CN111688629B

CN111688629B - Transmission mechanism of retractor

Info

Publication number: CN111688629B
Application number: CN202010684727.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王飞; 汤丹; 黄永亮
Original assignee: Yanfeng Automotive Safety Systems Co Ltd
Current assignee: Yanfeng Automotive Safety Systems Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-07-16
Filing date: 2020-07-16
Publication date: 2024-04-30
Anticipated expiration: 2040-07-16
Also published as: WO2022012447A1; CN111688629A

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a retractor transmission mechanism for a retractor of a vehicle seat belt device, comprising: the angle adjusting disc assembly comprises an angle adjusting shell and an angle adjusting pulley arranged in the angle adjusting shell, the angle adjusting shell is in transmission connection with a rotating shaft of the backrest, and the angle adjusting pulley can rotate independently of the angle adjusting shell and is provided with a circular arc-shaped winding groove; the transmission case assembly comprises a transmission shell and a transmission pulley arranged in the transmission shell, the transmission shell is mounted to the retractor, the transmission pulley can rotate independently of the transmission shell and is provided with a circular arc-shaped winding groove, and the winding groove radius of the transmission pulley is approximately the same as the winding groove radius of the angle modulation pulley. The wire-control angle-adjusting retractor disclosed by the invention adopts a direct-drive transmission mechanism, and a pinion is omitted.

Description

Transmission mechanism of retractor

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to a seat belt device for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a retractor transmission mechanism for a retractor of a seat belt device for a vehicle.

Background

A seat belt device is a device that protects an occupant from being injured by inertial effects during emergency braking and collision of a vehicle. The webbing is stored and wound up by a retractor, and is fixed to a vehicle body by a tongue. The seat belt device is one of the most important components of the passive safety system of a vehicle.

With the increasing amount of vehicle maintenance, the demands of occupants on vehicle comfort, particularly seat comfort, are increasing. The seat back has evolved from fixed to adjustable and the adjustable tilt has become increasingly larger, for example commercial vehicles have achieved an adjustable tilt that is close to lying. For optimal safety and comfort, retractors are often installed in the seat back and also provide occupant safety at all times during rearward adjustment of the seat back. The vehicle sensing device is a mechanical sensor in the retractor for sensing acceleration and inclination of the vehicle and activating the webbing lock when an emergency condition of the vehicle occurs.

The traditional car feel device is a fixed inclination car feel device designed along with the installation position of a car body, and cannot meet the technical requirement of the adjustable inclination of a seat back. Therefore, an adaptive retractor in which the inclination angle of the feel device is adjusted in synchronization with the seat back is developed, wherein the feel device is adjusted together with the seat back by its own weight. But the adjustable range of the self-adaptive retractor is small, the sensitivity of the vehicle feeling is low, and the requirements of higher and higher backrest adjusting inclination angle cannot be met.

The seat integrated wire-control safety belt device provides a better solution for solving the problem that the large inclination angle of the seat back is adjustable. The wire-control angle modulation retractor of the safety belt device is arranged on a seat backrest, an angle modulation disc assembly is arranged between the seat backrest and a seat part and is linked with the seat angle modulation device, and the retractor is connected with the angle modulation disc assembly through a core wire assembly. When the seat angle adjuster is adjusted, the angle adjusting disc assembly and the seat backrest synchronously rotate, the core wire is pulled out or recovered, and the vehicle sensing device in the retractor is driven to synchronously rotate, so that the inclination angle of the vehicle sensing device and the seat backrest can be synchronously adjusted. The wire control angle modulation retractor has obviously improved the sensitivity and angle modulation scope than the self-adaptive retractor. The vehicle sensing device of the wire control angle adjusting retractor can change position along with the inclination angle adjustment of the seat, so that the initial position of the vehicle sensing device is particularly important. A set of retractor transmission mechanism is needed to be designed to enable the vehicle sensing device to be linked with the angle adjusting disc assembly, so that the initial position of the vehicle sensing device is always kept constant.

The existing wire control angle-adjusting retractor generally adopts a secondary gear transmission mechanism. The secondary gear transmission mechanism is provided with angle adjusting pulleys and transmission pulleys with different sizes, two ends of the core wire are respectively fixed on the angle adjusting pulleys and the transmission pulleys, and the core wire, the angle adjusting pulleys and the transmission pulleys form reverse pulley transmission. Since the wire winding diameter of the angle pulley is larger than the wire winding diameter of the drive pulley, an additional pinion is provided to correct the transmission ratio between the angle pulley and the drive pulley. The additional pinion not only increases the number of parts and increases the requirement on the precision of the parts, but also increases the transmission path and reduces the transmission precision.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a retractor transmission that overcomes at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art.

