×

Automobile seat belt apparatus

  • US 5,044,459 A
  • Filed: 10/25/1989
  • Issued: 09/03/1991
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1988
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
Patent Images

1. In an automotive vehicle having a vehicle body structure defining a plurality of utility openings therein respectively leading into a passenger compartment, an engine compartment, and a trunk compartment, a seat assembly disposed within the vehicle body structure, and a plurality of closure members hingedly connected to the body structure over the utility openings, respectively, so as to be movable between open and closed positions at which the utility openings are respectively opened and closed by the closure members, the closure members including front, side doors hingedly connected over respective ones of the utility openings leading into the passenger compartment, rear, side doors hingedly connected over respective ones of the utility openings leading into the passenger compartment, a hood hingedly connected over one of the utility openings leading into the engine compartment, and a trunk lid hingedly connected over the utility opening leading into the trunk compartment, a seat belt apparatus for restraining an occupant of the seat assembly, said seat belt apparatus comprising:

  • a length of flexible belt having first and second opposite ends;

    a belt anchor fixing the first end of said flexible belt relative to the vehicle body structure;

    a seat belt retractor disposed within one of the rear, side doors,said seat belt retractor including automatic winding means connected to the second end of said flexible belt for exerting a tension force on said belt that tends to automatically forcibly wind the belt into the seat belt retractor, locking mechanism means for preventing said belt from being able to be pulled out from the seat belt retractor when a predetermined acceleration acts on the seat belt retractor, and a cancelling mechanism operative to disable said locking mechanism means from preventing said belt from being pulled out from the seat belt retractor when said predetermined acceleration acts thereon; and

    control means including belt detecting means for detecting whether at least one of the closure members other than said one of the rear, side doors is in the open position thereof,said control means operatively connected to said cancelling mechanism for operating said cancelling mechanism to disable said locking mechanism means when said detecting means has detected that said at least one of the closure members is in the open position thereof.

View all claims
  • 1 Assignment
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×