Shoulderbelt anchor device

• US 4,610,464 A
• Filed: 12/07/1984
• Issued: 09/09/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Motonami, Masanao, Yamada, Makoto, Yasumatsu, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Love, John J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weaver, Ross
• Application Number:
  US06/679,103
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 280/801, 280/804, 280/808, 70/99, 70/100, 70/DIG. 11
• US Class Current: 280/801.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/203 the locking means being movably mounted on the slider
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5195 Projectable bolt

Abstract

An occupant restraining webbing is engaged with a sliding anchor, which is movable along a guide rail solidly secured to a vehicle body. Lock bars provided on the sliding anchor are received in engaging holes formed in the guide rail therealong, whereby the sliding anchor is positively supported on a side wall of the vehicle body to secure an occupant in a restrained state in an emergency situation of a vehicle. While, the occupant can withdraw the lock bars from the engaging holes and move the sliding anchor, so that an anchor point can be adjusted.

Claims

1. A shoulder belt anchor device for securing an occupant'"'"'s shoulder restraining webbing to a vehicle body, comprising:

a guide rail secured to a side wall of the vehicle body, said guide rail having a longitudinal axis and side walls along its longitudinal direction;

a sliding anchor having an anchor blook and being movable along said guide rail in its longitudinal direction, said sliding anchor being secured with a shoulder anchor engaged with said webbing, the anchor block having a first layer and a second layer, an opening being provided in one of said first and second layers;

a lock member rotatably positioned within said opening, said lock member being substantially coplanar with said one of said first and second layers;

lock means for anchoring said sliding anchor at a selected position along said guide rail, said lock means including a pair of lock bars pivotally connected to said lock member and a plurality of engaging holes formed in the side walls of said guide rail in the longitudinal direction thereof, said guide rail being capable of receiving said lock bars through said engaging holes so that said sliding anchor is prevented from moving when said lock bars are engaged with said engaging holes;

guide means for guiding said lock bars in directions opposite to each other, said guide menas including passages formed in the layer of said anchor block opposite from the layer in which said opening is located;

biasing means for biasing said lock member to urge said lock bars through said guide means in a direction of said engaging holes; and

releasing means secured to said lock member for withdrawing the lock bars from said engaging holes against the biasing force of the biasing means, whereby said sliding anchor is moved along said guide rail to provide an adjustable anchor point for the webbing.

2. The shoulder belt anchor device as set forth in claim 1 wherein an engaging hole in one side wall of the guide rail is substantially aligned with an engaging hole in the other side wall and the lock bars engage in non-aligned holes in the side walls.

3. The shoulder belt anchor device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the lock bars are longitudinally spaced from each other.

4. The shoulder belt device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the opering has a stopping face defining a rotatable range for rotating the lock mmember.

5. The shoulder belt anchor device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the anchor block of the sliding anchor is secured to a reinforcing plate arranged outside of the guide rail and provided with side plates extending therefrom for clamping the side walls of the guide rail between the side plates and the anchor block, and through holes for the lock bars are located in the side plates of the reinforcing plate.

6. The shoulder belt anchor device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the releasing means includes a shaft secured to said lock member, said shaft and said lock member being rotatable relative to the sliding anchor, rotation of the shaft slidably moving said lock bars.

7. The shoulder belt anchor device as set forth in claim 6, wherein the lock bars are symmetrically positioned with respect to the center of the shaft so that the lock bars are not withdrawn from the engaging holes by a force applied in any directon.

8. The shoulder belt anchor device as set forth in claim 1, wherein a portion of the side walls of the guide rail are partially connected to each other and the cross-section of the portion of the guide rail is formed into a loop-shaped closed cross-section.

9. A shoulder belt anchor device for securing an occupant'"'"'s shoulder restraining webbing to a vehicle body, comprising:

a guide rail secured to a side wall of the vehicle body, said guide rail having a longitudinal axis and side walls along its longitudinal direction;

a sliding anchor having an anchor block and being movable along said guide rail in its longitudinal direction, said sliding anchor being secured with a shoulder anchor engaged with said webbing, the anchor block having a first layer and a second layer, an opening being provided in one of said first and second layers, the anchor block being secured to a reinforcing plate arranged outside of the guide rail and provided with side plates extending therefrom for clamping the side walls of the guide rail between the side plates and the anchor block;

a lock member rotatably positioned within said opening;

lock means for anchoring said sliding anchor at a selected position along said guide rail, said lock means including a pair of lock bars pivotally connected to said lock member and a plurality of engaging holes formed in the side walls of said guide rail in the longitudinal direction thereof, said guide rail being capable of receiving said lock bars through said engaging holes so that said sliding anchor is prevented from moving when said lock bars are engaged with said engaging holes, the side plates of the reinforcing plate including through holes for the lock bars;

guide means for guiding said lock bars in directions opposite to each other, said guide means including passages formed in the layer of said anchor block opposite from the layer in which said opening is located;

biasing means for biasing said lock member to urge said lock bars through said guide means in a direction of said engaging holes; and

releasing means secured to said lock member for withdrawing the lock bars from said engaging holes against the biasing force of the biasing means, whereby said sliding anchor is moved along said guide rail to provide an adjustable anchor point for the webbing.