Method for unlocking and / or locking a reeling mechanism of at least one belt for a safety belt

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for unlocking and / or locking at least one reeling mechanism (1) for a belt of a safety belt which corresponds to a vehicle seat (2) of a motor vehicle (3), wherein the reeling mechanism (1) comprises an electrically operable belt pull-out lock which, in an unoperated, current-free state, engages to prevent the belt from being pulled out of the reeling mechanism (1). Here, based on the recognition of at least one activation event, after the activation of a control device (5) for controlling and / or regulating the detection and / or a sensor arrangement (6) for carrying out the detection, at least one unlocking event is detected which causes the reeling mechanism (1) to be unlocked by operating the electrically operable belt pull-out lock (4) only. The control device (5) is here transferred from a rest state into an operating state by the activation event.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for unlocking and / or locking at least one winding mechanism for a seat belt corresponding to a vehicle seat in a motor vehicle, wherein the winding mechanism includes an electrically operable belt pull-out locking device that engages to prevent the belt from being pulled out of the winding mechanism in a non-operated, non-current-free state. Background Technology

[0002] The requirement for the presence of seat belts is that the retractor mechanism (also known as a seat belt retractor or automatic seat belt retractor) reduces seat belt slack and prevents the belt from being pulled out of the retractor mechanism in a defined angular position in a motor vehicle equipped with seat belts, thereby preventing vehicle occupants from slipping off the vehicle seats.

[0003] To address this, inertial-based mechanisms are known in winding mechanisms, which function using a metal ball that responds to gravity. At critical angular positions, such as the tilted position at the height of a motor vehicle, the metal ball is forced out of its housing, thereby triggering the locking of the winding mechanism, for example, via a lever mechanism, and thus triggering the pull-out of the belt. However, with such inertial-based mechanisms, the high-angle position of the seat formed by seat adjustment, especially the high-angle position of the backrest, can already trigger the mechanism and thus lock the winding mechanism.

[0004] On the other hand, it is known that the tape pull-out is locked by an electrical actuator controlled by a sensor, such as an electromagnet, which prevents the tape from being pulled out of the winding mechanism when a critical angular position is detected by a control device. In principle, tape pull-out or winding mechanisms with no-current locking or no-current unlocking can be used, with a no-current locking design preferred for safety reasons.

[0005] However, the problem with non-current-locking retraction mechanisms is that seat belts can only be fastened by continuously energizing the actuators or through a mechanical system. Typically, this system can only fasten the seat belt once. Therefore, fastening the seat belt, especially in a stationary vehicle, can only be achieved through a continuous current that discharges the battery, or only under extremely inconvenient circumstances.

[0006] However, solutions that at least partially circumvent these problems are known from the prior art. For example, EP 0 461602A1 describes a belt reel with an emergency locking mechanism, the belt reel having an electromagnet controlled by a sensor. When the electromagnet is energized, a control pawl is held in place while disengaged from the teeth of a control disc, and when the electromagnet is not energized, the control pawl moves by spring force to engage with the teeth of the control disc, thereby locking the belt reel. However, the result is that without current, for example, when the ignition is not turned on, the seatbelt cannot be fastened. This is because in this situation, the emergency locking mechanism is activated, and therefore, the belt reel is completely locked after rotating a few degrees along the unwinding direction. To enable seatbelt fastening even when the electromagnet is de-energized, a sensing rod resting against the reel formed by the seatbelt in the retracted state acts on a control pawl via a component connected to the sensing rod, keeping the control pawl disengaged from the teeth of the control disc from a defined winding diameter. Furthermore, the sensing rod controls a switch in the electromagnet's current loop, which energizes the electromagnet during the user's fastening process. This switch ensures that the locking function is disengaged during temporary retraction of the belt, i.e., a brief interruption of fastening, until the fastening process is complete. However, this necessitates a complex mechanism to enable fastening even when the belt reel is de-energized, which disadvantageously increases the manufacturing cost and expense of such a belt reel.

