VEHICLE SENSOR DEVICE AND SEAT BELT RETRACTOR EMPLOYING SAME

Abstract

A vehicle sensor device comprising a weight body housing installed in a body so as to be rotatable around a shaft coupled to the body, a weight body being installed in the weight body housing ball assembly for sensing a change in inclination of a vehicle, a sensor housing in which the ball assembly is movably installed, and a sensor lever installed in the sensor housing and rotated by the movement of the ball assembly. The sensor lever is configured to linearly reciprocate, by rotation, a pilot lever provided in a locking device. The sensor lever is installed in the sensor housing to which the ball assembly is coupled. The sensor lever is rotated around a hinge shaft by the movement of the ball assembly according to a change in inclination of the vehicle to linearly reciprocate the pilot lever connected to the sensor lever.

Claims

1. A vehicle sensor device for detecting a change in an inclination of a vehicle, the vehicle sensor device comprising: a body forming an exterior; a cover coupled to one opened surface of the body; a weight body housing installed in the body to be rotatable about a shaft that is coupled to the body according to an installation angle and an inclination of the body, the weight body housing having a weight body installed therein; a ball assembly configured to detect the change in the inclination of the vehicle; a sensor housing installed to allow the ball assembly to move therein; and, a sensor lever installed in the sensor housing and rotated by a movement of the ball assembly, wherein the sensor lever is configured to linearly reciprocate, by rotation, a pilot lever provided in a locking device.

2. The vehicle sensor device of claim 1, wherein the sensor lever comprises a horizontal portion that is horizontally disposed, and a vertical portion that is disposed at one end of the horizontal portion and extends vertically in an upward direction, an upper end of the vertical portion being locked into the pilot lever; wherein one pair of hinge shafts are disposed on both ends of the horizontal portion to be rotatably coupled to both sidewalls of the sensor housing; wherein a support protrusion is disposed on a lower surface of the horizontal portion to be supported by a weight transmitted from the ball assembly; and, wherein, when the ball assembly moves to one side due to the change in the inclination of the vehicle, the horizontal portion is rotated by a change in the center of mass, thereby moving the pilot lever to an outside of the cover.

3. A vehicle sensor device for detecting a change in an inclination of a vehicle, the vehicle sensor device comprising: a body forming an exterior; a cover coupled to one opened surface of the body; a sensor housing installed in the body to be rotatable about a shaft that is coupled to the body according to an installation angle and an inclination of the body; a ball installed in the sensor housing to detect the change in the inclination of the vehicle; a lever guide installed on an upper portion of the ball; and, a sensor lever rotatably installed in the sensor housing, wherein the sensor lever is configured to linearly reciprocate, by rotation caused by a movement of the ball, a pilot lever provided in a locking device.

4. The vehicle sensor device of claim 3, wherein the sensor lever comprises a horizontal portion that is horizontally disposed, and a vertical portion that is disposed at one end of the horizontal portion and extends vertically in an upward direction, an upper end of the vertical portion being locked into the pilot lever; wherein hinge shafts protrude from both ends of the horizontal portion to be rotatably coupled to both sidewalls of the sensor housing; wherein the horizontal portion is disposed on an upper portion of the lever guide which is seated on an upper portion of the ball; wherein a support protrusion is formed on a lower surface of the horizontal portion to be supported on an upper surface of the lever guide; and, wherein, when the ball moves to one side due to the change in the inclination of the vehicle, the horizontal portion is rotated by a change in the center of mass, thereby moving the pilot lever to an outside of the cover.

5. The vehicle sensor device of claim 4, wherein the lever guide is formed in a conical shape having a curved surface that is upwardly convex so as to be seated on an upper surface of the ball; wherein an upper surface of the lever guide has an inclined surface that is inclined downward from a center thereof toward the outside; wherein a mounting protrusion protrudes from the upper surface of the lever guide to be mounted on the horizontal portion of the sensor lever; and, wherein a mounting hole is formed in the horizontal portion of the sensor lever to allow the mounting protrusion to be movably mounted therein.

6. The vehicle sensor device of claim 5, wherein the pilot lever is provided with a locking portion having a smaller diameter than those of both ends thereof; and, wherein a locking recess portion is formed on an upper end of the vertical portion of the sensor lever to allow the locking portion to be rotatably locked thereinto.

