Patent Application
20190256039
The present disclosure generally relates to vehicles, and more particularly relates to restraint systems safety belts used in such vehicles.
Modern vehicles typically incorporate a wide range of restraint systems, such as belt restraints, head restraints, and the like. While belt restraints used in conjunction with such systems are highly effective, they still may be improved in a number of respects. For example, belt restraint retractor assemblies are typically rigidly attached to their respective mounting surfaces. As a result, the orientation of the belt webbing, when it is unspooled from the retractor, is fixed. Since the size and shape of an occupant may vary, however, the fixed orientation of the retractor can be unsatisfactory. And while it is possible to incorporate additional hardware such as guide loops into the retractor assembly to affect the apparent orientation of the belt webbing, such components add to manufacturing complexity and cost.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved systems and methods for restraint systems in automotive vehicles and other moving platforms. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.
Systems and methods are provided for improved restraint systems. In one embodiment, a retractor assembly for a restraint system includes a retractor body defining a retractor axis and a retractor spool coupled to the retractor body. The retractor spool is configured to accept a retractor belt. A pivot component is configured to rotatably secure the retractor body to a mounting structure such that, when a loading force is applied to the retractor spool via the retractor belt, the retractor axis rotates to substantially align with the loading force.
In one embodiment, the retractor assembly includes a rotation limiting assembly, for example, a pin component projecting from an undersurface of the retractor body, wherein the pin component is positioned to fit within a matching arcuate slot in the mounting structure. In one embodiment, the rotation limiting assembly limits rotation of the retractor body to a range of 0-30 degrees.
In one embodiment, the retractor body is configured such that the retractor axis corresponds to a default orientation when the loading force is not applied.
In one embodiment, the pivot component is a shoulder bolt coupling the retractor body to the mounting structure.
In one embodiment, the retractor assembly includes a vibration-reducing insert between the shoulder bolt and the retractor body.
In another embodiment, a vehicle includes a mounting structure provided within an interior portion of the vehicle and a retractor assembly coupled thereto. The retractor assembly includes a retractor body defining a retractor axis and a retractor spool coupled to the retractor body. The retractor spool is configured to accept a retractor belt. A pivot component is configured to rotatably secure the retractor body to a mounting structure such that, when a loading force is applied to the retractor spool via the retractor belt, the retractor axis rotates to substantially align with the loading force.
In one embodiment, the mounting structure is a shoulder retractor mount associated with a seat provided within the interior of the vehicle.
In one embodiment, the retractor assembly further includes a rotation limiting assembly, such as a pin component projecting from an undersurface of the retractor body, wherein the pin component is positioned to fit within a matching arcuate slot in the mounting structure. In one embodiment, the rotation limiting assembly limits rotation of the retractor body to a range of 0-30 degrees.
In one embodiment, the retractor body is configured such that the retractor axis corresponds to a default orientation when the loading force is not applied.
In one embodiment, the pivot component is a shoulder bolt coupling the retractor body to the mounting structure.
In one embodiment, the retractor assembly includes a vibration-reducing insert between the shoulder bolt and the retractor body.
In another embodiment, a method of forming a retractor assembly in a vehicle includes providing a retractor assembly including a retractor body defining a retractor axis, a retractor spool coupled to the retractor body, wherein the retractor spool is configured to accept a retractor belt. The method further includes rotatably coupling the retractor assembly to a mounting structure of the vehicle via a pivot component configured to rotatably secure the retractor body to the mounting structure at a default orientation; providing for rotation of the retractor assembly within a predetermined range in response to a force applied to the retractor belt; and automatically returning the retractor assembly to the default orientation.
In one embodiment, the mounting structure is a shoulder retractor mount associated with a seat provided within the interior of the vehicle.
In one embodiment, the retractor assembly further includes a rotation limiting assembly, such as a pin component projecting from an undersurface of the retractor body, wherein the pin component is positioned to fit within a matching arcuate slot in the mounting structure.
In one embodiment, the rotation limiting assembly limits rotation of the retractor body to a range of 0-30 degrees.
The exemplary embodiments will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and wherein:
Systems and methods are described for a self-aligning restraint system for use in conjunction with an automotive vehicle or other moving platform in which such systems may be advantageously deployed.
