JP2002079910A - Warning device and method for seat belt - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a warning device for seat belt with simple constitution which is capable of warning that a seat belt an occupant is wearing is released and restraining an unnecessary warning. SOLUTION: This warning device for seat belt comprises: a seat belt device 1; a control unit 4 which recognizes whether or not the seat belt device 1 is worn; and a memory unit 3 in which predetermined information is stored by the control unit 4. The control unit 4 comprises: a door open/close recognition function for recognizing opening/closing of the door; an initial wearing information storing function for storing the information whether or not the seat belt device 1 is worn when a predetermined door is closed; a wearing information update storing function for updating and storing to the memory unit 3 the wearing information when the seat belt device 1 is worn; and a notifying control function for notifying the wearing information with respect to a not-wearing to the occupant when the seat belt device 1 is changed from a worn state to a not-worn state based on the wearing information stored in the memory unit 3 whether or not the seat belt device 1 is worn.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an alarm device and a method for a seat belt, and more particularly, to an alarm device and a method for a seat belt that warns when a seat belt comes off after wearing the seat belt.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A seat belt provided on a seat of an automobile is designed so that, when the automobile is in a traffic accident, for example, a collision accident, a person riding the automobile hits his / her head against a wall inside the automobile. , Being thrown out of the car by the force of collision,
It has the function of suppressing inconvenience. Failure to wear such a seatbelt often results in an accident.

[0003] Therefore, the seat belt must be worn when the automobile is running, and from the above viewpoint, when the user sits on the front seat,
Seat belts are mandatory.

[0004] For this reason, conventionally, there has been known a device which has a monitor lamp for confirming the seat belt wearing in the driver's seat and which can display the state of the seat belt in the driver's seat regardless of the state of the vehicle. I have. Thereby, when the driver does not wear the seat belt, the driver is warned of the fact and is urged to wear the seat belt.

[0005] In this case, however, only the driver's seat cannot be displayed for other seats. Therefore,
If an occupant other than the driver does not notice that the seat belt is detached and encounters an accident such as a collision, there is a possibility that the occupant may be thrown out of the vehicle. More specifically, there is a case where a child's mischief or luggage hits the vehicle during traveling, and the seat belt is disengaged without knowing it.

For this reason, JP-A-52-31423, JP-A-63-192640, and JP-A-8-24
There is known an apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9564, which can confirm the wearing state of all seat belts. Thereby, the state of all the seat belts can be checked even during traveling.

[0007]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, the entire apparatus is large, such as requiring a seat switch for detecting that an occupant is seated, or providing a weight sensor for each seat. Become. For this reason, there is a problem that the production cost is increased due to the complexity of the apparatus.

When the occupant is seated by using the weight sensor, when a heavy load is placed on the vehicle, or when a driver or a pregnant woman cannot use a seat belt when traveling backwards. Also, when a passenger gets on the vehicle, the seating detection device detects the detection and warns the user to use the seat belt.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to improve the disadvantages of the prior art, and in particular, to provide a simple configuration to warn that a seat belt that has been worn has come off, and to suppress unnecessary warnings. It is an object of the present invention to provide an alarm device and a method for a seat belt which can perform the following.

[0010]

Therefore, according to the present invention, there is provided a seat belt device provided on a predetermined seat of an automobile,
The control unit includes a control unit that recognizes whether or not the seat belt device is worn based on information from the seat belt device, and a storage unit that stores predetermined information by the control unit. Then, the control unit determines whether or not the seat belt device is worn when the predetermined door is closed, and a door opening / closing recognition function that recognizes opening / closing of the predetermined door based on information from the predetermined door of the automobile. A wear initial information storage function for storing wear information in a storage unit, and wear information for updating and storing in the storage unit the wear information relating to wearing of the seat belt device when the seat belt device is worn after a predetermined door is closed. An update storage function and, when the seatbelt device changes from a worn state to an unworn state based on the wearing information stored as to whether or not the seatbelt device is stored in the storage unit of the seatbelt device, the occupant's unworn wearing information. And a notification control function for notifying the user.

