APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DETECTING A PROPER APPLICATION OF A SEAT BELT AND VEHICLE WITH SUCH A DEVICE

Abstract

An apparatus for proper application of a seat belt in a vehicle. The apparatus includes the seat belt and a seat belt buckle which is assigned to it and which is provided with a measuring device, arranged for measuring a tensile force exerted on the seat belt buckle. The apparatus further relates to an evaluation device for evaluating the measured tensile force. At the same time, it is provided that the apparatus is also equipped with a tightening device for applying a tightening force to the seat belt, as well as with a detection device for detecting the applied tightening force. The evaluation device compares the tensile force to the tightening force and determines based on a corresponding comparison result whether the seat belt has been properly placed and secured in the seat belt buckle.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting a proper application of a seat belt in a vehicle, comprising: the seat belt and a seat belt buckle that is assigned to a seat belt and an associated measuring device for measuring a tensile force exerted upon the seat belt, and an evaluation device for an evaluation of the measured tensile force, wherein the apparatus is equipped with a tightening device for exerting a tightening force on the seat belt, as well as a detection device for detecting the exerted tightening force, and the evaluation device is adapted to compare the tensile force to the tightening force and to determine based on a corresponding comparison result whether the seat belt is properly placed in the seat belt buckle and secured therein.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tightening device includes an actuator system, which can be pulled out for application from the seat belt, and an actuator system that is arranged in or on the seat belt buckle.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the seat belt is assigned to a seat of the vehicle and the evaluation device is adapted to determine based on the comparison result whether the seat belt is guided along the seat behind the backrest part.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the seat belt is assigned to a seat and the evaluation device is adapted to determine based on the comparison result whether the seat belt is guided between a respective seat occupant and the seat.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is designed to make the determination as to whether the seat belt has been placed in the seat belt buckle correctly and secured as intended before the start of a trip of the motor vehicle and with each locking of the seat belt buckle.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an extraction sensor for determining a length of an extraction of the seat belt, and the evaluation device is designed to take into account during the determination as to whether the seat belt is applied and secured in the seat belt buckle, the respective currently withdrawn length detected by the extraction sensor.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the evaluation device is designed to take into account during the determination whether the seat belt has been applied in accordance with the intended use and secured in the seat belt buckle at least one of the following information items: a position of the seat to which the seat belt is assigned; an inclination of a backrest of a seat to which the seat belt is assigned; an occupancy status of at least one seat of the vehicle; a weight of a vehicle occupant who is using the seat belt; and a body size or a body dimension of a vehicle occupant who is using the seat belt.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the evaluation device is designed to take into account during the determination whether the seat belt has been applied and secured in the seat belt buckle a temporal sequence of a plurality of events detected by at least one sensor system.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the evaluation device is designed to take into account as events at least an occupancy of a seat to which the seat belt is assigned, and a withdrawal of the seat belt and locking of the seat belt buckle.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation device is designed to detect the temporal progression of the tensile force and of the tightening force and to take this into account during the determination whether the seat belt has been placed properly and secured as intended in the seat belt buckle.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the evaluation device is designed to compare during the determination whether the seat belt has been placed properly and secured in the seat belt buckle the detected temporal progression of the tensile force and of the tightening force to a respective predetermined characteristic progression.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a characteristic progression of the tensile force and of the tightening force is predetermined for: at least one driving situation; at least one clothing type of the passenger of the vehicle using the seat belt; and at least one body size and body circumference of the passenger of the vehicle using the seat belt.

13. A vehicle provided with a plurality of seats, to which a respective seat belt and a seat belt are assigned, wherein the evaluation device is designed to determine, based on the tensile forces and tightening forces measured for all of the seat belts and seat belt buckles, whether the seat belt has been placed properly and secured as intended in the seat belt buckle.