A first aspect of the present disclosure relates to a retractor transmission mechanism for a retractor of a vehicle seat belt apparatus, wherein a seat of the vehicle includes a seat portion, and a backrest capable of adjusting an inclination angle about a rotation axis with respect to the seat portion, the retractor is mounted on the backrest and includes a vehicle feel apparatus, the retractor transmission mechanism comprising:

The angle adjusting disc assembly comprises an angle adjusting shell and an angle adjusting pulley arranged in the angle adjusting shell, the angle adjusting shell is in transmission connection with a rotating shaft of the backrest, and the angle adjusting pulley can rotate independently of the angle adjusting shell and is provided with a circular arc-shaped winding groove;

The transmission case assembly comprises a transmission shell and a transmission pulley arranged in the transmission shell, the transmission shell is mounted to the retractor, the transmission pulley can rotate independently of the transmission shell and is provided with a circular arc-shaped winding groove, and the winding groove of the transmission pulley is approximately the same as the winding groove of the angle modulation pulley in radius; and

A core wire having a first end and an opposite second end fixed to the recliner pulley and the drive pulley, respectively, and capable of being wound on a winding slot of the recliner pulley and a winding slot of the drive pulley.

In some embodiments, the angle pulley and the drive pulley are disposed on the same side of the extended core wire, and the angle pulley and the drive pulley form a homodromous pulley drive.

In some embodiments, the winding grooves of the drive pulley are disposed on a portion or all of the peripheral outer surface of the drive pulley.

In some embodiments, the drive pulley is configured to maintain rotational alignment with the feel device during adjustment of the tilt angle of the backrest relative to the seat.

In some embodiments, the drive pulley is provided with a push rod extending outwardly from a radially outer surface thereof, the push rod being configured to push the feel device to rotate in a fore-aft direction of the vehicle.

In some embodiments, the vehicle sensing device includes a sensing seat having an inertial body supporting surface, and a sensing ball supported on the inertial body supporting surface, wherein the sensing seat is provided at a bottom thereof with two arm portions protruding downward, and a push rod is interposed between the two arm portions.

In some embodiments, the push rod has a spherical or elliptical head, and the head is interposed between the two arms.

In some embodiments, the drive pulley is provided with a core wire fixing portion for fixing an end portion of the core wire.

A second aspect of the present disclosure relates to a seatbelt apparatus for a vehicle, wherein the seatbelt apparatus includes a retractor and the above-described retractor transmission mechanism for the retractor.

Additional features and advantages of the subject technology of the present disclosure will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the subject technology of the present disclosure. The advantages of the subject technology of the present disclosure will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the subject technology of the present disclosure as claimed.

Drawings

The various aspects of the disclosure will be better understood upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the layout of a retractor on a vehicle seat including a retractor transmission according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an assembled side view of a retractor including a retractor drive mechanism according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded perspective view of a retractor including a retractor drive mechanism according to the disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded perspective view of a retractor transmission according to the present disclosure;

Fig. 5A and 5B illustrate assembled perspective and cross-sectional views of a retractor transmission mechanism according to the present disclosure;

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate a cross-sectional view and a partial enlarged perspective view of a gear box assembly of a retractor drive mechanism according to the present disclosure; and

Fig. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of a recliner disc assembly of a retractor transmission mechanism according to the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood, however, that the present disclosure may be presented in many different ways and is not limited to the embodiments described below; indeed, the embodiments described below are intended to more fully convey the disclosure to those skilled in the art and to fully convey the scope of the disclosure. It should also be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in various ways to provide yet additional embodiments.

It should be understood that throughout the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like elements. In the drawings, the size of certain features may be modified for clarity.

It should be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. All terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the specification have the meanings commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art unless otherwise defined. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.

As used in this specification, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The use of the terms "comprising," "including," and "containing" in the specification mean that the recited features are present, but that one or more other features are not excluded. The use of the phrase "and/or" in the specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. The words "between X and Y" and "between about X and Y" used in this specification should be interpreted to include X and Y. The phrase "between about X and Y" as used herein means "between about X and about Y", and the phrase "from about X to Y" as used herein means "from about X to about Y".

In the description, an element is referred to as being "on," "attached" to, "connected" to, "coupled" to, "contacting" or the like another element, and the element may be directly on, attached to, connected to, coupled to or contacting the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly attached to," directly connected to, "directly coupled to," or "directly contacting" another element, there are no intervening elements present. In the specification, one feature is arranged "adjacent" to another feature, which may mean that one feature has a portion overlapping with the adjacent feature or a portion located above or below the adjacent feature.

In the specification, spatial relationship words such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "rear", "high", "low", and the like may describe the relationship of one feature to another feature in the drawings. It will be understood that the spatial relationship words comprise, in addition to the orientations shown in the figures, different orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, when the device in the figures is inverted, features that were originally described as "below" other features may be described as "above" the other features. The device may also be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the relative spatial relationship will be explained accordingly.

