Safety belt arrangement

• US 4,767,161 A
• Filed: 05/21/1986
• Issued: 08/30/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Autoflug Gmbh (Autoflug Gruppe GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Autoflug GmbH & Co. Fahrzeugtechnik
• Inventors: Grassmuck, Jurgen, Sedlmayr, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Aschenbrenner, Peter A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rendos, Jr., Thomas A.
• Application Number:
  US06/865,879
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 297/216, 297/474, 297/472, 297/470, 297/477, 297/479, 280/806, 280/808
• US Class Current: 297/472
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4614 one pretensioner acting on a plurality of belts
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4657 comprising a plurality of charges
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/1951 characterised by arrangements in vehicle or relative to seat belt
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/1952 Transmission of tensioning power by cable; Return motion locking means therefor

Abstract

A safety belt arrangement, especially one having a lap belt as a constituent of the belt system. One end of the lap belt is connected to a part that is secured to the vehicle, and the other end of the lap belt is provided with a belt buckle part. An anchoring member is provided as a carrier for the other belt buckle part, with the ends of the lap belt, as well as the anchoring member, being connected with a tensioning mechanism that operates in opposite directions. This tensioning mechanism is disposed between the anchoring elements that act as guide elements for the lap belt portion and for the anchoring member, which includes a cable section. The tensioning mechanism is secured to the one end of the lap belt and to the anchoring member via connections that are freely movable in the direction toward the guide elements, and are also movable relative to one another.

Claims

1. A safety belt arrangement for installation in a vehicle having a bottom portion, including a safety belt system having therewith a lap belt as an integral portion of the belt system, said lap belt including two ends therewith as lap belt segments made taut by tightening in a pelvic belt ring configuration;

said arrangement comprising;

a first anchoring member, which is operatively secured to said vehicle;

said first anchoring member being in the form of a first guide element, with a first one of said ends of said lap belt being guided by said first guide element, while the other end of said lap belt is provided with a first belt buckle part;

a second guide element, which is also operatively secured to said vehicle;

a second anchoring member, which is in the form of a cable section, is guided by said second guide element, and is provided with a second belt buckle part that cooperates with said first belt buckle part of said lap belt; and

a tensioning mechanism that is movable relative to said first and second guide elements that interconnects said first end of said lap belt, on said side of said first guide element remote from said other end of said lap belt, and a portion of said second anchoring member that is remote from said second buckle part;

said tensioning mechanism including an element movable therein and operating displaceable between said first and second guide elements when relative movement therebetween occurs in opposite directions, said first end of said lap belt, and that portion of said second anchoring member remote from said second buckle part, being respectively freely displaceable as movement in opposite directions occurs between their associated guide elements as positioned in an overhung arrangement with respect to each other, and being movable relative to one another only during cooperating engagement of said first and second belt buckle parts including therewith said first end of said lap belt connected with said first guide element and said other end of said lap belt connected to said second anchoring member for said first and second belt buckle parts to have a relative movement dependent as to direction in which resistance is less, in other words where pertaining belt slack is greater until a force equilibrium is achieved.

2. A safety belt arrangement for installation in a vehicle having a bottom portion, including a safety belt system having therewith a lap belt as an integral portion of the belt system, said lap belt including two ends therewith;

said arrangement comprising;

a first anchoring member, which is operatively secured to said vehicle;

said first anchoring member being in the form of a first guide element, with a first one of said ends of said lap belt being guided by said first guide element, while the other end of said lap belt is provided with a first belt buckle part;

a second guide element, which is also operatively secured to said vehicle;

a second anchoring member, which is in the form of a cable section, is guided by said second guide element, and is provided with a second belt buckle part that cooperates with said first belt buckle part of said lap belt;

a tensioning mechanism that interconnects said first end of said lap belt, on that side of said first guide element remote from said other end of said lap belt, and a portion of said second anchoring member that is remote from said second buckle part;

said tensioning mechanism including an element movable therein and operating displaceable between said first and second guide elements when relative movement therebetween occurs in opposite directions, said first end of said lap belt, and that portion of said second anchoring member remote from said second buckle part, being respectively freely displaceable as movement in opposite directions occurs between their associated guide elements as positioned in an overhung arrangement with respect to each other, and being movable relative to one another only during cooperating engagement of said first and second belt buckle parts including therewith said first end of said lap belt being connected to said first guide element and said other end of said lap belt being connected to said second anchoring member for said first and second belt buckle parts to have a relative movement in a direction of smaller resistance to eliminate belt slack; and

support means secured to the bottom portion of said vehicle;

said tensioning mechanism being in the form of a pyrotechnical linear tensioner that includes a drive mechanism that is disposed in said support means in such a way that is longitudinally displaceable and is positioned in the overhung arrangement between said guide elements;

said drive mechanism being provided with a pyrotechnical propellant charge, and includes exclusively a piston and a cylinder, with said first end of said lap belt being connected only to said cylinder, and that portion of said second anchoring member that is remote from said second buckle part being connected only to said piston.

