KR100408748B1 - Device for monitoring the locking position of a connecting device for fixing a child seat - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention has a main body 11 which can be connected to a support member 7 which is locked by a locking member 3, and has a slider 13 arranged in or on the main body 11, the slider having a locking member ( When 3) is moved to the locking position of the locking member, the main body can move in the state connected to the supporting member 7 and slide from the initial position to the final position corresponding to the locking position, It has a detection device 15 provided in or on the main body for detecting the correct locking position of the locking member 3 and the support member 7 through the detection of the position, and in addition to the locking position the detection apparatus ( 15) locks the locking position of the connection device, in particular to fix the child seat in the car, to detect one or more other, position away from the locking position of the slider 13. A device for monitoring the locking position of a device for the same.

Description

DEVICE FOR MONITORING THE LOCKING POSITION OF A CONNECTING DEVICE FOR FIXING A CHILD SEAT}

Various methods for securing the child seat to the vehicle are already known: The child seat can be fastened with a two or three point seat belt system installed in the vehicle with the child. In addition, it is known that the child seat is first fixed with a separate belt installed in the vehicle, and then the child is fixed with the belt contained in the child seat.

In a new fastening system for a child seat, which has recently been developed in the automotive industry, a special child seat is connected to a support member fixed to the vehicle by means of a locking member provided on the child seat. For example, two arms are provided in the child seat, each of which has a recess on the front side, and a U-shaped clip fixed to the vehicle engages the recess. After inserting the arm into a support member formed as a U-shaped member, the seat is stopped with a stop provided on each of the arms of the child seat. The advantage of the fastening system is quick installation. In addition, since the child seat is fixedly fixed to the vehicle, there is in fact no risk of the child seat being torn from the fixing part in the event of a collision of the car.

However, a problem that arises when connecting a child seat to a car, especially in the front of the car, is that the release operation of the airbag installed in the car must be reliably blocked. To this end, several systems have been developed, for example infrared or ultrasonic detection systems, which detect whether a child seat is installed in a motor vehicle. In such a case, the ignition of the airbag is cut off depending on the situation. However, a disadvantage of such a system so far is that 100% of detection is not guaranteed. [0003] The motor vehicle known from EP-A0 819 566 includes one or more car seats on which a child seat can be fixed, and a child seat. There is provided a device for deactivating a pre-installed airbag when installing it. The device comprises a fastening belt fixed to a child seat and a snow belt connection fixed thereto and a seat belt buckle fixed to a car seat and containing a transmitter, the signal being generated by inserting the snow ring connection into the seat belt buckle to In addition, a safety system is known from US-A-5 690 356, and the car seat has a fastening member for fixing the child seat in which the support member of the child seat can be locked. The presence of the child seat and in some cases its alignment in the running direction or vice versa is detected using a limit switch arranged near the fastening member.

Furthermore, what is known in particular in connection with the retaining system of the motor vehicle is in particular to monitor the locking position of the connecting device of the seat belt buckle of the retaining system. Monitor systems of that kind can also be used, for example, to block ignition of an airbag if there is no person in the seat, for example the passenger seat. If it is detected that the belt is not closed at this time, it is assumed that there is no person in the seat.

Conventional devices of that kind for monitoring the locking position of the seat belt buckle usually have a limit switch pushed to the locking position by a locking member installed in the belt.

However, a problem with such a kind of monitor device is that no malfunction is detected. For example, it is not distinguished whether the seat belt buckle is not locked or whether the contact is not closed even though the limit switch has failed and the seat belt buckle is locked.

Applicant's unpublished German patent application No. 198 30 229 describes a device for monitoring the locking position of the connection device, in particular for monitoring the locking position of the seat belt buckle for automobiles, which is simple in connection with a significant error. Can be monitored and installed in a conventional connection device.