14. The vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the evaluation device is designed to take into account for the determination whether the respective seat belt has been placed properly and secured in the seat belt buckle, based on: a temporal offset of the measured tensile forces and of the tightening forces; a respective level of the measured tensile forces and of the tensile forces; and a respective temporal progression of the measured tensile forces and of the tightening force.

15. A method for detecting a proper application of a seat belt in a motor vehicle, comprising: an exerted tensile force is measured by a measuring device arranged in a seat belt buckle assigned to the seat belt and the measured tensile force is evaluated by an evaluation device, wherein the tightening force exerted by a tightening device onto the seat belt is detected by means of a detection device, the tensile force is compared to the tightening force exerted onto the seat belt by the evaluation device and based on a corresponding comparison result, it is determined whether the seat belt has been placed properly and secured as intended.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] Embodiments of the invention will be explained next with reference to schematic illustrations, which show the following:

[0048] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a vehicle equipped with an apparatus designed according to an embodiment of the present invention for recognizing the proper application of a seat belt assigned to a vehicle seat; and

[0049] FIG. 2 shows a schematic flow diagram of an embodiment of a method according to this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a vehicle seat which will be hereinafter referred to as seat 1. This seat 1 can be in particular a seat of a vehicle. In the present case, the seat 1 has a backrest part 2 and a cushion part 3 arranged on the seat 1 with, which are associated a seat belt 4 that is provided with a belt tongue 5 as well as with a seat belt buckle 6. This means that the seat belt 4 and the seat belt buckle 6 are provided and arranged in order to keep a seat occupant of the seat 1, not shown here, safely in the seat.

[0051] For this purpose, the seat belt tongue 5 is inserted into the seat belt buckle 6, which is provided with a corresponding releasable locking mechanism for securely holding or fixing the seat belt tong 5 and thus also the seat belt 4. The seat belt buckle 6 can be arranged for example on or attached to the seat 1, but it can be, additionally or alternatively, also for example attached to or held by a frame part of the vehicle.

[0052] In the present case, the seat belt is provided by way of an example as a three-point belt.

[0053] Accordingly, a lower seat belt part 7 can span the cushion part 3 and an upper seat belt part 8 can extend diagonally from seat part 2. The lower seat belt receptacle 9 can be in this case arranged for example on the side opposite to the seat belt buckle 6 of the seat 1, in particular with respect to the pillow part 3. The upper seat belt buckle 10 is here arranged on and/or in a B pillar 11 of the vehicle. At the same time, it is provided that at least the upper seat belt receptacle 10 comprises a tightening device 12, which is configured to tighten the seat belt 4. In other words, a tightening force can be applied by means of or with the tightening device 12 to the seat belt 4, by means of which the upper seat belt section 8 can be or is pulled in the direction of the upper seat belt receptacle. If the seat belt tongue 5 is locked in the seat belt buckle 6, it can function as a deflection roller so that the lower seat belt section 7 is pulled in the direction of the seat belt tongue 5. This makes it possible to ensure with the tightening device 12 that the seat belt 4 is attached to the seat occupant so that it can fulfill its function in an optimal manner.

[0054] Additionally or alternatively to the arranged in or on the upper seat belt receptacle 10, the tightening device 12 can be also arranged on the seat belt buckle 6, oras indicated here by dotted linesconnected to the seat belt buckle 6. In this case, the seat belt buckle 6 itself can be pulled or moved by means of the tightening device 12 in order to tighten the seat belt 4. Similarly, it is also possible to arrange the tightening device 12 or a component of the tightening device 12 in the seat belt buckle 6. For this purpose, a corresponding actuator system can be arranged in the seat belt buckle 6, so that it then becomes a pulling component.

