Control device for vehicle seat belt

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11364873-B2
Application number	US-201916548010-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 22, 2019
Priority date	Oct 29, 2018
Publication date	Jun 21, 2022
Grant date	Jun 21, 2022

Abstract

A control device for a vehicle seat belt, includes: a retraction unit that is configured to retract a seat belt through use of a driving force of a motor and to stop retracting the seat belt when the motor is stopped from being driven; an acceleration measurement unit that is configured to measure an acceleration of a vehicle; a state detection unit that is configured to detect whether or not the vehicle is in a stable state while running; and a control unit that is configured to stop driving the motor when the acceleration measured by the acceleration measurement unit during driving of the motor has remained lower than a first set acceleration for at least a first set time and the vehicle has remained in the stable state detected by the state detection unit for at least a second set time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control device for a vehicle seat belt, comprising:
a retraction unit that is configured to retract a seat belt through use of a driving force of a motor and to stop retracting the seat belt when the motor is stopped from being driven;
an acceleration measurement unit that is configured to measure an acceleration of a vehicle;
a state detection unit that is configured to detect whether or not the vehicle is in a stable state while running;
a vehicle speed sensor that is configured to measure a speed of the vehicle;
a steering angle sensor that is configured to measure a steering angle of the vehicle; and
a control unit that is configured
to stop driving the motor when the acceleration measured by the acceleration measurement unit during driving of the motor has remained lower than a first set acceleration for at least a first set time and the vehicle has remained in the stable state detected by the state detection unit for at least a second set time, and
to continue to drive the motor at least either when the acceleration has remained lower than the first set acceleration for a time shorter than the first set time, or when the vehicle has remained in the stable state detected by the state detection unit for a time shorter than the second set time,

wherein the state detection unit is configured to detect a running state of the vehicle as the stable state when an estimated acceleration obtained based on the speed and the steering angle is equal to or lower than a second set acceleration, and to detect the running state of the vehicle as an unstable state when the estimated acceleration is higher than the second set acceleration.

2. The control device for the vehicle seat belt according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a friction coefficient estimation unit that is configured to estimate a friction coefficient of a road surface on which the vehicle runs, wherein
the control unit is configured to reduce the first set acceleration when the friction coefficient estimated by the friction coefficient estimation unit is lower than a set friction coefficient.

3. The control device for the vehicle seat belt according to claim 2 , wherein
the control unit is configured to lengthen at least one of the first set time and the second set time when the friction coefficient estimated by the friction coefficient estimation unit is lower than the set friction coefficient.

4. The control device for the vehicle seat belt according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a friction coefficient estimation unit that is configured to estimate a friction coefficient of a road surface on which the vehicle runs, wherein
the control unit is configured to lengthen at least one of the first set time and the second set time when the friction coefficient estimated by the friction coefficient estimation unit is lower than a set friction coefficient.

5. The control device for the vehicle seat belt according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to start driving the motor when the state detection unit determines that the vehicle is in the unstable state.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nezaki Takuya
• Hayakawa Koki
• Sugiyama Motoki
• KOMENO Fumihito

Classifications

• B60R2021/01313

  monitoring the vehicle steering system or the dynamic control system · CPC title

• B60R22/48 Primary

  Control systems, alarms, or interlock systems, for the correct application of the belt or harness · CPC title

• B60R21/01 Primary

  Electrical circuits for triggering {passive} safety arrangements, {e.g. airbags, safety belt tighteners,} in case of vehicle accidents or impending vehicle accidents {(electrical circuits for transmission of signals between steering wheel and the vehicle itself B60R16/027; for electrically actuating belt retractor locking means B60R22/343)} · CPC title

• B60R21/0132

  responsive to vehicle motion parameters {, e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value} · CPC title

• B60R2021/01272

  Belt tensioners · CPC title