A system includes a pillar and a seatbelt retractor. The system includes a D-ring supported by and vertically movable relative to the pillar. The system includes a webbing extending from the seatbelt retractor and through the D-ring, The system includes an actuator operatively coupled to the D-ring to vertically move the D-ring relative to the pillar. The system includes a computer having a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to determine that the seatbelt retractor in a nuisance locked state, and in response determining that the seatbelt retractor is in the nuisance locked state, command the actuator to move the D-ring vertically downward relative to the pillar.

A CPU of an ECU is configured to compute an estimated acceleration that is estimated to be applied to a vehicle and a remaining time that is taken from present time to acceleration occurrence time at which the estimated acceleration occurs from a road surface condition detected by a road surface condition detection unit and a vehicle status detected by a vehicle speed determination unit and a steering angle velocity determination unit. The CPU is configured to, when the remaining time becomes shorter than or equal to a predetermined value, drive a retractor motor. The webbing is retracted before an occupant moves with an acceleration that is applied to the vehicle, so the occupant is held in a normal seated position. The retractor motor is driven when the time that is taken from present time to acceleration occurrence time becomes shorter than or equal to the predetermined value.

A restraining device control system includes: a restraining device that is provided at a vehicle seat and that restrains an occupant seated in the vehicle seat; a surrounding environment detection unit that detects an environment surrounding a vehicle; and a control unit that increases a restraining force on the occupant by the restraining device in a case in which it has been predicted, from the surrounding environment of the vehicle, that vacillation of the vehicle while in an autonomous driving mode will exceed a threshold amount and that decreases the restraining force on the occupant by the restraining device in a case in which it has been predicted, from the surrounding environment of the vehicle, that the vehicle will maintain a state in which vacillation of the vehicle while in the autonomous driving mode is less than the threshold amount.

A system for improving safety of an occupant by a vehicle seat belt, which can provide adaptive protection for an occupant in different seat positions and different sitting postures is provided. A method for improving safety of an occupant by a vehicle seat belt is also provided, along with a a computer-readable medium. The a system for improving safety of an occupant by a vehicle seat belt includes an in-vehicle observation system, an active seat belt system, and an integrated safety domain control unit. The integrated safety domain control unit formulates a vehicle seat belt protection strategy based on received data from the in-vehicle observation system, and a slack state of an active retractor and a positional state of an active lift buckle in the active seat belt system, to implement selective tightening or loosening of the active retractor and/or selective lifting or lowering of the active lift buckle.

A motorized seat belt system includes: a spindle around which webbing is wound; an output gear connected to the spindle through a power transmission shaft; a torsion portion provided on the power transmission shaft or the output gear; a motor which transmits rotational power to the spindle; first and second reduction gears which are connected to an output shaft of the motor and transmit rotational power of the motor to the output gear; a first rotation amount detecting sensor that measures a rotation angle and a rotation direction of the power transmission shaft; a second rotation amount detecting sensor that measures a rotation angle and a rotation direction with respect to a rim portion of the first reduction gear; and a controller which controls output of the motor based on detection signals from the first rotation amount detecting sensor and the second rotation amount detecting sensor.

System and method for obtaining and recording information about cargo includes a frame defining a cargo-receivable compartment, a position determining system at least partly on the frame and that allows for determination of position of the frame, an identification system on the frame that obtains information about cargo when present in the compartment, a memory component that receives and records information about position and movement of the frame, and the obtained information about cargo when present in the compartment in association with a unique identification of the frame, and a communications system on the frame to enable communication of information to and from the memory component.

Provided is a pretensioner that can be easily and accurately assembled and manufactured, a seat belt retractor, and a seat belt apparatus provided with the seat belt retractor. A pretensioner has at least a gas generator for generating gas in the event of an emergency, a case, a pipe mounted to the case, a predetermined number of drive transmission members that are movably provided in the pipe and moved by receiving gas pressure to transmit force for rotating the spool in the seat-belt retracting direction, a piston that is movably provided in the pipe and moved by receiving gas pressure to push the drive transmission members, a ring gear that is at least rotatably provided in the case, has, on the outer periphery thereof, a plurality of pressed portions pressed by the drive transmission members, and rotates the spool by the pressing force, and an elastic member attached to the gas generator side of the piston.

An occupant protection apparatus includes: an airbag configured to be stored in a head rest or a seat back of a vehicle seat, and the airbag being formed as a single bag that is configured to cover a head of an occupant and including a front inflating part and a right and left pair of lateral inflating parts; a three-point seat belt device including webbing equipped with a lap belt and a shoulder belt, and a belt take-up mechanism, and the belt take-up mechanism applying tension to the webbing; and a control unit that, in the event that an impact to the vehicle has been predicted or detected, activates the belt take-up mechanism before inflating and deploying the airbag.

A backward accident protection (BAP) system includes a video camera attached to the rear windshield of a vehicle. A microcomputer analyzes the camera image to assess the risk of a rear impacts. Upon detection of a potential rear impact, the BAP system initiates actions to reduce the severity of the potential rear impact.

A system is provided for controlling operation of an electrically controlled and magnetically actuated locking web retractor of an occupant restraint coupled to an occupant seat of a motor vehicle. A control circuit may monitor output signals produced by one or more sensors configured to produce one or more respective sensor output signals indicative of one or more corresponding sensed conditions of the motor vehicle, vehicle seat or occupant restraint, process the output signals produced by the one or more sensors to determine one or more values of the one or more sensed conditions, compare the one or more determined values of the one or more sensed conditions to one or more corresponding threshold or range values, and then provide a control signal, based on the one or more comparisons, to a magnet actuator of the web retractor to cause the web retractor to lock or unlock.