A method for detecting misuse of a safety belt in a vehicle by a control unit (12) of the vehicle, comprising the following steps: a) recording vehicle parameters (P), b) supplying the vehicle parameters (P) to an artificial neural network (40); c) recording the at least one output value (A) of the artificial neural network (40), and d) detection of whether or not there is a misuse of the safety belt based on the output value (A).

There is also a safety belt system (10) for a vehicle.

A pre-collision system for an occupant protection system of a vehicle, includes a predictive sensor system, a vehicle seat, a restraint system, and an evaluation and control unit that evaluates output signals of the predictive sensor system and activates a belt tensioning function of the restraint system if the evaluation of the output signals indicates an imminent collision, where the belt tensioning function generates a tensile force in the belt, which presses a corresponding occupant into the vehicle seat, with a resulting kinetic energy of the occupant that releases a pre-trigger mechanism, which is integrated into a mounting of the vehicle seat, and that enables a blocked degree of freedom of the vehicle seat so that the entire vehicle seat tilts about a defined tilt axis in the direction of an expected impact force.

The invention is an indicator means on a strap to provide a means of showing when slack in the strap is removed and/or tension is applied to the strap. The strap is secured with respect to an object at one end and to an anchor point at the other end and the indicator means shows visually that the strap has at least had all slack removed therefrom and where the indicator means is arranged to provide an indication from both sides of the strap to allow a visual indication of tension regardless of which direction the strap extends away from the object.

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 seat monitoring system including one or more shoulder belt tension sensors and one or more buckle belt tension seniors configured to monitor the tension in a harness of a child safety seat. The seat monitoring system further includes a headrest position sensor for monitoring the position of a headrest. The seat monitoring system includes a motor for automatic tensioning of the shoulder belts and buckle belt. The seat monitoring system includes an I/O device for inputting child specifications. The I/O device includes a step-by-step guide for properly securing the child within the child safety seat.

A vehicle seat sensor unit includes a seat occupancy sensor configured for wirelessly communicating with a control unit, at least one first seat detection sensor member and at least one second seat detection sensor member. The first seat detection sensor member is arrangeable in one out of a lower vehicle seat portion of a vehicle seat that is mountable in a vehicle in a removable manner, and a vehicle cabin floor, and the second seat detection sensor member is attachable to the other one of the lower vehicle seat portion and the vehicle cabin floor. The first seat detection sensor member and the second seat detection sensor member are configured to physically interact if mutually arranged within a specific distance. The physical interaction results in a detectable change of a status of at least one out of the first seat detection sensor member and the second seat detection sensor member.

A seatback portion has a tether passageway defined therein from proximate an upper section to proximate a lower section thereof. A seatbelt tether includes a tensioning mechanism, a tether ring and a connecting portion that extends from the tether ring to the tensioning mechanism. The connecting portion extends through the tether passageway with the tether ring located at the upper section outside the seatback portion. The tether ring is shaped and dimension to slide-ably receive a seatbelt. The tensioning mechanism selectively applies tension to the tether ring. In a non-tensioned state the tether ring is movable to an upper outboard side of the seatback portion. In a tensioned state the tether ring is pulled toward a headrest supporting section of the seatback portion inboard and away from the upper outboard side of the seatback portion.

A four-point seatbelt device for a vehicle including: a left and right pair of lap belts; a left and right pair of shoulder belts connected with the respective lap belts; a front latch portion connecting and disconnecting the left lap belt and left shoulder belt with the right lap belt and right shoulder belt; a retractor capable of taking up and pulling out the belt; a pull-out amount detection section capable of detecting a pull-out amount of the belt from the retractor; and a sitting posture detection section configured to determine the sitting posture of the occupant on the basis of the pull-out amount detected by the pull-out amount detection section, in a case in which a sitting posture of the occupant changes after the occupant sits on the vehicle seat and the front latch portion is connected.

A system and method for detecting seatbelt positioning includes capturing, by a camera, a near infrared (NIR) image of an occupant, applying a median filter to the NIR image to remove glints; converting the NIR image to a black-and-white image, scanning across the black-and-white (B/W) image to detect a plurality of transitions between black and white segments corresponding to stripes extending lengthwise along a length of the seatbelt, and using detections of the plurality of transitions to indicate a detection of the seatbelt. Converting the NIR image to the black-and-white image may include using a localized binary threshold to determine whether a given pixel in the B/W image should be black or white based on whether a corresponding source pixel within the NIR image is brighter than an average of nearby pixels within a predetermined distance of the corresponding source pixel.

There is provided a vehicle seat belt system including: webbing that has one end anchored to one seat width direction side surface of a vehicle seat or to a vehicle body, and that restrains an occupant seated in the vehicle seat; a retractor to which another end of the webbing is engaged and that is configured to take up the webbing, the retractor being provided with a pretensioner which, when activated, pulls in the webbing; a buckle, with which a tongue plate attached to the webbing can be engaged; a force limiter that allows the buckle to move to thereby reduce a tensile load acting on the webbing due to activation of the pretensioner; and a warning section that is configured to utilize movement of the buckle resulting from the force limiter to notify the occupant of an abnormality that the force limiter has been activated.