Vehicle sensor device and seat belt retractor using the same

Abstract

A vehicle sensor device and a seat belt retractor including the same are disclosed. The vehicle sensor device includes a main body forming an exterior, a cover coupled to one open surface of the main body, a sensor housing rotatably installed on the main body according to the installation angle of the main body and the inclination of the backrest, a ball installed in the sensor housing and detecting changes in the inclination of the vehicle and changes in acceleration, and a sensor lever disposed on the upper part of the ball and having one end rotatably coupled to the sensor housing. The sensor lever linearly reciprocates a pilot lever provided in the locking device by a rotational movement accompanying the movement of the ball. The sensor lever is installed in the sensor housing in which the ball is installed, and in response to the movement of the ball due to changes in the inclination of the vehicle and changes in acceleration, the sensor lever rotates around a rotation shaft coupled to the sensor housing, and linearly reciprocates the pilot lever connected to the sensor lever, thereby engaging or disengaging the pilot lever with or from the locking device. This allows the normal operating range of the pilot lever to be expanded.

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to seat belt retractors, and more specifically, to a vehicle sensor device that prevents seat belt webbing withdrawal by sensing changes in vehicle inclination and acceleration, and to a seat belt retractor using the same. [[Background Art]]

[0002] Generally, vehicles are equipped with a seat belt safety device on the seat to ensure the safety of occupants.

[0003] This seat belt safety device includes a retractor that operates to allow a belt-shaped seat belt webbing for restraining an occupant (hereinafter referred to as "webbing") to be wound onto a spool or pulled out (withdrawn), and a buckle into which a tongue fixed to one end of the webbing is removably inserted.

[0004] When a vehicle suddenly stops or accelerates due to a vehicle accident, the retractor prevents the occupant wearing the seat belt from being thrown forward or pulled away from the seat by driving inertia. As such a retractor, in a normal state where the occupant wears the seat belt, it allows withdrawal of the webbing, but when it detects that the acceleration at which the webbing withdraws due to a vehicle collision or the inclination of the vehicle has changed, there may be a device that prevents further withdrawal of the webbing, as well as an emergency tension applying device and a pretensioning device that reduce slack or sag of the webbing, that is, slack of the webbing.

[0005] For example, the following Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose retractor technologies for controlling the winding operation and unwinding operation of seat belt webbing.

[0006] On the other hand, if an acceleration exceeding a predetermined value is applied to the retractor horizontally, such as in the event of a vehicle collision, or if the vehicle's tilt changes, a vehicle sensor that detects acceleration or tilt is applied to the retractor to activate the seat belt locking device, thereby preventing the seat belt from coming undone.

[0007] Vehicle sensors that use a ball as an inertial member or an independent inertial member are generally known in the art.

[0008] For example, a vehicle sensor includes an inertial member that moves in dangerous situations where the vehicle experiences a deceleration or tilt higher than the normal webbing deceleration of the vehicle, and a sensor lever that interacts with the external teeth of a control disc, which is moved by the inertial member and rotates together with the seat belt retractor spool.

[0009] Such seat belt retractors may be mounted on the vehicle body, for example, on the center pillar, seat back, or rear pillar. Therefore, the mounting position of the seat belt retractor may vary depending on the structure of the center pillar, seat back, or rear pillar. In other words, the seat belt retractor is not necessarily mounted in a horizontal position, but may be mounted at a predetermined angle tilted from the horizontal position in the left-right or front-back direction.

[0010] In particular, if the seat belt retractor is installed on the seat backrest, the tilt of the seat belt retractor can be changed in accordance with the rotation of the seat backrest.

[0011] However, as mentioned above, if the posture of the related seat belt retractor changes beyond a certain range, it becomes impossible to properly detect acceleration and tilt.

[0012] For example, if a seatbelt retractor equipped with a vehicle sensor tilts beyond a certain range from a horizontal position, the distance between the control disc and the vehicle sensor's sensor lever becomes excessively close. As a result, the sensor lever becomes overly sensitive and unable to properly perform the locking action.

