Seat belt system

• US 4,065,156 A
• Filed: 04/12/1976
• Issued: 12/27/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kondo, Yutaka, Tanaka, Yutaka, Yamanaka, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Peters, Jr., Joseph F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Forman, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US05/675,782
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 280/747, 280/744, 297/388, 297/389, 180/82 C
• US Class Current: 280/807
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/026 at least two ends of the belt being retractable after use
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/3424 Multi-spool or multi-belt retractors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/023 Three-point seat belt systems comprising two side lower and one side upper anchoring devices B60R22/022, B60R22/03 take precedence

Abstract

A first slip joint and a second slip joint are respectively arranged on a member mounted within an upper part of a car and a member mounted within a lower part of a car, a retractor is mounted on a side wall inside the car body (upon, for example, a center pillar) between the first and second slip joints, and a shoulder belt and a lap belt are respectively conducted from the retractor to a tongue plate through the first slip joint and through the second slip joint. A load which is exerted on a mounting portion of the retractor when the car body is suddenly decelerated can be confined to below approximately 50 Kg.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat belt system for reducing the effective load impressed upon the seat belt fitting which secures the seat belt retractor means to the vehicle, comprising:

belt means integrally defining a shoulder belt and a lap belt;

a first slip joint secured to the upper part of an interior side wall of a center pillar of said vehicle;

a second slip joint secured to a rocker panel disposed within the floor region of said vehicle;

a tongue plate disposed upon said belt means;

said center pillar extending vertically and being provided with a hollow portion access to which is provided by means of a window defined within said interior side wall of said pillar;

a cover disposed over said window for covering said window;

seat belt retractor means comprising two seat belt retractors disposed within said hollow portion of said center pillar, said retractors being arranged vertically in a series so as to define upper and lower seat belt retractors and being mounted upon a common retractor fitting secured to the surface of said cover which faces said hollow portion of said pillar;

a shoulder belt port defined within the upper part of said cover for permitting said shoulder belt to pass therethrough, and a lap belt port defined within the lower part of said cover for permitting said lap belt to pass therethrough;

said shoulder belt having one end thereof wound upon said upper seat belt retractor which has a belt port defined within the upper part thereof;

said lap belt having one end thereof wound upon said lower seat belt retractor which has a belt port defined within the lower part thereof;

said shoulder belt extending upwardly from said upper seat belt retractor and through said upper seat belt retractor belt port and said shoulder belt port defined within said cover so as to pass through said first slip joint and extend toward said tongue plate;

said lap belt extending downwardly from said lower seat belt retractor and through said lower seat belt retractor belt port and said lap port defined within said cover so as to pass through said second slip joint and extend toward said tongue plate; and

the other ends of said shoulder and lap belts being passed through said tongue plate,

whereby as a result of said mounting of said two seat belt retractors upon said common fitting, and said upward disposition of said shoulder belt from said upper seat belt retractor to said first slip joint as well as said downward disposition of said lap belt from said lower seat belt retractor to said second slip joint, when said vehicle is suddenly decelerated, forces will be transmitted through said shoulder and lap belts to said common fitting, yet the net effective force impressed upon said common fitting will be equal only to the difference in the magnitudes of said forces transmitted through said shoulder and lap belts.