Seat belt retractor, control method thereof, and seat belt device

• US 9,539,981 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2005
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Midorikawa, Yukinori
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, SANG K
• Application Number:
  US11/665,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20070295852A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,101 Days
• Field of Search: 242/374, 242/390.8, 242/390.9, 280/806, 280/807, 297475-478, 297/480
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4473 using an electric retraction device combined with a spring B60R2022/444, B60R2022/4466
• 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 seat belt retractor 100 includes stop state detecting means 118 which detects that a driving signal is not inputted to power generation means 110 and drawing-direction rotation detecting means 119 which detects that the power generation means 110 is rotating in a drawing-direction of a webbing 302. Here, a control means 200 controls the power generation means 110 to rotate in the drawing direction of the webbing 302, when the stop state detecting means 118 detects that the driving signal is not inputted to the power generation means 110 and the drawing-direction rotation detecting means 119 detects that the power generation means 110 is rotating in the drawing direction of the webbing 302.

Claims

1. A seat belt retractor comprising:

a spindle winding a webbing;

an electric motor which generates power for rotating the spindle in a desired direction;

a power transmission means including a clutch that enables transmission of the power of the electric motor to the spindle when the electric motor generates the power for rotating the spindle in a winding direction of the webbing, and also disables transmission of the power of the electric motor to the spindle when the electric motor generates a power in a direction opposite to the power for rotating the spindle in the winding direction;

a control means which drives and controls the electric motor; and

a drawing direction rotation detecting means which detects that the electric motor is rotating in a drawing direction of the webbing by measuring an electromotive force of the electric motor;

wherein the control means in the course of drawing the webbing is operative to control the electric motor to rotate in the drawing direction of the webbing to release the clutch of the power transmission means, when driving power is not supplied to the electric motor and the drawing direction detecting means detects an electromotive force of the electric motor, the electromotive force being generated by drawing of the webbing by manual operation.

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

a drawing preventing means which prevents the webbing from being drawn by stopping the rotation of the spindle in the drawing direction of the webbing, when a rotational acceleration of the spindle in the drawing direction of the webbing is a predetermined value or more, or when a deceleration of a vehicle is a predetermined value or more; and

a winding spring applying a torque in the winding direction of the webbing to the spindle.

3. A seat belt device having the seat belt retractor according to claim 1.

4. The seatbelt retractor of claim 1, wherein the control means is operable to rotate the electric motor only when the drawing direction rotation detection means detects an electromotive force of the electric motor.

5. A method of controlling a retractor comprising a spindle winding a webbing, an electric motor which generates power for rotating the spindle in a desired direction, and a power transmission means including a clutch that enables transmission of the power of the electric motor to the spindle when the electric motor generates the power for rotating the spindle in a winding direction of the webbing, and also disables transmission of the power of the electric motor to the spindle when the electric motor generates a power in a direction opposite to the power for rotating the spindle in the winding direction, the method comprising:

judging whether a connection between the spindle and the electric motor by the clutch of the power transmission means is released when the spindle rotates in a drawing direction of the webbing by detecting an electromotive force of the electric motor generated by drawing of the webbing by manual operation; and

controlling to drive the electric motor to rotate in the drawing direction of the webbing to release the clutch of the power transmission means when the connection by the clutch of the power transmission means is not released in the course of drawing the webbing.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein when it is detected that a driving signal is not inputted to the electric motor and it is detected that the electric motor is rotating in the drawing direction of the webbing, it is judged that the connection by the power transmission means is not released.

7. The seatbelt retractor of claim 5, wherein the control means is operable to rotate the electric motor only when the drawing direction rotation detection means detects an electromotive force of the electric motor.