System and method for determining occupancy with intermittent occupancy sensor response

Abstract

A system includes an occupant detection module configured to identify an occupancy condition when an occupant is seated on a vehicle seat and an unoccupancy condition when the vehicle seat is free of the occupant. The system also includes a buckle sensor configured to identify a buckling time when the latch plate is initially secured to the buckle. The seatbelt wearing condition module is configured to identify the occupancy condition based on the occupant detection module identifying the occupancy condition before a buckling moment, at a buckling moment and after buckling regardless of whether the occupant detection module detects the occupancy condition at the buckling moment or an unoccupied condition at the buckling moment.

Description

[0001] introduction

[0002] The information provided in this section is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the present disclosure. The work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this section and in aspects of the description that may not qualify as prior art at the time of filing, is neither explicitly nor implicitly admitted to be prior art against the present disclosure. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a system and method for determining occupancy using intermittent seat occupancy sensor responses before, during, and after seat belt assembly buckling. Background Art

[0004] Restraint systems are used in modern vehicles to restrain occupants during use of the vehicle. Such systems may include one or more airbags located near each seating position of the vehicle, working in conjunction with a seat belt assembly dedicated to the particular seating position.

[0005] Conventional seat belt assemblies typically include a seat belt webbing, a tongue or latch plate, a seat belt buckle, a retractor, a lower anchor, and a seat belt guide ring or D-ring that receives the seat belt webbing and properly positions the seat belt webbing relative to the occupant during use. The seat belt webbing is typically anchored to the vehicle structure by the lower anchor at a first end and extends upward from the vehicle structure in a direction toward the vehicle seat. The seat belt webbing continues in a direction toward the guide ring or D-ring, wherein the seat belt webbing passes through the guide ring or D-ring before being received by the retractor. The retractor is typically mounted to the vehicle structure or vehicle seat structure and allows the seat belt to be released when the occupant applies a force on the seat belt webbing to extract the desired length of the seat belt webbing from the retractor. The seat belt webbing slidably receives the tongue or latch plate along the length of the seat belt webbing. The tongue or latch plate can be selectively attached to the seat belt buckle on the side of the vehicle seat opposite to the lower anchor to restrain the occupant in the vehicle seat during use. The seat belt retractor is also used to automatically retract / pull the seat belt webbing into the retractor when the tongue or latch plate is disengaged from the seat belt buckle, thereby returning the seat belt webbing to the stowed state.

[0006] In operation, a user may sit in a vehicle seat and apply a force on the seat belt webbing and / or on the tongue or latch plate to extract a desired length of the seat belt webbing from the retractor. In response to the force applied to the seat belt webbing and / or the tongue or latch plate, the retractor allows a certain length of the seat belt webbing to be extracted from the retractor, thereby increasing the effective length of the seat belt webbing between the retractor and the lower anchor. Once the desired length of the seat belt webbing is achieved, the occupant aligns the tongue or latch plate with the seat belt buckle and inserts the tongue or latch plate into the seat belt buckle, thereby fixing the relative position of the tongue or latch plate to the seat belt buckle. At this point, the seat belt webbing, when properly worn by the occupant, extends from the D-ring or retractor across the occupant's upper torso to the tongue or latch plate, and from the tongue or latch plate across the occupant's thighs between the tongue or latch plate and the lower anchor. Once the tongue or latch plate is attached to the seatbelt buckle, the retractor limits further payout of the seatbelt webbing and holds the seatbelt webbing against the occupant at a very low force level to restrain the occupant in the vehicle seat during use.

[0007] When the occupant wishes to leave the vehicle seat, a force may be applied to the button of the seat belt buckle to release the tongue or latch plate from the seat belt buckle. At this point, the retractor automatically winds the seat belt webbing into the retractor, thereby reducing the effective length of the seat belt webbing between the retractor and the lower anchor. Once a predetermined length of the seat belt webbing is retracted into the retractor, the seat belt returns to the stowed state.

[0008] Although conventional seat belt assemblies adequately restrain an occupant in a vehicle seat, it is often difficult to determine whether an occupant is sitting in a vehicle seat when the seat belt is buckled due to the occupant's movement during the buckling of the seat belt. For example, when an occupant initially sits in a vehicle seat, a sensor associated with the seat may detect the presence of the occupant. However, after the initial force spike when seated, the occupant's force level on the seat decreases, which may cause the sensor to identify the seat as unoccupied. In addition, the movement of the occupant away from the seat bottom of the seat during the buckling may cause the sensor to identify the seat as unoccupied. Although remotely located sensors (i.e., sensors not located in the seat) can be used to determine whether a seat is occupied, such sensors may also be deceived when an occupant is present, depending on the sensor type, lighting conditions, and materials that obscure the sensor's view of the occupant. Therefore, even if a tongue or latch plate is secured to the buckle and an occupant is seated in a vehicle seat and restrained by a seat belt, a module monitoring the seat belt assembly may incorrectly identify the seat as unoccupied. Summary of the invention

[0009] In one configuration, a system includes an occupant detection module configured to identify a state of a vehicle seat, the occupant detection module identifying an occupied state when an occupant sits on the vehicle seat, and identifying an unoccupied state when the vehicle seat is not occupied. The system also includes a buckle sensor configured to detect a buckled state when a latch plate is fixed to a buckle of a seat belt, and to detect an unfastened state when the buckle is separated from the latch plate, the buckle sensor identifying a buckled moment when the latch plate is initially fixed to the buckle. A seat belt wearing status module communicates with the buckle sensor and the occupant detection module, and is configured to identify an occupied state at the buckle moment and after the buckle moment based on the occupant detection module identifying the occupied state before the buckle moment, regardless of whether the occupant detection module detects the occupied state at the buckle moment or the unoccupied state at the buckle moment.

[0010] The system may include one or more of the following optional features. For example, the seat belt wearing condition module may be configured to detect the occupancy state at the buckle moment based on the occupant detection module identifying the occupancy state within a time window starting before the buckle moment and ending at the buckle moment and including the buckle moment.

[0011] In one configuration, the predetermined time frame may fall within an approximate time frame of from two (2) seconds to ten (10) seconds.

