Vehicle-sensitive actuation of a seatbelt retractor

• US 20050107932A1
• Filed: 11/02/2004
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbH (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbH (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Class, Uwe, Bolz, Michael, Herberg, Arnold
• Granted Patent: US 7,003,385 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4808 Sensing means arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/40 responsive only to vehicle movement
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/48 Control systems, alarms, or interlock systems, for the correct application of the belt or harness

Abstract

A method for vehicle-sensitive actuation of a locking mechanism for a seatbelt retractor in a vehicle by means of a actuation signal that is generated by a control unit equipped with a microcontroller. Measured signals are transmitted to the control unit from several sensors that detect the vehicle situation. The actuation signal is suppressed when a suppression algorithm in the control unit determines that the seatbelt is not in use, that the vehicle is standing still, that the vehicle speed is not above a certain limit value, or that only the vehicle acceleration measured in the vertical direction exceeds a certain triggering limit value.

Claims

1. A method for vehicle-sensitive actuation of a locking mechanism for a seatbelt retractor in a vehicle by means of an actuation signal that is generated by a control unit equipped with a microcontroller to which unit measured signals are transmitted from a plurality of sensors that detect the condition of the vehicle, wherein a triggering criterion for the locking mechanism is specified by evaluating the measured signals and the actuation signal is suppressed if the triggering criterion is fulfilled and the measured signals indicate one of the following conditions:

the seatbelt is not in use;

the vehicle is not moving;

the vehicle speed is not above a predetermined limit value,

only the vehicle acceleration measured in the vertical direction exceeds a predetermined triggering limit value.

2. The method according to claim 1, in which the vehicle acceleration values are detected along three orthogonal axes by means of a central sensor unit and the corresponding measured values are distributed via a bus to a plurality of seatbelt retractors.

4. The method according to any of the preceding claims, in which a capacitive acceleration sensor is used that detects dynamic as well as static acceleration of the vehicle in at least two directions that are at a right angle with respect to each other and then emits a pulse-width modulated signal for each axis.

5. The method according to any of the preceding claims, in which the locking mechanism of the seatbelt retractor has a restrictedly rotatable control disk with external teeth that is mounted on the retractor shaft, wherein said locking mechanism has a triggering pawl that interacts with the control disk, that is either spring-loaded in engagement with the external teeth of the control disk or that is held by an electromagnet so as to be disengaged from the external teeth of the control disk during the excitation of said electromagnet.

3. The method for vehicle-sensitive actuation of a locking mechanism for a seatbelt retractor in a vehicle, using an actuation signal that is generated by a control unit equipped with a microcontroller to which unit a triggering signal is transmitted from a central inertia sensor via a bus if a predefined acceleration value or angle of inclination of the vehicle is exceeded, wherein the control unit also receives measured signals from other sensors via the bus and combines the triggering signal with the measured signals in such a way that the actuation signal is suppressed if the measured signals indicate one of the following conditions:

the seatbelt is not in use;

the vehicle is not moving;

the vehicle speed is not above a predetermined limit value,

only the vehicle acceleration measured in the vertical direction exceeds a predetermined triggering limit value.