A method of determining a seat back status of a passenger seat in a vehicle. The method includes monitoring a seat back orientation sensor coupled to a seat back of the passenger seat and monitoring a reference orientation sensor coupled at a fixed position within the vehicle. The seat back orientation sensor determines an orientation of the seat back relative to Earth, and the reference orientation sensor determines an orientation of the vehicle relative to Earth. The method further includes determining an orientation of the seat back relative to the vehicle based on a comparison between the orientation of the seat back and the orientation of the vehicle relative to Earth, and transmitting seat back orientation data, of the seat back relative to the vehicle, to a remote monitoring unit, wherein the remote monitoring unit is configured to display a first notification when the seat back is not fully upright.

A safety belt device configured for a vehicle may include a belt driving device disposed on a seat, connected to a waist belt in a state in which an occupant wears a seat belt, and moving the waist belt in a predetermined direction to allow the waist belt to wrap around the occupant's waist when the waist belt is positioned at a rear side and to allow the waist belt to be caught between an ankle and the waist of the occupant when the waist belt is moved forward thereof; and a controller receiving a signal generated according to an occurrence of a vehicle collision and controlling the belt driving device upon receiving the impact signal to allow the waist belt to be moved from the rear to the front.

Methods and mechanisms for a shoulder belt assembly for a vehicle are provided. The shoulder belt assembly includes a shoulder belt mechanically coupled to a seat in the vehicle, a control module operationally coupled to the shoulder belt and a vehicle management system, the control module configured to detect current movement of the vehicle and passenger information for a passenger in a seat, identify an event, and generate a customized control signal that is a function of the current movement of the vehicle and a physical characteristic of the passenger in the seat. The shoulder belt assembly also has a load limiting mechanism configured to respond to the control signal by, causing a fold in the shoulder belt, the fold having the characteristics of (i) being oriented width-wise, and (ii) having a substantially uniform fold depth; and holding the fold in accordance with the control signal.

An example embodiment of a system and methods for detecting and reporting whether passengers are seated and secured in their seats within a vehicle may include a passenger sensor configured to provide an output indicative of a presence of a passenger in a seat in a vehicle, a restraint sensor configured to provide an output indicative of a status of a passenger safety restraint associated with the seat, a transmitter configured to be in electronic communication with the passenger sensor and the restraint sensor and to wirelessly transmit data indicative of the presence of a passenger in the seat and the status of the restrain, and a reporting module configured to be disposed proximate a driver of the vehicle. The reporting module may be configured to receive the data from the transmitter, and output a respective status for each of a plurality of seats.

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.

A seatbelt buckle that includes a housing, an attracting member, an attractable element, and a plate adapted to retain a seatbelt clip within the housing. The member, the element, and the plate may be carried by the housing. The buckle is adapted so that when the member is electronically actuated, the element causes the plate to move toward the member and thereby release the clip.

A vehicle seatbelt device of an embodiment includes a recognizer that recognizes circumstances around a vehicle, a steering operator that is able to adjust steering of the vehicle, a vibrator that causes a portion of the steering operator to vibrate, a seatbelt that restrains a portion of the body of an occupant of the vehicle, a tension adjustment mechanism that is able to adjust the tension of the seatbelt, and a controller that controls the vibrator and the tension adjustment mechanism on the basis of the circumstances recognized by the recognizer.

A system includes an in-cabin sensor, a seatbelt routing zone module, and a seatbelt routing classification module. The in-cabin sensor is operable to generate an image of an occupant in a vehicle seat. The seatbelt routing zone module is configured to generate a seatbelt routing zone based on at least one of a size of the occupant in the image and a shape of the occupant. The seatbelt routing classification module is configured to determine whether a seatbelt is routed properly around the occupant based on whether the seatbelt is at least partially within the seatbelt routing zone.

An example embodiment of a system and methods for detecting and reporting whether passengers are seated and secured in their seats within a vehicle may include a passenger sensor configured to provide an output indicative of a presence of a passenger in a seat in a vehicle, a restraint sensor configured to provide an output indicative of a status of a passenger safety restraint associated with the seat, a transmitter configured to be in electronic communication with the passenger sensor and the restraint sensor and to wirelessly transmit data indicative of the presence of a passenger in the seat and the status of the restrain, and a reporting module configured to be disposed proximate a driver of the vehicle. The reporting module may be configured to receive the data from the transmitter, and output a respective status for each of a plurality of seats.

A detection system for vehicle includes a reader and a first detector. The reader is provided in a vehicle, transmits and receives radio signals, and transmits transmission signals including at least radio signals for supplying electric power. The first detector is driven by the radio signals for supplying electric power included in the transmission signals when receiving the transmission signals and can transmit first response signals output in response to the transmission signals to the reader. The first detector is disposed in a sitting area on a seat where the first response signals transmitted to the reader are blocked. The reader determines a sitting state of a passenger based on whether the first response signals are received in response to the transmission signals.