The essence of the monitor device is that two positions can be detected when connecting the supporting member and the locking member of the connecting device. One or more movable marks are moved from the first final position to the second final position during connection. The presence or absence of the mark with the first sensor device and the second sensor device is detected at the first and second final positions. In this way, not only the final position, that is, the locking position of the connection device to be monitored, but also a certain step of the connection operation can be controlled. For example, it may be detected in this device whether one of the two sensor devices has failed. It is also possible to detect whether or not the mark to be detected is broken.

The invention relates to a device for monitoring the locking position of the connection device, in particular the locking position of the device for securing a child seat to a motor vehicle.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a child seat comprising a connecting device for installing a child seat in a motor vehicle;

2 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a monitor device according to the invention;

3 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment according to FIG. 2 comprising the connection device according to FIG. 1 (FIG. 3A: the locking member being inserted sends the slider of the monitor device to an initial position; FIG. 3B: the locking member being inserted is the monitor Sends the slider of the device to the locked position);

4 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 2 comprising the connection device of FIG. 1, with a modified locking member, shown in the locked position;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the monitor device according to the present invention (FIG. 5A: installed state of a main body of a monitor device including a locking member and a detection device in a locked position; FIG. 5B: same as FIG. 5A but additionally with a slider Installed)

The object of the present invention based on the prior art is to provide a locking position of the connection device, in particular a child seat in the car, which can be simply installed on an existing support member of the connection device in a motor vehicle and can be easily monitored in connection with a significant error occurrence. It is to provide a device for monitoring the locking position of the device for fixing.

This object is achieved by the features of claim 1.

The recognition starting point of the present invention is that a significant malfunction of the device according to the prior art when using a limit switch occurs when the contact is not closed correctly, for example due to wear of the contact, despite the operation of the limit switch.

In order to detect the dysfunction, in the present invention the position of the slider away from the locking device is additionally monitored as well as the locking position or the final position of the slider arranged on the body of the device. Therefore, the functional safety of the monitor device is considerably improved. For example, when the slider is also detected at a position away from the locking position at the time of connection of the members of the connecting device, failure to make the detection at the locking position can be detected as a result of the failure of the corresponding sensor device. On the contrary, only the locking position is detected when the members of the connecting device are connected and the presence of the slider is not detected at another locking position can be detected as a failure of the sensor device for the detection of another locking position.

In the same way, in the case of the device according to the invention the generation of an error signal of "unlocked" is only possible if it is in fact going to result in a locking operation. At this time the detection of the slider or the movement of the slider from the position is used at one or more other positions away from the locking position for the detection of the locking attempt. In contrast, in the case of a conventional monitor device including a limit switch, a continuous error signal "not locked" can be generated, for example, from the switching-on of the ignition device of the vehicle to the actual locking of the connecting device. Such a kind of system is implemented with a retaining system, for example, but there is a problem that the error signal continues to occur regardless of whether the operator actually tries to lock it.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the main body of the monitor device is formed to be locked or screwed with the support member of the connection device. Therefore, the monitor device can be installed very simply. This makes retrofitting easy too.

According to an embodiment of the invention the body of the monitor device has a guide area for the locking member defining an insertion passage for the locking member.

This embodiment is provided especially for the case where the support member of the connecting device is not visible or difficult to access. For example, the support member may be provided invisibly from the outside in the gap of the car seat between the seat surface and the backrest. At this time, the guide region reaches the gap between the seat surface and the backrest, so that, for example, the locking member of the connecting device of the child seat can be simply inserted into the visible opening of the guide region. An insertion passage defined by the guide region allows simple insertion of the locking member up to the locked position.

In the embodiment of the present invention, a locking recess for accommodating the support member of the connection device may be provided on the sidewall of the insertion passage. Therefore, the monitor device can be simply installed by the main body or the guide region provided with the locking recess clipped to the locking member.

Embodiments with a guiding area can be used in conjunction with a conventional detection device that monitors only the locking position, in combination with other previously and later described features.

