Vehicle Safety Belt Device with Dynamic Waist Belt Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
In autonomous vehicles, when occupants are in a reclined position, traditional seat belts can cause serious injuries during collisions as they press against the abdominal region and lose restraining force, failing to stabilize the occupant effectively.
Innovation Solution
A safety belt device with a belt driving mechanism and controller that adjusts the seat belt's position by moving the waist belt from the rear to the front during a collision, ensuring it is caught between the occupant's ankle and knee, thereby avoiding abdominal pressure and maintaining restraint.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the seat is configured to freely change seating posture (reclined position) for autonomous vehicle travel, then occupant comfort and versatility are improved, but the seat belt presses against the abdominal region during collisions causing serious injuries and losing restraining force
Solution Approach 1:
The seat belt system dynamically adjusts the waist belt position based on seat recline angle. When the seat is in a reclined position (greater than 15 degrees), the waist belt automatically moves forward from the rear to the front to be caught between the occupant's ankle and knee, preventing abdominal pressure. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by making the restraint system flexible rather than fixed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the positional parameter of the waist belt based on seat recline angle detection. The controller monitors the seat angle and commands the belt driving device to move the waist belt to different positions (rear for normal sitting, front for reclined positions), thereby changing the restraint characteristics to match the occupant's posture and avoid abdominal injury.
2Reliability
If the waist belt is positioned at the rear side for normal restraint, then the seat belt provides stable restraining force for upright occupants, but it presses the abdominal region when the occupant is in a reclined position during collision
Solution Approach 1:
The waist belt position is made dynamic rather than fixed. The belt driving device moves the waist belt between rear and front positions based on real-time seat angle detection. This allows the system to maintain reliable restraint for upright occupants (rear position) while preventing abdominal injury during reclined collisions (front position), resolving the contradiction between stable restraint and injury prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the seat angle sensor to automatically adjust waist belt position. When the seat recline angle exceeds a threshold (15 degrees), the controller receives this feedback and commands the belt driving device to move the waist belt forward, ensuring the belt is positioned safely between the ankle and knee rather than pressing the abdomen.
3Reliability
If a belt driving device with front and rear moving mechanisms is added to adjust waist belt position, then occupant safety is improved across various postures, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The belt driving device is segmented into independent front and rear moving mechanisms, each with its own driving motor and guide portion. This modular segmentation allows the complex function of waist belt position adjustment to be divided into manageable components, making the system more maintainable and easier to manufacture while achieving the safety benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The front and rear moving mechanisms serve multiple functions: they adjust the waist belt position for different seating postures, ensure proper belt positioning during collisions, and adapt to various occupant sizes and preferences. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by providing comprehensive safety coverage across diverse operating conditions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively stabilizes the occupant by preventing abdominal pressure during collisions and ensuring the seat belt maintains its restraining force across various postures, enhancing safety in autonomous vehicle scenarios.
Implementation Method 1
The first guide portion and the first sliding portion may be screw-coupled to each other, and the first guide portion may receive a power from a first driving motor provided on the seat rail or a bottom surface and be then rotated to allow the first sliding portion to be moved along the first guide portion.
Implementation Method 2
The first up-down moving device may include a first webbing moving portion disposed to be movable in the vertical direction along the first extension portion
Implementation Method 3
The first webbing rotation portion may include a first rotary motor configured to be moved along with the first webbing moving portion, and a first rotary plate around which the buckle portion is coupled
Data Source
AI summary
A safety belt device configured for a vehicle may include a belt driving device disposed on a seat, connected to a waist belt in a state in which an occupant wears a seat belt, and moving the waist belt in a predetermined direction to allow the waist belt to wrap around the occupant's waist when the waist belt is positioned at a rear side and to allow the waist belt to be caught between an ankle and the waist of the occupant when the waist belt is moved forward thereof; and a controller receiving a signal generated according to an occurrence of a vehicle collision and controlling the belt driving device upon receiving the impact signal to allow the waist belt to be moved from the rear to the front.