Variable passenger restraint controlled system

• US 7,720,585 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2004
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Fukuda, Shunichi, Tomimatsu, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peche; Jorge O
• Application Number:
  US10/975,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20050096818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,028 Days
• Field of Search: 180/268, 180/282, 180/271, 280/806, 280/807, 280/734, 280/735, 701/45, 701/301, 701/222, 701/48, 701/70, 701/79, 701/91, 701/1, 701/46, 701/47, 701/59, 340/457.1, 340/668, 455/420, 242/390, 242/390.1, 242/390.8, 242/374, 242/534.4
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01272 Belt tensioners
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01311 monitoring the braking system, e.g. ABS
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01546 using belt buckle sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/33 Arrangements for non-electric triggering of inflation electrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01

Abstract

An aspect of the present invention provides a passenger protection device that includes, a brake pedal sensor configured to detect the amount by which a brake pedal of a vehicle is operated, a webbing, one end of the webbing fixed to the vehicle, configured to restrain a passenger seated on a seat of the vehicle, a retractor connected to the other end of the webbing, the rector configured to retract the webbing and inhibit of the webbing extraction, and an ECU electrically coupled to the brake pedal sensor, the ECU configured to detect that the brake pedal operation amount detected by the pedal sensor exceeds a first threshold value, the ECU configured to revise the threshold value based on safety related information of the vehicle to control the inhibition of the webbing extraction of the retractor.

Claims

1. A passenger protection device, comprising:

a brake pedal sensor configured to detect an amount by which a brake pedal of a vehicle is operated, a timing at which a driver starts depressing the brake pedal and a speed at which the brake pedal is operated;

an accelerator pedal sensor configured to detect an amount by which an accelerator pedal of the vehicle is depressed, a timing at which the driver starts releasing the accelerator pedal and a speed at which the accelerator pedal is released;

a webbing, one end of the webbing fixed to the vehicle, configured to restrain a passenger seated on a seat of the vehicle;

a retractor connected to a second end of the webbing, the retractor configured to retract the webbing and inhibit webbing extraction; and

an electronic control unit (ECU) electrically coupled to the brake pedal sensor, the ECU configured to detect the brake pedal operation amount and the brake pedal operation speed detected by the brake pedal sensor, and the accelerator pedal amount and accelerator pedal speed detected by the accelerator pedal sensor, whereby a plurality of motor operation threshold values are determined in accordance with a pedal switch time, the ECU configured to determine the pedal switch time in accordance to the timing at which the driver starts releasing the accelerator pedal and the timing at which the driver starts depressing the brake pedal, the ECU configured to determine an emergency brake operation if the pedal switch time is less than a prescribed amount of time, wherein the ECU changes a first motor operation threshold value to a second motor operation threshold value in which the webbing is retracted at a smaller brake operation amount than the first threshold value, which increases sensitivity of inhibition of extraction of the webbing, thereby enabling an emergency brake operation to be detected with a smaller depression amount of the brake pedal,

wherein the brake pedal operation amount is obtained based on brake pedal traveling distance detected by the brake pedal sensor, and the brake pedal operation speed is obtained based on brake pedal traveling speed detected by the brake pedal sensor, and

wherein the ECU is configured to determine an emergency brake operation and operate the retractor or webbing when at least the brake pedal amount exceeds the first motor operation threshold value and the brake pedal speed exceeds the first motor operation threshold value.

2. The passenger protection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the ECU is configured to revise the threshold value based on information of operation of the vehicle by the passenger,

the accelerator pedal sensor is configured to detect the speed at which the accelerator pedal is released; and

the ECU is configured to revise the threshold value based on the accelerator pedal release speed detected by the accelerator pedal sensor, and

the ECU is configured to revise the threshold value in such a manner that the faster the accelerator pedal release speed detected by the accelerator pedal sensor is, the lower the threshold value will become.

3. The passenger protection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the ECU is configured to revise the threshold value based on safety related information regarding visibility of the surroundings of the vehicle.

4. The passenger protection device as claimed in claim 3, wherein:

the ECU is configured to lower the threshold value to expedite the inhibition of webbing extraction when declined visibility of the surroundings of the vehicle is detected.

5. The passenger protection device of claim 4, further comprising:

a wiper switch configured to switch the windshield wipers of the vehicle on and off,

wherein the ECU is configured to lower the threshold value to expedite the inhibition of webbing extortion when the passenger'"'"'s operation of the wiper switch is detected.

6. The passenger protection device of claim 4, further comprising:

a headlight switch configured to switch the parking lights or headlights of the vehicle on and off, wherein

the ECU is configured to lower the threshold value to expedite the inhibition of webbing extraction when the passenger'"'"'s operation of the headlight switch is detected.

