DEVICE FOR LOCKING AND UNLOCKING A BELT HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT DEVICE AND VEHICLE SEAT

• US 20140097663A1
• Filed: 09/11/2013
• Published: 04/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Isringhausen GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Isringhausen GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: KROENCKE, Reiner, JENNINGS, Austin
• Granted Patent: US 9,168,888 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/468
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/688 Particular seat belt attachment and guiding
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/263 Front seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/20 adjustable in position, e.g. in height
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/26 secured to the seat

Abstract

The invention relates to a belt height adjustment device for fixed connection to a bearing structure (1) of a vehicle seat, having a lever (2) and a belt deflection fitting (3) which is rotatably movable relative thereto. The lever (2) is pivotably connected to the bearing structure (1) to provide an axis of rotation. The lever (2) further includes a fixing device which can be fixed with respect to its pivotal movement relative to the bearing structure (1). The fixing device is configured to prevent the pivoting of the lever (2) relative to the bearing structure (1), and in particular, in the downward direction, and is configured to engage automatically in prespecified lever angle positions on an upward movement of the lever (2).

Claims

1. Belt height adjustment device for fixed connection to a bearing structure (1) of a vehicle seat, having a lever (2) and a belt deflection fitting (3) which is rotatably movable relative thereto, wherein the lever (2) has an axis of rotation, by means of which it is pivotably connected to the bearing structure (1), wherein the lever (2) further has a fixing device by means of which it can be fixed with respect to its pivotal movement relative to the bearing structure (1), wherein the fixing device

is designed to prevent the pivoting of the lever (2) relative to the bearing structure (1) in the downward direction,

is designed to engage automatically in prespecified lever angle positions on an upward movement of the lever (2),

on a further upward movement of the lever (2), can be deactivated when the upper fixing position is exceeded and the lever (2) may be brought into its lower structurally prespecified position without remaining in fixing positions,

is formed from a latch (4) and a toothed segment (5), and the first freewheeling corner (18) of the latch (4) is designed to lie spring-loaded on a freewheeling curve (20) of the toothed segment (5) and to travel along said curve on a rotation of the lever (2) and

on a subsequent upward movement of the lever (2), can be activated again and prevents a downward movement of the lever (2).

2. Belt height adjustment device according to claim 1, wherein the latch (4) engages in assigned latching recesses of the toothed segment (5) with spring force loading by means of a latching lug (11), which is moulded-on in one piece.

3. Belt height adjustment device according to one of the previous claims wherein the lever (2) is connected via a fitting (7) which is firmly connected to the bearing structure (1), and which functions as a holding element for a stop screw (8), wherein the lever (2) is fixed in position by means of the stop screw (8) relative to the fitting (7) and fixed rotatably thereto.

4. Belt height adjustment device according to one of the previous claims wherein the swivel axis of the lever (2) defined by the centre axis of the stop screw (8) is embodied on a first end of the lever (2) and the belt deflection fitting (3) is embodied on a second end of the lever (2).

5. Belt height adjustment device according to one of the previous claims wherein a guide plate (9) is arranged in a fixed position on the lever (2), wherein said guide plate partially encompasses the toothed segment (5) with the aid of suitable means and hence restricts the mobility of the lever (2) vertically to the main plane clamped by the bearing structure (1).

6. Belt height adjustment device according to one of the previous claims wherein the swivelling lever (10) is connected to the latch (4) in a way that is protected against twisting, wherein the latch (4) and the swivelling lever (10) are mounted in a jointly swivelable way in an assigned hole of the lever (2).

7. Belt height adjustment device according to claim 6 wherein the latch (4) is provided to the left and right of the latching lug (11) with guide lugs (12), which guide the latching lug (11) of the latch (4) laterally when it is engaged with a latching contour (13) of the toothed segment (4).

8. Belt height adjustment device according to claim 7 wherein the swivelling lever (10) has means (27) for receiving the first eyelet (14) of a tension spring (16) and the lever (2) has on its side facing the swivelling lever (10) means for receiving a second eyelet (15) of the tension spring (16) so that the tension spring (16) can be received by said means under pretension with its two eyelets.

9. Vehicle seat with a bearing structure (1) on which a belt height adjustment device according to one of the previous claims is arranged.

10. Vehicle seat according to claim 9 wherein the belt height adjustment device is arranged in the rear region of the bearing structure (1) such that the swivel axis of the lever (2) stands vertically to the main plane clamped by the bearing structure (1).