A system includes a base. The system includes a buckle movable away from the base from a retracted position to an extended position. The system includes a lock movable from a locked position that maintains the buckle at the retracted position to an unlocked position that permits movement of the buckle to the extended position. The system includes a spring urging the buckle toward the retracted position.

A seat belt sensor assembly comprises a force sensor coupled to a seat belt webbing. The seat belt sensor assembly utilizes force readings from the force sensor indicating a force level above or below a predetermined threshold to determine if an action needs to be taken to control a vehicle system. Such vehicle systems could include, but are not limited to, an autonomous driving control system, an occupant health system, and a motorized seat belt retractor system. Controlling the vehicle systems could include, but is not limited to, sending audio, visual, and/or haptic warnings to vehicle occupants, including, in one embodiment, that the occupant's respiration rate is indicative of a dangerous health condition. The seat belt sensor assembly may be used in combination with a camera-based occupant monitoring system. In one embodiment, the occupant monitoring system can be used to selectively activate/deactivate discrete activation zones of the force sensor.

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.

A method and system for determining whether a seatbelt of a vehicle is fastened is provided. The system may be configured to detect markers on a seatbelt, engage seatbelt tensioners, and determine whether the markers have moved. The system may then be configured to determine whether the seatbelt is fastened based on movement of the markers.

A vehicle seatbelt device of an embodiment includes a seatbelt that restrains a portion of the body of a driver of a vehicle, a tension adjustment mechanism that is able to adjust the tension of the seatbelt, and a controller that controls the tension adjustment mechanism such that the tension of the seatbelt varies in response to a sound emitted by a sound instrument.

A vehicle seatbelt device of an embodiment includes a recognizer that recognizes circumstances around a vehicle, a determiner that determines the state of the vehicle, a seatbelt that restrains a portion of the body of a driver of the vehicle, a tension adjustment mechanism that is able to adjust the tension of the seatbelt, a determiner that determines whether or not driving of the driver is a preferable method of driving on the basis of the circumstances recognized by the recognizer and the state determined by the determiner, and a controller that controls the tension adjustment mechanism such that a tension of the seatbelt varies when the determiner determines that driving of the driver is the preferable method of driving.

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.

Methods, systems and apparatuses may provide for technology that conducts an automated vision analysis of image data associated with an interior of a vehicle cabin, determines a state of a child restraint system (CRS) based on the automated vision analysis, and generates an alert if the state of the CRS does not satisfy one or more safety constraints. In one example, the technology identifies the safety constraint(s) based on a geographic location of the vehicle cabin.

Methods, systems and apparatuses may provide for technology that conducts an automated vision analysis of image data associated with an interior of a vehicle cabin, determines a state of a child restraint system (CRS) based on the automated vision analysis, and generates an alert if the state of the CRS does not satisfy one or more safety constraints. In one example, the technology identifies the safety constraint(s) based on a geographic location of the vehicle cabin.

An automotive vehicle includes a body having a passenger compartment, an anchorage system for securing a child restraint disposed in the passenger compartment, the anchorage system including a latchable bar member, a child restraint installation system coupled to the anchorage system, the child restraint installation system including a trigger member, a sensor contact member, a compression member, a retaining member, and a sensor, and at least one controller in communication with the sensor, the at least one controller being configured to, in response to satisfaction of a first operating condition, generate a first notification signal and, in response to satisfaction of a second operating condition, generate a second notification signal.