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

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Nishikaji, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bertsch, Richard A.
• Application Number:
  US07/426,225
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• Field of Search: 280/801, 280/804, 280/803, 280/802, 280/806, 280/807, 280/808, 242/107.4 A, 242/107.7, 297/478, 180/268, 180/281, 180/282
• US Class Current: 180/268
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/1818 Belt guides
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/023 Three-point seat belt systems comprising two side lower and one side upper anchoring devices B60R22/022, B60R22/03 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/24 secured to the side, door, or roof of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/26 secured to the seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/41 with additional means for preventing locking during unwinding under predetermined conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/44 with means for reducing belt tension during use under normal conditions not included in the retractor B60R22/19; B60R22/3405 takes precedence

Abstract

A seat belt apparatus is provided for restraining the occupant of a seat assembly within a vehicle body structure having a plurality of closure members each hingedly supported for movement between opened and closed positions to selectively open and close a respective utility opening. The closure members may be front and rear side doors, a hood or a trunk lid. The seat belt apparatus includes a length of flexible belt having fixed and free ends opposite to each other, an automatic belt retractor rigidly connected with the free end of the belt for forcibly winding up the belt thereby holding the belt under tension, a detecting system for detecting the movement of at least one of the closure members towards the opened position, a locking mechanism built in the automatic belt retractor for preventing the belt from being pulled outwards from the automatic belt retractor when a predetermined acceleration acts thereon, and a cancelling mechanism for disabling the locking mechanism when the detecting system detects the movement of the at least one of the closure members towards the opened position. Instead of the cancelling mechanism, a sensitivity reducing mechanism may be provided for lowering the sensitivity of the locking mechanism.

Claims

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.

2. The seat belt apparatus in an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control means further includes hold means for maintaining the operation of said cancelling mechanism for a predetermined amount of time subsequent to the arrival of said at least one of the closure members to the closed position thereof from the open position thereof.

3. The seat belt apparatus in an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one of the closure members includes the hood.

4. The seat belt apparatus in an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one of the closure members includes the trunk lid.

5. In an automotive vehicle having a vehicle body structure defining a plurality of utility openings and a passenger compartment therein, a seat assembly disposed within the vehicle body structure, 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, so as to be movable between open and closed positions at which such utility openings are respectively opened and closed by the doors, 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 such utility openings are respectively opened and closed by the closure members, 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 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 sensitivity reducing mechanism operative to increase that magnitude of acceleration on the seat belt retractor at which the locking mechanism means will prevent the belt from being able to be pulled out from the retractor thereby lowering the sensitivity of the locking mechanism means; and

control means including first detecting means for detecting whether said one of the side doors is in the open position thereof, and second detecting means for detecting whether at least one of the closure members is in the open position thereof,

said control means operatively connected to said sensitivity reducing mechanism for operating the sensitivity reducing mechanism to lower the sensitivity of said locking mechanism when both said first and said second detecting means detect that said one of the side doors and said at least one of the closure members are in the open positions thereof, respectively.

6. The vehicle body structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein said control means further includes hold means for maintaining the operation of said sensitivity reducing mechanism for a predetermined amount of time subsequent to the arrival of said one of the side doors and said at least one of the closure members to the closed positions thereof.

7. The vehicle body structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein said at least one of the closure members includes the hood of the vehicle.

8. The vehicle body structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein said at least one of the closure members includes the trunk lid of the vehicle.

9. In an automotive vehicle having a vehicle body structure defining a plurality of utility openings and a passenger compartment therein, a seat assembly disposed within the vehicle body structure, 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, so as to be movable between open and closed positions at which such utility openings are respectively opened and closed by the doors, 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 such utility openings are respectively opened and closed by the closure members, 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 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 sensitivity reducing mechanism operative to increase that magnitude of acceleration on the seat belt retractor at which the locking mechanism means will prevent the belt from being able to be pulled out from the retractor thereby lowering the sensitivity of the locking mechanism means; and

control means including detecting means for detecting whether at least one of the closure members is in the open position thereof,

said control means operatively connected to said sensitivity reducing mechanism for operating the sensitivity reducing mechanism to lower the sensitivity of said locking mechanism when said detecting means detects that said at least one of the closure members is in the open position thereof.

10. The seat belt apparatus in an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 9, wherein said control means includes hold means for maintaining the operation of said sensitivity reducing mechanism for a predetermined amount of time subsequent to the arrival of said at least one of the closure members to the closed position thereof from the open position thereof.

11. The vehicle body structure as claimed in claim 9, wherein said at least one of the closure members includes the hood of the vehicle.

12. The vehicle body structure as claimed in claim 9, wherein said at least one of the closure members includes the trunk lid of the vehicle.