Occupant restraint system with compartmentalization

• US 6,312,056 B1
• Filed: 12/31/1998
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: John Donlon
• Original Assignee: Gary H. Murphy, George E. Temple IV, Keith A. Gudeman
• Inventors: Murphy, Gary H., Gudeman, Keith A., Temple, George E. IV
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHITE, RODNEY BARNETT
• Application Number:
  US09/224,159
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 297/233, 297/216.1, 297/216.13, 297/216.14, 297/248, 297/452.2
• US Class Current: 297/464
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0067 Buses
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/1818 Belt guides
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/3424 Multi-spool or multi-belt retractors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/26 secured to the seat

Abstract

An occupant restraint system for restraining an occupant in a seating arrangement comprising a vehicle seat wherein the vehicle seat has a seat frame, a seat bottom coupled to the frame, and a seat back coupled to the seat frame wherein the seat back has a first edge and a second edge, the occupant restraint system comprising a first anchoring assembly for being attached to the vehicle seat adjacent to the first edge of the seat back, a second anchoring assembly for being attached to the vehicle seat adjacent to the second edge of the seat back, a first elongate flexible member with a body portion extendibly and retractably retained on the first anchoring assembly, a mechanism for coupling a portion of the first elongate flexible member to the second anchoring assembly whereby the body portion of the first elongate flexible member traverses the seat back from the first edge to the second edge, a first buckle element coupled to the body portion of the first elongate flexible member, a first corresponding buckle element for buckling to the first buckle element and for being coupled to the vehicle seat whereby, when the first anchoring assembly, the second anchoring assembly, and the second buckle element are coupled to the vehicle seat, an occupant can be restrained by the first elongate flexible member at three restraining points with a first restraining point comprising the first anchoring assembly, a second restraining point comprising the second anchoring assembly, and a third restraining point comprising the coupling of the first buckle element to the first mating buckle element.

Claims

1. A combination of a bench-type school bus seat and a kit for retrofitting that school bus seat with an occupant restraint system, the combination comprising:

a bench-type school bus seat comprising;

a seat frame;

a bench-type seat bottom fixed to the seat frame; and

a bench-type seat back with an upper edge, a lower edge, and a seat back frame disposed inside a seat back cover wherein the seat back is fixed to the seat frame, wherein the entire seat back is constructed to pivot as a single unit about a single pivot axis for the seat back in response to the application of a given amount of force thereto, and wherein the seat back frame has a rigid upper member, a rigid lower member, a first upright member at a first end of the seat back frame, and a second upright member at a second end of the seat back frame;

an occupant restraint system comprising;

a rigid spine disposed between the first and second upright members of the seat back frame wherein the rigid spine has a first end fixed to the rigid lower member of the seat back frame and a second end fixed to the rigid upper member of the seat back frame;

an upper anchoring assembly fixed relative to the second end of the rigid spine adjacent to the rigid upper member of the seat back frame;

a lower anchoring assembly fixed relative to the first end of the rigid spine adjacent to the rigid lower member of the seat back frame;

a first extendable and retractable elongate flexible member with a body portion, a point of coupling with the upper anchoring assembly, and a point of coupling with the lower anchoring assembly;

a first buckle element coupled to the first elongate flexible member;

a first corresponding buckle element coupled to the vehicle seat for buckling to the first buckle element;

an axis bolt disposed adjacent to the lower edge of the seat back wherein the rigid spine is pivotable about the axis bolt such that the axis bolt acts as a pivot axis for the rigid spine wherein the pivot axis is substantially coincident with the single pivot axis for the entire seat back; and

a first shear pin calibrated to shear in response to an application of a first given force on the seat back and the rigid spine wherein the first shear pin is operably disposed at a given distance spaced from the axis bolt to prevent the rigid spine and the seat back from pivoting until a force equal to or greater than the first given force is applied to the seat back and the spine whereupon the first shear pin shears to allow the spine and the entire seat back to pivot about the axis bolt.

2. The occupant restraint system of claim 1 further comprising an aperture in the rigid spine wherein the first shear pin passes through the aperture in the rigid spine.

3. The occupant restraint system of claim 2 wherein the aperture in the rigid spine is wider than the first shear pin whereby the spine can pivot over a given range without a shearing of the first shear pin and whereby the first shear pin will shear to allow the spine to pivot beyond the given range in response to the application of a force equal to or greater than the first given force on the seat back and the spine.

4. The occupant restraint system of claim 3 wherein the aperture in the rigid spine comprises a slot whereby the first shear pin can travel along the slot as the rigid spine pivots over the given range.

5. The occupant restraint system of claim 3 further comprising a second shear pin operably disposed relative to the rigid spine at a given distance from each of the axis bolt and the first shear pin wherein the second shear pin is calibrated to shear in response to the application of a second given force on the seat back and the spine wherein the second give force is less than the first given force whereby the second shear pin prevents pivoting of the seat back and the spine until a force equal to or greater than the second given force is applied to the seat back and the spine whereupon the second shear pin shears thereby allowing the spine to pivot about the axis bolt until restricted by the first shear pin and whereby the first shear pin prevents further pivoting of the seat back and the spin unless a force equal to or greater than the first given force is applied to the seat back and the spine.