METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A DECOUPLED SEAT BELT WARNING DEVICE

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to the problem of safety in motor vehicles. It relates in particular to seat belt warning devices installed in motor vehicles. [Earlier technique]

[0002] Most motor vehicles have a built-in warning device to inform passengers, and especially the driver, that seat belts are not fastened, particularly those in the rear seats where children are often seated.

[0003] Such an alert device according to the preamble of independent claim 1, described for example in document EP 1 640 226 A1, conventionally comprises: detection means capable of detecting the state of fastening or not fastening of each of the seat belts of the seats of the motor vehicle; visual alert means comprising an indicator panel having a plurality of indicator lights indicating that the seat belts are not fastened, each associated with a corresponding seat; audible alert means comprising an acoustic transmitter capable of generating an audible alert signal in the passenger compartment; and a control unit capable of controlling the visual and audible alert means as a function of the data transmitted by the detection means.

[0004] The control unit is generally configured so that the detection, by the detection means, of an unfastening of the seat belt of one of the seats of the vehicle during the phase of rolling of the vehicle at a speed greater than a predefined speed threshold, results in the emission of a visual and audible alert in the passenger compartment of the vehicle for a predetermined period, this visual and audible alert being interrupted as soon as the passenger concerned refastens his seat belt.

[0005] Particularly irritating to the ears of the vehicle's passengers, the emission in the passenger compartment of such an audible alert, the intensity of which generally increases during its emission period, proves in practice to be sufficiently persuasive to lead to rapid refastening of the seat belt in question.

[0006] Such operating logic can, however, lead to the issue of an alert even though the safety of passengers is not in question (the latter all having their seat belts fastened).

[0007] This is particularly the case when one of the passengers changes seats while the vehicle is moving at a speed above the predefined speed threshold (for example, moving from the left side seat to the central seat or to the right side seat in the same row of seats).

[0008] In fact, to make this change of seat, this passenger will have to unfasten the seat belt of the seat he occupies in order to be able to move to the destination seat, which will result in the emission of the visual and audible alert in the passenger compartment of the vehicle for the entire predetermined period, even if in the meantime this passenger has fastened the seat belt of the destination seat on which he has just sat down so as to be in a safe situation again. [Statement of the invention]

[0009] The present invention therefore aims to improve the situation.

[0010] To this end, it proposes a method for controlling a seat belt warning device in a vehicle, comprising a step of emitting a first warning in the passenger compartment of said vehicle for a first predetermined period in the event of detection, during a rolling phase of said vehicle at a speed greater than or equal to a predefined threshold speed, of the unfastening of the seat belt of a seat of said vehicle, said first warning being deactivated before the end of said first predetermined period in the event of detection of the refastening of the seat belt of said seat; characterized in that said first warning is also deactivated before the end of said first predetermined period in the event of detection, before the end of a second predetermined period less than or equal to said first predetermined period, of the fastening of the seat belt of another seat of said vehicle located on the same row of seats as said seat.

[0011] The control method according to the invention thus makes it possible to avoid unnecessarily continuing to the end the emission of such a seat belt failure alert, which is particularly anxiety-provoking and disturbing for the passengers of the vehicle (and in particular the driver) when the latter are in a safety situation in which the seat belts of the seats they occupy are all fastened.

[0012] According to preferred characteristics of said control method according to the invention: the detection, before the end of the second predetermined period of the fastening of the seat belt of a seat located on the same row of seats as said seat, also causes the emission of a text notification to the driver on a display screen of said vehicle to indicate to him that a passenger has changed seats; the detection of the unfastening of the seat belt of said seat also causes the emission of a text notification to the driver on a display screen of said vehicle to indicate to him that a passenger has unfastened his belt; said notification is in the form of a "pop-up" type window displayed for a few seconds; said second predetermined period is between 10 and 20 seconds; said first predetermined period is between 100 and 200 seconds; said predefined speed threshold is between 10 and 30 km / h;said first alert results in the flashing lighting of a warning light corresponding to said seat whose seat belt has just been unbuckled and in the emission of an audible warning signal whose intensity increases over said first predetermined period; at the end of said first predetermined period, said first alert stops and is replaced by the emission of a second, softer alert; and / or said second alert results in the fixed lighting of a warning light corresponding to said seat.; [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] The description of the invention will now be continued by the detailed description of an exemplary embodiment, given below for illustrative but non-limiting purposes, with reference to the appended drawings, in which: [ Fig 1 ] represents a functional diagram of a device for warning of non-fastening of the seat belts of a motor vehicle; [ Fig 2 ] is a perspective view of the seat belt unfastened warning light display unit constituting one of the main elements of a seat belt unfastened warning device of the figure 1 ; And [ Fig 3 ] represents a flowchart of the method of controlling according to the invention a device for warning of non-fastening of seat belts. [Detailed description]

[0014] In reference to the figure 1 , the device for warning of non-fastening of the seat belts of a motor vehicle 1 according to the invention comprises detection means 10 capable of detecting the state of fastening or non-fastening of the seat belts of the different seats of the vehicle.

