Seat belt retractor, seat belt retractor control method, and vehicle

Abstract

The application provides a seat belt retractor, a seat belt retractor control method and a vehicle. The seat belt retractor comprises a terminal piece for connecting a seat belt buckle, a pull cable connected to the terminal piece at one end, and a pipe forming a closed space inside through a piston, the piston is abutted on a shoulder of the pipe at one end, a partial section of the pull cable extends into the pipe and the piston is sleeved on the partial section, wherein the pull cable can move relative to the piston along the length direction of the pull cable, a telescopic mechanism is connected to the other end of the pull cable for driving the terminal piece to move towards or away from the pipe, a driving piece is fixedly connected to the section of the pull cable in the pipe, and the driving piece can abut on the other end of the piston away from the shoulder.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of automobile safety, and in particular to a seat belt retractor for tightening a seat belt when a vehicle is involved in a collision, a control method for controlling the seat belt retractor, and a vehicle having the seat belt retractor. BACKGROUND

[0002] In order to ensure the safety of passengers in a vehicle, a seat belt retractor is usually installed on a seat of the vehicle. When the vehicle is involved in a collision, the seat belt retractor is used to quickly tighten the seat belt at the moment of the collision, so as to reduce the impact injury that the passenger may suffer.

[0003] Reference Figure 1 Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of an existing end tab type seat belt retractor 100, which includes an end tab 101, a cable 102, a pipe 103, a piston 104, and a gas generator 105. When a collision sensor detects collision information, it releases an electric pulse and transmits it to the gas generator 105, which ignites the gas and the explosion of the gas rapidly expands in the pipe 103, pushing the piston 104 to drive the cable 102 to move the end tab 101 towards the pipe 103, so that the end tab 101 drives the seat belt to quickly tighten the seat belt.

[0004] The end tab of the end tab type seat belt retractor in the prior art is generally installed above the side trim panel on the side of the seat closer to the door, and is usually higher than the seat cushion. When the occupant sits down, the occupant's hips move from the outside to the inside of the seat, which can cause the cable of the retractor to be pressed, and over time the cable of the retractor can be damaged by fatigue. SUMMARY

[0005] One aspect of the present application aims to solve the technical problem of avoiding the cable of the end tab type seat belt retractor being pressed when the occupant sits down.

[0006] In addition, other aspects of the present application also aim to solve or alleviate other technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0007] The present application provides a seat belt retractor, a seat belt retractor control method, and a vehicle. Specifically, according to one aspect of the present application, there is provided:

[0008] A seat belt retractor comprising an end piece for connecting a seat belt buckle, a cable connected at one end to the end piece, and a tube inside which a closed space is formed by a piston abutting at one end against a shoulder of the tube, a section of the cable extending into the tube and the piston being sleeved onto the section, wherein the cable is movable relative to the piston along its length, a telescopic mechanism is connected at the other end of the cable for moving the end piece towards or away from the tube, and a driving element is fixedly connected to the section of the cable in the tube, the driving element being able to abut against the other end of the piston facing away from the shoulder.

[0009] Optionally, according to an embodiment of the present application, the telescopic mechanism is configured to comprise a drive mechanism having an outer tube and an electric push rod assembly having a push rod accommodated in the outer tube, the drive mechanism being capable of driving the push rod to move linearly relative to the outer tube, and the push rod being connected to the cable.

[0010] Optionally, according to an embodiment of the present application, the driving element is configured as an end cap matching the cross-sectional shape of the tube, the end cap being sleeved onto the cable.

[0011] Optionally, according to an embodiment of the present application, the piston and the driving element are connected to each other by a spring, the spring being always in a stretched state.

