JP2007106355A - Seat belt device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a seat belt device capable of maintaining the oppression feeling applied from a webbing in a desired range corresponding to the seat position, the physique of a seated person and the change in posture. <P>SOLUTION: The angle of inclination of a shoulder anchor 34 is detected by an angle detection sensor 40, and the vertical position of a vehicular seat 12 is detected by a vertical position sensor 24. The winding force of a webbing 26 by a motor 30 of a retractor 28 is controlled by a motor control device 32 according to information from these sensors so that the oppression feeling given to a seated person 90 is in a predetermined range. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a seat belt device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a configuration for reducing the feeling of pressure of a seat belt webbing acting on a seat occupant has been proposed.

  For example, Patent Document 1 describes an on-vehicle posture control device that controls the amount of webbing slack based on the position of a seat to reduce the feeling of pressure on a seated person.

However, only by controlling the amount of slack of the webbing based on the seat position, it is not possible to control the amount of slack corresponding to the physique or posture change of the seated person.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-80444

  In view of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to obtain a seat belt device capable of maintaining a feeling of pressure applied from a webbing within a desired range in response to a change in seat position, seated person's physique, and posture.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the webbing that is worn by a seat occupant, the retractor that winds up the webbing, the tension detection unit that detects the tension of the webbing, and the detection result of the tension detection unit are used. Control means for controlling to change the winding state of the webbing by the retractor.

  In this seat belt device, the tension of the webbing is detected by the tension detecting means. And a control means changes the winding state of the webbing by a retractor based on this detection result. The “winding state” means, for example, positively winding the webbing or reducing the winding force to reduce the webbing tension. The webbing tension changes not only in the seat position but also in response to changes in the seated person's physique and posture. As a result, the webbing acts on the seater in response to changes in the seat position, seated person's physique and posture. It is possible to maintain a feeling of pressure within a desired range.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, a holding portion that folds and holds the webbing so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the webbing is provided, and at least the holding portion is movable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The tension detecting means is a holding position detecting means for detecting the tension of the webbing by detecting the position of the holding portion.

  In other words, the webbing is folded back by the holding part of the holding member and held so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction. Change. Accordingly, in response to this, the winding state of the webbing by the retractor is changed, and the feeling of pressure acting on the seated person from the webbing can be maintained within a desired range. Since the webbing tension can be detected by the position of the holding portion of the holding member, the structure can be simplified.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises a sheet vertical position detecting means for detecting the vertical position of the sheet, and the control means detects the sheet vertical position. The winding state of the webbing by the retractor can be changed based on the detection result by the means.

  In this way, by detecting the vertical position of the seat by the seat vertical position detecting means and changing the winding state of the webbing by the retractor based on the detection result, a feeling of pressure acting on the seated person from the webbing is desired. Can be maintained more accurately within the range.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises a sheet front-rear position detecting unit that detects a front-rear position of the sheet, and the control unit includes: The webbing winding state by the retractor can be changed based on a detection result by the sheet front-rear position detection unit.

  In this way, by detecting the front / rear position of the seat by the seat front / rear position detecting means and changing the winding state of the webbing by the retractor based on the detection result, a feeling of pressure acting on the seated person from the webbing is desired. Can be maintained more accurately within the range.

  The invention according to claim 5 further comprises reclining angle detection means for detecting a reclining angle of the seat in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control means includes the control means, The winding state of the webbing by the retractor can be changed based on the detection result by the reclining angle detection means.

  Thus, the reclining angle of the seat is detected by the reclining angle detection means, and the winding state of the webbing by the retractor is changed on the basis of the detection result, so that a feeling of pressure acting on the seated person from the webbing is desired. It can be maintained more accurately within the range.

  In the second to fifth aspects of the invention, the specific configuration that enables the holding portion of the holding member to move in the vehicle front-rear direction is not particularly limited. For example, the holding member slides in the vehicle front-rear direction as a whole. However, as described in claim 6, when the holding member is configured to rotate around a center line having a vehicle width direction component, the holding portion can be moved in the vehicle front-rear direction. The holding portion can be moved in the vehicle front-rear direction with a simple configuration.

  Since the present invention is configured as described above, it is possible to maintain the feeling of pressure acting from the webbing in a desired range in response to changes in seat position, seated person's physique, and posture.

  FIG. 1 shows a seat belt device 22 according to a first embodiment of the present invention and a vehicle seat 12 provided corresponding to the seat belt device 22. In the figure, arrow FR indicates the front of the vehicle, and arrow UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle.

  The vehicle seat 12 includes a seat cushion 14, a seat back 16, and a headrest 18. The seat cushion 14 is movable in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction by operating an operation button (not shown). The seat back 16 can be reclined by operating an operation button (not shown).