Fig. 1 schematically shows a side view of a vehicle seat with a seat belt arrangement. The vehicle may be a passenger or a truck, in particular a partially or fully autonomous motor vehicle. The vehicle seat has a seat portion 5 and a backrest 4. The backrest 4 can be adjusted in inclination forwards and backwards with respect to the seat 5 about its rotation axis from a substantially upright predetermined initial position (depicted in solid lines in fig. 1). The predetermined initial position is optimized for seating of an occupant. The backrest 4 can be laid down forwards on the seat 5 to make room. The backrest 4 can be adjusted back to a maximum tilt position close to horizontal, in which the occupant can rest. The maximum tilt position may correspond to a tilt angle of approximately 180 °, for example a tilt angle of approximately 170 °, with reference to the forward direction of the vehicle. The backrest 4 can be adjusted to any intermediate position between the initial position and the maximum tilt position, for example to a tilt angle of about 120 ° or 135 °, depending on the needs of the occupant. The two end positions of the backrest 5 are depicted in broken lines in fig. 1.

The vehicle seat is provided with a seat belt device that protects an occupant from being injured by inertial action in the event of a vehicle emergency. The seat belt device comprises a retractor 1. The retractor 1 is provided on the backrest 4 and is used for winding and receiving webbing. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the retractor 1 includes a retractor frame 17 and a spool 33. The retractor frame 17 is U-shaped and includes a bottom wall and two side walls. The retractor frame 17 is fixed to the backrest 4 by a bottom wall and rotatably supports the spool 33 by cooperation of the two side walls and the two spool covers 18, 22. The spool 33 is cylindrical in shape and is used for winding the webbing. A retractor spring is provided between one end of the spool 33 and the spool cover 22. The retractor spring pretensions the spool 33 in the retraction direction to apply a return force to the spool 33 back to its original position. The other end of the spool 33 is fixed to the ratchet 21 so that the spool 33 and the ratchet 21 can rotate together in synchronization. In an emergency situation of the vehicle, the vehicle sensing device 10 stops the ratchet 21 and thereby the spool 33, so that the spool 33 stops winding the webbing and restrains the occupant. The ratchet 21 may be housed in the spool lid 18, and the spool lid 18 in turn housed in the retractor outer cover 23. The spool lids 18, 22 and the retractor outer cover 23 may be commonly fixed to the retractor frame 17.

The vehicle sensing device 10 is used for detecting acceleration of a vehicle generated in an emergency. The vehicle sensing device 10 includes a sensing seat 14, a sensing ball 25, a sensing pawl 15, and a locking pawl 8. The susceptor 14 is generally bowl-shaped. The susceptor 14 is provided with two pivot shafts extending outwardly in opposite directions on the outer surface of the bowl so that the susceptor 14 is pivotally mounted to a transmission case assembly 9 of a retractor transmission (described in greater detail below). The bottom of the susceptor 14 in the bowl includes an inertial body support surface. The inertial body support surface needs to be maintained in a substantially horizontal position all the time as a reference surface of the vehicle sensing device 10. The sensor ball 25 is received in the bowl of the sensor socket 14 and is supported in its initial position on the inertial body support surface. The sensing pawl 15 is pivotally mounted on the sensing seat 14 and overlies the sensing ball 25. The locking pawl 8 is mounted on the retractor frame 17 of the retractor 1 (e.g. on a side wall) and is located between the sensing pawl 15 and the ratchet 21 of the retractor 1. When an emergency situation occurs in the vehicle and acceleration exceeding a preset value occurs, the sensitive ball 25 is separated from the supporting surface of the inertial body due to inertia and moves upwards along the inner surface of the bowl of the sensitive seat 14, so that the sensitive claw 15 is driven to pivot upwards. The upward pivoting of the sensitive pawl 15 ejects the locking pawl 8 upward and against the ratchet 21 of the retractor 1. The ratchet 21 and the spool 33 stop rotating, so that the retractor 1 stops winding the webbing and restrains the occupant.

The retractor 1 with the feel device 10 is mounted in the backrest 4. In the initial position of the backrest 4, the vehicle sensing device 10 is in a substantially vertical orientation and the inertial body support surface is in a substantially horizontal position. When the backrest 4 is rotated in the front-rear direction of the vehicle from the initial position, the vehicle-feel device 10 is no longer in a substantially vertical orientation, thereby affecting the locking function. In order for the feel device 10 to remain properly functioning throughout the reclining of the backrest 4, the retractor drive mechanism is configured to automatically adjust the tilt angle of the feel device 10, desirably such that the feel device 10 remains in a substantially vertical orientation. It is also possible that the retractor transmission can only partially compensate for the inclination deviation of the vehicle sensing device 10 from the vertical due to the inclination of the backrest 4. For example, when the backrest 4 is adjusted to be inclined backward by 20 ° from the predetermined initial position, the retractor transmission mechanism may compensate only half of the 20 ° inclination deviation of the vehicle sensing device 10, so that the vehicle sensing device 10 still has the 10 ° inclination deviation. This still improves the feel function compared to the case where the feel device 10 is fixedly mounted with respect to the backrest 4 and thus has a 20 ° tilt angle deviation.

