A warning device and a mobile carrier assembly are provided. The mobile carrier assembly includes a mobile carrier and a warning device mounted at the outside of the mobile carrier. The warning device includes an energy harvesting unit, a battery, an object sensor and a warning element. The energy harvesting unit is used to retrieve an energy from an environment and convert the energy into an electrical energy. The battery is electrically connected with the energy harvesting unit for storing the electrical energy. The object sensor is electrically connected with the battery and used to sense whether an object is present in a predetermined range. The warning element is electrically connected with the object sensor and used to issue an alert when the object sensor senses that an object is present in the predetermined range. The alert includes a sound or light.

A seat monitoring system for monitoring an occupancy related status of at least one seat inside an automotive vehicle compartment. The seat monitoring system includes a control module mounted within the compartment, and at least one sensor module integrated into the at least one seat. The sensor module has a sensing system for sensing an occupancy related status with respect to the seat. The control module is arranged in wireless communication with the sensor module. The control module has at least three transmitting RF antennas configured to transmit a request signal in at least three directions inside the vehicle compartment; and the sensor module is further configured to receive the request signals from the at least three directions, to determine reception parameters of the request signals, and to transmit an information responsive to the reception parameters to the control module.

An information processing unit (32) collects accident information from a vehicle-mounted device (2) existing in a periphery of a site of an accident indicated by accident information stored in a storage unit (31), by controlling a communication unit (30).

One example method of operation may include identifying a vehicle collision event via one or more sensors disposed in one or more sensor circuits affixed to a vehicle body of a vehicle via one or more multi-layered removable stickers, responsive to identifying the vehicle collision event, identifying vehicle collision event data including a geolocation of the vehicle and a timestamp of the vehicle collision event, and storing, in a wirelessly accessible memory of the one or more sensor circuits, the vehicle collision event data received during the vehicle collision event.

Activation of a passive occupant protection system is detected by at least one sensor. Signals indicative of the detection are sent over a communications connection to a telematic unit of the vehicle. Responsive to successful detection of the activation of the occupant protection system, the telematic unit initiates a launch of an accompanying autonomous drone from the vehicle for providing information, the drone autonomously recording aerial images of the vehicle and surroundings of the vehicle using a camera. The aerial images are transmitted to an emergency control center via a mobile communications connection to the emergency control center established by the telematic unit.

Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to detect and/or classify a vehicle occupant, such as a passenger seated within the cockpit of a vehicle. An occupant classification system includes an occupant weight sensor, an occupant presence sensor, and a logic device configured to communicate with the occupant weight sensor and the occupant presence sensor. The logic device is configured to receive occupant weight sensor signals from the occupant weight sensor and occupant presence sensor signals from the occupant presence sensor, determine an estimated occupant weight and an occupant presence response based, at least in part, on the occupant weight sensor signals and the occupant presence sensor signals, and determine an occupant classification status corresponding to the passenger seat based, at least in part, on the estimated occupant weight and/or the occupant presence response.

Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to detect and/or classify a vehicle occupant, such as a passenger seated within the cockpit of a vehicle. An occupant classification system includes an occupant weight sensor, an occupant presence sensor, and a logic device configured to communicate with the occupant sensors. The occupant weight sensor includes at least first and second conductive electrodes separated by a dielectric layer, top and bottom protective plastic layers configured to support the respective first and second conductive electrodes, and adhesive layers disposed between the plastic layers and the conductive electrodes and between the conductive electrodes and the dielectric layer. The top protective plastic layer is longer and/or wider than the first conductive electrode and the bottom protective plastic layer is longer and/or wider than the second conductive electrode to provide edge protection against electrical shorts for the first and second conductive electrodes.

Systems, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to sensing ingress of water in a vehicle. In one embodiment, a method includes acquiring, from a radar of a vehicle, radar data about a passenger cabin of the vehicle. The method includes determining a current state of the passenger cabin according to the radar data. The method includes, responsive to identifying that the current state indicates an ingress of water into the passenger cabin, generating a response to the ingress of the water.

A method of providing road and vehicle diagnostics, includes providing a vehicle axle system having a first axle half shaft housing, a second axle half shaft housing and a differential housing. Attached to one or more of the housings is one or more tri-axis accelerometers. In communication with the accelerometers is one or more data processors configured to receive and analyze data from the accelerometers. An occurrence of one or more road events is determined by one or more spikes in the Z-direction of the data collected from the accelerometers. A depth of the road event is determined by a magnitude of the positive and negative changes in acceleration of the spike in the Z-direction and a length of road event is determined by an amount of time between two spikes of opposite magnitudes in said Z-direction. Once identified, the time and geographic location of the road event is identified.

A restraint system includes a side air curtain, a sail panel, and a secondary cushion. The side air curtain is inflatable to an inflated position and has a top edge, a bottom edge, and a forward edge extending from the top edge to the bottom edge. The sail panel extends from the forward edge. The secondary cushion is inflatable to an inflated position and is elongated in a direction away from the bottom edge and the forward edge toward the top edge.