Passive seat belt system

• US 4,902,039 A
• Filed: 09/09/1987
• Issued: 02/20/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippon Seiko Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Nippon Seiko Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Kawai, Osamu, Mizumura, Shunzi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bertsch, Richard A.
• Application Number:
  US07/094,451
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 280/801, 280/804, 280/802, 280/803, 280/806, 280/807, 280/805, 297/474, 297/479, 180/268, 180/269
• US Class Current: 280/802
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/06 having the belt or harness connected to a member slidable in a vehicle-mounted track

Abstract

A passive seat belt system for automatic fastening or unfastening of a seat belt in response to the boarding and exiting of a seat occupant has an overload for detector for detecting the presence of an overload in the movement of a movable anchor of the seat belt, and a controller adapted for stopping a motor for moving said movable anchor in response to the detection of an overload in the movement of the movable anchor.

Claims

1. A passive seat belt system for automatic fastening or unfastening of a seat belt in response to the boarding or alighting of a vehicle occupant, comprising:

overload detecting means for detecting the presence of an overload in the movement of a movable anchor of said seat belt, and

control means for reversing and then stopping a drive motor for said movable anchor in response to the detection of an overload in the movement of said movable anchor by said overload detecting means.

2. A passive seat belt system according to claim 1, further comprising means for detecting ambient temperature, wherein said control means is disabled when the temperature detected by said ambient temperature detecting means is below a predetermined temperature.

3. A passive seat belt system according to claim 2, wherein said overload detecting means comprises overcurrent control means for detecting a current in said motor.

4. A passive seat belt system according to claim 2 wherein said overload detecting means includes temperature rise rate detecting means for detecting the temperature rise rate of said motor and identifying an overload state when said temperature rise rate exceeds a set value.

5. A passive seat belt system according to claim 2, wherein said overload detecting means comprises rotation detecting means for detecting rotation or speed of said motor and identifying an overload state when said rotation or speed becomes lower than a set value.

6. A passive seat belt system according to claim 1, wherein said control means comprises a timer circuit and is adapted, after the detection of said overload by said overload detecting means, to reverse said motor for a period determined by said timer circuit, and thereafter to stop said motor.

7. A passive seat belt system according to claim 1, wherein said control means is adapted to reverse said motor after the detection of said overload by said overload detecting means, and to stop said motor when said overload detecting means detects that the overload in the movement of said anchor is relieved.

8. A passive seat belt system according to claim 1, wherein said control means does no not reverse said motor when said anchor of said seat belt has reached a rear end in the backward movement thereof and has actuated a rear switch.

9. A passive seat belt system according to claim 1, wherein said control means does not reverse said motor when said anchor of said seat belt has reached a front end in the forward movement thereof and has actuated a front switch.

10. A passive seat belt system according to claim 1, wherein said overload detecting means comprises overcurrent control means for detecting a current in said motor.

11. A passive seat belt system according to claim 1, wherein said overload detecting means includes temperature rise rate detecting means for detecting the temperature rise rate of said motor and identifying an overload state when said temperature rise rate exceeds a set value.

12. A passive seat belt system according to claim 11, wherein said temperature rise rate detecting means comprises a thermistor.

13. A passive seat belt system according to claim 11, wherein the set value of said temperature rise rate is variable in dependence upon the temperature detected by said ambient temperature detecting means.

14. A passive seat belt system according to claim 11, wherein the set value of said temperature rise rate is determined in dependence upon a power supply voltage.

15. A passive seat belt system according to claim 1, wherein said overload detecting means comprises rotation detecting means for detecting rotation or speed of said motor and identifying an overload state when said rotation or speed becomes lower than a set value.

16. A passive seat belt system for automatic fastening or unfastening of a seat belt in response to the boarding or alighting of a vehicle occupant, comprising:

overload detecting means for detecting the presence of an overload in the movement of a movable anchor of said seat belt, and

control means for stopping a drive motor for said movable anchor in response to the detection of an overload in the movement of said movable anchor by said overload detecting means,

said overload detecting means including rotation detecting means adapted to detect voltage changes generated at the change-over of connections of rotor coils of said motor between a commutator and brushes thereof for detecting rotation of said motor, and to identify an overload state when the frequency of said voltage changes becomes lower than a set value.