The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the application and uses. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary, or the following detailed description. As used herein, the term “module” refers to any hardware, software, firmware, electronic control component, processing logic, and/or processor device, individually or in any combination, including without limitation: application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate-array (FPGA), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide the described functionality.
Embodiments of the present disclosure may be described herein in terms of functional and/or logical block components and various processing steps. It should be appreciated that such block components may be realized by any number of hardware, software, and/or firmware components configured to perform the specified functions. For example, an embodiment of the present disclosure may employ various integrated circuit components, e.g., memory elements, digital signal processing elements, logic elements, look-up tables, or the like, which may carry out a variety of functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced in conjunction with any number of systems, and that the systems described herein is merely one exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.
For the sake of brevity, conventional techniques related to vehicle restraint systems, retractor assemblies, and vehicles in general, and other functional aspects of the systems (and the individual operating components of the systems) may not be described in detail herein. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent example functional relationships and/or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in an embodiment of the present disclosure.
With reference to
In various embodiments, vehicle 10 is characterized by some level of autonomy. For example, vehicle 10 may correspond to a level four or level five automation system under the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) “J3016” standard taxonomy of automated driving levels. Using this terminology, a level four system indicates “high automation,” referring to a driving mode in which the automated driving system performs all aspects of the dynamic driving task, even if a human driver does not respond appropriately to a request to intervene. A level five system, on the other hand, indicates “full automation,” referring to a driving mode in which the automated driving system performs all aspects of the dynamic driving task under all roadway and environmental conditions that can be managed by a human driver. It will be appreciated, however, the embodiments in accordance with the present subject matter are not limited to any particular taxonomy or rubric of automation categories. Furthermore, construction detection systems in accordance with the present embodiment may be used in conjunction with any vehicle that utilizes a navigation system to provide route guidance. Furthermore, vehicle 10 may be a traditional, non-vehicle.
While vehicle 10 is depicted in the illustrated embodiment as a passenger car, it should be appreciated that any type of vehicle, including motorcycles, trucks, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), recreational vehicles (RVs), marine vessels, aircraft, and other movable platforms employing a restraint system may also employ the various methods and systems described herein.
Referring again to
The brake system 26 is configured to provide braking torque to the vehicle wheels 16 and 18. Brake system 26 may, in various embodiments, include friction brakes, brake by wire, a regenerative braking system such as an electric machine, and/or other appropriate braking systems.
The steering system 24 influences a position of the vehicle wheels 16 and/or 18. While depicted as including a steering wheel 25 for illustrative purposes, in some embodiments contemplated within the scope of the present disclosure, the steering system 24 may not include a steering wheel.
The sensor system 28 includes one or more sensing devices 40a-40n that sense observable conditions of the exterior environment and/or the interior environment of the vehicle 10. The sensing devices 40a-40n might include, but are not limited to, radars, lidars, global positioning systems, optical cameras, thermal cameras, ultrasonic sensors, and/or other sensors. In various embodiments, sensing devices 40a-40n include sensors capable of sensing marker components embedded in belt restraints, head restraints, or the like, such as RF sensors capable of sensing the position and configuration of embedded metal marker components.
Actuator system 30 includes one or more actuator devices 42a-42n that control one or more vehicle features such as, but not limited to, the propulsion system 20, the transmission system 22, the steering system 24, and the brake system 26. In various embodiments, vehicle 10 may also include interior and/or exterior vehicle features not illustrated in
The data storage device 32 stores data for use in automatically controlling vehicle 10. In various embodiments, data storage device 32 stores defined maps of the navigable environment. In various embodiments, the defined maps may be predefined by and obtained from a remote system. For example, the defined maps may be assembled by the remote system and communicated to the vehicle 10 (wirelessly and/or in a wired manner) and stored in the data storage device 32. Route information may also be stored within data device 32—i.e., a set of road segments (associated geographically with one or more of the defined maps) that together define a route that the user may take to travel from a start location (e.g., the user's current location) to a target location. As will be appreciated, the data storage device 32 may be part of the controller 34, separate from the controller 34, or part of the controller 34 and part of a separate system.