  Here, in the present embodiment, at least a vertical position detection sensor 24 that can detect the vertical position of the seat back 16 is provided. The upper portion detected by the vertical position detection sensor 24 is sent to a motor control device 32 described later.

  The seat belt device 22 includes a belt-like webbing 26 that is attached to a seated person 90 of the vehicle seat 12. In the present embodiment, a so-called three-point seat belt is used, and one end of the webbing 26 can be wound by a retractor 28 disposed on the vehicle body (or in the vehicle seat 12). The retractor 28 is provided with a motor 30 that exhibits a winding driving force, and is driven and controlled by a motor control device 32. For example, the motor control device 32 can apply an appropriate tension to the webbing 26 in a normal state, or can apply the winding force to the webbing 26 immediately after the vehicle suddenly decreases to restrain the seated person 90 to the vehicle seat 12.

  The other end of the webbing 26 is fixed to the vehicle body on the opposite side of the vehicle width direction with the retractor 28 across the vehicle seat 12. Further, the webbing 26 is inserted through a tongue plate (not shown), and the tongue plate can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the webbing 26. The webbing 26 can be supported by engaging with a buckle (not shown) attached to the vehicle body as a desired position of the tongue plate.

  A shoulder anchor 34 is provided above the retractor 28. The shoulder anchor 34 is formed with an insertion hole 36 through which the webbing 26 is inserted. The webbing 26 is inserted into the insertion hole 36 and folded and held. When the occupant pulls the webbing 26 in this state, it can be unwound from the retractor 28 while maintaining the state held by the insertion hole 36.

  Further, the shoulder anchor 34 is provided with a support shaft 38 in the vehicle width direction and is fixed to the vehicle body, and the shoulder anchor 34 can rotate (swing) around the support shaft 38. Here, when the position of the insertion hole 36 changes according to the tension acting on the webbing 26 and the tension increases, the shoulder anchor 34 rotates so that the insertion hole 36 moves to the front side of the vehicle. For example, when the seated person's physique is large, or when the vehicle seat 12 is moved forward, the shoulder anchor 34 rotates in the direction of the arrow R1 so that the insertion hole 36 moves forward. When the seated person's physique is small or when the vehicle seat 12 is moved backward, the shoulder anchor 34 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow R1 so that the insertion hole 36 moves backward.

  The shoulder anchor 34 is provided with an angle detection sensor 40 that detects the rotation angle of the shoulder anchor 34. By detecting the rotation angle of the shoulder anchor 34, the position in the front-rear direction of the insertion hole 36 can be indirectly known, and further, the tension acting on the webbing 26 can be known. Information detected by the angle detection sensor 40 is sent to the motor control device 32. The motor control device 32 can drive and control the motor 30 of the retractor 28 based on the detection information by the vertical position detection sensor 24 and the detection information by the angle detection sensor 40.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

  In the seat belt device 22 of the present embodiment, the webbing 26 acts on the seated person 90 based on the detection result by the angle detection sensor 40 of the shoulder anchor 34 and the detection result by the vertical position detection sensor 24 of the seat cushion 14. The motor control device 32 controls the motor 30 of the retractor 28 so that the feeling of pressure is within a predetermined range.

  In the following, the inclination angle of the shoulder anchor 34 is defined as an angle obtained by taking the rotation angle in the direction of the arrow R1 shown in FIG. Therefore, the tilt angle increases as the rotation in the arrow R1 direction.

  First, in a state where the webbing 26 is not attached to the seated person 90, the inclination angle of the shoulder anchor 34 is minimum (see FIG. 4 (A), here, the shoulder anchor 34 faces substantially directly below, and the inclination angle is 0 degree). It has become. In this state, the retracting force that the retractor 28 winds the webbing 26 is maximized. That is, the motor 30 is controlled by the motor control device 32 so that the webbing 26 is wound up. This winding force acts on the webbing 26 as a tension.

  Next, a state where a seated person 90 is seated on the vehicle seat 12 and the webbing 26 is worn is considered.

  Table 1 shows a combination of the inclination angle of the shoulder anchor 34 and the vertical position of the vehicle seat 12 in the present embodiment, and the relationship between the extension amount of the webbing 26 with respect to this combination.

  In Table 1, the case where the shoulder anchor 34 has a small inclination angle and the vertical position of the vehicle seat 12 is the reference, that is, “no extension”, and the extension amounts of the other cases are relative to each other. Is evaluated.

