METHOD AND SYSTEM OF IDENTIFYING BUCKLE SWITCH TRANSMITTER POSITION

• US 20180170306A1
• Filed: 12/15/2016
• Published: 06/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: SEAMAN, IV, William E.
• Application Number:
  US15/379,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20180170306A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0418 Sharing hardware components like housing, antenna, receiver or signal transmission line with other vehicle systems like keyless entry or brake control units
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0427 Near field transmission with inductive or capacitive coupling means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4816 for sensing locking of buckle
• 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

A system and a method for a receiver in a motor vehicle to learn a position of a buckle switch is disclosed. The buckle switch indicates a buckled state or an unbuckled state of a buckle on a seat belt mounted to a removable seat. The method includes the steps of placing the receiver into a learning mode, indicating that the position of the buckle switch is to be learned, activating the buckle switch, and indicating that the learning is complete.

Claims

1. A method for a receiver in a motor vehicle to learn a position of a buckle switch, the buckle switch indicating a buckled state or an unbuckled state of a buckle on a seat belt mounted to a removable seat, the method comprising the steps of:

placing the receiver into a learning mode;

indicating that the position of the buckle switch is to be learned;

activating the buckle switch; and

indicating that the learning is complete.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the motor vehicle comprises a plurality of buckle switches, further comprising the step of:

repeating until positions of the plurality of buckle switches have been learned.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of activating the buckle switch further comprises the step of:

buckling and unbuckling the buckle a fixed number of times to open and close the buckle switch the fixed number of times.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of:

sending a signal to the receiver from a transmitter in communication with the buckle switch.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of indicating that the learning is complete further comprises the step of:

displaying indicia on a dedicated meter in the motor vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of indicating that the learning is complete further comprises the step of:

displaying indicia on a shared display in the motor vehicle.

7. A seat belt buckle alert system for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a receiver for controlling the seat belt buckle alert system;

a removable seat, the removable seat comprising;

a seat belt located within the removable seat,

a buckle adapted to be buckled and unbuckled, the buckle securing the seat belt to the seat;

a switch within the buckle indicating whether the buckle is in a buckled state or an unbuckled state;

a transmitter; and

wherein the transmitter transmits a signal from the removable seat that is received by the receiver.

8. The seat belt buckle alert system of claim 7 wherein the transmitter is a wireless transmitter.

9. The seat belt buckle alert system of claim 8 wherein the wireless transmitter has operating frequencies of 443.92 MHz and 315 MHz

10. The seat belt buckle alert system of claim 8 wherein the receiver is a keyless entry receiver.

11. The seat belt buckle alert system of claim 8 wherein the receiver is a tire pressure and monitor system receiver.

12. The seat belt buckle alert system of claim 7 wherein the transmitter comprises:

a magnetic field generator mounted below the removable seat in the motor vehicle; and

a magnetic field receiver in magnetic resonance with the magnetic field generator and electronically connected to the buckle switch.

13. The seat belt buckle alert system of claim 12 wherein the transmitter is connected to the receiver by a wire.

14. The seat belt buckle alert system of claim 13 wherein the transmitter is a comparator that transmits a signal when a current in the magnetic field generator is altered by the magnetic field receiver being activated by the buckle switch being closed.

15. The seat belt buckle alert system of claim 13 wherein the receiver is the airbag control unit.

16. The seat belt buckle alert system of claim 7 further comprising:

a head unit in communication with the receiver, the head unit providing alert indicia to a display within the motor vehicle.

17. The seat belt buckle alert system of claim 7 further comprising:

a meter for in communication with the receiver, the meter providing alert indicia within the motor vehicle.