Vehicle occupant restraint and method

• US 8,087,696 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2008
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lap Belt Cinch, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lap Belt Cinch, Inc.
• Inventors: Mather, Bruce Alan, Mather, Phillip Bruce, Carter, Charles McLean
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, DREW J
• Application Number:
  US12/157,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20090008919A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,301 Days
• Field of Search: 280/807, 297/474, 297/476, 297/479, 241/70, 241/71
• US Class Current: 280/807
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/1812 Connections between seat belt and buckle tongue
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4666 characterised by electric actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4816 for sensing locking of buckle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4841 for sensing belt tension
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/1951 characterised by arrangements in vehicle or relative to seat belt
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/46 Reels with means to tension the belt in an emergency by forced winding upelectrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01 ; tensioners using reels only guiding the belt during normal use, e.g. splitted reels B60R22/195
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45623 and operator therefor

Abstract

A component of a vehicle occupant restraint system, the vehicle occupant restraint system having a webbing with a lap belt portion and a shoulder belt portion contiguous with the lap belt portion, the component including a web engaging device adapted to toggle between an open and an engaged condition, wherein in the open condition the webbing is moveable relative to the web engaging device in two directions along the webbing, wherein in the engaged condition the webbing is moveable relative to the web engaging device in only one direction along the webbing, and wherein the web engaging device is lockable in the open condition. A vehicle occupant restraint system including a webbing with lap and shoulder belt portions, a component having a web engaging device adapted to toggle between an open and an engaged condition, and a tensioner configured to respond to at least one of the open and engaged conditions.

Claims

1. A component of a vehicle occupant restraint system, the vehicle occupant restraint system having a webbing with a lap belt portion and a shoulder belt portion contiguous with the lap belt portion, the component comprising:

a web engaging device configured to be coupled to a portion of a buckle assembly, the portion of the buckle assembly coupled to a remainder of the buckle assembly in a buckled configuration, the web engaging device being adapted to toggle between an open condition and an engaged condition while the portion of the buckle assembly is in the buckled configuration;

wherein in the open condition the webbing is moveable relative to the web engaging device in two directions along the webbing;

wherein in the engaged condition the webbing is moveable relative to the web engaging device in only one direction along the webbing.

2. The component of claim 1 wherein the web engaging device is adapted to be at least one of:

a) lockable in the open condition until manually or automatically toggled into the engaged condition;

b) lockable in the engaged position until manually or automatically toggled into the open condition;

c) momentarily toggled into the engaged condition; and

d) momentarily toggled into the open condition.

3. The component of claim 1, wherein the web engaging device comprises:

a web engaging surface configured to engage the webbing in the engaged condition,

and a switch that is positionable to cause the web engaging surface to disengage from the webbing and into the open condition.

4. The component of claim 3, wherein the web engaging surface is positioned on a cam.

5. The component of claim 4, wherein the switch includes a lever arm attached to the cam, the lever arm being selectively engageable with a feature of the component to lock the component in the open condition.

6. The component of claim 5, wherein a biasing device is configured to impact the switch to bias the belt engaging surface against the webbing in the engaged condition.

7. The component of claim 1 further comprising,

a biasing device configured to bias the web engaging device toward at least one of the open condition and the engaged condition.

8. The component of claim 1, wherein the portion of the buckle assembly includes a slip tongue attached to the webbing, the component further comprising:

a yoke for engaging the slip tongue; and

a housing for carrying the web engaging device, the housing configured to cooperate with the yoke to secure the component to the vehicle occupant restraint system.

9. The component of claim 8, wherein the housing further comprises an engagement for accepting a portion of the web engaging device when the component is in the open condition such that the web engaging device is lockable and unlockable with the engagement.

10. The component of claim 9, wherein the web engaging device further comprises a resilient retainer element that cooperates with the engagement to toggle the component between the open condition and the engaged condition.

11. The component of claim 1 further comprising,

a housing, wherein a portion of the web engaging device is configured to engage with the housing to lock the web engaging device in the open condition.

12. The component of claim 11, wherein the housing engaging portion includes at least one of a spring clip, a sliding retainer, a detent, a servo-relay, an electrical magnet, a permanent magnet, or a pin.

13. The component of claim 1, wherein the component is adapted to permit a tension to be maintained in the lap belt portion that is greater than a tension in the shoulder belt portion when the component is in the engaged condition.

14. The component of claim 1 further comprising,

a slip tongue engageable with a buckle.

15. The component of claim 14, wherein the web engaging device is adapted to automatically toggle from the open condition to the engaged condition when the slip tongue is engaged with the buckle.

16. The component of claim 14, wherein the web engaging device is adapted to automatically toggle from the engaged condition to the open condition when the slip tongue is disengaged from the buckle.

17. The component of claim 1, wherein slack developed in the shoulder belt portion is not translatable to the lap belt portion when the component is in the engaged condition.

18. A system including the component of claim 1 and comprising:

a tension detector operably engaged with the vehicle occupant restraint system to detect an indicia of tension in the webbing.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the tension detector includes at least one of a tensiometer, a strain gauge, a resistor wire embedded in the webbing, a webbing deflection detector, a spring-loaded mechanical switch, a pressure applicator applied to the webbing, a sonic detector, an ultra sonic detector, an optical detector, a strain gauge, or an ammeter.

20. The system of claim 18 further comprising:

a tensioner configured to tension the webbing to a predetermined tension when a slip tongue of the vehicle occupant restraint system is first engaged with a buckle.

21. The system of claim 18 further comprising:

a tensioner configured to tension the webbing after a predetermined time measured from when the web engaging device is toggled from the engaged condition to the open condition.

22. The system of claim 18 further comprising:

a tensioner coupled to the tension detector and configured to de-activate upon the detection by the tension detector of a predetermined indicia of tension in the webbing.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the tension detector is configured to de-activate the tensioner after a predetermined indicia of tension is reached in the lap belt portion.

24. The system of claim 18 further comprising:

a tensioner configured to tension the webbing to a tension taken from at least one of a preset tension and a user specified tension.

25. The component of claim 1 further comprising:

a housing having two opposing side portions, the web engaging device secured to both side portions such that the web engaging device is pivotable between the opposing side portions to toggle the component between the open condition and the engaged condition; and

a switch associated with the web engaging device, positioned within an opening of the housing and configured and dimensioned to toggle the web engaging device between the open condition and the engaged condition.

26. The component of claim 25, wherein a portion of the switch positioned within the housing is accessible to a user when the component is under load.

27. The component of claim 25, wherein the housing further comprises a plate securable to both side portions such that the webbing is disposed between the web engaging device and the plate, the component being configured and dimensioned such that web engaging device urges the webbing against the plate when the component is the engaged condition.

28. The component of claim 1 further comprising:

a housing; and

a yoke coupleable to the housing when the yoke is engaged with the portion of the buckle assembly, the portion of the buckle assembly including a tongue.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the yoke is adapted to engage a surface within the housing to retain the yoke to the housing.

30. The component of claim 28, wherein the yoke is coupleable to the housing at various depths within the housing.

31. The component of claim 1 further comprising:

a housing, wherein the housing includes an engagement for accepting a portion of the web engaging device when the component is in the open condition such that the web engaging device is lockable and unlockable with the engagement.

32. The component of claim 1 further comprising:

a locking mechanism configured to releaseably retain the web engaging device in the open condition while the portion of the buckle assembly is in the buckled configuration.

33. The component of claim 1, wherein web engaging device is configured to remain in the engaged condition independent of a tension on the webbing.