[0012] The seat belt wearing condition module identifies the occupancy state at the buckle moment, regardless of whether the occupant detection module detects intermittent occupancy at the buckle moment, based on the occupant detection module identifying the occupancy state within a predetermined time frame before the buckle moment, at a time point during the buckle moment, or during a time frame after the buckle moment. The predetermined time frame may fall within an approximate time frame from two (2) seconds to ten (10) seconds, the approximate time frame starting before the buckle moment and ending at and including the buckle moment.

[0013] In one configuration, the occupant detection module may communicate with at least one occupancy sensor configured to determine the presence of an occupant on a vehicle seat. The at least one occupancy sensor may include at least one of a pressure sensor, a weight sensor, a resistance sensor, a biometric sensor, and a capacitive sensor located in the vehicle seat and a remote sensor including at least one of a camera having a field of view surrounding the vehicle seat, a radio radar, and a laser radar. The seatbelt wearing status module stores the state of the vehicle seat detected by the occupancy sensor within a continuous fixed continuous moving time window before and including the buckle moment.

[0014] In another configuration, a system includes an occupant detection module configured to identify a state of a vehicle seat, the occupant detection module identifying an occupied state when an occupant sits on the vehicle seat and an unoccupied state when the vehicle seat is not occupied. The system also includes a buckle sensor configured to detect a buckled state when a latch plate is secured to a buckle of a seat belt and to detect an unfastened state when the buckle is separated from the latch plate, the buckle sensor identifying a buckled moment when the latch plate is initially secured to the buckle. A seat belt wearing status module communicates with the buckle sensor and the occupant detection module and is configured to identify an occupied state at the buckle moment based on the occupant detection module identifying an occupied state within a predetermined time frame before and including the buckle moment, regardless of whether the occupant detection module detects an occupied state at the buckle moment or an unoccupied state at the buckle moment.

[0015] The system may include one or more of the following optional features. For example, the seatbelt wearing status module may be configured to communicate the occupancy of the vehicle seat when buckled to at least one of the internal user interface device and the external user interface device.

[0016] In one configuration, the predetermined time frame may fall within an approximate time frame of from two (2) seconds to ten (10) seconds.

[0017] The seatbelt wearing status module may identify an occupancy state at the time of buckling based on the occupant detection module identifying an occupancy state within a predetermined time frame before the buckle moment, at a time point during the buckle moment, or during a time frame after the buckle moment, regardless of whether the occupant detection module detects intermittent occupancy at the buckle moment. The predetermined time frame may fall within an approximate time frame from two (2) seconds to ten (10) seconds, the time frame starting before the buckle moment and ending at and including the buckle moment.

[0018] In one configuration, the occupant detection module may communicate with at least one occupancy sensor configured to determine the presence of an occupant on a vehicle seat. The at least one sensor may include at least one of a pressure sensor, a weight sensor, a resistance sensor, a biometric sensor, and a capacitive sensor located in the vehicle seat and a remote sensor including at least one of a camera having a field of view surrounding the vehicle seat, a radio radar, and a laser radar. The seat belt wearing status module stores the state of the vehicle seat detected by the occupancy sensor within a continuous fixed continuous moving time window before and including the buckle moment.

[0019] In yet another configuration, a system includes an occupant detection module configured to identify a state of a vehicle seat, the occupant detection module identifying an occupied state when an occupant sits on the vehicle seat, and identifying an unoccupied state when the vehicle seat is not occupied. The system also includes a buckle sensor configured to detect a buckled state when a latch plate is secured to a buckle of a seat belt, and to detect an unfastened state when the buckle is separated from the latch plate, the buckle sensor identifying a buckled moment when the latch plate is initially secured to the buckle. A seat belt wearing status module communicates with the buckle sensor and the occupant detection module, and is configured to identify an occupied state when the seat belt remains buckled after a buckling event based on the occupancy state determined at the buckling moment, regardless of whether the occupant detection module detects an occupied state when the seat belt remains buckled after a buckling event or detects an unoccupied state when the seat belt remains buckled after a buckling event.

[0020] The system may include one or more of the following optional features. For example, if the occupant detection module detects an unoccupied state after buckling while remaining buckled, the seatbelt wearing status module may identify an occupied state after buckling while the seatbelt remains buckled.

[0021] In one configuration, the occupant detection module can communicate with at least one occupancy sensor configured to determine the presence of an occupant on a vehicle seat. The at least one occupancy sensor can include at least one of a pressure sensor, a weight sensor, a resistance sensor, a biometric sensor, and a capacitive sensor located in the vehicle seat and a remote sensor including at least one of a camera having a field of view surrounding the vehicle seat, a radio radar, and a lidar. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected configurations and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle system according to the principles of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 2 According to the principles of the present disclosure, Figure 1 A functional block diagram of an exemplary control system for use in conjunction with a vehicle system;

[0025] Figure 3 is a front view of an occupant seated in a vehicle seat with the seat belt assembly unfastened;

[0026] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 The condition of the buckle of the seat belt assembly and Figure 3 a graphical representation of the status of an occupant detection device over time for a seated occupant as shown;

[0027] Figure 5 is a front view of an occupant seated in a vehicle seat during buckling of a seat belt assembly;

[0028] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 The condition of the buckle of the seat belt assembly and Figure 5 a graphical representation of the status of an occupant detection device over time for a seated occupant as shown;

[0029] Figure 5A is a front view of an occupant seated in a vehicle seat after the seat belt assembly is buckled;

[0030] Fig. 6A yes Figure 5A The condition of the buckle of the seat belt assembly and Figure 5A a graphical representation of the status of an occupant detection device over time for a seated occupant shown in;

[0031] Figures 7 and 8 is a flow chart illustrating an example method for determining seat occupancy during a buckle event;

[0032] Fig. 9 is a graphical representation of the occupant detection sensor output over time; and

[0033] Fig.10 is a flow chart illustrating an example method for adjusting an in-seat occupancy threshold based on continued detection of an occupant in the seat for a predetermined period of time.

[0034] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] Example configurations will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example configurations are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those of ordinary skill in the art. Specific details, such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the configurations of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example configurations may be embodied in many different forms, and that the specific details and example configurations should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

[0036] The terms used herein are only used to describe the purpose of specific exemplary configurations and are not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular articles "a" and "the" may also be intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly states otherwise. The terms "include", "comprise" and "have" are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of features, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or their groups. The method steps, processes and operations described herein should not be interpreted as necessarily requiring them to be performed in the specific order discussed or shown, unless specifically identified as an execution order. Additional or alternative steps may be adopted.