[0012] Optionally, according to an embodiment of the present application, the end of the piston abutting against the shoulder and the wall of the tube enclose the closed space, and a gas generator is installed on the tube for generating high-pressure gas inside the closed space.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present application, the present application provides a seat belt retractor control method, wherein the seat belt retractor control method is used for being executed by the seat belt retractor described above, and comprises the following steps:

[0014] S1: judging whether a passenger is seated, if the passenger is not seated, executing step S11, and if the passenger is seated, executing step S21;

[0015] S11: judging the state of the telescopic mechanism, if the telescopic mechanism is in a state of moving the end piece towards the tube by the cable, returning to execute step S1, and if the telescopic mechanism is in a state of moving the end piece away from the tube by the cable, executing step S12;

[0016] S12: controlling the telescopic mechanism to move the end piece towards the tube by the cable;

[0017] S21: judging the state of the telescopic mechanism, if the telescopic mechanism is in the state of moving the end piece away from the pipe driven by the cable, returning to execute step S1, if the telescopic mechanism is in the state of moving the end piece towards the pipe driven by the cable, executing step S22;

[0018] S22: controlling the telescopic mechanism to move the end piece away from the pipe driven by the cable.

[0019] Optionally, according to an embodiment of another aspect of the present application, in step S1, the pressure on the seat is detected by a pressure sensor installed in the seat and transmitted to the electronic control unit of the vehicle, and whether the occupant is seated is judged by the electronic control unit according to the pressure.

[0020] Optionally, according to an embodiment of another aspect of the present application, in steps S11 and S21, the displacement of the actuating member of the telescopic mechanism is detected by a Hall sensor installed in the telescopic mechanism and transmitted to the electronic control unit of the vehicle, and the state of the telescopic mechanism is judged by the electronic control unit according to the displacement.

[0021] Optionally, according to an embodiment of another aspect of the present application, in steps S12 and S22, the movement of the telescopic mechanism is controlled by the electronic control unit of the vehicle by changing the current flow direction through the telescopic mechanism.

[0022] According to still another aspect of the present application, the present application provides a vehicle, wherein the vehicle has the above-mentioned seat belt tightening device, and the seat belt tightening device is connected with the seat belt buckle of the seat of the vehicle through the end piece.

[0023] The advantages of the present application include that the occupant seating signal and the push rod position signal can be detected by the pressure sensor on the seat and the Hall sensor in the seat belt tightening device respectively, and the signals are transmitted to the electronic control unit of the vehicle. The electronic control unit of the vehicle judges whether the occupant has been seated and whether the push rod has been extended from the outer pipe, and controls the end piece of the seat belt tightening device to reach different height positions accordingly. The automatic extension and retraction of the cable are realized by the electric push rod assembly and the spring, which can effectively avoid the risk of the cable being pressed and bent caused by the occupant seating, avoid the fatigue damage of the cable, and eliminate the safety hazard. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] The above and other features of the present application will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which together form a part of this specification.

[0025] Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the end piece type seat belt tightening device in the prior art;

[0026] Figure 2 Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of a safety belt retractor according to an embodiment of the present application in a retracted state;

[0027] Figure 3 Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of a safety belt retractor according to an embodiment of the present application in a retracted state;

[0028] Figure 4 Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of a safety belt retractor according to an embodiment of the present application in a retracted state;

[0029] Figure 5 Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of a safety belt retractor according to an embodiment of the present application in a retracted state;

[0030] Figure 6 Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of a safety belt retractor according to an embodiment of the present application in a retracted state; DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] It is easily understood that, under the condition of not changing the essential spirit of the present application, the person skilled in the art can propose various structural modes and implementation modes which can be replaced with each other according to the technical solution of the present application. Therefore, the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings are only exemplary description of the technical solution of the present application, and should not be regarded as the whole or regarded as the limitation or restriction of the technical solution of the present application.

[0032] In the present specification, the orientation terms such as up, down, left, right, front, back, front surface, back surface, top, bottom and the like mentioned or possibly mentioned are defined with respect to the structure shown in the drawings, and they are relative concepts, so it is possible to change accordingly according to different positions, different use states. Therefore, these or other orientation terms should not be interpreted as restrictive terms. In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third" or the like or similar expressions are only used for description and differentiation purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance of the corresponding members.

