JP3695621B2 - Vehicle occupant restraint protection device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle occupant restraint protection device installed in a vehicle such as an automobile, and more particularly to a vehicle occupant restraint protection device using an electric retractor that winds and pulls out a seat belt for protecting the occupant.
[0002]
[Prior art]
BACKGROUND ART A vehicle occupant restraint protection device equipped with an electric retractor for pulling out or retracting a seat belt has been conventionally known. When the electric retractor detects that the seat belt is not worn, it completes the retracting of the seat belt. The seat belt was being wound up.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
For this reason, when the seat belt tongue is once released from the buckle and the seat belt is not attached, the seat belt tongue is immediately attached to the buckle against the force required to wind up the seat belt of the electric retractor. In addition, since the seat belt must be pulled out, it is difficult for an elderly person or the like to wear the seat belt for an occupant whose exercise ability has been attenuated.
[0004]
The present invention has been made paying attention to the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle occupant restraint protection device that can provide a comfortable seat belt wearing environment.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle occupant restraint protection device according to claim 1 is an electric retractor that winds and pulls out a seat belt, driving means that drives the electric retractor, and the seat belt is pulled out. In a vehicle occupant restraint protection device comprising a seat belt pull-out detection means for detecting the release and a detection means for detecting the release of the seat belt, when the release of the seat belt is detected by the detection means The driving means drives the electric retractor to start the seat belt winding, and the driving means stops the driving of the electric retractor for at least one predetermined period from the start of the winding to the completion thereof. And the seat belt pull-out detection means within the predetermined period of time If the come-out is detected, characterized in that it comprises a control means for controlling to said electric retractor drives perform withdrawal of said seat belt by the driving means.
[0006]
According to the configuration of the present invention, when the release of the seat belt is detected by the detecting means, the electric retractor is driven by the driving means to start the winding of the seat belt, and from the start of the winding to the completion thereof. The drive of the electric retractor by the driving means is stopped for at least one predetermined period, and when the seat belt pull-out detecting means is detected within the predetermined period, the electric retractor is driven by the driving means to drive the seat Since the belt is controlled to be pulled out, it is not necessary to pull out the seat belt against the force to wind up the seat belt of the electric retractor, and a comfortable seat belt wearing environment can be provided.
[0007]
The control means may further control that the seat belt is retracted by the electric retractor when the seat belt withdrawal detection means does not detect the seat belt withdrawal within the predetermined period. Good.
[0008]
According to this configuration, when the driving of the electric retractor by the driving unit is stopped, the seat belt is withdrawn if the withdrawal of the seat belt is detected, and when the withdrawal of the seat belt is not detected, the seat belt is retracted. Therefore, it is not necessary to pull out the seat belt against the force to wind up the seat belt of the electric retractor, and the seat belt is not left as it is pulled out. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the seat belt from being caught and damaged.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0010]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an electric retractor 100 provided in a vehicle occupant restraint protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0011]
The electric retractor 100 includes a frame 1. A reel shaft 3 that winds up the seat belt is rotatably installed on the frame 1, and the drawer of the seat belt is locked when a predetermined deceleration acts on the vehicle or when the seat belt is pulled out at a predetermined acceleration. A known seat belt locking mechanism 2 is fixed.
[0012]
Next, the central shaft 3 a of the reel shaft 3 is connected to the central shaft of the reel shaft pulley 5, and the reel shaft pulley 5 is connected to the DC motor pulley 6 through the power transmission belt 7. An urging force applying means such as a spiral spring is formed inside the reel shaft pulley 5, and the urging force always acts in the direction of winding the seat belt.
[0013]
A predetermined number of external teeth are formed on the outer periphery of each of the reel shaft pulley 5 and the DC motor pulley 6, and a predetermined number of internal teeth are also formed on the inner periphery of the power transmission belt 7. 5 and the external teeth of the DC motor pulley 6 and the internal teeth of the power transmission belt 7 mesh with each other without excess or deficiency.
[0014]
The central axis of the DC motor pulley 6 is connected to the DC motor 10. Accordingly, the rotation of the DC motor 10 is transmitted to the reel shaft 3 via the DC motor pulley 6.
[0015]
The DC motor 10 is fixed to the frame 1 at at least two points, and is connected to an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) 14 via a DC motor driving unit 11.
[0016]
The DC motor drive unit 11 controls the rotation of the DC motor 10 based on a control signal from the MPU 14.
