GB2137073A

GB2137073A - Safety Belt Guide Assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2137073A
Application number: GB08407219A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Wilfried Burghardt
Original assignee: Britax Kolb GmbH and Co
Current assignee: Britax Kolb GmbH and Co
Priority date: 1983-03-25
Filing date: 1984-03-20
Publication date: 1984-10-03
Also published as: GB8407219D0

Abstract

A guide assembly for a vehicle safety belt comprises a guide member 10 having a slot for receiving a strap of the safety belt, a hole 18 for engagement on an attachment member 38, and a respective convex cylindrical formation 30, 32 surrounding each end of the hole. The attachment member 38 carries washers 34 and 36 which have concave cylindrical surfaces arranged to engage with the convex cylindrical surfaces 30 and 32 on the body. As a result the guide member is freely movable over a limited angular range about an axis perpendicular to the slot, so that the slot can take up an orientation in which either of its ends is closer to the B-post 14 than the other. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Safety Belt Guide Assembly This invention relates to a guide assembly for a vehicle safety belt of the type which is adapted to be secured to a part of the body of a motor vehicle above the shoulder of the user.

Patent Specification No. WO 82/04400 discloses a guide assembly of this type comprising a body having a slot for receiving a strap of the safety belt and a hole for engagement on an attachment member such as a bolt. The attachment member has a spherical head which engages with concave surfaces of a socket ring fitted into the hole so as to provide a universal joint.

According to the invention, a guide assembly for a vehicle safety belt comprises a body having a slot for receiving a strap of the safety belt, a hole for receiving an attachment member, and a respective convex cylindrical formation surrounding each end of the hole, said formations having a common axis which is perpendicular both to the axis of the hole and to the longitudinal direction of the slot, the attachment member being cylindrical and of substantially smaller diameter than the hole, and carrying washers having concave cylindrical surfaces arranged to engage with the convex cylindrical formations on the body.

This arrangement enables the guide member to pivot through a limited angle in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the slot so as to be able to take up an orientation in which the end of the slot nearer to the front of the vehicle is closer to the adjacent vehicle body than the other end of the slot.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a guide member in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 2-2 in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 in Figure 1 and aiso showing the means of attachment of the guide member to a vehicle body.

The drawings illustrate a guide member 10 in accordance with the invention adapted to be secured by a bolt 12 to the B-post 14 (Figure 3) of a motor car above the shoulder of the occupant of the adjacent front seat in order to guide the shoulder strap of a safety belt on to a retractor mounted near the bottom of the B-post 14. The guide member 10 is generally flat, having an elongate slot 1 6 through which the shoulder strap can be threaded and a circular hole 1 8 for receiving a bolt (not shown) by which the guide member may be secured to the B-post 14.

As can best be seen in Figure 2, the guide member 10 has a body of plastics material in which is embedded a core 20 of steel, or other material having a comparable tensile strength.

The core 20 has a circular hole corresponding to the hole 1 6 and an elongate slot corresponding to the slot 16, the bottom edge 22 of the slot in the core 20 being plunged over so that, in the event that the covering plastics material is worn away, a rounded surface rather than a sharp edge is presented to the strap (not shown) threaded through the slot 1 6. The portion 24 of the plastics body below the slot 1 6 is of enlarged thickness and has a part cylindrical upper surface so as to avoid bending the strap through a very sharp angle.

In order to hold the enlarged portion 24 away from the B-post of the vehicle, the core 20 is bent along a fold line 26 lying between the slot 16 and the hole 1 8. Thus the bottom part of the core 20 is inclined to the axis of the hole 1 8 in the vertical direction. It has been found advantageous in some circumstances to arrange for the end of the slot 1 6 near to the front of the vehicle to be closer to the B-post (that is, further away from the centre line of the vehicle) than the rear end. This usually requires provision of different guide members for the left-hand side and right-hand side of the vehicle.

In accordance with the present invention, the hole 1 8 in the guide member 10 is of significantly larger diameter than the stem of the bolt 12 and its ends are surrounded by bosses 26 and 28 having part cylindrical end surfaces 30 and 32.

Mounted on the bolt 1 2 on each side of the guide member 10 are respective washers 34 and 36 having respective concave part cylindrical surfaces complementary to the cylindrical end faces 30 and 32 of the bosses 26 and 28. A sleeve 38 on the bolt 12 prevents overtightening of the latter, with the result that the guide member 10 is freely movable over a limited angular range of movement relative to the bolt 1 2 about an axis perpendicular both to the bolt 12 and to the slot 16 as well as the usual angular movement about the axis of the bolt 12 itself.

Consequently, the slot 16 can take up an orientation in which either of its ends is closer to the B-post 14 than the other as required.