[0013] Furthermore, a seatbelt retractor equipped with a vehicle sensor is attached to the seat backrest, and when the seat backrest is tilted forward in the vehicle, the sensor lever of the vehicle sensor catches on the external teeth of the control disc, restricting the rotation of the spool.

[0014] Therefore, even if an occupant tries to fasten their seatbelt, they may be unable to do so because the rotation of the spool is restricted.

[0015] To solve the above problems, the applicant of the present invention has filed a patent application disclosing a seat belt retractor having a vehicle sensor with an improved fixing structure, as described in Patent Document 3 below, and this application is now registered.

[0016] On the other hand, with the recent development of autonomous vehicles, technologies are being developed to minimize the volume of seats and seat belt retractors applied to these vehicles.

[0017] Furthermore, integrated seat belts (belt-in-seat, BIS) that are integrated with the seat may also be used.

[0018] In related technology, the vehicle sensor for seat belt retractors measures the tilt of the vehicle by applying a gimbal with an internal weight.

[0019] The vehicle sensor can measure the tilt of the vehicle even if the angle of the backrest of the seat changes.

[0020] However, in seats equipped with related seatbelt retractors, for example, if the rotation angle of the backrest exceeds a predetermined range, a problem may occur where the sensor lever connected to the gimbal is unable to properly control the pilot lever, resulting in abnormal operation.

[0021] Therefore, there is a need to develop a seat belt retractor that uses vehicle sensors that can widen the range of angles in which it can operate normally by minimizing the abnormal range of motion caused by the rotation of the backrest.

[0022] (Patent Document 1) U.S. Patent No. 6,499,554 (Registered December 31, 2002) (Patent Document 2) U.S. Patent No. 6,443,382 (Registered September 3, 2002) (Patent Document 3) Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1766844 (Issued August 9, 2017) [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0023] The purpose of this disclosure is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a vehicle sensor device for sensing changes in vehicle tilt and acceleration, and a seat belt retractor using the same.

[0024] Another object of this disclosure is to provide a vehicle sensor device that can expand the range of angles in which it can operate normally by controlling a pilot lever, regardless of the rotation angle and installation angle of the backrest, and a seat belt retractor using the same.

[0025] A further object of this disclosure is to provide a vehicle sensor device that enables the detection of vehicle tilt and seat back angle by applying a single ball, and a seat belt retractor using the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0026] To achieve the above object, a vehicle sensor device according to the present disclosure comprises: a main body forming an external appearance; a cover coupled to one open surface of the main body; a sensor housing installed on the main body so as to be rotatable in accordance with an installation angle of the main body and an inclination of a seatback; a ball installed inside the sensor housing for sensing changes in vehicle inclination and acceleration; and a sensor lever disposed above the ball, one end of which is rotatably coupled to the sensor housing, wherein the sensor lever can cause a pilot lever provided in a locking device to perform linear reciprocating motion through a rotational movement caused by the movement of the ball.

[0027] Further, to achieve the above object, a seatbelt retractor equipped with the vehicle sensor device according to the present disclosure may include: a vehicle sensor device that senses changes in vehicle inclination and acceleration; a spindle device including a spindle around which seatbelt webbing is wound; and a locking device that performs a locking operation to prevent the seatbelt webbing from being pulled out during a vehicle collision. Furthermore, based on a sensed change in vehicle inclination and acceleration, the pilot lever can be caused to perform linear reciprocating motion to engage with or disengage from the locking device.

[0028] Effects of the Invention As described above, the vehicle sensor device and the seatbelt retractor using the same according to the present invention can sense changes in vehicle inclination, changes in acceleration, and changes in seatback inclination using the ball and the sensor housing, and can further control the pilot lever by rotating the sensor lever.

[0029] That is, according to the present invention, the sensor lever is installed above the ball, and the sensor lever rotates around a rotating shaft coupled to the sensor housing due to the movement of the ball caused by changes in vehicle acceleration and inclination, whereby the pilot lever connected to the sensor lever can perform linear reciprocating motion.