[0037] When an element or layer is referred to as being "on another element or layer," "engaged to," "connected to," "attached to," or "coupled to" another element or layer, it may be directly on, directly engaged with, connected to, attached to, or coupled to another element or layer, or there may be intermediate elements or layers. Conversely, when an element is referred to as being "directly on another element or layer," "directly engaged to," "directly connected to," "directly attached to," or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there may be no intermediate elements or layers. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a similar manner (e.g., "between" versus "directly between," "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent," etc.). As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0038] The terms first, second, third, etc. can be used in this article to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and / or parts. These elements, components, regions, layers and / or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms can only be used to distinguish an element, component, region, layer or part from another region, layer or part. Unless the context clearly indicates, terms such as "first", "second" and other numerical terms do not imply order or sequence. Therefore, without departing from the teaching of the example configuration, the first element, component, region, layer or part discussed below can be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer or part.

[0039] In this application, including the definitions below, the term module may be replaced by the term circuit. The term module may refer to, be part of, or include: an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC); a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital discrete circuit; a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital integrated circuit; a combinational logic circuit; a field programmable gate array (FPGA); a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes code; a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by a memory; other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as in a system on a chip.

[0040] The term code as used above may include software, firmware and / or microcode, and may refer to a program, a routine, a function, a class and / or an object. The term shared processor includes a single processor that executes some or all codes from multiple modules. The processor term group includes a processor that executes some or all codes from one or more modules in combination with an additional processor. The term shared memory includes a single memory that stores some or all codes from multiple modules. The memory term group includes a memory that stores some or all codes from one or more modules in combination with an additional memory. The term memory may be a subset of the term computer-readable medium. The term computer-readable medium does not include transient electrical signals and electromagnetic signals propagated through the medium, and therefore can be considered to be tangible and non-transient memory. Non-limiting examples of non-temporary memory include tangible computer-readable media, which include non-volatile memory, magnetic storage, and optical storage.

[0041] The apparatus and methods described in this application may be implemented in part or in whole by one or more computer programs executed by one or more processors. The computer program includes processor executable instructions stored on at least one non-transitory tangible computer readable medium. The computer program may also include and / or rely on stored data.

[0042] Software applications (i.e., software resources) may refer to computer software that enables a computing device to perform tasks. Example applications include, but are not limited to, system diagnostic applications, system management applications, system maintenance applications, word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, messaging applications, media streaming applications, social networking applications, and gaming applications.

[0043] Non-transitory memory can be a physical device used to temporarily or permanently store programs (e.g., sequences of instructions) or data (e.g., program state information) for use by a computing device. Non-transitory memory can be volatile and / or non-volatile addressable semiconductor memory. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, flash memory and read-only memory (ROM) / programmable read-only memory (PROM) / erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) / electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) (e.g., commonly used for firmware, such as bootloaders). Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), phase change memory (PCM), and disk or tape.

[0044] These computer programs (also referred to as programs, software, software applications, or code) include machine instructions for a programmable processor and may be implemented in high-level procedural and / or object-oriented programming languages ​​and / or assembly / machine languages. As used herein, the terms "machine-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" refer to any computer program product, non-transitory computer-readable medium, device, and / or memory (e.g., disk, optical disk, processor, programmable logic device (PLD)) for providing machine instructions and / or data to a programmable device, including a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal. The term "machine-readable signal" refers to any signal for providing machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor.

[0045] Various implementations of the systems and techniques described herein can be implemented in digital electronic and / or optical circuits, integrated circuits, specially designed ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various implementations may include implementations in one or more computer programs executable and / or interpretable on a programmable system, the programmable system comprising at least one programmable processor, at least one input device, and at least one output device, the at least one programmable device being either special purpose or general purpose, coupled to receive data and instructions from a storage system, and to send data and instructions to the storage system.

[0046] The process and logic flow described in this specification can be performed by one or more programmable processors (also referred to as data processing hardware), which execute one or more computer programs to perform functions by operating on input data and generating outputs. The process and logic flow can also be performed by a dedicated logic circuit (e.g., FPGA (field programmable gate array) or ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit)). As an example, a processor suitable for executing a computer program includes both general-purpose and special-purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any type of digital computer. Typically, the processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. The basic elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Typically, a computer will also include one or more mass storage devices (e.g., magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks) for storing data, or be operably coupled to receive data from it or transmit data to it or both. However, a computer does not need to have such a device. Computer-readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of nonvolatile memory, media, and memory devices, including, for example, semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and memory may be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

[0047] To provide interaction with a user, one or more aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented on a computer having a display device, such as a CRT (cathode ray tube), LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, or touch screen for displaying information to the user, and optionally a keyboard and pointing device, such as a mouse or trackball, through which the user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices may also be used to provide interaction with the user; for example, the feedback provided to the user may be any form of sensory feedback, such as visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user may be received in any form, including sound, voice, or tactile input. In addition, the computer may interact with the user by sending documents to and receiving documents from a device used by the user; for example, by sending a web page to a web browser on a user's client device in response to a request received from the web browser.

[0048] A system and method can use the output of a seatbelt buckle sensor and an occupant detection device including an occupancy sensor to determine whether an occupant is seated in a seat during a buckle event. The system and method determines occupancy of the occupant on the seat if the seatbelt buckle sensor identifies a buckle event and at the same time the occupancy sensor identifies that an occupant is seated in the seat.

[0049] In addition, the system and method can also determine occupancy of an occupant on a seat even if the occupancy sensor does not detect an occupant at the moment of engagement. That is, assuming that the occupant detection device detects occupancy during a predetermined time period prior to engagement, the system and method can determine occupancy even if the occupancy detection device does not detect occupancy at the moment of engagement. In this case, the system and method take into account the situation where the occupant is seated in the seat and temporarily moves away from the seat bottom of the seat during the buckle of the seat belt. For example, if the occupant initially sits on the vehicle seat, the system and method will record the seat as occupied based on information from the occupant detection device. As another example, the occupant may be obscured and not visible to the occupancy sensor if there is a material object between the sensor and the occupant or there is movement of the occupant that the sensor cannot recognize. If the occupant is obscured from view, moves away from the seat bottom at the moment of engagement to attempt to locate the buckle, retrieve a lost item, move away from an adjacent occupant, or for any other reason, and the occupant detection device no longer identifies the seat as occupied, the system and method will still identify the seat as occupied at the moment of engagement because the occupant was identified as sitting in the seat during the predetermined period of time before the seat belt was engaged into the buckle.

