Takata Corporation

Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Kenji Kitazawa

Hiroaki Fujii

Hiroshi Aoki

Koji Hiramatsu

Eiji Yanagi

Hitoshi Fujita

Masahiko Kato

Ryuji Yano

A vehicle occupant protection system includes a buckle switch that senses the condition of wearing a seatbelt, a first detection circuit including a first switch that is in the open position when the seatbelt is in use and is in the closed position when the seatbelt is not in use, and a second detection circuit including a second switch that is in the closed position when the seatbelt is in use and in the open position when not in use. An ECU supplies power to the first or second detection circuit whose switch is in the open position. The ECU also controls a motor in response to a detection signal outputted from the first or second detection circuit that is supplied with power. The sleep mode of the ECU is canceled when the detection signal outputted from the first or second detection circuit that is supplied with power changes.

Vehicle occupant protection system

A seat belt system includes a retractor and a seat belt. The retractor includes a motor that drives a pressure rod into a seat belt such that the seat belt is nipped between the pressure rod and belt receiving portions. The driving force of the motor that controls the movement of the pressure rod is set based on the situation at the time of a collision. Thus, the load limit to be exerted on the seat belt is set flexibly and widely according to the situation in an emergency. Further, the motor and the pressure piston rod can be activated repeatedly and, therefore, can be reused.

Seat belt retractor

A failure diagnostic system detects a failure of a seat belt retractor having a motor for rotating a webbing take-up spool. The failure diagnostic system includes a power supplying device for supplying driving power to the motor for a predetermined period of time; a detecting device for detecting a current or voltage in a wire winding of the motor; and a determining device for determining the failure based on the current or voltage.

Failure diagnostic system for seat belt retractor

A drive circuit for an ultrasonic motor includes a DC power source, a transformer for applying to the ultrasonic motor two phase high frequency voltage alternating currents having a predetermined phase difference for driving the ultrasonic motor, a switching device interposed between the DC power source and the transformer for allowing a direct current from the direct DC power source to flow to the transformer at a predetermined timing, and a CPU connected to the switching device for controlling the switching device at the predetermined timing. Thus, the alternating current having an optimum frequency can be reliably and easily obtained. The drive circuit may include a vibration attenuating device operated when the ultrasonic motor is stopped. As a result, vibration of a stator of the ultrasonic motor is gradually reduced.

Drive circuit for ultrasonic motor

A light transmitting lens includes in a portion thereof a diffusion element constituted by a number of small prisms. The small prisms have the same height and different pitches depending on distances from an optical axis. Accordingly, the small prisms have different apical angles depending on the distances from the optical axis. The light transmitting lens has a function for collimating lights incident on the small prisms with the same apical angle. Light beams passed through the region of the diffusion element of the light transmitting lens are deflected at predetermined angles depending on the positions, however, the light beams passed through the other region of the light transmitting lens are collimated without deflection.

Distance measuring apparatus

A seat belt retractor is controlled in consideration of the condition of a vehicle relative to an object and/or the condition of the vehicle to more efficiently and conformably protect the occupant in an emergency. A CPU judges the condition of the vehicle relative to the object based on a detection signal, with regard to the object in front of the vehicle, from a front object detection sensor and drives an electric motor depending on the result of the judgment. The rotation of the electric motor causes a drive side gear clutch, a clutch plate, and a lever member to rotate together. As the rotation of the lever member is stopped, the drive side gear clutch and the clutch plate rotate conversely each other so that the clutch plate shifts axially to engage the teeth thereof with teeth of the driven side gear clutch. As a result, the rotation of the electric motor causes the gear holder and the reel shaft to rotate. In this way, the belt tension of the seat belt is controlled corresponding to the condition of the vehicle relative to the object.

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Hikone, Japan

Kenji Kitazawa