[0015] These detection means may, for example, be magnetic field sensors integrated into the clasps of the seat buckle strands, each intended to receive, in a removable manner, the bolt of a corresponding seat belt.

[0016] The warning device 1 also includes visual warning means comprising in this case an electronic box for displaying the seat belt warning lights 20 housed in a bulge formed in the front end portion of the roof console 2 of the vehicle as illustrated in the figure 2 .

[0017] This housing 20, which will be referred to in the remainder of this description and in order to facilitate reading as the “TNB housing”, comprises a rectangular display panel 21 made of a transparent thermoplastic material tinted black smoke such as, for example, polycarbonate (PC) or polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and the front face of which (facing away from the passengers of the vehicle) is coated with an opaque black paint.

[0018] This display panel 21 integrates a plurality of indicator lights 22 indicating that the seat belts are not fastened, each associated with a corresponding seat of the vehicle.

[0019] These indicator lights 22 are in the form of pictograms each capable of being illuminated by a corresponding light-emitting diode (LED) installed on a printed circuit board (PCB) housed in the TNB 20 housing.

[0020] These pictograms are preferably produced by laser scraping the layer of black paint covering the front face of the panel 21 and each representing a passenger seated on a seat and attached to the latter by a seat belt.

[0021] Alternatively, the TNB box integrating the indicator light display panel can be installed elsewhere in the vehicle, particularly in the dashboard.

[0022] It is also possible to consider the presence of two redundant TNB boxes, arranged respectively in the roof console and on the dashboard so as to ensure optimum visibility of the warning lights for all passengers in the vehicle.

[0023] The indicator lights can also take different forms, for example simple light points each associated with a seat in the vehicle.

[0024] The visual alert means also advantageously comprise an electronic display screen 30 capable of broadcasting text notifications to the driver, this screen being for example constituted by that of the vehicle's infotainment device.

[0025] The alert device 1 further comprises sound alert means comprising an acoustic transmitter 40 capable of generating a sound signal in the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

[0026] This transmitter 40, for example of the siren type, may be specific to the device according to the invention, but is preferably shared with other alert devices present on the vehicle in order to reduce production costs.

[0027] This sound signal is advantageously differentiated in frequency and / or amplitude from other sound signals which may also be emitted by the vehicle so that it is easily identifiable by passengers.

[0028] The alert device 1 according to the invention finally comprises a control unit 50, advantageously constituted by the intelligent service box (BSI) of the vehicle, and connected in particular by an electrical communication network to the detection means 10 as well as to the visual 20, 30 and audible 40 alert means.

[0029] The control unit 50 comprises a computer 51 and a storage module 52 which comprises non-volatile memory of the EEPROM or FLASH type and RAM.

[0030] The non-volatile memory stores a seat belt failure alert process which is implemented in this unit 50 and the flowchart of which is shown in the figure 3 .

[0031] According to a preferred embodiment, all of the information contained in this non-volatile memory can be updated by means of communication or means of reading a data medium.

[0032] We will now describe in detail and with the support of the organizational chart of this figure 3 , the different stages of this process.

[0033] This is initiated when the vehicle enters a rolling phase in which it moves at a speed greater than or equal to a predefined speed threshold, for example between 10 and 30 km / h and advantageously equal to 20 km / h (initial step 100).

[0034] From this driving phase, the detection by the detection means 20 of an unfastening of the seat belt of one of the seats of the vehicle (event 110) will result in the emission of a first visual and audible alert in the passenger compartment of the vehicle for a first predetermined period of between 100 and 200 seconds and advantageously equal to 120 seconds (step 200).

[0035] This first alert is indicated by the flashing of the indicator light corresponding to the seat whose seat belt has just been unbuckled, as well as by the emission of an audible warning signal emitted by the acoustic transmitter 30 and the sound intensity of which increases over this first predetermined period.