[0050] Reference Figure 1 , a vehicle system 10 is provided that includes a vehicle compartment 12 having a seat 14 disposed therein and a seat belt assembly 16. The seat belt assembly 16 includes a seat belt webbing 18, a retractor 20, a seat belt buckle 22, a tongue or latch plate 24, and an anchor 26. The seat belt webbing 18 extends between a first end attached to the retractor 20 and a second end attached to the anchor 26.

[0051] In one configuration, the retractor 20 is physically attached to a vehicle structure, such as a B-pillar or a C-pillar (neither shown). The seatbelt webbing 18 is received within the body of the retractor 20 and is wound around a spool (not shown) of the retractor 20. The retractor 20 may include a seatbelt payout sensor 28 that detects the length of the seatbelt webbing 18 extending from and retracting into the retractor 20. The seatbelt payout sensor 28 may be a Hall effect sensor or a rotary encoder that determines the number of revolutions of the spool of the retractor 20 and, in doing so, may detect the length of the seatbelt webbing 18 extending from and / or retracting into the retractor 20. Alternatively, the seatbelt payout sensor 28 may be an optical sensor that may determine the number of revolutions of the spool of the retractor 20 and, likewise, may determine the length of the seatbelt webbing 18 extending from and / or retracting into the retractor 20. Additionally, other types of payout sensing technologies may be utilized.

[0052] The anchor 26 may be attached to a vehicle structure or seat 14, such as a floor pan (not shown) of the vehicle or a seat-to-floor pan mount (not shown). In this way, the anchor 26 is secured to move with the vehicle cabin 12. The anchor 26 may receive a first end of the seat belt webbing 18 to likewise secure the first end of the seat belt webbing 18 relative to the vehicle cabin 12. The end of the seat belt webbing 18 that is received by the anchor 26 and attached to the vehicle is disposed at the end of the seat belt webbing 18 opposite the retractor 20.

[0053] As described above, the seat belt webbing 18 extends from the anchor 26 at one end of the seat belt webbing 18 to the retractor 20 at the opposite end of the seat belt webbing 18. In operation, a user can apply force to the seat belt webbing 18 to extract a length of the seat belt webbing 18 from the retractor 20. The length of the seat belt webbing 18 extracted from the retractor 20 includes a cross-body segment 30 and a lap segment 32. Figure 1 As shown, the diagonal section 30 generally extends across the torso of the occupant, while the thigh section 32 extends from the seat belt buckle 22 across the thigh of the occupant to the anchor 26. Therefore, when a force is applied to the seat belt webbing 18 such that a length of the seat belt webbing 18 extends from the retractor 20, the diagonal section 30 and the thigh section 32 cooperate to define the length of the seat belt webbing 18 extending from the retractor 20 to the seat belt buckle 22 and from the seat belt buckle 22 to the anchor 26 above the vehicle occupant.

[0054] Although the seat belt assembly 16 will be described below and shown in the drawings as including a single retractor 20 used in conjunction with an anchor 26, the seat belt assembly 16 may incorporate a second retractor in place of the anchor 26. In such a system, the diagonal span 30 would consist entirely of Figure 1 The retractor 20 is shown supplied and the thigh section 32 would extend from the retractor in place of the anchor 26. If the seat belt assembly 16 includes a retractor in place of the anchor 26, the retractor 20 could include a seat belt payout sensor 28 in the same manner as the seat belt payout sensor 28 associated with the retractor 20.

[0055] The tongue or latch plate 24 includes a slot 34 and a protrusion 36 extending from the slot 34. The slot 34 slidably receives the seat belt webbing 18 to allow the tongue or latch plate 24 to move relative to and along the seat belt webbing 18. The protrusion 36 extends from the slot 34 and is selectively received by the seat belt buckle 22.

[0056] The seat belt buckle 22 is disposed on a side of the seat 14 opposite the anchor 26 and includes a slot 38 that selectively receives a protrusion 36 of the tongue or latch plate 24. The seat belt buckle 22 may be fixed to move with the seat 14, or alternatively, fixed to a vehicle structure, such as a floor pan of the vehicle. In operation, when an occupant applies a force on the seat belt webbing 18 such that a length of the seat belt webbing 18 extends from the retractor 20, the tongue or latch plate 24 may be positioned relative to the seat belt buckle 22 such that its protrusion 36 is opposite and received by the slot 38. Once the protrusion 36 is fully inserted into the seat belt buckle 22 via the slot 38, a locking mechanism (not shown) of the seat belt buckle 22 engages the protrusion 36 of the tongue or latch plate 24, thereby securing the tongue or latch plate 24 to the seat belt buckle 22.

[0057] When the user applies force to the seat belt webbing 18 to extract a length of the seat belt webbing 18 from the retractor 20, the tongue or latch plate 24 can move along and relative to the seat belt webbing 18 via the slot 34. Once the protrusion 36 of the tongue or latch plate 24 is secured within the slot 38 of the seat belt buckle 22, the retractor 20 can apply force on the seat belt webbing 18 to retract the length of the seat belt webbing 18 into the retractor 20. In doing so, the retractor 20 ensures that the seat belt webbing 18 fits properly and tightly against the thigh and torso of the occupant during use.

[0058] At this point, the length of the diagonal section 30 and the thigh section 32 of the seat belt webbing 18 are generally defined. It will be appreciated that the relative position between the tongue or latch plate 24 and the seat belt webbing 18 will vary based on the size of the occupant seated on the seat 14 and the position of the seat 14 in the vehicle. For example, when a larger occupant is seated 14, a greater length of webbing 18 must be extended from the retractor 20 to accommodate the larger occupant, compared to, for example, a smaller occupant who would require a shorter length of seat belt webbing 18. Thus, the tongue or latch plate 24 will be positioned at different locations along the seat belt webbing 18 for different vehicle occupants because the length of the seat belt webbing 18 that needs to be extended from the retractor 20 will vary based on the size of the occupant. Likewise, for a person in a fully forward seating position, a longer length of seat belt webbing 18 can be extended from the retractor 20 for that person than if they were seated in a fully rearward seating position.

