JPH04103452A - Safety device for crew restraining device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable reuse of the device after collision by setting a collision detecting device in the working condition at detecting a seat belt in using condition for crew, and prohibiting operation of the collision detecting device corresponding to the seat belt in no using condition. CONSTITUTION:When a seat belt 2 is drawn out from an ELR device and a winding quantity of the seat belt 2 is reduced, the lever member 16 of a safety device 15 is inclined and a slide pin 52 is displaced outward. In this condition, the flat face 56 of the inner end of the slide pin 52 is conformed with a guide hole 28, simultaneously the inner end of the slide pin 52 is detached from positions of projections 57a, 57b on the left side of respective pendulums 23a, 23b, and a recessed part 58 is opposed to projections 57a, 57b on the right side, hereby, both pendulum 23a, 23b and a striker 29 are in condition not to be obstructed. Meanwhile, in no using condition of the seat belt 2, the projections 57a, 57b of both pendulums 23a, 23b interfere with the outer face of the slide pin 52, hence both pendulums 23a, 23b cannot be displaced and the striker 29 cannot projected.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Purpose of the Invention/Field of Industrial Application] The present invention is aimed primarily at minimizing the movement of occupants in the event of a collision, by automatically tightening the seatbelt. The present invention relates to a safety device for an occupant restraint system that uses a seatbelt that is not in use, and particularly to a safety device that prohibits the operation of an occupant restraint system that corresponds to a seatbelt that is not in use.

<Prior Art> Automobile seats are provided with seat belts that restrain the movement of occupants in order to prevent the occupants from being thrown forward in the event of a collision or the like.

This seatbelt does not feel restrictive during normal use, and
It is desirable that the seatbelt be tensioned only when a deceleration of a predetermined value or more is applied, and to meet this demand, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-229746 discloses a preloader device that tensions the seatbelt excessively only in the event of a collision. Proposed.

<Problem to be solved by the invention> The seat belt preloader device disclosed in the above publication has the following problems:
The firing pin, which is normally held in an inoperative position, is fired toward the detonator using the movement of a weight that is displaced by inertia when a vehicle collides, igniting the propellant, etc., and the combustion pressure increases. The vehicle is configured to carry out the traction drive of the seat belt.

In other words, the conventional preloader device detects deceleration at the time of a collision and ignites the propellant regardless of whether a seatbelt is used or not. Even if the seat belt itself is not in use at the time of a collision, the preloader device, such as one installed on the passenger seat, is inconveniently activated. Since this preloader device cannot be reused once it has been activated, the expensive device has to be wasted.

This can be said to be an extremely undesirable inconvenience from the standpoint of resource conservation and from the standpoint of imposing an unnecessary burden on the user.

The present invention was devised to improve such inconveniences, and an object of the present invention is to provide a safety device that prevents the preloader device from operating when the seatbelt is not in use.

[Structure of the Invention] Means for Solving the Problems According to the present invention, such an object is such that the seat belt, which has been pulled out from the tri-tractor device and stretched around the body of the occupant, is A safety device installed in an occupant restraint system that increases the restraining force of an occupant by instantaneously tensioning the vehicle when deceleration is applied to the vehicle, and selects between a movable state and an immobile state of a collision detection device. The setting means and the detection means for detecting the state in which the seatbelt is wrapped around the occupant are interlocked and connected to each other, and when the state in which the seatbelt is stretched around the occupant is detected, the collision detection device is activated. This is accomplished by providing a safety device for an occupant restraint system that is configured to set a.

In this way, the operation of the collision detection device corresponding to the seatbelt that is not in use is prohibited.

Therefore, a preloader device for a seatbelt that is not in use at the time of a vehicle collision does not operate, making it possible to reuse it after the collision.

<Embodiments> The structure of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2 schematically show the entire seatbelt preloader device to which the present invention is applied. The seatbelt preloader device 1 is a retractor device (hereinafter referred to as an ELR device) with a known emergency automatic locking device for winding and storing the seatbelt 2 during normal use.
3, and normally does not inhibit the operation of the ELR device 3 (
, a traction device 4 for tensioning the seat belt 2 only in the event of a vehicle collision, a power generation device 5 for rotationally driving the traction device 4, and a shock deceleration that acts on the vehicle body to prevent the vehicle from colliding. It consists of a collision detection device 6 that detects a collision, and is fixedly attached to the lower part of the center pillar 7.