1. A guide assembly for a vehicle safety belt comprising a body having a slot for receiving a strap of the safety belt, a hole for receiving an attachment member, and a respective convex cylindrical formation surrounding each end of the hole, said formations having a common axis which is perpendicular both to the axis of the hole and to the longitudinal direction of the slot, the attachment member being cylindrical and of substantially smaller diameter than the hole, and

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Safety Belt Guide Assembly This invention relates to a guide assembly for a vehicle safety belt of the type which is adapted to be secured to a part of the body of a motor vehicle above the shoulder of the user. Patent Specification No. WO 82/04400 discloses a guide assembly of this type comprising a body having a slot for receiving a strap of the safety belt and a hole for engagement on an attachment member such as a bolt. The attachment member has a spherical head which engages with concave surfaces of a socket ring fitted into the hole so as to provide a universal joint. According to the invention, a guide assembly for a vehicle safety belt comprises a body having a slot for receiving a strap of the safety belt, a hole for receiving an attachment member, and a respective convex cylindrical formation surrounding each end of the hole, said formations having a common axis which is perpendicular both to the axis of the hole and to the longitudinal direction of the slot, the attachment member being cylindrical and of substantially smaller diameter than the hole, and carrying washers having concave cylindrical surfaces arranged to engage with the convex cylindrical formations on the body. This arrangement enables the guide member to pivot through a limited angle in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the slot so as to be able to take up an orientation in which the end of the slot nearer to the front of the vehicle is closer to the adjacent vehicle body than the other end of the slot. An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a guide member in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 2-2 in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 in Figure 1 and aiso showing the means of attachment of the guide member to a vehicle body. The drawings illustrate a guide member 10 in accordance with the invention adapted to be secured by a bolt 12 to the B-post 14 (Figure 3) of a motor car above the shoulder of the occupant of the adjacent front seat in order to guide the shoulder strap of a safety belt on to a retractor mounted near the bottom of the B-post 14. The guide member 10 is generally flat, having an elongate slot 1 6 through which the shoulder strap can be threaded and a circular hole 1 8 for receiving a bolt (not shown) by which the guide member may be secured to the B-post 14. As can best be seen in Figure 2, the guide member 10 has a body of plastics material in which is embedded a core 20 of steel, or other material having a comparable tensile strength. The core 20 has a circular hole corresponding to the hole 1 6 and an elongate slot corresponding to the slot 16, the bottom edge 22 of the slot in the core 20 being plunged over so that, in the event that the covering plastics material is worn away, a rounded surface rather than a sharp edge is presented to the strap (not shown) threaded through the slot 1 6. The portion 24 of the plastics body below the slot 1 6 is of enlarged thickness and has a part cylindrical upper surface so as to avoid bending the strap through a very sharp angle. In order to hold the enlarged portion 24 away from the B-post of the vehicle, the core 20 is bent along a fold line 26 lying between the slot 16 and the hole 1 8. Thus the bottom part of the core 20 is inclined to the axis of the hole 1 8 in the vertical direction. It has been found advantageous in some circumstances to arrange for the end of the slot 1 6 near to the front of the vehicle to be closer to the B-post (that is, further away from the centre line of the vehicle) than the rear end. This usually requires provision of different guide members for the left-hand side and right-hand side of the vehicle. In accordance with the present invention, the hole 1 8 in the guide member 10 is of significantly larger diameter than the stem of the bolt 12 and its ends are surrounded by bosses 26 and 28 having part cylindrical end surfaces 30 and 32. Mounted on the bolt 1 2 on each side of the guide member 10 are respective washers 34 and 36 having respective concave part cylindrical surfaces complementary to the cylindrical end faces 30 and 32 of the bosses 26 and 28. A sleeve 38 on the bolt 12 prevents overtightening of the latter, with the result that the guide member 10 is freely movable over a limited angular range of movement relative to the bolt 1 2 about an axis perpendicular both to the bolt 12 and to the slot 16 as well as the usual angular movement about the axis of the bolt 12 itself. Consequently, the slot 16 can take up an orientation in which either of its ends is closer to the B-post 14 than the other as required. CLAIMS

1. A guide assembly for a vehicle safety belt comprising a body having a slot for receiving a strap of the safety belt, a hole for receiving an attachment member, and a respective convex cylindrical formation surrounding each end of the hole, said formations having a common axis which is perpendicular both to the axis of the hole and to the longitudinal direction of the slot, the attachment member being cylindrical and of substantially smaller diameter than the hole, and carrying washers having concave cylindrical surfaces arranged to engage with the convex cylindrical formations on the body.

2. A guide assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.