[0033] REFERENCE Figure 2Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a safety belt retractor 200 according to an embodiment of the application. The safety belt retractor 200 is used for rapid retraction of a safety belt in the event of a car crash. The safety belt retractor 200 comprises a terminal piece 201, a cable 202, a clamp 203, a tube 204, a piston 205, a belt drive 206, a gas generator 207 and a telescopic mechanism 208. For the sake of description, the direction from the terminal piece 201 along the cable 202 to the tube 204 shall be defined as the direction from top to bottom. The terminal piece 201 is connected at one end to a clasp of a vehicle seat belt and at the other end to the cable 202. The cable 202 is flexible and can be made of metal, for example, and can be configured as a steel wire, for example. The end of the cable 202 which is not connected to the terminal piece 201 extends into the tube 204 and, in particular, extends out of the tube 204 again, i.e. the section of the cable 202 which extends into the tube 204 extends over the entire length of the tube 204. The internal structure of the tube 204 can also be taken from the sectional view of the safety belt retractor 200 of Figure 3 and Figure 4 Fig. 2. The tube 204 is configured with an opening 2041 at the location where the cable 202 extends into the tube 204, through which the cable 202 extends into the tube 204. A clamp 203 is fitted on the cable 202 near the terminal piece 201, which is configured to clamp from the outside of the tube 204 at the opening 2041 when the cable 202 extends into the tube 204, so as to close the interior of the tube 204 at the opening 2041 from the outside. The structure of the tube 204 at the location where the cable 202 is inserted into the tube 204 can be configured such that the direction of extension of the cable 202 changes, i.e. the cable 202 is bent upwards in the figure by configuring a guide channel in the tube. In particular, the structure of the tube 204 is configured such that the section of the cable 202 which is connected to the terminal piece 201 is approximately perpendicular to the section of the cable 202 in the tube 204, which facilitates the arrangement of the safety belt retractor 200 on the side of the vehicle seat.

[0034] The piston 205 is arranged in the pipe 204. A circular annular shoulder 2042 is formed in the pipe 204, and one end of the piston 205 is supported at the shoulder 2042, and the piston 205 can slide along the pipe 204. The cable 202 extends into the pipe 204 from the opening 2041, and further extends to the end of the piston 205 supported at the shoulder 2042, and passes through the center of the piston 205, i.e. is sleeved in the piston 205. However, the cable 202 can move relative to the piston 205 along the length direction of the cable 202, i.e. slides relative to the piston 205. The end of the piston 205 supported at the shoulder 2042 forms a closed space 210 together with the wall of the pipe 204, and a gas generator 207 is mounted on the wall of the pipe 204 in the closed space 210 for generating high-pressure gas, and the gas generator 207 is connected with the whole vehicle wire harness, so that the gas generator 207 can be controlled to work by the electronic control unit. In the state that the gas generator 207 does not work, the gas pressure in the closed space 210 is lower than the external atmospheric pressure, and in the state that the gas generator 207 does not work, the external atmospheric pressure always applies pressure to the piston 205 to abut the piston 205 against the shoulder 2042 to seal the closed space 210, and in the state that the gas generator 207 works, when the gas generator 207 emits high-pressure gas, the high-pressure gas can push open the piston 205.

[0035] The cable 202 is further fixedly connected with a driving member 206 at the end close to the piston 205 away from the shoulder 2042, and the driving member 206 is formed as an end cap 206 for example, which matches the cross-sectional shape of the pipe 204. The driving member 206 is connected with the piston 205 through a spring 209, and the spring 209 is sleeved outside the cable 202. In this embodiment, a part of the spring 209 is also sleeved outside the piston 205. Since the driving member 206 is fixedly connected with the cable 202, the stretching and compression movement of the spring 209 can drive the driving member 206 to move together with the cable 202.

