Roller guide and holder for an automotive safety restraint

• US 6,113,146 A
• Filed: 11/13/1998
• Issued: 09/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Takata (Europe) Vehicle Safety Technology GmbH
• Original Assignee: Takata (Europe) Vehicle Safety Technology GmbH
• Inventors: Mautsch, Jurgen, Wifling, Martin, Kopetzky, Robert, Scholler, Oskar, Krammel, Horst
• Primary Examiner(s): Rice, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US09/190,449
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 280/808
• US Class Current: 280/808
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/1825 using rollers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/24 secured to the side, door, or roof of the vehicle

Abstract

A roller guide assembly for a safety belt comprising a holder which can be secured to a vehicle part and which journals a guide roller between two bearings. In this, the bearings are formed resiliently. The invention prevents the bearings from prematurely wearing and avoids many of the high stress to which bearings in other roller guides are subjected.

Claims

1. A device for a safety apparatus, comprising:

a holder adapted to be secured to a motor vehicle;

a pair of bearings, each of said pair of bearings being disposed on a side of said holder, wherein at least one of said bearings is resilient and wherein each of said pair of bearings has a sleeve-like shape and is open at one end and closed at an opposite end; and

a guide roller which is journaled by said holder between said pair of bearings.

2. A device for a safety apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said holder has a cut-out for journalling said guide roller and at least one limb-like outward formation.

3. A device for a safety apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a plastic form part inserted in a circular opening of said holder.

4. A device for a safety apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising two bores in a central region of said holder.

5. A device for a safety apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said bores extend coaxial with respect to on another.

6. A device for a safety apparatus as claimed in claim 5, further comprising two circular guide openings in said holder extending at substantially right angles to said bores.

7. A device for a safety apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein a larger diameter region of each of said pair of bearings contacts an inner wall of each of said bores.

8. A device for a safety apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein each end of said guide roller has a concave cut-out.

9. A device for a safety apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein each end side of said guide roller has a stepped cut-out.

10. A device for a safety apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said pair of bearings has a widened edge at an outer periphery of said open end.

11. A device for a safety apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said widened edge has an inclined ramp.

12. A device for a safety apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said open end has four slit-like cut-outs extending in an axial direction.

13. A device for a safety apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein at least one of said four slit-like cut-outs is disposed opposite another of said cut-outs.

14. A device for a safety apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein each of said cut-outs is conically shaped and extends about one-third of a length of each of said pair of bearings.

15. A device for a safety apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said pair of bearings has a smaller diameter region and a larger diameter region.

16. A device for a safety apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein said larger diameter extends nearly an entire length of each of said pair of bearings, said smaller diameter region being located predominantly inside said larger diameter region and said larger and smaller diameter regions are connected by a formation having a meander-shaped cross-section.

17. A device for a safety apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein a transition region between said smaller and larger diameter regions contracts in a conical manner and said smaller region extends completely outside said larger region.

18. A device for a safety apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein said smaller diameter region lies completely inside said larger diameter region and a convex bearing surface is provided centrally at an inner end side of a closed end of each of said bearings.

19. A device for a safety apparatus comprising:

a holder adapted to be secured to a motor vehicle;

a pair of bearings, each of said pair of bearings being disposed on a side of said holder, wherein at least one of said bearings is resilient;

a shaft mounted in said holder by said pair of bearings; and

a guide roller which is journaled by said holder between said pair of bearings,

wherein an interior of said guide roller has a circumferential ring projection and said shaft has two circumferential ring grooves for latching in the circumferential ring projection of said guide roller.