7. The vehicle sensor device of claim 6, wherein, even when the sensor housing rotates about the shaft coupled to the body in association with a change in an inclination of a backrest of a seat, the vehicle sensor device maintains connection between the locking portion of the pilot lever and the locking recess portion of the sensor lever, so that the vehicle sensor device normally operates within a range of all angles of the backrest.

8. A seat belt retractor employing a vehicle sensor device, the seat belt retractor comprising: a vehicle sensor device comprising configurations described in claim 1, and configured to detect a change in an inclination of a vehicle; a spindle device including a spindle on which a seat belt webbing is wound; and, a locking device configured to perform a locking operation to prevent the seat belt webbing from being pulled out upon a vehicle collision, wherein the vehicle sensor device is configured to linearly reciprocate a pilot lever to be coupled to or decoupled from the locking device, based on the detected change in the inclination of the vehicle.

9. The seat belt retractor of claim 8, further comprising: a pretensioning device configured to reduce slack by winding the webbing just before a vehicle collision.

10. The vehicle sensor device of claim 2, wherein the pilot lever is provided with a hook portion having a diameter smaller than both ends of the pilot lever, and a hook groove portion is provided at an upper end of the vertical portion of the sensor lever so that the hook portion is rotatably coupled with the hook groove portion.

11. The vehicle sensor device of claim 10, wherein the vehicle sensor device maintains a connection between the hook portion of the pilot lever and the hook groove portion of the sensor lever even if the sensor housing rotates about a shaft coupled to the body in association with the gradient variation of a backrest of a seat, so that a normal operation is possible in all angular ranges of the backrest.

12. The vehicle sensor device of claim 4, wherein the pilot lever is provided with a hook portion having a diameter smaller than both ends of the pilot lever, and a hook groove portion is provided at an upper end of the vertical portion of the sensor lever so that the hook portion is rotatably coupled with the hook groove portion.

13. The vehicle sensor device of claim 12, wherein the vehicle sensor device maintains a connection between the hook portion of the pilot lever and the hook groove portion of the sensor lever even if the sensor housing rotates about a shaft coupled to the body in association with the gradient variation of a backrest of a seat, so that a normal operation is possible in all angular ranges of the backrest.

14. A seat belt retractor comprising: a vehicle sensor device having a configuration according to claim 3 and configured to detect a gradient variation of a vehicle; a spindle device including a spindle on which a seat belt webbing is wound; and a locking device that performs a locking operation to prevent the seat belt webbing from being pulled out upon a vehicle collision, wherein the pilot lever is linearly reciprocated based on the gradient variation of the vehicle such that the pilot lever is coupled to or decoupled from the locking device.

15. The seat belt retractor of claim 14, further comprising a pre-tensioning device that winds a webbing just before the vehicle collision to reduce slack.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0035] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an example of a related-art seat belt retractor;

[0036] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a seat belt retractor employing a vehicle sensor device according to a preferred embodiment of the disclosure;

[0037] FIG. 3 is a partial exploded perspective view of the seat belt retractor shown in FIG. 2;

[0038] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the vehicle sensor device according to a preferred embodiment of the disclosure;

[0039] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle sensor device shown in FIG. 4;

[0040] FIG. 6 is an operational state view of the vehicle sensor device installed at various angles;

[0041] FIGS. 7 and 8 are views to explain operating methods of a weight body housing, a sensor lever, and a pilot lever provided in the sensor device, respectively;

[0042] FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle sensor device according to another embodiment of the disclosure; and

[0043] FIG. 10 is a view to explain an operating method of the vehicle sensor device shown in FIG. 9.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0044] Hereinafter, a seat belt retractor having a vehicle sensor device according to preferred embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0045] Prior to explaining a configuration of the seat belt retractor according to preferred embodiments of the disclosure, a configuration of a seat belt retractor according to related-art technology will be roughly explained with reference to FIG. 1.

[0046] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an example of a related-art seat belt retractor.

[0047] In the following descriptions, a direction in which a steering wheel is installed with reference to a seat is referred to as a forward direction, and the opposite direction thereof is referred to as a backward direction. In addition, terms indicating directions such as left side, right side, upward direction, and downward direction are defined to indicate respective directions with reference to the forward direction and the backward direction described above.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 1, the related-art seat belt retractor 1 may include a spindle 3 on which a seat belt webbing (hereinafter, referred to as a webbing) 2 is wound, a sensor unit 4 that detects an inclination of the vehicle, an emergency tensioning unit 5 that reduces slack by winding the webbing 2 upon a vehicle collision, and a pretensioning unit 6 that smoothly pulls out the webbing 2 during normal driving of the vehicle and reduces slack by winding the webbing 2 just before a vehicle collision.

