JP4758831B2 - Vehicle seat belt device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle seat belt device, and more particularly to a vehicle seat belt device suitable for reliably determining a half-latch state with respect to a connection state between a tongue plate and a buckle.

In a vehicle seat belt device, a tongue plate is provided at one end of the belt, and the tongue plate is connected to a buckle provided at a lower portion of the seat. When the occupant sits on the seat and wears the seat belt, the tongue plate is inserted into the insertion port of the buckle, and the connection is made. The buckle is provided with a buckle switch, which is turned on when the tongue plate is connected to the buckle, and notifies the control device (ECU) of a latched (locked) state based on the connection. The buckle switch has a fixed contact and a moving contact. The buckle switch disclosed in the following Patent Document 1 is a component structure in which even if foreign matter such as dust is sandwiched between a fixed contact and a moving contact, these two contacts are surely brought into contact to create an on state. , Component materials, and contact structures.
JP-A-2005-190906

  According to the switch structure of the conventional buckle switch, when the tongue plate is inserted into the buckle, the switch member is disposed so as to be surely turned on before the latched state is created, so that the contact points are in contact with each other. The half-latch area is included in the area that is in the state. For this reason, it may be determined that the tongue plate is not locked completely. In consideration of such a state, in the control on the control device side, even when an ON signal is notified, it is necessary to provide a process for estimating that the signal has been latched with a predetermined elapsed time. As a result, there is a problem that the belt winding operation cannot be performed immediately after the seat belt is mounted.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat belt device that can perform operations such as belt winding immediately after the seat belt is mounted.

  In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle seat belt apparatus according to the present invention is configured as follows.

A seat belt device for a first vehicle includes a tongue plate attached to the belt, a buckle that holds the belt by engaging with the tongue plate, and a buckle switch that detects a locking relationship between the tongue plate and the buckle. And a belt movement detecting means for detecting the movement of the tongue plate, and when the buckle switch is turned on and the belt movement detecting means detects that the tongue plate moves in a direction away from the buckle. And determining means for determining that the stop relationship is valid.

  In the above configuration, it is possible to reliably avoid a situation in which a half-latch state (half-locked state) that may have occurred in the past is determined to be effective, as compared with a conventional configuration using only the detection signal of the buckle switch. It becomes possible.

In the above configuration, the seat belt device of the second vehicle is preferably characterized in that the belt movement detection means is rotation detection means for detecting rotation of a belt reel around which the belt is wound. In this configuration, it is possible to detect a finer movement based on the high resolution of the rotation detection means.

In the above configuration, the seat belt device of the third vehicle preferably further includes a motor that rotationally drives the belt reel, and a control unit that controls the driving of the motor. The motor is driven in the belt winding direction when it is determined that is effective. With this configuration, the belt slack can be removed more quickly.

In the above-described configuration, the seat belt device of the fourth vehicle is preferably configured so that the control unit activates the motor only when the belt reel does not rotate for a predetermined time after the determination unit determines that the locking relationship is valid. It is characterized by being driven in the belt winding direction. With this configuration, it is possible to reliably determine whether the latched state is maintained.

  According to the present invention, in the seat belt device of the vehicle, the belt movement detection unit that detects the movement of the tongue plate when the seat belt is mounted is provided so that the latched state of the buckle can be reliably detected. Whether the belt is present or not can be determined with certainty, and an operation such as belt winding can be performed immediately after the seat belt is mounted, and the slackness of the belt can be quickly eliminated.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments (examples) of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a seat belt device equipped in a driver's seat or the like, FIG. 2 shows a main part configuration and operation state of a buckle and a buckle switch, and FIG. 3 shows a seat belt retractor configuration.

  In FIG. 1, a seat belt device 10 includes a belt (webbing) 13 that restrains the body of an occupant 11 to a seat 12. The belt 13 includes a belt portion 13 a that restrains the upper body of the occupant 11 and a belt portion 13 b that restrains the waist of the occupant 11. One end of the belt portion 13b is fixed to the vehicle body portion at the lower part of the passenger compartment by an anchor plate 14. The belt portion 13 a is folded back by a through anchor 15 provided near a shoulder of the occupant 11, and an end portion thereof is connected to a belt reel of the retractor 16. A tongue plate 17 is attached to the other common end of the belt 13. The tongue plate 17 is detachably attached to a buckle 18 fixed to the lower edge of the seat 12. The buckle 18 is provided with a buckle switch 19 that detects the connection of the tongue plate 17. When the buckle switch 19 is turned on, the tongue plate 17 is connected and locked to the buckle 18, and it is determined that the belt 13 is attached to the occupant 11.

