GB1367877A - Restraining device for a vehicle occupant - Google Patents

Abstract

1367877 Vehicle restraint device ACCLESBRITAX Ltd 30 Sept 1971 [30 June 1970 11 Jan 1971] 10725/74 and 10726/74 Divided out of 1367876 Heading B7B A vehicle occupant restraint apparatus comprises a restraining member supported on a carriage which slides on a mounting, the carriage being lightly biased towards the occupant, there being means responsive to acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle or to sudden movement of the carriage by the occupant for automatically locking the carriage. In a preferred arrangement, Figs. 1, 2, carriages 91, 92, which carry arms 93, 94 and attached restraint pads 95, run on a box section rail 90. The arms 93, 94 may be pivoted at their lower ends and a retracting and locking mechanism 96 serves to apply the light bias to carriage 92 and to lock the carriage. The rail may alternatively be attached in the vehicle door, or fixed at an appropriate height above the floor, or to the roof or to the side of the vehicle. The arms 93, 94 may be pivoted at their lower ends to the carriage so that they may be parked when not in use. A latch locking the arm in an inoperative position may be released manually or automatically when a passenger is seated in the vehicle, or when some part is operated such as an ignition circuit, the brakes or gear-box, the engine or a switch on the speedometer which is actuated on exceeding a predetermined low speed of the vehicle. Upon release the arm 93 moves towards the occupant under suitable biasing means. A further switch may be provided which is actuated by say, opening of the car door, so that the arm is held in the inoperative position when the occupant wishes to get out of the seat. An example of a check device for the carriage is shown in Fig. 8 in which a part 65 of a weighted lever 63 rotates clockwise when a predetermined vehicle acceleration force is exceeded for toothed sector 64 to lock with pinion 62 thus preventing unwinding of a drum wound cable 45 which is attached to the carriage. Alternatively the check device may be responsive to acceleration of the drum on which the cable is wound. Referring to Fig. 5, when the brake 32 is released in direction 33 fluid pressure from generator 21 is connected to cylinder 28 to move piston 29 and hence push rod 31 against spring 30 to either move the restraining device by a mechanical or electrical connection into the operative position or alternatively to hold a locking means which restrains the device in the operative position. The push rod 31 may also be adapted to hold a tongue of a door lock, Fig. 6 (not shown), in the locked position until the engine is switched off so that the tongue is automatically withdrawn by a spring and the door released. A recoilless energy absorption means is shown in Fig. 9 in which a housing 75 is fixed to the sliding carriage and an eye 74 of rod 71 is connected to the member supporting the chest pad so that upon locking of the carriage the disc 72 attached to rod 71 moves through housing 75 compressing honeycomb sections 76 thereby exerting an increasing retarding force on the chest pad 95.