Vehicles with occupant protection features

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vehicle with an occupant protection function, and the object is to further improve the occupant protection performance in the vehicle with the occupant protection function. The automobile (1) with the occupant protection function comprises: an occupant protection device (26) which performs a protective operation of supporting an occupant riding in the automobile (1) by using a seat belt (11) when the automobile (1) collides; and an occupant monitoring device (40) which is arranged in the automobile (1) and monitors the occupant riding in the automobile (1). The occupant monitoring device (40) determines whether the occupant riding in the automobile (1) recognizes the collision of the automobile (1). When the occupant monitoring device (40) determines that the occupant has not recognized the collision of the automobile (1), the occupant protection device (26) slowly increases the tension of the seat belt (11) compared to the case where it is determined that the occupant has recognized the collision of the automobile (1).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a vehicle with an occupant protection function. Background Art

[0002] In order to protect the occupants, a seat belt device or other occupant protection device is used in a vehicle (Patent Document 1). The seat belt device has a seat belt stretched over the waist and front of the upper body of the occupant sitting on the seat, and in the event of a collision, the seat belt is stopped from being extended to support the occupant. As a result, the occupant is not likely to deviate significantly from the seated position. The seat belt device can provide a certain degree of protection for the occupants.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-016230 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] However, it is said that if a high tension is suddenly applied to the seat belt during a collision, depending on the occupant, a large force may be instantly applied to, for example, the chest of the occupant who is about to move forward.

[0008] This requires vehicles to further improve occupant protection performance.

[0009] Means of solving problems

[0010] The vehicle with occupant protection function of the present invention comprises: an occupant protection device, which is arranged in the vehicle and performs a protection work of supporting the occupants riding in the vehicle by using seat belts when the vehicle collides; and an occupant monitoring device, which is arranged in the vehicle and monitors the occupants riding in the vehicle, wherein the occupant monitoring device determines whether the occupants riding in the vehicle recognize the collision of the vehicle, and when the occupant monitoring device determines that the occupants have not recognized the collision of the vehicle, the occupant protection device slowly increases the tension of the seat belt compared to the case where it is determined that the occupants have recognized the collision of the vehicle.

[0011] Preferably, the occupant monitoring device may include a camera capable of photographing an occupant riding in the vehicle, and may determine recognition of a collision of the vehicle by an occupant riding in the vehicle based on an image photographed by the camera.

[0012] Preferably, the occupant monitoring device can determine the occupant's recognition of the collision based on the occupant's movement in the direction in which the collision of the vehicle is expected or detected in the image captured by the camera device.

[0013] Preferably, when a collision of the vehicle is anticipated, the occupant protection device may start to slowly increase the tension of the seat belt if the occupant does not recognize the collision; if the occupant recognizes the collision, the seat belt tension may not be increased even if a collision of the vehicle is anticipated.

[0014] Preferably, after the occupant protection device starts the operation of slowly increasing the tension of the seat belt, if it is detected that a collision of the vehicle is inevitable, the occupant protection device may increase the rate of increase of the tension and continue the operation of increasing the tension of the seat belt.

[0015] Preferably, the occupant protection device may start the operation of immediately increasing the tension of the seat belt if it is detected that the collision of the vehicle is unavoidable, after not starting the operation of increasing the tension of the seat belt even if the collision of the vehicle is anticipated.

[0016] Effects of the Invention

[0017] In the present invention, the occupant monitoring device determines whether the occupant of the vehicle recognizes the vehicle collision. When the occupant monitoring device determines that the occupant does not recognize the vehicle collision, the occupant protection device increases the tension of the seat belt more slowly than when the occupant recognizes the vehicle collision.

[0018] Therefore, in the present invention, when the occupant recognizes a collision of the vehicle, a high tension can be immediately applied to the seat belt at the time of the collision, thereby supporting the occupant who is expected to be prepared for the collision with high reliability. In contrast, when the occupant does not recognize the collision, the tension of the seat belt is increased slowly compared to the case where the occupant recognizes the collision. As a result, a large force is not applied instantly to the chest of the occupant who is in a normal state because the collision is not recognized, and support can be provided.

