Seatbelt device
AssigneeNSK Autoliv Co., Ltd.
InventorsYukinori Midorikawa, Hiroshi Yamada
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A seatbelt device which prevents an occupant from hitting his face against an airbag deploying at the time of a vehicle collision. In order to take up any seatbelt slack before a collision and prevent the occupant from being displaced forward, the seatbelt device comprises a first tension modifier for winding the seatbelt and taking up the seatbelt slack when a collision is predicted, and a second tension modifier for further enhancing the tension of the seatbelt and securing the occupant to the seat at the time of such collision, thereby ensuring that the occupant does not exist in the airbag deployment zone when the airbag is activated.
Claims23
A method to control the activation of a seatbelt device comprising the steps of:
- detecting by a seatbelt fastening detector that a tongue plate, through which a seatbelt for securing an occupant to a seat passes, has been engaged with a buckle;
- predicting a collision of a vehicle and outputting a prediction signal before the collision by a collision predictor;
- detecting the collision of the vehicle and outputting a collision detection signal by a collision detector;
- activating a first tension modifier by a controller in response to said prediction signal and enhancing a tension of the seatbelt by activation of the first tension modifier;
- and
- activating an airbag device and a second tension modifier by the controller in response to said collision detection signal and further enhancing said tension of the seatbelt by activation of the second tension modifier;
- wherein the first tension modifier is activated prior to the second tension modifier being activated;
- and
- wherein said tension of the seatbelt increases continuously from a time associated with said collision prediction signal to a time associated with said collision detection signal.
A method to control the activation of a seatbelt device comprising the steps of:
- detecting by a seatbelt fastening detector that a tongue plate, through which a seatbelt for securing an occupant to a seat passes, has been engaged with a buckle;
- predicting a collision of a vehicle and outputting a prediction signal before the collision by a collision predictor;
- detecting the collision of the vehicle and outputting a collision detection signal by a collision detector;
- activating a first tension modifier by a controller in response to said prediction signal and enhancing a tension of the seatbelt by activation of the first tension modifier;
- and
- activating an airbag device and a second tension modifier by the controller in response to said collision detection signal and further enhancing said tension of the seatbelt by activation of the second tension modifier;
- wherein the first tension modifier is activated prior to the second tension modifier being activated;
- and
- wherein both said first tension modifier and said second tension modifier increase said tension of the seatbelt at a time period after a time associated with said collision detection signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.