[0049] The sensor unit 4 detects a change in the pull-out acceleration of the webbing or a change in the inclination of the vehicle caused by a vehicle collision.

[0050] The emergency tensioning unit 5 may operate an inflater (not shown) having gunpowder embedded therein according to a detection signal that detects a vehicle collision, and may wind the webbing 2 on the spindle 3 by using a pressure of a generated gas. Accordingly, the emergency tensioning unit 5 may reduce an injury value of a passenger by reducing slack of the webbing 2 by winding the webbing 2 upon a vehicle collision.

[0051] When a vehicle collision is predicted through a sensor applied to the vehicle, the pretensioning unit 6 may wind the webbing 2 on the spindle by operating a motor which is capable of rotation and reverse rotation. That is, when the vehicle travels normally, the pretensioning unit 6 may keep the tension of the worn webbing 2 and prevent the webbing 2 from being loosened without occurrence of an accident until a stronger acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle occurs, and may reduce an injury value of a passenger by reducing slack of the webbing 2 by winding the webbing 2 just before a vehicle collision.

[0052] Herein, the spindle 3 is installed inside a fixing frame 7, and the sensor unit 4, the emergency tensioning unit 5, and the pretensioning unit 6 are disposed on both sides of the fixing frame 7, and left and right housings 8, 9 are coupled to the outside of each unit.

[0053] That is, the respective units 4, 5, 6 are disposed on both sides of the spindle 2 along a traverse direction.

[0054] In the related-art seat belt retractor 1 described above, the spindle is installed in the backrest of the seat along a width direction, that is, a left-right direction. Therefore, as the length of the webbing 2 wound on the spool increases, a thickness in a front-rear direction (hereinafter, referred to as a thickness) also increases, and hence, there is a problem that it is difficult to apply the seat belt retractor to a backrest of a slim seat.

[0055] To solve this problem, the disclosure minimizes a thickness of a seat belt retractor by rotating an installation direction of a spindle on which a webbing is wound, thereby applying the seat belt retractor to a slim seat.

[0056] Along this, the disclosure can solve a problem of insecure connection between a sensor lever and a pilot lever, which arises according to a rotation angle of a gymbal, by enhancing a structure of a vehicle sensor device.

[0057] Hereinafter, a configuration of a seat belt retractor employing a vehicle sensor device according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 3.

[0058] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a seat belt retractor employing a vehicle sensor device according to a preferred embodiment of the disclosure, and FIG. 3 is a partial exploded perspective view of the seat belt retractor shown in FIG. 2.

[0059] In the present embodiment, a configuration of a seat belt retractor applied to an integrated seat belt (BIS) that is integrally mounted in a seat will be described.

[0060] Of course, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and it should be noted that seat belt retractors of various structures and shapes may be provided to be applied not only to an integrated seat belt but also to a normal vehicle or an autonomous vehicle.

[0061] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the seat belt retractor 10 employing the vehicle sensor device according to a preferred embodiment of the disclosure may include a spindle device 20, a vehicle sensor device (hereinafter, referred to as a sensor device) 30, and a locking device 40.

[0062] Along with these, the seat belt retractor 10 may further include a pretensioning device that reduces slack by winding a webbing 21 just before a vehicle collision.

[0063] The spindle device 20 and the sensor device 30 are basic modules that constitute the seat belt retractor 10, and may be fabricated as separate modules and assembled, or may be integrated into one module and provided.

[0064] The spindle device 20 is provided with a spindle 22 on which the webbing 21 is wound, and the spindle device and the sensor device may be installed inside a housing 23.

[0065] The sensor device 30 may include an acceleration sensor that detects a change in the pull-out acceleration of the webbing 21, or an inclination sensor that detects a change in the inclination of the vehicle.

[0066] In the present embodiment, a configuration of the sensor device 30 to which the inclination sensor to detect the inclination of the vehicle is applied will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 5.

[0067] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the sensor device shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the sensor device shown in FIG. 4.

[0068] In the present embodiment, a configuration of a sensor device applied to the configuration of the seat belt retractor shown in FIGS. 2 to 3 will be explained.