[0019] Thus, in the present invention, by adjusting the tension of the seat belt according to the collision recognition of the occupant, the occupant can be protected with an appropriate tension corresponding to the state of the occupant's body reaction. It can be expected that the occupant protection performance of the vehicle will be further improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] 1(A)-(C) are schematic illustrations of a car that can be used in a transportation system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 1 (A) - (C) of the vehicle control system schematic diagram;

[0022] Figure 3 Is has Figure 2 A diagram showing the composition of the occupant monitoring device and occupant protection device of the occupant monitoring ECU;

[0023] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 An explanatory diagram of a specific example of a seat belt device controlled by a protective operation of an occupant protection device;

[0024] Figure 5 Is Figure 3 A flowchart of a monitoring process for protecting an occupant performed by an occupant monitoring ECU of an occupant monitoring device;

[0025] Figure 6 is based on Figure 5 An explanatory diagram of an example of a process of changing the restraining force of a seat belt generated by an actuator of an occupant protection device.

[0026] Explanation of symbols

[0027] 1…car (vehicle); 3…seat; 10…seat belt device; 11…seat belt; 12…actuator; 26…occupant protection device; 40…occupant monitoring device; 41…interior camera; 56…detection ECU; 58…occupant monitoring ECU; 59…protection ECU; 74…speed sensor; 75…acceleration sensor; 101…in-vehicle communication unit; 102…memory DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

[0029] 1(A)-(C) are schematic illustrations of a car 1 that can be used in a transportation system 80 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] FIG. 1(A) is a side view, FIG. 1(B) is a cross-sectional view, and FIG. 1(C) is a top view.

[0031] The automobile 1 shown in FIG. 1 (A) to (C) is an example of a vehicle. The automobile 1 has a vehicle cabin 2 in the center of the vehicle body for passengers to sit in. Inside the vehicle cabin 2 are seats 3 for passengers to sit in. A footrest 4 is provided at the front of the vehicle cabin 2. On the front side of the seat 3, a steering wheel 5 protrudes backward from the footrest 4. Passengers can sit on the seat 3 and operate operating components such as the steering wheel 5.

[0032] Figure 2 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a control system 50 of the automobile 1 . Figure 2 In the figure, a plurality of control modules constituting the control system 50 are represented and indicated by respective incorporated control ECUs (Electronic Control Units).

[0033] Specifically, Figure 2The driving ECU 51, steering ECU 52, brake ECU 53, automatic driving / driving support ECU 54, driving operation ECU 55, detection ECU 56, air conditioning ECU 57, occupant monitoring ECU 58, protection ECU 59, external communication ECU 60, UI ECU 61, and system ECU 62 are shown. The plurality of control ECUs are connected to a central gateway (CGW) 67 as a relay device via a vehicle network 66 such as CAN (Controller Area Network) or LIN (Local Interconnect Network) adopted in the automobile 1. The vehicle network 66 connects, for example, the occupant monitoring ECU 58 of the occupant monitoring device 40 and the protection ECU 59 of the occupant protection device 26.

[0034] Furthermore, in each control module, the control ECU is connected to an electronic device used in the automobile 1. The activated control ECU executes various processes to control the operation of the respectively connected electronic devices according to the information (data) acquired from the vehicle network 66. In addition, the control ECU also outputs information (data) such as the operation status of the respectively connected electronic devices to the vehicle network 66.

[0035] For example, the driving operation ECU 55 is connected to operation detection sensors such as the steering wheel 5, the brake pedal 71, the accelerator pedal 72, and the shift lever 73, which are operated by the occupant to control the travel of the automobile 1. The driving operation ECU 55 outputs control information corresponding to the operation amount to the vehicle network 66. The drive ECU 51, the steering ECU 52, and the brake ECU 53 obtain information from the vehicle network 66 to control the travel of the automobile 1.

