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

Abstract

An automotive passenger restraint and protection apparatus includes an electric retractor having a motor for retracting and protracting a seatbealt. The apparatus also includes an airbag driving device, a pretensioner, a speed detecting device, and a controller. The controller controls at least one of the actuation time or expansion pressure of an airbag by the airbag driving device, actuation time of the pretensioner, a force of the pretensioner for retracting the seatbelt, and a force of the seatbelt driving device for retracting the seatbelt, based upon the speed of protraction of the seatbelt. The controller controls the airbag driving device to shorten the actuation time of the airbag when the speed of protraction of the seatbelt is greater than a predetermined value, and prolongs the actuation time of the airbag when the detected speed of protraction of the seatbelt is lower than the predetermined value.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.