EP1595760A1 - Device for signalling the fastening of safety belt - Google Patents

Abstract

The equipment comprises of, on a removable unit e.g. vehicle seat (13), a mirror (19), whose reflexibility can be modified by an event e.g. safety belt (18) fixation. The mirror is mounted to rotate under the action of the event. An instrument panel, a control unit and an optical module cluster (15) are fixed on a vehicle (10), and are controlled by the mirror to determine their reflexibility.

Description

The present invention arose from a signaling loopback problem of seat belt in a motor vehicle and more generally in any means of transporting persons, whether it be a car, a plane, or even a boat.

Such signage makes it possible to check from a monitoring station - this may be the driving position or steering position - that passengers have well fastened their seatbelt.

For this purpose, at the fastening of the belt on its mooring point, its buckle closes an electrical switch and an electrical signal signaling the event is transmitted on the dashboard (from the monitoring station) of the vehicle.

When the mooring points are located on the vehicle structure, either directly, or via fixed seats, the electrical signals can be transmitted by wire connection without mechanical connection intermediate.

In vehicles with high modularity, such as minivans, seats are often removable. The wired link can still be provided without Intermediate mechanical connection providing for the mooring of the belts directly on the vehicle structure, but with the disadvantage that the mooring remains apparent when the seats are removed.

To avoid this disadvantage, it can provide docking on the seats. himself then poses the problem of transmitting electrical signals from fastening of the belt between the mooring points on the seats and the structure of the vehicle. Provide electrical contacts on the fixing mechanism from a seat to the vehicle structure is not desirable because of the possible deterioration during assembly or disassembly of the seat.

We could also provide a radio frequency solution with a small radio transmitter on the seat and a receiver in the dashboard, just like tire pressure monitoring devices. But it's a heavy solution to implement and consume electricity due to the need for transmitters to send RF frames regularly. In addition, the matching of the seats acquired later would other problem just like the RF pollution of the seats of other vehicles.

The present invention proposes a simpler, more economical solution and more sure.

The plaintiff does not intend to limit her rights to the signage of the fastening of safety belts on board the means of transport of people, it will extend them to the signaling of any event that may arise on board any means of transport, people or goods, provided that they are not bulk goods, event likely to be triggered on a removable element of the medium such as attaching a seat belt to a seat detachable car, attaching a baby seat to a seat car, attaching a tarp to a pallet or container of a truck, wagon or barge ...

Thus, the present application relates to signaling equipment of the appearance of at least one event on a removable element of a means of transport, equipment characterized by the fact that it comprises, on the element removable, optical reflection means, whose reflexibility can be modified by the event and, on the means of transport, means of treatment commanded by the means of reflection to determine their reflexivity.

The optical solution of the invention, which does not require transmission periodic frame, is simple to implement and economic plan of the electricity consumption. It is without risk of interference between vehicles, if they are vehicles. Software management of the solution optical can be very simple.

In an interesting embodiment of the equipment of the invention, the optical means of reflection of the removable element are arranged to their reflexibility can be modified by several events, preferably in different ways respectively.

Thus, in the case of a motor vehicle, the information for fixing a baby seat and seat belt buckling information can be seized for the same removable seat concerned.

Advantageously, the reflexibility of the optical means of reflection of the removable element is modified by said event in a specific manner, thanks to which, the same event can cause, for two elements different detachable, two different reflections, which will allow the identification of the elements, in the case where several removable elements could be mounted on the same site as, for example, a seat and a table.

In the preferred embodiment of the signaling equipment, said removable element is a vehicle seat and said event is the attachment a seat belt.

The optical means of reflection of the removable element comprise preferably a rotatably mounted mirror under the action of the event, the element removable device further comprising means for detecting the appearance of the event arranged to control means for controlling an engine drive rotation of the mirror.

Advantageously, the mirror is arranged to be driven in rotation of one to another of two stable positions, including one associated with said event.

More preferably, the means for treating the means of transport comprise at least one optical module, comprising a source light and a photodiode, a control box controlled by the optical module and a display controlled by the control box.