[0007] Therefore, the expectation is that seat belts can be fastened even without additional mechanisms.

[0008] Patent document DE 10 2007 029 790 B4 describes a method in the relevant art. This patent document discloses a method for controlling an electrical device in a vehicle, wherein control of the device depends on whether there are occupants in the vehicle. For this purpose, a detection signal is first generated, which consists, for example, a door contact signal or an identification signal generated by opening or closing a door. The identification signal indicates the presence of a valid identification device for vehicle use, particularly a repeater. In addition, the detection signal may also include locking signals, such as locking signals from the vehicle's central locking system, seat occupancy detection signals from the vehicle's seats, seatbelt buckle locking signals, or key signals indicating the presence of a valid ignition key in the vehicle's ignition system as other detection signals. A control signal is then generated from at least two of these detection signals, by which the electrical device is controlled. The electrical device controlled in this manner may, for example, include a vehicle anti-theft device, such as a vehicle anti-theft lock or electric steering column lock, a vehicle radio, a vehicle navigation system, or a vehicle start-release circuit that prevents or allows the vehicle engine to start. On the one hand, the control signal can control circuits supplying, for example, a car radio, navigation system, and / or the vehicle's start-up and release circuits, so that the circuits are activated whenever an occupant is inside the vehicle. On the other hand, the control signal can also control other circuits in the vehicle, so that the circuits are activated whenever no occupant is inside the vehicle. This can be used, for example, to control the vehicle's anti-theft devices or electric steering column locks. Summary of the Invention

[0009] In this context, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to design a method of the type described at the beginning such that the seat belt can be fastened without an additional mechanism in the rewinding mechanism of the seat belt, while simultaneously reducing energy consumption.

[0010] This technical problem is solved by a method for unlocking and / or locking at least one retracting mechanism for a seat belt corresponding to a vehicle seat in a motor vehicle.

[0011] According to the present invention, a method is provided for unlocking and / or locking at least one winding mechanism for a seatbelt corresponding to a vehicle seat in a motor vehicle. The winding mechanism here has an electrically operable pull-out locking device that, in a non-operated, no-current state, engages to prevent the belt from being pulled out of the winding mechanism. Therefore, the pull-out locking device is designed to resist interference, so that in the event of a power outage, the seatbelt cannot be pulled out of the winding mechanism, which may also be referred to as a seatbelt retractor or automatic seatbelt device, and the occupant, secured to the vehicle seat by the seatbelt, is protected from slipping off the vehicle seat. However, if the pull-out locking device is operated electrically, wherein power is thus supplied to the pull-out locking device, for example by current loading, the pull-out locking device is unlocked and thus the winding mechanism is unlocked, and the belt can be pulled out of the winding mechanism. Furthermore, according to the invention, at least one unlocking event causing the winding mechanism to unlock is detected only after the control device for controlling and / or regulating the detection and / or the sensing device for performing the detection are activated, wherein the unlocking is achieved by operating a belt pull-out locking device that is only electrically operable. Activation here occurs based on the recognition of at least one activation event, wherein the activation event causes the control device to change from a dormant state to an active state. Here, the control device and the winding mechanism are activated and unlocked sequentially by applying current to the belt pull-out locking device, and in particular, by applying current to the electrical actuator of the belt pull-out locking device. This can particularly advantageously reduce the electrical or energy consumption of the motor or the winding mechanism, and can also avoid designing additional mechanisms in the winding mechanism, wherein, despite this, convenient belt pull-out from the winding mechanism can still be ensured. The actuator of the belt pull-out locking device can in particular be designed as an electromagnetic actuator, such as an electromagnet.

[0012] Within the scope of this method, it is further assumed that the identification of activation events and / or the detection of unlocking events are performed in the inactive state of the motor vehicle. This ensures that the method can be executed even when the energy consumption of the motor vehicle is low. The inactive state of the motor vehicle can here be considered, in particular, as a parked vehicle with its doors closed, and as a situation where the drive system is shut off, specifically the internal combustion engine is not running or supplying power to the electric motor, and / or the ignition system is not activated. Combinations of these states can also be considered. In each case, the control equipment is correspondingly in its idle state, resulting in lower electrical or energy consumption.