The controller 34 includes at least one processor 44 and a computer-readable storage device or media 46. The processor 44 may be any custom-made or commercially available processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an auxiliary processor among several processors associated with the controller 34, a semiconductor-based microprocessor (in the form of a microchip or chip set), any combination thereof, or generally any device for executing instructions. The computer readable storage device or media 46 may include volatile and nonvolatile storage in read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), and keep-alive memory (KAM), for example. KAM is a persistent or non-volatile memory that may be used to store various operating variables while the processor 44 is powered down. The computer-readable storage device or media 46 may be implemented using any of a number of known memory devices such as PROMs (programmable read-only memory), EPROMs (electrically PROM), EEPROMs (electrically erasable PROM), flash memory, or any other electric, magnetic, optical, or combination memory devices capable of storing data, some of which represent executable instructions, used by the controller 34 in controlling the vehicle 10.
The instructions may include one or more separate programs, each of which comprises an ordered listing of executable instructions for implementing logical functions. The instructions, when executed by the processor 44, receive and process signals from the sensor system 28, perform logic, calculations, methods and/or algorithms for automatically controlling the components of the vehicle 10, and generate control signals that are transmitted to the actuator system 30 to automatically control the components of the vehicle 10 based on the logic, calculations, methods, and/or algorithms. Although only one controller 34 is shown in
Communication system 36 is configured to wirelessly communicate information to and from other entities 48, such as but not limited to, other vehicles (“V2V” communication), infrastructure (“V2I” communication), remote transportation systems, and/or user devices. In an exemplary embodiment, communication system 36 is a wireless communication system configured to communicate via a wireless local area network (WLAN) using IEEE 802.11 standards or by using cellular data communication. However, additional or alternate communication methods, such as a dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) channel, are also considered within the scope of the present disclosure. DSRC channels refer to one-way or two-way short-range to medium-range wireless communication channels specifically designed for automotive use and a corresponding set of protocols and standards.
As can be appreciated, the subject matter disclosed herein provides certain enhanced features and functionality to what may be considered as a standard or baseline vehicle 10. To this end, a vehicle and vehicle based remote transportation system can be modified, enhanced, or otherwise supplemented to provide the additional features described in more detail below.
As mentioned above, systems and methods are described for detecting and classifying the state of a restraint system by embedding marker components (e.g., metallic fibers, strips, etc.) into belt restraints, head restraints, and the like, which are then observed by a sensor (e.g., an RF sensor) configured to determine the nature and spatial location of those embedded marker components within the interior of the vehicle.
In that regard,
With reference to
With continued reference to
In accordance with various embodiments, retractor assembly 300 is rotatably mounted to a mounting surface (or other structure) 302 such that it rotates about a pivot point 321. That is, retractor body 310 and retractor spool 342 pivot together around point 321. Such that the retractor axis 330 can change, and is no longer fixed with respect to mounting surface 302. This rotation may be accomplished via the use of a suitable bolt or other pivot component 320, as discussed in further detail below.
As illustrated in
It will be appreciated that the rotation of assembly of 300 is afforded not only by the presence of pivot component 320, but also by the fact that the pivot point 321 does not correspond to the center (as viewed from the top) of retractor spool 342. As a result, any loading force on belt 340 that is not parallel to axis 330 will result in a non-zero moment applied to assembly 300 such that assembly 300 will rotate to accommodate that force. In this regard, the distance (i.e., along axis 330 in
In some embodiments, retractor assembly 300 is configured (via the design of pivot component 320 and potentially other components) such that it will return to its default orientation (
Similarly, any suitable amount of friction may be incorporated into the system such that rotation of assembly 300 is impeded by some predetermined amount—e.g., to prevent assembly 300 from rotating on its own due to accelerations experienced during normal operation of the vehicle.
In some embodiments, the range of angles (theta in
Referring to
In some embodiments, bolt 520 is threaded and is accepted by matching threads in mounting structure 502. In a particular embodiment, bolt 520 is a brass shoulder bolt designed to withstand a shear force of approximately 400 lbf. In some embodiments, various washers, spacers, and inserts are also incorporated to reduce vibration, friction, or the like. In one embodiment, a thin plastic, nylon, or other form of film is installed between the retractor body and the mounting 502 for such purposes.
While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims and the legal equivalents thereof.