  As can be seen from Table 1, when the shoulder anchor 34 has a large inclination angle and the vertical position of the vehicle seat 12 is the highest (shown by a solid line in FIG. 2), the contact area of the webbing 26 with respect to the seated person 90 It is assumed that T1 increases and the feeling of pressure applied to the seated person increases. Therefore, in this case, the motor control device 32 weakens the winding force of the motor 30 and increases the extension amount of the webbing 26. Thereby, the feeling of pressure of webbing 26 to a seated person can be reduced.

  When the shoulder anchor 34 has a large tilt angle and the vertical position of the vehicle seat 12 is the lowest (shown by a solid line in FIG. 3), the shoulder anchor 34 has a small tilt angle, and the vehicle seat 12 When the vertical position of 12 is on the upper side, the contact area T1 of the webbing 26 with respect to the seated person is smaller than in the case shown in FIG. 2, and the feeling of pressure applied to the seated person 90 is assumed to be relatively small. Therefore, in this case, the motor control device 32 makes the winding force of the motor 30 stronger than in the above case, and makes the extension amount of the webbing 26 small. Thereby, the feeling of pressure of webbing 26 to a seated person can be made into a desired range. The winding force of the motor 30 can be adjusted, for example, by adjusting the motor driving current, or by driving the motor 30 positively and unwinding the webbing 26.

  Thus, in the above embodiment, the winding force of the motor 30 is assumed by combining the inclination angle of the shoulder anchor 34 and the vertical position of the vehicle seat 12 and assuming a feeling of pressure acting on the seated person 90 from the webbing 26. Is controlling. Accordingly, it is possible to maintain the feeling of pressure acting from the webbing 26 in response to the position of the vehicle seat 12, the physique of the seated person 90, and the posture change.

  From the viewpoint of more accurate adjustment of the feeling of pressure on the seat occupant 90, the seat occupant 90 can be moved from the webbing 26 by combining the inclination angle of the shoulder anchor 34 and the vertical position of the vehicle seat 12 as in the above embodiment. Although it is preferable to assume a feeling of pressure acting on the shoulder anchor, this feeling of pressure may be assumed using only the inclination angle of the shoulder anchor 34. That is, as shown in FIG. 4C, when the shoulder anchor 34 has a large tilt angle, the tilt angle can be determined even if the position of the vehicle seat 12 and the physique and posture of the seated person 90 are unknown. Is smaller (see FIG. 4B), the contact area of the webbing 26 to the seated person 90 becomes larger, and it is considered that a greater feeling of pressure acts on the seated person 90. Moreover, the inclination angle of the shoulder anchor 34 inevitably becomes a predetermined angle when the occupant sits on the vehicle seat 12. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the winding force of the motor 30 based only on the inclination angle of the shoulder anchor 34 so that the feeling of the webbing 26 pressed against the seated person falls within a desired range.

  Note that the actual webbing 26 extends in each of the four cases shown in Table 1 (actually, the vertical position of the vehicle seat 12 is down and the inclination angle of the shoulder anchor 34 is small). (Except for the case, it may be set in advance in three ways), or the extension amount may be feedback-controlled from the inclination angle of the shoulder anchor 34.

  Instead of the vertical position of the vehicle seat 12, as shown in Table 2, it is possible to adjust the winding force of the motor 30 by assuming a feeling of pressure by combining the longitudinal position and the inclination angle of the shoulder anchor 34. Good. The longitudinal position of the vehicle seat 12 can be detected by providing a longitudinal position sensor (not shown).

  In this case, as shown in Table 2, when the shoulder anchor 34 has a large inclination angle and the front and rear direction position of the vehicle seat 12 is also in front, the contact area of the webbing 26 to the seated person increases, and the seated person It is assumed that the feeling of pressure given to will also increase. Therefore, in this case, the motor control device 32 weakens the winding force of the motor 30 and increases the extension amount of the webbing 26. Thereby, the feeling of pressure of webbing 26 to a seated person can be reduced.

  On the other hand, when the shoulder anchor 34 has a large tilt angle and the vehicle seat 12 is in the back and forth direction position, and when the shoulder anchor 34 has a small tilt angle and the vehicle seat 12 has the front and back position in the front and rear direction. In this case, it is assumed that the contact area of the webbing 26 with respect to the seated person is smaller than the above, and that the feeling of pressure given to the seated person is relatively small. Therefore, in this case, the motor control device 32 makes the winding force of the motor 30 stronger than in the above case, and makes the extension amount of the webbing 26 small.

  Further, instead of the vertical position and the front-rear direction position of the vehicle seat 12, as shown in Table 3, the reclining angle of the vehicle seat 12 (specifically, the seat back 16) and the inclination angle of the shoulder anchor 34 are set. The winding force of the motor 30 may be adjusted assuming a feeling of pressure in combination. The reclining angle of the seat back 16 can be detected by providing a reclining angle sensor (not shown).