[0013] A particularly advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention is based on the fact that the activation event is determined by at least one of the following set of activation events: "unlocking the motor vehicle with the ignition key, opening the door, the ignition key of the motor vehicle being present in the ignition lock device of the motor vehicle, the ignition key of the motor vehicle being present inside the motor vehicle or in the environment adjacent to the motor vehicle, starting and / or establishing a ready state for starting the drive system of the motor vehicle".

[0014] These activation events typically occur shortly before the start of driving and, therefore, shortly before the seatbelt is fastened. These activation times are optimal for initiating the activation of control equipment and the associated transition of the control unit from a resting state to an operating state. It should be noted that there is significantly lower energy consumption in the resting state compared to the operating state.

[0015] One design aspect of the invention has proven highly advantageous in that the unlocking event is determined by detecting, in particular, a manual unlocking request from the occupant to the winding mechanism. Thus, the unlocking event can be particularly advantageously triggered by the occupant themselves, thereby supplying energy to the belt pull-out locking device, and in particular, the actuating element of the belt pull-out locking device, preferably applying a current, and thereby unlocking the winding mechanism, allowing the belt to be pulled out of it. This is considered highly advantageous not only in cases where the occupant actually desires to fasten the seatbelt, but also in emergency situations or when the unlocking event cannot be detected in other ways.

[0016] Generally, and especially in relation to the above design, the following extended design of the method is considered advantageous, wherein the detection of a manual unlocking request is performed by the occupant via an input device in the vehicle or, particularly wirelessly, by means of a mobile communication device, wherein the communication device is connected to and / or capable of connecting to the vehicle's communication equipment. This allows for particularly convenient detection of manual unlocking requests by the occupant. For this purpose, simple buttons can be provided as input devices, for example, on vehicle seats, seatbelt buckles, or the vehicle's dashboard. The input device can also be designed as a touch-sensitive display device in the vehicle, such as a touchscreen display. Alternatively, it is feasible to use a smart device, such as a mobile phone, especially a smartphone, smartwatch, or tablet, to trigger the unlocking event, executing a computer program, application (in this case, a mobile application or simply an application), through which the occupant triggers the unlocking event.

[0017] In another particularly advantageous design, the unlocking event is determined by detecting occupancy of the vehicle seat by an occupant. This significantly improves occupant comfort because, upon detecting occupancy of the vehicle seat, the belt can be pulled out from the winding mechanism without occupant assistance by automatically unlocking the winding mechanism or the belt pull-out locking device.

[0018] Furthermore, in one design embodiment of the method according to the invention, the unlocking event is also determined by detecting the occupancy of the vehicle seat by the transported goods. Therefore, even when goods to be transported are detected on the vehicle seat, the retracting mechanism can be automatically unlocked very advantageously, allowing the goods to be secured to the vehicle seat by the occupant, for example, using a seatbelt. The transported goods can be designed in any way in this respect; however, they can also be child seats.

[0019] Within the scope of the method, it is hereby specified in principle that at least one of the following unlocking events causes the winding mechanism to unlock by electrically operating the pulling out of the locking device: detection of a manual unlocking request, detection of an occupant occupying a vehicle seat, and / or detection of a transport item occupying a vehicle seat. It is also possible, in principle, that only one unlocking event or a combination of unlocking events results in only one winding mechanism being unlocked or all winding mechanisms of the motor vehicle being unlocked.

[0020] Furthermore, a desirable embodiment of the present invention involves detecting unlocking events, particularly the occupancy of vehicle seats by occupants or goods, using at least one sensor device from a group of sensing devices, including a seat occupancy sensor in the vehicle seat, an interior space camera, an interior space radar, and / or a belt pull-out sensor in the rewinding mechanism. This allows for the avoidance, or even non-detection, of false detections, particularly when multiple sensor devices are combined, or at least minimizes the probability of false detections or non-detection. In this way, it reliably ensures the detection of goods that are difficult to detect using only a seat occupancy sensor in the vehicle seat.