[0036] The end of the cable 202 which is not connected to the end piece 201, i.e. the end of the cable 202 which is out of the pipe 204, is connected to a telescopic mechanism 208. In this embodiment, the telescopic mechanism 208 is configured to include an electric push rod assembly 208 having an outer pipe 2081 and a push rod 2082 accommodated in the outer pipe 2081, the rest of the outer pipe 2081 except the driving mechanism is not shown in the drawings, the position of the outer pipe 2081 is fixed relative to the position of the pipe 204. The electric push rod assembly 208 is connected to the electronic control unit of the whole vehicle through a wire harness, and the movement of the electric push rod assembly 208 can be controlled through the electronic control unit. The end of the push rod 2082 which can be extended out of the outer pipe 2081 is fixedly connected to the end of the cable 202 which is out of the pipe 204. The push rod 2082 can be driven to make telescopic movement in the outer pipe 2081 by the driving mechanism. Thus, when the push rod 2082 is pushed out of the outer pipe 2081, the end of the cable 202 connected thereto is also pushed out towards the pipe 204, and when the push rod 2082 is retracted into the outer pipe 2081, the end of the cable 202 connected thereto is also driven in the direction away from the pipe 204.

[0037] Reference is made to Figure 3 which shows a cross-sectional view of the retracted state of the seat belt retractor 200 according to one embodiment of the present application. At this time, the push rod 2082 in the telescopic mechanism 208 is in the retracted state, i.e. the push rod 2082 is retracted into the outer pipe 2081, the cable 202 between the belt pulley 206 and the telescopic mechanism 208 is taut, so the cable 202 is driven towards the telescopic mechanism 208. Since the belt pulley 206 is fixedly connected to the cable 202, the belt pulley 206 is also moved towards the telescopic mechanism 208, but since the belt pulley 206 is connected to the piston 205 through the spring 209, and the piston 205 is pressed against the shoulder 2042 by the atmospheric pressure and cannot move, the belt pulley 206 can only stretch the spring 209 at this time, and cannot drive the piston 205 to move. At this time, the spring 209 is in the stretched state, the piston 205 and the belt pulley 206 are both subjected to the tension of the spring 209, and the piston 205 is balanced by the pressure of the atmosphere and the tension of the spring 209, and the belt pulley 206 is balanced by the tension from the telescopic mechanism 208 and the cable 202 and the tension of the spring 209. At this time, since the push rod 2082 of the telescopic mechanism 208 is retracted into the outer pipe 2081, the end piece 201 is closer to the pipe 204 than when the push rod 2082 is extended out of the outer pipe 2081, i.e. compared to when the push rod 2082 is extended out of the outer pipe 2081, the cable 202 drives the end piece 201 towards the pipe 204 by a distance. At this time, the end piece 201 is pulled by the cable 202 under the cushion of the seat of the vehicle, so that the end piece 201 cannot be squeezed by the hips of the occupant, and therefore this can be referred to as the retracted state of the seat belt retractor 200.

[0038] Reference is made toFigure 4 Fig. 6 shows a schematic view of the extended state of the seat belt retractor 200 according to an embodiment of the present application. At this time the push rod 2082 in the telescopic mechanism 208 is in the extended state, i.e. the push rod 2082 is mostly extended out of the outer tube 2081, so at this time the end of the cable 202 connected with the push rod 2082 corresponds to be moved a distance towards the tube 204, the cable 202 between the belt guide 206 and the push rod 2082 is loosened. At this time the pressure on the belt guide 206 from the telescopic mechanism 208 and the cable 202 is reduced, so the belt guide 206 is driven by the spring 209 towards the piston 205, thus the cable 202 is also driven by the belt guide 206 to move along the length of the cable 202 towards the end piece 201, until the belt guide 206 abuts against the end of the piston 205 away from the shoulder 2042, the movement of the cable 202 stops. At this time although the belt guide 206 is driven by the spring 209 towards the piston 205, the spring 209 is still in the stretched state, so the spring 209 still exerts a pulling force on the belt guide 206 towards the piston 205, so that the belt guide 206 can abut against the piston 205. The pulling force of the spring 209 on the piston 205 is still in the direction towards the belt guide 206. Also, the piston 205 will not be driven because it is pressed against the shoulder 2042 by the atmospheric pressure. In this case, compared to the push rod 2082 mostly retracted in the outer tube 2081, the end piece 201 is moved a distance away from the tube 204, i.e. the cable 202 is extended a distance out of the opening 2041 of the tube 204. At this time the end piece 201 is driven by the cable 202 to the cushion of the car seat, so that there is enough distance between the end piece 201 and the tube 204 to tighten the seat belt by pulling the end piece 201 towards the tube 204 when the car is in a crash, so this can be called the extended state of the seat belt retractor 200.