Here, "information from the seat belt device"
Is preferably an electric signal indicating whether or not the seat belt device is worn. Similarly, the “information from the door” is desirably an electric signal indicating whether the door is opened or closed.

With the above configuration, first, when a predetermined door is closed, whether or not a seat belt is worn by a predetermined seat is stored in the storage unit. Then, even when the seatbelt is subsequently worn, the above information is additionally stored in the storage unit. Thereby, when the seat belt is worn on the seat where the occupant is, information on the wearing of the seat belt is stored in the storage unit. That is, when there is an occupant and the seat belt is not used (when pregnant women cannot wear the seat belt)
Does not store information that it is worn. Then, based on the stored information, when it is detected that the seatbelt has been removed from the seat in which the seatbelt is stored, the occupant is notified that the seatbelt has been removed. Therefore, the occupant can immediately confirm the detached seat belt and suppress the danger by wearing the seat belt again, and is not warned to the occupant who cannot use the seat belt even if there is an occupant in the seat, Unnecessary warnings can be suppressed.

A panel provided in advance in the driver's seat of the vehicle is provided with a wear information display screen, and a notification control function is operated to display the wear information relating to seat belt non-wear on the wear information display screen. Is also good. The “panel unit” is a screen on which instruments such as a speedometer that can be seen by a driver are displayed. With the above configuration, the driver always sees that the seat belt has been released on the panel that the driver always sees, so the driver can immediately recognize that the vehicle is in a dangerous state, confirm the removed seat belt, You can take measures such as wearing it again.

Further, the vehicle is provided with a warning sound generating means for generating a predetermined warning sound, and a notification control function is operated, the warning sound generating means generates a warning sound and notifies the user of wearing information regarding seat belt non-wearing. You may do so. Thereby, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

Further, the predetermined seat provided with the seatbelt device for recognizing whether or not to wear is preferably a driver's seat and a passenger's seat, or all seats including a rear seat. Then, the notification control function may be activated to notify the wearing information of the non-wearing of each seat. Thereby, even if there is an occupant in any of the seats, it is possible to recognize a dangerous state in which the seat belt has come off, and to take immediate action.

It is preferable that the control unit has a storage unit initialization function for initializing the storage contents of the storage unit when a predetermined door is opened. By initializing the storage unit when a predetermined door such as the driver's seat is opened, the seatbelt wearing information so far can be deleted, and future wearing information can be stored in the area where the information is stored. it can. Therefore, unnecessary information is deleted every time the door is opened, so that the capacity of the storage unit can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

Also, a wear initial information storage function, or
The storage unit initialization function may be activated when the driver's seat door is closed or opened. By processing the information in the storage unit based on the opening and closing of the driver's seat door, that is, one specific door, the processing steps can be simplified.

In addition, a notification stop operation section for stopping the operation of the notification control function when the notification control function is activated near the driver's seat of the automobile and the driver is notified of the wearing information regarding the non-wearing of the seat belt. It is desirable to have. Thereby, for example, when the seat belt is intentionally released, such as when the vehicle is traveling backward, the warning can be stopped by operating the notification stop operation unit.

The present invention also provides a seat belt wearing recognition step of, when a predetermined door of a motor vehicle is closed, a control unit determining whether or not a seat belt device provided on a predetermined seat of the motor vehicle is worn. And a wearing initial information storing step of storing the wearing information on whether or not the user wears the seat belt device, and when the seat belt device is worn after the predetermined door is closed, the user wears the seat belt device. A wear information update storage step of updating and storing wear information in the storage unit; and a non-wear state from a wear state based on the wear information related to whether the seat belt device is worn or not stored in the storage unit of the seat belt device. And a notification control step of notifying the driver of wearing information relating to non-wearing when the state is changed to another.

With this configuration, the above-mentioned object is achieved in the same manner as the above-described alarm device for a seat belt.

