JP2000225919A - Shoulder adjuster for seat belt - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a shoulder adjuster for a seat belt having less projection into an inside of a cabin, and capable of enlarging absorbing amount of an impact load by starting absorbing impact quickly. SOLUTION: In a slider 2 slidable along a guide rail 1 and fixable by a lock pin 4, an anchor bolt 5 for attaching a sash guide 6 is fixed. On the surface of the slider 2, an extending part 3d extending upward of at least an upper edge of a slider 3 and covering the guide rail 1 is formed. A sash guide cover 7 where a lower half part is projecting as covering ahead part 5a of the anchor bolt 5 through a space G, a claw 7c is formed in an upper end part, and a supporting part 7b abutting on the surface of the slider cover 3 is formed in a middle part is attached in a slide cover 3. By fixing against the extending part 3d, the claw 7c absorbs an impact load acting on the lower half part of the sash cover 7 with deformation of the sash guide cover 7 itself and bending deformation of the slide cover 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a shoulder adjuster for a three-point seat belt mounted on a front seat or the like of an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a three-point seat belt device mounted on a front seat or the like of an automobile, generally, one end of the seat belt is fixed to one end of a wrap outer counter provided below a side wall of a vehicle cabin. At the same time, after passing through a sash guide (anchor plate) supported by a shoulder anchor provided thereabove, the other end is attached to a belt winding device fixed to an intermediate portion between them.

Further, in a device having a function of adjusting the position of a shoulder anchor according to the height of the occupant's shoulder in a seated state, a guide rail is provided on the shoulder anchor, and the guide rail is slidably supported by the guide rail. A device called a shoulder adjuster is provided, in which an anchor bolt for supporting a sash guide is fixed to a slider provided with fixing means capable of being fixed at an arbitrary sliding position.

[0004] In the three-point seat belt device, the shoulder anchor adjuster protrudes near the occupant's head in the passenger compartment, so that the occupant's head may collide in an accident or the like. In order to alleviate the impact at the time of the collision, it has been conventionally proposed to cover the surfaces of the sash guide and the anchor bolts supporting the sash guide with a cover having an impact absorbing function, and the sash guide has been put to practical use.

[0005] For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-76875, a garnish upper that covers a head of an anchor bolt fixed to a side wall of a vehicle cabin by supporting a slip joint (sash guide) from a cabin space at a predetermined interval is disclosed. The garnish upper is provided with a plurality of ribs on a surface facing the side wall of the garnish upper, and further provided with a garnish lower covering the head of the anchor bolt from the side wall side at a fixed interval, and the garnish lower also has a side wall. Disclosed is a shoulder anchor structure in which ribs are provided therebetween. In this structure, when an impact load is applied to the shoulder anchor from the interior of the vehicle, first, the garnish upper is deformed and its ribs push the slip joint into the side wall side to collide with the garnish lower, and thereafter the ribs of the garnish upper Then, the garnish lower itself and its ribs are deformed to absorb the impact.

[0006]

By the way, in the above proposed technique, unless the dimension from the bolt head to the garnish upper is made longer than the dimension from the side wall to the anchor bolt head, the garnish lower side is required. The garnish upper itself contacts the anchor bolt head before the ribs are deformed, so both the garnish upper and the garnish lower ribs are deformed, respectively, to achieve the intended shock absorbing effect. It is necessary to increase the amount of protrusion inward, and accordingly, there is a problem that the strength of the garnish upper itself decreases.
Also, the rib of the garnish upper contacts the slip joint instead of the anchor bolt head, so the start of shock absorption is delayed, and while the garnish upper is deformed and the slip joint is moved, the shock absorption is substantially reduced There is a problem that it is hardly performed, so that the shock absorption time is short.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a shoulder adjuster for a seat belt which has a small amount of protrusion into a vehicle cabin, can start absorbing shock quickly, and can absorb a large amount of the shock load. is there.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a shoulder adjuster for a seat belt according to the present invention is provided.
A guide rail fixed in the vehicle interior with the guide direction substantially along the vertical direction, and having a plurality of engagement holes formed in the guide direction; and a slider slidably supported by the guide rail. A resin-made slide cover fixed to the slider so as to cover the surface thereof, and having an extension extending at least above the upper end of the slider to cover the guide rail; and And an anchor bolt fixed to the slider to support the sash guide, and a resin knob for operation at the top, and urged toward the guide rail while penetrating the slider, and A lock pin for positioning and fixing the slider with respect to the guide rail by being inserted into one of the holes, and an upper half portion around the knob. A sash guide cover made of resin, which is fixed to the slide cover in a folded state, and a lower half portion of the sash guide cover is extended so as to cover the head of the anchor bolt through a predetermined gap. The claw portion formed in the vicinity is engaged with the extension portion of the slide cover, and the support portion is formed near the lower end portion of the upper half portion in contact with the surface of the slide cover ( Claim 1).