[0030] Therefore, in this disclosure, the ease with which the webbing comes loose can be controlled by making the pilot lever protrude outward from the cover and engaging or disengaging the pilot lever from a locking device.

[0031] In particular, according to the present invention, a spherical portion is provided on the pilot lever and rotatably coupled to the upper part of the sensor lever, so that by adjusting the angle of the seat backrest, the sensor device is rotated, and the pilot lever can be normally controlled to move linearly back and forth regardless of the angle at which it is positioned.

[0032] In other words, according to the present invention, by adjusting the angle of the seat backrest within a range of 10° forward to 90° backward with respect to the reference position, the pilot lever can be properly controlled in accordance with the changing positioning angle of the sensor device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0033] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows an example of a seat belt retractor, a related technology. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a seat belt retractor using a vehicle sensor device according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a partially exploded perspective view of the seat belt retractor shown in Figure 2. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the sensor device shown in Figure 2. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the sensor device shown in Figure 4. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the sensor device shown in Figure 4. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows the operating state to illustrate the rotational movement of a retractor equipped with a sensor device. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a sensor device installed on a retractor. [Figure 9]Figure 9 shows the operating states to illustrate the rotational movement of the sensor lever caused by the movement of the ball. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating the operating states to explain the rotational movement of the sensor lever caused by the movement of the ball. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0034] A vehicle sensor device and a seat belt retractor using the same, according to preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] Before describing the configuration of a seat belt retractor according to a preferred embodiment of this disclosure, a general overview of the configuration of a seat belt retractor relating to the related technology will be given with reference to Figure 1.

[0036] Figure 1 shows an example of a seat belt retractor, a related technology.

[0037] As can be seen in Figure 1, the related technology seat belt retractor 1 may include a spindle 3 around which a seat belt webbing (hereinafter referred to as "webbing") 2 is wound, a sensor unit 4 for detecting the tilt of the vehicle, an emergency tensioning unit 5 for reducing slack by winding up the webbing 2 in the event of a vehicle collision, and a pretensioning unit 6 for smoothly pulling out the webbing 2 during normal vehicle operation and for reducing slack by winding up the webbing 2 just before a vehicle collision.

[0038] Sensor unit 4 detects changes in acceleration that cause the webbing to be pulled out, or changes in the vehicle's tilt, which occur as a result of a vehicle collision.

[0039] The emergency tensioning unit 5 operates an inflator (not shown) containing explosives in response to a detection signal that detects a vehicle collision, and uses the pressure of the generated gas to wind the webbing 2 onto the spindle 3. Therefore, by winding the webbing 2 during a vehicle collision, the emergency tensioning unit 5 can reduce the slack of the webbing 2 and reduce the degree of injury sustained by the occupants.

[0040] If a vehicle collision is predicted via sensors applied to the vehicle, the pretension unit 6 can wind the webbing 2 onto the spindle by operating motors that correspond to rotation and reverse rotation. In other words, during normal vehicle operation, even if no accident occurs, the pretension unit 6 can maintain the tension of the worn webbing 2 until stronger acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle occurs, preventing the webbing 2 from loosening. By winding the webbing 2 just before a vehicle collision, the degree of injury to the occupants can be reduced by reducing the slack in the webbing 2.

[0041] Here, the spindle 3 is installed inside the fixed frame 7, the sensor unit 4, the emergency tensioning unit 5, and the pretensioning unit 6 are arranged on both sides of the fixed frame 7, and the left and right housings 8 and 9 are connected to the outside of each unit.

[0042] In other words, each of the units 4, 5, and 6 is arranged on both sides along the lateral direction of the spindle 2.

[0043] In the seat belt retractor 1 of the related technology described above, the spindle is installed within the seat backrest, along the width direction, that is, the left-right direction. Therefore, as the length of the webbing 2 wound on the spool increases, the thickness in the front-to-back direction (hereinafter referred to as "thickness") also increases, which presents a problem in that it becomes difficult to apply the seat belt retractor to the backrest of a slim seat.