  2A and 2B schematically show the configuration and operation state of the main parts of the buckle 18 and the buckle switch 19. The buckle switch 19 is fixed inside the housing of the buckle 18. The buckle switch 19 includes a movable contact 19a biased in an off state by a coil spring, a presser spring having one end fixed, having a bending deformation characteristic, and a tip contacting the head of the movable contact 19a. And a member 19b.

  When the tongue plate 17 is inserted into the insertion opening of the buckle 18, the tip end portion 17a of the tongue plate 17 is guided by the guide member and inserted as shown by the arrow AL1. The tip 17a of the tongue plate 17 first hits the protrusion of the presser spring member 19b and pushes the movable contact 19a slightly ((A) in FIG. 2). At this initial stage, the buckle switch 19 generates a signal indicating that a locking state is started between the tongue plate 17 and the buckle 18. Thereafter, the tongue plate 17 further moves in the direction of the arrow AL1 while maintaining the contact state with the presser spring member 19b, and finally stops at the illustrated position ((B) in FIG. 2). At this final stage, the movable contact 19a of the buckle switch 19 is fully pushed into the switch by the presser spring member 19b, and a latch ring (not shown) on the tongue plate side and a latch protrusion (not shown) on the buckle side, Is locked. Thereby, the locking between the tongue plate 17 and the buckle 18 is completed, and the locked state is ensured. Further, the buckle switch 19 generates an on detection signal SG1 informing that the locking of the tongue plate 17 and the buckle 18 is completed. The distance L1 shown in FIG. 2B is about 4 mm, for example. In the range indicated by the distance L1, the locking between the tongue plate 17 and the buckle 18 is in an incomplete state (half latch state). In the operation of the buckle switch 19 in the buckle 18, a reliable on signal SG <b> 1 is transmitted to a control device (ECU), which will be described later, at the final stage where the locked state is ensured based on the structure and arrangement relationship. The ON signal SG1 is not continuously output from the buckle switch 19 in a state where the locking between the tongue plate 17 and the buckle 18 is incomplete.

  FIG. 3 shows a main configuration of the seatbelt retractor 16. The retractor 16 includes a belt reel (spindle) 22 that is rotatably provided in the housing 21 and a motor 23 that rotationally drives the belt reel 22. The belt reel 22 is coupled to the end of the belt portion 13a of the belt 13, and the belt portion 13a is wound around the belt reel 22 and wound. The shaft 22 a of the belt reel 22 is connected to the drive shaft 23 a of the motor 23 via a power transmission mechanism (gear mechanism) 24. The belt reel 22 is rotationally driven by a motor 23 via a power transmission mechanism 24. The retractor 16 includes a rotation detection unit 25 connected to the shaft 22 a of the belt reel 22.

  The rotation detection unit 25 is preferably configured using a rotation angle sensor. For example, a magnetic sensor formed by combining a magnetic disk and two Hall ICs is used as the rotation angle sensor. The minimum resolution angle of the rotation angle sensor is, for example, 4 °, and is about 1.3 to 1.6 mm when converted into the belt length.

  The rotation detector 25 outputs two-phase pulse signals (P1, P2) that are shifted in phase by a predetermined amount based on the structure and action of the magnetic sensor. The two pulse signals can detect the rotation direction (winding direction or pulling direction) of the shaft 22a of the belt reel 22 based on the phase relationship between the pulses. Furthermore, the rotation angle (rotation amount) generated by the rotation operation of the shaft 22a of the belt reel 22 can be detected by counting the number of generated pulses using one of the two pulse signals.

  The two pulse signals P1, P2 output from the rotation detector 25 are input to the control device 26 as shown in FIG. In the control device 26, the belt winding position by the belt reel 22 and the like are detected using the two pulse signals P1 and P2. The control device 26 has functional means such as a rotation angle detection means and a rotation angle change detection means. A signal related to the rotation angle change obtained from the rotation angle change detection means is used as information for detecting the belt winding position by the belt reel 22 and the movement of the belt 13. The belt winding operation of the retractor 16 is controlled by the control device 26 based on the detection information of the belt winding position.

  The control device 26 controls the belt winding operation of the retractor 16 by controlling the energization amount of the drive current I1 supplied from the power source 27 to the motor 23 by the energization amount adjustment unit 28. The retractor 16 controlled by the control device 26 is configured as an electric pretensioner for maintaining the position and posture of the occupant 11.