Here, in the present invention, it is preferable to employ a configuration in which a deformable rib is formed on the surface of the sash guide cover facing the anchor bolt head (claim 2).

Further, in the present invention, the outer surface of the sash guide cover facing the sash guide is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to surround the outer periphery of the head of the anchor bolt in a non-contact manner and to have a tip facing the sash guide. A configuration in which a deformable rib that protrudes from the base plate is formed may be adopted.

The present invention utilizes a deformation of a resin sash guide cover that covers an anchor bolt head like an eave and a deformation of a resin slide cover that covers a slider and a guide rail in a bending direction to absorb impact. The intended purpose is achieved by starting the bending deformation of the slide cover simultaneously with the deformation of the sash guide cover to start effective shock absorption immediately after the start of contact of the head etc. with the sash guide. What you want to do.

That is, in the shoulder adjuster of the present invention, the lock pin is disengaged from the engagement hole of the guide rail by operating the knob, and in this state, the slider is slid and the lock pin is inserted into the appropriate engagement hole. By inserting, the position of the anchor bolt and the sash guide supported by it can be set arbitrarily.However, the sash guide cover that covers the vicinity of the sash guide and the anchor bolt is different from the slide cover that covers the slider and the guide rail. Since the lower part of the anchor bolt is covered with an eaves-like shape, that is, a predetermined gap is formed as a free end to cover the head of the anchor bolt, deformation starts immediately when an impact load is applied. The sash guide cover is engaged with the extended portion of the slide cover by the claw formed at the upper end thereof, and is in contact with the slide cover at the support portion near the lower end of the upper half. When the guide cover is deformed as described above, the pawl at the upper end transmits the force in a direction in which the extension of the slide cover is pulled away from the guide rail with the support portion as a fulcrum. Therefore, immediately after the impact load is applied to the sash guide cover, the deformation of the free end of the sash guide cover and the bending deformation of the slide cover start, and quick and effective shock absorption can be started.

In addition, the impact absorption due to the bending of the slide cover does not require a stroke toward the side wall unlike the buckling deformation of the proposed rib, so that it is not necessary to increase the amount of protrusion toward the vehicle interior. A large shock absorbing function can be provided with a small amount of protrusion.

Further, by using the characteristic structure of the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above-described deformation of the free end of the sash guide cover and the bending deformation of the slide cover, a slight time delay is caused. Later, the rib of the sash guide cover comes into contact with the head of the anchor bolt and starts to deform, so that the total amount of impact load absorbed is further increased.

Further, when the characteristic configuration of the invention according to claim 3 is adopted, in addition to the deformation of the free end of the sash guide cover and the bending deformation of the slide cover, as described above, After the time delay, the rib of the sash guide cover comes into contact with the sash guide itself and starts to deform, so that the total amount of shock absorption is further increased. The rib according to claim 3 abuts on the sash guide while covering the outer peripheral surface of the anchor bolt head, so that it can be used together with the rib according to claim 2 which abuts on the anchor bolt head. , These two
By adopting a configuration having both types of ribs, the total amount of impact load absorbed is further increased. In addition, the ribs protruding in a cylindrical shape, which is a characteristic configuration of the invention according to the third aspect, protrude cylindrically from the sash guide cover in a state surrounding the outer periphery of the head of the anchor bolt. It also plays a role in preventing visual recognition from outside, and is also effective in improving the appearance of the product.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view in an assembled state, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA. FIG.
In the exploded perspective view of FIG. 2 and the front view of FIG. 2, illustration of the anchor bolt 5 and the sash guide 6 is omitted to avoid complication of the drawing.

A plurality of engagement holes 1a are formed in the guide rail 1 in the guide direction (longitudinal direction) thereof. It is fixed to the side wall. The slider 2 is slidably supported along the guide rail 1. In addition,
Numeral 21 is a resin flake for smooth sliding between the slider 2 and the guide rail 1.

