An occupant detection system and method may include a user interface and at least one sensor to determine if there is an occupant in the vehicle. In one embodiment, the system and method use capacitive sensing sensors embedded into a cushion and/or back of seats in a vehicle. The capacitive sensor sends a sense signal to a controller and the controller would recognize various conditions such as an empty seat or a seat occupied by a person or animal. It could also determine if there was a child seat in a position on a vehicle seat and if there is a child in the child seat.

A method for operating an identification device of a seat of a motor vehicle, in which an identification of a child car seat or an adult on the seat is carried out by an electronic computing device, and in which, depending on the identification, an airbag apparatus of the seat is activated, and in which a relative variance is determined from a ratio of a pressure variance of a pressure on the seat and an acceleration variance of an acceleration of the motor vehicle during a movement of the motor vehicle and, depending on the relative variance, the identification is carried out and the airbag apparatus is activated. The method further includes determining a speed variance of a speed of the motor vehicle by the electronic computing device and, depending on the determined speed variance, deciding whether the identification is carried out during the movement of the motor vehicle.

The present invention comprises a device and a method for exact seat occupancy identification in a vehicle. The device comprises an ultra-wideband (UWB) radar comprising a transmitter (TRx) and at least two receivers (TRx, Rx). The transmitter (TRx) is configured to emit a plurality of preamble symbols in the direction of a vehicle seat of the vehicle. The at least two receivers (TRx, Rx) are configured to receive the preamble symbols reflected by the vehicle seats. A computer is configured to generate Channel Impulse Responses (CIRs) from the received, reflected preamble symbols and process the generated CIRs with the aid of a suitable machine learning algorithm. The computer is further configured to perform an angle-of-arrival calculation based on the reflected preamble symbols and determine an occupancy of the vehicle seats from the processed CIRs and the performed angle-of-arrival calculation.

A method for determining the position and vital signs of an occupant of a transportation vehicle and a transportation vehicle having a radio system and a control unit connected to the radio system. The method is based on channel impulse response (CIR) measurements and is performed using at least two UWB antennas during the operation of the transportation vehicle to determine a position and a vital sign of one or more occupants of the transportation vehicle.

Disclosed is an occupant detection device that detects an occupant riding in a vehicle, including: a first occupant detection unit to output at least one detection result about the occupant, the detection result being detected using an electric wave, each of the at least one detection result being about a corresponding one of detection result types; a degree of influence determination unit to acquire the vibration amount of the vehicle, and to use the vibration amount and the detection result from the first occupant detection unit, to thereby determine, as to each of the detection result types, a degree of influence which depends on the vibration amount; and an output determination unit to determine, using the degree of influence, whether to adopt or reject the detection result, and to, when determining to adopt the detection result, cause the detection result to be outputted.

An occupant detection apparatus includes a first camera and a second camera. The first camera is arranged in a passenger compartment of a vehicle to capture images within a first field of view in the passenger compartment. The second camera is arranged at a different position in the passenger compartment from the first camera to capture images within a second field of view in the passenger compartment. The second field of view is different from the first field of view. Moreover, the first camera is arranged within the second field of view which is the field of view of the second camera. On the other hand, the second camera is arranged within the first field of view which is the field of view of the first camera.

A device which detects a child presence in a car seat and communicates an audible and mobile-device reminder to the driver that a child occupant is in the seat is disclosed. The system utilizes internal sensors to monitor various vehicle occupancy conditions to determine when a triggering event has occurred while the car seat occupancy sensor is engaged. Once triggered, the system will immediately notify the driver that the child remains in the car seat inside the vehicle, and will also sent follow-up alerts.

A device which detects a child presence in a car seat and communicates an audible and mobile-device reminder to the driver that a child occupant is in the seat is disclosed. The system utilizes internal sensors to monitor various vehicle occupancy conditions to determine when a triggering event has occurred while the car seat occupancy sensor is engaged. Once triggered, the system will immediately notify the driver that the child remains in the car seat inside the vehicle, and will also sent follow-up alerts.

Apparatus, device, methods and system relating to a vehicular telemetry environment for monitoring vehicle components and providing indications towards the condition of the vehicle components and providing optimal indications towards replacement or maintenance of vehicle components before vehicle component failure.

Apparatus, device, methods and system relating to a vehicular telemetry environment for monitoring vehicle components and providing indications towards the condition of the vehicle components and providing optimal indications towards replacement or maintenance of vehicle components before vehicle component failure.