Passive seatbelt system

• US 3,986,093 A
• Filed: 07/26/1974
• Issued: 10/12/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nippon Soken, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Soken, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Arai, Hiroshi, Wakamatsu, Hisato, Yoshimi, Tomohisa, Kamiya, Toshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Schaefer, Robert K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Feldhaus, John J.
• Application Number:
  US05/492,203
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 318/484, 318/452-454, 318/467, 180/82 C, 280/150 SB, 340/52 E, 340/278, 307/10 SB, 297/385
• US Class Current: 318/484
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/04 Passive restraint systems, i.e. systems both applied and removed automatically, e.g. by movement of the vehicle door

Abstract

There is provided a passive seatbelt system which is actuated by an electric motor. The seatbelt system comprises command switch means for generating seatbelt activation and deactivation signals, switch means for detecting the position of a seatbelt, and a control circuit for controlling the motor. The control circuit further comprises a driving circuit for driving the motor and a computing circuit for controlling the driving circuit in accordance with the output signals of the two switch means. The driving and computing circuits included in the control circuit are constructed using hybrid integrated circuits (IC) and the thus miniaturized control circuit can be made integral with the electric motor.

Claims

1. In a passive seatbelt system of the type which is driven by an electric motor, said passive seatbelt system comprising:

command switch means for detecting the presence of an occupant and generating either a seatbelt activation signal or a seatbelt deactivation signal in accordance therewith;

switch means for detecting the position of said seatbelt; and

a control circuit including a driving circuit for supplying a motor driving current to rotate said motor either in a forward direction or in a reverse direction and a computing circuit connected to both said switch means to control the operation of said driving circuit in accordance with the output signals from both said switch means,

said computing circuit including circuit means whereby when the flow of current to said motor continues in excess of a predetermined time, the signal applied to said driving circuit is terminated to stop the operation thereof to turn off the supply of current to said motor.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said computing circuit includes pulse-like signal processing circuit means for preventing chattering of said switch means for detecting the position of said seatbelt.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said computing circuit includes circuit means whereby when the supply voltage for said motor exceeds a predetermined value, the signal applied to said driving circuit is terminated to stop the operation of said driving circuit to terminate the supply of current to said motor.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said driving circuit comprises four tansistors connected in a bridge configuration, wherein a power supply is connected to the junction point between one pair of opposite angles and said motor is connected to the junction point between the other pair of opposite angles, and wherein either one pair of said transistors on the opposed opposite sides or the other pair of said transisitors on the other opposed opposite sides is energized to rotate said motor either in the forward direction or in the reverse direction.

5. In a passive seatbelt system of the type which is driven by an electric motor, said passive seatbelt system comprising:

command switch means for detecting the presence of an occupant and generating either a seatbelt activation signal or a seatbelt deactivation signal;

switch means for detecting the position of said seatbelt; and

a control circuit including a driving circuit for supplying a motor driving current to rotate said motor either in a forward direction or in a reverse direction and a computing circuit connected to both said switch means to control the operation of said driving circuit in accordance with the output signals from said switch means.

said computing circuit including circuit means whereby when a first signal for causing said driving circuit to operate said motor in the forward direction and a second signal for causing said driving circuit to operate said motor in the reverse direction are generated simultaneously, one of said first and second signals is fed back to the other of said signals to give priority to said one of said signals.

6. In a passive system of the type which is driven by an electric motor, said passive seatbelt system comprising:

command switch means for detecting the presence of an occupant and generating either a seatbelt activation signal or a seatbelt deactivation signal;

switch means for detecting the position of said seatbelt; and

a control circuit including a driving circuit for supplying a motor driving current to rotate said motor either in a forward direction or in a reverse direction and a computing circuit conected to both said switch means to control the operation of said driving circuit in accordance with the output signals from said switch means,

said computing circuit includes circuit means whereby when the flow of current to said motor continues to excess of a predetermined time, the signal applied to said driving circuit is terminated to stop the operation thereof to turn off the supply of current to said motor and whereby when a first signal for causing said driving circuit to operate said motor in the forward direction and a second signal for causing said driving circuit to operate said motor in the reverse direction are generated simultaneously, either one of said first and second signals is fed back to the other of said signals to give priority to either one of said signals, and pulse-like signal processing circuit means for preventing chattering of said switch means for detecting the position of said seatbelt.