A slider cover 3 made of resin is mounted on the slider 2 to cover its surface. This slide cover 3
Are fixed to the slider 2 at a total of three pawls 3a to 3c formed respectively corresponding to the upper and lower ends of the slider 2 and the intermediate portion thereof. The slide cover 3 is integrally formed with extending portions 3d and 3e extending to cover the surface of the guide rail 1 on both the upper side and the lower side of the slider 2.

The slider 2 is formed with a through hole 2a for penetrating the lock pin 4 and a long slot 2b for penetrating a nut 51 for fixing an anchor bolt 5 to be described later. The lock pin 4 is inserted into the through-hole 2a of the slider 2 while being accommodated in the upright portion 3f formed in the slide cover 3, and a compression coil spring 41 inserted between the upright portion 3f and the ceiling portion. As a result, the guide rail 1 is urged toward the guide rail 1 so that the tip end is inserted into the engagement hole 1a. A flange 4a is formed on the top of the lock pin 4, and the flange 4a
The operation knob 42 protrudes from the side opening of the upright portion 3f of the slide cover 3 and is placed over the upright portion 3f.
Is engaged. Therefore, the lock pin 4 can be disengaged from the engagement hole 1 a of the guide rail 1 against the elastic force of the compression coil spring 41 by grasping and pulling the operation knob 42.

The anchor bolt 5 is fixed to the slider 2 by being screwed through the slide cover 3 into a nut 51 which is inserted into the elongated through hole 2b of the slider 2 and is prevented from rotating. The sash guide 6 is swingably supported by the anchor bolt 5. The sash guide 6 has a slit 6a for inserting a seat belt (not shown) at a distal end thereof, and a through hole 6 for inserting an anchor bolt 5 at a base.
b is formed, and a portion excluding the vicinity of the through hole 6b is molded with resin.

The base of the anchor bolt 5 and the sash guide 6 supported by the anchor bolt 5 are covered by a sash guide cover 7 made of resin. The sash guide cover 7 has an upper half part as shown in FIG. 4 (A), which is a back view seen from the guide rail 1 side, and FIG. An opening 7a is formed to expose the interior of the knob 42 to the inside of the vehicle cabin, and a lower end portion of the upper half thereof protrudes toward the guide rail 1 and contacts the surface of the slide cover 3. A relatively rigid supporting portion 7b is formed in contact with the supporting portion 7b. Further, a first claw 7 which is inserted into and connected to a square hole 3g formed in the extension 3d on the upper side of the slide cover 3 is provided at the upper end thereof.
c is formed, and a second claw 7d to be inserted into a claw holding portion 3h provided adjacent to the rising portion 3f of the slide cover 3 is formed near the lower end portion of the upper half portion. The sash guide cover 7 is fixed to the slide cover 3 by the first and second claws 7c and 7d in a state where the tip of the support portion 7b is in contact with the surface of the slide cover 3.

The lower half of the sash guide cover 7 is an eave-shaped free end and covers the anchor bolt 5 and the base end of the sash guide 6. The back surface of the lower half of the sash guide cover 7 and the head 5 of the anchor bolt 5
A gap G is formed between the gap G and a. A plurality of ribs 7e are formed to project from the back surface of the lower portion of the sash guide cover 7 facing the head 5a of the anchor bolt 5. Further, a clearance C of about several mm is formed between the distal end surface of the rib 7e and the head 5a of the anchor bolt 5.

In the above embodiment of the present invention, the lock pin 4 can be disengaged from the engagement hole 1a of the guide rail 1 by grasping and pulling the operation knob 42 as described above. By sliding the slider 2 and inserting the lock pin 4 into a desired engagement hole,
The position of the slider 2, that is, the positions of the anchor bolt 5 and the sash guide 7 can be arbitrarily set.

Since the shoulder adjuster is provided slightly above the head of the occupant in the passenger compartment, there is a possibility that the head of the occupant will collide with the lower half of the sash guide cover 7 due to an impact such as an accident. is there. The impact load due to this collision is reduced as follows. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the shock absorbing process. FIG. 5A shows a state in which no impact is applied. When an impact load F is applied to the lower half of the sash guide cover 7 in this state, the lower half of the eaves-shaped sash guide cover 7 is moved to the state shown in FIG. ) And (C), it is deformed in a direction approaching the guide rail 1 side. At this time, the sash guide cover 7 is formed at an upper end portion with a support portion 7b formed at a lower end portion of an upper half portion, which is a substantially central portion as a whole, as an fulcrum, and the upper extension portion 3d of the slide cover 3 is formed. In order to displace the first claw 7c engaged with the sash guide cover 1 in a direction away from the guide rail 1, the first claw 7c is separated from the guide rail 1 with respect to the extension 3d of the slide cover 3 simultaneously with the start of the deformation of the sash guide cover 7. A bending stress acts in the direction, and the extension 3d starts bending deformation. Therefore, the impact load acting on the lower half of the sash guide cover 7 is:
Immediately after the occurrence, it is absorbed by both the deformation of the sash guide cover 7 and the bending deformation of the slide cover 3.