[0044] To solve this problem, the present disclosure minimizes the thickness of the seat belt retractor by rotating the mounting direction of the spindle around which the webbing is wound, thereby enabling the seat belt retractor to be applied to a slim seat.

[0045] In addition, this disclosure can solve the problem of unstable connection between the sensor lever and the pilot lever, which occurs depending on the rotation angle of the gimbal, by strengthening the structure of the vehicle sensor device.

[0046] Hereafter, the configuration of a seat belt retractor using a vehicle sensor device according to a preferred embodiment of this disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3.

[0047] In the following explanation, the direction in which the steering wheel is mounted relative to the seat, and the direction of vehicle movement, will be referred to as the "forward direction," and the opposite direction will be referred to as the "rearward direction." Furthermore, terms indicating direction such as "left side," "right side," "upward direction," and "downward direction" are defined to indicate the respective directions relative to the forward and rearward directions mentioned above.

[0048] Therefore, in each figure, the X-axis corresponds to the forward direction, the Y-axis corresponds to the right direction, and the Z-axis corresponds to the upward direction.

[0049] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a seat belt retractor using a vehicle sensor device according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the seat belt retractor shown in Figure 2.

[0050] In this embodiment, the configuration of a seat belt retractor applied to a single-piece seat belt (BIS) that is integrally attached to a seat will be described.

[0051] Needless to say, this disclosure is not limited to this, and it should be noted that seat belt retractors of various structures and shapes may be provided so that they can be applied not only to integrated seat belts but also to conventional vehicles or autonomous vehicles.

[0052] As can be seen in Figures 2 and 3, a seat belt retractor 10 using a vehicle sensor device according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure may include a spindle device 20, a vehicle sensor device (hereinafter referred to as the "sensor device") 30, and a locking device 40.

[0053] Along with these, the seat belt retractor 10 may further include a pretensioning device that reduces slack by winding the webbing 21 just before a vehicle collision.

[0054] The spindle device 20 and the sensor device 30 are basic modules that constitute the seat belt retractor 10, and can be manufactured and assembled as separate modules, or integrated into a single module.

[0055] The spindle device 20 comprises a spindle 22 around which the webbing 21 is wound, and the spindle device and sensor device may be installed within the housing 23.

[0056] The sensor device 30 may include an acceleration sensor that detects changes in the acceleration that pulls out the webbing 21, or a tilt sensor that detects changes in the tilt of the vehicle.

[0057] In this embodiment, the configuration of the sensor device 30, which uses a tilt sensor to detect changes in the vehicle's tilt, will be described in detail with reference to Figures 4 to 6. Furthermore, the sensor device 30 may detect not only changes in the vehicle's tilt but also changes in acceleration.

[0058] Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the sensor device shown in Figure 2, and Figures 5 and 6 are exploded perspective views of the sensor device shown in Figure 4.

[0059] In this embodiment, the configuration of the sensor device applied to the seat belt retractor configuration shown in Figures 2 and 3 will be described.

[0060] Needless to say, this disclosure is not limited to the above configuration, and it should be noted that this disclosure can be modified to be applicable to seat belt retractors having various configurations, such as the seat belt retractor shown in Figure 1.

[0061] As shown in Figures 4 to 6, a vehicle sensor device (hereinafter referred to as "sensor device") 30 applied to a seat belt retractor 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a main body 31 that forms the exterior, a cover 32 coupled to an open surface of the main body 31, a sensor housing 33 rotatably installed inside the main body 31 depending on the installation angle of the main body 31 and the inclination of the backrest, a ball 34 installed inside the sensor housing 33 that senses changes in the inclination and acceleration of the vehicle on which the sensor device 30 is installed, and a sensor lever 35 disposed above the ball 34, with one end rotatably coupled to the sensor housing 33, which moves the pilot lever 41 by the rotational movement caused by the movement of the ball 34.