As shown in fig. 4, 5A and 5B, the retractor transmission includes a transmission case assembly 9 and a recliner disc assembly 3 connected by a core assembly 2. The recliner disc assembly 3 is disposed coaxially with the rotational axis of the backrest 4 and rotates with the rotation of the backrest 4. The core wire assembly 2 connects the angle adjustment disc assembly 3 and the transmission case assembly 9 so as to transmit the rotation angle of the angle adjustment disc assembly 3 to the transmission case assembly 9. The transmission case assembly 9 is located between the core wire assembly 2 and the feel device 10, and transmits the rotation angle of the recliner disc assembly 3 to the feel device 10 to adjust the positioning inclination of the feel device 10.

The core wire assembly 2 includes an elongated hollow sheath 27 and a core wire 28 passing through the interior of the sheath 27. The sleeve 27 wraps around the core wire 28 and defines a path of movement of the core wire 28. The first end 26b and the opposite second end 26a of the sleeve 27 are fixed to the housing of the recliner disc assembly 3 and the housing of the gearbox assembly 9, respectively. The core wire 28 is freely movable within the sleeve 27 independently of the sleeve 27 and the first end 29 and the opposite second end 30 are fixed to the recliner pulley 31 in the housing of the recliner disc assembly 3 and the drive pulley 19 in the housing of the gearbox assembly 9, respectively, thereby converting rotation of the recliner disc assembly 3 into rotation of the gearbox assembly 9. In other embodiments, the core wire assembly 2 may include only the core wire 28, and not the hollow sleeve 27.

The recliner disc assembly 3 is used to transmit the rotational angle of the backrest 4 to the core wire assembly 2. The angle adjusting disc assembly 3 includes an angle adjusting pulley 31, an angle adjusting wrench 12, a wrench slider 7, and a housing. The housing accommodates the internal components such as the angle pulley 31 and the angle wrench 12 therein, and the angle pulley 31 and the angle wrench 12 can rotate independently of the housing.

The housing is assembled from two half-shells 13, 11, and the half-shells 11 are mounted on the backrest 4 of the vehicle seat by means of fasteners, such as screws or the like. The housing is configured for driving connection with the rotational axis of the backrest 4. Advantageously, the housing can be configured to be fixedly connected coaxially with the rotational axis of the backrest 4. Thus, when the backrest 4 is rotated about its rotation axis to adjust the inclination angle, the housing is rotated in synchronization with the backrest 4. The housing is rotatable in a first rotational direction D1 and in a second rotational direction D2 opposite to the first rotational direction, wherein the first rotational direction D1 corresponds to the back rest 4 tilt backward adjustment direction and the second rotational direction D2 corresponds to the back rest 4 tilt forward adjustment direction. Here, a portion of the dial assembly 3 that is at the front in the first rotation direction D1 is referred to as a front portion, and a portion that is at the rear in the first rotation direction D1 is referred to as a rear portion.

The housing includes a generally cylindrical accommodating portion 13-1, and a core wire in-out portion 13-2 extending tangentially from an edge of the accommodating portion 13-1. The inner cavity of the receiving portion 13-1 includes a longer diameter portion 13-3 having a larger radius and a shorter diameter portion 13-4 having a smaller radius to receive the angle adjustment pulley 31 and the rotating portion 12-1 of the angle adjustment wrench 12. The long diameter portion 13-3 and the short diameter portion 13-4 are circumferentially adjacent to each other. The short diameter portion 13-4 includes a front end portion 13-5 and a rear end portion 13-6 in the first rotational direction D1. The center of the inner cavity of the receiving portion 13-1 may have a mounting shaft on which the angle adjustment pulley 31 and the swivel portion 12-1 of the angle adjustment wrench 12 are rotatably mounted. The core wire entering and exiting portion 13-2 adjoins the short diameter portion 13-4 in the radial direction of the accommodating portion 13-1, and includes two continuous through holes. The through hole having a larger diameter is located radially outside and is used for fixing the first end 26b of the sleeve 27 of the core wire assembly 2. The smaller diameter through hole is located radially inside and is penetrated by the core wire 28 of the core wire assembly 2. The core wire 28 of the core wire assembly 2 passes through the smaller diameter through hole, is wound around and fixed to the angle pulley 31, as will be described in detail later.

