Abstract
The invention relates to a seatbelt device for a motor vehicle, comprising: a diagonal belt portion and a lap belt portion, each of which is connected to a seatbelt retractor that can be fixedly secured to the vehicle, a seatbelt buckle that can de fixedly secured to the vehicle, and a seatbelt tongue that can be locked to the seatbelt buckle. One end of the lap belt portion is secured to the seatbelt tongue, and one end of the diagonal belt portion is secured to a fitting, the fitting being rotatably connected to the seatbelt tongue. At least one sensor is provided and designed to detect the rotational angular position of the fitting with respect to the seatbelt tongue and/or the seatbelt buckle. The invention further relates to a corresponding method.
Claims
1. A seatbelt device for a motor vehicle, having: a diagonal belt portion, a lap belt portion, which are each connected to a belt retractor that can be fastened to the vehicle, a seatbelt buckle which can be fastened to the vehicle, and a seatbelt tongue that can be locked to the seatbelt buckle and to which the lap belt portion is fastened by an end, wherein the diagonal belt portion is fastened to a fitting by one end, wherein the fitting is rotatably connected to the seatbelt tongue, wherein at least one sensor is provided which is configured to detect the rotational angular position of the fitting with respect to the seatbelt tongue and/or the seatbelt buckle.
2. A seatbelt device according to claim 1, wherein at least one magnet is arranged on the fitting.
3. A seatbelt device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a Hall sensor.
4. A seatbelt device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor (41) is arranged on the seatbelt buckle (30).
5. A seatbelt device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is arranged on the seatbelt tongue (40).
6. A seatbelt device according to claim 1, wherein the seatbelt buckle and the seatbelt tongue each have an coil for transmitting electrical energy.
7. A seatbelt device according to claim 1, wherein a cable connection is provided between the seatbelt tongue and an electronic module in the diagonal belt portion, wherein the seatbelt device is configured to transmit a sensor signal of the sensor via the cable connection to the electronic module in the diagonal belt portion.
8. A seatbelt device according to claim 1, wherein the fitting is non-detachably connected to the seatbelt tongue.
9. A seatbelt device according to claim 1, wherein a sensor is arranged on the fitting.
10. A detection method for detecting incorrect use of a diagonal belt portion of a seatbelt device according to claim 1, which has the steps of: detecting the rotational angular position of the fitting relative to the seatbelt tongue and/or the seatbelt buckle, categorizing the rotational angular position as one the following angular ranges: first angular range; second angular range; or third angular range; transmitting a signal depending on the categorized angular range.
11. A detection method according to claim 10, which has the steps of: detecting an insertion of the seatbelt tongue into the seatbelt buckle; storing the rotational angular position when insertion has been detected as an adapted basic angular position; categorizing a rotational angular position in the third angular range if the detected rotational angular position is greater than the basic angular position plus 5?.
12. A detection method according to claim 11, wherein the rotational angular position when an insertion has been detected is stored as an adapted basic angular position only when the rotational angular position has a minimum size.
13. A detection method according to claim 11, wherein this has the step that the adapted basic angular position is reset when the seatbelt tongue is removed from the seatbelt buckle.
Description
[0041] The invention is explained below using preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures:
[0042] FIG. 1 shows a seatbelt device having a sensor for detecting a rotational angular position of a diagonal belt portion;
[0043] FIG. 2 shows a belt buckle with a sensor for detecting the rotational angular position of a diagonal belt portion;
[0044] FIG. 3 shows a seatbelt tongue with the rotatable fitting for a diagonal belt portion;
[0045] FIG. 4 shows another view of a seatbelt device having a sensor for detecting an rotational angular position of a diagonal belt portion;
[0046] FIG. 5 shows a seatbelt tongue with the rotatable fitting for a diagonal belt portion and a sensor;
[0047] FIG. 6 shows another view of a seatbelt tongue with the rotatable fitting for a diagonal belt portion and a sensor;
[0048] FIG. 7 shows a seatbelt buckle with induction coil;
[0049] FIG. 8 shows a seatbelt device having a sensor for detecting a rotational angular position on the belt tongue; and
[0050] FIG. 9 shows fittings on inserted belt buckles in different rotational angular positions.
[0051] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a seatbelt device 10 for a motor vehicle. The seatbelt tongue 40 is inserted into a seatbelt buckle 30 fixable or fixed to the vehicle. A lap belt portion 22 is fastened to the seatbelt tongue 40 by an end 23 which is connected to a belt retractor 11 fixable or fixed to the vehicle. A rotatable, non-detachable (i.e., non-detachable without a tool) fitting 45 is provided on the seatbelt tongue 40, on which fitting 45 a diagonal belt portion 20 is connected to one end 21. The diagonal belt portion 20 is connected to another belt retractor 11 which is fixed or fixably connected to a vehicle. The seatbelt device 10 has a sensor 31 on the seatbelt buckle 30, see FIG. 2, which can detect the rotational angular position of the fitting 45 relative to the seatbelt buckle 30. Apart from the usual tolerances, the seatbelt buckle 30 and the inserted seatbelt tongue 40 are not rotatable relative to one another so that the rotational angular position of the fitting 45 relative to the seatbelt buckle 30 largely also corresponds to a rotational angular position of the fitting 45 relative to the inserted seatbelt tongue 40.