[0021] In addition to unlocking the winding mechanism, it has proven advantageous in the extended design of the invention to lock the winding mechanism by cutting off the current to the pull-out locking device and activating the control device and / or sensing device based on the identification of at least one deactivation event, wherein the control device transitions from an operating state to a dormant state due to the deactivation event. This thus reduces the electrical or energy consumption of the winding mechanism, the pull-out locking device, and the control device, thereby advantageously reducing the load on the vehicle battery when the vehicle is inactive. Such a deactivation event can be determined by at least one of the following set of events: locking the vehicle with the ignition key, closing the door, not having the ignition key in the ignition lock device of the vehicle, or not having the ignition key in or in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle.

[0022] In a design embodiment advantageous to the method according to the invention, it is further assumed that locking of the winding mechanism is achieved by cutting off the current to the pull-out locking device based on the detection of at least one deactivation event, wherein the group of deactivation events includes at least the event that the vehicle seat is detected to be occupied by transported goods while the motor vehicle is in operation, particularly while the motor vehicle is in motion, and the control device remains in its operating state. Therefore, even while the motor vehicle is in operation, the electrical or energy consumption of the winding mechanism, particularly with the pull-out locking device, can be minimized or completely prohibited, so that after the deactivation event is detected and particularly while the motor vehicle is in motion, it can no longer be pulled out. On the one hand, this is generally considered advantageous in terms of durability, and on the other hand, it is particularly advantageous for electrically driven motor vehicles. Attached Figure Description

[0023] This invention allows for numerous implementations. To further clarify the basic principles of these implementations, one embodiment is described in the accompanying drawings. Herein, in the drawings,

[0024] Figure 1 A partially cut-out top view of a motor vehicle with multiple winding mechanisms is shown;

[0025] Figure 2a and 2b Embodiments of the pull-out locking device are shown in both inactive and operational states. Detailed Implementation

[0026] Depend on Figure 1 A motor vehicle 3 is known, which has multiple vehicle seats 2. A retracting mechanism 1, also known as a seat belt retractor or automatic seat belt retractor (not shown in detail), is arranged adjacent to each vehicle seat 2. The retracting mechanism 1 is shown only in the schematic diagram. Figure 2a and 2b The belt pull-out locking device 4, which is electrically operable only, is shown in detail. In a non-operated, non-current-driven state, this device engages to prevent the belt 14 from being pulled out of the winding mechanism 1, thereby preventing the occupant on one of the vehicle seats 2 from slipping off, particularly at critical angular positions, such as when the vehicle 3 is at a high incline. To allow the occupant of the vehicle 3 to fasten their seatbelts even when the winding mechanism 1 or the belt pull-out locking device 4, which is present in the inactive state of the vehicle 3, is in a non-current-driven state, within the scope of the method for unlocking and / or locking the winding mechanism 1 according to the invention, at least one unlocking event causing the winding mechanism 1 to unlock is detected only after the control device 5 for controlling and / or regulating the detection and / or the sensing device 6 for performing the detection are activated. The control unit 5 here transitions from its idle state to its operating state by activating the event. In the described embodiment, this activation event is the opening of one of the vehicle doors 9. After the activation event is triggered and the control unit 5 transitions to its operational state accordingly, the unlocking event is monitored by means of the sensing device 6, which consists of the seat occupancy sensor 7 arranged in the vehicle seat 2 and the in-vehicle camera 8. As already mentioned, upon detecting the unlocking event, the pull-out locking device 4 is current-loaded, and the pull-out locking device is designed here as an electromagnet 10. Figure 2a and 2b The actuator shown in the diagram operates the belt pull-out locking device 4 and pulls out the seat belt 14. Possible unlocking events in this regard include detecting that at least one vehicle seat 2 is occupied by an occupant and / or detecting that at least one vehicle seat 2 is occupied by a transport object. A seat occupancy sensor 7 in the vehicle seat 2 is used here to detect occupancy of the vehicle seat 2 by an occupant. This is combined with an interior space camera 8 if necessary. Furthermore, the interior space camera 8 is used to detect occupancy of the vehicle seat 2 by a transport object.