[0055] In any case, a detection device 13 is provided, which is designed to detect the tightening force that is exerted by the tightening device 12 onto the seat belt 4. A precise arrangement of the detection device 13 can in this case depend on the arrangement or on the position of the tightening device 12. In the present case, the detection device 13 can be arranged for example also in the upper seat belt receptacle 10 or in the B pillar 11. Furthermore, an extraction sensor 14 is in the present case arranged on the upper seat belt receptacle 10, which is configured to determine a withdrawal length of the seat belt 4. The determination of the withdrawal length or the measuring of the seat belt extraction can be carried out for example by means of a potentiometer that is connected directly or indirectly to the seat belt 4. In order to minimize the component expense, it can be for example provided that the tightening device 12 comprises a reversible seat belt tightener (RGS), which is already equipped with a potentiometer. The potentiometer can then be also advantageously used also to determine the extraction length.

[0056] The tightening force determined by the detection device 13 as well as the extraction length of the seat belt 4 that is determined by the extraction sensor 14 are transmitted via a corresponding data connection to an evaluation device 15.

[0057] In the seat belt 6 is in the present case arranged a measuring device for measuring the tensile force that is exerted on the seat belt buckle. Such a tensile force can be transmitted to or act on, for example when the seat belt tongue 5 is locked in the seat belt buckle 6, via the force that is exerted on the seat belt 5, to the seat belt buckle 6. The measuring device 16 can comprise for example one or several strain gauges for measuring the tensile force. The measured values of the tensile force detected by the measuring device 16 can be also transmitted via a corresponding data connection to the evaluation device 15.

[0058] Furthermore, the vehicle may also comprise other sensors or sensor devices, which can transmit in a similar manner their respective measured values, data or information to the evaluation device 15. For example, a seat sensor system 17 can be provided in or on the seat 1, by means of which for example the occupancy or the status of the seat 1 and/or when required also the weight of the seat passenger who is sitting in the or on the seat 1 can be determined. The interior space of the vehicle can be detectedfor example opticallyby means of an interior space sensor system 18 of the vehicle. For this purpose, the interior space sensor system 18 can be equipped with a camera. By means of a corresponding image processing, or with evaluation of the image data detected with or provided by such a camera, it is possible for example to determine whether the seat 1 is occupied by a person or whether an object is placed on it. If necessary, the size and the body circumference and/or the type of clothing can be also determined. In addition, the evaluation device 15 may for example also transmit data from a vehicle sensor system 19. This data transmitted from the vehicle sensor system 19 can be for example a driving state or a driving situation and/or other parameters of the vehicle.

[0059] The evaluation device 15, the seat belt 4 with the tightening device 12, the detection device 13 and the extraction sensor 14 as well as the seat belt buckle 6 with the measuring device 16 form in the present case an apparatus for detecting a proper application of the seat belt 4. In order to enable this detection, the evaluation device 15 is configured to compare the tensile force to the tightening force and to determine based on a corresponding comparison result whether the seat belt 4 has been applied properly and secured in the seat belt buckle 6. A corresponding procedure will now be briefly explained based on FIG. 2 while referring to the components and devices described in the context of FIG. 1.

[0060] FIG. 2 shows in a flow diagram 20 a schematic example of a method for detecting a proper application of the seat belt 5. It should be explicitly pointed out that the individual steps described here based on the flow diagram 20 can be also carry out in a different sequence, while the intended result can be still achieved.

[0061] The procedure is started with a procedural step S1. This start can be triggered or effected for example when the vehicle is unlocked by a user, in particular from outside of the vehicle, or by opening the door of the vehicle, by activating or starting the ignition of the vehicle or the like. It can be for example also provided that the procedure is started as soon as all of the participating or necessary components and devices have been activated or started or impacted with the supplied electric voltage or with operating voltage. At the start of the procedure, detection of events can be also activated so that during the course thereof, predetermined events as well as their temporal sequence are detected and if required also recorded or stored. A corresponding check or evaluation of the detected sequence can start for example with the first detected event, or for example with the first detected event after the unlocking of the vehicle, or with the door of the vehicle, or with the unlocking of the seat belt buckle 6. As events can be detected at least the occupancy of the seat 1, the extraction of the seat belt 4 and the unlocking of the seat belt 6.

