A method for controlling at least one safety function for a motor vehicle includes: a step of determining seat occupancy information, which indicates whether a seat of the vehicle is occupied by a child or not, based on sensor signals originating from a seat belt buckle sensor of the seat and from a weight sensor in the seat; and a step of applying a control signal, which includes child safety settings, depending on the seat occupancy information, to an interface for at least one vehicle safety device.

Improvements in an abandoned baby, infant, child or animal alter system is disclosed. When a child or animal is being transported with a driver in the vehicle, the driver will generally maintain a comfortable temperature in the interior of the vehicle. The temperature and temperature changes are monitored to determine that a child or animal is unattended. The monitor is coupled with a connection in the car, a seat belt of a baby seat or integrated into the baby seat. Integrating the sensor with a seat belt or buckle provides a switch for operation of the sensor. The signaling system can be integrated with the light, horn or alarm or can be connected to a cellular network, Wi-Fi or other radio communications system to send a notification that a baby, infant, child or animal has been left and secured in a vehicle and needs attention.

A safety seat of the type having a seat part that is kept at a distance from the ground by a support system. The seat includes a detection system and signalling system, the latter being able to go off when it is shaken and/or unintentionally inclined.

An infant safety car seat seamlessly and permanently integrated into the bench seat between two adult seats or replacing the adult seats if more than one is incorporated into the vehicle. The child seat is sunken or not below and behind the vehicle bench and seat and safety harnesses are permanently installed to secure an infant in the safety seat. The seat adjusts to allow forward or rearward facing configurations suitable to different ages of the infant, from zero to eight years old. Security features are internally integrated to prevent the incidence of leaving an unbuckled and/or an unattended infant in a vehicle that includes some combination of a scale, hasps sensors in display and video monitor of cameras in screen.

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.

A seat occupancy determination apparatus includes a seatbelt attachment detection device, a first load detection device and a second load detection device arranged under a vehicle seat and each detecting part of a load acting on the vehicle seat, a control processor obtaining a first load value and a second load value, the control processor including a sum load value calculation portion computing a sum load value, a no-occupancy determination portion, a slope way determination portion determining that a vehicle is stopped on a slope way, a seatbelt attachment determination portion, a tentative determination portion tentatively making a seat occupancy determination, a forward movement determination portion determining that the vehicle starts moving forward and runs steadily on a flat ground, and a definite determination portion determining that an adult is seated and determining that a child safety seat is fastened.

A safety seat with an alert function includes a seat body, a seat belt, and a buckle assembly. The buckle assembly is installed on the seat body in a seesaw structure. The alert system includes a control module, and a position sensor and a buckle sensor which are electrically connected to the control module. The position sensor is on the buckle assembly. The buckle sensor is in a buckle component of the buckle assembly. When the control module determines that the position sensor is triggered and the seat belt is not buckled to the buckle component, the control module sends an alert signal to remind parents or drivers to engage the buckle component in time to ensure the safety of a child on the safety seat.

Kids Safety is the only product of its kind that uses a phone app possessing signal connections to a buckle sensor in order to alert and remind parents that their child is in the vehicle and/or has been left behind. This unprecedented device is uniquely designed with durable, high-quality materials to ensure long-term sustainability and complete functionality, regardless of the car make or model the system is employed in post-build.

Embodiments include a vehicle comprising a user interface, a first sensor coupled to a child seat for detecting a child seat belt status; a gear selector for selecting a vehicle gear, and a processor communicatively coupled to the first sensor and the gear selector, and configured to cause the user interface to present a first notification if a first alarm condition is detected based on the child seat belt status and a selected gear. Embodiments also include a method of providing child seat monitoring in a vehicle, the method comprising receiving a gear position from a vehicle gear selector, receiving a child seat belt status from a first sensor coupled to a vehicle child seat, and presenting a first notification using a vehicle user interface if the gear position is a non-park position and the child seat belt status is unbuckled.

An occupant sensing method includes steps of: sensing installation of a child seat on a seat of a vehicle; storing a detection value of a load sensor which is provided to be attached to the seat and detects an input load as a first load value, when the installation of the child seat is sensed; storing a detection value of the load sensor as a second load value when a predetermined time period has elapsed from a time point at which the installation of the child seat is sensed; and estimating a load change amount at the time of getting on/off which is a change amount of a load that is generated as the occupant gets on/off the child seat, based on a difference value between the first load value and the second load value.