JPH0453735B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> The present invention automatically tightens the slack in the seat belt in the event of a collision, etc.
The present invention relates to a seatbelt preloader device for minimizing forward movement of an occupant.

<Prior art> For example, automobile seats are equipped with a mechanism to prevent occupants from being thrown forward in the event of a collision.
Seatbelts are installed to restrain the movement of the occupants, and these seatbelts do not restrict movement during normal driving, but are equipped with retractors equipped with automatic emergency locking devices that lock the seatbelt winding shaft only in the event of a collision. A device (hereinafter abbreviated as an ELR device) may be provided.

This ELR device is generally of the type that detects the acceleration at the time of a collision or the sudden extension of the seatbelt and locks the winding shaft within a very short period of time. If the amount of slack in the seat belt is large, the restraint force for the occupant may become insufficient.

Based on this perspective, for example,
In Publication No. 21574 or Publication No. 53-25943,
A preloader device is disclosed that tensions a seat belt by rapidly retracting the end of the seat belt during a collision.

<Problem to be solved by the invention> However, in the case of a seatbelt equipped with an ELR device, the winding of the seatbelt around the winding shaft of the ELR device may become loose depending on the unwinding speed from the ELR device and the unwinding length. There are cases where this happens. Therefore, in the case of a preloader device that winds up the end of the seat belt as described above, it is conceivable that most of the stroke of the preloader device is spent just tightening the belt around the ELR device.

In view of the problems of the prior art, the main purpose of the present invention is to
An object of the present invention is to provide a preloader device capable of applying a constant tension to a seat belt.

<Means for Solving the Problems> According to the present invention, the present invention provides a seatbelt preloader for tightening slack in a seatbelt pulled out from a retractor device and wrapped around an occupant in the event of a vehicle collision. The device includes a traction mechanism including a pressing member having one end for pressing a portion of the seat belt immediately after the retractor device and the other end rotatably supported, and a drive for rotationally driving the traction mechanism. A clamping mechanism comprising a movable member whose one end side is tilted by being pressed by a web surface pressed by a pressing member, and a fixed member facing the other end of the movable member with the seat belt interposed therebetween. This is achieved by providing a seat belt preloader device characterized by:

<Function> In this way, it becomes possible to clamp the seatbelt that has been let out from the retractor device immediately after the retractor device and then pull it toward the retractor device, and it is possible to do so without worrying about the winding condition of the seatbelt with respect to the retractor device. You can tighten your seatbelt without having to worry about it.

In addition to this, the seat belt is clamped by applying traction force to the seat belt.
Since there is no need for a separate drive source for applying a clamping force to the seat belt, and the traction mechanism and clamping mechanism can be configured integrally, the entire device can be configured compactly.

<Embodiments> Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration around the seat belt to which the present invention is applied. The seat belt 3 is pulled out upward from the ELR device 2 fixed at the bottom of the center pillar 1 in the vehicle interior. After passing through a through ring 4 attached to the seat 5, it is extended downward and its end 6 is attached to the rear side surface of the seat 5. A tongue plate 7 is provided between the through ring 4 and the end portion 6 of the seat belt 3 so as to be movable along the seat belt 3.

The passenger seated in seat 5 fastens seat belt 3.
After pulling out the ELR device 2, the tongue plate 7 is attached to the buckle 8 attached to the side of the seat opposite to the fixation point of the seat belt end 6, so that the tongue plate 7 can be attached to the seat from the shoulder to the chest and around the waist of the occupant. The belt 3 is wrapped.

Normally, in this state, the seat belt 3 is pulled out from the ELR device 2 via the through ring 4 with relatively little resistance, so the upper body can move relatively freely. In the event of a collision, the ratchet mechanism built into the ELR device 2 locks the winding shaft of the seat belt 3, restraining the occupant from moving forward.

By the way, simply locking the take-up shaft does not compensate for the loosening of the seat belt 3 before the collision is detected or the tightness of the seat belt 3 around the take-up shaft, so the restraining force for the occupant may be insufficient. In some cases. Therefore, according to the present invention,
A preloader device, which will be described later, is provided near the seatbelt outlet of the ELR device 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the casing 11 of the preloader device 10 is made by bending a metal plate, and side disks made of self-lubricating synthetic resin are provided in circular holes 11a and 11b formed on both sides. 12 and 13 are rotatably connected.

The first side disk 12 is inserted into the circular hole 11a from the inside of the case 11 so that a flange portion 12a formed outward in the radial direction on one side surface of the side disk comes into contact with the inside surface of the case 11. A boss 14 is inserted into the housing 11 and protrudes outward in the axial direction from the center of the other side surface. A pulley 15 is fixed to the boss 14 so as to be able to rotate integrally with the first side disk 12. One end is connected to a drive source (not shown) in a groove of the pulley 15, and the other end is connected to a suitable position of the pulley 15. A traction wire 16 fixed to is wound.