[0069] Of course, the disclosure is not limited to the above-described configuration, and it should be noted that the disclosure may be changed to be applied to seat belt retractors having various configurations such as the seat belt retractor, etc. shown in FIG. 1.

[0070] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the vehicle sensor device 30 employed in the seat belt retractor according to a preferred embodiment of the disclosure may include a body 31 that forms an exterior, a cover 32 that is coupled to one opened surface of the body 31, a weight body housing 34 that is installed in the body 31 to be rotatable about a shaft 33 which is coupled to the body 31 according to an installation angle of the body 31, and has a weight body 341 installed therein, a ball assembly 35 that detects a change in the inclination of a vehicle in which the sensor device 30 is installed, a sensor housing 36 in which the ball assembly 35 is movably installed, and a sensor lever 37 that is installed in the sensor housing 36, and is rotated by a movement of the ball assembly 35 to move a pilot lever 41.

[0071] The body 31 may have one surface opened, and may be formed in a semi-cylindrical shape having a substantially semicircular cross section when viewed from a side.

[0072] One or more locking protrusions 311 may be formed on an upper end and a lower end of the body 31, respectively, and one or more locking recess portions 321 may be formed on an upper end and a lower end of the cover 32 to allow the locking protrusions 311 to be locked thereinto.

[0073] The body 31 and the cover 32 may be disposed along an installation direction of the spindle 22, that is, along the X-axis direction, while being coupled to each other.

[0074] The shaft 33 may be installed in the body 31 along the Y-axis direction to be perpendicular to the spindle 22.

[0075] The weight body housing 34 functions to rotate according to an angle in which the sensor device is installed in a backrest of a seat, and a rotation angle of the backrest.

[0076] To achieve this, a rotation shaft 332 is installed on an upper end of the weight body housing 34 along the Y-axis direction to be coupled to a shaft hole 312 formed on an inner surface of the body 31, and to the shaft 33, and the shaft hole 312 may be formed in the body 31 to have the rotation shaft 332 to be coupled thereto.

[0077] In addition, the shaft 33 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape to have a coupling space 331 formed in a center thereof to allow the rotation shaft 332 to be coupled thereto, and the pilot lever 41 may be coupled to one end of the coupling space 331 formed in the shaft 33, that is, the right end when viewed on FIG. 9, to be movable along the Y-axis direction.

[0078] One pair of mounting ribs 333 may be formed on front and rear surfaces of an upper end of the shaft 33 in parallel one on the other along the left-right direction so as to be coupled to an upper end of the body 31, and a mounting recess 313 may be formed on an upper end of the body 31 to allow the upper end of the shaft 33 to be mounted thereon.

[0079] Therefore, the shaft 33 is coupled to the upper end of the body 31 by using the one pair of mounting ribs 333, and performs a center shaft function to allow the weight body housing 34 to rotate thereabout.

[0080] Meanwhile, the pilot lever 41 linearly reciprocates in the coupling space 331, which is formed in the shaft 33, along the Y-axis direction according to rotation of the sensor lever 37.

[0081] That is, when the pilot lever 41 moves to the right as viewed on FIG. 8, a right end of the pilot lever 41 is engaged with any one of a plurality of protrusions formed on an outer circumference of a steering disk (not shown) provided in the locking device 40, so that the locking device 40 performs a locking operation to prevent the webbing 21 from being pulled out.

[0082] On the other hand, when the pilot lever 41 moves to the left, the pilot lever 41 and the locking device 40 are decoupled from each other, so that the webbing 21 can be freely pulled out.

[0083] To achieve this, a penetrating hole 322 may be formed on the cover 32 to allow the pilot lever 41 to move along the Y-axis direction and to protrude to the right.

[0084] The ball assembly 35 functions to detect a change in the inclination of the vehicle in which the sensor device 30 is installed while being installed in the sensor housing 36.

[0085] That is, the ball assembly 35 may include a ball 351 having a weight, and an installation member 352 on which the ball 351 is installed.

[0086] An installation space may be formed in a center of the installation member 352 to allow the ball 351 installed therein, and a coupling protrusion 353 protrudes from a lower end of the installation member 352 to be coupled to the sensor housing 36 to be freely movable.

[0087] In addition, an insertion space 354 may be formed on the installation member 352 between the installation space and the coupling protrusion 353 to allow a horizontal portion 371 of the sensor lever 37, which will be described below, to be inserted thereinto.