[0052] FIG. 2 shows the seatbelt buckle 30 of FIG. 1 in an individual representation. In order to detect the rotational angular position of the fitting 45, the sensor 31 is arranged on the seatbelt buckle 30 to the side of an insertion opening 33 so that the sensor 31 is arranged in the immediate vicinity of the fitting 45 when the seatbelt tongue 40 is inserted. The side of the seatbelt tongue 40, which faces the sensor 31 on the seatbelt buckle 30, is shown in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, two cylindrical magnets 43 are embedded in the fitting 45 and are diametrically magnetized so that the north pole is not arranged at the top, but rather on the round side, and the south pole is arranged on the correspondingly opposite round side. The alignment of the magnets 43 can be seen in FIG. 3. The magnets 43 are rotated in tandem according to the rotational angular position of the fitting 45 on which they are arranged. In this embodiment, the sensor 31 is a Hall sensor and can detect the rotational angular position of the fitting relative to the seatbelt buckle 30 with the aid of the magnets 43.
[0053] In FIG. 4, the inserted seatbelt tongue 40 with the magnets 43 can be seen from the rear side, which is usually associated with a seat. The rotational angular position of the fitting 45 detected by the sensor 31 can be passed on by a cable 34 and categorized.
[0054] FIG. 5 shows another exemplary embodiment of a seatbelt tongue 40 of a seatbelt device 10. Deviating from the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4, a sensor 41 is arranged as a Hall sensor on the seatbelt tongue 40. Accordingly, the sensor 41 detects the rotational angular position of the fitting 45 relative to the seatbelt tongue 40. A magnet 43 is provided on the fitting 43 for this purpose, which can be seen in FIG. 6 in a rear view that typically faces an occupant.
[0055] A coil 42 on the seatbelt tongue 40, which is covered by a plastic cover, serves to receive electrical energy from the seatbelt buckle 30 which can be connected in a simple manner to a vehicle network via a cable 34. The inductive transmission from the seatbelt buckle 30 takes place by means of a coil 32 of the seatbelt buckle 30, which can be seen in FIG. 7, to the coil 42 in the seatbelt tongue 40. The transmitted electrical energy can be used to operate the sensor 41 which in this embodiment detects the changes in the magnetic field from the rotation of the fitting 45 by the relative movement of the magnet 43.
[0056] FIG. 8 shows the corresponding seatbelt device 10 with a seatbelt tongue 40 inserted in the seatbelt buckle 30 so that the two coils 32, 42 are arranged next to one another. The electrical energy transmitted by the seatbelt buckle 30 is used to operate the sensor 41 on the seatbelt tongue. The rotational angular position detected by the sensor 41 can be transmitted together with current from the coil 42 by means of a cable connection 25 to the diagonal belt portion 20. An electronic module 24 is provided in the diagonal belt portion 20, is operated with the current from the coil 42, and can transmit the detected rotational angular position or a corresponding categorization by a radio link, for example Bluetooth?, to other vehicle systems.
[0057] FIG. 9 shows multiple inserted seatbelt tongues 40, wherein the rotational angular position of the fitting 45 mounted rotatably on the seatbelt tongue 40 for the affixing of a diagonal belt portion 20 is detected with a sensor 31 on the seatbelt buckle 30. The rotational angular positions of the fittings 45 in FIG. 9 serve only for illustration and are shown in the stop positions in FIGS. 9a and 9c, wherein FIG. 9b shows a central position. In the central position, the fitting 45 is aligned parallel to the insertion axis 35 of the seatbelt buckle 30. For example, the value 90? can be assigned to this rotational angular position.
[0058] FIG. 9a shows, for example, a fitting 45 which is approximately 35? to the insertion axis 35. For illustration, it is assumed that a backrest of a vehicle seat and, according to the representation in FIG. 9a, a seat surface extends on the left of the seatbelt buckle 30. In principle, however, a reverse arrangement would also be conceivable. The fitting 45 is therefore inclined relative to a backrest in FIG. 9a. A negative sign is assigned to this direction of rotation so that the rotational angular position in FIG. 9a can be assigned, for example, a value of approximately 55?. Such a value can, for example, occur when the diagonal belt section 20 is not only guided behind the back of an occupant, but also behind the backrest. The seatbelt device 10 would transmit a signal corresponding to the category of the first angular range, which can be assigned to a diagonal belt portion on the back.
[0059] In FIG. 9c, the fitting 45 is rotated approximately 35? relative to the insertion axis 35 in the other direction, i.e., in the direction of a seat surface. Accordingly, a positive sign is provided for the direction of rotation so that, for example, a value of 135? can be assigned to the rotational angular position of the fitting 45. Such a large angle can typically only be achieved if the diagonal belt portion is pushed far below the shoulder of an occupant, so that the seatbelt device 10 would accordingly transmit a signal of the category of the third angular range, which can be assigned to a diagonal belt portion on the abdomen and the shoulder.
