A system capable of determining a type of a passenger sitting on a seat according to a body type is disclosed. The system includes a seat detecting means detecting a position of a seat and an angle of a seat back, a passenger detecting means detecting a passenger based on a state where a specific passenger normally sits on the seat, and a controller detecting a passenger's body part along with a seat-back area where the seat back is positioned and a passenger area where the passenger is positioned using information detected by the seat detecting means and the passenger detecting means, and learning a parameter value that is input as a relationship of detected information and a classification result for a body type of the passenger that is output by the parameter value, thus setting a body-type classification model.

Systems and techniques are described herein for detecting a state of presence of a given object in a vehicle. In aspects, techniques include processing data received over time from various devices in the vehicle to determine a set of accumulated scores. The data includes parameters indicative of a presence or absence of a detected object in the vehicle. Further, the processing may be effective to determine a set of accumulated scores. The techniques further include determining an object-related confidence value representing a likelihood that the detected object is present in the vehicle, based on the set of accumulated scores, and then comparing the object-related confidence value to a predetermined threshold. The comparison is sufficient to detect the presence of the detected object in the vehicle if the object-related confidence value exceeds the predetermined threshold.

A vehicular occupant determination apparatus includes a load detection portion, an occupant determination portion, an acceleration detection portion, a transition prohibition portion, and a transition permission portion. The transition permission portion detects whether an acceleration increases or decreases a load, and sets a transition permission state even during the transition prohibition state. In the transition permission state, a determination result of a first occupant type is permitted to transit to a determination result of a second occupant type with a smaller load than the load of the first occupant type when the acceleration increases the load, and the determination result of the first occupant type is permitted to transit to a determination result of a third occupant type with a greater load than the load of the first occupant type when the acceleration decreases the load.

A thermistor-based system and method for distinguishing between adult and child passengers and, of the child passengers, between those seated in a child restraint system and those seated in a child booster is provided. The disclosed inventive concept includes at least one classification thermistor/temperature sensing device, at least one reference thermistor, an algorithm to compute and classify conditions, and related wiring and hardware. The classification thermistor/temperature sensing device is located in a seat cushion assembly and a seat back. The temperature sensors are used to detect heat transfer between an object in contact with the cushion through the seat trim and, if applicable, some amount of seat comfort base material. The reference thermistor may be provided to enhance robustness of classification determination. The algorithm computes and classifies conditions based on at least the magnitude and/or the rate of temperature change between the classification sensor and the reference sensor.

A load exerted on one of supporting parts supporting a seat of a vehicle is detected and is corrected according to an inclination of the vehicle. A load object on the seat is determined a plurality of times of turning on and turning off an ignition of the vehicle using the load thus corrected or the load detected. The load object is determined as an adult at least when the load is greater than or equal to a first threshold and determined as other than an adult at least when the load is less than a second threshold that is less than the first threshold. A function is further provided of determining the load object from a combination of a magnitude relation between the load and a third threshold less than or equal to the first threshold and greater than the second threshold and the inclination of the vehicle.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to determining and responding to an internal state of a self-driving vehicle. For instance, an image of an interior of the vehicle captured by a camera mounted in the vehicle is received. The image is processed in order to identify one or more visible markers at predetermined locations within the vehicle. The internal state of the vehicle is determined based on the identified one or more visible markers. A responsive action is identified action using the determined internal state, and the vehicle is controlled in order to perform the responsive action.

An airbag deployment system including a memory configured to store a default weight/pressure threshold value, a weight/pressure sensor configured for detecting a weight/pressure on a vehicle seat surface, a remote sensor for detecting a presence of a child restraint seat installed at a vehicle seat, wherein, the remote sensor can detect the presence or lack of presence of a child restraint seat on a vehicle seat with at least one focused detection zone, wherein the child restraint seat has different viewable features for the portion in the focused detection zone when compared to the vehicle seat and an occupant, wherein a compensation occurs to at least one of the weight/pressure threshold and the weight/pressure measured on the vehicle seat based on the detection or lack of detection of a child restraint seat.

Various embodiments for monitoring safety by a processor. A presence of a living thing is detected inside an enclosed environment to be monitored. The enclosed environment is capable of motion. The presence of the living thing is monitored in combination with at least one environmental factor in the enclosed environment. If the at least one environmental factor exceeds a predetermined threshold, an alert notification to indicate a current status of the environmental factor is provided to a user.

Various embodiments for monitoring safety by a processor. A presence of a living thing is detected inside an enclosed environment to be monitored. The enclosed environment is capable of motion. The presence of the living thing is monitored in combination with at least one environmental factor in the enclosed environment. If the at least one environmental factor exceeds a predetermined threshold, an alert notification to indicate a current status of the environmental factor is provided to a user.

Load sensors are disposed on four corners of a seat cushion. An occupant decision section of an occupant detection ECU decides a type of an occupant on a vehicle seat based on loads detected by the load sensors. A CRS changing section that prohibits the occupant decision section from changing a decision to a decision result that an adult is seated in the vehicle seat and changes the decision to a decision result that a child seat is attached on the vehicle seat when an engagement of a tongue plate with a buckle of a seat belt device is detected by a buckle switch and a buckle load calculated by buckle load calculation section is less than a predetermined buckling load threshold in a case where the occupant decision section decides that an adult is seated in the vehicle seat.