JPH08188119A - Safety device of belt pretensioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a belt pretensioner safety device capable of avoiding any misattachment by preventing the obliviousness of releasing a restriction on an impact sensor of this pretensioner at the time when a seat belt retractor is mounted on a car body. CONSTITUTION: A safety pin 22 being insertably attached upon piercing through a level member 12 and a retractor housing 2, and clamping this lever member 12 in the locked position is set of its length to interfere with a trim 32 to be attached to a side face at the car room side of a body panel 30 provided with a seat belt retractor 1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a safety device for a belt pretensioner of a seat belt retractor used in vehicles such as automobiles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Some vehicle seatbelt retractors, as disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,134, show instant slack in the seatbelt due to the occupant's clothing or the like when the vehicle collides. It is known that the occupant can be rolled up to improve occupant restraint performance.

Specifically, this is to operate the gas generator based on the detection action of the collision sensor which operates inertially,
It is equipped with a pretensioner that moves the piston in the cylinder by the gas pressure generated by the gas generator and pulls the wire connected to the piston to rotate the spool and wind up the slack of the spool. As described above, the tensioner instantly winds up the slack of the seat belt to improve the occupant restraint performance.

[0004]

The above-mentioned pretensioner is provided with a lock member for restraining the movement of the collision sensor, the operating projection of the lock member is projected to the outer surface of the housing, and the seatbelt retractor is provided with the center pillar inner or the like. Is inserted into the rear surface of the vehicle compartment side panel through the mounting hole, and the constraint of the collision sensor by the lock member is released by bringing the operating protrusion into contact with the rear surface of the vehicle compartment side panel, and the collision sensor senses normally. It's designed to work.

Therefore, it is necessary to mount a safety cover or the like on the mounting side of the seatbelt retractor so as not to touch the actuating protrusions. This causes erroneous mounting when the safety cover is forgotten to be attached to the vehicle body. there is a possibility.

Therefore, the present invention provides a safety device for a belt pretensioner which can always release the restraint of the collision sensor when assembling the seat belt retractor to the vehicle body and avoid erroneous mounting.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the gas generator is operated based on the detection action of the collision sensor that operates inertially, and the piston in the cylinder is moved by the gas pressure generated by the gas generator. In a seat belt retractor having a pretensioner that winds a slack of a seat belt by pulling a wire connected to the piston, a lever member that restrains and releases the collision sensor, a lever member, and A safety pin which is inserted through a retractor housing having a lever member mounted thereon and which fixes the lever member at a restraining position of a collision sensor, and the safety pin has a protruding length to which a seat belt retractor is mounted. The trim is mounted on the side surface of the vehicle body side that interferes with the trim attached to the side surface of the vehicle body side of the vehicle body side. It is characterized in that set just to the length can not.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the safety pin according to the first aspect is integrally provided with a snap portion that engages with the edge of the safety pin insertion hole of the retractor housing at the end portion on the insertion side thereof. A stopper is provided integrally with the retractor housing to abut the edge of the safety pin insertion hole to determine the engagement position of the snap portion.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the stopper according to the second aspect is formed as a rib protrusion in the axial direction of the safety pin, while the engaging groove of the stopper is formed in the safety pin insertion hole of the lever member. Is characterized by.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the lever member according to the first to third aspects is applied with a biasing force in the rotational direction toward the restraint release position side by the biasing means.

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, after the safety pin is inserted through the lever member and the retractor housing and the lever member is fixed at the collision sensor restraining position, the seat belt retractor is mounted on the vehicle body panel. When a trim for interior decoration is attached to the vehicle body side of the vehicle body panel, but the safety pin is forgotten to be removed, the trim interferes with the safety pin when the trim is attached and the trim is attached to the vehicle interior side. Therefore, it is possible to prompt the operator to remove the safety pin and prevent the seat belt retractor from being erroneously attached.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the snap portion engages with the edge of the safety pin insertion hole of the retractor housing, so that the safety pin can be retained and the lever member can be securely fixed. By pushing in the safety pin until it comes into contact with the edge of the safety pin insertion hole of the retractor housing, the engagement of the snap portion can be reliably performed, and the safety can be further enhanced.

According to the third aspect, since the rib protrusion engages with the engagement groove of the safety pin insertion hole of the lever member, rattling of the safety pin can be prevented and the quality can be improved.

According to the present invention, when the safety pin is removed, the lever member is automatically rotated to the restraint release position by the biasing means, so that the mounting workability is improved without the rotation operation of the lever member. can do.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 6, reference numeral 1 denotes a seat belt retractor, and a retractor housing 2 is equipped with a pretensioner 3.

The pretensioner 3 is ignited based on a detection action of a collision sensor (not shown) which is placed in the sensor case 5 and inertially operates, and a gas generator 4 which generates an inert gas, and the gas generator 4. Cylinder 6 which operates piston 7 by receiving the gas pressure generated in 4.
And a wire 8 connected to the piston 7 and pulled by the operation of the piston 7 to rotate the spool 9 in the winding direction of the seat belt 10.

The sensor case 5 has the sensor case 5
A lock pin 11 that penetrates through and substantially restrains and releases the movement of an internal collision sensor is slidably attached in the axial direction and the circumferential direction.

A lever member 12 made of a resin material is fixed to one end of the lock pin 11.

