Provided is an apparatus for sensing a remaining passenger in a vehicle and generating an alarm. The apparatus includes a first sensor unit provided on the ceiling of the inside of the vehicle and configured to sense presence or absence of a remaining passenger per seat when a door of a driver's seat is open in an engine off or on state, and a controller configured to generate an alarm when there is a remaining passenger in a seat other than the driver's seat when the engine is turned off and to determine whether the door of the driver's seat is closed and generate an alarm when the first sensor unit senses exit of a driver and presence of a remaining passenger.

A vehicle is provided that includes a safety system that can provide an alert, external to the vehicle, that can warn other vehicles, people, etc. that a driver and/or passenger(s) are exiting the vehicle. Methods and systems determine when an occupant of a vehicle is about to exit by sensing the exit movement or an exit sequence, which may be detected by internal vehicle sensors. In response to the exit sequence, the vehicle may control one or more alert features, associated with the vehicle, to provide an external alert to other vehicles and/or users outside of the vehicle that a driver and/or passenger(s) is/are about to exit.

A vehicle is described, and includes a telematics device, a GPS tracking device, and a multi-position driver's seat including a seat position actuator that is operatively connected to a seat controller and disposed to control a position setting thereof. A control system and method for the vehicle is described and includes receiving an alert of an impending traffic event, and determining a desired activation command for the seat position actuator based upon the impending traffic event. The seat controller controls the seat position actuator responsive to the desired activation command.

A system for reconfiguring a vehicle geometry is disclosed. The system includes a configuration system configured to alter the vehicle geometry, a communication system, and a controller in communication with the configuration system and the communication system, the controller configured to receive a configuration signal from the communication system, determine a configuration control signal, and automatically control the configuration system based on the control signal.

A radio wave transmitting/receiving device is placed in a vehicle in such a way that the device is near the back of the seated person, and no discomfort is caused to the back of the seated person. The vehicle seat includes a seat cushion and a seatback connected to a rear part of the seat cushion. The seatback comprises a seatback frame including a left and a right side frame portion extending vertically, and an upper frame portion extending laterally between upper ends of the side frame portions, a pressure receiving member consisting of a plate member configured to support a back of a seated person and provided with a radio wave transmissive property, and supported by the seatback frame via an elastic member, and a radio wave transmitting/receiving device supported on a back surface of the pressure receiving member to irradiate radio wave to a seated person and receive radio wave reflected by the seated person.

Vehicular control method to avoid collisions in which a smartphone is coupled to the vehicle while in a vehicular compartment. Data is generated from vehicle-resident sensors about operation of the vehicle and transferred from the vehicle to the smartphone while the smartphone is coupled to the vehicle. A communications network with another vehicle is established using the smartphone and the data transferred from the vehicle to the smartphone and data from sensors on the smartphone is transmitted via the smartphone and established communications network to other vehicle, the data including data about location and movement of the vehicle. Then, while the smartphone is coupled to the vehicle, a vehicular operational function is controlled based in part on data transmitted using the smartphone and established communications network to cause movement of the vehicle to change in order to avoid a collision with the other vehicle.

System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to adaptively communicating notices to passengers within a vehicle. In one embodiment, a method includes in response to receiving a notice about an occurrence of an event, determining a viewing orientation of a passenger in the vehicle according to at least one electronic input that indicates information about a physical position of the passenger within the vehicle. The event is an incident associated with the vehicle for which the passenger is to be informed. The method also includes selecting at least one alerting device from available communication devices in the vehicle according to the viewing orientation by determining which of the available communication devices correspond with the viewing orientation of the passenger. The method further includes controlling the at least one alerting device to communicate the notice to the passenger about the occurrence of the event.

An automotive electronic control system configured to detect and signal the presence of a passenger left unattended in a motor vehicle based on signals from an automotive sensory system comprising: one or more radar sensors arranged in the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle to allow the presence of one or more passengers sitting on one or more seats of the motor vehicle to be determined, one or more door sensors associated with one or more doors of the motor vehicle to allow locking and unlocking, and opening and closing, of one or more doors of the motor vehicle to be determined; one or more seat sensors associated with one or more seats of the motor vehicle to allow the presence of one or more passengers sitting on one or more seats of the motor vehicle to be determined; one or more safety belt sensors associated with one or more safety belts of the motor vehicle to allow fastening and unfastening of one or more safety belts to be determined; the automotive electronic control system is configured to: receive signals from the automotive sensory system; determine when the doors of the motor vehicle are unlocked; when the doors of the motor vehicle are determined to have been unlocked, determine whether a door of the motor vehicle has been opened for a sufficient length of time compatible with a passenger getting in the motor vehicle; if a door of the motor vehicle is determined to have been opened for a sufficient length of time compatible with a passenger getting in the motor vehicle, signal a potentially hazardous situation due to the presence of a passenger in the motor vehicle according to a first signalling mode or by means of a first signalling device; determine when the door of the motor vehicle has been closed; when the door of the motor vehicle is determined to have been closed, determine occurrence of a switch from a key-on state to a key-off state of the motor vehicle; if no switch from a key-on state to a key-off state of the motor vehicle is determined to have occurred, activate one or more radar sensors to check for the presence of the passenger in the motor vehicle; if the passenger is determined not to be on the motor vehicle based on the radar sensors, interrupt the signalling of the presence of the passenger in the motor vehicle; if instead the passenger is determined to be on the motor vehicle based on the radar sensors, signal the presence of the passenger in the motor vehicle according to a second signalling mode and/or device different from the first signalling mode and/or device.

System and method for obtaining and recording information about cargo includes a frame defining a cargo-receivable compartment, a position determining system at least partly on the frame and that allows for determination of position of the frame, an identification system on the frame that obtains information about cargo when present in the compartment, a memory component that receives and records information about position and movement of the frame, and the obtained information about cargo when present in the compartment in association with a unique identification of the frame, and a communications system on the frame to enable communication of information to and from the memory component.

A system includes a computer programmed to receive data describing one or more vehicle operations from one or more vehicle input device. The computer actuates an output device upon determining, based on the received data, that a seat-change condition is met.