[0021]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the alarm device for a seat belt according to the present invention. This alarm device for a seatbelt is a control for recognizing a seatbelt device 1 provided on a predetermined seat of an automobile and whether or not the seatbelt device 1 is worn based on information from the seatbelt device 1. The control unit 4 includes a storage unit 3 in which predetermined information is stored. The control unit 4 is further connected with the door device 2, the wear information display screen 5, and the alarm cancel switch 6.

Hereinafter, this will be described in detail.

The seat belt device 1 comprises a webbing for restraining an occupant in a seat, a winding mechanism for winding the webbing, and a seat belt engaging mechanism for engaging a buckle provided at the tip of the webbing. Or 6-point seat belt. The take-up mechanism is provided with an emergency lock mechanism that prevents the webbing from being pulled out only when a speed change corresponding to a vehicle collision occurs. However, the seat belt device 1 is not limited to the above configuration.

Referring to FIG. 1, the seat belt device 1
Are electrically connected to the control unit 4. In particular,
The above-mentioned seat belt engaging mechanism is connected to the control unit 4, and when the buckle at the leading end of the webbing is engaged with the seat belt engaging mechanism, that is, when the seat belt is worn, the control unit 4 A signal indicating that the seatbelt device 1 is worn. However,
The seatbelt device 1 is not limited to transmitting a signal to that effect when the seatbelt is worn as described above, and may be configured to transmit a signal when the seatbelt is not worn. That is, the seatbelt device 1 only needs to have a configuration that issues information that allows the control unit 4 to recognize that the seatbelt is worn. The seatbelt device 1 is desirably provided in front seats (driver and passenger seats) or all seats (including rear seats).

The control section 4 is constituted by a CPU and has a predetermined information processing capability. This control unit 4
Is provided in the seat belt device 1. However, the installation location is not particularly limited, and a CPU provided in advance for performing electrical control of another device may be used.

The door device 2 transmits a signal based on the open / closed state of the door device 2 to the control unit 4 in the same manner as the seat belt device 1 described above. That is,
The control unit 4 can recognize the opening and closing of the door. Specifically, when the door is closed or opened, the door device 2 transmits a signal indicating the fact to the control unit 4. The storage state of the seat belt device 1 is stored in the storage unit 3 based on the open / close state of the door device 2.

The storage section 3 is formed of a memory such as an EEPROM having a predetermined storage capacity. The storage unit 3 is provided in the seat belt device 1 similarly to the control unit 4 described above.

The wear information display screen 5 is built in a panel for displaying a speedometer and the like provided in the driver's seat in advance. The wearing information display screen 5 is a screen for displaying that a predetermined seat belt is detached. As shown in FIG. 2, a display for each sheet is formed on this screen, and is displayed for each sheet. For example, when the seat belt is released from the seat belt, the display of the seat is turned on to warn the driver or the like that the seat belt has been released. However, the wear information display screen 5 is not limited to the one displayed on the panel portion of the driver's seat. It may be provided at a place where the occupant of each seat can see. Alternatively, one display screen may be used. In this case, if any of the seat belts comes off, the light may be turned on.
That is, the display screen 5 only needs to be able to grasp the wearing state of the seat belt, and thus may be a lighting display using one LED or the like.

The alarm cancel switch 6 is a switch as a notification stop operation unit for stopping the display when the wear information display screen 5 is notified of the wear information regarding the non-wearing of the seat belt. The alarm cancel switch 6 is desirably provided near the driver's seat of the automobile. Thus, for example, when the driver removes the seatbelt for back traveling, it is displayed (warned) that the seatbelt has been removed, but in such a case, it is not necessary to use the seatbelt. meaningless. Therefore, by operating the warning cancel switch 6, an unnecessary warning that the seat belt has been released can be stopped. This switch 6 is very effective when the notification means that the seat belt is released is a warning sound, as described later.

Here, the function of the control unit 4 will be described. A program for functioning as described later is stored in the control unit 4 in advance.

The controller 4 has a function of recognizing whether or not the seat belt device 1 is worn (a function of recognizing a seat belt wearing state). The seat belt wearing state recognition function recognizes whether or not the user wears the seat belt based on the information from the seat belt device 1 described above.