[0027] Figure 2a and 2b Also shown is a possible pull-out locking device 4, which in Figure 2a Shown in a non-operating, no-current state, and Figure 2b The image is shown in an operational state under current loading. The locking lever 11, which is rotatable around the bearing 12, engages with the gear 13 of the pull-out locking device 4 in a non-current-loaded state, thus preventing the belt 14 from being pulled out. Figure 1 The winding mechanism 1 shown is pulled out. However, when the electromagnet 10 is loaded with current, the locking lever pivots toward the electromagnet 10 via the magnet 15, especially the permanent magnet, and thereby disengages from the gear 13, thereby allowing the belt 14 to be pulled out from the winding mechanism 1.

[0028] List of reference numerals

[0029] 1. Receiving and collecting mechanism

[0030] 2. Vehicle seats

[0031] 3 Motor vehicles

[0032] 4. With pull-out locking device

[0033] 5. Control equipment

[0034] 6. Sensing Devices

[0035] 7 Seat Occupancy Sensor

[0036] 8. Interior space cameras

[0037] 9 doors

[0038] 10 Electromagnets

[0039] 11 Locking lever

[0040] 12 bearings

[0041] 13 Gears

[0042] 14 belts

[0043] 15 Magnets

Claims

1. A method for unlocking and / or locking at least one winding mechanism (1) for a belt (14) corresponding to a seat belt of a vehicle seat (2) belonging to a motor vehicle (3), wherein, The winding mechanism (1) includes an electrically operable pull-out locking device (4) that engages to prevent the belt (14) from being pulled out of the winding mechanism (1) in a non-operated, non-current-free state. Based on the detection of at least one activation event, after activating a control device (5) for controlling and / or regulating detection and / or a sensing device (6) for performing detection, at least one unlocking event is detected that causes the winding mechanism (1) to unlock by operating the electrically operable pull-out locking device (4). The control device (5) transitions from a dormant state to an operational state via the activation event. The detection of the unlocking event is characterized by being performed in the inactive state of the motor vehicle (3), and the locking of the winding mechanism (1) is achieved by cutting off the current to the pull-out locking device (4) based on the detection of at least one deactivation event. The deactivation event group includes at least the event of detecting that a vehicle seat is occupied by transported goods while the motor vehicle is in operation, and the control device (5) remains in its operational state thereon.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The recognition of activation events is achieved during the inactive state of the motor vehicle (3).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, An activation event is determined by at least one activation event from the following group of activation events: - Unlock the vehicle (3) using the ignition key. - Open the car door (9), - The ignition key of the motor vehicle (3) is located in the ignition lock device of the motor vehicle (3). - The ignition key of the motor vehicle (3) is located inside the motor vehicle (3) or in the environment adjacent to the motor vehicle (3). - Start and / or establish the ready state of the drive unit of the motor vehicle (3).

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The unlocking event is determined by detecting a manual unlocking request to the winding mechanism (1).

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The detection of a manual unlock request is achieved through an input device in the vehicle (3) or by means of a mobile communication device connected to the mobile communication device of the vehicle (3).

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The unlocking event is determined by detecting the occupancy of the vehicle seat (2) by the occupants.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The unlocking event is determined by detecting the occupancy of the vehicle seat (2) by the transported goods.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The unlocking event is detected by means of at least one sensor device from the following group of the sensing device (6): - The seat occupancy sensor (7) in the vehicle seat (2), - Interior space camera (8), - Internal space radar, - The winding mechanism includes a pull-out sensor.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The locking of the winding mechanism (1) is achieved by cutting off the current of the pull-out locking device (4) based on the detection of at least one deactivation event and deactivating the control device (5) and / or the sensing device (6), wherein the control device (5) changes from an operating state to a resting state by the deactivation event.

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