Adjusting mechanism for webbing-supporting member in passive seat belt system

• US 4,941,682 A
• Filed: 03/01/1989
• Issued: 07/17/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippon Seiko Kabushiki Kaisha (NSK Limited)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Seiko Kabushiki Kaisha (NSK Limited)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Bertsch, Richard A.
• Application Number:
  US07/318,061
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 280/804, 280/808, 280/801, 280/807, 280/803, 297/468, 297/473, 297/483, 297/486
• US Class Current: 280/804
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/206 Adjustable stop members for restraint systems comprising belt anchor vehicle mounted tracks, e.g. for passive seat belts

Abstract

An adjusting mechanism for a webbing-supporting member in a passive seat belt system is constructed of an elongated member to be mounted on a vehicle body--such as a guide rail--, an anchor base transversely surrounding the elongated member, and a spacer provided between the elongated member and anchor base to substantially fill up a spacing between the elongated member and at least one of planar walls of the anchor base.

Claims

1. An adjusting mechanism for a webbing-supporting member in a passive seat belt system, comprising:

an elongated member to be mounted on a vehicle body, said elongated member being bent with a predetermined radius of curvature in a direction transverse to the length of the vehicle body;

an anchor base transversely surrounding the elongated member, movable along the length of the elongated member and adapted to support a member to which a webbing is fastened, said anchor base having a pair of planar walls extending straight in the direction of the length of the elongated member and in parallel to each other, whereby a spacing between the bent elongated member and at least one of the planar walls of the anchor base in the direction of the thickness of the elongated member varies along the length of the bent elongated member, reaching a maximum substantially at a longitudinal intermediate portion of the anchor base on a concave side of the elongated member and a maximum substantially at least one of longitudinal ends of the anchor base on a convex side of the elongated member; and

a spacer provided between the elongated member and anchor base to substantially fill up the spacing between the elongated member and said at least one planar wall of the anchor base.

2. The mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spacer is provided on the side of at least one of convex and concave surfaces of the bent elongated member.

3. The mechanism as claimed in claim 2, wherein a surface of the spacer, said surface being brought into contact with said at least one of the convex and concave surfaces of the elongated member, is formed as a pair of curved surfaces spaced from each other by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the elongated member.

4. The mechanism as claimed in claim 2, wherein a surface of the spacer, said surface being brought into contact with the anchor base, is formed as a flat surface.

5. The mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spacer is provided on the side of a concave surface of the bent elongated member.

6. The mechanism as claimed in claim 5, wherein a surface of the spacer, said surface opposing the elongated member, is formed as a flat surface and is in contact with the elongated member around both longitudinal end portions of the spacer.

7. The mechanism as claimed in claim 5, wherein a biasing means is provided on the side of a convex surface of the bent elongated member whereby the spacer is biased toward the elongated member.

8. The mechanism as claimed in claim 7, wherein the spacer is provided on the anchor base and the biasing means is provided between the anchor base and the elongated member.

9. The mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elongated member is a slide rail for movably guiding the member, to which the webbing is fastened, between an occupant-restraining position where the webbing restrains an occupant and an occupant-releasing position where the occupant is free from restrait by the webbing.

10. The mechanism as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a means for positioning the anchor base at a predetermined position.

11. The mechanism as claimed in claim 10, wherein the anchor base has an engaging portion adapted to engage the vehicle body to bear a load in the event of a vehicular emergency.

12. An adjusting mechanism for a webbing-supporting member in a passive seat belt system, comprising:

an elongated member to be mounted on a vehicle body, said elongate member being bent with a predetermined radius of curvature in the direction of thickness thereof, said direction being transverse to the length of the vehicle body;

an anchor base transversely surrounding the elongated member, movable along the length of the elongated member and adapted to support a member to which a webbing is fastened, said anchor base having a pair of planar walls extending in parallel to each other as front and rear walls as viewed in the direction of thickness of the elongated member;

a spacer provided between the elongated member and anchor base to substantially fill up a spacing between the elongated member and at least one of the planar walls of the anchor base;

wherein first and second spacers are provided on the sides of convex and concave surfaces of the bent elongated member respectively, surfaces of the first and second spacers, said surfaces opposing the convex and concave surfaces of the bent elongated member respectively, are flat surfaces extending in a paired and substantially parallel relation, the first spacer is located on the side of the convex surface of the elongated member and is in contact with the elongated member approximately at a longitudinal middle part of the first spacer, and the second spacer is located on the side of the concave surface of the elongated member and is in contact with the elongated member around both longitudinal and portions of the second spacer.