[0062] The main body 31 may be formed in a cylindrical shape having one open surface and a cross-section that is substantially square or triangular when viewed from one side.

[0063] The pair of fixing protrusions 311 protrude from the upper and lower ends of the main body 31, respectively, and can be fastened with bolts or the like to fix the main body 31 to the spindle device 20.

[0064] A connecting rib 321 is provided on one surface of the cover 32, projecting along the edge toward the main body 31, and a connecting recess 312 may be formed on the edge of the opening of the main body 31, with a step formed from the outer surface of the opening, which connects to the connecting rib 321.

[0065] A connecting projection 322 is provided at the front end of the cover 32 toward the main body 31, and a connecting recess 313 that connects with the connecting projection 322 may be formed at the front end of the main body 31.

[0066] The through-hole 323 may protrude from the cover 32 toward the main body 31 so that the pilot lever 41 passes through it and moves linearly in a reciprocating motion.

[0067] The main body 31 and the cover 32 can remain connected to each other and be arranged along the installation direction of the spindle 22, that is, along the X-axis direction.

[0068] The pilot lever 41 reciprocates linearly along the Y-axis direction due to the rotational movement of the sensor lever 35.

[0069] In other words, when the pilot lever 41 moves to the right as seen in Figure 5, the right end of the pilot lever 41 engages with one of several projections formed on the outer circumference of the steering disc (not shown) provided on the locking device 40, and the locking device 40 performs a locking operation to prevent the webbing 21 from coming off.

[0070] On the other hand, when the pilot lever 41 moves to the left, the pilot lever 41 and the locking device 40 disengage from each other, allowing the webbing 21 to be freely extended.

[0071] The sensor housing 33 may be formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with an open top surface so that an installation space is formed inside the sensor housing 33, while the ball 34 is installed within the installation space and moves in response to changes in the vehicle's tilt. The bottom surface of the sensor housing 33 may be curved downwards in a convex shape to correspond to the bottom of the ball 34.

[0072] On the left and right sides of the upper end of the sensor housing 33, a first coupling portion 331 may be provided, to which the rotating shaft portion 314 of the main body 31 is coupled, and a second coupling portion 332 may be provided, to which the through hole portion 323 of the cover 32 is coupled.

[0073] Therefore, the sensor housing 33 can rotate in the front-rear direction with respect to the first coupling portion 331 and the second coupling portion 332.

[0074] The first coupling portion 331 may have a rotating shaft portion 314 coupled to its interior, and may also have an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the rotating shaft portion 314.

[0075] The second connecting portion 332 may have a through-hole portion 323 connected to its interior, and may have an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the through-hole portion 323.

[0076] Here, the rotating shaft portion 314 protrudes from the inner surface of the left side wall of the main body 31 toward the cover 32, and functions as a rotating shaft for rotating the sensor housing 33 around it.

[0077] An angle limiting portion 315 that limits the rotation angle of the sensor housing 33 may be formed near the rotating shaft portion 314.

[0078] The angle limiting section 315 may include a first stopper 316 that limits the forward rotation angle of the sensor housing 33, which rotates around the rotating shaft section 314, and a second stopper 317 that limits the backward rotation angle of the sensor housing 33.

[0079] Here, the positions of the first stopper 316 and the second stopper 317 can be set to limit the rotation angle of the sensor housing 33 to the rotation angle of the backrest.

[0080] For example, the upper end of the backrest can rotate approximately 10° forward and downward, and up to approximately 90° backward and downward, relative to the lower end of the backrest.

[0081] Therefore, the first stopper 316 may be formed at a position where the fixing projection 333 formed at the lower end of the first coupling portion 331 of the sensor housing 33 is rotated forward by approximately 10°, and the second stopper 317 may be formed at a position where the fixing projection 333 is rotated backward by approximately 90°.

[0082] However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the rotation angle can be adjusted in various ways by adjusting the positions of the first stopper and the second stopper.

