# US 2021/0239786 A1 · Locating systems and methods for wireless seat belt monitoring in vehicles with removable or reconfigurable seats > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0239786 A1 - Document ID: US20210239786A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/782,222 - Filed: 2020-02-05 - Published: 2021-08-05 - Earliest claimed: 2020-02-05 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Inventors: Mark Cuddihy; Dilip Patel; Mark Andre Zielinski; Karthikeyan Sadatsharan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210239786A1 ## CPC - G01S 5/14: Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location - B60R 22/48: Control systems, alarms, or interlock systems, for the correct application of the belt or harness - G01S 5/0018: {Transmission from mobile station to base station} - G01S 5/0268: {by deriving positions from different combinations of signals or of estimated positions in a single positioning system} - H04B 1/3822: specially adapted for use in vehicles (H04B1/3827 takes precedence) - B60R 2022/4816: {for sensing locking of buckle} - B60R 2022/4866: {Displaying or indicating arrangements thereof} - G01S 5/0036: {of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station} - G01S 5/0284: {Relative positioning} - G01S 2205/01: specially adapted for specific applications - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H04B: TRANSMISSION ## Abstract Locating systems and methods for wireless seat belt monitoring in vehicles with removable or reconfigurable seats are provided herein. An example remote transceiver can be centrally located on a seat that is configured to be rearranged within a vehicle. The remote transceiver can include a processor and memory for storing instructions that include a unique code identifying the remote transceiver. The processor executes the instructions to receive low power signals from transmitters within an interior of the vehicle, determine received signal strength values of the low power signals. The received signal strength values are used by the vehicle receiver to determine a location of the remote transceiver within the vehicle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A remote transceiver that is centrally located on a seat that is configured to be rearranged within a vehicle, the remote transceiver comprising: a processor and memory for storing instructions that include a unique code identifying the remote transceiver, the processor executes the instructions to: receive low power signals from transmitters within an interior of the vehicle; and determine received signal strength values of the low power signals, wherein the received signal strength values are used by a vehicle receiver to determine a location of the remote transceiver within the vehicle. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The remote transceiver according to claim 1, wherein the remote transceiver is disposed on a terminal end of the seat, such that when the seat is rearranged, regardless of an orientation of the seat, the remote transceiver is not collocated with another remote transceiver of an adjacent seat. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The remote transceiver according to claim 1, wherein a wired connection communicatively couples the remote transceiver with a first transceiver that is associated with a seat belt buckle of the seat. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The remote transceiver according to claim 3, wherein the first transceiver transmits the received signal strength values to the vehicle receiver. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The remote transceiver according to claim 4, wherein the first transceiver transmits a first unique code to the vehicle receiver, the vehicle receiver using the first unique code to identify the first transceiver and the seat, wherein the location of the remote transceiver being indicative of a location of the seat within the vehicle. ### Claim 6 A system, comprising: a remote transceiver that is centrally located on a seat that is configured to be rearranged within a vehicle, the remote transceiver comprising: a processor and memory for storing instructions that include a unique code identifying the remote transceiver, the processor executes the instructions to receive low power signals from a transmitter within an interior of the vehicle; a first transceiver associated with a seat belt buckle of the seat, the first transceiver comprising a processor and memory for storing instructions that include a first unique code identifying the first transceiver, the processor being configured to: determine received signal strength values of the low power signals; and transmit the received signal strength values to a vehicle receiver. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system according to claim 6, further comprising the vehicle receiver, which is configured to use the received signal strength values to determine a location of the remote transceiver within the vehicle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The system according to claim 6, wherein the first transceiver is further configured to transmit a first orientation value of the seat belt buckle to a vehicle receiver, the first orientation value indicating an orientation of the seat belt buckle on a seat. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system according to claim 8, wherein the first orientation value indicates either a right-handed position or a left-handed position of the seat belt buckle relative to the seat. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system according to claim 9, wherein the vehicle receiver uses the first unique code and the first orientation value to differentiate the first transceiver from other transceivers within the vehicle. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system according to claim 10, further comprising a buckle switch, wherein a buckle status of the seat belt buckle is buckled when the buckle switch indicates that a tongue of a seat belt has been inserted into the seat belt buckle, further wherein the buckle status is unbuckled when the buckle switch indicates that a tongue of a seat belt has not been inserted into the seat belt buckle, the first transceiver being configured to transmit the buckle status to the vehicle receiver. ### Claim 12 (depends on 6) The system according to claim 6, wherein the low power signals are received from the transmitter, as well as additional transmitters arranged around the interior of the vehicle. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system according to claim 12, wherein the received signal strength values are indicative of a distance of the remote transceiver from the transmitter, further wherein additional received signal strength values are received from transmitters, the vehicle receiver being configured to triangulate and/or trilaterate a general location of the remote transceiver based on the received signal strength values and the additional received signal strength values. ### Claim 14 (depends on 6) The system according to claim 6, wherein the first transceiver is assigned to the seat and data indicative of the assignment is stored by the vehicle receiver. ### Claim 15 A method, comprising: receiving low power signals transmitted within an interior of a vehicle by a remote transceiver; providing the low power signals through a wired connection to a first transceiver associated with a seat belt buckle of the vehicle; determining received signal strength values from the low power signals; and transmitting the received signal strength values to a vehicle receiver. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method according to claim 15, further comprising determining a location of the remote transceiver within the vehicle using the received signal strength values. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16, wherein the remote transceiver is centrally located on the seat, the seat being configured to be rearranged within the vehicle such that it can face forwardly or rearwardly. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method according to claim 17, wherein the remote transceiver is disposed on a terminal end of the seat, such that when the seat is rearranged, regardless of an orientation of the seat, the remote transceiver is not collocated with another remote transceiver of an adjacent seat. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16, further comprising determining a buckle status of the seat belt buckle. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method according to claim 19, further comprising displaying the location of the seat belt buckle along with the buckle status of the seat belt buckle.