[0036] The detection ECU 56 is connected to a speed sensor 74 of the vehicle 1, an acceleration sensor 75 capable of detecting acceleration of the vehicle 1 caused by a collision, etc., the above-mentioned external camera 31, etc. The detection ECU 56 outputs the values ​​of the speed sensor 74 and the acceleration sensor 75 of the vehicle 1, the image of the external camera 31, etc. to the vehicle network 66. The detection ECU 56 can also predict a collision based on the image of the external camera 31 and output the prediction result to the vehicle network 66. The central gateway 67 forwards the information. The UIECU 61 obtains information from the vehicle network 66 and displays the information on the display device 76 connected thereto. The UIECU 61 is connected to the display device 76 and an operating device 77 operated by the occupant.

[0037] The above-mentioned interior camera 41 and microphone 78 are connected to the passenger monitoring ECU 58. The passenger monitoring ECU 58 is a control ECU of the passenger monitoring device 40, and performs various processes related to passengers riding in the car 1 based on the image of the interior camera 41, the sound of the microphone 78, and information such as acceleration of impact acquired from the vehicle network 66. The passenger monitoring ECU 58 outputs images, sounds, and other information (data) to the vehicle network 66 as needed.

[0038] The airbag device 20 and the seat belt device 10 are connected to the protection ECU 59 . The protection ECU 59 controls the operation of the airbag device 20 and the seat belt device 10 based on information acquired from the vehicle network 66 .

[0039] The external communication ECU 60 wirelessly communicates with, for example, a communication base station 81 or a communication device of another car 82 that exists outside the car 1. The communication base station 81 or the communication device of another car 82 together with the server device 83 constitute the transportation system 80. The external communication ECU 60 wirelessly transmits information acquired from the vehicle network 66 to the communication base station 81 or the communication device of another car 82. The transmitted information can be used, for example, in the server device 83 or in another car 82. In addition, the external communication ECU 60 receives information from the communication base station 81 or the communication device of another car 82 and outputs it to the vehicle network 66. Thus, the occupant monitoring ECU 58 of the car 1, for example, can transmit and receive information (data) to and from the server device 83 or another car 82 outside the car through the external communication ECU 60.

[0040] In addition, the battery 91 installed in the vehicle 1 supplies power to each part, so that Figure 2 The control system 50 shown operates. Power supply lines from the battery 91 to each part are laid in the automobile 1 together with, for example, a communication cable of the vehicle network 66. In addition to the battery 91, power may be supplied to the control system 50 from a generator or a power receiver.

[0041] As described above, the automobile 1 is provided with the occupant protection device 26 such as the seat belt device 10 and the airbag device 20 in order to perform a protective operation for protecting the occupants when a collision occurs.

[0042] The seat belt device 10 includes a seat belt 11 that is laid over the front of an occupant sitting on the seat 3. The seat belt device 10 applies tension to the seat belt 11 during a collision to restrain the occupant so that the occupant is less likely to leave the seat 3.

[0043] The airbag device 20 includes, for example, an airbag 21 that is deployed in front of or on the side of the seat 3. The airbag device 20 deploys the airbag 21 during a collision to support an occupant who is about to fall or leave the seat 3.

[0044] Thus, the automobile 1 can protect the passengers in the automobile during a collision. The passengers are unlikely to be greatly separated from the seated position, and a certain protective effect can be expected for the passengers.

[0045] However, even if the airbag 21 is deployed during a collision, the protection effect for the occupant is not necessarily sufficient.

[0046] For example, it is said that if a high tension is suddenly applied to the seat belt 11 during a collision, depending on the occupant, a large force may be instantly applied to, for example, the chest of the occupant who is about to move forward due to the collision.

[0047] This requires the automobile 1 to further improve the occupant protection performance.

[0048] Figure 3 Is has Figure 2 A diagram showing the configuration of the occupant monitoring device 40 and the occupant protection device 26 of the occupant monitoring ECU 58.

