Seat belt anchor device and method

• US 20070132224A1
• Filed: 12/08/2005
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Takata Seat Belts Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata Seat Belts Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hall, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 7,540,536 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/801.100
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/24 secured to the side, door, or roof of the vehicle

Abstract

A seat belt anchor device and method are provided for anchoring a seat belt to a stud. The device includes a plate member having a keyhole opening into which the stud is fit with the plate member pulled upwardly to bring the stud to the installed position relative to the plate member. A spring retainer member keeps the stud and plate member in their installed position. A stop is provided to limit pivoting of the spring retainer member relative to the plate member. In some forms, the spring retainer includes resilient clamping portions for clamping engagement with the stud head therebetween in the installed portion.

Claims

1. A seat belt anchor device for anchoring a seat belt to a stud having a shank and an enlarged head, the seat belt anchor device comprising:

a plate member having a body thereof;

a seat belt opening in the plate body sized to receive a seat belt extending therethrough;

a keyhole opening in the plate body having an enlarged portion for fitting the stud head therethrough and a narrower portion for sliding the plate body to an installed position relative to the stud;

a spring retainer arranged to extend in overlying relation to the keyhole opening and configured to keep the plate body and stud in the installed position thereof;

an end portion of the spring retainer connected to the plate body; and

a stop that limits pivoting of the end portion to keep the spring retainer extending in overlying relation to the keyhole opening.

2. The seat belt anchor device of claim 1 wherein the stop comprises interfering portions of the spring retainer and the plate member body.

3. The seat belt anchor device of claim 1 wherein the stop comprises edge portions of the plate body adjacent the spring retainer end portion and integral tab portions of the spring retainer extending along the plate body edge portions.

4. The seat belt anchor device of claim 1 wherein the stop comprises a flange that extends about the seat belt opening with the spring retainer end portion connected to the body adjacent to the seat belt opening.

5. The seat belt anchor device of claim 1 including a single fastener that connects the spring retainer end portion to the plate body.

6. The seat belt anchor device of claim 5 wherein the single fastener is a rivet and the stop is integral with the plate body so that the anchor device has only three distinct components with the components being the plate member, the spring retainer and the rivet.

7. The seat belt anchor device of claim 1 wherein the plate body has an elongate configuration with opposite sides extending lengthwise along the plate body between opposite ends thereof, the seat belt opening extends transversely between the plate body sides adjacent one end of the plate body, the keyhole opening has the enlarged portion adjacent the seat belt opening, and

a connection area between the keyhole opening and the seat belt opening that is sized sufficiently large to allow the spring retainer end portion to be connected to the plate body in the connection area.

8. The seat belt anchor device of claim 7 wherein the plate body has a central longitudinal axis, and

a single fastener connecting the spring retainer end portion to the plate body in the connection area aligned along the central longitudinal axis.

9. The seat belt anchor device of claim 8 wherein the single fastener is a rivet about which pivoting of the spring retainer is permitted and the stop extends transversely along the belt opening adjacent the connection area to limit spring retainer pivoting.

10. The seat belt anchor device of claim 1 wherein the spring retainer has an indicator portion that extends over the keyhole opening enlarged portion spaced by a predetermined amount from the plate body that is less than a thickness of the stud head.

11. The seat belt anchor device of claim 10 wherein the indicator portion extends generally parallel to the plate body and has a window opening formed therein so that sections of the indicator portion extend entirely about the window opening.

12. A seat belt anchor device for anchoring a seat belt to a stud having a shank and an enlarged head, the seat belt anchor device comprising:

an elongate plate body having opposite sides extending lengthwise along the body and a central longitudinal axis also extending lengthwise generally equally spaced from the opposite sides;

a seat belt opening extending transversely between the plate body sides adjacent a first one of the ends of the body;

a keyhole opening having an enlarged portion for fitting the stud head therethrough and a narrower portion for sliding the stud shank toward a second one of plate body ends to an installed position of the plate body relative to the stud;

a connection area of the plate body between the seat belt opening and the keyhole opening enlarged portion;

a spring retainer extending in overlying relation to the keyhole opening and configured to keep the plate body and stud in the installed position thereof;

a connection end portion of the spring retainer;

a single rivet fastener for securing the spring retainer connection end portion in the connection area of the plate body aligned along the plate body central longitudinal axis; and

a stop raised from the plate body and integrally formed therewith extending along at least a portion of the seat belt opening adjacent the connection area to limit pivoting of the riveted spring retainer end portion to keep the spring retainer extending in overlying relation to the keyhole opening during installation of the plate body to the stud.

13. The seat belt anchor device of claim 12 wherein the rivet includes an enlarged rivet head and the connection area is sized to be larger than the rivet head along the plate body central longitudinal axis.

14. The seat belt anchor device of claim 12 wherein the stop is a raised flange extending substantially entirely about the seat belt opening.

15. The seat belt anchor device of claim 12 wherein the spring retainer has an indicator portion extending generally parallel to the plate body above the keyhole enlarged portion and spaced therefrom by a predetermined amount that is less than a thickness of the stud head so that the stud head engages the indicator portion as the stud head is fit through the keyhole enlarged portion.

16. The seat belt anchor device of claim 15 wherein the indicator portion has a window opening to keep resistance to resilient flexing thereof upon engagement by the stud head to a minimum.

