GB2255490A

GB2255490A - Adjuster for shoulder belt anchor

Info

Publication number: GB2255490A
Application number: GB9208886A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Osamu Tokugawa
Original assignee: NSK Ltd
Current assignee: NSK Ltd
Priority date: 1991-04-25
Filing date: 1992-04-24
Publication date: 1992-11-11
Anticipated expiration: 2012-04-24
Also published as: GB9208886D0; GB2255490B; JPH04123858U

Abstract

A shoulder belt anchor adjuster for a vehicle seat belt has a sliding member 1 including a base 2 and a plate 4 firmly fixed to the base. The sliding member supports the belt 22 with a through anchor 21 which is pivotally connected to it, and can be moved up and down while being guided by rail 17 fastened to the vehicle body. The sliding member is locked in position by a locking pin 6 engageable with portions 11 in the rail 17. The base 2 and plate 4 are secured to each other by an engagement means (2a, 2b, 4a, 4c, Fig. 4) at one end, and fixing means 7 at other portions. The base is made from a flat strip and has a nut 5 secured to it in which a bolt 9, by which the anchor 2 is pivotally connected, is threadedly engaged. This adjuster enables the base to be reduced in thickness for reducing its weight and improving its processing property without lowering the strength of a fastening portion for supporting the through anchor 21. <IMAGE>

Description

ADJUSTER FOR SHOULDER BZLT ANCHOR The present invention relates to a shoulder seat belt anchor adjuster for adjustingting the height of the supported position of the shoulder portion of the webbing of a vehicle depending on the physique of an occupant.

One of conventional seat belt devices for safely keeping an occupant in the seat of a vehicle is a threepoint seat belt system employing a continuous webbing. An example of such a system is shown in Figure 6 and includes webbing 22, a through anchor 23, a through connecting portion 24, a buckle 25, a retractor 27 such as a webbing winder, and an anchor plate 28. The webbing 22 is coupled at one end thereof to the retractor 27, extends through the through anchor 23, and is coupled at its other end to the anchor plate 28 and thence to the lower end of the center pillar 29. The through anchor 23 is attached to the center pillar 29. The through connecting portion 24, through which the webbing 22 extends at the intermediate portion thereof between the through anchor 23 and the anchor plate 28, is engaged with the buckle 25 set up in the middle of the vehicle.As a result, the occupant can be restrained in the seat 30 of the vehicle by the three-point seat belt system. This device also includes a shoulder belt anchor adjuster 31 for displacing the through anchor 23 up or down to adjust the effectivc length of the webbing 22 dependinq on the physique of the occupant and to vary the height of the supported position of the portion of the webbing on his shoulder to properly fit the webbing on the shoulder.

This conventional shoulder belt anchor adjuster 31 includes a locking pin 35, a guide rail 37 provided in the center pillar 29, a sliding member 40 fitted in the rail so as to be capable of being moved up and down while being guided by the rail, a cover plate 41, and a manipulation button 43, as shown in FIG. 7. The through anchor 23 is attached to the sliding member 40. The sliding member 40 can be restrained in each of its positions on an imaginary vertical line to the guide rail 37 by the locking pin 35 so as to be prevented from being moved down. The guide rail 37 is made of a steel plate having a C-shaped cross section, and is fastened to the center pillar 29 to secure it to the body of the vehicle.The guide rail 37 has a plurality of engagement holes 44 provided in the central portion of the rail and spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction thereof, and guide flanges 37a formed on both the lateral portions of the rail by bending. The sliding member 40 is located in the guide rail 37 and threadedly engaged with a bolt 39 supporting the through anchor 23 in a pivoted manner. A slider 33 is fitted at both the side edge portions on the guide flanges 37a of the rail so as to be slidable relative thereto, and a plate 34 is located outside the rail and has both side edge portions facing the outer surfaces of the guide flanges across a small gap. The base 32, the slider 33, the plate 34 and the cover plate 41 are secured to each other by a countersunk-head screw 38 so that the surfaces of the base, the member and the plates are in contact with each other.The locking pin 35 is supported by the sliding member 40, and urged by a compressed helical spring 36 in such a direction as to be engaged in the engagement hole 44 of the guide rail 37 so that the pin can be disengaged out of the hole by pushing down the manipulation button 43. In order to restrain the sliding member 40 in desired one of the positions to the guide rail 37, the sliding member is moved to the desired position with the manipulation button 43 pushed down by a hand, and the hand is thereafter put off the button to let the locking pin 35 become engaged in the engagement hole 44 corresponding to the position.