[0049] Figure 3 The occupant monitoring device 40 includes an in-vehicle communication unit 101, an occupant monitoring ECU 58, a memory 102, a timer 103, a microphone 78, an internal camera 41, a driver 105 for a lens 104, and an internal bus 106 connecting them. For example, the occupant monitoring device 40 may also independently connect an external emergency communicator 107, an auxiliary acceleration sensor 108, and an auxiliary external camera 109 for photographing pedestrians, etc., to the internal bus 106. Thus, the occupant monitoring device 40 can independently ensure a function for executing a process at the time of a collision.

[0050] In addition, power is supplied from the battery 91 of the automobile 1 to each part of the passenger monitoring device 40. A storage battery 110 storing backup power is connected to the power supply path. The passenger monitoring device 40 may be provided to be detachable from the automobile 1.

[0051] The in-vehicle communication unit 101 is connected to the vehicle network 66. The in-vehicle communication unit 101 transmits and receives information (data) via the vehicle network 66 with other control ECUs such as the detection ECU 56, the protection ECU 59 of the occupant protection device 26, and the external communication ECU 60 shown in the figure.

[0052] The interior camera 41 is an imaging device that captures an image of the interior 2 of the automobile 1. The interior camera 41 can capture an image of a passenger who is riding in the automobile 1.

[0053] The drive unit 105 drives the lens 104 to control the position of the lens 104. By controlling the position of the lens 104, the shooting angle of the interior camera 41 is changed. When the lens 104 is controlled to the farthest position, as shown in the double-dotted line frame of FIG. 1(B), the interior camera 41 captures, for example, the upper body including the head of the passenger who is a driver sitting on the seat 3 to operate the steering wheel 5, etc. When the lens 104 is controlled to the closest position, as shown in the single-dotted line frame of FIG. 1(B), the interior camera 41 captures, for example, the entire vehicle interior 2. In this case, the interior camera 41 can capture other passengers sitting on the front passenger seat or the rear seat 3 in addition to the passenger who is the driver.

[0054] The microphone 78 converts the sound of the vehicle interior 2 of the vehicle 1 into an electric signal.

[0055] The timer 103 measures elapsed time or the time.

[0056] The off-vehicle emergency communicator 107 is a communication device that can communicate with the communication base station 81 or other vehicles 82 outside the vehicle 1 in an emergency such as an accident of the vehicle 1. The off-vehicle emergency communicator 107 can communicate with the communication base station 81 or other vehicles 82 in the same communication method as the external communication ECU 60.

[0057] The auxiliary acceleration sensor 108 detects the acceleration acting on the vehicle 1 in the same manner as the acceleration sensor 75 .

[0058] The memory 102 records various images and detection values ​​acquired by the occupant monitoring device 40. In addition, the memory 102 records a program for occupant monitoring.

[0059] The occupant monitoring ECU 58 reads and executes the occupant monitoring program from the memory 102. Thus, the control unit of the occupant monitoring device 40 is realized in the occupant monitoring ECU 58. The control unit of the occupant monitoring device 40 controls the overall operation of the occupant monitoring device 40 so that the occupant monitoring device 40 realizes the occupant monitoring function.

[0060] For example, the passenger monitoring ECU 58 determines whether the passenger has recognized the collision of the vehicle 1 based on an image of the passenger in the vehicle 1 captured by the interior camera 41 .

[0061] The occupant protection device 26 is composed of a protection ECU 59 , an airbag device 20 , and a seat belt device 10 .

[0062] For example, when the acceleration sensor 75 detects a collision of the automobile 1 , the protection ECU 59 of the occupant protection device 26 restrains the occupant of the automobile 1 with the seat belt 11 according to whether the occupant recognizes the collision as determined by the occupant monitoring device 40 .

[0063] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 1 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of the seat belt device 10 controlled by the protecting operation of the occupant protecting device 26.

[0064] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an occupant sitting on the seat 3 as viewed from the front.

[0065] The seat belt device 10 includes a seat belt 11 that is stretched over the waist and the front side of the upper body of an occupant sitting on the seat 3 , and an actuator that winds up the seat belt 11 .

