Belt tightener for seat belt

• US 5,607,185 A
• Filed: 11/22/1994
• Issued: 03/04/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Iwai, Shinichi, Isaji, Kazuyoshi, Ohashi, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Christopher P.
• Application Number:
  US08/345,816
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 280/806, 280/801.1, 297/480
• US Class Current: 280/806
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/2503 Safety buckles safety belts in vehicles B60R22/00; safety belts for aircraft B64D25/02
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/1953 the cable being pulled by mechanical means, e.g. pre-stressed springs, bumper displacement during crash

Abstract

A pre-loader device that quickly tighten a seat belt after a sudden deceleration of a vehicle is detected is disclosed herein. The pre-loader device includes a mass body and a casing housing the mass body with the mass body being movable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle within the casing. A holder is positioned by a weak coil spring, and a strong coil spring is disposed between a flange part of the mass body and a flange part of the holder. A retainer and the holder hold therebetween stoppers disposed at the tip of plate springs that extend from the rear end of the mass body so as to position the mass body and maintaining the coil spring in a compressed state. A wire connects the rear end of the mass body to a seat belt buckle.

Claims

1. A belt tightener for a seat belt, wherein said belt tightener pulls in a seat belt when deceleration of a moving vehicle exceeds a predetermined value, comprising:

a casing extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle;

a compression spring having a first end and a second end and disposed in said casing;

a connecting member having a first end and a second end, with a buckle of the seat belt connected to said first end of said connecting member;

a supporting member supporting said first end of said compression spring;

a pull-in member contacting said second end of said compression spring, connected to said second end of said connecting member and adapted to move in an expansion direction of said compression spring following expansion of said compression spring;

wherein said pull-in member includes a locking part engageable with and disengageable from said supporting member to maintain said compression spring in a compressed state by causing said locking part to be engaged with said supporting member; and

a restricting member contacting said locking part for restricting movement thereof in the direction in which the engagement of said locking part is released;

wherein said seat belt is tightened by the expansion of said spring caused by the release of contact between said locking part and said restricting member and disengagement of said locking part from at least a portion of said supporting member when deceleration of the vehicle exceeds the predetermined value.

2. The belt tightener for a seat belt according to claim 1, wherein said pull-in member includes a means for re-engagement movable in the direction of pull-out movement of said seat belt after said compression spring expands.

3. The belt tightener for a seat belt according to claim 1, wherein said supporting member includes means for moving in a direction in which a space formed between said supporting member and said restricting member, and smaller than said locking part, widens when deceleration of the vehicle exceeds the predetermined value.

4. The belt tightener for a seat belt according to claim 2, wherein said supporting member includes means for moving in a direction in which a space formed between said supporting member and said restricting member, and smaller than said locking part, widens when deceleration of the vehicle exceeds the predetermined value, and wherein said restricting member includes means for moving in a direction of movement of said locking part when said pull-in member moves in the direction of pull-out movement of said seat belt for re-engagement after said compression spring expands, thus forming said space larger than said locking part and said locking part re-engages with said supporting member to maintain said restricting member in the compressed state.

5. The belt tightener for a seat belt according to claim 1, wherein said locking part comprises:

a plate member connecting with said connecting member, which gradually expands in a radial direction of said compression spring, and

a stopper provided at a tip end part of said plate member and contacting said supporting member and said restricting member facing said supporting member.

6. The belt tightener for a seat belt according to claim 5, wherein said compression spring and said pull-in member jointly form a mass body movable according to deceleration of the vehicle.

7. The belt tightener for a seat belt according to claim 6, wherein said stopper is longitudinally movable and provides stopping movement of said mass body by being engaged therewith.

8. A belt tightener for a seat belt disposed in a moving vehicle, said belt tightener comprising:

a casing having first and second hollow parts;

supporting means disposed in said first hollow part for moving in a longitudinal direction of said casing in response to a deceleration force of said moving vehicle;

means for supplying a force in a direction opposite to a direction of said deceleration force, said supplying means being connected to said seat belt, said supplying means disposed in said first hollow part, said supplying means including blocking means for blocking said supplying means in order to prevent said supplying means from supplying said force until said supporting means moves in said longitudinal direction by a predetermined distance which releases said supplying means,

wherein said supporting means includes;

a movable cylindrical holder having a flange at a far end thereof; and

a coil spring disposed so as to be in contact with said flange of said cylindrical holder.

9. A belt tightener for a seat belt according to claim 8, wherein said supplying means includes:

a mass body having a flange at a far end thereof; and

a second coil spring maintained in a compressed state between said flange of said mass body and said flange of said cylindrical holder.

10. A belt tightener for a seat belt according to claim 9, wherein said blocking means includes a pair of plate springs connected to said mass body;

and

a locking part for holding said plate springs, said locking part being disposed so as to move between a first and a second position when said supplying means releases, said locking part being disposed at an end of said plate springs opposite said mass member.