Safety belt arrangement

• US 3,923,321 A
• Filed: 09/10/1974
• Issued: 12/02/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Andreas Bauer, Bernhard Ruhmann
• Original Assignee: Andreas Bauer, Bernhard Ruhmann
• Inventors: Bauer, Andreas, Ruhmann, Bernhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Robert R.
• Application Number:
  US05/504,830
• Time in Patent Office: 448 Days
• Field of Search: 280/15SB 297/389
• US Class Current: 280/804
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/1951 characterised by arrangements in vehicle or relative to seat belt
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/20 adjustable in position, e.g. in height

Abstract

A safety belt arrangement for a vehicle seat includes a shoulder safety belt mounted at one end adjacent the seat portion of the vehicle seat. A positioning device disposes the safety belt so that the belt extends from its mounting point adjacent the seat portion of the seat diagonally across the back portion of the seat to a holding point adjacent the back portion of the seat. The positioning device is preferably mounted on the rear of the frame for the back portion of the vehicle seat adjacent the shoulders of a passenger seated in the seat. The device is adjustable to vary, at least in a vertical direction, the location of the holding point to which the seat belt extends. Since the positioning device is adjustable, the shoulder safety belt can be adjusted to the most favorable and effective position for an occupant of the seat.

Claims

1. A safety belt arrangement for a vehicle seat having a seat portion and a back portion extending upwardly from the seat portion, said arrangement comprising:

a. a safety belt for restraining the body of a passenger against the vehicle seat;

b. means fOr mounting the safety belt at a first point adjacent the seat portion of the vehicle seat; and

c. means for positioning the safety belt so that at least a portion of the safety belt extends from the first point in a direction transverse of the vehicle seat to a second point that is adjacent the back portion of the vehicle seat, said portion of the safety belt extending diagonally across the back portion of the vehicle seat and being adapted to extend diagonally across an upper portion of the body of a passenger seated in the vehicle seat, the positioning means being adjustable selectively to vary the location of the second point at least in a vertical direction, wherein the positioning means includes;

i. bracket means holding the safety belt and defining the second point to which the portion of the safety belt extends;

ii. guide means mounting the bracket means so that the bracket means is movable relative to the guide means, the guide means being secured on a structural member coupled to the vehicle body; and

iii. actuating means operatively engaging the bracket means with the guide means for selectively moving the bracket means relative to the guide means.

2. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the actuating means is adapted to lock the bracket means in a selected position relative to the guide means and the structural member.

3. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the actuating means includes a frame, a rotatable and axially movable shaft journaled in the frame, a first toothed means secured to the shaft, a second toothed means secured to the frame, and spring means arranged to bias the shaft axially relative to the frame so that the two toothed means engage each other and thereby prevent rotation of the shaft relative to the frame.

4. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the bracket means includes means defining a plurality of spaced apart openings and the actuating means includes a frame mounted so as to be immovable relative to the guide means, a rotatable shaft journaled in the frame, and gear means secured to the shaft and adapted to engage the openings of the bracket means, rotation of the shaft of the actuating means causing the gear means to engage successive ones of the openings of the bracket means and to move the bracket means relative to the guide means and the actuating means.

5. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the bracket means includes a frame and at least one bar member mounted in the frame, the safety belt contacting the bar member and the bar member defining the second point to which the portion of the safety belt extends.

6. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the guide means includes an elongated guide strip and the frame of the bracket means includes means defining a pair of opposed slots for engaging opposite side edges of the elongated guide strip, the guide strip being slidably movable in the slots.

7. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the positioning means also guides the safety belt beyond the second point in a direction different from said direction transverse of the vehicle seat from the first point to the second point.

8. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the structural member is a frame member for the back portion of the vehicle seat.

9. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the guide means is oriented diagonally of an upwardly extending central axis of the back portion of the vehicle seat.

10. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the guide means is mounted on a side of the frame member facing away from a passenger seated in the vehicle seat.

11. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising automatic means for winding up at least a portion of the safety belt.

12. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising means for applying a predetermined tension to the saFety belt, the tension applying means being adapted for actuation only in response to an appropriate signal from a sensor that is responsive to a condition normally indicative of an impending collision between a vehicle in which the safety belt arrangement is mounted and another object.

13. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 12, further comprising automatic means for winding up at least a portion of the safety belt, and wherein the back portion of the vehicle seat has an outer upholstery covering and the winding up means and the tension applying means are secured to a frame for the back portion of the vehicle seat, the safety belt extending underneath the upholstery covering from the positioning means to the winding up means and the tension applying means.

14. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 12, wherein the tension applying means is pivotally mounted on a frame for the back portion of the vehicle seat, the tension applying means being pivotable about an axis that is generally parallel to an upwardly extending central axis of the back portion of the vehicle seat.

15. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the first point is located on a vehicle door adjacent the vehicle seat.

16. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 15, wherein an elongated guide slot is formed in an inner wall of the vehicle door, the mounting means includes a guide element movable along the length of the guide slot and the safety belt arrangement also comprises means for moving the guide element so that upon opening of the vehicle door, a portion of the safety belt adjacent the mounting means is raised relative to the vehicle seat and upon closing of the vehicle door, said portion of the safety belt adjacent the mounting means is lowered relative to the vehicle seat.

17. A safety belt arrangement for a vehicle seat having a seat portion and a back portion extending upwardly from the seat portion, said arrangement comprising:

a. a safety belt for restraining the body of a passenger against the vehicle seat;

b. means for mounting the safety belt at a first point adjacent the seat portion of the vehicle seat; and

c. means for positioning the safety belt so that at least a portion of the safety belt extends from the first point to a second point that is adjacent the back portion of the vehicle seat and that is spaced both vertically and in a direction transverse of the vehicle seat from the first point, the portion of the safety belt thereby being adapted to extend diagonally across the back portion of the vehicle seat and across an upper portion of the body of a passenger seated in the vehicle seat, the positioning means including;

i. bracket means contacting the safety belt and defining the second point to which the portion of the safety belt extends, the bracket means including a bracket frame and at least one bar member mounted in the frame, the bracket frame defining a pair of opposed slots and having formed in it a plurality of evenly spaced apart openings;

ii. guide means mounting the bracket means and being secured on a structural member coupled to the vehicle body, the guide means including an elongated guide strip having opposed side edges received in the opposed slots of the bracket frame so as to be slidably movable in the opposed slots; and

iii. actuating means for selectively moving the bracket means relative to the guide means, the actuating means including a frame mounted so as to be immovable relative to the guide means, a rotatable shaft journaled in the frame of the actuating means, a gear secured to the shaft and adapted to engage the openings of the bracket frame of the bracket means, and means for locking the shaft against rotation in a selected position, rotation of the shaft causing the gear to engage successive ones of the openings of the bracket means and to move the bracket means relative to the guide means and the actuating means.