[0059] Regardless of the size of the occupant seated on the seat 14, the position of the seat 14, and the length of the seat belt webbing 18 extending from the retractor 20, the engagement of the protrusion 36 of the tongue or latch plate 24 with the seat belt buckle 22 can be detected by a buckle sensor 40 associated with the seat belt buckle 22. The buckle sensor 24 detects the presence of the protrusion 36 disposed within the seat belt buckle 22 and, therefore, generates a signal indicative of the presence of the protrusion 36 within the seat belt buckle 22. Detecting the protrusion 36 within the seat belt buckle 22 allows the buckle sensor 40 to identify when the tongue or latch plate 24 is securely engaged with the locking mechanism of the seat belt buckle 22.

[0060] When an occupant sits in the seat 14 and extends a portion of the seat belt webbing 18 from the retractor 20 a sufficient distance in a direction toward the seat belt buckle 22, the protrusion 36 of the tongue or latch plate 24 is received within the slot 38. When the protrusion 36 is fully inserted into the seat belt buckle 22, the buckle sensor 40 can detect the presence of the protrusion 36 and generate a signal indicating that the protrusion 36 is engaged with the locking mechanism of the seat belt buckle 22.

[0061] Continue to refer Figure 1 , the vehicle system 10 also includes an occupant detection device (ODD) 42, a remote sensor 44 such as a camera or other sensor, and an internal user interface device (UID) 46. In this document, the ODD 42 and the remote sensor 44 are collectively referred to as occupancy sensors. The ODD 42 may include a weight pad (not shown) disposed within a seat bottom 48 of the seat 14. The weight pad is positioned relative to the seat bottom 48 so that when the occupant sits on the seat 14, the weight pad is able to detect the presence of the seated occupant. Although the seat bottom 48 is described as including a weight pad to detect the presence of an occupant, the seat bottom 48 may additionally or alternatively include one or more pressure sensors, ohmmeters, capacitive sensors, resistive sensors, electric field proximity sensors, biometric sensors, and / or other types of sensors capable of detecting the presence of an occupant sitting on the seat bottom 48.

[0062] The remote sensor 44 may be positioned within the vehicle cabin 12 such that the remote sensor 44 has a field of view that captures the seat 14. Thus, the remote sensor 44 may be used to detect the presence of an occupant seated in the vehicle seat 14. Additionally or alternatively, the remote sensor 44 may be used to determine whether the seat belt webbing 18 is extended from the retractor 20, and may also be used to determine and / or verify the length of the seat belt webbing 18 extending from the retractor 20. The foregoing information detected by the remote sensor 44 may be used in conjunction with data provided by the ODD 42 to verify the presence of a vehicle occupant seated in the seat 14. Different types of remote sensors may be used, such as cameras, radars, or lidars.

[0063] The interior UID 46 may be located within the vehicle cabin 12 and may include a display 50. The display 50 may be used to communicate information related to the use of the seat belt assembly 16 to an occupant in the passenger compartment 12. That is, the interior UID 46 may display information on the display 50 regarding whether the occupant is seated in the seat 14, whether the seat belt is buckled, and / or whether the seat belt assembly 16 is properly positioned relative to the occupant. In addition, the interior UID 46 may control an audible messaging system 47 and / or a tactile messaging system 49, which may be used to communicate information to an occupant of the vehicle cabin 12 regarding whether the occupant is seated in the seat 14, whether the seat belt is buckled, and / or whether the seat belt assembly 16 is properly positioned relative to the occupant.

[0064] Continue to refer Figure 1 , the outputs from the seatbelt payout sensor 28, the buckle sensor 40, the ODD 42, and the remote sensor 44 are provided to a body control module (BCM) 52. Thus, the BCM 52 receives data from the seatbelt payout sensor 28 regarding the length of the seatbelt webbing 18 extending from the retractor 20, data from the buckle sensor 40 regarding whether the tongue or projection 36 of the latch plate 24 is securely attached to the locking mechanism of the seatbelt buckle 22, data from the ODD 42 regarding whether an occupant is seated on the seat 14, and data from the remote sensor 44 regarding the presence of an occupant on the vehicle seat 14 and / or the length of the seatbelt webbing 18 extending from the retractor 20. As described above, the seatbelt assembly 16 will be described and illustrated hereinafter as including a single retractor 20 associated with the seat 14. However, the anchor 26 may be replaced with additional retractors 20 and associated seatbelt payout sensors 28. If the seat belt assembly 16 includes a retractor 20 in place of an anchor 26 , the length of the seat belt webbing 18 extending from the lower retractor 20 as detected by the associated seat belt payout sensor 28 will similarly be supplied to the BCM 52 for use by the BCM 52 in determining whether the seat belt assembly 16 is properly engaged.

[0065] The output from the seat belt release sensor 28 is Figure 14 is identified along communication line RS1. The output from the buckle sensor 42 to the BCM 52 is identified along communication line BS. The output from the ODD 42 is identified via communication line ODD, while the output from the remote sensor 44 is identified along communication line C. Finally, if the seat belt assembly 16 includes a second retractor 20 and associated seat belt pay-out sensor 28 in place of the anchor 26, the output from the seat belt pay-out sensor 28 associated with the lower retractor 20 is shown extending along communication line RS2. As will be described in more detail below, the various sensor inputs RS1, RS2, BS, ODD, C are received by the BCM 52 for use by the BCM 52 in monitoring and diagnosing the seat belt assembly 16.

[0066] Special References Figure 2 , the body control module 52 is shown to include a seatbelt wearing condition module 54, an occupant detection module 56, and a UID control module 58. As shown, the seatbelt wearing condition module 54 communicates with the seatbelt pay-out sensor 28 and the buckle sensor 40. The seatbelt wearing condition module 54 receives information about the length of the seatbelt webbing 18 extending from the retractor 20 from the seatbelt pay-out sensor 28 via communication lines RS1 and possibly RS2, and receives information about whether the tongue or latch plate 24 is engaged with the locking mechanism of the seatbelt buckle 22 from the buckle sensor 40 via communication line BS.