[0088] Preferably, the insertion space 354 may be formed larger than a width and a thickness of the horizontal portion 371 to allow the sensor lever 37 coupled to the inside to smoothly rotate.

[0089] The sensor housing 36 has an upper surface opened, and the coupling protrusion 353 of the ball assembly 35 may be mounted in the center of the sensor housing 36.

[0090] One pair of shaft coupling holes 362 may be formed on front and rear sidewalls of the sensor housing 36 to allow one pair of hinge shafts 373 formed at front and rear ends of the sensor lever 37 to be coupled thereto, respectively.

[0091] The sensor lever 37 may be formed in a substantially shape in cross section when viewed from the front.

[0092] That is, the sensor lever 37 may include the horizontal portion 371 disposed horizontally, and a vertical portion 372 that is disposed at a right end of the horizontal portion 371 and extends vertically in an upward direction.

[0093] In addition, the hinge shafts 373 may protrude from front and rear surfaces of the right end of the horizontal portion 37 to be coupled to the shaft coupling holes 362 formed on the front and rear sidewalls of the sensor housing 36, respectively.

[0094] The horizontal portion 371 may be inserted into the insertion space 354 formed on the installation member 352 of the ball assembly 35, and a support protrusion 374 may be formed on a lower surface of the horizontal portion 371.

[0095] The support protrusion 374 is supported by a weight exerted by the ball assembly 35 before the inclination of the vehicle is changed, so that the horizontal portion 371 maintains horizontality.

[0096] On the other hand, when the inclination of the vehicle is changed and the ball assembly 35 moves, the horizontal portion 37 loses a supporting force of the support protrusion 374 due to a change in the center of mass, and accordingly, may not maintain horizontality.

[0097] To this end, the sensor lever 37 rotates about the hinge shaft 373 in the clockwise direction, thereby moving the pilot lever 41 to the right.

[0098] To achieve this, a locking recess portion 375 may be formed on an upper end of the vertical portion 372 to allow a locking portion 411 formed on a center of the pilot lever 41 to be rotatably locked thereinto.

[0099] The locking recess portion 375 may have a locking recess formed on a center thereof, so that its cross section is formed in a substantially U shape.

[0100] Herein, a left portion of the pilot lever 41 may be formed in a shape corresponding to a cross-sectional shape of the coupling space 331 formed in the shaft 33, for example, in a substantially rectangular shape.

[0101] A right portion of the pilot lever 41 may be formed in a shape corresponding to a cross-sectional shape of the penetrating hole 322 formed on the cover 32.

[0102] In addition, the locking portion 411 that is formed to have a diameter smaller than the left portion and the right portion of the pilot lever 41 is provided on a center of the pilot lever 41 to be locked into the locking recess portion 375 of the sensor lever 37.

[0103] Therefore, with the locking portion 441 being locked into the locking recess portion 375 of the sensor lever 37, the pilot lever 41 linearly reciprocates between the shaft 33 and the cover 32 by rotation of the sensor lever 37 about the one pair of hinge shafts 373.

[0104] Hereinafter, an operating method of the vehicle sensor device according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8.

[0105] FIG. 6 is an operational state view of the sensor device installed at various angles, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are views to explain operating methods of the weight body housing, the sensor lever, and the pilot lever provided in the sensor device, respectively.

[0106] View (b) of FIG. 6 illustrates a state in which the sensor device is installed at a reference position with reference to the shaft, and views (a) and (c) of FIG. 6 illustrate a state in which the sensor device is rotated about the shaft by 90 in the counter clockwise direction and the clockwise direction, respectively.

[0107] FIG. 7 illustrates a state before the sensor lever rotates, and FIG. 8 illustrates a state in which the sensor lever rotates about the hinge shaft in the clockwise direction.

[0108] The sensor device 30 may be installed at various rotation angles according to an environment in which the sensor device is installed in the vehicle as shown in FIG. 6.

[0109] In this case, the weight body housing 34 always maintains its vertical arrangement state constantly due to the weight of the weight body 341, regardless of an installation angle at which the body 31 and the cover 32 are installed in the backrest, and an inclination of the backrest, that is, a rotation angle.

[0110] As shown in FIG. 7, the sensor lever 37 is disposed to make the horizontal portion 371 be in a horizontal state due to the weight applied from the ball assembly 35.

[0111] Accordingly, the pilot lever 41 having the locking portion 411 locked into the locking recess portion 375 formed at the upper end of the vertical portion 372 is maintained in a state where the pilot lever is moved to the inside of the cover 32, that is, to the left.

