Motor vehicle rear seat safety belt arrangement

• US 5,494,316 A
• Filed: 10/05/1994
• Issued: 02/27/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dr Ing hc F Porsche AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Dr Ing hc F Porsche AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Maesing, Alfons, Kneip, Rainer
• Primary Examiner(s): FERRITER, KARIN L
• Application Number:
  US08/318,163
• Time in Patent Office: 510 Days
• Field of Search: 280/808, 280/801.1, 297/483, 296/68.1
• US Class Current: 280/808
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/18 Anchoring devices

Abstract

A safety belt for a rear seat system of a motor vehicle includes three-point belts. Upper deflector points, provided at shoulder level of the back-seat passengers, are mounted on a deflector element disposed next to the middle of the vehicle. In order to be able to provide three-point belts in the region of the rear seat system in a motor vehicle which has a folding convertible top such that the belts are usable without restriction in both the open (folded) and the closed (unfolded) positions of the convertible top, a support frame is disposed between the side-by side-seats of the rear seat system. Deflector elements provided at shoulder level of the back-seat passengers are mounted on this support frame.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle having two rear seats, a longitudinally oriented tunnel portion and a back wall having a transversely and horizontally extending bottom segment, the motor vehicle further comprising a safety belt assembly including:

two safety belts, the safety belts adapted to extend diagonally across a passenger;

a support frame, the support frame comprising an approximately U-shaped tubular yoke including a transversely extending crossbar and two arms extending obliquely downwardly and outwardly from the transversely extending crossbar;

two retractors, the retractors winding up the safety belts and being mounted on the support frame;

two deflector elements for guiding the safety belts, the deflector elements being connected to the transversely extending crossbar, wherein the deflector elements are annular belt eyelets extending in the transverse direction of the vehicle and each eyelet having one recess for introduction of the belt;

a transversely extending plate seated on the bottom segment of the rear wall of the vehicle, the arms of the yoke having lower ends permanently connected to transversely extending plate;

a covering adapted to the contour of the support frame and including two spaced outlet openings adjacent to the eyelets for passage of the safety belts.

2. The motor vehicle of claim 1, wherein a curved support strut, oriented downwardly and toward the front of the vehicle, is extended away from a middle region of the crossbar of the tubular yoke, the lower end of the support strut, located in front of seat backs of the seats, being fixed to a longitudinally oriented retaining plate seated and secured on the tunnel.

3. The motor vehicle of claim 1, wherein the tubular yoke and the support strut are curved rectangular tubes.

4. The motor vehicle of claim 2, wherein an element is seated on a lower end of the support strut, and is permanently connected to the support strut and the retaining plate, the element widening continuously toward the retaining plate, with the support strut and the retaining plate forming a hollow, girder-like structure.

5. The motor vehicle of claim 2, wherein a vertically oriented reinforcement plate is connected to a side of the support strut oriented toward the back wall and is fixed to the support strut, the transversely extending securing plate, and the longitudinally oriented retaining plate.

6. The motor vehicle-of claim 2, wherein in an upper region on both sides of the support strut, respective reinforcement elements are fixed to the underside of the transversely extending crossbar and to outer sides of the support strut.

7. The motor vehicle of claim 6, wherein the reinforcement elements have adjustable locking bolts extending transversely of the vehicle to effect locking of the seat backs in upright position.

8. The motor vehicle of claim 6, wherein transversely extending mounts are attached to the securing plate of the support frame on sides of the vertical reinforcement plate, and the retractors are secured to the mounts.

9. The motor vehicle of claim 1, wherein securing angle brackets and angle brackets for retaining the covering are provided locally at the support frame.