Occupant restraint system

• US 7,204,334 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2004
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Nobusawa, Hisashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming; Faye M.
• Application Number:
  US10/774,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20040163871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,162 Days
• Field of Search: 180/268, 280/735, 280/801.1
• US Class Current: 180/268
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01544 detecting seat belt parameters, e.g. length, tension or height-adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01546 using belt buckle sensors

Abstract

An occupant restraint system of the present invention comprises a first sensor unit which detects a state of wearing a seatbelt system, a second sensor unit which detects a state of operating the seatbelt system, and a controller which performs a control to change a time range to determine activation and expansion of a occupant restraint equipment upon a vehicle collision in accordance with signals from the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit. In the occupant restraint system, when a state detected by the first sensor unit is a state of not wearing the seatbelt system, the controller performs a control to set a mode to a stopping mode which has a time range to determine the activation and expansion of the occupant restraint equipment upon a vehicle collision, and when a state detected by the first sensor unit is a state of wearing the seatbelt system and a state detected by the second sensor unit is a state of operating the seatbelt system, the controller performs a control to set the mode to an operating mode which has a smaller time range to determine the activation and expansion of the occupant restraint equipment upon a vehicle collision than that in the state of not wearing the seatbelt system.

Claims

1. An occupant restraint system, comprising:

a first sensor unit which detects a state of wearing a seatbelt system;

a second sensor unit which detects a state of operating the seatbelt system; and

a controller which performs a control to change a time range to determine activation and expansion of a occupant restraint equipment upon a vehicle collision in accordance with signals from the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit,

wherein when a state detected by the first sensor unit is a state of not wearing the seatbelt system, the controller performs a control to set a mode to a stopping mode which has a time range to determine the activation and expansion of the occupant restraint equipment upon a vehicle collision, and

when a state detected by the first sensor unit is a state of wearing the seatbelt system and a state detected by the second sensor unit is a state of operating the seatbelt system, the controller performs a control to set the mode to an operating mode which has a smaller time range to determine the activation and expansion of the occupant restraint equipment upon the vehicle collision than that in the state of not wearing the seatbelt system.

2. An occupant restraint system according to claim 1,

wherein the controller performs a control to delay the activation and expansion of the occupant restraint equipment, in the operating mode.

3. An occupant restraint system according to claim 1,

wherein the occupant restraint equipment is at least one of an airbag system and a pretensioner.

4. An occupant restraint system according to claim 1,

wherein the occupant restraint equipment is at least one of an airbag system and a set of double pretensioners.

5. An occupant restraint system, comprising:

first sensor means for detecting a state of wearing a seatbelt system;

second sensor means for detecting a state of operating the seatbelt system; and

control means for performing a control to change a time range to determine activation and expansion of a occupant restraint equipment upon a vehicle collision in accordance with signals from the first sensor means and the second sensor means,

wherein when a state detected by the first sensor means is a state of not wearing the seatbelt system, the control means performs a control to set a mode to a stopping mode which has a time range to determine the activation and expansion of the occupant restraint equipment upon a vehicle collision, and

when a state detected by the first sensor means is a state of wearing the seatbelt system and a state detected by the second sensor means is a state of operating the seatbelt system, the control means performs a control to set the mode to an operating mode which has a smaller time range to determine the activation and expansion of the occupant restraint equipment upon the vehicle collision than that in the state of not wearing the seatbelt system.

6. A method for restraining an occupant, comprising:

detecting a state of wearing a seatbelt system;

detecting a state of operating the seat belt system;

performing a control to set a mode to a stopping mode which has a time range to determine the activation and expansion of an occupant restraint equipment upon a vehicle collision when the seatbelt system is in a state of not being worn, and to set the mode to an operating mode which has a smaller time range to determine the activation and expansion of the occupant restraint equipment upon the vehicle collision than that in the state of not wearing the seatbelt system when the seatbelt system is in a state of being worn and operated.