[0112] When the pilot lever 41 moves to the left as described above, the pilot lever 41 and the locking device 40 are decoupled from each other, so that the webbing 21 can be freely pulled out.

[0113] Meanwhile, the inclination of the vehicle may be continuously changed while the vehicle is traveling, and the inclination of the backrest, that is, a rotation angle, may also be changed.

[0114] Therefore, as the inclination of the vehicle is changed, the ball assembly moves over the sensor housing 36.

[0115] As described above, when the ball assembly 35 moves, the sensor lever 37 rotates about the hinge shaft 373 in the clockwise direction due to a change in the center of mass as shown in FIG. 8.

[0116] Therefore, the pilot lever 41 connected with the sensor lever 37 passes through the penetrating hole 322 formed on the cover 32, and moves to the outside of the cover 32, that is, to the right, and protrudes therefrom.

[0117] As described above, when the pilot lever 41 protrudes to the outside of the cover, the right end of the pilot lever 41 is locked into the locking device 40, so that the locking device 40 performs the locking operation to prevent the webbing 21 from being pulled out.

[0118] According to the disclosure as described above, the sensor lever is installed in the sensor housing to which the ball assembly is coupled, and the sensor lever is rotated about the hinge shaft by the movement of the ball assembly according to a change in the inclination of the vehicle, so that the pilot lever connected with the sensor lever linearly reciprocates.

[0119] Accordingly, the disclosure can control the ability to pull out the webbing by making the pilot lever protrude to the outside of the cover and coupling or decoupling the pilot lever to or from the locking device.

[0120] In particular, the locking portion is provided on the pilot lever, and the locking recess portion provided on the upper end of the sensor lever is coupled to the locking portion, so that the pilot lever can be normally controlled to linearly reciprocate regardless of an angle at which the sensor device is rotated and disposed due to adjustment of the angle of the seat backrest.

[0121] That is, the disclosure can normally control the pilot lever within a range in which an arrangement angle of the sensor device that is changed by adjustment of the angle of the seat backrest is 90, that is, 180, with reference to a reference position.

[0122] Although it is illustrated in the above-described embodiment that the weight body housing having the weight body installed therein is applied, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0123] A configuration of a sensor device employed in a seat belt retractor according to another embodiment of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

[0124] FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a sensor device employed in a seat belt retractor according to another embodiment of the disclosure, and FIG. 10 is a view to explain operating methods of a ball assembly, a sensor lever, and a pilot lever provided in the sensor device.

[0125] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the sensor device 30 employed in the seat belt retractor 10 according to another embodiment of the disclosure is similar to the sensor device 30 explained in the above-described embodiment with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8 in its configuration.

[0126] However, the sensor device 30 according to the present embodiment may omit the weight body 341 and the weight body housing 34 for detecting an installation angle in a backrest and an inclination of the backrest, and may detect a change in the inclination of the vehicle and an angle of the backrest by using a ball 351 and a sensor housing 36, and may control a pilot lever 41 by rotating a sensor lever 37.

[0127] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the sensor device 30 may include a body 31 that forms an exterior, a cover 32 that is coupled to one opened surface of the body 31, a sensor housing 36 that is installed in the body 31 to be rotatable about a shaft 33 coupled to the body 31 according to an installation angle of the body 31 and an inclination of the backrest, the ball 351 that is installed in the sensor housing 36 to detect a change in the inclination of the vehicle in which the sensor device 30 is installed, a lever guide 38 that is installed on an upper portion of the ball 351, and a sensor lever 37 that is rotatably installed in the sensor housing 36, and is rotated by a movement of the ball 351 to move the pilot lever 41.

[0128] The configurations of the body 31, the cover 32, and the shaft 33 are the same as those described in the above-described embodiment, and accordingly, a detailed description of the configurations of the body 31, the cover 32, and the shaft 33 is omitted.

[0129] The sensor housing 36 is formed in a substantially hexahedral shape by coupling rectangular frames, and a rotation shaft 332 may be installed on a left wall extended upwardly from a left end of the sensor housing 36 through the shaft 33 and the body 31.

[0130] A mounting shape 361 may be provided in the sensor housing 36 to have the ball mounted therein, and a bottom surface of the sensor housing 36 may be a curved surface that is downwardly convex so as to allow the ball 351 to be seated thereon.