[0066] The protection ECU 59 of the occupant protection device 26 controls the operation, stop, and driving force of the actuator during operation. The seat belt 11 is wound by the driving force of the actuator during operation to restrain the occupant sitting on the seat 3. For example, when the seat belt 11 is wound in a manner that presses the occupant against the seat 3, the driving force of the actuator becomes the restraining force of the seat belt 11.

[0067] Figure 5 Is Figure 3 Flowchart of monitoring processing for protecting an occupant performed by the occupant monitoring ECU 58 of the occupant monitoring device 40.

[0068] For example, when a passenger gets on the vehicle 1 and the passenger monitoring device 40 starts to operate, the passenger monitoring ECU 58 executes Figure 5 processing.

[0069] In step ST1 , the occupant monitoring ECU 58 starts to image the occupant using the interior camera 41 , and starts to acquire the imaged image.

[0070] In step ST2, the occupant monitoring ECU58 determines whether a collision is predicted. For example, the occupant monitoring ECU58 obtains the collision prediction output by the detection ECU56 to the vehicle network 66 from the in-vehicle communication unit 101, and determines whether there is a collision prediction (conflict prediction). In addition, when the external communication ECU60 receives information about the possibility of a collision with the vehicle or other vehicles 82 traveling in front of it from other vehicles 82 and the communication base station 81, it will output the collision information in front of the road ahead to the vehicle network 66. The occupant monitoring ECU58 can also obtain the collision information in front of the road ahead to determine whether there is a collision prediction. When there is no collision prediction, the occupant monitoring ECU58 returns the processing to step ST1. When there is a collision prediction, the occupant monitoring ECU58 enters the processing into step ST3.

[0071] In addition, the occupant monitoring ECU 58 may also instruct the drive unit 105 to switch the viewing angle from a narrow angle to a wide angle. As a result, the interior camera 41 switches from a state of photographing only the driver to a state of photographing the entire vehicle interior 2. The occupant monitoring ECU 58 can determine not only the orientation and movement of the driver's upper body and head based on the captured image, but also the orientation and movement of the upper body and head of other occupants other than the driver from the captured image of the interior camera 41.

[0072] In step ST3 , the occupant monitoring ECU 58 determines whether the occupant recognizes a collision.

[0073] The occupant monitoring ECU 58 extracts the occupant's eyeball image from the acquired captured image based on the features, and determines the occupant's line of sight direction based on the extracted image. The occupant monitoring ECU 58 may also extract the occupant's head image from the acquired captured image based on the features, and determine the occupant's head direction based on the extracted image.

[0074] In addition, the occupant monitoring ECU 58 compares the input direction of the collision impact included in the collision prediction obtained in step ST2 with the line of sight direction of the specific occupant, for example. Then, when the difference between these directions is less than a predetermined angle, the occupant monitoring ECU 58 determines that the occupant has recognized the collision, and the process proceeds to step ST7. On the other hand, when the difference between these directions is greater than a predetermined angle, the occupant monitoring ECU 58 determines that the occupant has not recognized the collision, and the process proceeds to step ST4.

[0075] In step ST4 , the occupant monitoring ECU 58 instructs the output of a warning and a stimulus so that the occupant can visually confirm the direction in which a collision is expected.

[0076] The occupant monitoring ECU 58 displays the visual confirmation direction as a warning on the display device 76 of the UIECU 61. The occupant monitoring ECU 58 may also output the warning by sound from a speaker (not shown) of the UIECU 61. In addition, the occupant monitoring ECU 58 may also pass a small current to the occupant through an energizing device (not shown) provided on the seat 3 or the steering wheel 5.

[0077] In step ST5, the occupant monitoring ECU 58 predicts the time until collision. The occupant monitoring ECU 58 subtracts the elapsed time measured by the timer 103 from the period (duration) until collision included in the collision prediction acquired in step ST2 to predict the remaining time until collision.

