A vehicle safety system includes a vehicle that has a plurality of seats, a plurality of seat belts, an electrical system and an ignition. Each of the seat belts includes a buckle and a clasp. A plurality of buckle sensors is provided and each of the buckle sensors is coupled to the buckle on an associated one of the seat belts. Each of the buckle sensors senses when the clasp of the associated seat belt is engaged to the buckle of the associated seat belt. A plurality of weight sensors is provided and each of the weight sensors is coupled to an associated one of the seats to sense weight of an occupant in the associated seat. A shut down unit is coupled to the vehicle. The shut down unit is in electrical communication with each of the seat belt sensors, each of the weight sensors and the ignition. The shut down unit turns the ignition off when any of the weight sensors senses an occupant in an associated of the seats and the buckle sensor corresponding to the associated seat does not sense the seat belt of the associated seat is fastened.

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 system includes an infrared source is configured to transmit infrared waves. The system also includes a material that reflects infrared waves. An infrared receiver is configured to receive infrared waves reflected from the material.

In a method for operating a safety system of a motor vehicle, a corresponding safety system, and a motor vehicle equipped with such safety system, status signals from several sensor devices are captured by the safety system, wherein the status signals indicate respective status change of a functional unit of the motor vehicle. Thereafter, a chronological order of the status changes is determined and evaluated to detect a consistency or an inconsistency with the proper application of a seat belt of the motor vehicle. If an inconsistency is detected and it persists over a predetermined period of time, a control signal is transmitted by the safety system to a safety device of the motor vehicle.

Devices, systems and processes for the detection of unsafe cabin conditions that provides a safer passenger experience in autonomous vehicles are described. One example method for enhancing passenger safety includes capturing at least a set of images of one or more passengers in the vehicle, determining, based on the set of images, the occurrence of an unsafe activity in an interior of the vehicle, performing, using a neural network, a classification of the unsafe activity, and performing, based on the classification, one or more responsive actions.

A restraint system for an occupant seat mounted in a motor vehicle includes a processor to produce at least one control signal to control either or both of an electronically controllable unit to disable or impede operation of the motor vehicle and a notification device to produce a notification unless, in sequence, a first sensor produces a first signal indicating detection of an occupant being seated in the occupant seat followed by at least one second sensor producing least one second signal indicating that a rotatable shaft of a web retractor coupled to a web of a restraint harness has rotated by at least a threshold amount followed by a third sensor producing a third signal indicating that a tongue of the restraint system is engaged with a buckle of the restraint system.

An autonomous driving vehicle, which provides a driverless transportation service, includes: an authentication device that performs authentication of a user in the autonomous driving vehicle; an intention receiving device that receives information indicating intention of the user in the autonomous driving vehicle; and a control device that controls the autonomous driving vehicle. When maneuvering the autonomous driving vehicle to depart to a destination, the control device performs departure condition confirmation processing that prohibits the autonomous driving vehicle from departing until a departure condition is satisfied and permits the autonomous driving vehicle to depart when the departure condition is satisfied. The departure condition includes: a first condition that the authentication of the user by the authentication device is completed; and a second condition that the intention receiving device receives departure intention information indicating departure intention of the user.

A seatbelt system may include a seatbelt configured to constrain a waist and a torso of an occupant. The seatbelt may also include a coupling configured to selectively couple a portion of a vehicle and the seatbelt to one another. The system may also include a reel configured to receive at least a portion of the seatbelt, and a tension sensor associated with the coupling and/or the seatbelt and configured to generate a signal indicative of tension in the seatbelt. The system may also include a deployment sensor associated with the seatbelt and configured to generate a signal indicative of a length of the seatbelt deployed from the reel. The system may also include an occupant detector configured to determine, based at least in part on the signals indicative of tension and the length, whether an occupant is properly wearing the seatbelt, such that the seatbelt constrains the occupant.

A seatbelt assembly includes a seatbelt, a conductive sensing conductor and a conductive shield. The seatbelt has a lap band. The conductive sensing conductor is fixed to a first side of the lap band. The conductive shield is fixed to a second side of the lap band and is substantially aligned with and substantially overlaps the sensing conductor. An insulating layer is disposed between the sensing conductor and the conductive shield.

a seat belt wearing encouragement apparatus includes a wearing state detecting unit to detect a wearing state of a seat belt; a wearing determination unit to determine whether the seat belt is worn, based on the wearing state; a vehicle speed detecting unit to detect a vehicle speed of the vehicle; a warning unit to warn the passenger; a warning command unit to issue a command to the warning unit to execute warning if the vehicle speed detecting unit has detected the vehicle speed exceeding a setting speed, and the wearing determination unit has determined that the seat belt is not being worn properly; and a vehicle speed limiting unit to limit the vehicle speed in a case where even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the warning was executed, the wearing determination unit still determines that the seat belt is not being worn properly.