After the deformation of the sash guide cover 7 and the slide cover 3 has progressed to some extent, the rib 7e formed on the back surface of the sash guide cover 7 comes into contact with the head 5a of the anchor bolt 5. After the contact, the rib 7e is buckled and deformed, so that the impact load can be further absorbed.

A remarkable point in the above embodiment is that bending deformation of the slide cover 3 starts at the same time as deformation of the sash guide cover 7.
When an impact load is applied to the sash guide cover 7, an effective impact load absorbing function can be exhibited immediately after the impact load does not intervene without a dead time, and the impact load absorption amount also increases. . In addition, since the impact absorption due to the bending deformation of the slide cover 3 does not need to be increased to the cabin as compared with the impact absorption due to the buckling deformation of the rib, even if the overall projection amount is reduced, The amount of impact load absorption can be increased.

The ribs formed on the back side of the sash guide cover 7 to assist in absorbing shocks include those which are deformed by contacting the head 5a of the anchor bolt 5 as described above, and those which are deformed. 6 that can be deformed by contacting itself. FIG. 6 shows a sash guide cover 7 'using both a rib which is deformed by contacting the sash guide 6 itself and a rib 7e which is deformed by contacting the head 5a of the anchor bolt 5 in the previous example. FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
And (B) show the sash guide cover 7 ', respectively.
FIG. 2 is a back view as viewed from the guide rail 1 side of FIG. In FIGS. 6 and 7, components having the same functions as those of the members and parts described in the previous example are denoted by the same reference numerals as those shown in FIGS. Detailed description is omitted.

Sash guide cover 70 in this example
In the same manner as in the previous example, the lower half portion projects downward like an eave to cover the head 5a of the anchor bolt 5, and
This sash guide cover 70 has a head 5 a of the anchor bolt 5 on a surface facing the anchor bolt 5.
A rib 7f is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to surround the outer periphery of the sash in a non-contact manner. The tip of the rib 7f has a predetermined clearance C 'with respect to the sash guide 6 supported by the anchor bolt 5. Are opposed to each other. As shown in FIG. 6, the rib 5f covers the head 5a of the anchor bolt 5 during use, and is prevented from being visually recognized from the outside. The rib 7f is formed inside the rib 7f so as to face the head 5a of the anchor bolt 5 with a clearance C therebetween.

The dimension of the main body portion (the outer shell portion excluding the ribs 7e and 7f) in the lower half portion of the sash guide cover 70 in this example toward the guide rail 1 is determined by the buckling deformation allowance of the rib 7f described later. In order to earn, it gets shorter as you go down.

According to the above embodiment, when the occupant's head or the like collides with the lower half of the sash guide cover 70,
As in the previous embodiment, the lower half of the eaves-shaped sash guide cover 70 is deformed in a direction approaching the guide rail 1 side, and the support portion 7b formed at the lower end of the upper half is supported by a fulcrum. As a result, the sash guide cover 70 is displaced in a direction away from the guide rail 1 at the same time as the deformation of the sash guide cover 70 itself is started. To absorb the impact load. After the deformation of the sash guide cover 70 and the slide cover 3 has progressed to some extent, the rib 7 formed on the back surface of the sash guide cover 70
e contacts the head a5 of the anchor bolt 5,
Similarly, a rib 7f formed on the back surface of the sash guide cover 70 abuts on the sash guide 6 itself, and each of the ribs 7e and 7f is buckled and deformed to further absorb the impact load.

In each of the above embodiments, the ribs 7e and / or the buckling deformation of the sash guide cover 7 or 70 which abut against the anchor bolt head 5a when an impact load is applied. Although the example in which the rib 7f which buckles and deforms by contacting the sash guide 6 itself is formed to increase the shock absorbing capacity is shown, the material and thickness of the sash guide cover 7 or 70, and the slide cover 3 are provided. Select the material and thickness of the
The ribs 7e and 7f are not necessarily required if the impact load expected by the deformation at the free end of the sash guide cover 7 or 70 and the bending deformation of the slide cover 3 can be absorbed.