The spanner shoe 7 is fixedly mounted to the seat portion 5 of the vehicle seat. The angle adjuster wrench 12 includes a slide 12-2 and a swivel 12-1 connected to each other. The slide 12-2 is slidably fitted to the spanner slide 7, whereby the combination of the angle adjuster spanner 12 and the spanner slide 7 can be adapted to different vehicle seats and can compensate for component errors and component position variations generated when the backrest 4 adjusts the tilt angle. The swivel part 12-1 is provided around the mounting shaft of the receiving part 13-1, and is provided with a stopper 12-3 protruding outwardly from a surface thereof to restrict or allow the rotation of the angle adjusting pulley 31 during the reclining adjustment of the backrest 4.

The angle adjustment pulley 31 is substantially annular. The angle adjustment pulley 31 includes a long diameter portion 31-1 having a larger radius and a short diameter portion 31-2 having a smaller radius, and the long diameter portion 31-1 and the short diameter portion 31-2 are circumferentially adjacent to each other. The long diameter portion 31-1 includes a front end portion 31-3 and a rear end portion 31-4 in the first rotational direction D1. The long diameter portion 31-1 is provided with an arc-shaped opening 31-5 at a portion near the rear end portion 31-4. The arcuate opening 31-5 extends circumferentially over all or part of the long diameter portion 31-1 and is concentric with the recliner pulley 31. The stop 12-3 of the angle adjuster 12 is received in the arcuate opening 31-5 of the angle adjuster pulley 31. The angle adjusting pulley 31 is rotatable when the stopper 12-3 is located at a position between the front end 31-8 and the rear end 31-9 of the arc-shaped opening 31-5; while the recliner pulley 31 is not rotatable when the stop 12-3 abuts the end of the arcuate opening 31-5. The long diameter portion 31-1 is provided with a core wire fixing portion 31-6 at a portion near the tip portion 31-3. The core wire fixing portion 31-6 is adjacent to the short diameter portion 31-2 and serves to fix the first end 29 of the core wire 28 of the core wire assembly 2, while the second end 30 of the core wire 28 is fixed to the transmission case assembly 9. The short diameter portion 31-2 is provided with a winding groove 31-7 for winding the core wire 28 on a part or the whole of the outer peripheral surface thereof. The wire winding groove 31-7 is generally circular arc-shaped and may be concentric with the angle adjustment pulley 31. The wire winding groove 31-7 is led out from the core fixing portion 31-6 and extends circumferentially along the periphery of the short diameter portion 31-2 to receive the core 28 from the core fixing portion 31-6 and define a movement path of the core 28. The depth and width of the wire winding grooves 31-7 are preferably not smaller than the diameter of the core wire 28.

The transmission case assembly 9 is used for converting the movement of the core wire 28 of the core wire assembly 2 into a rotation angle to be transmitted to the vehicle sensing device 10. The transmission case assembly 9 comprises a transmission pulley 19 and housings 20, 16. The housings 20, 16 house internal components such as the transmission pulley 19 therein, and the transmission pulley 19 is rotatable independently of the housings 20, 16.

The transmission pulley 19 is substantially hat-shaped and includes an annular base plate, and a hollow boss protruding outward from a center hole of the annular base plate, and the hollow boss is a cylinder having a bottom plate. The annular base plate is provided with a core wire fixing portion 19-1 for fixing the second end portion 30 of the core wire 28 of the core wire assembly 2. The core wire fixing portion 19-1 may be provided at a radially middle or outer portion of the annular base plate. The annular base plate is provided with a winding groove 19-2 around which the core wire 28 is wound on a part or the whole of its peripheral edge. The winding slot 19-2 is generally circular in shape and may be concentric with the drive pulley 19. The wire winding groove 19-2 is led out from the core fixing portion 19-1 and extends circumferentially along the periphery of the annular base plate to receive the core wire 28 from the core fixing portion 19-1 and define a movement path of the core wire 28. The depth and width of the wire winding grooves 19-2 are preferably not less than the diameter of the core wire 28. The winding groove 19-2 of the drive pulley 19 is approximately the same radius as the winding groove 31-7 of the recliner pulley 31 so that no additional pinion is required to correct the ratio between the recliner pulley 31 and the drive pulley 19 during transmission. In addition, as shown in fig. 5A and 5B, the angle pulley 31 and the transmission pulley 19 are disposed on the same side of the extended core wire 28, so that the angle pulley 31 and the transmission pulley 19 form a homodromous pulley transmission. During reclining of the backrest 4 of the vehicle seat, the rotational directions of the recliner pulley 31 and the transmission pulley 19 remain the same.

The annular base plate of the transmission pulley 19 is also provided with a push rod 19-3 projecting perpendicularly to its outer surface, and the sensitive seat 14 is provided with two parallel projecting arms 14-1 projecting downwards at the bottom of the bowl. The push rod 19-3 is interposed between the two projecting arms 14-1 and can rotate the sensitive seat 14 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle to ensure that the inertial body supporting surface within the sensitive seat 14 is always maintained in a substantially horizontal position. In some embodiments, the push rod 19-3 has a spherical or elliptical head, and the head is inserted between the two projecting arms 14-1 to rotate the sensitive seat 14.

