A restraint system for a ride vehicle includes a soft restraint configured to extend across a passenger to secure the passenger within a seat of the ride vehicle. The soft restraint includes a pliable material configured to conform to a substantial portion of a torso of the passenger, and a sensory stimulation system integrated with the soft restraint. The sensory stimulation system is configured to generate sensory effects and impart the sensory forces to the torso of the passenger. The soft restraint also includes an inflatable bladder system integrated with the soft restraint and the inflatable bladder system is configured to inflate with a gas to increase contact between the soft restraint and the torso of the passenger.

A vehicle and a method of controlling the vehicle may include a seat belt apparatus to reduce the tension of the seat belt in the normal situation in which the collision does not occur by appropriately adjusting the tension of the seat belt based on the driving state of the vehicle, providing convenience to a passenger. In the collision situation, the safety of the passenger may be ensured by sufficiently increasing the tension of the seat belt. The vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a seat belt provided to adjust a tension; a driving assistance device configured to obtain vehicle driving information for assisting a driving of the vehicle; and a controller coupled to the driving assistance and configured to adjust the tension of the seat belt to correspond to a driving state of the vehicle based on the vehicle driving information obtained through the driving assistance device.

A restraint system for a ride vehicle includes a rigid restraint configured to extend across a passenger to secure the passenger within a seat of the ride vehicle and a soft restraint coupled to the rigid restraint. The soft restraint includes a pliable material configured to conform to a substantial portion of a torso of the passenger and a haptic feedback system integrated with the soft restraint. The haptic feedback system is configured to generate vibrational forces and impart the vibrational forces to the torso of the passenger.

An apparatus comprising a processor and a transceiver. The processor may (i) receive messages from a plurality of vehicles and (ii) determine relative coordinates of the vehicles based on the messages. The transceiver may (i) communicate the messages using a first channel in a first range and (ii) communicate short messages using a second channel in a second range. Communicating using the second channel may consume more power than communicating using the first channel. The messages may be sent from the transceiver to a cluster head within the first range. The short messages may communicate less data than the messages. The short messages may be sent directly to a target vehicle outside of the first range to determine an associated cluster head for the target vehicle. The messages may be sent to the target vehicle from the associated cluster head via the cluster head within the first range.

A sensor module for use in a low-cost weight-measurement and sensing system is provided. The sensor module may include a substrate configured to be mounted between a floor pan of a vehicle and a seat of the vehicle. The sensor module may further include a force sensing element disposed upon the substrate. The force sensing element may be configured to sense a force applied thereupon, and generate a reading representative of the force applied thereupon in response thereto to provide a sensor reading. The sensor module may also include a wiring harness connected to the force sensing element. The wiring harness may be configured to transmit the sensor reading to a control module. The substrate may define an aperture configured to surround a fastening element used to fasten the seat to the floor pan of the vehicle.

An occupant restraining device for a vehicle has: a time to collision estimating section that estimates a time to collision, the time to collision being a time until a front collision with a vehicle ahead; a force imparting portion that imparts force toward a vehicle rear side to a vehicle occupant of an own vehicle; a gap enlarging portion that enlarges a gap between the vehicle occupant and a seatback of a vehicle seat; a gap estimating section that estimates a size of the gap between the vehicle occupant and the seatback; and a control section that, in a case in which the gap enlarging portion operates, controls a timing of a start of operation of the force imparting portion on the basis of the time to collision estimated by the time to collision estimating section and the size of the gap estimated by the gap estimating section.

A vehicle includes an inertial sensor configured to measure a speed, a steering angle, and a yaw rate, a camera configured to acquire image data, a radar configured to acquire a radar data, and a safety device including an air bag and a seat belt pretensioner. A controller is configured to predict a collision with a first object located at the outside of the vehicle based on the image data or the radar data, predict a collision with a second object that is likely to occur after the collision with the first object based on an angle of reflection predicted at a time of the collision with the first object, and lower a deployment threshold that is compared with a collision severity such that the safety device is deployed before the collision with the second object.

A control device for a vehicle seat belt, includes: a retraction unit that is configured to retract a seat belt through use of a driving force of a motor and to stop retracting the seat belt when the motor is stopped from being driven; an acceleration measurement unit that is configured to measure an acceleration of a vehicle; a state detection unit that is configured to detect whether or not the vehicle is in a stable state while running; and a control unit that is configured to stop driving the motor when the acceleration measured by the acceleration measurement unit during driving of the motor has remained lower than a first set acceleration for at least a first set time and the vehicle has remained in the stable state detected by the state detection unit for at least a second set time.

An occupant protection device includes: an airbag which is deployed and inflated rearward from an accommodation part so that the airbag receives the occupant when inflation gas flows in, the airbag having an inflation completion shape of a loop shape including an upper and lower portions which branch up and down from an inflow opening side and a rear portion which is a mutual connecting part between rear ends of the upper portion and the lower portion as a confluence part on a tip end side. The airbag includes: a bag main body including the upper portion, the lower portion, and the rear portion; and a connecting member having flexibility which is disposed between the upper portion and the lower portion and connects the upper portion and the lower portion so as to regulate a separation distance between the upper portion and the lower portion when inflation is completed.

A control device for a seat belt of a vehicle includes a retracting unit configured to retract the seat belt, a departure detection unit configured to detect a departure of the vehicle from a lane; a vehicle speed sensor configured to measure a vehicle speed; and an electronic control unit configured to operate the retracting unit when both a first condition and a second condition are satisfied. The first condition is a condition that the departure detection unit detects the departure of the vehicle from the lane, and the second condition is a condition that the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a prescribed speed, and the electronic control unit is configured not to operate the retracting unit when the first condition is satisfied and the second condition is not satisfied.