[0083] For example, the disclosure may be modified such that the first stopper is formed in a position rotated by approximately 90° so that the fixing projection of the first joint can rotate forward by approximately 90°.

[0084] Furthermore, although this embodiment illustrates that the sensor housing 33 rotates, in reality, the main body 31 and cover 32 can rotate according to the rotation angle of the backrest, and the sensor housing 33 may always remain in a vertical position due to the weight of the ball 34.

[0085] The ball 34 may be provided to be positioned in the installation space inside the sensor housing 33, to have a diameter corresponding to the installation space, and to have a predetermined weight.

[0086] Therefore, while installed inside the sensor housing 33, the ball 34 can move in various directions, such as the forward / backward and left / right directions, in response to changes in the vehicle's tilt, thereby sensing the change in tilt.

[0087] The sensor lever 35, while mounted on the upper part of the ball 34, can rotate left and right around one end connected to the sensor housing 33 as the ball 34 moves left and right due to changes in the vehicle's tilt.

[0088] The sensor lever 35 may include a mounting portion 36 attached to the upper part of the ball 34, a lever coupling portion 37 provided on the upper part of the mounting portion 36 and coupled to the pilot lever 41, and a shaft coupling portion 38 extending from the lever coupling portion 37 to one side and coupled to the sensor housing 33 via a shaft.

[0089] The mounting portion 36 is formed in a substantially disc shape, and the lower surface of the mounting portion 36 may be curved so as to be recessed upward to correspond to the upper end of the ball 34.

[0090] The lever coupling portion 37 may extend upward from the upper surface of the mounting portion 36.

[0091] The lever coupling portion 37 may be formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, thereby providing a space into which the spherical portion 43 formed at the tip of the pilot lever 41 is coupled.

[0092] In other words, the pilot lever 41 may include a main body 42 slidably coupled to a through hole 323 in the cover 32, a spherical portion 43 inserted into the internal space of the lever coupling portion 37, and a connecting portion 44 connecting the main body 42 and the spherical portion 43.

[0093] The main body portion 42 has a cross-section that substantially corresponds to the shape of the through hole formed in the through hole portion 323.

[0094]

number

[0095] The connecting portion 44 may be formed in a substantially rod shape, having a width and height smaller than the width and height of the main body portion 42.

[0096] Therefore, the internal space of the lever coupling portion 37 may be formed to have an inner diameter that is the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the spherical portion 43 of the pilot lever 41.

[0097] Furthermore, a slit 371 is cut downward to a predetermined length at the upper end of the lever coupling portion 37, to which the connecting portion 44 of the pilot lever 41 is rotatably connected.

[0098] The shaft coupling portion 38 extends to one side from the lever coupling portion 37 and the mounting portion. As seen in Figure 6, the shaft coupling portion 38 extends downward to the right, and a shaft coupling hole 381 may be formed at its lower end so that the rotating shaft 382 is coupled to it.

[0099] Here, the sensor housing 33 may have an exit hole 334 for pulling out the shaft coupling portion 38 to the outside, and a pair of shaft support portions 335 may be provided on both sides of the exit hole 334, i.e., the front and rear, to which both ends of the rotating shaft 382 are connected and supported.

[0100] On the other hand, the shaft coupling portion 38 may be formed in an arc shape that protrudes downward and to the right from the lever coupling portion 37 and the mounting portion 36, or it may be formed inclined to correspond to the shape of the ball.

[0101] As described above, the sensor lever 35 can rotate in the left-right direction with respect to the rotating shaft 382 by the movement of the ball 34 in all directions, i.e., in the forward-backward, left-right, and upward directions. Therefore, the pilot lever 41 coupled to the upper end of the sensor lever 35 can reciprocate linearly in the left-right direction by the rotational movement of the sensor lever 35.

[0102] As described above, the vehicle sensor device according to the present invention can maintain the connection between the spherical part of the pilot lever and the lever coupling part of the sensor lever even when the sensor housing attached to the main body rotates in response to changes in the tilt of the seat backrest, thus enabling normal operation across the entire angle range of the backrest.