The second side disk 13 has a flange 13a formed in the same manner as the first side disk 12 in contact with the outer surface of the housing 11, so that the circular hole 11
It is inserted in b.

The opposing inner surfaces of both side disks 12 and 13 have recesses 12b and 13b that engage with both ends of the fixed clamp member 17 in the axial direction, and rotation shafts 19 formed at both ends of the movable clamp member 18 in the axial direction.
Bearing holes 12c and 13c that engage with the bearing holes 12c and 13c are respectively recessed so that when the side disks 12 and 13 are inserted into the housing 11, the clamp members 17 and 18 are held between the side disks. is being used. Further, the fixed clamp member 17 is fixed to both side disks 12 and 13, and the movable clamp member 18 is configured to be rotatable relative to both side disks 12 and 13 with its rotation shaft 19. A seat belt 3, one end of which is wound around an ELR device, is inserted through the gap between the two clamp members 17 and 18 so that it can normally be let out and wound up.

The side plate 20 is attached with screws 2 so as to cover the outer surface of the flange 13a of the second side disk 13.
It is attached to the side surface of the housing 11 via Oa.
The inner surface of the side plate 20 is provided with a recess 20b that slides into contact with the outer surface of the flange 13a in order to restrict the displacement of the second side disk 13 in the axial direction, and the outer end surface in the axial direction is provided with ratchet teeth 20c. It is engraved.

A boss 21 is provided at the center of the second side disk 13 to protrude outward in the axial direction. A stopper plate 22 is disposed on the boss 21 and is displaceable in the axial direction along the boss 21 and rotates integrally with the second side disk 13 in order to restrict the rotational direction by engaging with the ratchet teeth 20c described above. It is fitted as possible. Further, the stopper plate 22 is rotated toward the ratchet tooth 20c by a coil spring 24 interposed between a spring retainer 23 fitted to the axial end of the boss 21 and the outer surface of the stopper plate 22. It is pressed and biased.

As clearly shown in FIG. 3, the stopper plate 22 is provided with teeth 22a that engage with the ratchet teeth 20c of the side plate 20. Both teeth 20c and 22a are serrated,
When the boss 21 rotates together with the stopper plate 22 in the direction of arrow A, the stopper plate 22 can be displaced axially outward along the slope of the tooth against the pressing force of the coil spring 21. However, when a rotational force in the opposite direction to the above is applied to the boss 21, the teeth 20 of each other
c and 22a mesh with each other, and the rotation of the boss 21 is prevented.

As clearly shown in FIG. 4, the fixed clamp member 17 and the movable clamp member 18 are disposed at opposite positions so as to sandwich the seat belt 3 between them without contacting each other.

The fixed clamp member 17 is formed by protruding two chevron-shaped protrusions from a cylindrical rod-like body, and these protrusions form fixed clamp teeth 17a, and as described above, both side disks 12,13
fixed between.

The movable clamp member 18 has a generally semicircular cross section, and its outer peripheral contour is formed into a smooth curved surface. It is pivotally connected to the bearing holes 12c and 13c.

The rotation shaft 19 is provided approximately at the center of the surface of the movable clamp member 18 facing the seat belt 3, and the rotation center is centered on both side disks 12, 1.
4 along the seat belt 3 from the center of rotation of 3.
It is located at an eccentric position on the upper side of the figure. Furthermore, movable clamp teeth 18a corresponding to the above-described fixed clamp teeth 17a are formed on the surface of the movable clamp member 18 facing the seat belt 3 and below the rotation axis 19, and the fixed clamp teeth 18a correspond to the fixed clamp teeth 17a. It is designed to be able to mesh with the teeth 17a.

The pulley 15, as shown by the broken line in FIG. rotated wire 16
extends upward in FIG. 4 via the guide roller 16a, and is connected to the drive source as described above. In addition, 3a and 3b in the figure are guide rollers pivotally attached to the housing 11 to guide the seat belt 3.

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

One end of the wire 16 wound around the pulley 15 is
For example, it is connected to a drive device (not shown) that uses explosive force such as gunpowder, and the drive device is linked to a known type of ELR device (not shown), so that when the vehicle collides, it instantly A traction force is applied to the wire 16.

Normally, the seat belt 3 is in the state shown in FIG. 5, with neither the fixed clamp member 17 nor the movable clamp member 18 interfering with the seat belt 3, and the seat belt 3 being freely fed out and wound up.

