Seatbelt apparatus for vehicle

• US 7,029,033 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2003
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tobata, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Faye M.
• Application Number:
  US10/418,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20030209900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• Field of Search: 280/807, 280/806, 280/808, 280/801.1, 297/474, 297/475, 297/476, 297/477, 180/268, 701/36, 701/45
• US Class Current: 280/807
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4473 using an electric retraction device combined with a spring B60R2022/444, B60R2022/4466
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4666 characterised by electric actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/015 including means for detecting the presence or position of passengers, passenger seats or child seats , and the related safety parameters therefor, e.g. speed or timing of airbag inflation in relation to occupant position or seat belt use
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01548 sensing the amount of belt winded on retractor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0155 sensing belt tension
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/44 with means for reducing belt tension during use under normal conditions not included in the retractor B60R22/19; B60R22/3405 takes precedence

Abstract

A seatbelt apparatus is provided to apply a proper restrictive feeling on passengers, corresponding to traveling condition of a vehicle. In the seatbelt apparatus, on receipt of detection signals from a fore-and-aft acceleration sensor 97 and a left-and-right acceleration sensor 99, a controller 101 controls respective tensions of seatbelts for driver seat and assistant driver'"'"'s seat individually. Owing to the controller 101, it is established at a vehicle'"'"'s braking to make a seatbelt tension of the assistant driver'"'"'s seat larger than that of the driver seat. When the vehicle is turning, it is carried out to make a seatbelt tension of the driver seat larger than that of the assistant driver'"'"'s seat.

Claims

1. A seatbelt apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a driver seatbelt provided about a driver seat;

a passenger seatbelt provided about another passenger'"'"'s seat except the driver seat;

a driver-seatbelt driving mechanism for controlling at least one of a belt tension of the driver seatbelt and a rewind timing of rewinding of the driver seatbelt;

a passenger-seatbelt driving mechanism for controlling at least one of a belt tension of the passenger seatbelt and a rewind timing of rewinding of the passenger seatbelt;

a driving-condition sensing unit for detecting the driving condition of the vehicle; and

a control unit connected with all of the driver-seatbelt driving mechanisms, the passenger-seatbelt driving mechanism and the driving-condition sensing unit, for controlling the operations of the driver-seatbelt driving mechanism and the passenger-seatbelt driving mechanism, in terms of at least one of respective belt tensions and respective rewind timings of the driver seatbelt and the passenger seatbelt, the control unit controls the driver-seatbelt driving mechanism and the passenger-seatbelt driving mechanism so that holding conditions of the driver seat belt and the passenger seat belt are different from each other.

2. The seatbelt apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control unit controls the operations of the driver-seatbelt driving mechanism and the passenger-seatbelt driving mechanism in a manner that, at a vehicle'"'"'s braking, the belt tension of the passenger seatbelt becomes larger than the belt tension of the driver seatbelt and that, at a vehicle'"'"'s turning, the belt tension of the driver seatbelt becomes larger than the belt tension of the passenger seatbelt.

3. The seatbelt apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control unit controls the operations of the driver-seatbelt driving mechanism and the passenger-seatbelt driving mechanism in a manner that, at a vehicle'"'"'s braking, the rewind timing of the passenger seatbelt is hastened in comparison with the rewind timing of the driver seatbelt and that, at a vehicle'"'"'s turning, the rewind timing of the driver seatbelt is hastened in comparison with the rewind timing of the passenger seatbelt.

4. The seatbelt apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control unit controls the operations of the driver-seatbelt driving mechanism and the passenger-seatbelt driving mechanism in a manner that, at a vehicle'"'"'s braking, the belt tension of the passenger seatbelt becomes larger than the belt tension of the driver seatbelt and the rewind timing of the passenger seatbelt is hastened in comparison with the rewind timing of the driver seatbelt and that, at a vehicle'"'"'s turning, the belt tension of the driver seatbelt becomes larger than the belt tension of the passenger seatbelt and the rewind timing of the driver seatbelt is hastened in comparison with the rewind timing of the passenger seatbelt.

5. The seatbelt apparatus of claim 1, wherein, at the vehicle'"'"'s braking, the control unit controls the operation of the passenger-seatbelt driving mechanism only, in accordance with a control mode to drive the passenger seatbelt.

6. The seatbelt apparatus of claim 1, wherein, at the vehicle'"'"'s turning, the control unit controls to drive either a seatbelt only about a seat on the right side of the traveling direction of the vehicle or another seatbelt only about a seat on the left side of the traveling direction of the vehicle in accordance with the turning direction of the vehicle.

7. The seatbelt apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control unit controls the operation of the passenger-seatbelt driving mechanism in a manner that the belt tension of the passenger seatbelt becomes larger at the vehicle'"'"'s braking than the belt tension of the passenger seatbelt at the vehicle'"'"'s turning.

8. The seatbelt apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control unit controls the operation of the passenger-seatbelt driving mechanism in a manner that the rewind timing of the passenger seatbelt is hastened at the vehicle'"'"'s braking, in comparison with the rewind timing of the passenger seatbelt at the vehicle'"'"'s turning.

9. The seatbelt apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the driver-seatbelt driving mechanism includes a driver-seatbelt reel for rewinding the driver seatbelt and a driver-seatbelt motor to rotate the driver-seatbelt reel thereby adjusting the belt tension of the driver seatbelt,

the passenger-seatbelt driving mechanism includes a passenger-seatbelt reel for rewinding the passenger seatbelt and a passenger-seatbelt motor to rotate the passenger-seatbelt reel thereby adjusting the belt tension of the passenger seatbelt, and

the control unit controls the operations of both the driver-seatbelt motor and the passenger-seatbelt motor.

10. The seatbelt apparatus of claim 1, wherein the driving-condition sensing unit includes an acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration of the vehicle.

11. A seatbelt apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a driver seatbelt provided about a driver seat;

a passenger seatbelt provided about another passenger'"'"'s seat except the driver seat;

driving-condition sensing means for detecting the driving condition of the vehicle; and

control means for controlling respective belt tensions and respective rewind timings of the driver seatbelt and the passenger seatbelt in a manner that, at a vehicle'"'"'s braking, the belt tension of the passenger seatbelt becomes larger than the belt tension of the driver seatbelt and the rewind timing of the passenger seatbelt is hastened in comparison with the rewind timing of the driver seatbelt and that, at a vehicle'"'"'s turning, the belt tension of the driver seatbelt becomes larger than the belt tension of the passenger seatbelt and the rewind timing of the driver seatbelt is hastened in comparison with the rewind timing of the passenger seatbelt.

12. A seatbelt control method for a vehicle, comprising:

disposing a driver seatbelt about a driver seat, a passenger seatbelt about another passenger'"'"'s seat except the driver seat, and a driving-condition sensing unit for detecting the driving condition of the vehicle; and

controlling respective belt tensions and respective rewind timings of the driver seatbelt and the passenger seatbelt in a manner that, at a vehicle'"'"'s braking, the belt tension of the passenger seatbelt becomes larger than the belt tension of the driver seatbelt and the rewind timing of the passenger seatbelt is hastened in comparison with the rewind timing of the driver seatbelt and that, at a vehicle'"'"'s turning, the belt tension of the driver seatbelt becomes larger than the belt tension of the passenger seatbelt and the rewind timing of the driver seatbelt is hastened in comparison with the rewind timing of the passenger seatbelt, so that holding conditions of the driver seat belt and the passenger seat belt are different from each other.