SEAT BELT WARNING APPARATUS AND SEAT BELT WARNING METHOD

• US 20110084828A1
• Filed: 06/16/2009
• Published: 04/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Takeshita, Kouhei
• Granted Patent: US 8,451,110 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/457.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4816 for sensing locking of buckle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4858 for sensing pressure on seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4866 Displaying or indicating arrangements thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/48 Control systems, alarms, or interlock systems, for the correct application of the belt or harness

Abstract

To provide with a seat belt warning apparatus capable of stopping the operation of a buzzer, for example, when a passenger has moved from a rear seat to another seat, such as a front passenger'"'"'s seat, and fastens the seat belt, the seat belt warning apparatus outputs a notice when the number of seats where seat belts are fastened except a driver'"'"'s seat is reduced, and stops the output of the notice when the number of seats where the seat belts are fastened except the driver'"'"'s seat is equal to or more than that when the notice is output.

Claims

1. A seat belt warning apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of seat belt switches each of which is provided in each of a plurality of seats having seat belts and indicates whether each of the seat belts are fastened as on/off states;

a storage unit;

a control unit that stores flag groups in the storage unit, the flag group being corresponded to a plurality of successive points of time and identifying whether each of the seat belts is fastened based on on/off states of each of the plurality of seat belt switches in the storage unit; and

a notification unit that performs a notifying operation under the control of the control unit,

wherein the control unit compares a first flag group for each of the plurality of seat belt switches stored in the storage unit at a first point of time with a second flag group for each of the plurality of seat belt switches stored in the storage unit at a second point of time after the first point of time, and directs the notification unit to output a notice when it is determined that the number of seats where the seat belts are fastened except a driver'"'"'s seat is reduced;

then the control unit compares the second flag group for each of the plurality of seat belt switches stored in the storage unit at the second point of time with a third flag group for each of the plurality of seat belt switches stored in the storage unit at a third point of time after the second point of time, and directs the notification unit to stop the output of the notice when it is determined that the number of seats where the seat belts are fastened except the driver'"'"'s seat is equal to or more than that when the notification unit outputs the notice.

2. A seat belt warning method comprising:

a notification step of outputting a notice when the number of seats where seat belts are fastened except a driver'"'"'s seat is reduced; and

a stopping step of stopping the output of the notice when the number of seats where the seat belts are fastened except the drivers seat is equal to or more than that when the notice is output in the notification step.