[0131] The ball 351 may be installed in the mounting space 361 of the sensor housing 36, and may be provided to have a larger diameter and a heavier weight than those of the ball 351 described in the above-described embodiment.

[0132] The lever guide 38 may be formed in a substantially conical shape having a curved surface that is upwardly convex, so that the lever guide 38 can be seated on an upper surface of the ball 351. Therefore, the upper surface of the lever guide 38 may have an inclined surface that is inclined from the center toward a lower portion of the outside.

[0133] A mounting protrusion 381 may protrude from the upper surface of the lever guide 38 to be mounted on a horizontal portion 371 of the sensor lever 37.

[0134] The sensor lever 37 may be formed in a substantially shape in cross section when viewed from the front.

[0135] That is, the sensor lever 37 may include the horizontal portion 371 disposed horizontally, and a vertical portion 372 that is disposed at a right end of the horizontal portion 371 and extends vertically in an upward direction.

[0136] In addition, hinge shafts 373 may protrude from front and rear surfaces of the right end of the horizontal portion 371 to be coupled to shaft coupling holes 362 formed on front and rear sidewalls of the sensor housing 36, respectively.

[0137] The horizontal portion 371 may be disposed on an upper portion of the lever guide 38 seated on the upper portion of the ball 351, and a support protrusion 374 may be formed on a lower surface of the horizontal portion 371 to be supported on the upper surface of the lever guide 38.

[0138] A mounting hole 376 may be formed in the horizontal portion 371 to have the mounting protrusion 381 of the lever guide 38 mounted therein.

[0139] The mounting hole 376 may be formed in a long hole shape so that the mounting protrusion 381 is movable along the X-axis direction.

[0140] In the sensor device 30 configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 10, even when the installation angle of the body 31 and the cover 32 and the inclination of the backrest are variously changed, the sensor housing 36 and the ball 351 installed therein, and the lever guide 38 and the sensor lever 37 rotate about the shaft 33 and the rotation shaft 332, thereby always maintaining horizontality constantly.

[0141] Meanwhile, before the inclination of the vehicle is changed, the horizontal portion 371 maintains horizontality as the support protrusion 374 is supported in contact with the upper surface of the lever guide 38 seated on the upper portion of the ball 351.

[0142] Accordingly, the pilot lever 41 having a locking portion 411 locked into a locking recess portion 375 formed at an upper end of the vertical portion 372 is maintained in a state in which the pilot lever moves to the inside of the cover 32, that is, to the left.

[0143] When the pilot lever 41 moves to the left as described above, the pilot lever 41 and an emergency tensioning device 40 are decoupled from each other, so that the webbing 21 can be freely pulled out.

[0144] On the other hand, when the inclination of the vehicle is changed and the ball 351 moves to one side, for example, to the left, the horizontal portion 37 rotates in the clockwise direction as the support protrusion 374 moves along the inclined upper surface of the lever guide 38.

[0145] Accordingly, the sensor lever 37 rotates about the hinge shaft 373 in the clockwise direction, thereby moving the pilot lever 41 to the right.

[0146] Therefore, the pilot lever 41 connected with the sensor lever 37 passes through a penetrating hole 322 formed on the cover 32, and moves to the outside of the cover 32, that is, to the right, and protrudes therefrom.

[0147] As described above, when the pilot lever 41 protrudes to the outside of the cover 32, the right end of the pilot lever 41 is locked into the locking device 40, so that the locking device 40 performs a locking operation to prevent the webbing 21 from being pulled out.

[0148] As described above, the disclosure may omit the weight body and the weight body housing, and may detect a change in the inclination of the vehicle and the inclination of the backrest by using the ball and the sensor housing, and may control the pilot lever by rotating the sensor lever.

[0149] Although the invention made by the inventors of the present application has been specifically described according to the above embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and may be modified variously within a scope of the technical essence of the disclosure.

[0150] That is, the configuration of the seat belt retractor has been described in the above-described embodiments with reference to FIGS. 2 to 3, but the disclosure is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may be changed to be applied to seat belt retractors having various configurations, for example, the seat belt retractor shown in FIG. 1.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0151] The disclosure is applied to a seat belt retractor technology that installs a sensor lever in a sensor device for detecting a change in the inclination of a vehicle, and moves a pilot lever connected with the sensor lever by rotating the sensor lever about a hinge shaft by movement of a ball assembly according to a change in the inclination of the vehicle.