3. A safety belt arrangement for installation in a vehicle having a bottom portion, including a safety belt system having therewith a lap belt as an integral portion of the belt system, said lap belt including two ends therewith;

said arrangement comprising;

a first anchoring member, which is operatively secured to said vehicle;

said first anchoring member being in the form of a first guide element, with a first one of said ends of said lap belt being guided by said first guide element, while the other end of said lap belt is provided with a first belt buckle part;

a second guide element, which is also operatively secured to said vehicle;

a second anchoring member, which is in the form of a cable section, is guided by said second guide element, and is provided with a second belt buckle part that cooperates with said first belt buckle part of said lap belt;

a tensioning mechanism that interconnects said first end of said lap belt, on that side of said first guide element remote from said other end of said lap belt, and a portion of said second anchoring member that is remote from said second buckle part;

said tensioning mechanism including an element movable therein and operating displaceable between said first and second guide elements when relative movement therebetween occurs in opposite directions, said first end of said lap belt, and that portion of said second anchoring member remote from said second buckle part, being respectively freely displaceable as movement in opposite directions occurs between their associated guide elements as positioned in an overhung arrangement with respect to each other, and being movable relative to one another only during cooperating engagement of said first and second belt buckle parts including therewith said first end of said lap belt being connected to said first guide element and said other end of said lap belt being connected to said second anchoring member for said first and second belt buckle parts to have a relative movement in a direction of smaller resistance to eliminate belt slack; and

said tensioning mechanism including a drive mechanism that is not disposed in a direct line between said guide elements, and further including a transfer element that is connected to said drive mechanism and comprises a cable means including a conduit and a core that is movable relative to the conduit;

said core being connected to that portion of said second anchoring member that is remote from said second buckle part, and said conduit being connected to said first end of said lap belt via a belt strap connector.

4. A safety belt arrangement for installation in a vehicle having a bottom portion, including a safety belt system having therewith a lap belt as an integral portion of the belt system, said lap belt including two ends therewith;

said arrangement comprising;

a first anchoring member, which is operatively secured to said vehicle;

said first anchoring member being in the form of a first guide element, with a first one of said ends of said lap belt being guided by said first guide element, while the other end of said lap belt is provided with a first belt buckle part;

a second guide element, which is also operatively secured to said vehicle;

a second anchoring member, which is in the form of a cable section, is guided by said second guide element, and is provided with a second belt buckle part that cooperates with said first belt buckle part of said lap belt;

a tensioning mechanism that interconnects said first end of said lap belt, on that side of said first guide element remote from said other end of said lap belt, and a portion of said second anchoring member that is remote from said second buckle part;

said tensioning mechanism including an element movable therein and operating displaceable between said first and second guide elements when relative movement therebetween occurs in opposite directions, said first end of said lap belt, and that portion of said second anchoring member remote from said second buckle part, being respectively freely displaceable as movement in opposite directions occurs between their associated guide elements as positioned in an overhung arrangement with respect to each other, and being movable relative to one another only during cooperating engagement of said first and second belt buckle parts including therewith said first end of said lap belt being connected to said first guide element and said other end of said lap belt being connected to said second anchoring member for said first and second belt buckle parts to have a relative movement in a direction of smaller resistance to eliminate belt slack; and

guide rail means connected to the bottom portion of said vehicle, said guide elements being disposed on said guide rail means in such a way that they are displaceable towards one another.

5. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 4, which also includes return stop means for said guide elements;

and which includes securing means for holding said guide elements in a starting position and for releasing them when a predetermined load thereon is encountered.

6. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 5, which includes a respective carriage for each of said guide elements, with each of said carriages being longitudinally displaceably disposed on said guide rail means.

7. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 6, in which a securing means hold said carriages in position, and are in the form of shear pins that shear off, to release said carriages, when said tensioning mechanism is triggered when a predetermined load is encountered.

8. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 6, in which return stop means are respectively disposed between a given carriage and said guide rail means, and comprise wedge-like members that wedge against one another in a locking direction;

one of said wedge-like members is positively connected to said carriage, and the other of said wedge-like members is yieldingly prestressed relative to said guide rail means.