Simplified height adjuster for D-ring

• US 7,513,531 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2005
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Acquisition, LLC (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata Seat Belts Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Gray, Mark F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming; Faye M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Freedman; Laura
• Application Number:
  US11/242,758
• Publication Number:
  US 20070075539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 248/222.51, 248/297.31, 280/801.2, 280/808, 297/483, 297/486
• US Class Current: 280/801.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/202 the slider comprising spring-actuated locking means B60R22/205 takes precedence

Abstract

A seat belt height adjuster for anchoring a seat belt is provided in a preferred form with three relatively simple component parts comprising a slider, a rail, and a bent spring. One end of the slider is biased by the bent spring so that a portion of the slider is spaced from the rail and to position locking protrusions on the slider body into at least one opening in the rail to lock the height adjuster at the desired height position. To adjust the location of the slider along the rail, a pushing force on the one end of the slider compresses the spring and removes the locking protrusions from the rail opening thereby allowing sliding of the slider along the rail. The slider pivots about its other end which is engaging the rail. Upon release of the pushing force, the spring expands and biases the locking protrusion into a rail opening. The spring may be a simple V or U-shaped, leaf spring and the slider may be a single, integral piece of metal.

Claims

1. A height adjuster for a seat belt D-ring, the height adjuster comprising:

a vertically extending, elongated guide rail and having at least one row of vertically spaced openings;

a one piece, slider movable vertically along the rail to adjust the height of the D-ring;

a locking protrusion on one end of the slider for engaging into a selected one of the vertically spaced openings on the rail;

a portion of the slider at one end thereof having a spaced position from the rail for being pushed to pivot toward the rail to remove the locking protrusion from the locking opening in the rail to allow the slider to be shifted vertically for height adjustment;

a single bent spring positioned between the rail and the slider portion for biasing the one end of the slider portion to its spaced position and biasing the locking protrusion into the locking position in the selected one of the openings in the rail, the one end of the slider portion being pushed against the spring force to compress the bent spring and to pivot the slider about its other end to remove the locking protrusion from the rail opening; and

an interior space between the rail and the slider with the single bent spring being sized to fit entirely within the interior space.

2. A height adjuster in accordance with claim 1 wherein the single bent spring comprises:

a spring body secured to the slider for travel therewith; and

a bent spring leg sliding along the rail as the slider is moved vertically along the rail to adjust the height of the slider on the rail.

3. A height adjuster in accordance with claim 2 wherein the spring body comprises:

a second leg on the spring body disposed against and secured to the slider.

4. A height adjuster in accordance with claim 3 comprising:

a fastener fastening the second leg of the spring body at the one end of the slider.

5. A height adjuster in accordance with claim 1 wherein the slider portion is a web wall having one end thereof spaced at a greater distance from the rail than its other end with the locking protrusion biased into one of the rail openings so that the web wall is inclined relative to the rail.

6. A height adjuster in accordance with claim 5 wherein the spring is mounted to the slider web wall between the respective ends of the slider.

7. A height adjuster in accordance with claim 1 wherein the slider has an opening therein, and

a fastener mounted in the opening to fasten the bent spring to the slider.

8. A height adjuster for a seat belt D-ring, the height adjuster comprising:

a vertically extending rail having a row of vertically spaced openings therein;

a one piece, slider mounted on the rail for sliding therealong to adjust the height of the D-ring;

the slider having a substantially U-shaped slider body and inturned legs for sliding along the underside of the rail,

integral protrusions formed on the inturned legs for projecting into the openings in the rail to locate the slider at predetermined height locations along the rail; and

a one piece bent spring located between the rail and the slider and biasing the slider to insert the protrusions into the rail openings, the spring being compressible by pushing on the slider to remove the protrusions from the rail openings to allow a height adjustment movement of the slider along the rail.

9. The height adjuster of claim 8 comprising:

an upper end of the slider including a portion spaced from a front side of the rail to accommodate the bent spring between the rail and the slider portion; and

the protrusions being located at the underside of the rail and the upper end of the slider.

10. A height adjuster in accordance with claim 8 wherein the bent spring comprises:

a substantially U-shaped body having first and second legs;

the first leg being secured to the slider; and

the second leg sliding along the rail as the slider is shifted vertically on the rail.

11. A height adjuster in accordance with claim 8 comprising:

a central web on the slider body having the inturned legs integrally formed along vertical edges of the central web; and

the slider having opposite upper and lower ends with the central web being spaced at a greater distance from the rail at the slider lower end than at the upper end with the protrusions in one of the openings to accommodate the spring between the central web at the slider lower end and the rail and to allow movement of the central web of the slider lower end toward the rail to remove the protrusions from the rail opening.