A vehicle seating system includes a vehicle seat, piezoelectric sensors individually positioned at respective locations within the seat corresponding to anatomical locations of a person sitting in the seat, and a controller. The sensors to generate electrical signals in response to mechanical stress applied on the sensors from biologically motivated force inputs of the person. The controller to detect from the electrical signals generated by the sensors biometric information of the person corresponding to the biologically motivated force inputs of the person.

A method of calibrating an in-vehicle inductive sensing apparatus to the dimensions and/or posture of a user seated in the vehicle. An array of inductive sensing coils is mounted in a fixed position relative to a geometry of the seat in which the user is received. From the spatial pattern or distribution of inductive sensing signals, it is determined which subset of coils is positioned most appropriately, e.g. which is closest, to an anatomical body of interest. A biological measurement pertaining to the anatomical body of interest is computed using data from only the selected subset of coils.

The present application discloses a vehicular safety seat for a passenger including a detector configured to detect a plurality of physiological parameters and a plurality of environmental parameters associated with the passenger; a first transmitter configured to transmit a first set of physiological and environmental parameters detected by the detector; a first receiver configured to receive a control signal for controlling at least one parameter from among the plurality of physiological and environmental parameters based on a determination that a monitored parameter in the first set of physiological and environmental parameters has a first value that exceeds a corresponding monitored parameter threshold value; and an adjustor configured to adjust at least one of the plurality of environmental parameters based on the control signal.

An occupant support adapted for use in a vehicle includes a seat bottom, a seat back, and a sensory system. The seat bottom is coupled to a floor of the vehicle. The seat back extends upwardly away from the seat bottom. The sensor system is configured to monitor for fatigue of an occupant of the occupant support.

A radar sensor system and method for ascertaining whether an unattended child is present within an automotive vehicle. The radar sensor system carries out the method and includes a transmitter, at least one sensor, and processing circuitry. The method includes the steps of: illuminating at least one occupiable position within the vehicle with radiation of multiple frequencies; generating radar sensor signals from reflections of the transmitted radiation, a plurality of the radar sensor signals corresponding to different frequencies; and operating the processing circuitry for generating and determining if a first indicator value indicative of motion in the occupiable position satisfies a first predetermined criteria and, if so, generating and determining a second indicator value indicating a degree of repetitive pattern within the radar sensor signals, and determining presence of an unattended child in the vehicle if the second indicator value satisfies a second predetermined criteria.

A seating structure includes a base, a seat, a backrest connected to the seat, and an electronic circuit supported by the base. The seat or the backrest includes a carrier and a suspension material secured to the carrier and spanning across an opening formed by the carrier. The suspension material includes a plurality of electrostatic discharge fibers. The electronic circuit is coupled to the electrostatic discharge fibers. The electronic circuit includes an electronic processor and a sensor. The sensor is configured to generate an output signal indicative of an electrical parameter of one of the electrostatic discharge fibers. The electronic processor is configured to apply a drive signal to one of the plurality of electrostatic discharge fibers, receive the output signal from the sensor, and determine a state of the seating structure based on the output signal from the sensor.

A seat configured so that the accuracy of detection of each sensor provided in the seat to detect the body potential of a seated occupant can be improved without degrading the sense and comfort of the seat. A seat includes a trim cover having a contact surface for a seated occupant, and sensors arranged opposite to the contact surface and configured to detect the body potential of the seated occupant. Each sensor is a capacitive coupling sensor configured to detect the body potential through the trim cover. Moreover, a portion of the seat facing each sensor includes a dielectric configured to increase the dielectric constant of such a portion.

A vehicle occupant comfort system, comprises a processor that stores computer executable components stored in memory. A plurality of sensors sense ambient conditions associated with exterior and interior conditions of a vehicle. A context component infers or determines context of an occupant of the vehicle. A comfort model component implicitly and explicitly trained on occupant comfort related data analyzes information from the plurality of sensors and context component. A comfort controller adjusts environmental conditions of a passenger compartment of the vehicle based at least in part on output of the comfort model component.

An autonomous driving vehicle including a wireless communication unit configured to receive a location of an external terminal having requested the autonomous driving vehicle; and a processor configured to perform autonomous driving of the autonomous driving vehicle to a first destination corresponding to the location of the external terminal; detect a person at the first destination getting into the autonomous driving vehicle; in response to the detected person getting into the autonomous driving vehicle satisfying an autonomous driving condition, perform the autonomous driving to a second destination requested by the external terminal; and in response to the detected person getting into the autonomous driving vehicle not satisfying the autonomous driving condition, maintain a stopped state of the autonomous driving vehicle at the first destination.

An in-vehicle computer is programmed to determine that a driver's hands are at least one predetermined location in the vehicle, the at least one predetermine location including a location on a steering wheel, determine that a vehicle passenger is in a safe position with respect to a human-machine interface; and provide passenger access to the human-machine interface such that the passenger may access operations of the computer that are inaccessible to the driver.