Passive seatbelt system

• US 4,321,979 A
• Filed: 03/27/1980
• Issued: 03/30/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohta, Hisatoshi, Kuroyama, Toshinobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Peters, Jr., Joseph F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Schrecengost, Randall A.
• Application Number:
  US06/136,117
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 180/268, 180/269, 180/270, 280/802, 280/804, 280/807, 280/808, 307/10 SB, 307/141, 307/141.4, 307/140, 307/293, 340/52 E, 318/484, 200/61.58 B
• US Class Current: 180/268
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/06 having the belt or harness connected to a member slidable in a vehicle-mounted track

Abstract

A seatbelt system for restraining and protecting an occupant in an emergency of a vehicle, and more particularly to improvements in a fully passive type seatbelt system wherein a motor for driving the webbing is automatically actuated in accordance with the actions of an occupant entering or leaving the vehicle so as to fasten the webbing to the occupant or release the webbing from the occupant. When a closed door condition is detected by a door switch for detecting the opened or closed door condition, the motor is actuated to fasten the webbing to the occupant. When an opened door condition is detected by the door switch, the motor is actuated to release the webbing from the occupant. When limit switches detect the movement of the webbing to a normal fastened position or a normal released position are not actuated within a given period of time during which the webbing is being driven by the motor, the driving of the webbing by the motor is brought to a stop. A manual switch is provided for such situations, and when actuated is effective to override the stopped-condition of the motor. When (1) the webbing is not in a normal fastened position and the door switch detects that the door is closed, (2) when a manually operated spool release switch releases the webbing from the occupant, or (3) when any combination of the aforementioned occurs, a warning device is actuated.

Claims

1. A control circuit for a passive seatbelt system of a vehicle, said passive seatbelt system including at least one webbing, each webbing being associated with an occupant of said vehicle, for restraining said occupant in an emergency situation;

a webbing drive motor associated with each webbing for moving the associated webbing into one of two positions, said positions being a fastened position and a released position; and

a switching system for indicating which one of a plurality of situations characterizes each of said at least one webbing, said situations being (1) secured in said fastened position, (2) secured in said released position, (3) movement required toward said fastened position, and (4) movement required toward said released position;

said control circuit comprising;

a current switching circuit;

a biasing circuit coupled to said current switching circuit and responsive to said switching system for turning ON said current switching circuit when either of said situations (3) and (4) occur in the characterization of any of said at least one webbing, and for turning OFF said current switching circuit when neither of said situations (3) and (4) occur in the characterization of all of said at least one webbing;

a relay circuit having respective portions coupled to each drive motor, each respective portion being responsive to said switching system, when said current switching circuit is in an ON condition, for supplying current in one direction to the associated drive motor in response to said situation (3);

for supplying current in another direction to the associated drive motor in response to said situation (4); and

removing current from the associated drive motor in response to said situations (1) and (2), said relay circuit comprising at least one pair of relay coils, each of said coils having one end thereof connected to one another and to an output of said current switching circuit, and having the other end thereof connected to respective outputs of said switching system, and at least one pair of relay actuated switches, each associated with a respective relay coil and responsive to excitation thereof for switching an associated terminal from ground to a current source, wherein the respective terminals of each of said at least one pair of relay actuated switches are connected to respective terminals of an associated drive motor for controlling the application of current thereto; and

an alert circuit including a warning device and at least one release indicating switch, each being associated with one webbing;

said alert circuit being responsive, when a propulsion system of said vehicle is actuated, to one or more occurrences, said occurrences including the manual release of the restraining function of said webbing as indicated by any of said at least one release indicating switch and the presence of said situation (3), for indicating a failure of the restraining function of a webbing.

2. The control circuit of claim 1 further comprising a timing circuit coupled to said current switching circuit and effective when said current switching circuit is ON for a predetermined period of time for turning OFF said current switching circuit to prevent the at least one drive motor from burning out.

3. The control circuit of claim 2 further comprising a manual switch for forcibly turning ON said current switching circuit, thereby overriding the OFF condition induced by said timing circuit.

4. A passive seatbelt system comprising:

driving means for driving a webbing;

first detecting means for detecting an opened or closed door condition;

second detecting means for detecting movement of said webbing to a normal fastened position;

third detecting means for detecting movement of said webbing to a normal released position;

a manual switch; and

a control circuit having relay coils and a timer, said relay coils being connected to said first detecting means, said second detecting means and said third detecting means, and said timer being connected to said relay coils and said manual switch, said control circuit including means for actuating said driving means to fasten said webbing to an occupant when a closed door condition is detected by said first detecting means, to release said webbing from said occupant when an opened door condition is detected by said first detecting means, for deactuating said driving means when one of said second detecting means and said third detecting means does not detect said webbing in one of said positions within a predetermined time determined by said timer while said webbing is being driven by said driving means, and for reactuating said driving means in response to operation of said manual switch after said deactuation.

