Seatbelt assembly

• US 10,525,929 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2018
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Ruthinowski, Richard Edward, Pline, Kevin M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Shin H
• Application Number:
  US15/906,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20190263351A1
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/2557 with strap length adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/2561 Tongue elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/1806 for buckles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/1812 Connections between seat belt and buckle tongue
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/281 for buckles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/286 using deformation of material
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/1855 the means being sensitive to belt tension
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/195 with means to tension the belt in an emergency, e.g. means of the through-anchor or splitted reel typeelectrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/28 incorporating energy-absorbing devices belt anchors provided with energy-absorbing means for protecting the occupants in case of physical contact therewith B60R21/055; belt retractors comprising energy-absorbing means B60R22/341, B60R22/4676

Abstract

A seatbelt assembly and method of operating a seatbelt includes allowing webbing to slide between a lap portion and a torso portion through an unlocked weblock of a tongue assembly; and upon forces exerted by an occupant on the webbing, the weblock locking the webbing from movement between the lap and torso portions while increasing tension in the lap portion via the tongue assembly.

Claims

1. A method of operating a seatbelt comprising:

allowing webbing to slide between a lap portion and a torso portion through an unlocked weblock of a tongue assembly;

upon forces exerted by an occupant on the webbing, the weblock locking the webbing from movement between the lap and torso portions while increasing tension in the lap portion via the tongue assembly, and wherein the weblock includes a pivotable flange pushing the webbing through a cutout in a tongue plate to lock the webbing in the locked position while retracting lap portion into the tongue assembly, causing the increase in tension in the lap portion.

2. The method of claim 1 further including, upon locking the webbing, paying out webbing in the torso portion.

3. The method of claim 1 further including a second weblock, and upon locking the webbing, the second weblock paying out webbing in the torso portion.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the tongue assembly includes a bar secured to a tongue plate and a housing secured to the bar, with the housing pivoting relative to the tongue plate, changing the weblock and secondary weblock from the unlocked to the locked positions.

5. The method of claim 3, with the secondary weblock flexing in the locked position, providing payout in the torso portion, and the weblock pivoting relative to the tongue plate, retracting the lap portion into the tongue assembly, causing the increase in tension in the lap portion.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the weblock includes pivotable second flanges compressing the webbing against a tongue plate, locking the webbing while causing increasing tension in the lap portion.

7. A seatbelt assembly comprising:

a tongue assembly having a weblock mounted to a tongue selectively securable to a buckle;

a webbing extending through the weblock between a torso portion and a lap portion; and

the weblock allowing for the webbing to slide between the torso and lap portions when in an unlocked position, and pivoting relative to the tongue when in a locked position to prevent the webbing sliding between the torso and lap portions while increasing lap tension via the tongue assembly, and wherein the weblock includes a flange extending into contact with the webbing and pivotable into a cutout in the tongue to selectively engage the webbing between the flange and an edge of the cutout.

8. The seatbelt of claim 7 wherein the weblock includes second flanges extending into contact with the webbing and pivotable toward the tongue to selectively press the webbing between the secondary flanges and the tongue.

9. The seatbelt of claim 7 wherein the tongue assembly includes a bar secured to the tongue and an elastomeric housing secured to the bar such that the housing is pivotable relative to the tongue to retract a part of the lap portion into the tongue assembly.

10. The seatbelt of claim 7 wherein the tongue assembly includes an elastomeric bar secured to a tongue plate and a housing secured to the bar, with the bar flexing by twisting when the weblock is locked.

11. The seatbelt of claim 10 wherein the housing is elastomeric and flexes by bending when the weblock is locked.

12. A seatbelt assembly comprising:

a tongue assembly having a weblock mounted to a tongue selectively securable to a buckle;

a webbing extending through the weblock between a torso portion and a lap portion; and

the weblock allowing for the webbing to slide between the torso and lap portions when in an unlocked position, and pivoting relative to the tongue when in a locked position to prevent the webbing sliding between the torso and lap portions while increasing lap tension via the tongue assembly, and wherein the tongue assembly includes an elastomeric bar secured to a tongue plate and a housing secured to the bar, with the bar flexing by twisting when the weblock is locked.

13. The seatbelt of claim 12 wherein the housing is elastomeric and flexes by bending when the weblock is locked.