  In this case, as shown in Table 3, when the shoulder anchor 34 has a large tilt angle and the seat back 16 has a small reclining angle (the tilt is small and the seat back 16 is close to the vertical state), the webbing 26 It is assumed that the contact area with the seated person increases and the feeling of pressure applied to the seated person increases. Therefore, in this case, the motor control device 32 weakens the winding force of the motor 30 and increases the extension amount of the webbing 26. Thereby, the feeling of pressure of webbing 26 to a seated person can be reduced.

  Further, when the shoulder anchor 34 has a large tilt angle and the seat back 16 has a large reclining angle (the tilt is large and the seat back 16 is nearly horizontal), and the shoulder anchor 34 has a small tilt angle, When the reclining angle of the seat back 16 is large, it is assumed that the contact area of the webbing 26 with respect to the seated person is smaller than the above, and the feeling of pressure given to the seated person is relatively small. Therefore, in this case, the motor control device 32 makes the winding force of the motor 30 stronger than in the above case, and makes the extension amount of the webbing 26 small.

  As described above, the combination of any of the three types of detection information, that is, the vertical position of the vehicle seat 12, the front-rear position, and the reclining angle of the seat back 16, is based on only the inclination angle of the shoulder anchor 34. Compared with the configuration for adjusting the winding force, the feeling of pressure on the seated person 90 can be maintained within a predetermined range with higher reliability.

  In addition, two or all of the three types of detection information described above may be used in combination with the inclination angle of the shoulder anchor 34. As more detection information is used, the feeling of pressure on the seated person 90 can be accurately adjusted with higher reliability, but the configuration and control become more complicated. Therefore, a configuration in which effective detection information can be detected or used from the above-described three types of detection information may be provided so that control reliability / accuracy and configuration / control simplicity are compatible.

  In the above description, the shoulder anchor 34 that can be rotated around the support shaft 38 is described as the holding member of the present invention. In short, the holding anchor is provided so that the webbing 26 can be moved in the longitudinal direction. It is only necessary to be movable in the vehicle front-rear direction. For example, it may slide in the direction after the vehicle war along a race provided on the vehicle body.

  In addition, as the tension detecting means of the present invention, the tension detecting means constituted by the shoulder anchor 34 and the angle detecting sensor 40 has been described above. However, in addition to this, the biasing force is applied so that the webbing 26 is partially bent. The structure which can detect the tension | tensile_strength of the webbing 26 with the reaction force which acts from this webbing with respect to this energizing force, etc. may be sufficient. As described above, the use of the shoulder anchor 34 provided in advance is preferable because the structure becomes simple.

It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the seatbelt apparatus of this invention, and the vehicle seat corresponding to this. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the seatbelt apparatus of this invention and the vehicle seat corresponding to this in the uppermost position of a vehicle seat. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the seatbelt apparatus of this invention and the vehicle seat corresponding to this in the lowest position of a vehicle seat. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the inclination angle of a shoulder anchor, and the winding force made to act on webbing.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Vehicle seat 14 Seat cushion 16 Seat back 18 Headrest 22 Seat belt apparatus 24 Vertical position detection sensor 26 Webbing 28 Retractor 30 Motor 32 Motor control apparatus (control means)
34 Shoulder anchor (holding member)
36 Insertion hole (holding part)
38 Support shaft 40 Angle detection sensor (tension detection means)
90 Seated

Claims (6)

A webbing worn by a seat occupant;
A retractor for winding the webbing;
Tension detecting means for detecting the tension of the webbing;
Control means for controlling to change the winding state of the webbing by the retractor based on the detection result of the tension detection means;
A seat belt device comprising: A holding member that folds the webbing and holds the webbing so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the webbing, and at least the holding part is movable in the vehicle longitudinal direction;
Have
Holding position detecting means for detecting the tension of the webbing by detecting the position of the holding portion;
The seat belt device according to claim 1, wherein A sheet vertical position detecting means for detecting the vertical position of the sheet;
Further comprising
3. The seat belt according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is capable of changing a winding state of the webbing by the retractor based on a detection result by the seat vertical position detection unit. apparatus. A seat front / rear position detecting means for detecting a front / rear position of the seat;
Further comprising
The said control means can change the winding state of the said webbing by the said retractor based on the detection result by the said sheet front-back position detection means, The any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. A seat belt device according to claim 1. A reclining angle detecting means for detecting a reclining angle of the seat;
Further comprising
The control unit can change a winding state of the webbing by the retractor based on a detection result by the reclining angle detection unit. The seat belt device according to the description.   6. The holding member according to claim 2, wherein the holding member is rotated around a center line having a vehicle width direction component so that the holding portion can be moved in the vehicle front-rear direction. Seat belt device.

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