  Further, in FIG. 3, the detection signal SG <b> 1 output from the buckle switch 19 described above is input to the control device 26. As described above, the detection signal SG1 is an ON signal that is generated at the final stage where the locking state is reliably realized between the tongue plate 17 and the buckle 18. The control device 26 obtains information on the state in which the tongue plate 17 is securely locked to the buckle 18 based on the detection signal SG1 supplied from the buckle switch 19.

  The seat belt device 10 and the retractor 16 included therein are devices on the driver's seat side, but the same seat belt device and retractor are also provided on the passenger seat side. In the following, the “R side” is the driver seat side, and the “L side” is the passenger seat side.

  With reference to the block diagram of FIG. 4, a control system for the seat belt device 10 and the like will be described from the viewpoint of hardware.

  In FIG. 4, the control device 26 described above is constituted by a CPU. A block 30 including the control device 26 represents an electric pretensioner unit for holding the position / posture of the occupant 11 by a seat belt. The block 30 includes a power source 31, an in-vehicle network (CAN) communication unit 32, a rotation angle interface (rotation angle I / F) unit 33, and a communication unit 34 on the input side of the control device (CPU) 26, and on the output side thereof. An R-side motor drive control unit 35, an L-side motor drive control unit 36, and a recording unit 37 are provided. The recording unit 37 is a memory.

  Further, on the input side of the block 30, a block showing the above retractor 16 is provided as an example of a seat belt retractor. The retractor 16 includes a rotation angle interface (rotation angle I / F) unit 41 for transmitting the detection signal output from the rotation detection unit 25 described above to the control device 26. The rotation angle interface unit 41 is connected to the rotation angle interface unit 33 in the block 30 and sends a detection signal to the rotation angle interface unit 33. The retractor 16 is provided for each of the driver's seat side and the passenger seat side.

  The input side of the block 30 further includes an ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) unit (control unit such as an obstacle detection device) 42, a VSA (Vehicle Stability Assist) unit (vehicle behavior stabilization control unit) 43, FI / AT ( A Fuel Injection / Automatic Transmission (44) unit, an SRS (Supplement Restraint System) unit (auxiliary restraint device unit) 45, and the like are provided. These input side elements include a vehicle running state detection unit such as a vehicle speed sensor. The ACC unit 42, the VSA unit 43, the FI / AT unit 44, and the like supply their output signals to the in-vehicle network communication unit 32 through the in-vehicle network 46. The SRS unit 45 includes an SRS control unit 45a that receives signals from the R-side buckle 47R and the L-side buckle 47L, and a communication unit 45b. Here, the R-side buckle 47R corresponds to the buckle 17 on the driver's seat side, and the L-side buckle 47L is a buckle of a seat belt device equipped on the passenger seat side. Each signal output from the R side buckle 47R and the L side buckle 47L is a detection signal output from the built-in buckle switch 19. When receiving a signal from the R side buckle 47R or the L side buckle 47L, the SRS control unit 45a transmits the signal to the communication unit 32 of the block 30 via the communication unit 45b. Further, the SRS unit 45 supplies a warning signal to the warning lamp 48 when the seat belt is not normally used when the vehicle is traveling.

  An R-side motor 51 and an L-side motor 52 are provided on the output side of the block 30. The R-side motor 51 is a driving motor for the seat belt device 10 on the driver's seat side, and is disposed corresponding to the R-side motor drive control unit 35. The R-side motor drive control unit 35 controls the energization amount from the power source (+ V) 27 based on a control command signal from the control device 26 and supplies a drive current to the R-side motor 51. The block 53 is a grounding part. The L-side motor 52 is a driving motor for the seat belt device 10 in the passenger seat, and is disposed corresponding to the L-side motor drive control unit 36. The L-side motor drive control unit 36 controls the energization amount from the power source (+ V) 54 based on a control command signal from the control device 26 and supplies a drive current to the L-side motor 52. The block 55 is a grounding part. The grounding portions 53 and 55 are grounding terminals that form part of the vehicle body.

  A basic conceptual configuration of the control system of the seat belt device 10 according to the present embodiment is as shown in FIG. This control system includes the above-described rotation detection unit 25, buckle switch 19, seat belt device control unit 61, and belt drive unit 62 as main elements.