According to an embodiment of the present invention the region of the slider loaded by the locking member is formed in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the locking movement, so that the region is inserted in at least the region of the supporting member over the entire width of the supporting member. Extends over the width of the passageway. For this reason, especially when the locking member is formed relatively narrow, the slider is prevented from operating or being damaged during the connecting operation.

In the case of a preferred embodiment of the invention one or more magnets are provided in or on the slider to be detected by the detection device, for example using a Hall element.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the detection device detects not only the initial position but also the final position of the slider. Through the detection of the initial position, the function of the sensor device or the monitor device for the monitor of the initial position can be continuously checked.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the detection device generates at least a first and a second electrical signal different from zero, the first electrical signal coinciding with the initial position or the initial position region of the slider and the second The electrical signal of coincides with the final position or the final position area of the slider. Therefore, not only the function of the device but also the position of the slider and in particular the correct locking position can be detected by comparing the signal with a set target value or target value range. Of course, the detection device may be configured such that the signal is evaluated for a plurality of "function signals" or "error signals". For example, in the case of the detected initial position and the undetected lock position, a "ready to operate" signal may be generated. A "non-lock signal" may be generated as an error signal at the non-detection of the initial position and at the non-detection of the lock position.

According to a preferred embodiment, the detection device may generate a third electrical signal for the case where the slider is located between the initial position and the locking position or an area corresponding thereto. This is done through the provision of another sensor device or automatically if the sensor device for the initial and locked positions does not detect the corresponding mark of the slider. Of course, the third electrical signal may be processed as a "function signal" or an "error signal" by the detection device by connecting different signals according to circumstances.

Another embodiment of the invention derives from the dependent claims.

The invention is described in detail below using the embodiments shown in the drawings.

1 shows a child seat 1 in which two locking members 3 of the connecting device 5 protruding from the rear wall of the child seat 1 are provided in the lower rear region of the seat pan. In addition to the locking member 3, the connecting device 5 includes two support members 7 fixed to the vehicle. In the embodiment of the invention, which is not shown in detail, the support member 7 can be arranged in the motor vehicle so that it can be rotated from the stop position to the operating position corresponding to the position shown in FIG. 1. Of course, the formation of the support member 7 also in this embodiment should be made such that the support member ensures sufficient fixation of the child seat through the locking action of the locking member 3 by the support member 7. The support member 7 may be provided to the motor vehicle such that the support member is accessed through a gap between the seat surface of the car seat and the backrest thereof, which are not shown in the drawing. When the support member rotates from the stop position to the operating position, the support member may protrude from the gap between the seat surface and the backrest after the support member rotates to the operating position. In the case where the support member is immovably fixed in the vehicle, the support member is preferably in a gap between the backrest of the vehicle seat and the seat surface. The different basic principles of the monitor device detailed below are suitable for both applications.

The first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 of the monitor device 9 comprises a main body 11 provided with a slider 13. The slider 13 is guided perturbation in the body 11. The position of the slider moving along the perturbation path is detected by the detection device 15.

The detection device 15 comprises on the one hand an electronic device 17 provided below the main body 11, the electronic device being positioned at one or more magnetic elements 21 provided below the slider 13. It includes two Hall sensors 19 for detecting.

As can be seen in FIG. 3A, one of the two Hall elements is provided to detect the initial position of the slider 13. Therefore, the electronic device 17 may detect whether the slider 13 is located at the initial position or is out of the initial position (FIG. 3A) by the load of the locking member 3.

Instead of a single magnetic element, multiple, for example two magnetic elements may be provided. For example, the two sensor devices may be provided displaced from one another in parallel in the insertion direction. In such a case, the sensor devices are each capable of detecting one magnetic element, wherein both elements are also arranged displaced from each other on the slider.

It is of course also possible to provide a sensor device for detecting the mark on the slider and the mark on the body of the monitor device.

The position of the slider can of course be detected in two different ways at different points, for example with an inductive or capacitive sensor device or with an optical sensor device such as a light barrier.

