Patent ID: 7431340

Claim:
A restraining and protecting apparatus for a vehicle occupant comprising: a seat belt to restrain a vehicle occupant on a seat; a belt adjusting unit to adjust a tensile state in which said vehicle occupant is restrained using said seat belt by increasing or decreasing said seat belt to be drawn out in length; a belt locking mechanism to prevent said seat belt from being drawn out by locking said seat belt; an immediately-before-collision signal producing section to produce and output an immediately-before-collision signal immediately before occurrence of a collision of said vehicle; a locking signal producing section to produce and output a locking signal when it is predicted at least that said belt locking mechanism is in a lockable state where inhibition of drawing out is made possible when said seat belt is going to be drawn out; a controlling section to control said belt adjusting unit based on said immediately-before-collision signal to be input and said locking signal to be input; and wherein said controlling section exerts control in a manner that, when the immediately-before-collision signal is input, said belt adjusting unit increases said tensile state in which said vehicle occupant is restrained using said seat belt and that, when said locking signal is not input, said belt adjusting unit weakens said tensile state in which said vehicle occupant is restrained using said seat belt.