Passive occupant restraint system

• US 4,235,456 A
• Filed: 09/27/1978
• Issued: 11/25/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Shakespear, Horacio
• Primary Examiner(s): Love, John J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Underwood, D. W.
• Application Number:
  US05/946,387
• Time in Patent Office: 790 Days
• Field of Search: 280/744-747, 280/801, 280/802, 280/803, 280/804, 280/807, 280/808, 297/388, 297/389, 297/468, 297/475, 297/474, 297/483, 297/484, 297/469, 180/82 C, 180/103 A, 180/268
• US Class Current: 280/804
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/04 Passive restraint systems, i.e. systems both applied and removed automatically, e.g. by movement of the vehicle door

Abstract

A track extends longitudinally inboard an occupant seat and mounts a belt carriage which slidably receives lap and shoulder belts having their outboard ends attached to the door and their inboard ends attached to the vehicle structure forwardly of the occupant. A spring urges forward movement of the carriage to stow the belts forwardly of the occupant. A lever arm associated with the door is connected with the carriage by a cable and pulley arrangement which retracts the carriage in the rearward direction as the door is closed to establish the lap and shoulder belts in their respective restraining positions without necessity of a latching arrangement to maintain the carriage in the rearward position during emergency restraint of the occupant. In a vehicle body having a center occupant, the track is located on or below the floor and mounts the outboard ends of lap and shoulder belts for the center seating position so that forward movement of the carriage permits the center seat occupant to ingress and egress through the door.

Claims

1. In a vehicle body having a door pivoted about its forward end laterally adjacent a seat mounted in an occupant compartment, a passive occupant restraint belt system comprising:

a belt having an outboard end mounted on the door and an inboard end mounted on the body inboard and forward of the occupant seat;

a longitudinally extending track mounted on the vehicle body inboard the occupant seat;

a carriage mounted on the track slidably engaging the belt intermediate the inboard and outboard ends, so that outward swinging opening movement of the door moves the outboard belt end outwardly and forwardly of the seating position and induces sliding movement of the belt through the carriage and forward movement of the carriage to stow the belt in an occupant access position forwardly of the occupant;

mechanical drive means interconnecting the door and the carriage independent of the belt to move the carriage rearwardly on the track during closing movement of the door to establish the belt in a restraining position closely adjacent the occupant whereby the carriage is effectively coupled with the door so that occupant restraining load inducing forward movement of the carriage is counterbalanced by the occupant restraining load urging closure of the door to maintain the belt in the occupant restraining position.

2. In a vehicle body having a door pivoted about its forward end laterally adjacent a seat mounted in an occupant compartment, a passive occupant restraint belt system comprising:

a lap belt and a shoulder belt having outboard ends mounted on the vehicle door and inboard ends mounted on the vehicle body inboard and forward the occupant seat;

a longitudinally extending track mounted on the vehicle body inboard the occupant seat;

a carriage mounted on the track and slidably engaging the lap and shoulder belts intermediate their inboard and outboard ends to dispose the lap and shoulder belts in restraining positions closely adjacent the occupant when the carriage is at a rearward position and to dispose the belts in the occupant access position stowed forwardly of the occupant when the carriage is moved forwardly along the track;

spring means urging the carriage forwardly;

an arm operably associated with the door and having an inboard end movable rearwardly when the door is opened and forwardly when the door is closed;

and cable drive means operatively connecting the inboard end of the arm with the carriage to effect rearward movement of the carriage when the door is closed and whereby the arm and cable drive means cooperate to maintain the carriage in the rearwardmost position whenever the door is in the closed position.