[0039] Reference Figure 5 Fig. 5 shows a cross sectional view of the seat belt retractor 200 according to an embodiment of the present application when the gas generator 207 is ignited. When the car is in a crash and the gas generator 207 is ignited, the gas generator 207 generates a large amount of high pressure gas in the closed space 210, the high pressure gas exerts a pressure on the piston 205 to overcome the atmospheric pressure to move the piston 205 in the direction away from the shoulder 2042, at the same time, the piston 205 pushes the spring 209 and the belt guide 206 together to move in the direction away from the shoulder 2042, the belt guide 206 in turn drives the cable 202 to move, so that the section of the cable 202 outside the tube 204 partially enters the tube from the opening 2041 of the tube 204, thus the end piece 201 is rapidly moved towards the tube 204. Thus the buckle of the seat belt driven by the end piece 201 is rapidly tightened.

[0040] According to another aspect of the present application, the present application also relates to a seat belt retractor control method, which is performed by the above-mentioned seat belt retractor, and the method comprises the following steps: Figure 6 Fig. 1 shows a flowchart of a seat belt retractor control method according to one embodiment of the present application, wherein the blank blocks in the flowchart represent the start and end of the control method. The seat belt retractor control method comprises the following steps:

[0041] S1: judging whether the passenger is seated, if the passenger is not seated, executing step S11, if the passenger is seated, executing step S21;

[0042] S11: judging the state of the retracting mechanism 208, i.e. the electric push rod assembly 208, if the retracting mechanism 208 is in the state of moving the end piece 201 towards the pipe 204 driven by the cable 202, i.e. the push rod 2082 of the electric push rod assembly 208 is retracted in the outer pipe 2081, returning to execute step S1, if the retracting mechanism 208 is in the state of moving the end piece 201 away from the pipe 204 driven by the cable 202, i.e. the push rod 2082 of the electric push rod assembly 208 is extended from the outer pipe 2081, executing step S12;

[0043] S12: controlling the retracting mechanism 208 to move the end piece 201 towards the pipe 204 driven by the cable 202, i.e. controlling the electric push rod assembly 208 so that the push rod 2082 is retracted in the outer pipe 2081;

[0044] S21: judging the state of the retracting mechanism 208, i.e. the electric push rod assembly 208, if the retracting mechanism 208 is in the state of moving the end piece 201 away from the pipe 204 driven by the cable 202, i.e. the push rod 2082 of the electric push rod assembly 208 is extended from the outer pipe 2081, returning to execute step S1, if the retracting mechanism 208 is in the state of moving the end piece 201 towards the pipe 204 driven by the cable 202, i.e. the push rod 2082 of the electric push rod assembly 208 is retracted in the outer pipe 2081, executing step S22;

[0045] S22: controlling the retracting mechanism 208 to move the end piece 201 away from the pipe 204 driven by the cable 202, i.e. controlling the electric push rod assembly 208 so that the push rod 2082 is extended from the outer pipe 2081.