On the other hand, the seat belt 2 pulled upward from the ELR device 3 via the traction device 4 passes through a through ring 8 fixed to the top of the center pillar 7, and then extends downward.
Its end portion is fixed to the rear side of the seat (not shown) or to a proper position on the side sill 9.

The traction device 4 includes a pulley 11 (FIG. 1) pivotally attached to one side wall of a frame 10 integrally formed with the casing of the ELR device 3 by bending a metal plate, and a pulley 11 provided on the other side wall. For example, the reverse rotation prevention mechanism 12 (FIG. 2) consisting of a ratchet wheel and a ratchet pawl, and these boots 9
11 and a clamp mechanism 13 which is provided by connecting the facing surfaces of the reverse prevention mechanism 12 to each other, and is configured to clamp and retract the portion of the seat belt 2 that is fed out from the ELR device 3. There is.

A cable 14 is wound around the pulley 11 and has one end connected to the power generator 5 and the other end fixed to a proper position on the pulley 11. In addition, seat belt 2, EL
Regarding the configurations of the R device 3, traction device 4, power generation device 5, etc., basically known formats can be applied, and since they are not directly related to the essence of the present invention, further explanation will be omitted. do.

A collision detection device 6 is provided on the interior side surface of the frame 10 in conjunction with the movement of the seat belt 2 from the ELR device 3.
A safety device 15 is installed for selectively setting the movable state and the immovable state. This safety device 15 is composed of a lever member 16 pivoted in a seesaw manner at an intermediate portion of the frame 10 in the vertical direction.

The lever member 16 has its lower end inserted into the ELR device 3 and in finger contact with the web surface of the seat belt 2 wound around the ELR device 3, and a slide pin (described later) incorporated in the collision detection device 6. its upper end is engaged with. Further, a torsion coil spring 18 is attached to a pivot shaft 17 provided on the frame 10 to support the lever member 16, and is oriented to press the lower end side of the lever member 16 against the web surface of the seat belt 2. There is a strong emphasis on Thereby, as shown by the solid line and the imaginary line in FIG. 2, the tilting angle of the lever member 16 changes in accordance with the change in the amount of winding of the seat belt 2 with respect to the ELR device 3. The tilt angle of the lever member 16 in the seatbelt extended state is as follows:
defined by a stopper 19 provided on the frame 10,
After the seat belt 2 is pulled out by a predetermined amount, its tilt angle remains unchanged.

3 and 4 show in detail a collision detection device 6 constructed according to the present invention. A pair of pendulums 23a are provided on both upper sides of the sensor body 22 of the collision detection device 6.
- 23b is suspended so as to be able to swing freely using its upper end as a fulcrum. These pair of pendulums 23a and 23b
Both have a U-shaped cross section with an open upper side, and both ends 25a, 25b, 26a, and 26b located above are respectively supported by support shafts 24a and 24b that are installed parallel to each other. They are doubly combined so that each can swing independently without interfering with the movement of the other.

The middle part 27 of the sensor body 22, which has protruded into the inside of the space defined by the U-shaped parts of the pendulums 23a and 23b, has a front end along the tangential direction to the swing locus of the pendulums 23a and 23b. A guide hole 28 is formed in the shape of an open cylinder. Inside this guide hole 28,
A firing pin 29 is inserted for igniting a propellant detonator as a source of driving energy for the traction device 4 .

The firing pin 29 consists of a tip 30 and a plunger 31 in the shape of a cylinder with a bottom that loosely fits into the guide hole 28.
A coil spring 32 compressed between the bottom and the bottom of the guide hole 28
As a result, it is constantly biased towards the opening of the guide hole 28.

A swing arm 33 is pivotally supported at the rear of the intermediate portion 27 of the sensor body 22 so as to be able to swing downward.

The free end 34 of the swing arm 33 is prevented from swinging downward by engaging with the bottom 35 of the inner pendulum 23b, which is in the non-operating position, just below the support shaft 24b.

A trigger arm 3 is provided on the roadside side of the intermediate portion of the swing arm 33 so as to be swingable in a seesaw manner via a support shaft 36.
7 is supported. The trigger arm 37 has a substantially crank-like shape when viewed from the side and a substantially U-shape when viewed from the front. The end 39 is inserted into the firing pin 29 so that the open end 39 is engaged with an engaging portion 40 formed in the plunger 31 portion of the firing pin 29.