The control section 4 has a door opening / closing recognition function for recognizing opening / closing of a predetermined door based on information from a predetermined door of the automobile. With this door open / close recognition function,
When it is determined that the door is closed, the wear information relating to whether or not the seat belt device 1 is worn is stored in the storage unit 3 (wearing initial information storage function). This initial wear information storage function may be activated when the door of each seat is closed, but is desirably activated when the door of the driver's seat is closed. Thereby, since the recognition and storage of the seat belt wearing state are performed in accordance with the opening and closing operation of one door, the processing steps can be simplified without complicating the recognition and storage processing.

Further, when the seat belt device 1 is worn after a predetermined door is closed, the control unit 4 updates and stores, in the storage unit 3, wearing information relating to the wearing of the seat belt device. Has functions. Thereby, even if the occupant who should wear the seatbelt when the predetermined door is closed is not wearing the seatbelt, if the occupant wears the seatbelt before the start of traveling, the seat The storage unit 3 stores that the seat belt is worn.

The control unit 4 controls the seat belt device 1
Is always recognized, and when the seat belt is released, that is, the seat belt device 1 is not worn from the worn state based on the wearing information stored in the storage unit 3 of the seat belt device 1 on whether or not the seat belt is worn. When the state is changed, the driver is notified of wearing information relating to non-wearing (notification control function).

For example, when the passenger's seat belt is worn during running, the above-mentioned initial wearing information storage function,
Alternatively, information indicating that the seat belt of the front passenger seat is worn is stored in the storage unit 3 by the wear information update storage function. When the seat belt of the passenger seat is released during traveling, information indicating that the seat belt is released is transmitted from the seat belt device 1 of the passenger seat. This information, that is, the fact that the passenger's seat belt has been released is recognized by the control unit 4 (seat belt wearing state recognition function). Thereafter, the notification control function warns the driver that the seat belt has been released.

It is desirable that the notification control function displays the seat belt non-wearing information on the above-mentioned wearing information display screen 5, that is, a warning that the seat belt has been removed. At this time, a warning is issued by blinking the display lamp for each sheet. As a result, the driver can instantly recognize that one of the seat belts has come off, stop the vehicle, confirm that the seat belt of the seat that has been warned has come off, and Can be taken again.

The notification control function may warn the driver or the like that the seat belt has been removed by a warning sound. That is, a warning sound generating means for generating a warning sound may be provided in the automobile, and the warning sound generating means may be connected to the control unit 4. Thus, when the seat belt is worn and the seat belt is released, the control unit 4 issues a warning sound generation command to the warning sound generation means to generate a warning sound, and the occupant is notified that the seat belt has been released. Can be recognized.

Here, it is desirable that the control section 4 has a storage section initialization function for initializing the contents of the storage section 3 when a predetermined door is opened. That is, when a predetermined door, preferably a driver's seat door is opened, the seat belt information stored in the storage unit 3 so far is deleted. As a result, the driver's seat door is opened when the car is stopped, and the information so far may be deleted. This is because the door is always closed before the next traveling, and the wearing state is stored by the wearing initial information storing function or the wearing information storing function. Therefore, since the information in the storage unit is reset every time the door is opened, the storage unit 3 described above has only to have a capacity capable of storing one-time wear information, and thus the storage unit 3 has a small capacity. And manufacturing costs can be reduced.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the outline of the operation of this embodiment.

First, an occupant gets on the vehicle and the door is closed (step S1). And when the door is closed,
The wearing state of each seat belt is recognized (Step S)
2. Seat belt wearing recognition process).

Next, the recognized wearing state of the seat belt of each seat is stored in the storage unit 3 (step S3,
Wearing initial information storage step). At this time, even if there is a seat that does not wear a seatbelt, if the seatbelt is subsequently worn on the seat, the wear information on the seat is updated and recorded in the storage unit 3 (Step S).
4. Wear information update storage step).

Thereafter, when the seat belt is released during traveling or the like, the driver is warned that the seat belt has been released (step S5, notification control step).