The size of the gap G to be provided between the anchor bolt head 5a and the lower surface of the lower surface of the sash guide cover 7 defines the deformation range of the sash guide covers 7, 70 and the slide cover 3. The amount of load absorption due to these deformations is defined, and the size of the gap G can be appropriately set according to the material and thickness of each cover.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, the surface of the slider of the shoulder adjuster for changing the position of the anchor bolt for supporting the sash guide of the seat belt is covered, and at least the upper side of the slider is provided. The sash guide cover is fixed to the upper end of the sash guide cover. A claw that engages with the extension of the slide cover is formed, and a support portion that contacts the slide cover surface is formed at the lower end of the upper half. At the same time as the guide cover is deformed, the slide cover is deformed by the bending stress,
By these two deformations, effective shock absorption can be started quickly. Further, since the slide cover absorbs the impact by bending deformation, it is not necessary to increase the amount of protrusion into the vehicle compartment as compared with the case where the buckling of the rib is used. The amount of impact load absorption can be increased even if the amount of protrusion to the projection is smaller than before.

When a rib is formed on the surface of the sash guide cover facing the anchor bolt head in addition to the above-described structure, the shock absorbing ability due to the deformation of the rib is added. As a result, the total shock load is increased. Can be further increased.

Further, instead of or in addition to the ribs, the anchor bolt head is surrounded on the surface of the sash guide cover facing the sash guide in a non-contact manner, and faces the sash guide. When the ribs are formed in a cylindrical shape, the shock absorbing ability due to the deformation of the ribs is added, so that the total amount of shock load absorption can be further increased, and at the same time, the anchor bolt head And can contribute to the improvement of product design.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the embodiment of the present invention in an assembled state.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

4A and 4B are explanatory views of a sash guide cover 7 used in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4A is a rear view as viewed from the guide rail 1 side, and FIG. It is sectional drawing.

FIG. 5 shows the impact absorption process of the embodiment of the present invention.
It is explanatory drawing shown using a side view in order of (C).

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sash guide 7 used in the embodiment of FIG. 6;
FIG. 7 (A) is a rear view as viewed from the guide rail 1 side, and FIG. 7 (B) is a sectional view taken along the line AA.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Guide rail 1a Engagement hole 2 Slider 2a Through-hole 2b Through-hole 3 Slide cover 3d, 3e Extension 3f Standing part 3g Square hole 3h Claw holding part 4 Lock pin 41 Compression coil spring 42 Operation knob 5 Anchor bolt 5a Head Part 6 Sash guide 7, 70 Sash guide cover 7a Opening 7b Support 7c First claw 7d Second claw 7e Rib (for contact with anchor bolt head 5a) 7f Rib (for contact with sash guide 6) G air gap C, C 'clearance

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A shoulder adjuster for a seat belt for setting a vertical position of a sash guide which is disposed near an occupant's shoulder and penetrates a seat belt, wherein the guide direction is substantially along the vertical direction. A guide rail fixed in the vehicle interior with a plurality of engagement holes formed in the guide direction, a slider slidably supported by the guide rail, and a surface of the slider covered by the guide rail. A resin slide cover that is fixed in a state and that extends at least above the upper end of the slider and that covers the guide rail; and a penetrating through the slide cover and fixed to the slider. An anchor bolt that supports the sash guide, and a resin knob for operation on the top, and a guide rail that penetrates the slider And a lock pin for positioning and fixing the slider with respect to the guide rail by being inserted into any of the engagement holes, and the slide with the upper half surrounding the knob. A sash guide cover, which is fixed to the cover and has a lower half protruding so as to cover the head of the anchor bolt via a predetermined gap, is provided.The sash guide cover is formed near the upper end. The claw portion engages with the extension portion of the slide cover, and a support portion is formed near the lower end portion of the upper half portion in contact with the surface of the slide cover. Shoulder adjuster. 2. The shoulder adjuster for a seat belt according to claim 1, wherein a deformable rib protrudes from a surface of the sash guide cover facing the anchor bolt head. 3. A deformation in which the outer periphery of the head of the anchor bolt is surrounded in a non-contact manner on a surface of the sash guide cover facing the sash guide, and a tip of the anchor bolt protrudes in a cylindrical shape so as to face the sash guide. The shoulder adjuster for a seat belt according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a possible rib is formed.