A seatbelt retractor configured to ease the tightness of a seatbelt felt by an occupant when the occupant wearing the seatbelt reclines a seatback. An acceleration sensor 70 includes a sensor cover 71 which tilts with a seatback, a sensor housing 72 supported swingably with respect to the sensor cover 71 and having an inertial body support surface 78 and an inertial body 73 which is displaced when the acceleration reaches at least a prescribed value. The sensor housing 72 includes an external teeth part 84 having a plurality of external teeth 81 and 82 and a gap part 83 without external teeth. A lever member 90 is coupled to the shaft 22 of the spindle 20 by a friction coupling, and the lever member turns in a first direction in which an engagement part 92 is engaged with the external teeth part 84 when the spindle 20 rotates in a seatbelt drawing-out direction and turns in a second direction in which the engagement part 92 moves apart from the external teeth part 84 when the spindle 20 rotates in a seatbelt winding-up direction.

An assembly system warning device includes a first assembly member, a second assembly member, a main circuit, a power supply, an alarm device, a first circuit, a first switch, a second circuit and a second switch. When the first assembly member is located at an assembly position and the second assembly member is located at an idle position, the main circuit and the second circuit are connected in series to form a closed circuit. When the second assembly member is located at an assembly position and the first assembly member is located at an idle position, the main circuit and the first circuit are connected in series to form a closed circuit.

A method and system are disclosed and include obtaining image data from at least one camera located within a vehicle. The method also includes determining a behavior of an occupant based on the image data. The method also includes determining whether the behavior corresponds to a predetermined condition, which is associated with at least one of inhaling smoke, inhaling vapor, eating, and drinking. The method also includes generating, in response to the behavior corresponding to the predetermined condition, an alert corresponding to the predetermined condition. The method also includes transmitting the alert to a remote device.

A wheelchair securing structure includes: a securing device provided in a wheelchair securing space inside a vehicle cabin, the securing device being configured to secure a wheelchair; a securing detection portion configured to detect that the wheelchair is secured by the securing device; and a display portion provided at a position where the display portion is visually recognizable by an occupant of the wheelchair from the wheelchair securing space inside the vehicle cabin, the display portion being configured to display a secured state of the wheelchair, the secured state being detected by the securing detection portion.

A system includes a vehicle roof. A track is fixed to the vehicle roof. A seatbelt retractor is engaged with the track and is movable relative to the vehicle roof along the track. The seatbelt retractor may be selectively positioned relative to the vehicle roof.

An apparatus includes a capture device and a processor. The capture device may be configured to generate a plurality of video frames corresponding to an interior view of a vehicle. The processor may be configured to perform operations to detect objects in the video frames, detect (a) occupants of the vehicle and (b) seats of the vehicle based on the objects detected in the video frames, determine a status of a seatbelt for each of the occupants and select a reaction based on (a) a state of the seatbelt and (b) characteristics of the occupants. The reaction may be selected to encourage proper usage of the seatbelt based on the characteristics of the occupants. The characteristics may be determined by performing the operations on each of the occupants.

A first processor provided in a manual operation device of a vehicle, a second processor provided in a remote operation device transmits operator information to the manual operation device and receives occupant information. The first processor notifies an occupant of the received operator information, and determines whether an operator can be authenticated by the occupant. The second processor notifies the operator of the received occupant information, and determines whether or not the occupant can be authenticated by the operator. The third processor permits switching of driving operation from one to another of the manual operation device and the remote operation device only in a case in which the operator has been determined authenticable by the first processor and the occupant has been determined authenticable by the second processor.

Quick Release Buckle (QRB) is an automated seatbelt system. QRB utilizes a power source and control unit software incorporated into pre-existing components within the vehicle's transmission or by micro-switch. QRB automatically disengages the seatbelt upon placing the vehicle in park, regardless of the ignition setting for law enforcement/military vehicles. While in park, an electrical signal energizes a solenoid releasing the buckle. The control unit contains proprietary software that records every engage/disengage of the seatbelt. Electronic records can be downloaded at any time, using an integrated micro-scan disk (SD) module/card. During a collision, the system ceases to record activity, showing electronic proof the seatbelt was engaged/disengaged. Civilian application includes accident investigations, insurance inquiries, and private company regulation compliance. Civilian QRB differs slightly as the transmission must be placed in park and the ignition must be in off for system operation.

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for monitoring a driver. The apparatus includes one or more sensors that are embedded in a seat belt and that measure electrical resistances according to a movement of the driver, respectively, and a controller that estimates a posture of the driver, based on changes of the electrical resistances measured by the sensors.

The invention relates to a method for starting an internal combustion engine, the exhaust gas system of which is equipped with an electrically heatable lambda sensor and a catalytic converter with an oxygen reservoir. The combination of method steps according to the invention allows the internal combustion engine to be started with an optimal raw emission reduction directly after a cold start and an optimal pollutant conversion in the warm-up phase. The invention likewise relates to a motor vehicle with an internal combustion engine comprising an exhaust gas system having an electrically heatable lambda sensor and a catalytic converter with an oxygen reservoir, and comprising a controller, wherein the controller is designed to carry out the method according to the invention.