When a collision is detected and the wire 16 is pulled in the direction of arrow B, the pulley 15 rotates in the direction of arrow C.
The end circular portion 18b of the movable clamp member 18 abuts against the seat belt 3 as one end of the pressing member. As a result, the movable clamp member 18 presses the seat belt 3 and tilts in the direction of arrow D about the rotation shaft 19 due to the reaction force, and both clamp teeth 17
The seat belt 3 is inserted between a and 18a. At this time, the seat belt 3 is pulled in the direction of arrow E by the end circular portion 18b (FIG. 6). The wire 16 is further pulled, and the end circular member 18b of the movable clamp member 18 further retracts the seat belt 3 (FIG. 7).

The seat belt 3 is bitten by both clamp teeth 17a and 18a immediately after being fed out from the ELR device, and a ratchet mechanism consisting of ratchet teeth 20c and a stopper plate 22 prevents the pulley 15 from reversing. Therefore, reliable tension can be applied to the seat belt 3 on the side that is fed out from the ELR device.

As described above, the pulley radius in the section where traction force is applied when the drive device is started up is made small, and the winding torque is also relatively small (FIG. 5). Therefore,
Even when a driving source with a large instantaneous force such as gunpowder is used, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience caused by the sudden application of an excessive winding force. Although the gas pressure decreases in the latter half of the explosion, a relatively large traction force is exerted by the large diameter portion of the pulley (Fig. 7), so the driving force caused by the explosion can be averaged over the entire stroke.

8 to 10 show a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the pulley and reverse rotation prevention mechanism are provided in the same way as in the first embodiment.

The belt pressing member 31 has a U-shape and is pivotally supported by the housing 33 so as to be able to rotate integrally with the pulley 32.

The movable clamp member 34 faces the seat belt 3 and has a common shaft 35 with the belt pressing member 31.
The fixed clamp member 36 is fixed to the housing 33 at a position facing the clamp teeth 34a formed on the other end side of the movable clamp member 34 with the seat belt 3 sandwiched therebetween. ing.

As in the first embodiment, when a traction force is applied to the pulley 32, the belt pressing member 31 rotates together with the pulley 32 in the direction of arrow F, as shown in FIG.
The seat belt 3 is pulled in a direction in which it is pressed against one end side of the movable clamp member 34. Movable clamp member 3
The seat belt 4 is tilted by the pressing force of the belt 3 while the seat belt 3 is caught between the clamp teeth 36a of the fixed clamp member 36.

Furthermore, the pulley 32 rotates to retract the seat belt 3 as shown in FIG. 10, and a preload is applied to the seat belt 3.

In both of the above embodiments, the explosive force of gunpowder is used as the traction drive source, but other drive devices such as compressed air or spring means that can instantaneously provide a large output are also suitable.

Further, since the structure shown in the above embodiment generates the clamping force by the pressing force of the seatbelt, the more the seatbelt is wound, the more the tightening force increases, and the seatbelt can be held securely.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to lock the seat belt on the side fed out from the ELR device and then retract it regardless of the ELR device. This is extremely effective in improving occupant restraint in an emergency because belt slack can be absorbed more reliably. In addition, there is no need for a drive source to apply clamping force to the seatbelt, and the traction mechanism and clamping mechanism can be integrated, which is effective in simplifying and compacting the overall configuration of the device. It is true.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a seat belt to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway plan view showing one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a partial view showing the reverse rotation prevention mechanism. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the - line in FIG. 2. FIGS. 5 to 7 are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of this embodiment. Figure 8 ~ 1st
FIG. 0 is an explanatory diagram similar to FIGS. 5 to 7 showing the second embodiment. 1... Center pillar, 2... ELR device, 3...
Seat belt, 4... Through ring, 5... Seat, 6... End, 7... Tongue plate, 8...
Buckle, 10... Preloader device, 11... Housing, 11a, 11b... Circular hole, 12, 13...
Side disk, 12a, 13a... flange,
12b, 13b... recess, 12c, 13c... bearing hole, 14... boss, 15... pulley, 16...
Wire, 17... Fixed clamp member, 18... Movable clamp member, 17a, 18a... Clamp teeth, 19... Rotating shaft, 20... Side plate,
20a...screw, 20b...dent, 20c...ratchet tooth, 21...boss, 22...stopper plate, 22a...teeth, 23...retainer, 24
... Coil spring, 31 ... Belt pressing member, 32
... Pulley, 33 ... Housing, 34 ... Movable clamp member, 35 ... Shaft, 36 ... Fixed clamp member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A seatbelt preloader device for tightening slack in a seatbelt pulled out from a retractor device and passed around an occupant in the event of a vehicle collision, comprising: a portion of the seatbelt immediately after the retractor device; a traction mechanism including a pressing member having one end for pressing and the other end rotatably supported; a drive mechanism for rotationally driving the traction mechanism; and a web surface pressed by the pressing member. A preloader for a seatbelt, comprising: a movable member that tilts when one end thereof is pressed; and a clamp mechanism having a fixed member facing the other end of the movable member with the seatbelt interposed therebetween. Device.