Patent Application
20050247814
The invention relates to a belt retractor.
In order to fasten oneself in a vehicle, a withdrawal of belt band is necessary, which is wound up on a belt spool of a belt retractor. In belt retractors including a direct drive, an electric motor is provided, which is coupled to the belt spool by a gear. The term “gear” in this context is to be understood in a general sense, and designating a mechanical coupling of the electric motor to the belt spool; a reduction or step-up is not presupposed. Such a belt retractor may have a sensor arrangement with a rotation sensor. When an occupant pulls on the wound up belt band, the sensor arrangement detects the rotation of the belt spool and its direction. After this, the motor can provide a supporting torque in order to facilitate the withdrawal of belt band.
A disadvantage in such a belt retractor is that the support by the motor can not take place immediately. This is due to the fact that a rotation can only be detected after a particular minimum rotation angle is exceeded, the minimum rotation angle depending on the resolution of the rotary sensor. Therefore, when withdrawing the belt band, the occupant first of all experiences an unpleasant jerk owing to the increased force necessary in order to co-rotate the initially resting motor, before a motor-assisted belt band withdrawal takes place. This undesired effect can theoretically be reduced by high-resolution sensors; such sensors are, however, relatively expensive.
It is an object of the invention to provide a belt retractor which makes possible a jerk-free belt band withdrawal by simple means.
According to the invention, a belt retractor comprises a belt spool and with an electric motor for adjusting the belt band withdrawal force. The electric motor is coupled to the belt spool by a gear. The gear includes a first gear part providing a limited free-running operation. It is therefore not attempted to detect a rotation of the belt spool as early as possible. Rather, the invention allows an initial resistance-free rotation of the belt spool. This is possible because, owing to the free-running operation, the motor does not have to be co-rotated at first. This initial rotation phase can be utilized for detecting the rotation and its direction by a sensor arrangement. The free-running operation and the sensor arrangement can be coordinated with each other so that an assistance of the belt band withdrawal by the motor is already brought about before completion of the free-running operation. Thus the occupant does not experience a jerk on withdrawal of the belt band after completion of the free-running operation. Depending on the size of the free-running rotation angle, low-resolution and hence favourably-priced rotation sensors can be used. For the basic function, it is irrelevant which part of the gear provides the free-running operation; it is only important that it is arranged in the flux of force between the motor and the belt spool.
In order to fully utilize the free-running operation, preferably at least one spring element is provided, which pre-stresses the first gear part against its free-running direction. Thereby, it is also ensured that the free-running is only effective in the desired direction of rotation of the belt spool. Thus, when the motor is reversed, an immediate winding of the belt band on the belt spool is possible without previous free-running operation.
The first embodiment of the belt retractor according to the invention, which is illustrated in
Formed on the rotor 22 are several cams 24. The cams 24 engage in recesses 26 formed as slotted holes in the disc 18 (see also
Of course, the cams 24 can also be formed on the disc 18 and the recesses 26 can be formed on the rotor 22.
Thereby, a gear is formed between the electric motor 19 and the belt spool, with the disc 18 (after overcoming the pre-stressing force of the spring 28) providing a free-running operation in the unwinding direction A, which is defined by the extent of the recesses 26 in peripheral direction.
The belt retractor is additionally equipped with a sensor arrangement. On the disc 18 a permanent magnet 30 is arranged. Opposite the permanent magnet 30 a simple Hall sensor 32 or the like is located. By means of the sensor 32 a rotation of the disc 18 in the unwinding direction A is detected. This rotation, which corresponds to a rotation of the belt spool in the unwinding direction owing to the non-rotatable coupling, is detected before the free-running operation of the disc 18 is completed. Instead of the Hall sensor 32 and the permanent magnet 30, another suitable rotation sensor can also be used, which fulfils this function.
With a pulling on the wound-up belt band, the belt spool rotates in the unwinding direction A. Owing to the free-running operation, the disc 18 rotates without having to overcome the resistance moment of the resting motor 19. The sensor arrangement recognizes the rotation in the unwinding direction A already in the free-running phase, whereby immediately an assisting rotation of the motor 19 is brought about for a facilitated belt band withdrawal.
The first and second intermediate wheels 38, 42, as in the first embodiment, have cams 24 and associated recesses 26 in the manner of a connecting link guide, in order to provide a limited free-running operation of the second intermediate wheel 42. On the second intermediate wheel 42, spring elements 44 are fastened (see
A sensor arrangement is also provided for detecting a rotation of the belt spool in unwinding direction, e.g. with a permanent magnet 30 arranged on the second intermediate wheel 42 and with a Hall sensor 43 lying opposite. The mode of operation of this embodiment basically corresponds to that of the first embodiment.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 2004 007 307.2 | May 2004 | DE | national |