Hereinafter, the above operation will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

First, the driver's seat door is opened and closed when the user gets on the vehicle (step S11). When the door of the driver's seat is opened, the storage unit 3 (memory) is initialized (step S12). When the door is closed, the seat belt wearing state recognition function is used to fasten the seat belt of each seat. The state is recognized (seat belt wearing recognition function). At this time,
Information on the wearing state of the seat belt is stored in the storage unit 3 (step S13, initial wearing information storage function).

Thereafter, that is, when the seat belt is newly worn after the driver's seat door is closed (step S14), the new seat belt is stored in the storage unit 3 by the wear information storage / update function. The seat belt wearing information for the seat on which is worn is updated and stored. Therefore,
After the door of the driver's seat is closed, information indicating that the seat belt is worn is stored in the control unit 3 for the seat where the seat belt is worn (step S1).
5). When the seat belt is not newly worn (step S14), there is no need to update.

After the door of the driver's seat is closed, if the seat belt comes off due to a child's mischief or the impact of an object (for example, during running) (step S1).
6) The driver is notified (warned) by the notification control function that the seat belt has been released (step S17).

At this time, a warning that the seat belt has been released is given by a warning sound by a warning sound generating means. That is, when the seat belt is released during traveling or the like as described above, a warning sound sounds inside the vehicle.
If the seat belt does not come off (step S1)
6) It is possible to continue running.

When the warning sound is sounded, the warning sound is stopped by pressing the alarm cancel switch 6 which is the notification stop operation section (step S18).
For example, when it is necessary to carry out a reverse run to enter a garage, the seat belt is an obstacle, and the driver intentionally removes the seat belt. In such a case, a warning sound is unnecessary, and if a warning sound indicating that the seat belt has been released continues to be heard, driving will be hindered. Therefore, when the driver presses the warning cancel switch 6, the warning sound due to the removal of the seat belt can be stopped.

Further, when the alarm cancel switch 6 is not pressed, the warning sound may be stopped when the detached seat belt is worn again (step S19) (step S20). In other words, the warning indicates that the seat belt has come off and is in a dangerous state,
This is because if such a dangerous state is avoided by re-wearing the detached seat belt, no warning is required.

Further, the warning sound may be stopped by opening the driver's seat door without re-wearing. When the driver's seat door is opened, there is a high possibility that the vehicle is stopped, and in such a case, there is no need to issue a warning.

[0053]

As described above, according to the alarm device for a seat belt of the present invention, a control section for recognizing whether or not the seat belt apparatus is worn, and predetermined information is stored in the control section. A control unit, wherein the control unit recognizes opening and closing of the door, a door opening / closing recognition function, and a wearing initial information storing function of storing wearing information of the seat belt device in the storage unit when a predetermined door is closed, Thereafter, when the seatbelt device is newly worn, the wear information is updated and stored in the storage unit, and the occupant is determined when the seatbelt device is determined to be released based on the wear information stored in the storage unit. A notification control function for notifying the user that the seat belt has been removed, so that the control unit can open and close the door and warn by recognizing that the user has not worn the seat belt. As a result, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost by realizing with a configuration conventionally used and a simple configuration, and to remove the seat belt worn when the door is closed or the seat belt worn thereafter. Warning is given to the occupant, and no warning is given to a seat without an occupant, or to a seat on which a occupant who cannot wear a seatbelt such as a pregnant woman is on board. This has an unprecedented excellent effect that unnecessary warnings can be suppressed so as not to be caused.

A case in which a wearing information display screen is provided on a panel portion provided in advance in the driver's seat of an automobile, and a notification control function is operated to display wearing information relating to seat belt non-wearing on the wearing information display screen. By displaying the fact that the seat belt has been removed on the panel that the driver always sees, the driver can immediately recognize that the vehicle is in a dangerous state, and furthermore, the seat belt information of each seat can be obtained. By displaying, it is possible to instantly recognize which of the sheets is in a dangerous state, to take measures such as wearing it again, and to suppress the dangerous state.

