SEATBELT DEVICE

• US 20080185831A1
• Filed: 02/05/2008
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Odate, Shotaro
• Granted Patent: US 7,641,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/806
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/444 the additional retraction device being an electric actuator
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4466 the additional retraction device being an electric actuator
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4473 using an electric retraction device
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4609 using a plurality of tensioners
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4666 characterised by electric actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4816 for sensing locking of buckle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4841 for sensing belt tension
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/44 with means for reducing belt tension during use under normal conditions not included in the retractor B60R22/19; B60R22/3405 takes precedence
• 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

Abstract

The seatbelt device includes: a current wound position detection unit; a driving state detection unit that detects a driving state of the vehicle to transmit a driving state detection signal; a driving state change determination unit that determines a driving state change status based on the driving state detection signal from the driving state detection unit to transmit a driving state change signal; a target wound position setting unit that sets a target wound position of the belt reel based on the current wound position detection signal and the driving state change signal; and a motor control unit that controls a current to be supplied to the motor so as to maintain a state in which the current wound position of the belt reel is equal to the target wound position in accordance with the driving state change signal.

Claims

1. A seatbelt device comprising:

a webbing that restrains an occupant seated in a seat of a vehicle;

a belt reel that winds the webbing;

a motor that transmits a drive force to the belt reel to wind the webbing;

a current wound position detection unit that detects a current wound position of the belt reel to transmit a current wound position detection signal;

a driving state detection unit that detects a driving state of the vehicle to transmit a driving state detection signal;

a driving state change determination unit that determines a driving state change status based on the driving state detection signal from the driving state detection unit to transmit a driving state change signal;

a target wound position setting unit that sets a target wound position of the belt reel based on the current wound position detection signal and the driving state change signal; and

a motor control unit that controls a current to be supplied to the motor so as to maintain a state in which the current wound position of the belt reel is equal to the target wound position in accordance with the driving state change signal.

2. The seatbelt device according to claim 1, wherein, when the driving state of the vehicle changes from a first driving state to a second driving state, the target wound position setting unit sets the target wound position to the larger wound position of either:

a first target wound position corresponding to the first driving state;

or

a second target wound position corresponding to the second driving state.

3. The seatbelt device according to claim 1, wherein the motor control unit performs a winding operation of the belt reel within a predetermined winding time when:

the driving state of the vehicle changes from a first driving state to a second driving state; and

the target wound position of the belt reel changes from a first target wound position corresponding to the first driving state to a second target wound position corresponding to the second driving state.

4. The seatbelt device according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of winding times for performing the winding operation of the belt reel are independently set, each of the winding times corresponding to one of a plurality of the driving state change status determined by the driving state change determination unit.

5. The seatbelt device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a target wound position correction unit that corrects the target wound position when the motor is controlled so that the current wound position of the belt reel is equal to the target wound position, wherein, in a vehicle driving situation in which;

a first target wound position corresponding to a first driving state of the vehicle is corrected to be a second target wound position by a correction amount of the target wound position, that is calculated by the target wound position correction unit;

and then the driving state of the vehicle changes from the first driving state to a second driving state,

a third target wound position corresponding to the second driving state is set based on the correction amount of the target wound position.

6. The seatbelt device according to claim 1, wherein the motor control unit changes the target wound position to the current wound position of the belt reel when a difference between the target wound position set by the target wound position setting unit and the current wound position of the belt reel detected by the current wound position detection unit is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

7. The seatbelt device according to claim 1, wherein, when the current wound position exceeds the target wound position:

the motor control unit changes the target wound position to a position closer to the current wound position; and

the motor control unit sets an updated target wound position to the target wound position after the change.

8. The seatbelt device according to claim 7, wherein:

the motor control unit further comprises a memory device that stores the updated target wound position; and

the motor control unit sets the target wound position to the updated target wound position stored in the memory device, upon performing a wound position maintaining control.

9. The seatbelt device according to claim 8, wherein:

the driving state detection unit detects turning directions of the vehicle; and

the motor control unit separately stores the plurality of updated target wound position for each of the turning directions of the vehicle in the memory device, and sets the updated target wound position corresponding to a current turning direction as the target wound position, upon performing the wound position maintaining control.