[0067] The occupant detection module 56 communicates with the seat belt wearing condition module 54 and receives information from the ODD 44 and the remote sensor 44. The occupant detection module 56 receives information from the ODD 42 via the communication line ODD regarding whether the ODD 42 detects the presence of an occupant sitting on the seat 14. The remote sensor 44 may provide the occupant detection module 56 via the communication line C regarding whether the occupant is detected as sitting on the seat 14 and / or regarding the length of the seat belt webbing 18 extending from the retractor 20.

[0068] As will be described below Figures 7 to 10 As described in greater detail, the seatbelt wearing condition module 54 monitors the status of the seatbelt assembly 16 , and more specifically, may be used to determine whether an occupant is seated in the seat 14 during engagement of the tongue or latch plate 24 into the seatbelt buckle 22 .

[0069] The seat belt wearing status module 54 communicates with the UID control module 58 to provide the UID control module 58 with information regarding the status of the seat belt assembly 16. For example, the seat belt wearing status module 54 may provide the UID control module 58 with information that an occupant is seated on the seat 14, and further provide information that the occupant is properly buckled. Additionally, the seat belt wearing status module 54 may determine that the tongue or latch plate 24 is properly secured to the seat belt buckle 22, but an occupant is not present on the seat 14. In this case, the seat belt wearing status module 54 may determine that an object is buckled in the seat 14, the seat belt is buckled on an empty seat 14, or the tongue or latch plate 24 from an adjacent seat 14 is buckled in an incorrect buckle 22. The seat belt wearing status module 54 may transmit the aforementioned information to the UID control module 58 for communication by the internal UID 46 on at least one of the display 50, the audible messaging system 47, and the tactile messaging system 49. Additionally or alternatively, information from UID control module 58 may be sent directly to external UID 60 and / or satellite communication network 62 .

[0070] Information related to the status of the seat belt assembly 16 may be displayed on the external UID 60. For example, the external UID 60 may be a smart phone or tablet associated with the owner or occupant of the vehicle. Information related to the seat belt assembly 16 may be displayed by the external UID 60 on such a smart phone or tablet. Finally, the UID control module 58 may transmit information about the status of the seat belt assembly 16 from the seat belt wearing condition module 54 to the satellite communication network 62, which may communicate with one or both of the internal UID 46 and the external UID 60. As with direct communication between the UID control module 58 and the internal UID 46 and the external UID 60, the satellite communication network 62 may provide information about the status of the seat belt assembly 16 from the UID control module 58 to one or both of the internal UID 46 and the external UID 60.

[0071] Special References Figure 3 , the occupant is shown sitting in the seat 14, and the seat belt assembly 16 is in the stowed state. Figure 4As shown, the state of the occupant and the state of the seat belt assembly 16 are recorded over time by the seat belt wearing status module 54. Specifically, the seat 14 is identified as occupied at line 66 based on information received from the occupant detection module 56. The information from the occupant detection module 56 may include information from the ODD 42 and / or the remote sensor 44. The state of the seat belt assembly 16 is identified by line 68 based on information from the seat belt buckle sensor 40. Specifically, the tongue or latch plate 24 is disengaged from the buckle 22, and therefore, the buckle sensor 40 transmits the state of the buckle 22 (i.e., unfastened) to the seat belt wearing status module 54.

[0072] At this point, the seat belt wearing status module 54 can transmit the occupancy (i.e., seat 14 is occupied) and status (i.e., unfastened) of the seat belt assembly 16 to the UID control module 58, which in turn can transmit the aforementioned information to one or more of the internal UID 46, the external UID 60, and the satellite communication network 62 for transmission to the vehicle occupant (i.e., via the display 50, the auditory messaging system 47, and / or the tactile messaging system 49). As will be described below with respect to Figure 7 and Figure 8 As described, the foregoing condition identifies a situation where an occupant is seated in the seat 14 but is unrestrained (ie, unbuckled).

[0073] refer to Figure 5 , an occupant is shown seated in the seat 14 and in the process of inserting the tongue or latch plate 24 into the seat belt buckle 22. Figure 6 As shown, the seat 14 is identified as initially unoccupied by the occupant detection module 56 at line 70 based on information received from the ODD 42 and / or remote sensor 44. Once an occupant sits in the seat 14, the occupant detection module 56 identifies the seat 14 as occupied at line 72. Figure 5 As shown, when the occupant moves in a direction toward the retractor 20 to facilitate inserting the tongue or latch plate 24 into the buckle 22, the occupant detection module 56 is activated. Figure 6 Note that, alternatively, the occupant can lie prone on the buckle 22 to view the buckle 22 or push off the floor and slide the seat back upward when buckled, which will similarly roll up, causing the ODD 42 to be unoccupied. Figure 6 The occupant detection module 56 identifies the seat 14 as unoccupied because the occupant's weight is at least partially offset from the ODD 42, which no longer detects the occupant's presence on the seat 14. Once the occupant properly engages the tongue or latch plate 24 with the buckle 22 and returns to engagement with the buckle 22, the seat 14 is identified as unoccupied. Figure 3 The ODD 42 is again in a position similar to that shown in FIG. Figure 6The presence of an occupant in the seat 14 is detected at line 76 in FIG.

[0074] Continue to refer Figure 6 , the occupant is shown unbuckled at line 78 when initially sitting in the seat 14. Once the occupant fully inserts the tongue or latch plate 24 into the buckle 22, the buckle sensor 40 detects the presence of the tongue or latch plate 24 and sends a signal to the seat belt wearing status module 54 that the seat belt is in the engaged state. The engaged state is Figure 6 The center is marked by line 80.

[0075] like Figure 6 As shown, at the moment of buckling, the ODD 42 does not detect the presence of an occupant on the seat 14. That is, at line 82 (the moment the seat belt is buckled), the ODD 42 does not detect the presence of an occupant on the seat 14. Figure 5 As shown, the occupant is in the seat 14 at the time of engagement, but the occupant has sufficiently risen from the ODD 42 to a point where the ODD 42 no longer detects the occupant.