More preferably, the processing means comprise a cluster optical modules of a plurality of removable elements connected to the housing control.

• la figure 1 représente un plan schématique de la disposition des sièges d'un véhicule et l'équipement de signalisation de fixation des ceintures de sécurité de ces sièges selon l'invention ;
• la figure 2 représente les moyens optiques de réflexion et les moyens de détection de fixation de ceinture de sécurité de l'équipement de la figure 1, quand la ceinture n'est pas fixée et
• la figure 3 représente les moyens de la figure 2 quand la ceinture est fixée.

The invention will be better understood with the aid of the following description of the signaling equipment of the invention, in the case of fastening seat belts on board a motor vehicle, with reference to the appended drawing in which

• FIG. 1 represents a schematic plan of the arrangement of the seats of a vehicle and the signaling equipment for fastening the seat belts of these seats according to the invention;
• FIG. 2 represents the optical reflection means and the seat belt fastening detection means of the equipment of FIG. 1, when the belt is not fixed and
• Figure 3 shows the means of Figure 2 when the belt is fixed.

Referring to Figure 1, a vehicle 10 has removable seats 13, here at the number of five, a dashboard 11 that can display belt information not fastened, or fixed, delivered by a box of control 12 via a data bus 14 'of a signaling equipment 1.

The control box 12 itself receives this information via a network 14 "of electrical connections from a cluster of optical modules 15, one by seat, these modules being integrated into the structure of the vehicle, as it will be explained later. The optical modules 15, the control box 12 and the dashboard 11, in its display function, constitute a chain of treatment.

With regard to each of the optical modules 15, but integrated with each of the seats 13, there is provided a reflection module 17 connected to the point mooring 16 of the seat belt 13 considered.

Each reflection module 17, with reference to FIG. 2, comprises a mirror 19, rotatable about an axis 178, a circuit 161, 177 of detecting the attachment of the belt, a battery 171, a motor 179, of axis 178, for rotating the mirror and an electronic circuit 170 of control of the engine 179 controlled by the detection circuit 161, 177.

The mirror 19 here comprises a flexible blade 190 which can flex sufficient, under the action of the engine 179, to be inserted into a 173 position holding fork, according to a so-called stable position "looped" B, or to be taken out, according to another stable position "no looped "NB.

In the position B (FIG. 3), the mirror 19 is held by the fork 173, and in the NB position (Figure 2), it is held by one of the outer edges of the fork 173 and by a stop 174 opposite the fork 173 relative to the axis 178.

The battery 171 supplies the electronic circuit 177 via a switch 160, self-holding 161, in the docking point 16 of the Buckle 18 of the seat belt (Figure 3). The self-sustaining 161 allows to maintain the power supply of the electronic circuit 177 at the break of food. He is cut on command of this same circuit.

Each optical module 15 is integrated with the structure of the vehicle 10, by example in the floor 20, protected by a transparent wall 21, but anyway compared to the associated mirror 19, and includes a circuit 150 light transceiver with a transmitter circuit 151, here a diode emitting photo (LED) of light rays 154, incidents on the mirror 19, and a circuit 152 receiver of reflected light rays 155 ', here a diode photosensitive, arranged to receive the light rays only when the mirror 19 is in position B, as in FIG.

One can also provide a second circuit 153 receiver ray light reflecting 155 ", of the same type as the first, arranged to receive the light rays only when the mirror 19 is in the position NB, as in Figure 2.

When they capture 155 'or 155' light rays, the receiver circuits 152 and 153 deliver electrical signals to an electronic interface of processing 120 connected to the network 14 "which formats and transmits the information corresponding to the control box 12. The housing of control 12 then develops the information to display on the dashboard 11.

The operation will now be explained in more detail.

When a seat 13 is removed, there is no mirror 19 next to the module optical 15 and 155 'and 155 "spokes do not exist. that can be picked up by any receivers 152 and 153, the absence of the seat 13 is detected by the control box 12 and may be indicated on the dashboard 11.