5. A passive seatbelt system as set forth in claim 4 further comprising:

a spool release means for releasing said webbing from said occupant by manual operation; and

a warning means actuated in response to;

(1) operation of said spool release means, (2) a closed door condition detected by said first detecting means while said second detecting means does not detect said fastened position, and (3) any combination of the aforementioned conditions.

6. A passive seatbelt system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said warning means comprises a warning lamp and a warning buzzer.

7. A passive seatbelt system as set forth in claim 4, wherein said first detecting means comprises respective door switches for detecting the condition of the respective doors being open or closed, said door switches also being effective for turning on or off a room lamp of the vehicle in accordance with the opening and closing operation of the respective doors.

8. A passive seatbelt system as set forth in claim 4, wherein said first detecting means and said second detecting means are limit switches actuated when said driving means drives said webbing to predetermined positions.

9. A control circuit for a passive seatbelt system or a vehicle, comprising:

first switching means for controlling the switching of current to at least one associated webbing drive motor, said first switching means being effective to controllably establish one of a plurality of conditions, said conditions including (1) operation of said drive motor in one direction to move an associated webbing to a normal fastened position, (2) operation of said drive motor in another direction to move said associated webbing to a normal release position, and (3) interruption of the operation of said drive motor;

second switching means, responsive to a plurality of indicating devices conditionally indicative of one of a plurality of requirements including (1) the need to move said associated webbing to said normal fastened position, (2) the need to move said associated webbing to said normal release position, and (3) the need to stop movement of said associated webbing, for controllably supplying current to said first switching means, said second switching means being operative to supply current in response to said requirements (1) and (2) and operative to block current in response to said requirement (3), and a predetermined one of said conditions being established in response to the operative state of said second switching means and in accordance with the indicated one of said requirements;

timing means for indicating that the length of operation of said drive motor exceeds a predetermined period of time, said second switching means being responsive thereto to block current, thereby overriding the function of said indicating devices; and

manual operation means for overriding the function of said timing means, thereby reestablishing the function of said indicating devices.

10. The circuit of claim 9 further comprising alarm means operative when a propulsion system of said vehicle is actuated for alerting an operator of the presence of said requirement (1).

11. The circuit of claim 10 further comprising means for detecting the release of a web restraining mechanism, said alarm means further being responsive to said release detecting means.

12. A control circuit for a passive seatbelt system of a vehicle, said passive seatbelt system including at least one webbing, each webbing being associated with an occupant of said vehicle, for restraining said occupant in an emergency situation;

a webbing drive motor associated with each webbing for moving the associated webbing into one of two positions, said positions being a fastened position and a released position; and

a switching system for indicating which one of a plurality of situations characterizes each of said at least one webbing, said situations being (1) secured in said fastened position, (2) secured in said released position, (3) movement required toward said fastened position, and (4) movement required toward said released position;

said control circuit comprising;

a current switching circuit;

a biasing circuit coupled to said current switching circuit and responsive to said switching system for turning ON said current switching circuit when either of said situations (3) and (4) occur in the characterization of any of said at least one webbing, and for turning OFF said current switching circuit when neither of said situations (3) and (4) occur in the characterization of all of said at least one webbing; and

a relay circuit having respective portions coupled to each drive motor, each respective portion being responsive to said switching system, when said current switching circuit is in an ON condition, for supplying current in one direction to the associated drive motor in response to said situation (3);

for supplying current in another direction to the associated drive motor in response to said situation (4); and

for removing current from the associated drive motor in response to said situations (1) and (2);

a timing circuit coupled to said current switching circuit and effective when said current switching circuit is ON for a predetermined period of time for turning OFF said current switching circuit to prevent the at least one drive motor from burning out; and

a manual switch for forcibly turning ON said current switching circuit and thereby overriding the OFF condition induced by said timing circuit.

13. The control circuit of claim 12 further comprising an alert circuit including a warning device and at least one release indicating switch, each being associated with one webbing;

said alert circuit being responsive, when a propulsion system of said vehicle is actuated, to one or more occurrences, said occurrences including the manual release of the restraining function of said webbing as indicated by any of said at least one release indicating switch and the presence of said situation (3), for indicating a failure of the restraining function of a webbing.