[0017]
FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of the DC motor driving unit 11. A circuit C1 in FIG. 2 is a circuit that detects a current that flows in the DC motor 10 from a current that flows in the resistor r1, and a circuit C2 is a circuit that measures the voltage across the terminals of the DC motor 10. Also, the plurality of transistors, FETs, and the like in FIG. 2 are for causing the rotation of the DC motor 10 to rotate forward or reversely by a control signal from the MPU 14.
[0018]
Returning to FIG. 1, the MPU 14 is connected to a buckle connection presence / absence detecting unit 16 that detects whether or not the seat belt tongue is attached to the buckle and detects whether or not the seat belt tongue is released from the buckle. . The MPU 14 also includes a timer 15 that measures time. The MPU 14 determines whether or not the seat belt has been pulled out based on the polarity of the voltage between the terminals of the DC motor 10, and determines whether or not the seat belt has been retracted from the current flowing through the DC motor 10.
[0019]
The buckle connection presence / absence detection unit 16 detects whether or not the seat belt tongue is attached to the buckle, or detects whether or not the seat belt tongue is released from the buckle, and outputs a corresponding control signal to the MPU 14.
[0020]
FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the details of the seat bell storage control performed by the MPU 14 when the seat belt is wound up. The seat bell storage control is part of the main control performed by the MPU 14.
[0021]
First, it is determined whether or not the seat belt tongue has been released from the buckle by the buckle connection presence / absence detection unit 16 (step S31), and it has not been detected that the seat belt tongue has been released from the buckle. In this case, the present control is terminated. On the other hand, when it is detected that the tongue of the seat belt is released from the buckle, the DC motor 10 is driven to rotate the reel shaft 3 to the seat belt winding side. A control signal is output to the DC motor drive unit 11 (step S32). As a result, the seat belt is wound up. At this time, the timer 15 measures an elapsed time from when the control signal is output to the DC motor driving unit 11.
[0022]
Next, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time, for example, 3 seconds has elapsed since the control signal was output to the DC motor drive unit 11 (step S33), and the control to turn off the driving of the DC motor 10 after the elapse of 3 seconds. A signal is output to the DC motor drive unit 11 (step S34). As a result, the driving of the DC motor 10 is turned OFF, and the seat belt winding by the reel shaft 3 is stopped. At this time, the seat belt lock mechanism 2 does not lock the seat belt. At this time, the timer 15 measures the elapsed time from when the control signal for turning off the driving of the DC motor 10 is output to the DC motor driving unit 11.
[0023]
Next, it is determined whether or not the seat belt has been pulled out (step S35). If the seat belt has been pulled out, a seat bell pull-out control to be described later is performed, and then this control is terminated.
[0024]
If the seat belt is not pulled out in step S35, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time, for example, 10 seconds has elapsed since the control signal for turning off the driving of the DC motor 10 is output to the DC motor driving unit 11. (Step S36) If 10 seconds have not elapsed, the process returns to Step S35. If 10 seconds have elapsed, the DC motor 10 is driven to rotate the reel shaft 3 to the seat belt winding side again. The control signal to be output is output to the DC motor drive unit 11 (step S37). As a result, the seat belt is wound up.
[0025]
Next, it is determined whether or not the seat belt has been completely wound (step S38). After the seat belt has been completely wound, a control signal for turning off the driving of the DC motor 10 is output to the DC motor driving unit 11. (Step S39) After performing a later-described sheet bell pull-out control (Step S40), this control is terminated.
[0026]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining details of seat bell pull-out control performed by the MPU 14 when pulling out the seat belt. The seat belt pull-out control is a part of main control performed by the MPU 14.
[0027]
First, it is determined whether or not the seatbelt tongue is attached to the buckle by the buckle connection presence / absence detection unit 16 (step S41), and it is detected that the seatbelt tongue is attached to the buckle. In step S48, the control signal for turning off the driving of the DC motor 10 is output to the DC motor driving unit 11 assuming that the seat belt has been pulled out (step S48), and this control is terminated. On the other hand, when it is not detected that the tongue of the seat belt is attached to the buckle, a control signal for temporarily turning off the driving of the DC motor 10 is output to the DC motor driving unit 11 in order to assist withdrawing the seat belt. (Step S42).
[0028]
Next, the voltage between the terminals of the DC motor 10 and the polarity of the voltage between the terminals are measured by the circuit C2 of the DC motor driving unit 11 (step S43). It is determined whether or not the polarity of the voltage between the terminals is a polarity corresponding to the seat belt withdrawing side (step S44). Here, the case where the voltage between the terminals of the DC motor 10 is 0.3 V or more and the polarity of the voltage between the terminals is a polarity corresponding to the seat belt pull-out side is, for example, a case where the passenger pulls out the seat belt lightly. is there.
