Seat belt device

• US 9,561,771 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2014
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Okubo, Shinichi, Hashimoto, Haruhiko, Ukita, Masaru, Hamada, Takahiro, Umakoshi, Tomonari
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Faye M
• Application Number:
  US15/029,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20160236641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0032 Position of passenger
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0044 Chest
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0055 Pelvis
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0058 Shoulders
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/1806 for buckles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/1812 Connections between seat belt and buckle tongue
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/282 using fluids or vico-elastic materials
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/18 the inflatable member formed as a belt or harness or combined with a belt or harness arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/12 Construction of belts or harnesses B60R21/18 takes precedence ; woven fabrics for safety belts D03D1/0005
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/14 incorporating enlarged restraint areas, e.g. vests, nets , crash pads, optionally for children crash pads for occupants' safety on vehicles in general B60R21/02
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/28 incorporating energy-absorbing devices belt anchors provided with energy-absorbing means for protecting the occupants in case of physical contact therewith B60R21/055; belt retractors comprising energy-absorbing means B60R22/341, B60R22/4676

Abstract

A seatbelt device comprises a webbing, a bag body and an anchor member. The webbing is applied to the body of a vehicle occupant sitting on a seat. The bag body is provided along a length direction of the webbing, and the bag body is disposed at one side of the webbing and can be inflated by pressure of a fluid supplied from a length direction one side of the bag body. A deployment portion through which the fluid can pass is provided in the bag body, being disposed at width direction outer sides and a thickness direction another side of the webbing. An insertion hole is formed in the anchor member, through which the webbing and the bag body are inserted. The webbing is folded at the thickness direction one side when applied to the body of the sitting vehicle occupant, and the deployment portion of the bag body is disposed in the insertion hole.

Claims

1. A seatbelt device comprising:

a webbing being configured to be applied to the body of a vehicle occupant sitting on a seat;

a bag body disposed along a length direction of the webbing, the bag body being disposed in a thickness direction at one side of the webbing, the bag body being folded over width direction outer sides of the webbing so as to be disposed over another side of the webbing in a thickness direction, the bag body being inflatable by pressure of a fluid supplied from a length direction one side of the bag body, and a deployment portion through which the fluid can pass being provided at the bag body, the deployment portion being disposed at the width direction outer side and the thickness direction other side of the webbing; and

an anchor member in which an insertion hole is formed, the webbing and the bag body being inserted through the insertion hole, the webbing being folded back at the thickness direction one side of the webbing as an inner side of the folding back at the insertion hole when the webbing is applied to the body of the sitting vehicle occupant, and the deployment portion of the bag body being disposed inside the insertion hole.

2. The seatbelt device according to claim 1, wherein the bag body comprises a non-inflating portion that cannot be inflated, the non-inflating portion being formed in the bag body at the thickness direction one side of the webbing, and the non-inflating portion being located at a position in a length direction of the bag body such that a folding position of the bag body at the anchor member is encompassed in the position when the webbing is applied to the body of the sitting vehicle occupant.

3. The seatbelt device according to claim 1, wherein the bag body further comprises:

a main body portion that is configured to inflate at a chest front side of the vehicle occupant when the webbing is applied to the body of the sitting vehicle occupant; and

a fluid passage portion that is provided at the length direction one side of the bag body relative to the main body portion, a width dimension of the fluid passage portion being smaller than a width dimension of the main body portion, and the fluid passing through the fluid passage portion and flowing into the main body portion.

4. The seatbelt device according to claim 3, wherein the bag body further comprises an intermediate passage portion provided between the main body portion and fluid passage portion,

the intermediate passage portion being insertable through the insertion hole in the state in which the webbing is applied to the body of the vehicle occupant,

a width dimension of the intermediate passage portion being smaller than the width dimension of the main body portion and larger than the width dimension of the fluid passage portion, and

the fluid passing through the intermediate passage portion from the fluid passage portion toward the main body portion.

5. The seatbelt device according to claim 1, further comprising a tubular member that is provided with a distal end and a proximal end,

wherein the tubular member being structured such that, when the webbing is applied to the body of the sitting vehicle occupant, the distal end of the tubular member is disposed in the bag body at the length direction one side of the bag body relative to the insertion hole of the anchor member and the proximal end is disposed further to the length direction one side of the bag body than the distal end, and

the fluid being supplied into the tubular member from the proximal end and the tubular member discharging the fluid from the distal end into the bag body.

6. The seatbelt device according to claim 5, wherein the distal end of the tubular member is disposed at a side of the bag body at which the deployment portion is disposed.

7. The seatbelt device according to claim 1, further comprising a tubular member,

wherein the tubular member being structured such that, when the webbing is applied to the body of the sitting vehicle occupant, a distal end side of the tubular member is provided inside the deployment portion of the bag body and is disposed at the length direction other side relative to a folding position of the bag body at the anchor member, and a proximal end of the tubular member is disposed at the length direction one side of the bag body relative to the distal end, and

the fluid being supplied into the tubular member from the proximal end and the tubular member discharging the fluid from the distal end into the bag body.

8. The seatbelt device according to claim 5, wherein the length direction one side of the bag body relative to the distal end of the tubular member can be inflated by pressure of the fluid.

9. The seatbelt device according to claim 1, wherein the bag body, when deployed, extends beyond the outer sides of the webbing.

10. The seatbelt device according to claim 1, wherein the bag body, when deployed, directly contacts the body of a user of the seatbelt device.