Passive restraint actuator mechanism system

• US 4,234,210 A
• Filed: 08/22/1979
• Issued: 11/18/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Original Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Inventors: McNally, Thomas E., Holka, Thomas C., Moreau, Harold T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pekar, John A.
• Application Number:
  US06/068,842
• Time in Patent Office: 454 Days
• Field of Search: 280/804, 280/803, 280/802, 280/808, 297/469
• US Class Current: 280/804
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/06 having the belt or harness connected to a member slidable in a vehicle-mounted track

Abstract

A passive seat belt system comprising a two-point belt that in passenger restraining position extends diagonally over the upper torso of the seat occupant from a floor attachment to a retractor mechanism anchored in the vehicle roof. A carriage or trolley movable along a track that in part parallels the vehicle body roof rail and in part the windshield pillar has a belt engageable "D" ring that engages the belt intermediate the ends of the latter. This carriage is movable along the track by a nonelectrical energizer that is energized by door opening movement. Upon movement of the carriage from the retractor end of the track along the roof rail and then downwardly along the windshield pillar, the carriage automatically draws the belt forwardly from its passenger restraining position to provide unobstructed ingress or egress to the compartment through the door opening.

Claims

1. In combination with a vehicle body having a door opening for ingress/egress to a passenger compartment, the door opening being framed at its upper edge by a roof rail extending longitudinally of the compartment and at its forward edge by a windshield side pillar extending downwardly from the forward end of the roof rail to a vertical hinge pillar to which the door is hinged for swinging movement between opened and closed positions and a floor mounted passenger seat adjacent the door opening,

a passive belt system for restraining a seat occupant within the seat, comprising:

a two-point belt anchored at one end to a vehicle floor fixed attachment means at the inboard side of the seat and at its other end to a retractor mechanism anchored in the vehicle roof rearwardly and outwardly of the seat,

the belt in passenger restraining position extending diagonally over the upper torso of a seat occupant from the floor attachment to the retractor mechanism,

track means paralleling the roof rail and extending from the forward end of the latter downwardly along the windshield pillar,

carriage means movable along the track means having belt engageable means engageable with the belt intermediate the anchored ends of the latter,

and nonelectrical energizing means responsive to the motion of the door when moved to door opening position to energize the belt system,

the energizing means including a lever means swingable in the door opening about a door hinge pivot,

a compressed fluid linear actuator mounted on the vehicle body forwardly of the hinge pillar and coupled to the lever means to swing the same outwardly of the door opening,

and a displacement multiplying multiple-sheave block mounted on the vehicle body forwardly of the hinge pillar operatively interposed between the lever means and the carriage means whereby short linear movement of the piston rod of the actuator swinging the lever means provides multiplied linear movement of the carriage means along the track means,

the carriage means being movable by the energizing means along the track means from the retractor end of the latter to the point at which the track means swings downwardly along the windshield pillar, the carriage means movement terminating at a terminal position near the hinge pillar end of the track means,

the carriage means during such movement automatically withdrawing the belt forwardly from its passenger restraining position toward the forward end of the compartment to provide unobstructed ingress or egress to the compartment through the door opening.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the door in closed position abuts the lever means and holds the actuator in fluid compressed condition,

and upon the door being swung in opening direction out of blocking relation to the lever means, the actuator applies lever swinging force to the lever means independently of the force applied to the door.

3. In combination with a vehicle body having a door opening for ingress/egress to a passenger compartment, the door opening being framed at its upper edge by a roof rail extending longitudinally of the compartment and at its forward edge by a windshield side pillar extending downwardly from the forward end of the roof rail to a vertical hinge pillar to which the door is hinged for swinging movement between opened and closed positions and a floor mounted passenger seat adjacent the door opening,

a passive seat belt system for restraining a seat occupant within the seat, comprising:

a two-point belt anchored at one end to a vehicle floor fixed attachment means at the inboard side of the seat and at its other end to a retractor mechanism anchored in the vehicle roof rearwardly and outwardly of the seat,

the belt in passenger restraining position extending diagonally over the upper torso of a seat occupant from the floor attachment to the retractor mechanism,

track means paralleling the roof rail and extending from the forward end of the latter downwardly along the windshield pillar,

carriage means movable along the track means having belt engageable means engageable with the belt intermediate the anchored ends of the latter,

and nonelectrical energizing means responsive to the motion of the door when moved to door opening position to energize the belt system,

the energizing means including a lever arm swingable in the door opening about a door hinge pivot,

a compressed fluid linear actuator coupled to the lever arm,

a multiple-sheave block mounted forwardly of the hinge pillar having a sliding block and a fixed block each carrying a plurality of pulleys,

a first flexible cable attached at one end to the free end of the lever arm and at its other end to the sliding block,

and a second flexible cable fixed to the fixed block and being routed over all of the pulleys and through the windshield side pillar and along the roof rail for attachment to the carriage means,

each unit of linear movement of the first cable causing linear movement of the second cable at a ratio of n to 1 where n equals the number of pulleys over which the second cable passes,

the carriage means being movable by the energizing means along the track means from the retractor end of the latter to the point at which the track means swings downwardly along the windshield pillar, the carriage means movement terminating at a terminal position near the hinge pillar end of the track means,

the carriage means during such movement automatically withdrawing the belt forwardly from its passenger restraining position toward the forward end of the compartment to provide unobstructed ingress or egress to the compartment through the door opening.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein the door in closed position abuts the lever means and holds the actuator in fluid compressed condition,

and upon the door being swung in opening direction out of blocking relation to the lever means, the actuator applies lever swinging force to the lever means independently of the force applied to the door.

5. The combination of claim 3 wherein the belt engageable means on the carriage means comprises a "D" shaped ring means through which the belt passes,

and the retractor mechanism comprises a spring-loaded reel mechanism,

whereby as the carriage means and the "D" ring means thereon is pulled forwardly, the belt also is pulled forwardly as additional belt length is taken from the retractor mechanism to an entry/egress mode.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein the belt means has a hook means attached thereto between the retractor mechanism and the "D" ring,

the hook being positioned to engage the track means as the "D" ring pulls the belt forwardly to hold the trailing belt above the roof rail as the "D" ring travels down the windshield side pillar.

7. The combination of claim 5 wherein as the door is closed, the fluid of the actuator is compressed and the opening process is reversed by the belt retractor mechanism pulling the belt back to its original preloaded position and pulling the "D" ring and carriage means rearwardly from the windshield side pillar to its door closed position on the track means.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein the retractor mechanism includes a rotation damper attached to the retractor reel whereby the movement of the belt is carried out a low velocity in either direction of movement.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein the rotation damper is a rotary viscous means.