The hollow boss of the drive pulley 19 is adapted to receive a drive pulley spring 24. The drive pulley spring 24 provides a return torque to the drive pulley 19 to bias the drive pulley 19 circumferentially to its initial rotational position.

The housing comprises two half-shells 20 and 16. The two half-shells 20 and 16 are assembled together by snap-fit, and the half-shell 16 is fixed to the retractor 1 (e.g. on the retractor outer cover 23) by fasteners (e.g. screws, etc.). The half-shell 20 includes a generally cylindrical receiving portion 20-1, and a core wire entering and exiting portion 20-2 extending tangentially from the edge of the receiving portion 20-1. The core wire access portion 20-2 is generally elongated and includes two through slots therein. The two through grooves are connected with each other and open at the upper side. The larger diameter through groove is located radially outward and serves to fix the second end 26a of the sleeve 27 of the core wire assembly 2. The smaller diameter through groove is located radially inward and is penetrated by the core wire 28 of the core wire assembly 2. The core wire 28 of the core wire assembly 2 passes through the through groove, is wound around the winding groove 19-2 of the transmission pulley 19, and is finally fixed to the core wire fixing portion 19-1 of the transmission pulley 19.

The accommodation portion 20-1 includes an annular base plate, a hollow convex portion protruding from a center hole of the annular base plate, and a flange portion protruding from a peripheral edge of the annular base plate in a direction opposite to the hollow convex portion. The hollow protrusion of the half-shell 20 is a cylinder with a bottom plate and is substantially matched in shape and slightly larger than the hollow protrusion of the transmission pulley 19 to accommodate the hollow protrusion of the transmission pulley 19. The hollow protrusion of the receiving portion 20-1 has a protruding center post on its bottom plate, and the hollow protrusion of the transmission pulley 19 has a center hole on its bottom plate through which the center post passes, so that the transmission pulley 19 can rotate about the center post with respect to the half-shell 20.

The half-shell 16 includes a base plate, and a vehicle-feel frame 16-1 fixed to the base plate. The outer contour shape of the base plate approximately corresponds to the combined outer contour shape of the accommodating portion 20-1 and the core wire inlet and outlet portion 20-2. After the second end 26a of the sleeve 27 of the core assembly 2 is placed into the core access portion 20-2 of the half-shell 20 and the drive pulley 19 and the drive pulley spring 24 are placed into the receiving portion 20-1 of the half-shell 20, the base plate may cover the receiving portion 20-1 and the core access portion 20-2 such that the half-shells 16 and 20 encapsulate the second end 26a of the sleeve 27 of the core assembly 2, the drive pulley 19 and the drive pulley spring 24 therein. The base plate is provided with an opening 16-2 for the push rod 19-3 of the transmission pulley 19 to extend and rotate back and forth. The half-shell 16 is provided with spring fixing portions on its inner surface, and the bottom plate of the hollow boss of the transmission pulley 19 is also provided with spring fixing portions. The transmission pulley spring 24 may be a coil spring, and its one end leg is fixed to the spring fixing portion of the transmission pulley 19, and its other end leg is fixed to the spring fixing portion of the half-shell 16.

As shown in fig. 6A-6B, the sensory frame 16-1 is used to pivotally support the sensitive seat 14 of the sensory device 10. The vehicle-sensing frame 16-1 includes a support bar extending parallel to the base plate, and two support legs supporting both ends of the support bar at a distance from the base plate. The support bar and the opposite base plate are provided with corresponding pivot holes for receiving the pivot shafts of the sensitive seat 14, so that the sensitive seat 14 can pivot with respect to the half-shell 16 and the whole gearbox assembly 9 under the action of the push rods 19-3 of the transmission pulleys 19. The vehicle sensing frame 16-1 may be integrally formed with the base plate of the half shell 16 or may be separately formed and connected together by a connector.

The principle of operation of the retractor transmission will now be described with reference to the vehicle coordinate system. First, a procedure for adjusting the back rest 4 of the vehicle seat rearward from the substantially upright initial position will be described. Fig. 7 is a schematic view of the recliner disc assembly 3 in this operational condition. When the backrest 4 is adjusted from the substantially upright initial position back in the first rotational direction D1, the stop 12-3 of the angle spanner 12 abuts against the rear end 31-9 of the arc-shaped opening 31-5 of the angle pulley 31, and the angle pulley 31 is fixed by the angle spanner 12. The housings 13, 11 of the recliner disc assembly 3 rotate in the first direction of rotation D1 following the backrest 4 and the core wire 28 is wound around a section of the wire winding slot 31-7. The housings 13, 11 can continue to rotate in the first rotation direction D1 from the position shown in fig. 7, in other words, the backrest 4 of the vehicle seat can continue to adjust the tilt angle backward, and at the same time, the core wire 28 can continue to be wound on the winding groove 31-7.

