TWO-POINT SUPPLEMENTAL SEATBELT WITH SECONDARY BUCKLE

• US 20180236970A1
• Filed: 02/17/2017
• Published: 08/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Farooq, S.M. Iskander, Faruque, Mohammed Omar, Jaradi, Dean M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,315,619 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/027 Four-point seat belt systems, e.g. with the two upper points connected together
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4816 for sensing locking of buckle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/48 Control systems, alarms, or interlock systems, for the correct application of the belt or harness

Abstract

A vehicle includes seats having both a primary three-point seatbelt and a supplemental two-point seatbelt. Occupation of a first seat is determined. The three-point seatbelt is determined as being one of buckled and unbuckled. The two-point seatbelt is determined as being one of buckled and unbuckled. A warning signal is initiated upon determining that one of the seatbelts is unbuckled and the seat is occupied. The warning signal is terminated upon determining that both of the seatbelts are buckled and that the signal has been initiated.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a seat with a three-point seatbelt and a two-point seatbelt, the three-point seatbelt having a first switch, the two-point seatbelt having a second switch; and

a computing device, programmed to;

determine that the seat is occupied;

determine that the three-point seatbelt of the seat is one of buckled and unbuckled based on a condition of the first switch;

determine that the two-point seatbelt of the seat is one of buckled and unbuckled based on a condition of the second switch;

initiate a warning signal upon determining that one of the seatbelts is unbuckled and the seat is occupied; and

terminate the warning signal upon determining that both of the seatbelts are buckled based on the conditions of the first switch and the second switch and that the signal has been initiated.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further programmed to determine that a vehicle in which the seat is disposed is in an operational mode prior to determining that the seatbelts are one of buckled and unbuckled.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the computing device is further programmed to initiate the warning signal only after a lapse of a predetermined time between determining that the vehicle is in an operational mode and that one of the seatbelts is unbuckled.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further programmed to:

determine that a second seat is occupied;

determine that a three-point seatbelt of the second seat is one of buckled and unbuckled;

determine that a two-point seatbelt of the second seat is one of buckled and unbuckled;

initiate a warning signal upon determining that one of the seatbelts of the second seat is unbuckled and the second seat is occupied when the warning signal has not already been initiated; and

terminate the warning signal upon determining that both of the seatbelts of both of the seats are buckled and that the signal has been initiated.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the computing device is further programmed to determine that a vehicle in which the seats are disposed is in an operational mode prior to determining that the seatbelts are one of buckled and unbuckled.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the computing device is further programmed to initiate the warning signal only after a lapse of a predetermined time between determining that the vehicle is in an operational mode and that one of the seatbelts is unbuckled.

7. A method of determining and responding to a condition of seatbelts of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

determining that a first seat is occupied;

determining that a three-point seatbelt of the first seat is one of buckled and unbuckled based on a condition of a first switch;

determining that a two-point seatbelt of the first seat is one of buckled and unbuckled based on a condition of a second switch;

initiating a warning signal upon determining that one of the seatbelts is unbuckled and the seat is occupied; and

terminating the warning signal upon determining that both of the seatbelts are buckled based on the conditions of the first switch and the second switch and that the signal has been initiated.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of determining that the vehicle is in an operational mode prior to determining that the seatbelts are one of buckled and unbuckled.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of initiating the warning signal only after a lapse of a predetermined time between determining that the vehicle is in an operational mode and that one of the seatbelts is unbuckled.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

determining that a second seat is occupied;

determining that a three-point seatbelt of the second seat is one of buckled and unbuckled;

determining that a two-point seatbelt of the second seat is one of buckled and unbuckled;

initiating a warning signal upon determining that one of the seatbelts of the second seat is unbuckled and the second seat is occupied when the warning signal has not already been initiated; and

terminating the warning signal upon determining that both of the seatbelts of both of the seats are buckled and that the signal has been initiated.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of further determining that the vehicle is in an operational mode prior to determining that the seatbelts are one of buckled and unbuckled.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of initiating the warning signal only after a lapse of a predetermined time between determining that the vehicle is in an operational mode and that one of the seatbelts is unbuckled.

13. A seatbelt system, comprising:

a first seatbelt connected to a first retractor and an anchor;

a first latch plate disposed on the seatbelt between the retractor and the anchor;

a first buckle selectively receiving the first latch plate;

a second seatbelt connected to a second retractor and to a second latch plate; and

a second buckle connected to the first seatbelt between the first latch plate and the anchor, selectively receiving the second latch plate; and

a first seat having the first retractor disposed on a first side of the seat and the second retractor fixed to a seatback of the seat at a second side of the seat opposite the first side of the seat.

14. The seatbelt system of claim 13, further comprising:

a switch disposed in the second buckle and the switch having a first condition when the second buckle is in receipt of the second latch plate and having a second condition when the second buckle is not in receipt of the second latch plate; and

a wireless transmitter disposed in the second buckle and electrically connected to the switch to transmit data indicative of the condition of the switch.

15. The seatbelt system of claim 13, further comprising:

a first switch disposed in the first buckle and the first switch having a first condition when the second buckle is in receipt of the first latch plate and having a second condition when the first buckle is not in receipt of the second latch plate; and

a second switch disposed in the second buckle and the switch having a first condition when the second buckle is in receipt of the second latch plate and having a second condition when the second buckle is not in receipt of the second latch plate.

16. The seatbelt system of claim 15, further comprising:

the first seat having the anchor disposed on the first side of the seat and the first buckle disposed on the second side of the seat

a computing device, programmed to;

determine that the first seat is occupied;

based on the condition of the first switch determine that the first seatbelt is one of buckled and unbuckled;

based on the condition of the second switch determine that the second seatbelt is one of buckled and unbuckled;

initiate a warning signal upon determining that one of the seatbelts is unbuckled and the seat is occupied; and

terminate the warning signal upon determining that both of the seatbelts are buckled and that the signal has been initiated.

17. The seatbelt system of claim 16, the computing device being further programmed to determine that a vehicle in which the seat is disposed is in an operational mode prior to determining that the seatbelts are one of buckled and unbuckled.

18. The seatbelt system of claim 17, the computing device being further programmed to initiate the warning signal only after a lapse of a predetermined time between determining that the vehicle is in an operational mode and that one of the seatbelts is unbuckled.

19. The seatbelt system of claim 16, further comprising:

a second seat having a first anchor and a first retractor disposed on a first side of the second seat and a first buckle disposed on a second side of the second seat and a second retractor fixed to a seatback of the second seat; and

the computing device, programmed to;

determine that the second seat is occupied;

based on a condition of a first switch disposed in the first buckle of the second seat, determine that the first seatbelt is one of buckled and unbuckled;

based on a condition of a second switch disposed in the second buckle of the second seat, determine that the second seatbelt is one of buckled and unbuckled;

initiate a warning signal upon determining that one of the seatbelts is unbuckled and the seat is occupied; and

terminate the warning signal upon determining that both of the seatbelts are buckled and that the signal has been initiated.

21. The seatbelt system of claim 13, wherein the second buckle is slidably disposed on the first seatbelt.

20. (canceled)