Methods and apparatus for determing seatbelt status

• US 10,399,697 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2018
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Pollard, Gerald, Fletcher, Joseph M.
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Kerri L
• Application Number:
  US15/987,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20180265215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• Field of Search: 340945
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/2569 Safety measures buckles for releasing in a vehicle emergency B60R22/32; control, alarm, or interlock systems for the correct application of safety belt buckles in vehicles B60R22/48
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0093 Aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01088 wireless
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4816 for sensing locking of buckle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4858 for sensing pressure on seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4866 Displaying or indicating arrangements thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/48 Control systems, alarms, or interlock systems, for the correct application of the belt or harness
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/062 Belts or other passenger restraint means for passenger seats
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for determining seatbelt status are disclosed. An example system includes a plurality of seats including seatbelts. Each of the seatbelts includes a sensor to detect a position of a respective seatbelt, the position including at least one of a fastened position or an unfastened position, and a transceiver to wirelessly communicate the position of the respective seatbelt. The system includes a remote monitoring unit to receive the positions of the seatbelts. The remote monitoring unit is to determine if one or more seats are occupied and, in response to determining that one or more seats are occupied, the remote monitoring unit is to display an overview the seats and the respective positions of the seatbelts for the one or more occupied seats.

Claims

1. A system including:

a plurality of seats including seatbelts, each of the seatbelts including;

a sensor to detect a position of a respective seatbelt, the position including at least one of a fastened position or an unfastened position; and

a transceiver to wirelessly communicate the position of the respective seatbelt; and

a buckle having a window to enable a wireless signal communication between the transceiver and a remote monitoring unit, the remote monitoring unit to receive the positions of the seatbelts to determine if one or more seats are occupied and, in response to determining that one or more seats are occupied, the remote monitoring unit is to display an overview the seats and the respective positions of the seatbelts for the one or more occupied seats.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote monitoring unit is to determine if one or more seats are unoccupied and, in response to determining that one or more seats are unoccupied, the remote monitoring unit is to display that the one or more seats are unoccupied.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the buckle defines a cavity to receive a tongue in the fastened position and a magnetically-responsive switch disposed in the cavity to detect the tongue when the seatbelt is in the fastened position.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the magnetically-responsive switch is a micro-reed relay, a reed switch, or a Hall-effect sensor.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the seats includes an audio unit.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote monitoring unit is to emit an audio alarm via a first audio unit if a first seat is occupied and a first seatbelt associated with the first seat is in the unfastened position.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote monitoring unit is to display the overview of the seats at a central location.

8. A method including:

sensing, via a sensor, a position signal of a seatbelt including at least one of a fastened position or an unfastened position; and

wirelessly communicating to a remote monitoring unit, via a transceiver, the position signal of the seatbelt via a window of a buckle associated with the seatbelt.

9. The method of claim 8, further including receiving, via the remote monitoring unit, the position signal of the seatbelt.

10. The method of claim 9, further including determining, via the remote monitoring unit, if the seat associated with the seatbelt is occupied based on the position signal.

11. The method of claim 10, further including emitting an audio alarm via an audio unit associated with the seat in response to determining that the seat is occupied, and the seatbelt associated with the seat is in the unfastened position.

12. The method of claim 11, further including displaying, via the remote monitoring unit, an overview the seat and the position signal of the seatbelt in response to determining that seat is occupied.

13. The method of claim 8, further including determining, via the remote monitoring unit, if the seat is unoccupied.

14. The method of claim 9, further including displaying, via the remote monitoring unit, that the seat is unoccupied.