Since the through anchor 23 is supported in a swingable manner by the bolt 39 threadedly engaged in the base 32 of the sliding member 40 of the shoulder belt anchor adjuster 31, the base needs to have a tapped hole for the bolt. The thickness of the base 31 needs to be large enough to make the strength thereof at the tapped hole high enough. This is a problem since the weight of the base 32 is increased. Besides, the base 32 needs to have a through hole for supporting the locking pin 35, and a tapped hole for clamping the base, the slider 33, the plate 34 and the cover plate 41 to each other by the countersunk-head screw 38. Since the base plate 32 must have a substantial thickness it is not easy to cut off and form. Therefore, the base 32 requires a large number of processing steps, and is consequently high in its cost of manufacture. This is also a problem.Furthermore, since a tensile force which acts to the webbing 22 at the time of the collision of the vehicle is mostly transmitted to the body of the vehicle through the locking pin 35, it is required that the reliability of the support of the pin by the sliding member 40 is high enough, and the clamping of the base 32 and the plates 34 which support the pin is firm enough.

According to this invention a shoulder belt anchor adjuster comprises: a guide rail for fastening to the body of a vehicle and having a plurality of engagement portions; and, a sliding member which carries a through anchor which, in use, supports the belt, the sliding member being capable of being moved up and down while being guided by the rail, and including a base and a plate which are secured to each other at one end by an integral engagement means and at other portions by a fixing means, said base being made from a flat strip of material and having a nut secured to it to which a bolt for pivotally supporting said through anchor is threadedly engaged.

Since the nut, in which the bolt for pivotally supporting the through anchor is treadedly engaged, is secured to the base of the sliding member after being manufactured separately from the base, the base can be made from the flat metal plate in a plane shape of relatively small thickness. The thickness of the base can thus be reduced compared with the prior art without diminishing the strength of the fastening portion for supporting the through anchor, so as to reduce the weight of the base and improve its processing property. Since the base and plate of the sliding member are secured to each other by both the integral engagement means for directly coupling the base and the plate at one end and the fixing means for easily coupling the base and the plate to each other at other portions, the firmness of the securing is high.For these reasons, the adjuster is lower in cost and yet still good in quality.

A particular example of an adjuster in accordance with this invention will now be described and contrasted with the prior art with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a cutaway front view of a shoulder belt anchor adjuster which is an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the adjuster along a II- II line shown in FIG. 1 and indicative of the direction of seeing of the view; FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the adjuster along a III - III line shown in FIG. 1 and indicative of the direction of seeing of the view; FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a major part of the adjuster to illustrate an engagement means for the base and pate of the sliding member of the adjuster; ; FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a major part of a shoulder belt anchor adjuster which is another embodiment of the present invention, to illustrate an engagement means for the base and plate of the sliding member of the adjuster; FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a threepoint seat belt system; and FIG. 7 is a longitudinally sectional view of a conventional shoulder belt anchor adjuster.

FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4 show a shoulder belt anchor adjuster which is one of the embodiments and is for the seat belt of a vehicle.

The adjuster 1 includes a garnish member 10, a manipulation button 13, a cover 14, a base member 16, a guide rail 17, and a sliding member 42.

The longitudinal direction of the guide rail 17 extends vertically. The rail 17 is fastened at the upper and lower ends thereof to the center pillar 29 of the vehicle in the occupant room thereof by bolts 12 so that the rail is secured to the body of the vehicle. The rail 17 is made of a steel plate having a C-shaped cross section, and has a plurality of engagement holes 11 provided in the central portion of the rail and spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction thereof, and guide flanges 17a formed on both the lateral portions of the rail by bending. The cross section of the lower half of each of the engagement holes 11 has a semicircular form, while that of the upper half thereof has a square or oblong form.The guide rail 17 has outwardlybent portions extending from the upper edges of the upper halves of the engagement holes 11 toward the center pillar 29 and having oblique surfaces lla.

The sliding member 42 is fitted in the guide rail 17 so that the sliding member can be moved up and down while being guided by the rail. The sliding member 42 includes a base 2, a slider 3, a plate 4, and a cover 14. The body of the sliding member 42 is constituted by the base 2, the slider and the plate 4 which are secured to each other so that their surfaces are in contact with each other. The body is fitted with a locking pin 6 as a restraint means for restraining the body to prevent it from being moved, and a manipulation button 13 as both a manipulation means and an unrestraint means for causing the locking pin to cease the restraining. The body, the pin 6 and the button 13 are covered with the cover 14.

