Automotive passenger restraint and protection apparatus and seatbelt protraction and retraction amount-detecting device

An automotive passenger restraint and protection apparatus for an automotive vehicle, having a seatbelt, for restraining an occupant of the automotive vehicle by the seatbelt to protect the occupant, comprising:

• an electric retractor having driving means for retracting and protracting the seatbelt;
• control means for controlling said driving means;
• seatbelt attaching detecting means for detecting whether the seatbelt is attached to the occupant or disconnected from the occupant;
• and
• retraction limit detecting means for detecting whether the seatbelt has been retracted to a limit thereof;
• wherein said control means controls said driving means in a manner such that when said seatbelt attaching detecting means detects that the seatbelt has become attached to the occupant from a state in which it is disconnected from the occupant, the seatbelt is retracted, and when said retraction limit detecting means subsequently detects that the seatbelt has been retracted to said limit thereof, the seatbelt is stopped from being retracted, and then the seatbelt is protracted for a predetermined time period.

An automotive passenger restraint and protection apparatus for an automotive vehicle, having a seatbelt, for restraining an occupant of the automotive vehicle by the seatbelt to protect the occupant, comprising:

• a reel shaft having the seatbelt wound thereon;
• a motor for rotating said reel shaft in a direction of protracting or retracting the seatbelt;
• change amount detecting means-for detecting an amount of change in at least one of terminal voltage across said motor and current flowing to said motor;
• seatbelt attaching detecting means for detecting attaching of the seatbelt-to the occupant or disconnection of the seatbelt from the occupant;
• and
• control means for controlling said motor, based upon results of detections by said change amount detecting means and said seatbelt attaching detecting means.

A seatbelt protraction and retraction amount-detecting device for an automotive passenger restraint and protection apparatus having a seatbelt, and a motor for rotating protracting or retracting the seatbelt, comprising:

• motor rotational direction detecting means for detecting rotational direction of the motor;
• voltage detecting means for detecting terminal voltage across the motor;
• and
• protraction/retraction amount calculating means for calculating an amount of protraction or an amount of retraction of the seatbelt, based upon at least one of a number of times pulsating components of the terminal voltage detected by said voltage detecting means rises above a first predetermined value from a value below said first predetermined value, a number of times said pulsating components drops below a second predetermined value from a value above said second predetermined value, a frequency component obtained by frequency analysis of the pulsating components, and results of time integration of the detected terminal voltage, and the rotational direction of said motor detected by said motor rotational direction detecting means.

An automotive passenger restraint and protection apparatus for an automotive vehicle, having a seatbelt, for restraining an occupant of the automotive vehicle by the seatbelt to protect the occupant, comprising:

• an electric retractor having driving means for retracting and protracting the seatbelt;
• control means for controlling said driving means;
• seatbelt attaching detecting means for detecting attaching of the seatbelt to the occupant or disconnection of the seatbelt from the occupant;
• protraction stoppage detecting means for detecting stoppage of protraction of the seatbelt;
• and
• vehicle speed detecting means for detecting traveling speed of the automotive vehicle;
• wherein said control means inhibits said driving means from retracting the seatbelt if the traveling speed of the automotive vehicle detected by said vehicle speed detecting means is lower than a predetermined value when the stoppage of protraction of the seatbelt is detected by the protraction stoppage detecting means after the attaching of the seatbelt to the occupant is detected by said seatbelt attaching means.