Single Operating Section for Vehicle Occupant Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing occupant protecting devices for vehicles lack flexibility in the installation positions of operating sections, which include both pretensioners and vibrating units, limiting their effective deployment and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A single operating section is used to control both the pretensioner and the vibrating unit, with a control section outputting instructions to operate these components based on collision prediction and lane departure sensors, allowing for increased flexibility in installation positions and prioritizing webbing tension over vibrating unit operation during a predicted collision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate operating sections are provided for the pretensioner and the vibrating unit, then each component can be controlled independently, but the flexibility in installation positions is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the control functions for the pretensioner and the vibrating unit into a single operating section. This single operating section can selectively operate either the pretensioner or the vibrating unit based on control signals, thereby reducing the number of separate operating sections needed and increasing installation flexibility without sacrificing independent control capability
Solution Approach 2:
The single operating section is designed with multi-functionality to perform both pretensioner operation and vibrating unit control. This universal component can switch between different functions based on received instructions, allowing it to replace what would traditionally require two separate operating sections
2Ease of operation
If the operating section is provided at the steering wheel, then control is direct, but the mass of the steering wheel increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the operating section from the steering wheel and relocates it to the retractor. This separation removes the weight of the operating section from the steering wheel, reducing its mass while maintaining control functionality through the retractor's position and the webbing connection
3Adaptability or versatility
If the operating section is provided at the retractor of a non-driver seat, then wiring distance increases, but installation flexibility is improved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by positioning the operating section at the driver's seat retractor, which is strategically located to minimize wiring distance to the vibrating unit at the steering wheel. This specific location optimization reduces the length of wiring required while maintaining the benefits of having the operating section away from the steering wheel
Data Source
AI summary
An occupant protecting device for a vehicle, including: a pretensioner applying tension to a webbing that is configured to restrain an upper body of a vehicle occupant seated in a vehicle seat; a vibrating unit configured to vibrate a contact portion to which the vehicle occupant contacts; a single operating section operating the vibrating unit in a case in which an instruction to operate the vibrating unit is received, and operating the pretensioner in a case in which an instruction to operate the pretensioner is received; and a control section, in a case in which the vibrating unit is to be vibrated, outputting an instruction to vibrate the vibrating unit to the operating section, and, in a case in which the pretensioner is to be operated, outputting an instruction to operate the pretensioner to the operating section.