System including seatbelt alert

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11891013-B2
Application number	US-202217746300-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2022
Priority date	May 17, 2022
Publication date	Feb 6, 2024
Grant date	Feb 6, 2024

Abstract

A system includes a seatbelt buckle. The system includes a latch plate releasably engageable with the seatbelt buckle. The system includes an actuator operatively coupled to buckle to trigger disengagement of the latch plate from the seatbelt buckle. The system includes a computer having a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to detect an impact to a vehicle. The instructions include instructions to, in response to detecting the impact, command the actuator to trigger disengagement of the latch plate from the seatbelt buckle. The instructions include instructions to, after triggering disengagement of the latch plate, detect disengagement of the latch plate from the seatbelt buckle. The instructions include instructions to, in response to detecting disengagement of the latch plate from the seatbelt buckle, actuate an audio device to produce a sound.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a seatbelt buckle;
a latch plate releasably engageable with the seatbelt buckle;
an actuator operatively coupled to buckle to trigger disengagement of the latch plate from the seatbelt buckle; and
a computer having a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to:
detect an impact to a vehicle;
in response to detecting the impact, command the actuator to trigger disengagement of the latch plate from the seatbelt buckle;
after triggering disengagement of the latch plate, detect disengagement of the latch plate from the seatbelt buckle;
in response to detecting disengagement of the latch plate from the seatbelt buckle, actuate an audio device to produce a sound; and
after detecting the impact and before commanding the actuator to trigger disengagement of the latch plate from the seatbelt buckle, determine that the vehicle is stopped.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions include instructions to, before detecting the impact and in response to detecting disengagement of the latch plate from the seatbelt buckle, actuate the audio device to produce a second sound.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the second sound is different from the sound.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the instructions include instructions to, before detecting the impact and before detecting disengagement of the latch plate from the seatbelt buckle, detect occupancy of a seat adjacent to the seatbelt buckle.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a seat, the audio device and the computer supported by the seat.

6. The system of claim 5 , further comprising a power source operatively coupled to provide electrical power to the audio device, the actuator, and the computer, and wherein the power source is supported by the seat.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sound includes an instruction for occupants to exit the vehicle.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a seatbelt buckle sensor supported by the seatbelt buckle and configured to detect engagement and disengagement of the latch plate.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the seatbelt buckle includes a release button, and the actuator is operatively coupled to the release button to actuate the release button.

10. The system of claim 6 , wherein the actuator includes an electromagnetic solenoid.

11. A computer, comprising a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to:
detect an impact to a vehicle;
in response to detecting the impact, command an actuator to trigger disengagement of a latch plate from a seatbelt buckle;
after triggering disengagement of the latch plate, detect disengagement of the latch plate from the seatbelt buckle;
in response to detecting disengagement of the latch plate from the seatbelt buckle, actuate an audio device to produce a sound; and
after detecting the impact and before commanding the actuator to trigger disengagement of the latch plate from the seatbelt buckle, determine that the vehicle is stopped.

12. The computer of claim 11 , wherein the instructions include instructions to, before detecting the impact and in response to detecting disengagement of the latch plate from the seatbelt buckle, actuate the audio device to produce a second sound.

13. The computer of claim 12 , wherein the second sound is different from the sound.

14. The computer of claim 12 , wherein the instructions include instructions to, before detecting the impact and before detecting disengagement of the latch plate from the seatbelt buckle, detect occupancy of a seat adjacent to the seatbelt buckle.

15. The computer of claim 11 , wherein the sound includes an instruction for occupants to exit the vehicle.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Jaradi Dean M
• Faruque Mohammad Omar
• Farooq S M Iskander

Classifications

• B60R22/48 Primary

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

• B60R22/18

  Anchoring devices · CPC title

• B60R22/46

  {Reels} with means to tension the belt in an emergency {by forced winding up}(electrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01 {; tensioners using reels only guiding the belt during normal use, e.g. splitted reels B60R22/195}) · CPC title

• B60R2022/1806

  for buckles · CPC title

• B60R2022/4816

  for sensing locking of buckle · CPC title