3. In a vehicle body having a door pivoted about its forward end laterally adjacent a seat mounted on the vehicle body floor, said seat having a first seating position for a first occupant adjacent the door, a second seating position inboard the first seating position for seating a second occupant and a third seating position for seating a third occupant adjacent the second seating position, a passive occupant restraint belt system for restraining the first and second occupants and permitting ingress and egress of both occupants through the door comprising:

a longitudinally extending track mounted on the vehicle body floor between the first and second seating positions; and

constructed in a non-obstructing manner permitting occupant movement between the first and second seating positions;

a belt carriage movable on the track between a rearward position adjacent the hips of the first and second occupants and a position spaced forwardly of the seat to permit unobstructed ingress and egress of the second occupant from the second seating position;

a first restraint belt for the first occupant including an outboard end mounted on the door and an inboard end mounted on the carriage;

a second restraint belt for the second occupant having an outboard end mounted on the carriage and an inboard end retractably mounted on the vehicle body between the second and third occupants;

and means for moving the carriage forwardly when the door is open to dispose the inboard end of the first belt and outboard end of the second belt forwardly of the seat to permit unobstructed ingress and egress of both the first and second occupants through and for moving the carriage to the rearward position when the door is closed to dispose the first and second belts in their respective restraining positions about the first and second seat occupants when the door is closed.

4. In a vehicle body having a door pivoted about its forward end laterally adjacent a seat mounted on the vehicle body floor, said seat having a first seating position for seating a first occupant adjacent the door, a second seating position situated inboard the first seat cushion for seating a second occupant and a third seating position for seating a third occupant adjacent the second seating position, a passive occupant restraint belt system for restraining the first and second occupants and permitting ingress and egress of both occupants through the door comprising:

a longitudinally extending track mounted on the vehicle body floor between the first and second seating positions and constructed in a manner permitting occupant movement between the first and second seating positions;

a first restraint belt for the first occupant having an outboard end mounted on the door and an inboard end mounted on the body inboard and forward of the first seating position;

a belt carriage longitudinally movable on the track and slidably engaging the first restraint belt intermediate the inboard and outboard ends so that outward swinging movement of the door moves the outboard first belt end outwardly and forwardly of the seating position and induces sliding movement of the belt through the carriage and forward movement of the carriage to position the carriage forwardly of the seat to permit unobstructed ingress and egress of the second occupant and to dispose the first belt in a stowed position forwardly of the first occupant;

a second restraint belt for the second occupant having an outboard end connected to the carriage and an inboard end retractably mounted on the vehicle body between the second and third seating positions so that the second belt is disposed in a stowed position forwardly of the seat when the carriage is in the forward position;

and mechanical drive means interconnecting the door and the carriage to forcibly move the carriage rearwardly adjacent the hip of the first and second occupants during closing movement of the door to establish the first and second belts in restraining positions closely adjacent the first and second occupants whereby the carriage is effectively coupled with the door so that the occupant restraining load inducing forward movement of the carriage is counterbalanced by the occupant restraining load urging closure of the door to maintain the first and second belts in their respective occupant restraining positions.

5. A motor vehicle having a passanger seat adapted to seat first and second outboard passengers;

and a center occupant;

first and second door openings adjacent the outboard passengers;

first and second doors swingable about substantially vertical axes forward of the passengers to permit ingress and egress of the first outboard passenger through the adjacent first door opening and to permit ingress and egress of both the second outboard and center passenger through the door opening adjacent the second outboard passenger;

means defining a seat belt anchoring member located below and between the second outboard and center passengers and movable along a longitudinal path in relation to the vehicle from a rearward position defining an effective seat belt anchorage for both passengers and a forward position providing unobstructured clearance for ingress and egress of the center passenger through the door opening adjacent the second outboard passenger;

a center passenger belt anchored at one end to said anchoring member and anchored at the other end to the vehicle between the first outboard and center passengers to form a seat belt restraint for the center passenger when anchoring member is in the rearward position;

p1 a second outboard passenger belt anchored at one end to said anchoring member and anchored at the other end to the door adjacent the second outboard passenger at a location forming a seat belt restraint for the second outboard passenger when the door is closed and said anchoring member is in the rearward position; and

means effective to move said anchoring member between the rearward and the forward positions so as to permit ingress and egress of the second outboard and center passengers from the motor vehicle.