7. The passenger protection device of claim 4, further comprising:

a headlight switch configured to switch the parking lights or headlights of the vehicle on and off, and

a wiper switch configured to switch the windshield wipers of the vehicle on and off,

wherein the ECU is configured to revise the threshold value to a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value when the status of the headlight switch indicates that the parking lights or headlights are on or the status of the wiper switch indicates that the windshield wipers are on, the ECU configured to revise the threshold value to a third threshold value that is smaller than the second threshold value when the status of the headlight switch indicates that the parking lights or headlights are on and the status of the wiper switch indicates that the windshield wipers are on.

8. The passenger protection device of claim 1, wherein

the ECU is configured to expedite the inhibition of webbing extraction based on the timing of a release operation of the accelerator pedal detected by an accelerator pedal sensor and a timing of a depression operation of the brake pedal detected by the brake pedal sensor.

9. The passenger protection device of claim 8, wherein

the accelerator pedal sensor is configured to detect the speed at which the accelerator pedal is released;

and

the ECU is configured to revise the threshold value based the accelerator pedal release speed detected by the accelerator pedal sensor.

10. The passenger protection device of claim 9, wherein

the ECU is configured to revise the threshold value in such a manner that the faster the accelerator pedal release speed detected by the accelerator pedal sensor is, the lower the threshold value will become.

11. The passenger protection device of claim 1, wherein

the ECU is configured to lower the threshold value and expedite the inhibition of webbing extraction when it determines that a time interval between a timing of a release operation of the accelerator pedal detected by the accelerator pedal sensor and a timing of a depression operation of the brake pedal detected by the brake pedal sensor is equal to or less than a prescribed time interval.

12. The passenger protection device of claim 11, wherein

the ECU is configured to lower the threshold value in such a manner that the shorter the time interval between the timing of a release operation of the accelerator pedal detected by the accelerator pedal sensor and the timing of a depression operation of the brake pedal detected by the brake pedal sensor is, the earlier extraction of the webbing is inhibited.

13. The passenger protection device of claim 11, wherein the ECU is configured such that in order to determine the threshold value, it calculates the threshold value based on a higher order function of the time interval between the timing of a release operation of the accelerator pedal detected by the accelerator pedal sensor and the timing of a depression operation of the brake pedal detected by the brake pedal sensor.

14. The passenger protection device of claim 11, wherein

the ECU is configured such that in order to determine the threshold value, it calculates the threshold value based on a linear function of the time interval between the timing of a release operation of the accelerator pedal detected by the accelerator pedal sensor and the timing of a depression operation of the brake pedal detected by the brake pedal sensor.

15. The passenger protection device of claim 1, wherein

the brake pedal sensor is configured to detect the amount by which the brake pedal is depressed.

16. The passenger protection device of claim 1, wherein the retractor comprises an electric motor configured to provide mechanical power for winding the other end of the webbing, and

the ECU is configured to control the retracting operation by controlling the mechanical power delivered by the electric motor.

17. The passenger protection device of claim 1, wherein the brake pedal sensor is configured to detect the speed at which the brake pedal is depressed.

18. A passenger protection device, comprising:

a brake pedal sensor means for detecting an amount by which a brake pedal of a vehicle is operated, a timing at which a driver starts depressing the brake pedal and a speed at which the brake pedal is operated;

an accelerator pedal sensor means for detecting an amount by which an accelerator pedal of the vehicle is depressed, a timing at which the driver starts releasing the accelerator pedal and a speed at which the accelerator pedal is released;

a webbing means, one end of the webbing fixed to the vehicle, for restraining a passenger seated on a seat of the vehicle;

a retractor connected to a second end of the webbing, the retractor means for retracting the webbing and inhibiting webbing extraction, and

an electronic control unit means (ECU) electrically coupled to the brake pedal sensor, the ECU configured to detect the brake pedal operation amount and the brake pedal operation speed detected by the brake pedal, and the accelerator pedal amount and accelerator pedal speed detected by the accelerator pedal sensor, whereby a plurality of motor operation threshold values are determined in accordance with a pedal switch time, the ECU configured to determine the pedal switch time in accordance to the timing at which the driver starts releasing the accelerator pedal and the timing at which the driver starts depressing the brake pedal, the ECU configured to determine an emergency brake operation if the pedal switch time is less than a prescribed amount of time, wherein the ECU means changes a first motor operation threshold value to a second motor operation threshold value in which the webbing is retracted at a smaller brake operation amount than the first threshold value, which increases sensitivity of inhibition of extraction of the webbing, thereby enabling an emergency brake operation to be detected with a smaller depression amount of the brake pedal,

wherein the brake pedal operation amount is obtained based on brake pedal traveling distance detected by the brake pedal sensor, and the brake pedal operation speed is obtained based on brake pedal traveling speed detected by the brake pedal sensor, and

wherein the ECU is configured to determine an emergency brake operation and operate the retractor or webbing when at least the brake pedal amount exceeds the first motor operation threshold value and the brake pedal speed exceeds the first motor operation threshold value.