[0103] Hereafter, the operation method of a vehicle sensor device according to a preferred embodiment of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to Figures 7 to 10.

[0104] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating the operating state to show the rotational movement of the retractor in which the sensor device is installed, and Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the sensor device installed inside the retractor. Figures 9 and 10 are diagrams illustrating the operating state to show the rotational movement of the sensor lever due to the movement of the ball, respectively.

[0105] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the sensor device 30, while installed inside the retractor 10, can rotate forward and backward due to the forward and backward rotation of the backrest.

[0106] In other words, the retractor 10 can rotate forward by approximately 10° due to the forward rotation of the backrest, and can rotate backward by up to approximately 90° due to the backward rotation of the backrest.

[0107] Therefore, the main body 31 and cover 32 of the sensor device 30 can rotate forward by approximately 10° due to the forward and backward rotational movement of the backrest and retractor 10, and can rotate up to approximately 90°.

[0108] In this case, the sensor housing 33, which is rotatably installed inside the sensor device 30, can always maintain a vertical orientation.

[0109] In other words, the sensor housing 33 and the ball 34 and sensor lever 35 installed inside it rotate around the first coupling portion 331 and the second coupling portion 332 inside the main body 31 and the cover 32, and can always maintain an upright position.

[0110] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 9, before the vehicle's tilt changes, the mounting portion 36 of the sensor lever 35 can be attached to the top of the ball 34 to maintain a horizontal position.

[0111] As a result, the pilot lever 41, to which the spherical part 43 is attached at the upper end of the main body 37, moves from the cover 32 towards the main body 31, i.e., to the left, and maintains this position.

[0112] As described above, when the pilot lever 41 moves to the left, the pilot lever 41 and the locking device 40 disengage from each other, allowing the webbing 21 to be freely pulled out.

[0113] On the other hand, if the vehicle's tilt changes and the ball 34 moves to one side, for example to the left, as shown in Figure 10, the sensor lever 35 rotates counterclockwise around the pivot shaft 382 connected to the sensor housing 33, moving the pilot lever 41 to the right.

[0114] In other words, the pilot lever 41, which is coupled to the upper end of the sensor lever 35, moves through the through hole 323 formed in the cover 32 to the outside of the cover 32, that is, to the right side, and protrudes from there.

[0115] As described above, when the pilot lever 41 protrudes outside the cover 32, the right end of the pilot lever 41 engages with one of the multiple projections formed on the outer circumference of the steering disc of the locking device 40, causing the locking device 40 to perform a locking operation to prevent the webbing 21 from coming off.

[0116] As described above, the present invention uses a ball and a sensor housing to sense changes in the tilt and acceleration of the vehicle and changes in the tilt of the backrest, and can control the pilot lever by rotating the sensor lever.

[0117] In other words, according to the present invention, a sensor lever is installed on the top of the ball, and the movement of the ball due to changes in the vehicle's acceleration and inclination causes the sensor lever to rotate around a pivot shaft connected to the sensor housing, thereby enabling a pilot lever connected to the sensor lever to reciprocate linearly.

[0118] Therefore, in this disclosure, the ease with which the webbing comes loose can be controlled by making the pilot lever protrude outward from the cover and engaging or disengaging the pilot lever from a locking device.

[0119] In particular, according to the present invention, a spherical portion is provided on the pilot lever and rotatably coupled to the upper part of the sensor lever, so that by adjusting the angle of the seat backrest, the sensor device is rotated, and the pilot lever can be normally controlled to move linearly back and forth regardless of the angle at which it is positioned.

[0120] In other words, according to the present invention, by adjusting the angle of the seat backrest within a range of 10° forward to 90° backward, or 90° forward to 90° backward, with respect to the reference position, the pilot lever can be controlled normally in accordance with the changing position angle of the sensor device.