[0076] Figure 5A It is shown in Figure 5 A variation of the state shown in . Figure 5A In FIG. 1 , a buckled person sits on the seat 14 and leans sideways. The occupancy detection generated by the ODD 42 is similar to Figure 6 , but the occupant is detected as buckled and the output of the ODD 42 fluctuates between showing the seat 14 as occupied and unoccupied. This fluctuation in occupancy detection by the ODD 42 is caused by the person leaning or pushing off the seat bottom 48 while buckled, causing the ODD 42 to detect intermittent occupancy of the seat 14. Fig. 6A A graph of the results over time is shown where an occupant is detected as buckled and, while buckled, intermittent occupancy is detected by the ODD 42. Intermittent occupancy may also be caused by an occupant dropping some weight on the armrest or adjacent seat surface.

[0077] refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8 , a system and method are provided that are used by the seatbelt wearing status module 54 to properly identify the occupancy of a person in the seat 14 at the time of buckling and after buckling, even if the occupant detection module 56 does not detect the presence of an occupant in the seat 14 when the seatbelt is buckled.

[0078] The seat belt wearing condition module 54 at 84 ( Figure 7) starts in detection mode at 86. The detection mode can be initiated when a door (not shown) of the vehicle system 10 is opened, a remote interior sensor such as the remote sensor 44 detects something in the vehicle cabin 12, the vehicle is started, a start driving button (not shown) is pressed, a door is closed, or the vehicle is placed in a driving mode. At this time, the seat belt wearing status module 54 can initially determine whether the seat belt is buckled at 86. As previously described, the seat belt wearing status module 54 can determine whether the seat belt is buckled based on information received from the buckle sensor 40. If the seat belt is not buckled at 86, the seat belt wearing status module 54 can determine whether the occupant is sitting in the seat 14 at 88. If the occupant is sitting in the seat 14 at 88, the seat belt wearing status module 54 determines that the seat 14 is occupied at 90, and further determines that the seat belt is not being worn. A message will then be transmitted via the UID control module 58.

[0079] If the seat 14 is not occupied at 88, the seat belt wearing status module 54 determines at 92 that the seat 14 is not occupied and further determines that the seat belt is not worn. After 90, 92, whether the seat 14 is occupied or not, the seat belt wearing status module 54 will determine at 94 whether the system is still in the detection mode. If so, the seat belt wearing status module 54 will return to 86. If not, the seat belt wearing status module 54 will stop at 96.

[0080] Referring back to 86, if the seat belt wearing condition module 54 determines that the seat belt is buckled, the seat belt wearing condition module 54 at 98 ( Figure 8 ) determines whether occupancy was detected at the time of engagement. If occupancy was detected at the time of engagement, the seatbelt wearing condition module 54 determines at 100 whether occupancy was not detected at the time of engagement, and regardless of whether occupancy was not detected, determines at 102 that the seat 14 is occupied and the seatbelt is worn. In this way, if intermittent occupancy detection occurs after a person wears a seatbelt and the ODD 42 does not detect an occupant for a period of time, the occupancy state does not change and remains as occupancy detected. This approach is based on the observation that it is difficult for a person to exit a buckled seatbelt without unbuckling the seatbelt, and for some smaller people or people with objects between themselves and the remote occupancy sensor, intermittent occupancy detection may occur with a certain degree of frequency when they buckle the seatbelt around them.

[0081] Once it is determined at 102 that the seat 14 is occupied and the seat belt is worn, the seat belt wearing status module 54 continues to monitor the buckle sensor 40 to determine whether the seat belt is unfastened at 104. If the seat belt is unfastened at 104, the seat belt wearing status module 54 returns to 88 ( Figure 7If the seat belt is buckled at 104, the seat belt wearing condition module 54 determines at 106 whether the system is still in the detection mode, and if so, returns to 100 ( Figure 8 If the system is no longer in the detection mode, the seatbelt wearing status module 54 stops at 108 .

[0082] Referring back to 98, if the seat belt wearing condition module 54 determines that the seat 14 is not occupied at the time of buckling, the seat belt wearing condition module 54 determines at 110 whether occupancy is detected during a time period prior to buckling. The time period is defined by a pre-buckle duration threshold, and in one example, is approximately equal to a duration range of two (2) seconds to ten (10) seconds. If the seat belt wearing condition module 54 determines based on information from the occupant detection module 56 that an occupant is present on the seat 14 within the pre-buckle duration threshold of two (2) seconds to ten (10) seconds prior to buckling of the seat belt, the seat belt wearing condition module 54 proceeds to 100. At this point, the seat belt wearing condition module 54 determines at 100 whether occupancy is detected at the time of buckling, and ultimately determines at 102 that the seat 14 is occupied and the seat belt is buckled, regardless of the occupancy state detected at 100. The pre-buckle duration threshold may be a calibrable or hard-coded threshold in the software logic of the seat belt wearing condition module 54.

[0083] Although the seat belt wearing condition module 54 determines at 110 whether occupancy is detected during a period of time prior to buckling, the seat belt wearing condition module 54 may also determine occupancy by monitoring whether the seat 14 is occupied after buckling. For example, if the occupancy sensor determines that the seat 14 is not occupied within a pre-buckle duration threshold of two (2) seconds to ten (10) seconds before and including the moment when the tongue or latch plate 24 is secured to the buckle 22, the seat belt wearing condition module 54 may determine that the seat 14 is not occupied at the buckle moment. Based on the foregoing, a time window spanning the buckle moment may be monitored by the seat belt wearing condition module 54 to determine whether the seat 14 is occupied after the buckle moment using a post-duration threshold of ¼ second to ten (10) seconds. Using this duration threshold, if an occupied state is detected after the buckle event for an amount of time exceeding the post-duration threshold, the seat belt wearing condition module 54 determines that the seat 14 is occupied after the buckle moment. Additionally, if no occupancy is detected within or longer than the post-duration threshold, the seat belt wearing condition module 54 determines that the seat 14 is not occupied after the buckle moment. The post-duration threshold may be a calibrable or hard-coded threshold in the software logic of the wearing condition module 54, or may be logic that requires a certain number of sensor samples in a certain size set of sensor samples to output the same detection state. For example, if four (4) of the last five (5) samples in a moving window of samples return the same output, then it may be determined that an occupancy state change has occurred.