[0078] In step ST6 , the occupant monitoring ECU 58 instructs the protection ECU 59 to start the pretensioning control of the seat belt 11 .

[0079] The occupant monitoring ECU 58 instructs, for example, ramp control to gradually increase the driving force (restraining force) of the seat belt 11 so that the maximum tension is achieved within the remaining time until the collision.

[0080] The protection ECU 59 starts pretensioning control of the seat belt 11 using the actuator 12. The protection ECU 59 starts ramp-up control for gradually increasing the driving force (restraining force) of the seat belt 11.

[0081] When a collision of the automobile 1 is predicted, the protection ECU 59 starts an operation to gradually increase the tension of the seat belt 11 if the occupant monitoring device 40 determines that the occupant has not recognized the occurrence of a collision.

[0082] In step ST7 , the occupant monitoring ECU 58 determines whether a state in which a collision cannot be avoided is detected.

[0083] The occupant monitoring ECU 58 acquires, for example, acceleration acting on the automobile 1 due to a collision to detect the collision, thereby determining whether a state in which the collision cannot be avoided is detected.

[0084] The occupant monitoring ECU 58 may acquire the collision detection output by the detection ECU 56 to the vehicle network 66 from the in-vehicle communication unit 101 , for example, and determine whether a state in which the collision cannot be avoided is detected.

[0085] If the collision is not unavoidable, the process returns to step ST2. If the collision is unavoidable, the process proceeds to step ST8.

[0086] In step ST8 , the occupant monitoring ECU 58 determines again whether the occupant has recognized a collision.

[0087] The occupant monitoring ECU 58 can determine whether the occupant has recognized the collision based on the image captured after the process of step ST3 by performing the same process as step ST3 .

[0088] Then, when it is determined that the occupant has recognized the collision, the occupant monitoring ECU 58 advances the processing to step ST9 . When it is determined that the occupant has not recognized the collision, the occupant monitoring ECU 58 advances the processing to step ST10 .

[0089] In step ST9 , the occupant monitoring ECU 58 instructs execution of the pretensioning control of the seat belt 11 at the maximum output.

[0090] The protection ECU 59 starts pretensioning control of the seat belt 11 using the actuator 12. The protection ECU 59 starts tightening the seat belt 11 at the maximum output.

[0091] After the protection ECU 59 does not start the operation of increasing the tension of the seat belt 11 even if a collision of the automobile 1 is expected, it starts the operation of immediately increasing the tension of the seat belt 11 to the maximum tension if it detects that a collision of the automobile 1 is inevitable.

[0092] In step ST10, the occupant monitoring ECU 58 instructs continuation of the pretensioning control of the seat belt 11 started in step ST6. The occupant monitoring ECU 58 increases the rate of increase of the driving force (restraining force) and instructs continuation of the pretensioning control by the ramp-up control.

[0093] The protection ECU 59 continues the ramp-up control of the restraining force of the seat belt 11 started in step ST6 .

[0094] The protection ECU 59 increases the rate of increase of the tightening force compared to the case of step ST6 , and continues the ramp-up control of the tightening force of the seat belt 11 started in step ST6 .

[0095] After starting the operation of gradually increasing the tension of the seat belt 11 , the protection ECU 59 increases the rate of increase of the tension and continues the operation of increasing the tension of the seat belt 11 if it detects that a collision of the automobile 1 is inevitable.

[0096] Figure 6 is based on Figure 5 FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a change in the restraining force of the seat belt 11 generated by the actuator 12 of the occupant protection device 26 .

[0097] Figure 6 The horizontal axis is the elapsed time from the predicted time of collision. Figure 6 The vertical axis is the restraining force (driving force) of the seat belt 11 .

[0098] like Figure 6 As shown, if the occupant has recognized a collision during collision prediction, the actuator 12 will not start to operate.

[0099] Then, if it is detected that the collision is unavoidable, the actuator 12 exerts the maximum restraining force (driving force) through the seat belt 11 regardless of whether the occupant recognizes the collision at that time.

