Safety belt arrangement for occupants of land vehicles and aircraft

• US 5,224,736 A
• Filed: 01/10/1992
• Issued: 07/06/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Autoflug Gmbh (Autoflug Gruppe GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Autoflug Gmbh (Autoflug Gruppe GmbH)
• Inventors: Just, Herbert, Sedlmayr, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Graysay, Tamara L.
• Application Number:
  US07/821,237
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 280/807, 280/808, 242/107.4 A, 297/478, 297/488, 297/477, 244/122 B, 244/122 AG, 180/268, 180/282
• US Class Current: 280/807
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/343 with electrically actuated locking means B60R22/3405 takes precedence

Abstract

A safety belt arrangement, for use in land vehicles or aircraft for securing the occupants thereof, has at least one belt reeling device with a self-locking blocking mechanism with a mechanical control for moving a locking member into the blocking position which prevents the belt from being pulled out further. In order to reduce the response times for the belt reeling devices, a computer is provided which determines the acceleration characteristics of the particular vehicle or aircraft and is coupled to the mechanical control of the belt reeling device, the locking member being moved into its blocking position or returned to its rest position by the mechanical control in response to a signal emitted by the computer.

Claims

1. In a safety belt arrangement, for use in land vehicles and aircraft for securing the occupants thereof, including at least one belt-reeling device with a self-locking blocking mechanism with control means for activating a blocking position that prevents the belt from being pulled out further, the improvement wherein:

an on-board computer is provided for determining acceleration and deceleration forces of said vehicle and aircraft by calculating said acceleration and deceleration forces by taking values based on operating commands, so that for movements of said vehicle and aircraft initiated by an operator said acceleration and deceleration forces are calculated before actually occurring and can be used as measurements for controlling said self-locking blocking mechanism, with said on-board computer being coupled to said control means of said belt reeling device, said control means activating said blocking position and returning said blocking mechanism to a rest position in response to a signal produced by said on-board computer based on said measurements.

2. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a servo-member, a signal line, and a flexible spindle having a lever connected thereto, said signal line connecting said on-board computer to said servo-member and said spindle being connected to said servo-member, with said servo-member turning said spindle in response to a signal produced by said on-board computer thereby pivoting said lever into engagement with said self-locking blocking mechanism to reach said blocking position.

3. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of belt reeling devices are arranged to operate independently of one another;

and further comprising;

a plurality of separate control lines, said reeling devices each being coupled to said on-board computer via a respective one of said separate control lines.

4. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of belt reeling devices is provided;

and further comprising;

a servo-member connected to said on-board computer; and

a transmission member in the form of a spindle, said spindle being connected to said servo member and said belt reeling devices being connected to one another by said transmission member.

5. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a tightening mechanism for acting on a winding spindle of said belt reeling device to tighten the belt to restrain the body of an occupant, with an actuating element for said tightening mechanism being coupled to said on-board computer.

6. A safety belt arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a clamping device which causes the belt to be clamped in the event of actuation, with an actuating element for said clamping device being coupled to said on-board computer.