The above-described movement process can also be described as follows with reference to the backrest 4 of the vehicle seat, based on the movement relativity. When the backrest 4 of the vehicle seat is adjusted backward in the first rotational direction D1 from the substantially upright initial position, the housings 13, 11 of the angle plate assembly 3 fixed to the backrest 4 are fixed, the angle spanner 12 fixed to the seat portion 5 is rotated in the second rotational direction D2, and the angle spanner 12 rotates together with the angle pulley 31 in the second rotational direction D2 due to the abutment block 12-3 of the angle spanner 12 abutting against the rear end portion 31-9 of the arc-shaped opening 31-5 of the angle pulley 31, so that the core wire 28 is wound around the winding groove 31-7. As described above, the angle adjusting pulley 31 and the transmission pulley 19 are disposed on the same side of the core wire 28, so that the angle adjusting pulley 31 and the transmission pulley 19 constitute a homodromous pulley transmission. Correspondingly, on the transmission case assembly 9 side, the core wire 28 is unwound from the winding groove 19-2 of the transmission pulley 19, and the transmission pulley 19 rotates in the second rotation direction D2. The driving pulley 19 pushes the sensitive seat 14 of the vehicle sensing device 10 by using the pushing rod 19-3, so that the sensitive seat 14 rotates along the second rotation direction D2.

The backrest 4 is rotated by a certain angle in a first direction of rotation D1 with respect to the fixed seat 5, while the sensitive seat 14 mounted on the backrest 4 is rotated by a certain angle in a second opposite direction of rotation D2 with respect to the backrest 4, so as to maintain the vehicle sensing device 10 in a substantially vertical orientation.

The operation of the retractor transmission is described with continued reference to the vehicle coordinate system. If the backrest 4 of the vehicle seat is returned to the upright initial position in the second rotation direction D2 from the backward tilt position shown in fig. 7, the housings 13, 11 of the dial assembly 3 are rotated in the second rotation direction D2 until the rear end portions 13-6 of the short diameter portions 13-4 of the housings 13, 11 substantially contact the front end portions 31-3 of the long diameter portions 31-1 of the dial wheel 31. The angle pulley 31 is held pressed against the stopper 12-3 with the rear end 31-9 of the arc-shaped opening 31-5 with the core wire 28 being pre-tensioned, and the core wire 28 is unwound from the winding groove 31-7.

The above-described movement process can also be described as follows with reference to the backrest 4 of the vehicle seat, based on the movement relativity. When the backrest 4 of the vehicle seat is returned from the reclined position to the substantially upright initial position in the second rotational direction D2, the housings 13, 11 of the recliner disc assembly 3 fixed to the backrest 4 are stationary and the recliner wrench 12 fixed to the seat portion 5 is rotated in the first rotational direction D1. The angle pulley 31 rotates with the stopper 12-3 in the first rotation direction D1 so that the core wire 28 is unwound from the winding groove 31-7. Accordingly, on the transmission case assembly 9 side, the core wire 28 is wound around the winding groove 19-2 of the transmission pulley 19, and the transmission pulley 19 is rotated in the first rotation direction D1. The transmission pulley 19 pushes the sensitive seat 14 of the vehicle sensing device 10 by means of the push rod 19-3, so that the sensitive seat 14 rotates in the first rotation direction D1.

The backrest 4 is rotated by a certain angle in the second direction of rotation D2 with respect to the fixed seat 5, while the sensitive seat 14 mounted on the backrest 4 is rotated by a certain angle in the opposite first direction of rotation D1 with respect to the backrest 4, so as to maintain the vehicle sensing device 10 in a substantially vertical orientation.

The operation of the retractor transmission will now be described with continued reference to the vehicle coordinate system. When the backrest 4 of the vehicle seat starts to be adjusted forward in the second rotational direction D2 from the substantially upright initial position, the housings 13, 11 of the recliner disc assembly 3 fixed to the backrest 4 are rotated in the second rotational direction D2. At this time, the rear end portion 13-6 of the short diameter portion 13-4 of the housing just contacts the front end portion 31-3 of the long diameter portion 31-1 of the angle pulley 31, and the housings 13, 11 drive the angle pulley 31 to move together. The presence of the arcuate opening 31-5 allows the recliner pulley 31 to move with the housing 13, 11, which can move together until the front end 31-8 of the arcuate opening 31-5 abuts the stop 12-3. The movement of the recliner pulley 31 together with the housings 13, 11 may correspond to a forward tilting procedure of the backrest 4 of the vehicle seat, in which a reclining adjustment of the vehicle feel device 10 by means of the recliner disc assembly 3 is not required. Accordingly, the wire 28 does not undergo a winding operation on the winding groove 31-7, and thus the transmission pulley 19 and the feel device 10 do not rotate relative to the seatback 12.