[0100] On the other hand, if the occupant does not recognize the presence of a collision at the time of collision prediction, the actuator 12 of the occupant protection device 26 starts the ramp-up control of gradually increasing the restraining force (driving force) from the time of collision prediction.

[0101] Then, if it is detected that a collision is unavoidable, the actuator 12 changes the rate of increase of the restraining force (driving force) according to the passenger's recognition of the collision at this time, thereby continuing the ramp-up control of the restraining force of the seat belt 11. Specifically, when the passenger recognizes the collision, the rate of increase of the restraining force (driving force) is increased, and the ramp-up control of the restraining force of the seat belt 11 is continued. When the passenger has not yet recognized the collision, the ramp-up control of the restraining force of the seat belt 11 is continued without increasing the rate of increase of the restraining force (driving force).

[0102] Thus, when the occupant monitoring ECU 58 of the occupant monitoring device 40 determines that the occupant does not recognize the collision of the automobile 1 during collision prediction, the protection ECU 59 increases the tension of the seat belt 11 more slowly over a longer period of time than when it is determined that the occupant recognizes the collision.

[0103] For example, the protection ECU 59 increases the tension of the seat belt 11 at a slow rate of increase to form a slope lower than the one-dot chain line shown in the figure. The one-dot chain line shown in the figure is drawn with the same slope as the tangent line in the case of exerting the maximum restraining force (driving force) when a collision is detected to be inevitable, as shown by the dotted line in the figure.

[0104] As described above, in the present embodiment, the occupant monitoring ECU 58 of the occupant monitoring device 40 determines whether or not the occupant in the automobile 1 recognizes the collision of the automobile 1. Furthermore, when the occupant monitoring ECU 58 determines that the occupant has not recognized the collision of the automobile 1, the protection ECU 59 of the occupant protection device 26 increases the tension of the seat belt 11 more slowly than when it is determined that the occupant has recognized the collision. Therefore, when the occupant recognizes the collision of the automobile 1, a high tension can be immediately applied to the seat belt 11 at the time of the collision, thereby firmly supporting the occupant who is expected to be prepared for the collision with high reliability. In contrast, when the occupant has not recognized the collision, the tension of the seat belt 11 is increased more slowly than when the occupant has recognized the collision. As a result, a large force is not applied instantly to the chest of the occupant who is in a normal state because the collision is not recognized, and the occupant can be supported. In this way, by adjusting the tension of the seat belt 11 according to the collision recognition of the occupant, the occupant can be protected with an appropriate tension corresponding to the state of the occupant's body reaction. It can be expected that the occupant protection performance of the automobile 1 will be further improved.

[0105] In the present embodiment, the occupant monitoring ECU 58 determines whether the occupant has recognized a collision based on the movement of the occupant's head or eyeball in the direction in which a collision of the automobile 1 is expected or detected, in the image captured by the camera capable of capturing the occupant's image. Therefore, the occupant's recognition of a collision can be determined with high accuracy.

[0106] It should be noted that, in addition, for example, the occupant monitoring ECU 58 may also determine whether the occupant has recognized the collision based on the degree of pupil opening of the occupant that can be captured in the image (for example, determining whether the pupil is more open than usual), facial expression, sudden movement of the occupant, pulse rate of the occupant, and operation of the automobile 1. In this case, the occupant monitoring ECU 58 can also determine the occupant's recognition of the collision with high accuracy.

[0107] The pulse of the occupant can be observed, for example, by infrared imaging of the occupant's wrist, but can also be detected by a pulse sensor connected to the occupant monitoring ECU 58, a non-contact pulse sensor, or the like.

[0108] In this embodiment, the occupant monitoring ECU 58 determines whether to start the operation of slowly increasing the tension of the seat belt 11 when a collision of the automobile 1 is expected, and the protection ECU 59 operates according to the determination result. Specifically, when the occupant monitoring ECU 58 determines that the occupant has not recognized the collision, the operation of slowly increasing the tension of the seat belt 11 is started; when the occupant monitoring ECU 58 determines that the occupant has recognized the collision, the operation of increasing the tension of the seat belt 11 is not started even if a collision of the automobile 1 is expected.