[0062] In a procedural step S2, for example the occupancy of the seat 1 by the seat occupant can be detected by means of the seat sensor system 17 and/or by the interior space sensor system 18. In this case, the seat occupant's weight, body mass and/or type of clothing can be subsequently also detected. Similarly, for example a position or inclination of the backrest part 2 as well as a position of the seat 1 can be also detected. All of this data and information will be transmitted or provided to the evaluation device 15.

[0063] In the present case, the extraction of the seat belt 4 is detected in procedural step S3. At the same time, the force exerted in this case initially at the starting time as well as its temporal progression and the maximum and/or final withdrawal length can be also detected and transmitted to the evaluation device 15. Similarly, the tightening force can be applied by means of the tightening device 12 permanently or continuously and a corresponding value can be also detected and transmitted to the evaluation device 15. The final withdrawal length in this case means the withdrawal length that exists after the end of the withdrawing movement and if appropriate, of the opposing withdrawing force caused by the tightening configuration. In a procedural step S4 is in the present case detected a locking or clicking into place of the seat belt buckle. At first it is not necessarily clear or ensured that the belt tongue 5 of the seat belt 4 has been actually inserted into the seat belt buckle 6. The force profile of the tensile force acting on the belt buckle 6 is recorded by means of the measuring device 16 and transmitted to the evaluation device 15.

[0064] In a procedural step S5, the tightening force and the tensile force and/or their temporal progressions are mutually compared to one another. A corresponding comparison result is then evaluated by the evaluation device 15, for example based on a predetermined characteristic curve and/or based on one or a plurality of predetermined evaluation conditions. At the same time, some or all of the sensor data 21 of the evaluation device 15, for example the data that has been transmitted by the seat sensor system 17, by the internal space sensor system 18 and/or by the vehicle sensor data 19, is taken into account. This can mean that for example based on the sensor data 21, or based on the parameters or parameter values contained in this data or transmitted from this data and obtained from one or several predetermined characteristic curves, one of several characteristic curves are selected and applied for evaluation of each respective current situation. In the same manner, however, a complex, multi-dimensional characteristic curve can be also provided. The sensor data 21 can also comprise data or information from other seats, detection systems, extraction sensors and measuring device, for example about one or several other seats of the vehicle.

[0065] If the result of the evaluation is that the seat belt is secured erroneously or improperly and not in accordance with the intended purpose, a warning signal 22 can be provided for the seat occupant immediately, or for example during a subsequently occurring predetermined event, or during and/or for example with the occurrence of a predetermined driving state and/or operating state of the vehicle, in a procedural step S6. For example, it can be provided that the warning signal is only output when a drive motor of the motor vehicle is started or when the motor vehicle is set into motion. Accordingly, as a predetermined state during which the warning signal 22 is output can be defined for example the state of the vehicle when the vehicle is moving. In other words, it can be also provided that the alarmor instructionor warning signal 22 is output when the vehicle is set into motion, or when it is moving at a speed that is above a predetermined threshold speed. The latter can advantageously for example allow a free maneuvering of the vehicle that is as free of deflections as much as possible below the predetermined limiting speed, so that the occupant of the seat has the best possible general view or overview of the environment in the vehicle without being restricted by the seat belt 4 in the freedom of movement.

[0066] Independently of the result of the evaluation, the evaluation or a corresponding monitoring of a proper application and/or placement of the seat belt 4 is carried out in a procedural step S7 permanently, in regular intervals and/or when predetermined events occursuch as for example when the seat belt buck is unlockedagain or continuously, so that the current data and information that has been collected up to this point can be evaluated or taken into account. This makes it possible to detect or monitor continuously or during the operation of the vehicle whether the seat belt 4 has been applied properly and as intended, wherein the warning signal 22 can be accordingly output also during the driving operation, for example when the seat belt buckle 6 is unlocked.