[0121] The inventions made by the inventors of the present application have been specifically described above based on the embodiments described above. However, this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical essence of this disclosure.

[0122] Industrial applicability This disclosure applies to seat belt retractor technology in which a sensor lever is installed on a sensor device that senses changes in the acceleration and tilt of a vehicle, and further, the sensor lever is rotated around a pivot shaft by the movement of a ball in response to the changes in the acceleration and tilt of the vehicle, thereby moving a pilot lever connected to the sensor lever.

Claims

1. A vehicle sensor device that senses changes in vehicle tilt and acceleration, The main body that forms the exterior, A cover that is coupled to one open surface of the main body, A sensor housing is installed on the main body so as to be rotatable according to the installation angle of the main body and the tilt of the backrest, A ball installed inside the sensor housing senses the change in the vehicle's tilt and the change in its acceleration, A sensor lever disposed on the upper part of the ball, the sensor lever having one end rotatably coupled to the sensor housing, The pilot lever has a spherical portion rotatably coupled to the upper part of the sensor lever, and the pilot lever moves linearly back and forth in response to the rotational movement caused by the movement of the ball by the sensor lever, A vehicle sensor device equipped with the following features.

2. The aforementioned sensor lever A mounting portion attached to the upper part of the ball, A lever coupling portion is provided on the upper part of the mounting portion and is coupled to the spherical portion of the pilot lever, It comprises a shaft coupling portion that extends to one side from the lever coupling portion and is coupled to the sensor housing by a shaft, The vehicle sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the lever coupling portion rotates around a pivot shaft coupled to the sensor housing due to the changes in the vehicle's tilt and acceleration, causing the pilot lever to move outside the cover.

3. The aforementioned pilot lever A main body portion is slidably coupled to a through hole formed in the cover, It comprises a connecting part that connects the main body and the spherical part, At the upper end of the lever coupling portion, a slit is cut downward by a predetermined length, to which the pilot lever connection portion is rotatably connected. The spherical portion is inserted into the space inside the lever coupling portion. The vehicle sensor device according to claim 2.

4. The sensor housing is formed in a cylindrical shape with an open top, and an installation space is formed inside the sensor housing. The ball is installed inside the installation space and moves in accordance with changes in the vehicle's tilt and acceleration. A first coupling portion and a second coupling portion are formed on both sides of the sensor housing, which are rotatably coupled to the main body and the cover, respectively. One side of the sensor housing has a pull-out hole for pulling out the shaft coupling portion to the outside. A vehicle sensor device according to claim 2, wherein a pair of shaft support portions are provided on both sides of the extraction hole, and both ends of the rotating shaft are coupled to the shaft support portions and supported on the shaft support portions.

5. The main body has a rotating shaft portion connected to the first coupling portion on its inner surface, An angle limiting section is provided to limit the rotation angle of the sensor housing in the front-rear direction, A fixing projection is formed on the first joint portion. The angle limiting portion includes a first stopper that limits the forward rotation angle of the fixed projection, It comprises a second stopper for limiting the rearward rotation angle of the aforementioned fixed projection, The vehicle sensor device according to claim 4, wherein the position of the first stopper and the position of the second stopper are set in accordance with the rotation angle of the seat backrest.

6. The vehicle sensor device according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle sensor device maintains the connection between the pilot lever and the sensor lever even when the sensor housing coupled to the main body rotates in response to a change in the tilt of the seat backrest, and is capable of normal operation over the entire angular range of the seat backrest.

7. A seat belt retractor equipped with a vehicle sensor device, A vehicle sensor device having the configuration described in any one of claims 1 to 6, which senses changes in vehicle tilt and changes in acceleration, A spindle device having a spindle around which seat belt webbing is wound, The system includes a locking device that performs a locking action to prevent the seat belt webbing from coming loose during a vehicle collision, A seat belt retractor wherein the pilot lever reciprocates linearly in response to the perceived change in the vehicle's tilt and the change in acceleration to engage with or disengage from the locking device.

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