[0036] Advantageously, this detection of an unbuckling of the seat belt of one of the vehicle seats also results in the transmission of a text notification to the driver on the electronic display screen 30 to indicate to him that a passenger has unbuckled his seat belt (step 300).

[0037] This notification is presented, for example, in the form of a "pop-up" type window displayed for a few seconds (for example, between 4 and 10 seconds) and possibly including a touch button allowing the driver to acknowledge its reading so that it disappears more quickly.

[0038] When the detection means 20 detect the refastening of the seat belt of the seat concerned before the end of this first predetermined period (event 210), the control unit deactivates this first visual and audible alert (step 400).

[0039] According to the invention and when the detection means 20 detect the fastening of the seat belt of a seat located on the same row of seats as the seat concerned before the end of a second predetermined period less than the first predetermined period and advantageously between 10 and 20 seconds (event 220), the control unit 50 considers that the passenger of the seat concerned has settled into another seat in the same row having fastened his seat belt (this passenger therefore being again in a safe situation) and also deactivates this first visual and audible alert (step 500).

[0040] Advantageously, this detection, before the end of the second predetermined period of fastening the seat belt of a seat located on the same row of seats as the seat concerned, also causes the transmission of a text notification to the driver on the electronic display screen 30 to indicate to him that a passenger has changed seats (step 600).

[0041] This notification is presented, for example, in the form of a "pop-up" type window displayed for a few seconds (for example, between 4 and 10 seconds) and possibly including a touch button allowing the driver to acknowledge its reading so that it disappears more quickly.

[0042] When the first predetermined period comes to an end (i.e. in the absence of the occurrence of an event 210 or 220) (event 230), the first visual and audible alert stops and is replaced by the emission of a second, gentler alert consisting of the fixed lighting of the indicator light corresponding to the seat concerned (step 700).

[0043] This second visual alert only ceases (step 800) when the detection means 20 detect the refastening of the seat belt of the seat concerned (event 710).

[0044] According to alternative embodiments of the invention, the first and / or second alerts may have different characteristics.

[0045] It is also possible to envisage that the second predetermined period is equal to the first predetermined period so that the first alert can be deactivated for the entire duration of the transmission of the first alert as soon as the detection means detect the fastening of the seat belt of a seat located on the same row of seats as the seat concerned before the end of this first predetermined period.

[0046] Finally, it is recalled that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment and its variants described and represented, but that it encompasses any variant execution within the reach of those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. Method for controlling a seat belt warning system in a vehicle, comprising a stage of issuing a first alert in the passenger compartment of said vehicle (200) during an initial predetermined period in the event of detection, during a phase of taxiing said vehicle at a speed greater than or equal to a predefined threshold speed (100), the unbuckling of the seat belt of a seat of that vehicle (110), said first alert being deactivated before the end of the said first predetermined period (400) in the event of detection of the unbuckling of the seat belt of that seat (210); characterised in that said first alert is also deactivated before the end of said first predetermined period (500) in the event of detection, before the end of a second predetermined period less than or equal to said first predetermined period, of the fastening of the seat belt of another seat of that vehicle located in the same row of seats as said seat (220).

2. A method of control according to claim 1, characterized in that the detection, before the end of the second predetermined period of the fastening of the seat belt of a seat located in the same row of seats as said seat (220), also results in the issuance of a text notification to the driver on a display screen of said vehicle to indicate that a passenger has changed seats (600).

3. A method of piloting according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the detection of the unbuckling of the seat belt of said seat (110) also results in the issuance of a text notification to the driver on a display screen of said vehicle to indicate that a passenger has unbuckled his seat belt (300).

4. A method of driving according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that said notification is in the form of a pop-up window displayed for a few seconds.

5. A method of controlling according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that said second predetermined period is between 10 and 20 seconds.

6. A method of controlling according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said first predetermined period is between 100 and 200 seconds.

7. Method of control according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said predefined speed threshold is between 10 and 30 km / h.

8. Method of control according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that said first alert results in the flashing illumination of a warning light corresponding to (22) said seat whose seat belt has just been unbuckled and by the emission of an audible warning signal whose intensity increases over said first predetermined period.

9. A method of control according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that at the end of said first predetermined period, said first alert stops and is replaced by the emission of a second, softer alert (700).

10. A control method according to claim 9, characterized in that said second alert results in the fixed illumination of a warning light (22) corresponding to said seat.