[0084] If the seat belt wearing condition module 54 determines at 110 that no occupancy was detected during the time period before buckling, the seat belt wearing condition module 54 determines at 112 that the seat 14 was not occupied at the time of buckling. Then, at 114, the seat belt wearing condition module 54 determines whether occupancy was detected when the seat belt was buckled. If so, the seat belt wearing condition module 54 determines at 116 that the seat 14 is occupied and the seat belt may not be properly worn. After determining at 116 that the seat belt may not be properly worn, the seat belt wearing condition module 54 can warn the vehicle occupant via the UID control module 58 that an occupant is sitting in the seat 14 and may not be properly buckled.

[0085] If occupancy is not detected at 114, the seat belt wearing status module 54 determines at 118 that the seat 14 is unoccupied. For example, the seat belt may be buckled on an empty seat 14, or an object (not an occupant) may be on the seat 14 and not detected as an occupant by the occupancy sensor. If the seat 14 is determined to be occupied at 116 or unoccupied at 118, the seat belt wearing status module 54 will monitor at 120 whether the seat belt is unfastened. If so, the seat belt wearing status module 54 returns to 88 ( Figure 7 ) to determine if occupancy is detected. If not, the seat belt wearing condition module 54 determines at 122 whether the system is in detection mode. If so, the seat belt wearing condition module 54 returns to 114 to determine if occupancy is detected when buckled. If not, the seat belt wearing condition module 54 stops at 124.

[0086] Special References Fig. 9 and Fig.10 Once occupancy is detected continuously for a selected period of time, the seat belt wearing condition module 54 can reduce the in-seat sensor occupancy threshold for occupancy detection to a lower level. Lowering the in-seat sensor occupancy threshold reduces the likelihood of the following situations: Figure 5 Shown from Figure 3 The position shown may be displaced or otherwise moved such that it may be difficult for the occupancy sensor to determine the presence of an occupant, and the occupancy sensor may not be able to detect an occupant sitting in the seat 14 .

[0087] When the in-seat sensor threshold is lowered, the seat belt wearing status module 54 may Figure 7 and Figure 8 At any step in the flowchart where occupancy is detected, it is determined whether occupancy is detected continuously for a predetermined time period. Fig.10 The seat belt wearing condition module 54 can be schematically shown at 126. Figure 7 and Figure 8 At 128, the seat belt wearing condition module 54 determines whether occupancy is detected continuously for a period of time. If so, the seat belt wearing condition module 54 adjusts the seat occupancy threshold to a lower value at 130 and then returns to the occupancy threshold at 132. Figure 7 and Figure 8 If occupancy is not continuously detected at 128, the seat belt wearing condition module 54 returns to the state at 132. Figure 7 and Figure 8The method may also include a monitoring location for monitoring occupancy as in the flowchart of , but with reference to a higher in-seat occupancy threshold. In all cases, for all sensors, the method may optionally look at multiple sensor samples to determine a state change. For example, if four (4) of the last five (5) samples output the same new state, the method may determine that a state change has occurred, and if less than four (4) of the last five (5) samples output the same new state, the method may determine that no state change has occurred.

[0088] The foregoing systems and methods provide the seatbelt wearing condition module 54 with the ability to detect occupancy during conditions where the occupancy sensor does not detect the presence of an occupant on the seat 14 when in fact the occupant is seated on the seat 14. The seatbelt wearing condition module 54 is able to identify occupancy caused by occupant movement (eg, occupant position) before, during, or after buckling. Figure 5 ) causes an intermittent signal from the occupancy sensor to properly determine the presence of an occupant in seat 14.

[0089] Many embodiments have been described. However, it should be understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims.

[0090] The foregoing description is provided for the purpose of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure. The individual elements or features of a particular configuration are generally not limited to that particular configuration, but are interchangeable where applicable and can be used in a selected configuration, even if not specifically shown or described. It can also be varied in many ways. Such variations should not be considered as departing from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A system comprising: an occupant detection module configured to identify a state of a vehicle seat, the occupant detection module identifying an occupied state when an occupant is seated on the vehicle seat and identifying an unoccupied state when the vehicle seat is not occupied; a buckle sensor configured to detect a buckled state when the latch plate is fixed to a buckle of the seat belt and to detect an unfastened state when the buckle is separated from the latch plate, the buckle sensor identifying a buckled moment when the latch plate is initially fixed to the buckle; as well as a seat belt wearing condition module in communication with the buckle sensor and the occupant detection module and configured to identify an occupied state at a buckle moment and after buckling based on the occupant detection module identifying the occupied state before the buckle moment, regardless of whether the occupant detection module detects the occupied state at the buckle moment or the unoccupied state at the buckle moment.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The seat belt wearing condition module is configured to detect the occupancy state at the buckle moment based on the occupant detection module identifying the occupancy state within a time window starting before the buckle moment and ending at the buckle moment and including the buckle moment.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The predetermined time frame falls within an approximate time frame of from two (2) seconds to ten (10) seconds.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The seat belt wearing status module identifies the occupancy state at the buckle moment based on the occupant detection module identifying the occupancy state within a predetermined time frame before the buckle moment, at a time point during the buckle moment, or during a time frame after the buckle moment, regardless of whether the occupant detection module detects intermittent occupancy at the buckle moment.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein: The predetermined time frame falls within an approximate time frame of from two (2) seconds to ten (10) seconds, the approximate time frame starting before the snap-fit ​​moment and ending at and including the snap-fit ​​moment.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The occupant detection module is in communication with at least one occupancy sensor configured to determine the presence of an occupant in the vehicle seat.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein: The at least one occupancy sensor includes at least one of a pressure sensor, a weight sensor, a resistive sensor, a biometric sensor, and a capacitive sensor located in the vehicle seat.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein: The at least one sensor includes a remote sensor including at least one of a camera, a radio radar, and a lidar having a field of view encompassing the vehicle seat.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The seatbelt wearing status module stores the state of the vehicle seat detected by the occupancy sensor within a continuous fixed continuous moving time window before and including the buckling time.

10. A vehicle comprising the system according to claim 1.

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