[0109] Thus, for an occupant who is not aware of the possibility of a collision, restraining the occupant starts in advance from the predicted moment without applying a sudden strong restraining force to the occupant, and it can be expected that an appropriate restraining force can be obtained at the moment of collision. In particular, in the present embodiment, after starting the operation of slowly increasing the tension of the seat belt 11, if it is detected that a collision of the automobile 1 is inevitable, the protection ECU 59 increases the rate of increase of the tension and continues the operation of increasing the tension of the seat belt 11. Thus, even if the period from the start of collision prediction to the detection of the inevitability of collision is very short, it can be expected that an appropriate restraining force can be obtained at the moment of collision.

[0110] In addition, for occupants who are expected to be prepared for a collision through collision recognition, the freedom of their bodies can be ensured so that restraint does not begin at the predicted moment, but they can be restrained all at once when it is detected later that a collision is inevitable. As a result, for example, it can be expected that an occupant who has returned to the correct seating position on the seat 3 can be properly restrained by the seat belt 11 before a collision.

[0111] In particular, in the present embodiment, after the operation of not increasing the tension of the seat belt 11 even if a collision of the automobile 1 is anticipated, the protection ECU 59 starts the operation of immediately increasing the tension of the seat belt 11 to the maximum tension if it is detected that the collision of the automobile 1 is inevitable. Therefore, even if a strong restraining force is exerted immediately after it is detected that the collision is inevitable, it can be expected that an appropriate restraining force can be obtained at the time of the collision without the disadvantages caused thereby.

[0112] Thus, in the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of adverse effects caused by the occupant being suddenly restrained by the high restraining force of the seat belt 11 while the occupant is not aware of the collision, and to appropriately restrain the occupant in response to the collision.

[0113] The above-described embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle with occupant protection function, comprising: An occupant protection device is provided in a vehicle and performs a protection operation of supporting an occupant riding in the vehicle by using a seat belt when the vehicle collides; as well as an occupant monitoring device, which is arranged in the vehicle and monitors an occupant riding in the vehicle, The occupant monitoring device determines whether a passenger riding in the vehicle recognizes a collision with the vehicle. The occupant protection device starts to gradually increase the tension of the seat belt if the occupant does not recognize the collision when a collision of the vehicle is anticipated; If the occupant recognizes a collision, the seat belt tension is not increased even if a collision of the vehicle is anticipated. Thus, when the occupant monitoring device determines that the occupant has not recognized the collision of the vehicle, the occupant protection device increases the tension of the seat belt more slowly than when it is determined that the occupant has recognized the collision of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle with occupant protection function according to claim 1, wherein: The occupant monitoring device has an imaging device capable of capturing an image of an occupant riding in the vehicle, and determines recognition of a collision of the vehicle by an occupant riding in the vehicle based on an image captured by the imaging device.

3. The vehicle with occupant protection function according to claim 2, wherein: The occupant monitoring device determines recognition of a collision by the occupant based on movement of the occupant in a direction in which a collision of the vehicle is expected or detected in an image captured by the camera device.

4. The vehicle with occupant protection function according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The occupant protection device starts the operation of slowly increasing the tension of the seat belt, and then, if it is detected that a collision of the vehicle is inevitable, increases the rate of increase of the tension and continues the operation of increasing the tension of the seat belt.

5. The vehicle with occupant protection function according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The occupant protection device does not start the operation of increasing the tension of the seat belt even if a collision of the vehicle is anticipated, and then starts the operation of immediately increasing the tension of the seat belt if it is detected that the collision of the vehicle is unavoidable.

6. The vehicle with occupant protection function according to claim 4, wherein: The occupant protection device does not start the operation of increasing the tension of the seat belt even if a collision of the vehicle is anticipated, and then starts the operation of immediately increasing the tension of the seat belt if it is detected that the collision of the vehicle is unavoidable.

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