When a passenger attaches his seat belt to a seat 13 (Figure 3), the buckle 18 of the belt closes the switch 160. The electronic circuit 177 is powered and controls the control circuit 170 to drive the motor 179 to rotate the mirror 19 about its axis 178, sufficiently to engage the flexible blade 190 in the fork 173, i.e. tilt it at an angle α, and arrange the mirror 19 in the position "curly" B.

The incident rays 154 are reflected according to the rays 155 'which are captured by the receiver 152. The event "belt buckle" is detected by the control box 12 and can be indicated on the dashboard 11.

As soon as the position B is reached, the engine 179 is no longer powered, either that the electronic circuit 177 controls the motor 179 only on a time limit, that a contact end of the mirror 19 gives him the order, or that the engine cuts its own power at the end of a determined rotation α of its axis 178.

Conversely, when the passenger detaches his belt, buckle 18 opens the switch 160, as shown in Figure 2. The electronic circuit 177 is powered by self-sustaining 161, but detects self-sustaining action and accordingly controls the engine 179 to tilt the mirror 19 around of its axis 178, enough to clear the flexible blade 190 out of the fork 173 and put the mirror 19 against the abutment 174, that is to say for tilt it at an angle α and arrange the mirror 19 in the "no" position. looped "NB.

The incident rays 154 are reflected according to the radii 155 "which are received by the receiver 153. The event "belt not buckled" is detected by the control box 12 and can be indicated on the dashboard 11.

As soon as the NB position is reached, the motor 179 is no longer powered, either that the electronic circuit 177 controls the motor 179 only on a time limit, that a contact end of the mirror 19 gives him the order, or that the engine cuts its own power at the end of a rotation - α of its axis 178. Then the self-sustaining 161 is cut off, which disconnects the power supply from the control circuit 177.

The mirror 19 is therefore controlled to be rotated from one to the other of two stable positions one B, associated with the event "belt attached, "the other NB, to the reverse event.

The concept can be extended to several detections, for example the presence baby seat, adult / child presence or low / high load, etc. also apply it to a differential detection of different equipment likely to be mounted in place of the seat 13 in the vehicle 10. It just multiply the angular positions of the mirror 19.

In other words, the invention applies to any event signaling to transmit from a removable furniture 13 of vehicle to a table 11, the furniture modifying the reflectivity of the reflective member 17 depending on the event and the vehicle having an optical module 15 to capture this reflectivity.

Claims (10)

Equipment for signaling the occurrence of at least one event on a removable element (13) of a transport means (10), characterized in that it comprises, on the removable element (13), optical reflection means (19), the reflectivity of which can be modified by the event and, on the transport means (10), processing means (15, 12, 11) controlled by the reflection means (19) for determine their reflexibility. Signaling equipment according to claim 1, wherein the optical reflection means (19) of the removable element (13) are arranged so that their reflexibility can be modified by several events. Signaling equipment according to claim 2, wherein the optical reflection means (19) of the removable element (13) are arranged so that their reflexibility can be modified by several events of respectively different ways. Signaling equipment according to one of Claims 1 to 3, in which the reflexibility of the optical means of reflection (19) of the element removable (13) is modified by said event in a specific manner. Signaling equipment according to one of Claims 1 to 4, in which said removable element is a vehicle seat (13) and said event is the fastening of a seat belt (18). Signaling equipment according to one of Claims 1 to 5, in which optical reflection means of the removable element (13) comprise a mirror (19) rotatably mounted under the action of the event. Signaling equipment according to one of Claims 1 to 6, in which the removable element (13) further comprises means (160, 161, 177) for detecting the appearance of the event arranged to control means (170) for controlling a motor (179) for rotating drive mirror (19). Equipment according to one of claims 6 and 7, wherein the mirror (19) is arranged to be rotated from one to the other of two stable positions, including one associated with the event. Equipment according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the means processing means (10) comprise at least one module optical system (15) comprising a light source (151) and a photodiode (152), a control box (12) controlled by the optical module (15) and a display (11) controlled by the control box (12). Equipment according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the processing means comprise a cluster of optical modules (15) of a plurality of removable elements (13) connected to the control box 12.

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