At the bottom of the U-shaped portion of the outer pendulum 23a, a U-shaped end 41 of the trigger arm 37 is located approximately directly below the support shaft 24a.
A protruding piece 42 is provided so as to protrude so as to engage with the bottom of the holder. The swing arm 3 is attached to the bottom 35 of the inner pendulum 23b.
3, and engage the free end 34 of the trigger arm 37.
By engaging the letter-shaped end 41 with the protruding piece 42 of the outer pendulum 23a and engaging the open end 39 of the trigger arm 37 with the engaging portion 40 of the firing pin 29, the biasing force of the coil spring 32 is resisted. The firing pin 29 is held stationary.

Front end surfaces 43a and 43b at the bottom of both pendulums 23a and 23b
Both pendulums 23 are inside the sensor body 22 facing the
Located on the vertical center of a and 23b, and in the guide hole 2
A pair of bias springs 44a and 44b are arranged in parallel so as to be oriented parallel to the axis of 8. These bias springs 44a and 44b are connected to guide caps 45a and 45b.
The pendulums 23a and 23b are in contact with the bottom front end surfaces 43a and 43b of the corresponding pendulums 23a and 23b, respectively, so that both the pendulums 23a and 23b are always biased backward.

The spring constants of the bias springs 44a and 44b are set to balance the force that tends to swing the pendulums 23a and 23b forward due to the inertial force that acts during deceleration. In other words, the pendulum is held stationary under decelerations equivalent to a normal sudden stop, but under relatively large decelerations that occur during a vehicle collision at a certain speed or higher, the pendulum succumbs to the inertial force and flexes. It's starting to look like this.

In this way, the engagement between the protrusion 42 of the outer pendulum 23a and the U-shaped end 41 of the trigger arm 37, and the engagement between the bottom 35 of the inner pendulum 23b and the free end 34 of the swing arm 33 is achieved.
The engagement is maintained at all times.

The sensor body 22 assembled with these members is covered with a casing 46.

A hole 51 is bored in a portion of the sensor body 22 in front of the firing pin 29 set in the guide hole 28 so as to cross the lower portion of the guide hole 28 . And this hole 5
A slide pin 52 having a generally round bar shape is fitted into the inside of the slide pin 1 . The slide pin 52 is prevented from rotating by engagement between an axial groove 53 formed on its outer circumferential surface and a protrusion 54 protruding from the inner surface of the hole 51, and is compressed in the direction of sinking into the sensor body 22. The slide pin 52 is always elastically biased by the coil spring 55, and most of the slide pin 52 is retracted into the sensor body 22 when no external force is applied to the slide pin 52.

A flat surface 56 having an appropriate axial length is formed on the upper surface of the inner end of the slide pin 52, and a recess 58 having a U-shaped cross section is formed on the pendulum side surface of the intermediate portion. . Furthermore, the slide pin 52 has one end protruding from one side of the casing 46, and the fork pawl 16a formed at the upper end of the lever member 16 is engaged with the pin 52a protruding from the end. It matches. Interlocking with the tilting movement of the lever member 16 according to the amount of winding of the seat belt 2, the lever member 16 can slide within a predetermined range in the axial direction.

On the other hand, both pendulums 23a and 2 facing the slide pin 52
Protrusions 57a and 57b are respectively provided on the front end surface of the side portion of the slide pin 3b to protrude toward the outer circumferential surface of the slide pin 52.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7.

When the occupant is seated and pulls out the seat belt 2 from the ELR device 3 to wrap it around his or her body, the amount of winding of the seat belt 2 decreases. Here, the torsion coil spring 18 that biases the lower end of the lever member 16 against the web surface of the seat belt 2 has a larger elastic force than the compression coil spring 55 that biases the slide pin 52 inward. Since it is set,
The lever member 16 is tilted to the position shown by the solid line in FIG.
It is displaced outward following the displacement of .

In this state, as shown in FIG. 5, the flat surface 56 of the inner end of the slide pin 52 is aligned with the guide hole 28, and at the same time, the left protrusions 57a and 57b of each pendulum 23a and 23b in FIG. The inner end of the slide pin 52 comes out of position, and the recess 58 faces the right projections 57a and 57b. Therefore, both pendulums 23a and 23b and firing pin 29
Together, their movements will not be hindered.