When the control unit has a storage unit initialization function for initializing the storage contents of the storage unit when a predetermined door is opened, when the door is opened, the vehicle is stopped. Therefore, the seatbelt wearing information thus far is unnecessary, the information is deleted, and new seatbelt information can be stored by closing the door in this initialized area. The capacity can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced.

Also, a wear initial information storage function, or
If the memory initialization function is activated when the driver's door is closed or opened, it is based on the opening and closing of a specific door, the driver's door that is most relevant to the driving of the car. By performing the information processing in the storage unit, the processing steps can be simplified.

Further, when a notification stop operation unit for stopping the warning is provided when a warning is issued, the notification stop operation unit is operated when the seat belt is intentionally removed such as when the vehicle is traveling backward. Thus, the warning can be stopped, and an unnecessary warning, that is, a warning that hinders driving can be frequently given.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a wear information display screen disclosed in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an outline of the operation of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing details of the operation of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 seat belt device 2 door device 3 storage unit 4 control unit 5 wear information display screen 6 alarm cancel switch (notification stop operation unit)

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A seat belt device provided on a predetermined seat of an automobile, a control unit for recognizing whether or not the seat belt device is worn based on information from the seat belt device; A storage unit in which predetermined information is stored, wherein the control unit recognizes opening and closing of the predetermined door based on information from a predetermined door of the vehicle; When the seatbelt device is closed, when the seatbelt device is worn after the predetermined door is closed, a wear initial information storage function of storing the wear information related to whether or not the seatbelt device is worn in the storage unit. A wear information update storage function for updating and storing the wear information relating to the wearing of the seat belt device in the storage unit, and the seat belt device in the storage unit of the seat belt device. A notification control function of notifying the occupant of the wearing information related to the non-wearing of the seat belt when the state changes from the wearing state to the non-wearing state based on the wearing information related to the remembered wearing or not. Alarm device for seat belt. 2. A wearing information display screen is provided on a panel portion provided in advance in a driver's seat of the automobile, and the notification control function is activated, and the wearing information display screen displays the wearing information relating to the seat belt non-wearing. The alarm device for a seat belt according to claim 1, wherein the warning is displayed. 3. A warning sound generating means for generating a predetermined warning sound is provided in the vehicle, and the notification control function is activated, the warning sound generating means generates a warning sound, and the seat belt is not worn. 3. The alarm device for a seat belt according to claim 1, wherein information is notified. 4. The seat belt for a seat belt according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined seat provided with the seat belt device for recognizing whether or not to wear is a driver's seat and a front passenger seat. Alarm device 5. The alarm device for a seat belt according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined seat provided with the seat belt device for recognizing whether or not the user wears the vehicle includes a rear seat. 6. The seatbelt alarm device according to claim 4, wherein the notification control function is activated to notify the user of the wearing information on the non-wearing state of each seat. 7. The alarm device for a seat belt according to claim 1, wherein the initial wear information storage function is activated when a driver's seat door is closed. 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit has a storage unit initializing function for initializing the storage contents of said storage unit when said predetermined door is opened. 4,
The alarm device for a seat belt according to claim 5, 6, or 7. 9. The alarm device for a seat belt according to claim 8, wherein the storage unit initialization function is activated when a driver's seat door is opened. 10. A notification stop operation for stopping the operation of the notification control function when the notification control function is activated near the driver's seat of the vehicle and the driver is notified of the wearing information relating to seatbelt non-wearing. The alarm device for a seat belt according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 10. 11. A seatbelt recognizing step for recognizing whether or not a seatbelt device provided on a predetermined seat of the vehicle is worn when a predetermined door of the vehicle is closed, and the wearing of the seatbelt. A wear initial information storing step of storing whether or not the wear information is stored in the storage unit; and, when the seat belt device is worn after the predetermined door is closed, the wear information related to wearing of the seat belt device. A wear information update storage step of updating and storing in the storage unit, and the seat belt device has changed from a worn state to an unworn state based on the wear information related to whether or not the seat belt device is worn stored in the storage unit of the seat belt device. A notification control step of notifying the driver of wearing information relating to non-wearing in the case.