Anchoring means for safety belts for motor vehicle seats

• US 4,225,184 A
• Filed: 01/15/1979
• Issued: 09/30/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Keiper Automobiltechnik GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Keiper Automobiltechnik GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Strowick, Willibald
• Primary Examiner(s): McCall, James T.
• Application Number:
  US06/003,606
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 297/385, 297/216, 297/468, 280/744, 248/429, 248/393
• US Class Current: 297/468
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/26 secured to the seat

Abstract

The anchoring arrangement for safety belts surrounding a vertically and longitudinally adjustable seat in a motor vehicle comprises supporting rail fixedly mounted to the body of the vehicle, a clamping member surrounding the supporting rail and having locking bolts slidably supported on narrow sides of the rail, a swing lever having one arm pivotably connected to the clamping member, a bearing box rigidly connected to the seat and pivotably supporting the fulcrum point of the swing lever, the arm of the swing lever projecting into the bearing box having the form of a gear segment; a first locking pinion is fixedly arranged for rotation in the bearing box and being in mesh with the gear segment, and a second locking pinion supported for rotation at the free end of a splice strap which at its other end is connected to the safety belt; the second pinion being guided in tangential oblong holes in the bearing box and being spring biased to resume a normal position apart from the first locking pinion and in the event when an excessive force is exerted against the safety belt and thus against the splice strap, the second locking pinion is guided in the oblong holes into engagement with the first locking pinion and with the gear segment, thus locking the swing lever to the bearing box and transmitting the pull from the safety belts to the clamping member and causing the locking of the same with the supporting rail.

Claims

1. An anchoring arrangement, for safety belts of an adjustable seat in a vehicle, comprising:

a supporting rail fixedly mounted to the body of the vehicle;

a clamping member surrounding the supporting rail and being movably supported thereon;

a bearing member rigidly connected to the seat and supporting a first arresting member;

a swing lever pivotably supported on said bearing member and having one arm in sliding contact with said first arresting member and the other arm pivotably connected to said clamping member;

a strap connected to said safety belt;

a second arresting member connected to said strap and being movably arranged in said bearing member, said second arresting member being normally held in a position apart from said first arresting member while during an excessive pull imparted to the safety belt is brought into engagement with said first arresting member and with said one arm of said swing lever to form therewith a rigid unit which transmits the excessive pull to the clamping member and locks the same on said supporting rail.

2. The anchoring arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein said one arm of said swing lever is in the form of a gear segment, said first locking member being in the form of a toothed pinion supported for rotation on said bearing member and being in mesh with said gear segment, said second arresting member being in the form of a second toothed pinion supported for rotation in said strap and being in mesh with said gear segment, said bearing member having oblong holes for guiding said second pinion in tangential direction relative to said gear segment to engage said first pinion.

3. The anchoring arrangement as defined in claim 2, wherein the bearing member is assembled of two facing bearing plates spaced apart from one another by means of a spacing bolt and a pivot pin for said swing lever, said gear segment and said pinions being arranged between said bearing plates.

4. The anchoring arrangement as defined in claim 3, further including a connecting strap rigidly secured at one end thereof to said seat and projecting with the other end thereof between said bearing plates and being secured thereto by means of said spacing bolt.

5. The anchoring arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein said supporting rail is a flat rail defining two opposite narrow sides, both ends of said rail being rigidly connected to the bottom of the vehicle body, said clamping member including two pairs of locking bolts slidably supported on respective narrow sides of said supporting rail.

6. The anchoring arrangement as defined in claim 5, wherein the other arm of said swing lever is pivotably connected to one side of said clamping member facing the broader side of said supporting rail.

7. The anchoring arrangement as defined in claim 5, wherein said clamping member is assembled of two plates facing respectively the broader sides of said supporting rail, said locking bolts connecting said plates and acting as spacing members therefore, said other arm of said swing lever being pivotably connected to one of said plates.

8. The anchoring arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein the distance of said first and second locking members from the pivot point of said swing lever on said bearing member is constant and the distance of said locking members relative to each other is variable.

9. The anchoring arrangement as defined in claim 2, wherein said splice strap connected to said safety belt is guided on said bearing member in tangential direction relative to said gear segment of said swing lever and is spring biased to resume a position in which the second pinion supported for rotation thereon is spaced apart from said first pinion fixedly supported for rotation on said bearing member.

10. The anchoring arrangement as defined in claim 9, wherein said splice strap has a fork-shaped end portion surrounding said bearing member, said forkshaped portion including guiding grooves, said bearing member having projecting end portions engaging said guiding grooves, said second pinion being arranged in said fork-like portion.

11. The anchoring arrangement as defined in claim 10, wherein said additional spacing bolt in said bearing member engages one end of a biasing spring, the other end of said biasing spring being attached to said splice strap to urge the same into a position in which said second locking pinion is out of engagement from said first locking pinion.