In the case where the support member 7 is arranged in a gap between the seat surface of the vehicle seat and the backrest, in order to enable easy insertion and installation of the locking member into the support member 7, FIGS. 2 to 4. The embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1 has a guide region 23, which defines an insertion passage 25 for the locking member 3. In this case, the guide region 23 is tapered toward the slider 13 in the horizontal transverse direction (in relation to the insertion movement of the locking member 3), as shown in FIG. 2, Is formed. This ensures a simple insertion of the locking member 3 into the guide region 23 of the monitor device 9. In addition, when the locking member 3 is inserted tightly, breakage of the guide region 23 is prevented.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a locking area 27 is formed in front of the side wall facing the slider 13 in the guide area 23, and a locking recess 29 is provided in the locking area. The locking recess 29 is used to receive a laterally extending area of the U-shaped support member 7. Therefore, the installation of the monitor device 9 can be made very simple by the monitor device being clipped to the supporting member 7 using the locking recess 29. In addition, such an installation also enables a rotational movement of the monitor device 9 about the axis of the front region of the support member 7. Therefore, the breakage of the monitor device is prevented (in the vertical plane with respect to the front area of the support member 7) even when the locking member 3 is inserted from another angle, because the monitor device rotates together. .

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the slider 13 is loaded by the locking member 3 at an initial position and the locking member 3 is inserted into the insertion passage 25 of the guide region 23. After additional insertion, it is moved to its final position (FIG. 3 b).

At this time, the second Hall element is arranged to detect the magnetic element 21 provided in the slider at the final position. To this end, the magnetic element 21 must be installed near the second Hall element 19 so that a signal can be detected-at the time of a given signal amplification. In such a case, a "detection" -state may be detected by the electronic device if it exceeds a certain signal level.

The embodiment of the locking member 3 shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B is a "minimal-contour" correctly detected by the monitor device shown in the figure.

In the "mini-contour" of the locking member 3 the slider 3 is in the final position shown in FIG. 3b when the locking member 3 is locked with the support member 7. The locking mechanism for ensuring the stop of the locking member 3 by the supporting member 7 is not shown in the drawing, because the function is not important in the present invention. The locking mechanism, which is a general locking mechanism, is automatically locked when the support member 7 is inserted into the recess of the locking member 3 to the stop and comprises a manual release device for unlocking.

4 shows the monitor device according to FIG. 2, which comprises a locking member 3 corresponding to the "maximum contour" detected before the embodiment shown in the figure. In the case of " min-contour " as well as " max-contour, " the arm on the side of the recess that receives the support member is important, and the arm loads the slider. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the slider 13 of the monitor device 9 on the one hand must ensure a sufficient sliding distance upon insertion of the maximum contour to the locked position and on the other hand the magnetic The detection of the element 21 should be made possible through the second Hall element 19.

According to FIGS. 3B and 4, this means that at a given length of the Hall element 19 (in the insertion direction) the length of the magnetic element 21 can be assured even in the minimum final position (FIG. 3B) or in the maximum final position (FIG. 4). This is achieved by being selected to enable detection. For example, the length and position of the magnetic element 21 is such that the minimum contour of the locking element 3 allows the complete overlap of the Hall element and the magnetic element (in its front region) and of the locking element 3. The maximum contour is selected such that a complete overlap of the magnetic element 21 and the hall element 19 is made (in its rear region).

In this case the actual locking state of the locking mechanism of the locking member 3 has to be additionally indicated, for example on the seat itself.

The magnetic element 21 and the hall element 19 are, of course, mechanically and electrically, so that the locking member 3 is actually moved to the stop on the support member 7, so that a secure locking of the locking mechanism is achieved. If made, it may be designed to generate a "lock signal". In this case, however, a match must be made to a particular contour of the locking member.

In Fig. 5 there is shown a further embodiment of a monitor device 9 according to the invention, which is particularly suitable when the support member 7 is visible and / or easily accessible. In the embodiment shown in the figures the support member 7 has a U-shaped clip, as in the case of the first embodiment, but additionally in the rear region the mounting plate 31 is fixedly connected to the clip. do. As already mentioned above, the mounting plate 31 is used to rotate the support member 7 from the stop position to the operating position in the plane of the mounting plate.