  The seat belt device control unit 61 includes the arithmetic processing function of the control device (CPU) 26 described above, and an R side motor drive control unit 35 and an L side motor drive control unit 36. The belt driving unit 65 is the retractor 16 described above, and more specifically, the R side motor 51 and the L side motor 52 described above.

  Next, the control operation of the seatbelt device 10 based on the seatbelt device controller 61 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In the first determination step S11, it is determined whether or not the ON signal SG1 output from the buckle switch 19 is input to the control device 26. Unless the ON signal given from the buckle switch 18 is input (in the case of NO), it is not necessary to control the operation of the seat belt device 10, and thus the control process ends.

  If the determination step S11 is YES, the process proceeds to the next determination step S12. In determination step S <b> 12, it is determined whether or not an operation in the winding direction of the belt 13 (belt portion 13 a) has been performed by the belt reel 22 of the retractor 16. Here, the operation in the winding direction of the belt 13 corresponds to a moving operation in a direction in which the tongue plate 17 that is securely locked to the buckle 18 moves away from the buckle 18. When the occupant 11 pulls out with the belt 13, attaches the belt 13 to his / her body, and connects the tongue plate 17 to the buckle 18 to complete the operation, the belt 13 is normally released and wound. It is wound around the belt reel 22 of the retractor 16 by a take-up spring or the like. When the determination step S12 is YES, the next determination step S13 is executed. In the determination step S13, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time (Δt) has elapsed since the ON signal from the buckle switch 19 was input. For example, the predetermined time is 225 milliseconds (ms). When it is determined in the determination step S13 that the predetermined time has elapsed, the slack removal control is executed in the processing step S14. When the buckle switch is turned off after the slack removal control is started, the slack removal is immediately stopped and the power transmission between the motor 23 and the belt reel 22 is released.

  According to the above-described seat belt control, the belt is moved after a predetermined time has elapsed since it is determined that the locking of the tongue plate 17 and the buckle 18 is valid based on the input of the ON signal SG1 given from the buckle switch 19 and the movement determination in the determination step S12. Since the motor is driven in the direction of winding 13, slack can be removed quickly. In particular, since it is determined that the buckle is locked by performing the belt movement determination in the determination step S12, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the half latch state is determined to be effective. Thus, when the seat belt 13 is worn, the belt winding operation can be performed immediately after the seat belt 13 is worn.

  Similarly, even after the seat belt is released, it can be configured such that an operation such as belt winding can be performed immediately.

  In the above-described embodiment, as a means for detecting the movement of the belt in the winding direction, a configuration in which the tongue plate 17 itself is measured with a camera can be used instead of the rotation detection unit 25 described above.

  The configurations, shapes, sizes, and arrangement relationships described in the above embodiments are merely schematically shown to the extent that the present invention can be understood and implemented. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and can be modified in various forms without departing from the scope of the technical idea shown in the claims.

  The present invention is used to reliably determine a half-latch state of a buckle in a vehicle seat belt device.

It is a side view which shows the mounting state of the seat belt apparatus in a vehicle. It is a side view of the buckle principal part for demonstrating operation | movement of a buckle switch. It is a figure which shows the principal part structure of the retractor of the seatbelt apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a control system for a seat belt device according to the present embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the control system of the seatbelt apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the control operation | movement of the seatbelt apparatus which concerns on this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

10 Seat belt device 11 Crew 12 Seat
13 Belt 16 Retractor
17 Tang Plate 18 Buckle 19 Buckle Switch 22 Belt Reel 23 Motor 25 Rotation Detection Unit 26 Controller (CPU)

Claims (2)

A vehicle comprising: a tongue plate attached to a belt; a buckle that holds the belt by engaging with the tongue plate; and a buckle switch that detects that the tongue plate is turned on when the tongue plate is inserted into the buckle. In the seat belt device,
Belt movement detecting means for detecting rotation of a belt reel around which the belt is wound ;
After detecting that the buckle switch is ON and the belt movement detecting means detects the rotation of the belt reel by the winding spring , the detection of the buckle switch being ON is continued, and the belt reel Control means for starting to drive the motor in the belt winding direction only when there is no rotation ;
A vehicle seat belt device comprising: The control means detects that the buckle switch is on, and the belt movement detection means detects that the buckle switch is on for a predetermined time after detecting the rotation of the belt reel by the winding spring. It continued, and only when there is no rotation of the belt reel, to start driving the said motor to said belt take-up direction,
When the buckle switch detects the off after driving of the motor, said control means, a seat belt apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that to stop by driving the motor in the belt winding direction .

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