Under this condition, if a deceleration of more than a predetermined value acts in the direction of vehicle movement, the corresponding bias springs 44a and 4
The inertial force of each pendulum 23a, 23b overcomes the urging force of 4b, and each pendulum 23a, 23b is tilted so that its lower end is swung forward. This allows the U-shaped end 41 of the trigger arm 37 to engage with the projection 42 of the outer pendulum 23a (Fig. 6), or the free end 34 of the swing arm 33 to the bottom 35 of the inner pendulum 23b. Engagement (7th
(Figure) is solved.

Then, the restraining force acting on the trigger arm 37 is released, and the firing pin 29 pushes away the open end 39 of the trigger arm 37 by the elastic force given by the coil spring 32, and the detonator installed inside the power generator 5 It is fired towards F.

When the tip 30 of the firing pin 29 hits the detonator F, the propellant B is ignited, and the explosion pressure at this time applies thrust to the piston body incorporated in the power generating device 5, and the thrust is applied to the traction device 4 via the cable 14. The seat belt 2 is retracted (arrow D in Fig. 2).

On the other hand, when the seat belt 2 is not used and the amount of winding of the seat belt 2 relative to the ELR device 3 exceeds a predetermined amount, the lever member 16 tilts to the position shown by the imaginary line in FIG. is displaced inward. When the safety device 15 is set, as shown in FIG.
b interferes with the outer surface of the slide pin 52, both pendulums 23a and 23b cannot be displaced, and therefore the firing pin 2
9 is never fired. In addition, if the trigger arm 37 is damaged and the firing pin 29 is released from the firing pin 29 regardless of the displacement of the pendulums 23a and 23b, the outer surface of the slide pin 52 will interfere with the course of the firing pin 29, causing This also prevents the firing pin 29 from firing.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, with an extremely simple structure, the collision detection device does not operate when the seat belt is not in use, and this prevents unnecessary operation of the preloader device. It can have great effects.

Moreover, according to the above-described structure, the operation of the safety device is performed in conjunction with the operation of the seat belt, so that the operability is not complicated. In addition, since the collision detection system does not operate unless the occupant uses their seatbelt, it prevents malfunctions caused by the impact of, for example, suddenly closing a door, increasing the reliability of the collision detection system. Effective.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway elevational view showing how the seatbelt preloader device is attached to the vehicle center pillar, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the opposite side of FIG. 1. . FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway side view of an embodiment of the collision detection device according to the present invention, FIG. 4 is a front view showing the safety device in its operating state, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a front view showing a state in which the safety device is released. FIGS. 6 and 7 are operation explanatory diagrams showing a collision detection state. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Seatbelt preloader device, 2... Seatbelt, 3... ELR device, 4... Traction device, 5...
...Power generator, 6...Collision detection device, 10...
Frame, 11... Pulley, 12... Ratchet mechanism, 13... Clamp mechanism, 14... Cable, 1
5...Safety device, 16...Lever member, 17...
Pivot, 18... Torsion coil spring, 19... Stopper, 22... Sensor body, 23a, 23b... Pendulum, 28... Guide hole, 29... Firing pin, 30...
Tip, 31...Plunger, 32...Coil spring,
33... Swing arm, 37... Trigger arm,
51... Hole, 52... Slide pin, 53... Axial groove, 54... Projection, 55... Compression coil spring, 56... Flat surface, 57a, 57b... Projection, 58
...Recess D Fig. 2 Fig. 4 Fig. 5

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A retractor device that retracts the seatbelt when it is not in use, a preloader device that tightens the seatbelt to increase the restraint of the occupant in the event of a vehicle collision, and a deceleration that exceeds a predetermined value that acts on the vehicle. A safety device for an occupant restraint system having a collision detection device for detecting a collision detection device and operating a preloader device, the safety device comprising: a setting means for selecting a movable state or an immobility state of the collision detection device; and a detection means for detecting a state in which the seatbelt is stretched over the occupant, the setting means and the detection means are interlocked and connected to each other, and when the state in which the seatbelt is stretched around the occupant is detected, the collision detection device A safety device for an occupant restraint system, characterized in that the safety device is set to an activated state. (2) The collision detection device includes a weight pivotally supported at the upper end and resiliently floating, a firing pin that is constantly biased toward the detonator, and a firing pin that engages with the weight. and a trigger member for holding the weight and the firing pin in a non-operating position, and the setting means prevents displacement of the weight and the firing pin depending on the position of the setting means. Safety device for occupant restraints. (3) The detection means includes a member that is displaced in the radial direction of the winding shaft of the retractor device in accordance with the amount of winding of the seat belt with respect to the retractor device. A safety device for the occupant restraint system described in .