Seat belt device

• US 20040251367A1
• Filed: 02/27/2004
• Published: 12/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Yoshitaka, Koyota, Nobuhiro, Akaba, Hiroshi, Iwami, Hiroshi
• Application Number:
  US10/789,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20040251367A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 242/390.8
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01265 Seat belts
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4666 characterised by electric actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/3416 Unlocking devices for retractors B60R22/3405 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/405 responsive to belt movement and vehicle movement
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/46 Reels with means to tension the belt in an emergency by forced winding upelectrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01 ; tensioners using reels only guiding the belt during normal use, e.g. splitted reels B60R22/195
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/4628 characterised by fluid actuators, e.g. pyrotechnic gas generators actuating a cable B60R22/4619

Abstract

In a seat belt device, when the collision of a vehicle is foreknown, a motor of a retractor is driven for rotation in a normal direction to take up a webbing of a seat belt, and when an acceleration equal to or larger than a predetermined value is applied to the vehicle, the webbing is locked so that it cannot be drawn out of the retractor. In a case where the collision is avoided after the motor of the retractor is driven for rotation in the normal direction based on the foreknowing of the collision to increase the tension of the webbing of the seat belt, when it is detected by systems having information regarding the acceleration of the vehicle that the acceleration of the vehicle has been reduced to be smaller than the predetermined value, the locking operation of the retractor is cancelled to loose the webbing by driving the motor of the retractor for rotation in the normal direction. Thus, it is possible to draw out the webbing by a motor-assisted pretensioner of the seat belt device with a good timing without need for a special sensor and an actuator.

Claims

1. A seat belt device in which when a collision of a vehicle is foreknown, a motor of a retractor is driven for rotation in a normal direction to take up a webbing of a seat belt, and when an acceleration equal to or larger than a predetermined value is applied to the vehicle, the webbing is locked so that it cannot be drawn out of the retractor,

wherein when the collision of the vehicle has been avoided, and it is detected by systems having information regarding the acceleration of the vehicle that the acceleration of the vehicle has been reduced to be smaller than the predetermined value, the motor of the retractor is driven for rotation in the normal direction to cancel the locking, thereby loosening the webbing.