The embodiment of the monitor device 9 shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B comprises a main body 11 which can be connected to the mounting plate 31 of the support member 7. The body is formed in the form of a plate, which may be formed as a plastic extrusion press screen, on which the electronic device 17 is formed. The electronic device can, of course, be realized using MID-technology, typically via the application of a metal region on a PCB or by means of a strip conductor. The body 11 has two locking tenon 33 on its lower surface as shown in FIG. 5A, whereby the body can be clipped to a corresponding recess in the mounting plate 31. Screw fastening or otherwise formed mechanical connections may of course also be provided. In the case of the embodiment according to FIG. 5, a slider 13 may be provided to slide in the plate-shaped body 11. For this purpose the body can be formed slightly smaller than the internal space of the U-shaped support member 7, for example. In this case the slider extends over the entire width of the body 11 and its side walls can be guided sliding through the side wall of the body 11. For this purpose, for example, a guide groove may be provided on an inner wall of the side wall of the slider 13. Of course, the guide of the slider 13 can be done in other ways. The slider 13 therefore simultaneously forms the cover of the electronic device 17 in the embodiment according to FIG. 5. The selection of the sliding area and the position detection of the slider 13 can be made similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 and will not be described again here. 5 shows the final position in the case of the "minimum contour" used in this embodiment of the locking member 3. Finally, the slider 13 may be returned to its initial position using an elastic element.

The evaluation circuit is described in detail in various embodiments in the unpublished German patent application 198 30 229. Reference may be made to the entire disclosure of this patent application.

Claims (11)

In the device for monitoring the locking position of the connecting device 5, in particular the locking position of the device for fixing the child seat to the vehicle, a) a main body 11 formed to be connectable to the support member 7 which is locked by the locking member 3, b) arranged in or on the main body 11, and when the locking member 3 is moved to the locked position with the main body connected to the support member 7, it is loaded by the locking member and locked from the initial position. A slider 13 capable of sliding to a final position corresponding to the position, c) a detection device 15 provided in or on the outer surface of the main body for detecting the correct locking position of the locking member 3 and the support member 7 through the position detection of the slider 13, d) in addition to said locking position, said detection device (15) detects one or more further positions of said slider (13), said position away from said locking position. The method of claim 1, The main body (11) is characterized in that it is formed to be locked or screwed with the support member (7). The method according to claim 1 or 2, The body (11) is characterized in that it has a guide area (23) for the locking member (3) defining an insertion passage (25) for the locking member (3). The method of claim 3, wherein The insertion passage (25) is tapered in the direction of the support member (7). The method of claim 3, wherein Said guide area (23) is characterized in that it can be connected to the main body (11), for example locked. The method of claim 3, wherein Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that a locking recess (29) is provided on the side wall of the guide region (23) for receiving the support member (7). The method according to claim 1 or 2, The region of the slider 13 loaded by the locking member 3 extends at least in the region of the supporting member 7 over the entire width of the supporting member 7 in a direction perpendicular to the locking movement direction. Apparatus characterized by extending over the width of the passage (25). The method according to claim 1 or 2, Device, characterized in that one or more magnetic elements (21) are detected in the slider (13) or on the outer surface thereof detected by the detection device (15). The method according to claim 1 or 2, The detection device (15) is characterized in that it detects not only the initial position but also the final position of the slider (13). The method of claim 9, The detection device 15 generates at least a first and a second electrical signal different from zero, the first electrical signal coinciding with the initial position or the initial position region of the slider 13 and the second electrical signal. And the signal coincides with the final position or the final position area of the slider. The method of claim 10, The detection device (15) is characterized in that it is capable of generating a third electrical signal when the slider (13) is located between the initial position and the locking position or an area corresponding thereto.