17. A passive seat belt system for automatic fastening or unfastening of a seat belt in response to the boarding or alighting of a vehicle occupant, comprising:

overload detecting means for detecting the presence of an overload in the movement of a movable anchor of said seat belt, and

control means for stopping a drive motor for said movable anchor in response to the detection of an overload in the movement of said movable anchor by said overload detecting means,

said overload detecting means including rotation detecting means adapted to detect the rotation of said motor from one of an output shaft of said motor and a pulley for a drive member for said anchor of said seat belt, and to identify an overload state when the rotation of said motor becomes lower than a set value.

18. A passive seat belt system according to claim 17, wherein said rotation detecting means detects rotation of said motor magnetically.

19. A passive seat belt system according to claim 18, wherein said rotation detecting means is comprises a magnetic detecting element positioned close to an armature of said motor.

20. A passive seat belt system according to claim 18, wherein said rotation detecting means comprises a pulley having N and S magnetic poles arranged alternately along the periphery thereof, a magnetic detecting element positioned near said pulley for generating pulses in response to magnetic field changes due to rotation of said pulley, and means for receiving the pulses from said magnetic detecting element and identifying an overload state when a pulse is not received for a predetermined period.

21. A passive seat belt system according to claim 17, wherein said rotation detecting means detects rotation of said motor optically.

22. A passive seat belt system according to claim 21, wherein said rotation detecting means comprises a pulley having holes, grooves or irregularities along a periphery thereof, optical detecting means having an optical axis intercepted by said holes, grooves or irregularities, and means responsive to said optical detecting means for identifying an overload state when the transmission or interception of light by said holes, grooves or irregularities does not change over a predetermined period.

23. A passive seat belt system according to claim 21, wherein said rotation detecting means comprises a pulley having members of different reflectivity, holes or grooves at a constant pitch along a periphery thereof, optical detecting means for detecting changes in light reflection by said periphery due to rotation of said pulley, and means responsive to said optical detecting means for identifying an overload state when the reflection does not change over a predetermined period.

24. A passive seat belt system according to claim 17, wherein said rotation detecting means comprises cam means provided on said output shaft or said pulley, a switch actuated by said cam means, and means for identifying an overload state in the absence of actuation of said switch.

25. A passive seat belt system according to claim 17, wherein said rotation detecting means comprises an encoder connected to said output shaft or said pulley, and means for identifying an overload state when the encoder does not generate pulses over a predetermined period.

26. A passive seat belt system according to claim 17, wherein said rotation detecting means comprises a potentiometer connected to said output shaft or said pulley, and means for identifying an overload state when change in output of said potentiometer in a given time is less than a set value.

27. A passive seat belt system according to claim 17, wherein said rotation detecting means comprises a pulley having holes, irregularities or grooves along the periphery thereof, electrical capacitance sensing means positioned near said periphery for sensing changes in electric capacitance when said holes, irregularities or grooves pass thereby during rotation of that pulley, and means for identifying an overload state when the number of changes in electric capacitance sensed by said sensing means in a predetermined period of time is less then a set value.

28. A passive seat belt system according to claim 17, wherein said rotation detecting means comprises an acceleration detector positioned close to the outer periphery of said pulley for detecting acceleration of said pulley, and comparator means for receiving an output of said acceleration detector and identifying an overload state when said output is less than a set value.

29. A passive seat belt system according to claim 17, wherein said rotation detecting means comprises a centrifugal clutch, and means for identifying an overload state when said centrifugal clutch resets.

30. A passive seat belt system for automatic fastening or unfastening of a seat belt in response to the boarding or alighting of a vehicle occupant, comprising:

overload detecting means for detecting the presence of an overload in the movement of a movable anchor of said seat belt, and

control means for stopping a drive motor for said movable anchor in response to the detection of an overload in the movement of said movable anchor by said overload detecting means,

said overload detecting means including torque detecting means for detecting the rotary torque of a pulley or said motor and identifying an overload state when said torque exceeds a set value.

