A system for detecting improper usage of a seatbelt of a vehicle includes a vehicle seat having a seat cushion and a seat back. A shoulder belt and a lap belt are intended to restrain an occupant sitting on the vehicle seat. The system includes a sensor module associated with the shoulder belt and the lap belt. The sensor module generates signals indicative of at least one parameter associated with the vehicle seat, the shoulder belt, and the lap belt when the occupant is sitting on the vehicle seat. The system also includes a controller that receives the signals indicative of the at least one parameter associated with the seat back, the shoulder belt, and the lap belt. The controller analyzes the received one or more signals, and determines whether the seatbelt is being used improperly by the occupant, based on the analysis.

Disclosed is a system and method for passenger safety. A sensing unit, remote device, and/or fob may interoperate to provide various alerts and other indications representative of aspects of a context environment proximate to a sensing unit. In this manner, passenger safety may be enhanced.

An obstacle detecting device for detecting an obstacle around a vehicle includes a sensor, a notifying unit, an operation detecting unit, and a control unit. The sensor is installed at a fixed portion of the vehicle to detect an obstacle within a predetermined detection range with an origin corresponding to a position where the sensor is installed. The notifying unit provides a notification based on a signal output from the sensor. The operation detecting unit detects an operation of a movable portion of the vehicle moving within the detection range of the sensor. The control unit is enabled to inhibit a notifying operation of the notifying unit when the operation detecting unit detects the operation of the movable portion.

A system, vehicle and method for checking a rear seat belt status in a vehicle having a passenger cabin with at least one rear seat including an ambient light source configured to be arranged in the passenger cabin, an electronic control device configured to check whether the following conditions are fulfilled: (1) at least one rear seat is occupied, (2) the rear seat belt of the least one occupied rear seat is not buckled, in case each of the conditions is fulfilled, output a seat belt warning by activating the ambient light source using a predetermined lighting pattern.

The vehicle system includes an output device, a plurality of rear seats, a plurality of belt buckle sensors provided on each of the plurality of rear seats, a plurality of seat belt reminder (SBR) sensors provided on each of the plurality of rear seats, and a controller. The controller is configured to determine one rear seat on which a passenger or an object having a weight equal to or less than a predetermined weight is located based on an output value of the SBR sensor, determine whether a seat belt corresponding to the determined rear seat is worn based on an output value of the belt buckle sensor, and control the output device to output a warning message when the vehicle is turned off and a door of the rear seat is not opened or closed in a state in which the seat belt is worn.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate switching between autonomous and manual driving modes. In order to do so, the vehicle's computer may conduct a series of environmental, system, and driver checks to identify certain conditions. The computer may correct some of these conditions and also provide a driver with a checklist of tasks for completion. Once the tasks have been completed and the conditions are changed, the computer may allow the driver to switch from the manual to the autonomous driving mode. The computer may also make a determination, under certain conditions, that it would be detrimental to the driver's safety or comfort to make a switch from the autonomous driving mode to the manual driving mode.

A system and method of monitoring and managing a child seatbelt ensures a child is secured before and during a car ride. The system used to implement the method includes a vehicle with at least one child seatbelt, an onboard computer, and at least one computerized seatbelt adapter. The at least one child seatbelt includes a seatbelt tongue and a seatbelt buckle. The seatbelt adapter includes a tongue receiver, a buckle insert, and an adapter lock. The method begins by inserting the seatbelt tongue into the tongue receiver. The adapter lock secures the seatbelt tongue within the tongue receiver, if the ignition is on, and if the vehicle is in a driving mode. The adapter lock is disengaged to release the seatbelt tongue from the tongue receiver if the ignition is off, and if the vehicle is parked. The seatbelt tongue may then be safely removed from the tongue receiver.

An autonomous vehicle including a vehicle propulsion system, a braking system, a steering system, and a computing system that is in communication with the vehicle propulsion system, the brake system, and the steering system. The computing system can receive an indication an account associated with a passenger of the autonomous vehicle for a trip of the autonomous vehicle includes a predefined parent-child link with a second account. The predefined parent-child link indicates the account associated with the passenger is subordinate to the second account and a parent-child relationship exists between the passenger and a person associated with the second account. Responsive to receiving the indication of the parent-child link and the passenger being the child in the parent-child relationship, the computing system can control the autonomous vehicle to enable a linked account feature that would otherwise be disabled.

A child car seat safety system that relies on short distance wireless connections between a driver's cell phone, a vehicle and a wireless enabled car seat. A mobile app running on the driver's cell phone closely monitors state transitions of the system, evaluates different combination of connection status, filters out normal situations, precisely identify dangerous scenario and alarm the driver. This three-party system avoids many false alarms and other short-comings of other designs, and can provide reliable services to safe lives.

A system and method for detecting seatbelt routing in a motor vehicle safety restraint system. The system includes a seatbelt buckle sensor, an occupant sensor, a seatbelt payout sensor, and a control module. The method includes sensing a presence of a seatbelt latchplate in the seatbelt buckle. Further, the method determines whether the seatbelt is buckled. Additionally, the method includes sensing a presence of occupant in a vehicle seat. Moreover, the method further includes determining whether the occupant is detected in the vehicle seat. The method senses a seatbelt payout length and compares the seatbelt payout length to a first seatbelt payout length threshold. Thereafter, the method determines seatbelt routing based on whether the seatbelt is buckled, an occupant is present, and a seatbelt payout length has exceeded the first seatbelt payout length threshold.