GB1413959A - Car safety systems - Google Patents

Abstract

1413959 Safety belt arrangements R F DEACON 19 Sept 1972 [21 Sept 1971] 43866/71 Heading B7H A vehicle seat belt safety system comprises at least two sensing devices one of which is operated by a seated occupant and another is operated by that occupant's seat belt being correctly fastened, together with one or more control devices interconnected with the sensing devices functioning in such a way that, only when the operation of the sensing devices is consistent with the seat belts of occupied seats being or having been fastened in the correct position to restrain the occupants, will the control devices permit one or more vital parts, e.g. the starter, engine, gear-box or clutch to function normally. The sensing devices may be electrical, e.g. switches, resistance, photoelectric, magnetic, thermoelectric, inudctance, or capacitance devices. In one embodiment, Fig. 1a, two sensing devices A 1 and B 1 are provided, A 1 being a microwswitch positioned in a first seat and B 1 a microswitch in the buckle of the corresponding seat belt. A second seat is similarly provided with devices A 2 , B 2 . A single control device in the form of a relay is provided for each seat, the relay has contacts C 1 nad D 1 which close upon energization of relay coil L 1 . Switch A 1 is moved from the T to the N position by an occupant sitting on the first seat, the ignition switch I is then closed. Upon buckling a seat belt switch B 1 is moved to the position Q, contacts C 1 having previously been closed upon energization of coil L 1 , remain closed. Providing the occupant of the second seat has followed the same routine, the vehicle may now be started by closure of switch S. In another embodiment, Fig. 2a (not shown) it is not necessary for the ignition to be switched on before the belts are buckled, thereby avoiding the necessity of unbuckling and the buckling in seat belt before restarting the engine after switching off the ignition. Conventional lap and diagonal belts t, Fig. 3, have upper and lower anchorages u and l respectively and a buckel b engageable at a front contact point f to actuate a sensing device F and remains so until the buckle has been slid along the slide d to engage a switch B which enables the engine to be started. Sensing and control devices depending on pneumatic, hydraulic phenomena may replace the electrical devices described.