17. A method for installing a seat belt anchor to a stud, the method comprising:

providing a plate body having a spring retainer which extends over a keyhole opening of the plate body, and is secured to the plate body at a single location; and

restricting pivoting of the spring retainer during installation without requiring another location at which the spring retainer is secured to the plate body.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein pivoting of the spring retainer is restricted by riveting an end portion of the spring retainer to the plate body and engaging the spring retainer end portion with a flange stop formed integrally with the plate body to limit pivoting of the spring retainer.

19. The method of claim 17 including detecting the fitting of an enlarged head of the stud through an enlarged portion of the keyhole opening with a portion of the spring retainer extending thereover, with the head detected by the spring retainer portion prior to being fully received through the keyhole opening enlarged portion.

20. The method of claim 19 including minimizing resistance to the fitting of the stud head through the keyhole opening enlarged portion by reducing the amount of material in the spring retainer portion extending over the keyhole opening enlarged portion.

21. A seat belt anchor device for anchoring a seat belt to a stud having a shank and an enlarged head, the seat belt anchor device comprising:

a plate member having a body thereof;

a keyhole opening having an enlarged portion sized for receiving the stud head therethrough and a narrower portion sized for receiving the stud shank therein for positioning the anchor device in an installed position relative to the stud;

a spring retainer arranged to extend in overlying relation to the keyhole opening and configured to maintain the plate body and stud in the installed position thereof; and

an indicator portion of the spring retainer for engaging the stud head when the stud head is generally aligned with the enlarged portion of the keyhole opening and prior to full receipt of the stud head therethrough.

22. The seat belt anchor device of claim 21 wherein the indicator portion is raised from and extends either parallel to or toward the plate body at least partially overlying the enlarged opening so as to be aligned with the stud head as the plate member is being advanced over the stud so that the stud head is received in the enlarged opening.

23. The seat belt anchor device of claim 21 wherein the plate body has offset portions with the enlarged portion of the keyhole opening spanning the offset portions, and the spring retainer indicator portion is raised from one of the offset portions of the plate body and in overlying relation to the enlarged portion of the keyhole opening therein.

24. The seat belt anchor device of claim 21 wherein the indicator portion extends over the keyhole opening enlarged portion spaced by a predetermined amount from the plate body that is less than a thickness of the stud head.

25. A seat belt anchor device for anchoring a seat belt to a stud having a shank and an enlarged head, the seat belt anchor device comprising:

a plate member having a body thereof;

an upper portion of the plate body for securing a seat belt thereto;

a keyhole opening in the plate body having an enlarged portion sized for receiving the stud head therethrough and a narrower portion sized for receiving the stud shank therein with the anchor device in an installed position relative to the stud;

a spring retainer arranged to extend in overlying relation to a portion of the keyhole opening;

an end portion of the spring retainer connected to a lower portion of the plate body below the keyhole opening; and

an opening in the spring retainer overlying the narrower portion of the keyhole opening for receiving the stud head therein to maintain the plate body and stud in the installed position thereof.

26. The seat belt anchor device of claim 25 wherein the spring retainer includes a bridge portion that extends from the spring retainer end portion upwardly and away from the plate body transverse thereto with the spring retainer bridge portion having the spring retainer opening therein.

27. The seat belt anchor device of claim 25 wherein the spring retainer opening has a circular edge that extends about the stud head when received therein.

28. The seat belt anchor device of claim 25 wherein the spring retainer includes portions that resiliently clamp the stud head therebetween.

29. A seat belt anchor device for being secured to a stud having a shank and enlarged head, the seat belt anchor device comprising:

a plate member having a keyhole opening therein including an enlarged portion for fitting the stud head therethrough and a narrow slot portion in which the stud shank is received for shifting the plate member to an installed position relative to the stud;

a spring retainer connected to the plate member that keeps the plate member in the installed position relative to the stud; and

portions of the spring retainer that resiliently clamp the stud head therebetween with plate member in the installed position.

30. The seat belt anchor device of claim 29 wherein the spring retainer portions are spaced from each other by a distance smaller than the thickness of the stud head, and one of the spring retainer portions exerts a greater bias force than the other to urge the other spring retainer portion into a clamping position with the stud head between the spring retainer portions.

31. The seat belt anchor device of claim 29 wherein one of the spring retainer portions includes small resilient prongs that engage on the underside of the stud head, and the other spring retainer portion is a tab that engages the top of the stud head.

32. The seat belt anchor device of claim 29 wherein the spring retainer only overlies the narrow slot portion of the keyhole opening.

33. The seat belt anchor device of claim 29 wherein the plate member has upper and lower portions with the keyhole opening extending in both plate portions, and the spring retainer is connected to the plate member at the lower portion to extend upwardly therefrom with the clamping portions aligned with the slot portion of the keyhole opening.

34. The seat belt anchor device of claim 33 wherein the spring retainer has a portion that extends upwardly and away from the plate member transversely thereto with the upwardly extending portion including an opening sized to receive the stud head therein with the plate member in the installed position thereof.

35. The seat belt anchor device of claim 33 wherein the spring retainer has an upper curled portion adjacent a juncture between the keyhole enlarged and slot opening portions, and the upper curled portion includes a ramp section against which the stud head cams for shifting the plate member to the installed position.

36. The seat belt anchor device of claim 35 wherein the spring retainer includes a bridge portion extending upwardly and transversely away from the plate member to the upper curled portion, the bridge portion has an opening in which the stud head is received, and the spring retainer clamping portions include one portion extending from the bridge portion over the opening and the other portion extending from the ramp section under the opening.