Vehicle safety belt tensioning mechanism
First Claim
1. A belt tensioning mechanism for use in a motor vehicle to retract a belt buckle from a normal position to a retracted position, said belt tensioning mechanism comprising:
- sensing means for sensing the magnitude of a vehicular deceleration and generating a deceleration signal indicative thereof;
an elongated lock plate defining substantially parallel side edge and having a series of locking apertures formed therein at spaced locations therealong;
a drive mechanism coupled to said belt buckle;
a stored energy device operable for forcibly displacing said drive mechanism so as to cause concurrent movement of said belt buckle from said normal position toward said retracted position;
actuation means for actuating said stored energy device in response to said deceleration signal indicating a vehicular deceleration exceeding a predetermined critical value; and
a latch assembly coupled to said belt buckle for lockingly retaining said belt buckle in said retracted position, said latch assembly including a slide bracket mounted for slidable movement along said lock plate and defining a pair of channels for slidably engaging the side edges of said lock plate and a latch tab adapted to sequentially ratchet over said locking apertures in said lock plate during movement toward said retracted position and to lockingly engage a locking aperture to prevent subsequent return movement of said latch assembly and belt buckle toward said normal position from said retracted position.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is directed to a belt tensioning mechanism that is actuated in response to a vehicle deceleration exceeding a predetermined critical value for retracting the belt buckle so as to apply a tension loading on the safety belt for minimizing forward excursions of the seat occupant. The belt tensioning mechanism includes a sensor for sensing the magnitude of a vehicular deceleration and generating a deceleration signal indicative thereof, a lock plate fixed to the vehicle and having a series of locking apertures formed therein, a belt buckle supported for sliding movement on the lock plate from a normal position toward a retracted position, a latch mechanism coupled to the belt buckle and engageable with the locking apertures for permitting retraction of the belt buckle and lockingly retaining the belt buckle in the retracted position, a drive mechanism coupled to the belt buckle, a stored energy device acting on the drive mechanism and operable for displacing the drive mechanism so as to cause concurrent movement of the belt buckle from the normal position toward the retracted position, and an actuation mechanism for actuating the stored energy device in response to a deceleration signal indicative of a vehicular deceleration exceeded the predetermined critical value.
47 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A belt tensioning mechanism for use in a motor vehicle to retract a belt buckle from a normal position to a retracted position, said belt tensioning mechanism comprising:
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sensing means for sensing the magnitude of a vehicular deceleration and generating a deceleration signal indicative thereof; an elongated lock plate defining substantially parallel side edge and having a series of locking apertures formed therein at spaced locations therealong; a drive mechanism coupled to said belt buckle; a stored energy device operable for forcibly displacing said drive mechanism so as to cause concurrent movement of said belt buckle from said normal position toward said retracted position; actuation means for actuating said stored energy device in response to said deceleration signal indicating a vehicular deceleration exceeding a predetermined critical value; and a latch assembly coupled to said belt buckle for lockingly retaining said belt buckle in said retracted position, said latch assembly including a slide bracket mounted for slidable movement along said lock plate and defining a pair of channels for slidably engaging the side edges of said lock plate and a latch tab adapted to sequentially ratchet over said locking apertures in said lock plate during movement toward said retracted position and to lockingly engage a locking aperture to prevent subsequent return movement of said latch assembly and belt buckle toward said normal position from said retracted position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A belt tensioning mechanism for use in a motor vehicle to retract a belt buckle for applying a tensioning load on a seat belt, said belt tensioning mechanism comprising:
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a lock plate having a plurality of locking apertures formed therein; a buckle assembly including said belt buckle and a latching mechanism engageable with said locking apertures for permitting uni-directional movement of said buckle assembly on said lock plate from a normal position toward a retracted position; a drive mechanism coupled to said buckle assembly; a stored energy device that can be selectively actuated for displacing said drive mechanism to cause concurrent movement of said buckle assembly toward said retracted position; sensor means for sensing the occurrence and magnitude of a vehicular deceleration condition and generating a deceleration signal indicative thereof; and actuation means for actuating said stored energy device when the signal from said sensor means indicates that the vehicular deceleration is greater than a predetermined critical value; said lock plate having formed thereon a series of deformable tabs for engagement with said buckle assembly for decelerating said buckle assembly during retractive movement thereof to mitigate abrupt engagement of said buckle assembly with a stop member on said lock plate. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A safety belt restraint system for use in a motor vehicle comprising:
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a safety belt having a tongue plate retained thereon; a belt buckle for releasably locking said tongue plate; and belt tensioning means for moving said belt buckle from a normal position to a rearwardly retracted position in response to a deceleration exceeding a predetermined critical value, said belt tensioning means comprising sensing means for sensing the magnitude of a deceleration and generating a deceleration signal indicative thereof, an elongated lock plate defining substantially parallel side edges and having a series of locking apertures formed therein at spaced locations therealong, a drive mechanism coupled to said belt buckle, a stored energy device operable for forcibly displacing said drive mechanism so as to cause concurrent movement of said belt buckle from said normal position toward said retracted position, actuation means for actuating said stored energy device in response to said deceleration signal indicating a vehicular deceleration exceeding a predetermined critical value, and a latch assembly coupled to said belt buckle for lockingly retaining said belt buckle in said retracted position, said latch assembly including a slide bracket mounted for slidable movement along said lock plate and defining a pair of channels for slidably engaging the side edges of said lock plate and a latch tab adapted to sequentially ratchet over said locking apertures in said lock plate during movement toward said retracted position and to lockingly engage a locking aperture to prevent subsequent return movement of said latch assembly and belt buckle toward said normal position from said retracted position. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification