JP5735635B2 - Seat belt device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a seat belt device that restrains and protects a vehicle occupant.

  In a three-point seat belt device that restrains and protects an occupant in the event of a vehicle collision, one end of the webbing that restrains the occupant is fixed to the lower part of the passenger compartment and is passed vertically through the passenger compartment. The webbing is inserted through a through anchor at the upper part of the passenger compartment and folded downward, and the other end is wound up by a retractor. The retractor prevents the webbing from loosening by winding the webbing. Therefore, tension is constantly applied to the webbing.

  When the seat belt is mounted, the occupant grips the tongue plate between the through anchor and the anchor plate, and pulls out the webbing against the force in the winding direction by the retractor. The tongue plate is moved to the opposite side of the seat (vehicle center side) by the occupant and attached to the buckle. In this way, the occupant's body is restrained by the webbing fixed at the three points on both sides of the occupant's shoulder and waist.

  However, since one end of the webbing is fixed to the anchor plate fixed to the lower part (floor surface) of the passenger compartment, when the occupant grips the tongue plate, the occupant twists the upper body seated on the seat and is positioned behind the seat back. It was necessary to grip the tongue plate. In this respect, the installation of the seat belt device is complicated.

  Therefore, belt reachers that move the webbing to a suitable position instead of the anchor plate have been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). The belt reacher includes a rigid boot positioned between the seat and the door. The boot stores the webbing over a predetermined length from one end of the webbing fixed to the lower part of the passenger compartment. The belt reacher also includes a rotation mechanism, which supports the boot so that the boot can tilt in the vehicle front-rear direction around the lower end of the boot.

  The belt reacher further includes biasing means for applying a biasing force to the boot so that the boot tilts forward of the vehicle. The urging means is usually a spring assembled to the rotation mechanism, and constantly applies the above urging force to the boot.

  According to the above configuration, the boot that accommodates a part of the webbing receives a force that tilts backward by the force of the retractor winding the webbing, and also receives a force that tilts forward by the biasing means. In order to make the belt reacher function, it is sufficient to weaken the force of the retractor to wind up the webbing. As a result, the force of the urging means becomes relatively dominant, the boot is tilted forward, the webbing is also pushed forward, and the tongue plate attached to the webbing moves to a position where it can be easily gripped by the occupant.

JP-A-4-159161 JP 2009-40323 A

  As described above, the force that tilts forward and the force that tilts backward are constantly applied to the boots constituting the belt reacher, and the balance of these forces is constantly applied. Determines the degree of tilting of the boot. However, since the boot is generally made of resin although it is hard, it has been found that the boot is deformed (curved) in the vehicle vertical direction by the forces in the opposite directions. Although some deformation is acceptable, the boot gradually increases its deformation amount over a long period of use and gradually exceeds the allowable value. In this case, not only functions as a belt reacher but also necessary functions as a seat belt such as winding, pulling out, and removing slack in an emergency are lost.

  As another problem, when the boot is tilted forward and the webbing is pushed forward, the webbing may be twisted at the tip of the boot and the tongue plate may be reversed. When the tongue plate is reversed, the tongue plate has to be turned over by the occupant and set on the buckle even though the webbing is easily pulled out by the occupant by the belt reacher. This impairs the convenience of the belt reacher.

  In view of such problems, the present invention provides a seat belt device capable of maintaining performance over a long period of time and preventing reversal of the tongue by preventing the webbing from being twisted during belt reacher operation. It is aimed.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a typical configuration of a seat belt device according to the present invention is a webbing by winding up the other end of a webbing that is fixed at one end to the lower part of the passenger compartment and passed up and down in the passenger compartment. A retractor that applies tension to the boot, a boot that stores the webbing for a predetermined length from one fixed end, and a rotation mechanism that rotatably supports the boot so that the boot tilts in the vehicle front-rear direction around the lower end. And a biasing means for imparting a biasing force to the boot so that the boot is tilted forward of the vehicle, and a support plate housed in the space inside the boot together with the webbing and having higher rigidity than the boot.

  According to said structure, a support board can play the role of the flame | frame (skeleton) or splint which prevents a deformation | transformation of a boot by having rigidity higher than a boot.

  The support plate may have at least approximately the same length or approximately the same width as the space inside the boot. This is because the deformation of the boot can be more effectively prevented by making the support plate approximately the same size as the space inside the boot.

  The boot may be made of resin, and the support plate may be made of metal. This is because the metal has higher rigidity than the resin, as is well known. Resin, which is a material for boots, is easily deformed when a force is applied particularly at high temperatures, but metal, which is a material for support plates, is excellent in lateral rigidity and torsional rigidity even at high temperatures and is difficult to deform. .

  The boots may be made of a hard material. This is because the boot has a function of pushing the webbing forward.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, another typical configuration of the seat belt device according to the present invention is to wind up the other end of the webbing that is fixed at one end to the lower part of the passenger compartment and passed up and down in the passenger compartment. The retractor for applying tension to the webbing, the boot for storing the webbing from a fixed end to a predetermined length, and the boot can be rotated so that the boot tilts in the vehicle front-rear direction around its lower end. A rotation mechanism that supports the urging means for applying an urging force to the boot so that the boot tilts forward of the vehicle. When the boot is viewed from the side of the vehicle, the boot faces upward when the boot tilts forward. The tip of the lower edge line positioned below the tip of the upper edge line is further away from the center of rotation.

According to the above structure, having a shape opening to welcome the boot of the webbing is inclined, even when the webbing is projected forward by the belt reacher, inversion is prevented motor ring plate by twisting of the webbing.

  The upper end portion having an opening for receiving the webbing of the boot may have a shape in which the tip end portion of the upper edge line and the tip end portion of the lower edge line are connected in a straight line, as seen from the side of the vehicle. You may have the shape connected with a convex curve below.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, still another typical configuration of the seatbelt device according to the present invention is to wind up the other end side of the webbing that is fixed at one end to the lower part of the passenger compartment and passed up and down in the passenger compartment. The retractor that applies tension to the webbing, the boot that houses the webbing from a fixed end to a predetermined length, and the boot can be rotated so that the boot tilts in the vehicle front-rear direction around its lower end. And a biasing means for applying a biasing force to the boot so that the boot tilts forward of the vehicle. The boot has a side wall positioned on the upper side when the boot tilts forward of the vehicle. A notch of a predetermined length is provided along the opening from which the webbing is received.

  The boots may be made of a hard material. This is because the boot has a function of pushing the webbing forward.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while being able to hold | maintain performance for a long period of time, the seatbelt apparatus which can prevent inversion of a tongue plate by preventing that a webbing twists at the time of belt reacher operation | movement can be provided.

It is a figure which illustrates the seatbelt apparatus which is the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a part of the seat belt device of FIG. 1. It is the figure which looked at the seatbelt apparatus of FIG. 1 from the vehicle side surface. It is a figure which illustrates the variation of the upper end part of the boot of FIG. It is a figure which illustrates the comparative example compared with the 1st Embodiment of this invention of FIG. It is a perspective view which illustrates the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Seat belt apparatus 110 ... Webbing 120 ... Retractor 130 ... Through anchor 140 ... Tung plate 150 ... Seat 160 ... Buckle 170, 300, 310 ... Boot 172 ... Space 175 ... Center 180 ... Support plate 190 ... Rotation mechanism 192 ... Base plate 194 ... anchor plate 196 ... anchor bracket 198 ... return spring 200 ... pin 210 ... passenger 220 ... upper end 230 ... upper edge line 240 ... lower edge line 230A, 240A ... tip 320, 330 ... notch

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in the embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not illustrated. To do.

(Seat belt device)
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a seat belt device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 (a) is a diagram in which a seat belt device 100 is applied to a passenger seat of a vehicle. The seat belt device 100 includes a webbing 110 that comes from the upper part of the side of the passenger compartment. The webbing 110 is pulled out of a retractor 120 attached to the lower part of the side surface of the passenger compartment, for example, below the center pillar (B pillar, not shown), and inserted into a through anchor 130 attached to the upper part of the side of the passenger compartment, such as above the center pillar. And folded downward. One end of the folded webbing 110 is fixed to the lower part of the passenger compartment, and the webbing 110 is passed up and down in the passenger compartment. The retractor 120 that winds up the other end side of the webbing 110 constantly applies tension to the webbing 110 in order to prevent the webbing 110 from loosening.

  The webbing 110 folded back by the through anchor 130 is inserted into the tongue plate 140, and the tongue plate 140 can slide on the webbing 110. When the occupant 210 (FIG. 3) attaches the tongue plate 140 to the buckle 160 disposed on the center side of the passenger compartment of the seat 150, the fastening of the seat belt device 100 is completed.

  FIG.1 (b) is the elements on larger scale of Fig.1 (a). The seat belt device 100 includes a hard boot 170 that houses the webbing 110 from a fixed end thereof over a predetermined length. The boot 170 has a flat shape and has a space 172 (FIG. 2) in which the webbing 110 is stored. The boot 170 is resinous in this embodiment. More specifically, for example, a thermoplastic elastomer (TPO: Thermo Plastic Olefin) may be used. The boot 170 is a part of the belt reacher and has a function of pushing the webbing 110 forward. Therefore, the boot 170 needs to be rigid, but does not need to be a complete rigid body.

  Here, “hard” means a material having a hardness that can maintain the shape of the boot when it is molded into the shape of a “sheath” that accommodates webbing. For example, a material such as polyethylene that can maintain its shape on condition that it has an appropriate thickness may be included. In addition, even materials such as nylon, polypropylene, and engineering plastics (engineering plastics) can be used as boot materials if the above conditions are satisfied.

(Support plate 180)
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a part of the seat belt device of FIG. FIG. 2 (a) illustrates an enlarged view around the boot, and FIG. 2 (b) illustrates an exploded view of FIG. 2 (a). As shown in FIG. 2B, a support plate 180 is housed (inserted) in the space 172 inside the boot 170 together with the webbing 110. The support plate 180 has a length L2 and a width W2 that are substantially equal to the length L1 and the width W1 of the space 172, respectively. The support plate 180 is made of a material having higher rigidity than the boot 170, and is made of metal in this embodiment. For example, it may be made of stainless steel. However, the material is not limited to metal as long as the material has higher rigidity than the boot 170. The boot 170 is not limited to resin, and any material may be used as long as it is a hard and light material.

  Here, “substantially equal” means that a slight gap is allowed between the support plate 180 and the space 172. The support plate 180 only needs to have a size that can prevent the boot 170 from being deformed, and the space 172 need not necessarily be filled without any gaps. The size of the support plate 180 may vary depending on the material and shape of the boot 170.

  The thickness of the support plate 180 may be smaller than the thickness of the space 172 so that the support plate 180 can be stored in the space 172 together with the webbing 110.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the seat belt device 100 includes a rotation mechanism 190 that rotatably supports the boot 170 so that the boot 170 tilts in the vehicle front-rear direction with the vicinity of the lower end portion as a center 175. The rotation mechanism 190 and the boot 170 constitute a belt reacher.

  The rotation mechanism 190 includes a base plate 192 fixed to the lower portion of the side surface of the seat 150, and an anchor bracket 196 that is rotatably mounted on the base plate 192 and connected to an anchor plate 194 that fixes one end of the webbing 110. Thus, in this embodiment, the webbing 110 is fixed to the lower portion of the side surface of the seat 150 by the anchor plate 194, the anchor bracket 196, and the base plate 192. However, one end of the webbing 110 may be fixed at any position below the passenger compartment such as the passenger compartment floor.

  The rotation mechanism 190 further includes a return spring 198 and a pin 200. The return spring 198 is attached to both the base plate 192 and the anchor bracket 196, and applies a force for rotating the anchor bracket 196 counterclockwise to the fixed base plate 192. The anchor bracket 196 is non-rotatably connected to the anchor plate 194 and the support plate 180 housed in the boot 170. Therefore, when the anchor bracket 196 is rotated counterclockwise by the return spring 198, a biasing force is applied to the boot 170 so that the boot 170 tilts forward of the vehicle. That is, the return spring 198 functions as a biasing means for the boot 170.

  FIG. 3 is a view of the seat belt device 100 of FIG. 1 as viewed from the side of the vehicle. When the boot 170 is tilted forward of the vehicle by the urging force described with reference to FIG. 2, the portion of the webbing 110 that is housed in the boot 170 can have a track corresponding to the inclination angle of the boot 170. That is, the webbing 110 is bent into a substantially “<” shape toward the front, illustrated on the left side of FIG. Can be handed along the trajectory. At this time, the tongue plate 140 is pushed forward to a position where the occupant 210 can easily operate. This is the effect of the belt reacher.

(Effect of support plate 180)
As described above, since the retractor 120 constantly applies tension to the webbing 110, the boot 170 also receives a force tilting backward. On the other hand, an urging force for tilting forward by the return spring 198 is constantly applied to the boot 170. The degree of tilting of the boot 170 is determined by the balance of these forces. On the other hand, the resin boot 170 is easily deformed by the forces acting in the opposite directions.

  However, according to the present embodiment, the support plate 180 having a size substantially equal to the space 172 is accommodated in the space 172 inside the boot 170. Therefore, the support plate 180 can serve as a frame (skeleton) or splint that prevents the boot 170 from being deformed. This is because the metallic support plate 180 has higher rigidity than the resin boot 170. In addition, the resin that is the material of the boot 170 is easily deformed when a force is applied particularly at high temperatures, but the metal that is the material of the support plate 180 is excellent in lateral rigidity and torsional rigidity even at high temperatures and is difficult to deform. It is.

  In order to prevent the boot 170 from being deformed, the boot 170 may be made of the same metal as the support plate 180. This measure may eliminate the problem of deformation, but is undesirable because it increases the weight of the boot 170.

(Boot top end shape)
As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper end portion 220 that receives the webbing 110 of the boot 170 has an opening that is inclined when the side surface of the vehicle is seen. That is, when the side surface of the vehicle is seen, the front end portion 240A of the lower edge line 240 positioned on the lower side is more than the front end portion 230A of the upper edge line 230 positioned on the upper side when the boot 170 is tilted forward of the vehicle. , Away from the center of rotation 175. That is, the distance D2 is longer than the distance D1. The support plate 180 has a similar shape in accordance with the shape of the boot 170 described above.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a variation of the upper end portion 220 of the boot 170 of FIG. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, the front end portion of the upper edge line 230 of the boot 170 and the front end portion of the lower edge line 240 are connected in a straight line as seen from the side of the vehicle. However, like the upper ends 250 and 260 of the boots 242 and 244 illustrated in FIGS. 4B and 4C, the tip of the upper edge line 230 and the tip of the lower edge line 240 are convex upward or downward. You may have the shape connected with a curve.

(Effect of the shape of the upper end of the boot)
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a comparative example compared with the first embodiment of the present invention of FIG. The seat belt device 10 in the comparative example of FIG. 5 differs from FIG. 3 only in the shape of the upper end portion 280 of the boot 270, and the upper end portion 280 is formed in a substantially square shape (substantially an angle of 90 degrees). The unused state, which is illustrated on the right side of FIG. 5 and is extended substantially linearly in the vertical direction, is the same as FIG. However, when the boot 170 is tilted forward and the webbing 110 is protruded to the left side of FIG. 5, the webbing 110 is twisted at the tip of the boot 170 as shown in FIG. May be reversed.

  When the tongue plate 140 is inverted, the occupant 210 is turned over to the buckle 160 even if the webbing 110 is easily pulled out by the occupant 210 by the belt reacher (the boot 170 and the rotation mechanism 190). Must be set. This impairs the convenience of the belt reacher. On the other hand, in the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3, since the upper end 220 has an inclined opening, the tongue plate 140 does not reverse as in the comparative example.

(Notch on top of boot)
FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a second embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 6A and 6B are variations of the second embodiment. Only the differences from the first embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the boots 300 and 310 have webbing 110 along the side walls 300A and 310A located on the upper side when they are tilted forward of the vehicle. Are notches 320 and 330 having predetermined lengths from the openings 300B and 310B, respectively.

  The cutout that is a feature of the present embodiment may be a thin strip-shaped cutout 320 as illustrated in FIG. 6A or a V-shaped cutout 330 as illustrated in FIG. 6B. Also good. Each of the notches 320 and 330 has a predetermined length toward the lower end of the boots 300 and 310.

  By providing the notches 320 and 330 as described above, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the edge 110 </ b> A accommodated along the side walls 300 </ b> A and 310 </ b> A located on the upper side of the boot of the webbing 110. Falls into the notches 320 and 330 when exposed from the openings of the boots 300 and 310. As a result, similarly to the first embodiment, the webbing 110 is prevented from being twisted at the tip portions of the boots 300 and 310.

  In the present embodiment, the strip-shaped and V-shaped cutouts 320 and 330 are illustrated, but the shape of the cutout is not limited thereto. Any shape can be used as long as the edge of the webbing 110 has a predetermined length sufficient to drop.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments described above are preferred examples of the present invention, and other embodiments can be implemented by various methods. Can be carried out. The invention is not limited to the detailed shape, size, configuration, and the like of the components shown in the accompanying drawings unless otherwise specified in the present specification. In addition, expressions and terms used in the present specification are for the purpose of explanation, and are not limited thereto unless otherwise specified.

  Therefore, it is obvious for those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be conceived within the scope of the claims, and these naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a seat belt device that restrains and protects a vehicle occupant.

Claims (7)

A retractor that applies tension to the webbing by winding up the other end of the webbing that is fixed at one end to the lower part of the passenger compartment and passed up and down in the passenger compartment;
Boots for storing the webbing over a predetermined length from the fixed end;
The boot is tilted to the vehicle front around the vicinity of the lower end portion of the boot Tsu, a rotation mechanism rotatably supporting the boot to push the front of the vehicle than the seat back the tongue plate,
Biasing means for applying a biasing force to the boot so that the boot tilts forward of the vehicle,
The boot has an opening that prevents the webbing from being twisted when the boot is tilted forward of the vehicle. When the boot is viewed from the side of the vehicle, the boot is positioned upward when the boot is tilted forward of the vehicle. The tip of the lower edge line located below the tip of the upper edge line is further away from the center of the rotation, and the opening includes the tip of the upper edge line and the tip of the lower edge line. The seat belt device is formed by connecting the upper and lower sides with a convex curve . A retractor that applies tension to the webbing by winding up the other end of the webbing that is fixed at one end to the lower part of the passenger compartment and passed up and down in the passenger compartment;
Boots for storing the webbing over a predetermined length from the fixed end;
The boot is tilted to the vehicle front around the vicinity of the lower end portion of the boot Tsu, a rotation mechanism rotatably supporting the boot to push the front of the vehicle than the seat back the tongue plate,
Biasing means for applying a biasing force to the boot so that the boot tilts forward of the vehicle,
The boot is provided with a notch of a predetermined length for the edge of the webbing to fall from an opening that welcomes the webbing along the side wall located on the upper side when the boot is tilted forward of the vehicle ,
The seat belt device according to claim 1 , wherein an edge of the webbing falls when the boot is tilted forward of the vehicle, and the webbing is not twisted in the notch . The seat belt device according to claim 1 or 2 , further comprising a support plate that is housed in the space inside the boot together with the webbing and has higher rigidity than the boot. The seat belt device according to claim 3 , wherein the support plate has at least approximately the same length or approximately the same width as the space inside the boot. The seat belt device according to claim 3 or 4 , wherein the support plate is made of metal. The seat belt device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the boot is made of resin. The boot seat belt device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a hard material.

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