Systems, apparatus and methods implemented in algorithms, hardware, software, firmware, logic, or circuitry may be configured to process data and sensory input to determine whether an object external to an autonomous vehicle (e.g., another vehicle, a pedestrian, road debris, a bicyclist, etc.) may be a potential collision threat to the autonomous vehicle. The autonomous vehicle may be configured to implement interior active safety systems to protect passengers of the autonomous vehicle during a collision with an object or during evasive maneuvers by the autonomous vehicle, for example. The interior active safety systems may be configured to provide passengers with notice of an impending collision and/or emergency maneuvers by the vehicle by tensioning seat belts prior to executing an evasive maneuver and/or prior to a predicted point of collision.

A seat monitoring system for monitoring a state of at least one seat arrangeable in a vehicle's interior and determining the position of the seat in the interior. The monitoring system has a control module, two sending modules signally connected to the control module, and at least one seat module associated with at least one seat and a receiving module. The two sending modules are spaced apart from one another and each have one antenna, the receiving module has two antennas. A first antenna of the receiving module is configured to receive a signal from a first sending module of the sending modules, and a second antenna of the receiving module is configured to receive a signal from a second sending module of the sending modules. The receiving module is configured to determine signal strengths of the signals received by the antennas of the receiving module for position determination.

A method for monitoring a passenger compartment of a vehicle. The passenger compartment has at least one RFID transponder. A readout signal for reading out the RFID transponder is emitted in the method. In response to the emitting, a response signal of the RFID transponder is measured in order to obtain a measured value. Using the measured value, a degree of obscuration that represents an obscuration of the RFID transponder is ascertained in order to monitor the passenger compartment.

There are provided a buckle switch that detects an insertion of a tongue into a buckle of a seatbelt and an ejection of the tongue from the buckle, a signal transmitting section that wirelessly transmits a signal showing a state of the buckle switch, and an attaching detection control unit that controls the signal transmitting section such that the signal transmitting section transmits different signals that correspond to a first time lasting from the insertion of the tongue into the buckle until the ejection of the tongue from the buckle or a second time lasting from the ejection of the tongue from the buckle until the insertion of the tongue into the buckle.

A thermistor-based system and method for distinguishing between adult and child passengers and, of the child passengers, between those seated in a child restraint system and those seated in a child booster is provided. The disclosed inventive concept includes at least one classification thermistor/temperature sensing device, at least one reference thermistor, an algorithm to compute and classify conditions, and related wiring and hardware. The classification thermistor/temperature sensing device is located in a seat cushion assembly and a seat back. The temperature sensors are used to detect heat transfer between an object in contact with the cushion through the seat trim and, if applicable, some amount of seat comfort base material. The reference thermistor may be provided to enhance robustness of classification determination. The algorithm computes and classifies conditions based on at least the magnitude and/or the rate of temperature change between the classification sensor and the reference sensor.

A load exerted on one of supporting parts supporting a seat of a vehicle is detected and is corrected according to an inclination of the vehicle. A load object on the seat is determined a plurality of times of turning on and turning off an ignition of the vehicle using the load thus corrected or the load detected. The load object is determined as an adult at least when the load is greater than or equal to a first threshold and determined as other than an adult at least when the load is less than a second threshold that is less than the first threshold. A function is further provided of determining the load object from a combination of a magnitude relation between the load and a third threshold less than or equal to the first threshold and greater than the second threshold and the inclination of the vehicle.

A method for controlling a passenger airbag may include determining whether an occupant is present on a passenger seat; determining whether the occupant seated on the passenger seat has fastened a safety belt; determining whether deployment of a passenger airbag is required; and deploying, when the deployment of the passenger airbag is required, a main chamber of the passenger airbag, and further deploying a sub-chamber connected to the main chamber of the passenger airbag to be interlocked with the deployment of the main chamber when the occupant is present on the passenger seat and has fastened the safety belt.

A system includes an occupant detection module configured to identify an occupied state when an occupant is seated on a vehicle seat and an unoccupied state when the vehicle seat is free from an occupant. The system also includes a buckle sensor configured to identify a time of buckling when a latch plate is initially secured to a buckle. A seatbelt wear condition module is configured to identify the occupied state at the time of buckling and after buckling regardless of whether the occupant detection module detects the occupied state at the time of buckling and after buckling or the unoccupied state at the time of buckling and after buckling based on the occupant detection module identifying the occupied state within a predetermined timeframe prior to the time of buckling and disregarding any unoccupied state produced from the occupant detection module while the seatbelt remains buckled.

Method for controlling a vehicle including a smartphone-engaging coupling element. Data about operational status of the vehicle is transferred from one or more vehicle-resident systems to a smartphone when the smartphone is engaged with the coupling element. Commands are received by the vehicle from the smartphone when the smartphone is engaged with the coupling element, which commands being based in part on data previously transferred from the vehicle-resident system(s) to the smartphone when the smartphone is engaged with the coupling element. A vehicular system, e.g., seat positioning system, mirror positioning system, passenger compartment temperature control system, route guidance or navigation system, changes its operation in accordance with the commands received by the vehicle from the smartphone when the smartphone is engaged with the coupling element.

Systems, apparatus and methods may be configured to implement actively-controlled light emission from a robotic vehicle. A light emitter(s) of the robotic vehicle may be configurable to indicate a direction of travel of the robotic vehicle and/or display information (e.g., a greeting, a notice, a message, a graphic, passenger/customer/client content, vehicle livery, customized livery) using one or more colors of emitted light (e.g., orange for a first direction and purple for a second direction), one or more sequences of emitted light (e.g., a moving image/graphic), or positions of light emitter(s) on the robotic vehicle (e.g., symmetrically positioned light emitters). The robotic vehicle may not have a front or a back (e.g., a trunk/a hood) and may be configured to travel bi-directionally, in a first direction or a second direction (e.g., opposite the first direction), with the direction of travel being indicated by one or more of the light emitters.