The slider 3 is made of a resin, and has grooves 3a provided in both the lateral portions of the member and extending in the longitudinal direction thereof. The guide flanges 17a of the guide rail 17 are fitted in the grooves 3a so that the slider is slidable relative to the rail. The base 2 is made of a relatively-thin metal plate formed by press work or the like, and is provided in the internal opening of the guide rail 17 so that both the lateral portions of the base are located on those of the slider 3 on the guide flanges 17a of the rail 17. As a result, a force which acts to the base 2 in a direction X shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 can be carried by the guide rail 17 at the guide flanges 17a thereof.The plate 4 is a relatively-thin metal plate located outside the guide rail 17, and has both lateral portions facing the outer surfaces of the guide flanges 17a of the rail across a small gap. The garnish member 10 and the base member 16 are secured to the plate 4 by a screw 15. The manipulation button 13 and the cover 14 are fitted to the garnish member 10 and the base member 16.

The base 2 has an engagement portion 2a bent nearly rectangularly from the upper end of the base and having lateral projections at the tip 2b of the portion so that it is larger in width at the tip than at the other portion of the portion, as shown in FIG. 4. A nut 5 is swaged to the base 2 near the lower end thereof. A bolt 9 is engaged in the nut 5 to support a through anchor 21 in a swingable manner for the webbing 22.

The plate 4 has-a hole 4a at the upper end of the plate. The engagement portion 2a is fitted in the hole 4a. The plate 4 has steps 4c in the hole 4a so that the hole is smaller in width at both the lateral portions thereof than at the central portion thereof under the steps. The lateral projections of the tip 2b of the portion 2a are engaged on the steps 4c.

After the engagement portion 2a of the base 2 is inserted into the hole 4a of the plate 4 to engage the lateral projections of the tip 2b of the portion on the steps 4c of the plate to couple the base and the plate to each other at their upper ends, they are fixed to each other at their other portions by a rivet 7 so as to pinch the slider 3 between the base and the plate. The sliding member 42 is thus provided with an engagement means including the engagement portion 2a and the hole 4a, and a fixation means including the rivet 7. Since the engagement portion 2a is fitted in the hole 4a to couple the base 2 and the plate 4 to each other at their upper ends, the base and the plate can be easily fixed to each other at their other portions by the rivet 7 so as to be firmly and securely conjoined to each other.Therefore, the assembling property of the adjuster is improved. Since the nut 5 whose outer circumferential surface is uncircularly shaped is fitted in the hole of the plate 4 at one end of the nut nearer the cover 16 than the other end of the nut, the nut manufactured separately from the body of the sliding member 42 can be surely secured to the body. Therefore, fastening the bolt 9 to the base 2 is ensured without providing the base with a tapped hole for the bolt. For that reason, the base 2 can be made of the relatively-thin metal plate which is easy to be processed and weighs less.

Since the slider 3 of the sliding member 42 is slidable up and down on the guide flanges 17a of the guide rail 17, the sliding member can be moved up and down while being guided by the rail, to adjust the effective length of the webbing 22.

The locking pin 6 has a shank 6a, a flange 6b, a largediameter portion 6c and a small-diameter portion 6d which are formed concentrically to each other, as shown in FIG. 4. The shank 6a and the large-diameter portion 6c are inserted into the through hole 4b of the plate 4 and that 2c of the base 2, respectively, so that the pin 6 is supported by the base and the plate. When the large-diameter portion 6c is loosely fitted in the through hole 2c of the base 2 and the flange 6b is located in the through hole 3c of the slider 3 and in contact with the base around the through hole thereof, as shown in FIG. 3, the large-diameter portion extends through the through hole of the base and projects from the body of the sliding member 42 into one of the engagement holes 11 of the guide rail 17.A return spring 8, which is a compressed helical spring, is wound around the shank 6a, and engaged with the flange 6b at one end of the spring and with the plate 4 at the other end of the spring, and urges the locking pin in such a direction as to engage it into the engagement hole 11 of the rail 17. Since the pin 6 is securely supported and guided by the base 2 and the plate 4 which are firmly fixed to each other, a force which acts to the sliding member 42 downward through the webbing 22 and the through anchor 21 is surely and securely transmitted to the body of the vehicle through the guide rail 17. For that reason, the reliability of the supporting of the sliding member 42 on the guide rail 17 by the locking pin 6 is heightened.

