Seat belt system having occupant sensing device

• US 7,299,119 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2005
• Issued: 11/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Sugiura, Takasi
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu; Yonel
• Application Number:
  US11/079,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20050209755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 701 45- 47, 701/36, 280/728.1, 280/734, 280/735, 280/730.1, 307/9.1, 307/10.1, 340/425.5, 340/457.1, 340/436
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/1806 for buckles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/1957 characterised by electric actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/207 Horizontally or transversally adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/208 by automatic or remote control means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/263 Front seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01538 for image processing, e.g. cameras or sensor arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01546 using belt buckle sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/18 Anchoring devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/1951 characterised by arrangements in vehicle or relative to seat belt
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/20 adjustable in position, e.g. in height
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/26 secured to the seat

Abstract

A seat belt system for a vehicle includes a collision predicting device, an occupant sensing device, a seat belt, a seat belt drive device and a seat belt control device. The collision predicting device senses an imminent collision of the vehicle before the collision actually takes place. The occupant sensing device determines an occupant state on a seat of the vehicle. The seat belt restrains an occupant to the seat. The seat belt drive device retracts and extends the seat belt. The seat belt control device drives the seat belt drive device to retract the seat belt and thereby to achieve a corresponding tension of the seat belt, which corresponds to the occupant, based on a signal outputted from the collision predicting device and occupant information outputted from the occupant sensing device.

Claims

1. A seat belt system for a vehicle, the seat belt system comprising:

a collision predicting device that senses an imminent collision of the vehicle before the collision actually takes place;

an occupant sensing device configured to determine an occupant state on a seat of the vehicle;

a seat belt configured to restrain an occupant to the seat;

a seat belt drive device configured to retract and extend the seat belt;

a seat belt control device configured to drive the seat belt drive device to retract the seat belt and to achieve a corresponding tension of the seat belt, which corresponds to the occupant, based on a signal outputted from the collision predicting device and occupant information outputted from the occupant sensing device; and

a buckle moving device configured to move a position of a buckle, which is connected to a tongue, that is in turn, connected to the seat belt, wherein;

the occupant sensing device is configured to sense a fastening state of the seat belt;

the seat belt control device is configured so that, when the seat belt control device drives the seat belt drive device to retract the seat belt and to achieve the corresponding tension of the seat belt, which correspond to the occupant, the seat belt control device outputs an operation command to the buckle moving device to move the position of the buckle based on fastening state information that indicates the fastening state of the seat belt, which is sensed by the occupant sensing device; and

the buckle moving device is configured to move the position of the buckle to change a direction of the tension of the seat belt.

2. The seat belt system according to claim 1, wherein the occupant sensing device includes an image capture sensor.

3. The seat belt system according to claim 2, wherein the image capture sensor is a CCD camera.

4. The seat belt system according to claim 2, wherein the occupant information includes a body size of the occupant that is obtained based on image data of a captured image of the occupant, which is captured by the image sensor.

5. The seat belt system according to claim 1, wherein the buckle moving device is configured to move the position of the buckle in a front-to-back direction of the seat.

6. The seat belt system according to claim 1, wherein the buckle moving device is configured to move the position of the buckle without substantially changing a vertical position of the buckle.

7. The seat belt system according to claim 1, wherein the fastening state of the seat belt indicates a contact position of the seat belt relative to the occupant.