Systems and methods for detecting and alerting load separation from a moving vehicle

A system for detecting change of load mass and load mass distribution of a moving vehicle and issuing one or more safety measures based on the change of load mass and load mass distribution, the system comprising:

• a plurality of torque sensors distributed throughout the vehicle and configured to detect torque at a location on a drivetrain of the vehicle;
• a processor in electronic communication with the plurality of torque sensors, the processor configured to measure a change in torque in real-time and measure a shift in torque between the plurality of torque sensors in real-time, the change in torque being directly proportional to the change in load mass of the vehicle and the shift in torque between the plurality of torque sensors being directly proportional to the change in load mass distribution on the vehicle;
• and
• an alerting device controlled by the processor, the alerting device configured to alert an operator of the vehicle when the change in torque exceeds a first predetermined threshold value and the shift in torque between the plurality of torque sensors exceeds a second predetermined threshold value.

A method for detecting and issuing one or more safety measures if a passenger or an object has separated from a moving vehicle, the method comprising:

• detecting a torque at a drivetrain of the vehicle via a torque sensor at one or more locations;
• measuring a change in torque in real-time via a processor in electronic communication with one or more torque sensors, the change in torque being directly proportional to a change in mass of load carried by the vehicle;
• and
• alerting an operator of the vehicle when the change in torque exceeds a predetermined threshold value via an alerting device controlled by the processor.