31. A passive seat belt system according to claim 30, wherein said torque detecting means comprises a strain detecting element provided on a mounting plate for said motor, and comparator means for comparing the output of said strain detecting element with a set value and identifying an overload state when the output of said strain detecting element exceeds said set value.

32. A passive seat belt system according to claim 30, wherein said torque detecting means comprises an elastic member provided between said motor and a body of a vehicle, and displacement detecting means for detecting displacement of said elastic member caused by the torque of said motor and identifying an overload state when said displacement exceeds a set value.

33. A passive seat belt system according to claim 30, wherein said torque detecting means comprises an elastic member provided between the output shaft of said motor and a pulley and displacement detecting means for detecting displacement of said elastic member due to torque applied to said pulley and identifying an overload state when said displacement exceeds a set value.

34. A passive seat belt system according to claim 33, wherein said displacement detecting means detects the amounts of rotation of said motor output shaft and said pulley and identifies an overload state when the difference between of said amounts of rotation exceeds a set value.

35. A passive seat belt system according to claim 30, further comprising means for detecting ambient temperature, and wherein said control means is disabled when the temperature detected by said ambient temperature detecting means is below a predetermined temperature.

36. A passive seat belt system for automatic fastening or unfastening of a seat belt in response to the boarding or alighting of a vehicle occupant, comprising:

overload detecting means for detecting the presence of an overload in the movement of a movable anchor of said seat belt, and

control means for stopping a drive motor for said movable anchor in response to the detection of an overload in the movement of said movable anchor by said overload detecting means,

said overload detecting means including means for detecting one of movement and speed of a drive member for said movable anchor and identifying an overload state when said one of movement and speed of said drive member is less than a set value.

37. A passive seat belt system according to claim 36, wherein said means for detecting one of movement and speed of said drive member comprises holes, grooves or areas of different reflectance arranged at a predetermined pitch in the longitudinal direction of said drive member, optical detecting means having an optical axis intercepted by said holes, grooves or areas, and means for identifying an overload state when the transmission, interception or reflection of light by said holes, grooves or areas does not change over a predetermined period.

38. A passive seat belt system according to claim 36, wherein said means for detecting one of movement and speed of said drive member comprises N and S magic poles arranged at a predetermined pitch in the longitudinal direction of said drive member, a magnetic detecting element positioned near said drive member for generating pulses in response to magnetic field changes due to longitudinal movement of said drive member, and means for receiving the pulses from said magnetic detecting element and identifying an overload state when a pulse from said detecting element is not received over a predetermined period.

39. A passive seat belt system according to claim 36, further comprising means for detecting ambient temperature, and wherein said control means is disabled when the temperature detected by said ambient temperature detecting means is below a predetermined temperature.

40. A passive seat belt system for automatic fastening or unfastening of a seat belt in response to the boarding or alighting of a vehicle occupant, comprising:

overload detecting means for detecting the presence of an overload in the movement of a movable anchor of said seat belt, and

control means for reversing and then stopping a drive motor for said movable anchor in response to the detection of an overload in the movement of said movable anchor by said overload detecting means,

said overload detecting means comprising overcurrent detecting means, including converter means for converting the current in said motor into a voltage, set value determining means for determining a set value in dependence upon a power supply voltage, and comparator means for comparing the voltage from said converter means with a set voltage from said set value determining means and producing an overload signal when the voltage from said converter means exceeds said set voltage.

41. A passive seat belt system according to claim 40, wherein said converter means comprises a circuit breaker provided in a circuit for current supply to said motor, and said converter means obtains the current in said motor from the terminal voltage of said circuit breaker.

42. A passive seat belt system according to claim 40, wherein said converter means is adapted to obtain the current in said motor from a terminal voltage across said motor.

43. A passive seat belt system according to claim 40, wherein said converter means obtains the current in said motor from a voltage drop in a circuit from a power supply source to the motor terminals.

44. A passive seat belt system according to claim 40, wherein said converter means comprises a Hall effect element positioned close to a current supply circuit for said motor, for detecting the current in said motor.