Seat belt apparatus for vehicle

• US 7,510,042 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2006
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Enomoto, Takaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Ilan; Ruth
• Application Number:
  US11/508,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20060284406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 180/268, 180/282, 280/806, 280/807
• US Class Current: 180/268
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0018 Roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01286 Electronic control units
• 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 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/4628 characterised by fluid actuators, e.g. pyrotechnic gas generators actuating a cable B60R22/4619

Abstract

In the seat belt apparatus of the invention, a belt retracting motor is operated so as to retract the seat belt by a predetermined amount when it is determined that the vehicle will roll over based on a lateral acceleration, a roll rate and a roll angle which are detected and calculated by a lateral acceleration sensor and a roll rate sensor, according to a predetermined first determination condition. Also, a pretensioner is operated so as to retract the seat belt by a predetermined amount when it is determined that the vehicle will roll over according to a second determination condition indicating that there is a higher possibility of rollover. When it is determined that the vehicle will not roll over, operation of the belt retracting motor is cancelled, and the seat belt is permitted to be pulled out.

Claims

1. A seat belt apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

a first belt retractor which can retract a seat belt of the vehicle, and which permits the retracted seat belt to be pulled out;

a second belt retractor which can retract the seat belt of the vehicle, and which prohibits the retracted seat belt from being pulled out;

a movement state quantity detector which detects a movement state quantity of the vehicle that indicates a possibility of rollover of the vehicle;

a first belt retracting controller which determines that the vehicle will roll over and controls the first belt retractor such that the first belt retractor retracts the seat belt when the movement state quantity detected by the movement state quantity detector satisfies a predetermined determination condition; and

a second belt retracting controller which controls the second belt retractor such that the second belt retractor retracts the seat belt when the movement state quantity detected by the movement state quantity detector satisfies the predetermined determination condition after a predetermined time has elapsed since the first belt retracting controller determines the possibility of rollover of the vehicle.

2. The seat belt apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a belt pulling-out permission device which determines that the vehicle will not roll over and controls the first belt retractor such that the first belt retractor stops retracting the seat belt, and permits the seat belt to be pulled out, when the movement state quantity detected by the movement state quantity detector does not satisfy the predetermined determination condition after the first belt retractor has retracted the seat belt by a predetermined amount.

3. The seat belt apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movement state quantity detected by the movement state quantity detector includes at least a roll rate and a roll angle of the vehicle.

4. The seat belt apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movement state quantity detected by the movement state quantity detector includes at least a roll rate and a lateral acceleration of the vehicle.

5. The seat belt apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movement state quantity detected by the movement state quantity detector includes a roll rate, a roll angle, and a lateral acceleration of the vehicle.

6. The seat belt apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first belt retracting controller repeatedly determines whether each of the roll rate, the roll angle, and the lateral acceleration of the vehicle is equal to or larger than a corresponding predetermined value, and determines that the vehicle will roll over when at least one of the roll rate, the roll angle, and the lateral acceleration is equal to or larger than the corresponding predetermined value.

7. The seat belt apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first belt retractor is motor.

8. The seat belt apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second belt retractor is a pretensioner.