[0046] The movement of the electric push rod assembly 208 is controlled by the electronic control unit (ECU) of the whole vehicle. In step S1, the pressure on the seat is first detected by the pressure sensor installed in the seat of the vehicle and transmitted to the electronic control unit, and the electronic control unit determines whether the passenger is seated according to the pressure. In addition, a Hall sensor is installed in the electric push rod assembly 208 to detect the displacement of the push rod 2082 and transmit it to the electronic control unit in steps S11 and S21, and then the electronic control unit determines the state of the electric push rod assembly 208, i.e. whether the push rod 2082 is extended out of the outer pipe 2081 or retracted in the outer pipe 2081 according to the displacement. In steps S12 and S22, the movement state of the push rod 2082 can be changed by only controlling the current flow direction through the electric push rod assembly 208 by the electronic control unit.

[0047] It should be understood that the safety belt retractor of the present application can be installed on various vehicles, including cars, trucks, buses, etc. Therefore, the subject of the present application also aims to protect various vehicles equipped with the safety belt retractor of the present application.

[0048] It should be understood that all the above preferred embodiments are exemplary and not limiting, and various modifications or variations of the specific embodiments described above made by those skilled in the art under the concept of the present application shall be within the legal protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A safety belt retractor comprising a tongue for connecting a safety belt buckle, a cable connected at one end to the tongue, and a tube inside which a closed space is formed by a piston which abuts at one end against a shoulder of the tube, a partial section of the cable extending into the tube and the piston being sleeved onto the partial section, characterized in that The cable is movable along its length relative to the piston, and a telescopic mechanism is connected to the other end of the cable for moving the end piece towards or away from the pipe, and a driving member is fixedly connected to the section of the cable in the pipe, and the driving member is capable of abutting against the end of the piston away from the shoulder; The telescopic mechanism is configured to include a driving mechanism with an outer pipe and an electric push rod assembly with a push rod accommodated in the outer pipe, and the driving mechanism is capable of driving the push rod to move linearly relative to the outer pipe, and the push rod is connected with the cable; The piston and the driving member are connected with each other by a spring, and the spring is always in a stretched state.

2. The seat belt retractor of claim 1, wherein The driving member is configured as an end cover matching the cross-sectional shape of the pipe, and the end cover is sleeved on the cable.

3. The seat belt retractor according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that, The end of the piston abutting against the shoulder and the wall of the pipe enclose the closed space, and a gas generator is installed on the pipe for generating high-pressure gas inside the closed space.

4. A safety belt retractor control method characterized by, For performing by the seat belt retractor according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising the following steps: S1: judging whether the occupant is seated, if the occupant is not seated, executing step S11, if the occupant is seated, executing step S21; S11: judging the state of the telescopic mechanism, if the telescopic mechanism is in a state of moving the cable to drive the end piece towards the pipe, returning to execute step S1, if the telescopic mechanism is in a state of moving the cable to drive the end piece away from the pipe, executing step S12; S12: controlling the telescopic mechanism to move the cable to drive the end piece towards the pipe; S21: judging the state of the telescopic mechanism, if the telescopic mechanism is in a state of moving the cable to drive the end piece away from the pipe, returning to execute step S1, if the telescopic mechanism is in a state of moving the cable to drive the end piece towards the pipe, executing step S22; S22: controlling the telescopic mechanism to move the cable to drive the end piece away from the pipe.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, In step S1, the pressure on the seat is detected by a pressure sensor installed in the seat and transmitted to the electronic control unit of the vehicle, and whether the occupant is seated is judged by the electronic control unit according to the pressure.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein, In steps S11 and S21, the displacement of the actuator of the telescopic mechanism is detected by a Hall sensor installed in the telescopic mechanism and transmitted to the electronic control unit of the vehicle, and the state of the telescopic mechanism is judged by the electronic control unit according to the displacement.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein, In steps S12 and S22, the movement of the telescopic mechanism is controlled by changing the current flow direction of the telescopic mechanism by the electronic control unit of the vehicle.

8. A vehicle characterized by comprising: The seat belt retractor according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is connected with the seat belt buckle of the seat of the vehicle through the end piece.

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