System and method for determining occupancy with an intermittent occupancy sensor response

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 an unoccupied state when the vehicle seat is free from an occupant;
• a buckle sensor configured to detect a buckled state when a latch plate is secured to a buckle of a seatbelt and an unbuckled state when the buckle is separated from a latch plate, the buckle sensor identifying a time of buckling when the latch plate is initially secured to the buckle;
• and
• a seatbelt wear condition module in communication with the buckle sensor and the occupant detection module and configured to identify the occupied state at the time of buckling regardless of whether the occupant detection module detects the occupied state at the time of buckling or the unoccupied state at the time of buckling based on the occupant detection module identifying the occupied state within a predetermined timeframe prior to and including the time of buckling.

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 an unoccupied state when the vehicle seat is free from an occupant;
• a buckle sensor configured to detect a buckled state when a latch plate is secured to a buckle of a seatbelt and an unbuckled state when the buckle is separated from a latch plate, the buckle sensor identifying a time of buckling when the latch plate is initially secured to the buckle;
• and
• a seatbelt wear condition module in communication with the buckle sensor and the occupant detection module and configured to identify the occupied state after a buckling event while the seatbelt remains buckled regardless of whether the occupant detection module detects the occupied state after the buckling event while the seatbelt remains buckled or the unoccupied state after the buckling event while the seatbelt remains buckled based on the occupied state being determined at buckling.