APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DETECTING A PROPER APPLICATION OF A SEAT BELT AND VEHICLE WITH SUCH A DEVICE

• US 20180126949A1
• Filed: 09/27/2017
• Published: 05/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: TURNWALD, Maximilian, EWALD, Christian, KOSIK, Matthias
• Granted Patent: US 10,493,950 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/22 the back-rest being adjustable B60N2/2878 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4825 for sensing amount of belt winded on retractor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4841 for sensing belt tension
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4858 for sensing pressure on seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/48 Control systems, alarms, or interlock systems, for the correct application of the belt or harness

Abstract

An apparatus for proper application of a seat belt in a vehicle. The apparatus includes the seat belt and a seat belt buckle which is assigned to it and which is provided with a measuring device, arranged for measuring a tensile force exerted on the seat belt buckle. The apparatus further relates to an evaluation device for evaluating the measured tensile force. At the same time, it is provided that the apparatus is also equipped with a tightening device for applying a tightening force to the seat belt, as well as with a detection device for detecting the applied tightening force. The evaluation device compares the tensile force to the tightening force and determines based on a corresponding comparison result whether the seat belt has been properly placed and secured in the seat belt buckle.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting a proper application of a seat belt in a vehicle, comprising:

the seat belt and a seat belt buckle that is assigned to a seat belt and an associated measuring device for measuring a tensile force exerted upon the seat belt, and an evaluation device for an evaluation of the measured tensile force,

wherein the apparatus is equipped with a tightening device for exerting a tightening force on the seat belt, as well as a detection device for detecting the exerted tightening force, and

the evaluation device is adapted to compare the tensile force to the tightening force and to determine based on a corresponding comparison result whether the seat belt is properly placed in the seat belt buckle and secured therein.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tightening device includes an actuator system, which can be pulled out for application from the seat belt, and an actuator system that is arranged in or on the seat belt buckle.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the seat belt is assigned to a seat of the vehicle and the evaluation device is adapted to determine based on the comparison result whether the seat belt is guided along the seat behind the backrest part.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the seat belt is assigned to a seat and the evaluation device is adapted to determine based on the comparison result whether the seat belt is guided between a respective seat occupant and the seat.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is designed to make the determination as to whether the seat belt has been placed in the seat belt buckle correctly and secured as intended before the start of a trip of the motor vehicle and with each locking of the seat belt buckle.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an extraction sensor for determining a length of an extraction of the seat belt, and the evaluation device is designed to take into account during the determination as to whether the seat belt is applied and secured in the seat belt buckle, the respective currently withdrawn length detected by the extraction sensor.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the evaluation device is designed to take into account during the determination whether the seat belt has been applied in accordance with the intended use and secured in the seat belt buckle at least one of the following information items:

a position of the seat to which the seat belt is assigned;

an inclination of a backrest of a seat to which the seat belt is assigned;

an occupancy status of at least one seat of the vehicle;

a weight of a vehicle occupant who is using the seat belt; and

a body size or a body dimension of a vehicle occupant who is using the seat belt.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the evaluation device is designed to take into account during the determination whether the seat belt has been applied and secured in the seat belt buckle a temporal sequence of a plurality of events detected by at least one sensor system.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the evaluation device is designed to take into account as events at least an occupancy of a seat to which the seat belt is assigned, and a withdrawal of the seat belt and locking of the seat belt buckle.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation device is designed to detect the temporal progression of the tensile force and of the tightening force and to take this into account during the determination whether the seat belt has been placed properly and secured as intended in the seat belt buckle.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the evaluation device is designed to compare during the determination whether the seat belt has been placed properly and secured in the seat belt buckle the detected temporal progression of the tensile force and of the tightening force to a respective predetermined characteristic progression.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a characteristic progression of the tensile force and of the tightening force is predetermined for:

at least one driving situation;

at least one clothing type of the passenger of the vehicle using the seat belt; and

at least one body size and body circumference of the passenger of the vehicle using the seat belt.

13. A vehicle provided with a plurality of seats, to which a respective seat belt and a seat belt are assigned, wherein the evaluation device is designed to determine, based on the tensile forces and tightening forces measured for all of the seat belts and seat belt buckles, whether the seat belt has been placed properly and secured as intended in the seat belt buckle.

14. The vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the evaluation device is designed to take into account for the determination whether the respective seat belt has been placed properly and secured in the seat belt buckle, based on:

a temporal offset of the measured tensile forces and of the tightening forces;

a respective level of the measured tensile forces and of the tensile forces; and

a respective temporal progression of the measured tensile forces and of the tightening force.

15. A method for detecting a proper application of a seat belt in a motor vehicle, comprising:

an exerted tensile force is measured by a measuring device arranged in a seat belt buckle assigned to the seat belt and the measured tensile force is evaluated by an evaluation device, wherein the tightening force exerted by a tightening device onto the seat belt is detected by means of a detection device, the tensile force is compared to the tightening force exerted onto the seat belt by the evaluation device and based on a corresponding comparison result, it is determined whether the seat belt has been placed properly and secured as intended.