A vehicle safety system including a detection system and a related method. The detection system is arranged to detect objects and includes at least two detectors. At least one control unit is arranged to determine that an object that is detected by an initial detector is classified as a confirmed object for the initial detector in its initial coverage area. The control unit is also arranged to determine whether at least one detection of another detector is from the same object. If so, a first preliminary detection of the other detector is classified as an intermediate low quality confirmed object for the other detector. A confirmed object is considered as a more reliable detection than a low quality confirmed object, which in turn is considered as a more reliable detection than a preliminary detection.

A vehicle with a pod separable from a chassis therein, and when a collision detection system detects a collision or an imminent collision, the system will issue a signal to cause an electro-mechanical locking system to detach the pod, and further, to inflate airbags surrounding the pod.

An occupant protection apparatus includes: an airbag configured to be stored in a head rest or a seat back of a vehicle seat, and the airbag being formed as a single bag that is configured to cover a head of an occupant and including a front inflating part and a right and left pair of lateral inflating parts; a three-point seat belt device including webbing equipped with a lap belt and a shoulder belt, and a belt take-up mechanism, and the belt take-up mechanism applying tension to the webbing; and a control unit that, in the event that an impact to the vehicle has been predicted or detected, activates the belt take-up mechanism before inflating and deploying the airbag.

In an apparatus and method for controlling operation of a utility vehicle that detects a magnetic field generated by an area signal in electric current supplied from an electric power supply through a boundary wire and is driven by an electric motor powered by an onboard battery that is charged at a charging station. The vehicle runs within the working area based on the detected magnetic field and is provided with a socket to connect/disconnect supply of the electric current to the boundary wire. It is determined whether after power supply was once disconnected, the supply is reconnected. The area signal is inserted with a signal indicating the vehicle to return to the charging station when the power supply is reconnected. Operation of the motor is controlled to make the vehicle run to the charging station when the return instruction signal is inserted to the area signal.

In an apparatus for controlling operation of a utility vehicle that detects a magnetic field generated by electric current flowing through a boundary wire of a working area and is driven to run within the working area based on the detected magnetic field, having left and right magnetic sensor installed at lateral right and left positions of the vehicle to produce outputs proportional to strength of the magnetic field, turning mode is switched between gentle turning mode to make the vehicle turn while running near the boundary wire and sharp turning mode to make the vehicle pause near the boundary wire and then turn, when it is determined from the outputs of the magnetic sensors that the vehicle approaches the boundary wire, each time predetermined conditions are satisfied, and operation of the prime mover is controlled such that the vehicle turns in accordance with the switched turning mode.

A front air bag for a vehicle is provided. The air bag includes an air bag cushion that has of a plurality of chambers and a gas flow passage that supplies each of the chambers with gas of an inflator. A variable valve selectively closes or opens the gas flow passage. Additionally, a controller determines a type of vehicle collision and operates the variable valve based on the collision type.

A cyclist protection apparatus for a vehicle includes including a front section that protrudes forward from a boarding section and includes an upper surface formed by a hood. The cyclist protection apparatus includes a hood latch and a cyclist airbag device. The hood latch is capable of releasing a closed state of the hood such that a front of the hood is openable. The cyclist airbag device is configured to be disposed in the front section below the hood and deploy a cyclist airbag. The cyclist airbag device is configured to deploy the cyclist airbag forward from below the hood in either one of a state where the front of the hood is open and a state where the front of the hood is openable.

An occupant protection device for a vehicle includes a seat, a three-point seatbelt device, and a belt airbag device. An occupant to board the vehicle is to sit on the seat. The three-point seatbelt device includes a seatbelt extendable across a front of an upper body of the occupant sitting on the seat. The belt airbag device includes a belt airbag that is provided at a shoulder belt section, which is extendable from a shoulder to a waist of the occupant, of the seatbelt, and that is configured to be deployed when a collision occurs. The belt airbag includes a belt-direction deployment section extendable and deployable along the shoulder belt section, and an intersecting-direction deployment section extendable and deployable in a direction intersecting the shoulder belt section. The sections are configured to form a single bag by being coupled to each other below a head of the occupant sitting on the seat.

A method of providing road and vehicle diagnostics. The method includes providing a vehicle axle system having a first axle half shaft housing, a second axle half shaft housing and a differential housing. Attached one or more of said housings is one or more tri-axis accelerometers. In communication with the accelerometers is one or more data processors operably configured to receive and analyze data from the accelerometers. An occurrence of one or more road events is determined by one or more spikes in the Z-direction of said data collected from said accelerometers. A depth of the road event is determined by a magnitude of said positive and negative changes in acceleration of said spike in said Z-direction and a length of road event is determined by a span of said one or more spikes in said Z-direction. Once the road event is identified the time and geographic location of the road event is identified.

A seat belt device includes: a belt reel that winds a webbing; an electric motor that drives the belt reel to wind; a collision prediction unit that predicts a collision with an object; and a controller that is connected to the collision prediction unit via a network and that performs winding control of the electric motor when a collision with the object is predicted by the collision prediction unit. After the controller receives information on collision prediction from the collision prediction unit via the network, even when a communication failure occurs between the controller and the collision prediction unit, the controller performs control to cause the electric motor to continue winding control.