The manipulation button 13 is made of a pair of hollow members which can be moved in the direction of the width of the sliding member 42 while being guided by the cover 14 and the base member 16. Return springs 18, which are compressed helical springs, urge the hollow members in such directions as to move them away from each other. The locking pin 6 is kinematically associated with the button. The button has internal walls 13a extending nearly to the center of the button in the direction of the width of the sliding member 42 so that the locking pin 6 is located between the walls. The walls 13a have slopes at the inner ends of the walls. The small-diameter portion 6d of the pin 6 has a groove 6e in which a push nut 19 is fitted so that the peripheral surface of the nut faces the slopes of the walls 13a and can be either engaged with or disengaged from the slopes.FIG. 3 shows the state that the peripheral surface is not engaged with the slopes. When both the members of the button 13 are moved toward each other out of that state by pinching the button or by the like, the push nut 19 is moved up the slopes of the walls 13a of the button relative thereto in the direction X (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) so that the locking pin 6 is moved in that direction against the urging force of the return spring 8. As a result, the largediameter portion 6c of the pin 6 is disengaged out of the engagement hole 11 of the guide rail 17 so that the pin comes not to hinder the sliding member 42 from being moved vertically. The sliding member 42 can then be moved up or down to a desired position as the members of the button 13 remain moved away from each other by the pinching or the like as mentioned above.If the pinching or the like is then ceased, the locking pin 6 is put into the other engagement hole 11 of the guide rail 17, in the desired position, by the urging force of the return spring 8 so that the pin comes again to hinder the sliding member 42 from being moved vertically.

The present invention is not confined to the abovedescribed embodiment, but may be embodied or practiced in other various ways without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For example, the engagement portion 2a of the base 2 of a sliding member 42 may be rectangularly bent at the tip of the portion and fitted in the hole 4a of the end portion of the plate 4 of the sliding member to engage and couple the base and the plate with each other at their upper ends, as shown in FIG. 5. Besides, the base 2 and the plate 4 may be secured to each other not by the rivet 7 but by a screw or the like.

Since the nut, in which the bolt for supporting the through anchor in the swingable manner is threadedly engaged, is secured tb the base of the sliding member after being manufactured separately from the base, the base can be made of the flat metal plate in a plane shape of relatively small thickness. 'The thickness of the base can thus be reduced without diminishing the strength of the fastening portion for the swingable supporting of the through anchor, so as to reduce the weight of the base and improve the processing property thereof. Since the base and plate of the sliding member are secured to each other by both the engagement means for directly coupling the base and the plate to each other at one end of each of them, and the fixation means for easily coupling the base and the plate to each other at their other portions, the firmness of the securing is high.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a shoulder belt anchor adjuster which has a sliding member including a base reduced in thickness for reduction in weight and improvement in processing property without lowering the strength of a fastening portion for supporting a through anchor in a swingable manner, and a plate firmly fixed to the base, and is heightened in the reliability of the supporting of the sliding member by a locking pin, lower in cost and good in quality.

Claims

CLAZHS

1. A shoulder belt anchor adjuster to be used for the seat belt of a vehicle to adjust the height of the supported position of the portion of the belt on the shoulder of an occupant in the vehicle, comprising: a guide rail for fastening to the body of a vehicle and having a plurality of engagement portions; and, a sliding member which carries a through anchor which, in use, supports the belt, the sliding member being capable of being moved up and down while being guided by the rail, and including a base and a plate which are secured to each other at one end by an integral engagement means and at other portions by a fixing means, said base being made from a flat strip of material and having a nut secured to it to which a bolt for pivotally supporting said through anchor is threadedly engaged.

2. A shoulder belt anchor adjuster according to claim 1, wherein the integral engagement means includes an engagement portion formed on the base or the plate by blending, and an engagement hole provided in the other of the base or plate, so that said engagement portion is engaged in said hole to directly fasten the base and the plate together.

3. A shoulder belt anchor adjuster according to claim 2, wherein the engagement portion has lateral projections at its tip so that said portion is larger in width at said tip than at the remainder of it, wherein steps are provided in the engagement hole so that said hole is larger in width at the central portion of said hole than at both the lateral portions thereof under said steps; and wherein said lateral projections are engaged with said steps when said engagement portion is engaged in said hole.

4. A shoulder belt anchor adjuster according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fixing means includes a rivet.

5. A shoulder belt anchor adjuster according to any one of the preceding claims, which also includes: a restraint means movably supported by the base and the plate so that the restraint means can be engaged with each of the engagement portions in a plurality of positions on an imaginary line to restrain said sliding member to prevent it from being moved; and a manipulation means supported by the sliding member so that it can be moved to cause the restraint means to cease restraining said sliding member.

6. A shoulder belt anchor adjuster according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the guide rail has a Cshaped cross section, with guide flanges formed on both the lateral portions of the rail by bending; the base of the sliding member is located in the rail; the plate of the sliding member is located outside the rail; and the nut is secured to the base, and extends through the plate.

7. A shoulder belt anchor adjuster substantially as described with reference to Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.