Seatbelt assembly

• US 10,543,806 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2018
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Freedman, Laura
• Application Number:
  US15/906,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20190263349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 700 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 22/18 Anchoring devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/1855 the means being sensitive to belt tension
• 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 that includes a tongue assembly having a weblock mounted to a tongue selectively securable to a buckle; a webbing extends through the weblock between a torso portion and a lap portion; and with 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 reorient the torso portion extending from the tongue.

Claims

1. A seatbelt assembly comprising:

a tongue assembly having a weblock mounted to a tongue, the 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 the weblock pivoting relative to the tongue when in a locked position to reorient the torso portion extending from the tongue; and

wherein the weblock includes a bar having an end mounted in a slotted hole of the tongue, the weblock includes a housing, mounted to and pivotable with the bar, having a webbing slot through which the webbing extends, and the housing is elastomeric and flexes by bending in the locked position.

2. The seatbelt assembly of claim 1 wherein the bar is elastomeric and flexes in the locked position.

3. The seatbelt assembly of claim 1 including a spring biasing the bar end toward one end of the slotted hole.

4. The seatbelt assembly of claim 3 wherein the spring is a triangular-shaped compressible block.

5. The seatbelt assembly of claim 1 wherein the end of the bar is non-circular, preventing rotation of the bar in the slotted hole.

6. A method of operating a seatbelt comprising:

slidably securing webbing between a lap portion and a torso portion through a weblock of a tongue assembly when in an unlocked position; and

upon forces exerted by an occupant on the webbing, the weblock locking the webbing from movement between the lap and torso portions while pivoting relative to a tongue of the tongue assembly to reorient the torso portion extending from the tongue; and

wherein the weblock includes a bar having an end mounted in a slotted hole of the tongue, with the end of the bar sliding along the slotted hole to provide the reorientation of the torso portion, and wherein the weblock includes a housing, mounted to and pivotable with the bar, having a webbing slot through which the webbing extends, and elastomerically flexing the housing by bending in a position where the weblock locks the webbing.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein, in a position where the weblock locks the webbing, the weblock flexes to provide payout in the torso portion.

8. The method of claim 6 including biasing the bar end toward one end of the slotted hole with a spring.

9. The method of claim 6 further including elastomerically flexing the bar in a position where the weblock locks the webbing.

10. A seatbelt assembly comprising:

a tongue assembly having a weblock mounted to a tongue, the 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 the weblock pivoting relative to the tongue when in a locked position to reorient the torso portion extending from the tongue, and wherein the weblock includes an elastomeric plate having recessed flexing notches angled relative to a bar extending from the plate, such that the flexing notches reorient the torso portion extending from the weblock when in the locked position.