Inflatable seatbelt system

• US 5,354,096 A
• Filed: 07/30/1993
• Issued: 10/11/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Yoshihiko, Chikaraishi, Tsuneo
• Primary Examiner(s): Rice, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US08/099,464
• Time in Patent Office: 438 Days
• Field of Search: 280/733, 280/801 R
• US Class Current: 280/733
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/2523 acting parallel to the main plane of the buckle and in the same direction as the fastening action
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/18 the inflatable member formed as a belt or harness or combined with a belt or harness arrangement

Abstract

An inflatable seatbelt system having a webbing (11) formed in the shape of a bag from a woven fabric. The warp of the webbing (11) is disposed in the longitudinal direction of the seatbelt, and the weft is disposed in the lateral direction of the seatbelt. The weft is formed of spandex threads made of a material having a relatively low modulus of elasticity and stretchable in a rubber-like manner, e.g., urethane. The weft (15) on the reverse side of a portion of the webbing (11) corresponding to the boundary between a shoulder belt (2) and a lap belt (3) is cut over a predetermined area. A gas outlet portion (5e) of a tongue (5) is inserted into the shoulder belt (2) from an opening 11(c) formed by widening the cut area of the weft (15). The lap belt (3) of the webbing (11), which extends in the opposite direction to the direction of insertion of the gas outlet portion (5e), is passed through a webbing receiving hole (5b) provided in an operating portion (5c) of the tongue (5) by slightly contracting the lap belt 3 in the direction of the width thereof. A belt cap (16) is fitted onto the gas outlet portion (5e) of the tongue (5) with the webbing (11) interposed therebetween, thereby securing the tongue (5) to the webbing (11).

Claims

1. An inflatable seatbelt system for a vehicle including at least:

means for generating a gas when deceleration acting on the vehicle upon occurrence of an emergency situation, for example, a collision of the vehicle, exceeds first set deceleration;

a webbing having a portion brought into contact with an occupant'"'"'s body, at least a part of said contact portion being formed as a bag-shaped portion, said webbing being arranged such that when no gas is generated from said gas generating means, said webbing is maintained in the shape of a strap having a predetermined width, whereas, when a gas is generated from said gas generating means, said bag-shaped portion is inflated by the gas;

a retractor operating such that when the deceleration on the vehicle is not higher than second set deceleration, which is lower than said first set deceleration, said retractor allows said webbing to be freely wound up and unwound, whereas, when the deceleration on the vehicle exceeds said second set deceleration, said retractor prevents unwinding of said webbing;

a tongue connected to said webbing; and

a buckle device with which said tongue is disengageably engaged;

wherein said tongue has an engagement portion engageable with said buckle device and having a gas inlet port to which the gas generated by said gas generating means is introduced through said buckle device when said tongue is in engagement with said buckle device, an operating portion having a webbing receiving hole through which said webbing extends and used to engage and disengage said tongue in relation to said buckle device, a gas outlet portion formed with a width larger than a width of said bag-shaped portion and connected to said webbing and having a gas outlet port for said gas, and a gas flow hole providing communication between said gas inlet and outlet ports, and wherein said webbing is formed of a webbing base fabric made out of a woven fabric, said webbing base fabric having warp disposed in a longitudinal direction of the seatbelt and weft disposed in a lateral direction of the seatbelt, said weft being formed of spandex threads made of a material having a relatively low modulus of elasticity and stretchable in a rubber-like manner, for example, urethane, said weft being cut in a predetermined region including one end of said bag-shaped portion, the gas outlet portion of said tongue being inserted into said bag-shaped portion from the weft cut area so that a part of said bag-shaped portion is brought into close contact with said gas outlet portion by elastic force of the weft which is not cut, said webbing extending through said webbing receiving hole at a portion thereof which extends in a direction opposite to the direction of insertion of said gas outlet portion so that said gas outlet portion is prevented from slipping out of said bag-shaped portion by at least the portion of said webbing which lies in said webbing receiving hole.

2. An inflatable seatbelt system according to claim 1, wherein said tongue has a neck portion for connecting together said operating portion and said gas outlet portion, said neck portion having a width smaller than the width of said gas outlet portion so that said gas outlet portion is prevented from slipping out of said bag-shaped portion by the presence of a step defined between said gas outlet portion and said neck portion.

3. An inflatable seatbelt system according to claim 1, wherein the portion of said bag-shaped portion which is in close contact with said gas outlet portion is brought into close contact therewith even more firmly by a belt cap made of an elastic material, and the inside of said bag-shaped portion is kept airtight by said belt cap.

4. An inflatable seatbelt system according to claim 1, wherein the surface of said gas outlet portion lies closer to a side of said tongue from which said webbing is inserted into said webbing receiving hole than the surface of said operating portion.

5. An inflatable seatbelt system according to claim 2, wherein the portion of said bag-shaped portion which is in close contact with said gas outlet portion is brought into close contact therewith even more firmly by a belt cap made of an elastic material, and the inside of said bag-shaped portion is kept airtight by said belt cap.

6. An inflatable seatbelt system according to claim 2, wherein the surface of said gas outlet portion lies closer to a side of said tongue from which said webbing is inserted into said webbing receiving hole than the surface of said operating portion.

7. An inflatable seatbelt system according to claim 3, wherein the surface of said gas outlet portion lies closer to a side of said tongue from which said webbing is inserted into said webbing receiving hole than the surface of said operating portion.