When the backrest 4 of the vehicle seat returns to the upright initial position from the position of being laid forward on the seat 21, the housings 13, 11 of the recliner disc assembly 3 mounted to the backrest 4 are rotated in the first rotational direction D1, the recliner pulley 31 is pulled by the pretensioned core wire 28 and thereby rotated in the first rotational direction D1 together with the housings 13, 11 until the rear end 31-9 of the arc-shaped opening 31-5 reaches the stopper 12-3 and thereby the recliner pulley 31 is immobilized by the recliner 12 and the spanner shoe 7. The movement of the recliner pulley 31 together with the housing may correspond to the process of the backrest 4 of the vehicle seat being reclined from the forward to the upright initial position during which reclining of the vehicle occupant device 10 by means of the recliner disc assembly 3 is not required. Accordingly, the wire 28 does not undergo a winding operation on the winding groove 31-7, and thus the transmission pulley 19 and the feel device 10 do not rotate relative to the seatback 12.

As described above, the secondary gear drive of the existing wire controlled angle retractor requires the use of a pinion to correct the transmission ratio between the angle adjusting pulley and the drive pulley. The core wire, the angle adjusting pulley and the transmission pulley form reverse pulley transmission. The rotation of the angle adjusting pulley directly drives the core wire to wind, the movement of the core wire drives the transmission pulley to rotate, the rotation of the transmission pulley drives the pinion to rotate, the pinion corrects the transmission ratio, the rotation direction of the pinion is opposite to that of the transmission pulley, and the pinion transmits the rotation to the vehicle sensing device. The rotation direction of the transmission pulley is opposite to that of the vehicle sensing device.

The wire-control angle-adjusting retractor disclosed by the invention adopts a direct-drive transmission mechanism, and a pinion is omitted. The core wire, the angle adjusting pulley and the transmission pulley form forward pulley transmission. The angle pulley is the same wire diameter as the drive pulley because no pinion is provided to correct the gear ratio. The rotation of the angle adjusting pulley drives the core wire to move, the core wire moves to drive the transmission pulley to rotate, the rotation of the transmission pulley directly pushes the vehicle sensing device to rotate, the transmission pulley directly transmits the vehicle sensing device, and the rotation direction of the transmission pulley is consistent with the rotation direction of the vehicle sensing device.

According to the transmission mechanism of the retractor, a pinion is not needed to correct the transmission ratio, the number of parts is small, the precision requirement of the parts is reduced, the transmission is concise, the transmission precision is high, and the applicability of products is improved. In addition, the angle modulation disc assembly and the transmission case assembly according to the present disclosure are small in size, and are convenient for customers to install.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, all changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The disclosure is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.

Claims

1. A retractor transmission for a retractor of a vehicle seat belt apparatus, the seat of the vehicle including a seat portion, and a backrest capable of adjusting a tilt angle about a rotation axis with respect to the seat portion, the retractor being mounted on the backrest and including a vehicle feel apparatus including a sensitive seat having an inertial body support surface, and a sensitive ball supported on the inertial body support surface, the retractor transmission comprising:

A core wire having a first end and an opposite second end fixed to the angle pulley and the transmission pulley, respectively, and capable of being wound on a winding groove of the angle pulley and a winding groove of the transmission pulley;

wherein the angle adjusting pulley and the transmission pulley are arranged on the same side of the extended core wire, and the angle adjusting pulley and the transmission pulley form the same-direction pulley transmission;

Wherein the transmission pulley is provided with a push rod extending perpendicularly to an outer surface of the transmission pulley in a radially offset manner from a rotation axis of the transmission pulley, the push rod being configured to push the sensitive seat to pivot in a front-rear direction of the vehicle.

2. The retractor transmission of claim 1, wherein the winding grooves of the transmission pulley are provided on a part or all of the peripheral outer surface of the transmission pulley.

3. The retractor transmission of any of claims 1-2, wherein the transmission pulley is configured to maintain rotational compliance with the feel device during adjustment of the tilt angle of the backrest relative to the seat.

4. A retractor transmission according to claim 1, wherein the sensor seat is provided with two arms projecting downwards at its bottom and the push rod is interposed between the two arms.

5. The retractor transmission of claim 4, wherein the push rod has a spherical or elliptical head, and said head is interposed between two arms.

6. The retractor transmission mechanism according to any one of claims 1-2, wherein the transmission pulley is provided with a core fixing portion for fixing an end portion of the core.

7. A seat belt device for a vehicle, characterized in that the seat belt device comprises a retractor and a retractor transmission according to any one of claims 1-6 for the retractor.