be activated.

A computing device in a vehicle can be programmed to receive an occupant position measurement from at least one of an acoustic and a light sensor, determine an estimated occupant size based on occupant weight, estimate a vehicle seat position based on the occupant position measurement, and, control a vehicle occupant safety device based on the estimated occupant size and estimated vehicle seat position.

Apparatus, device, methods and system relating to a vehicular telemetry environment for monitoring vehicle components and providing indications towards the condition of the vehicle components and providing optimal indications towards replacement or maintenance of vehicle components before vehicle component failure.