Guide Ring Sensor for Seat Belt Fastening Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional seat belt sensing devices fail to accurately detect whether the webbing is correctly fastened, leading to misjudgments and ineffective warning signals due to the use of auxiliary tongues or improper webbing placement.
Innovation Solution
A guide ring sensor comprising a fixing seat, a guide ring, an elastic member, and a sensing element, which detects the pivoting angle of the guide ring to determine correct seat belt usage and triggers or silences the alarm system accordingly, preventing false negatives or false positives.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a conventional sensing device is used to detect tongue insertion into the seat belt buckle, then the sensing device can detect tongue insertion, but it cannot distinguish between correct fastening and false fastening using auxiliary tongues or improper webbing placement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a guide ring as an intermediary component between the webbing and the sensing device. The guide ring has a specific geometric structure with a guide groove that only allows the webbing to pass through in the correct orientation. This intermediary structure prevents auxiliary tongues or improperly placed webbing from triggering the sensor, thereby resolving the contradiction between detection capability and sensing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide ring incorporates a localized geometric feature (the guide groove) that provides directional guidance. This local quality change in the structure ensures that only webbing passing through in the correct orientation can reach the sensing device, improving both measurement precision and reliability without requiring complete redesign of the entire sensing system.
2Device complexity
If the sensing device is mounted in the seat belt buckle to detect tongue insertion, then the device structure remains simple, but it produces false negatives when auxiliary tongues are used
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the fastening detection system into two functional parts: the guide ring structure that physically guides the webbing, and the sensing device that detects the fastening state. This segmentation allows the sensing device to remain simple while the guide ring handles the complexity of preventing false fastening, thus resolving the contradiction between device simplicity and detection reliability.
3Ease of operation
If the sensing device only detects tongue insertion without verifying webbing orientation, then the device operation is simple, but it cannot prevent misjudgment of incorrect fastening
Solution Approach 1:
The guide ring serves as a mechanical intermediary that enforces correct webbing orientation before the webbing can reach the sensing device. This intermediary structure adds a verification step without complicating the sensing operation itself, as the guide ring passively guides the webbing through its geometric design. This resolves the contradiction between operational simplicity and detection precision.
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
Enhances the reliability of seat belt usage by accurately detecting correct fastening and preventing false alarms, ensuring the sensing device functions effectively even with auxiliary tongues or improper webbing placement, and is easy to assemble and mount on both sides of a vehicle.
Implementation Method 1
The elastic member is mounted on the body of the fixing seat and is connected to the guide ring. The elastic member provides resilience to the guide ring.
Data Source
AI summary
A guide ring sensor has a fixing seat, a guide ring, an elastic member, and a sensing element. The guide ring is pivoted on the fixing seat by a positioning member. The elastic member is mounted on the body of the fixing seat, is connected to the guide ring, and provides resilience to the guide ring. The sensing element is mounted on the fixing seat to detect a pivoting angle change of the guide ring and generate a signal corresponding to the pivoting angle change of the guide ring. The sensing element may detect whether a webbing is correctly fastened or not by the pivoting angle change of the guide ring.