[0029]
If it is determined in step S44 that the voltage between the terminals of the DC motor 10 is not 0.3 V or more, or the polarity of the voltage between the terminals is not the polarity corresponding to the seat belt pull-out side, the process returns to step S43, while the DC motor 10 When the voltage between the terminals is 0.3 V or more and the polarity of the voltage between the terminals is a polarity corresponding to the seat belt withdrawing side, the DC motor 10 is used to rotate the reel shaft 3 to the seat belt withdrawing side. Is output to the DC motor drive unit 11 (step S45). Thereby, it becomes easy to pull out the seat belt.
[0030]
According to the control of step S41 to step S45, when the voltage between the terminals of the DC motor 10 is 0.3 V or more and the polarity of the voltage between the terminals is a polarity corresponding to the pull-out side of the seat belt, the seat belt Since it is easy to pull out, a conventional force is not required for pulling out the seat belt, and even an occupant whose exercise ability is attenuated by a weak force such as an elderly person can easily attach the seat belt.
[0031]
Next, it is determined whether or not the seat belt tongue is attached to the buckle by the buckle connection presence / absence detection unit 16 (step S46), and it is detected that the seat belt tongue is attached to the buckle. In that case, the process proceeds to step S48 described above. On the other hand, if it is not detected that the tongue of the seat belt is attached to the buckle, whether or not, for example, 7 seconds have elapsed since the control signal for driving the DC motor 10 is output to the DC motor driving unit 11 Is determined (step S47).
[0032]
In step S47, if 7 seconds have not elapsed, the process returns to step S45. If 7 seconds have elapsed, the seat belt is pulled out, but the tongue of the seat belt is not attached to the buckle, and the seat belt Therefore, the control signal for turning off the driving of the DC motor 10 is output to the DC motor driving unit 11 (step S48), and this control is finished.
[0033]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the buckle connection presence / absence detecting unit 16 detects that the tongue of the seat belt has been released from the buckle, the seat belt starts to be wound (step S32). Before the seat belt winding is completed, the seat belt winding is stopped by stopping the driving of the DC motor 10 for a predetermined time (steps S34 to S36), and the seat belt is pulled out during the predetermined time. If the seatbelt is pulled out, the seatbelt is pulled out. If the seatbelt is not pulled out during the predetermined time, the seatbelt is retracted (step S37). When the seatbelt tongue is released from the buckle and the seatbelt tongue is immediately attached to the buckle, Against the force for taking up the seat belt of the data, it is not necessary to carry out the withdrawal of the seat belt, it is possible to provide a comfortable seat belt wearing environment.
[0034]
In the present embodiment, the seat belt winding is stopped once for a predetermined time before the seat belt winding is completed (step S34 to step S36).
[0035]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, according to the vehicle occupant restraint protection device of claim 1, when the detection means detects the release of the seat belt, the driving means drives the electric retractor to wind the seat belt. The driving of the electric retractor by the driving means is stopped during at least one predetermined period from the start of winding up to the completion of the winding, and the seat belt pull-out detecting means detects the withdrawal of the seat belt within the predetermined period. In this case, it is controlled to drive the electric retractor by the driving means to pull out the seat belt, so it is not necessary to pull out the seat belt against the force of the electric retractor to wind the seat belt, and it is comfortable. Can provide a comfortable seat belt installation environment.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an electric retractor 100 included in a vehicle occupant restraint protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a DC motor driving unit 11;
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating details of seat bell storage control performed by the MPU 14 when the seat belt is wound up.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating details of seat bell pull-out control performed by the MPU 14 when pulling out the seat belt.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Frame 2 Seat belt lock mechanism 3 Reel shaft 5 Reel shaft pulley 6 DC motor pulley 7 Power transmission belt 10 DC motor 11 DC motor drive unit 14 MPU (seat belt drawer detection means, control means)
16 Buckle connection presence / absence detection unit (detection means)
100 electric retractor

Claims (1)

An electric retractor for winding and withdrawing the seat belt, a driving means for driving the electric retractor, a seat belt pull-out detecting means for detecting that the seat belt is pulled out, and the seat belt being released. In a vehicle occupant restraint protection device comprising a detecting means for detecting,
When the release of the seat belt is detected by the detecting means, the driving means drives the electric retractor to start the seat belt winding, and at least one of the period from the start of the winding to the completion thereof The driving means stops driving the electric retractor for a predetermined period. When the seat belt pull-out detecting means detects the driving of the seat belt within the predetermined period, the driving means drives the electric retractor. An occupant restraint protection device for a vehicle, comprising control means for controlling the seat belt to be pulled out.

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