The lever member 12 is integrally provided with a boss portion 13 into which the end portion of the lock pin 11 is fitted and fixed, and the boss portion 13 is caulked and fixed to the retractor housing 2 with a pin 14 and the upper portions of the lower brackets 15 and 16 are fixed. Bracket 15
It is axially supported in the bearing hole 18 of the bearing portion 17 extending in the direction.

The lever member 12 is set at an upright position shown by a chain double-dashed line in FIG. 5 as a restraining position L where the collision sensor is restrained by the lock pin 11, and from this restraining position L approximately 9
The position shown by the solid line in FIG. 5 rotated to the 0 degree side is the constraint release position U where the constraint of the collision sensor by the lock pin 11 is released.
It is as L.

At the restraining position L of the lever member 12 on the boss portion 13, a locking edge 18 formed as a step in the bearing hole 18 is formed.
A groove portion 19 for fitting and locking with a is formed, and when the lever member 12 is rotated to the restraint release position UL, the locking edge 1
A projecting edge portion 20 is provided which is locked to 8a and regulates rotation.

A coil spring 21 is provided as a biasing means between the spring stopper 11a at the rear end of the lock pin 11 and the sensor case 5.

The coil spring 21 has one end fixed to the spring stopper 11a and the other end fixed to the protrusion 5a provided on the sensor case 5 to urge the lever member 12 toward the restraint release position UL. And lever member 1
2 is pulled in the axial direction so as to be pulled and locked to a vehicle body panel described later.

Reference numeral 22 denotes a safety pin made of a resin material for fixing the lever member 12 to the upper bracket 15 at the lock position L.

The safety pin 22 has safety pin insertion holes 23 and 24 provided in the lever member 12 and the upper bracket 15.
The leaf spring portion 2 is inserted on the upper side of the insertion side end portion.
5, a snap portion 26 having a locking groove 27 that is fitted to the edge of the safety pin insertion hole 24 of the upper bracket 15 is integrally provided on the upper surface.

Further, on both sides of the insertion side end portion of the safety pin 22, stoppers 28 that abut the outer surface 15a of the edge of the safety pin insertion hole 24 of the upper bracket 15 to determine the engagement position of the snap portion 26, 28 is integrally formed into a rib shape in the axial direction.

On the other hand, the safety pin insertion hole 2 of the lever member 12
3 is formed with engagement grooves 29, 29 into which the rib-shaped stoppers 28, 28 are inserted and engaged.

The safety pin 22 is the seat belt retractor 1
Is attached to the vehicle body panel, for example, the center pillar inner 30, and sufficiently interferes with the trim 32 for interior decoration, which is attached to cover the side surface of the center pillar inner 30 on the vehicle interior side, and the safety pin 22 is attached. Safety pin 2 as it is
The trim 32 is formed to be relatively long so that the trim 32 cannot be attached to the center pillar inner 30 by the obstacle 2.

In the seat belt retractor 1, the cylinder 6 is passed through a mounting hole 31 provided on the lower side of the center pillar inner 30, and the retractor housing 2 is also passed through the mounting hole 31, so that the seat belt retractor 1 is provided at the upper end of the upper bracket 15. The claw piece 33 is inserted and locked in a rectangular locking hole 34 formed at the upper edge of the mounting hole and temporarily fixed, and the upper bracket 15 and the lower bracket 16 are superposed on the side surface of the mounting hole 31 at the vehicle compartment side. Then, through the bottle holes 35 and 36,
Fastened and fixed with nuts.

The one side edge 31a of the mounting hole 31 is axially moved toward the center pillar inner 30 side after the safety pin 22 is removed and the lever member 12 is rotated to the unlocked position UL where it is restricted by the projecting edge portion 20. To the lever member 12
It functions as a lever receiving wall to which the end of is locked.

According to the structure of the above embodiment, the seatbelt retractor 1 is managed while the lever member 12 is rotated to the lock position L and the lever member 12 is fixed to the upper bracket 15 by the safety pin 22. When the seatbelt retractor 1 is mounted on the vehicle body, the cylinder 6 of the pretensioner 3 is passed through the mounting hole 31 in the lower portion of the center pillar inner 30 and the retractor housing 2 is also passed through the mounting hole 31. , Lower bracket 1
5 and 16 are superposed on the side surfaces of the upper and lower edges of the mounting hole 31 on the vehicle interior side, and are fastened and fixed by bolts and nuts.

Then, in this fixed state, the snap portion 26 of the safety pin 22 is pushed down to disengage the locking groove 27 from the edge of the insertion hole 24, and the safety pin 22 is pulled out from the safety pin insertion holes 24 and 23 as it is. By rotating the member 12 from the lock position L by the spring force of the coil spring 21 in the rotation direction to the lock release position UL in which the protruding edge portion 20 is locked by the locking edge 18a of the bearing hole 18 and rotation is restricted. While the groove 19 is disengaged from the locking edge 18a,
The axial spring force of the coil spring 21 causes the coil pillar 21 to move slightly axially toward the center pillar inner 30 side, and the lever member 12 engages with the side surface 31a on the vehicle compartment side of the side edge of the mounting hole 31 to set the unlock position UL. Retained.

As a result, the collision sensor (not shown) is released from the constraint by the lock pin 11 and is in a state in which it can exhibit a normal sensor function which operates by inertia.

Therefore, normally, after the seat belt retractor 1 is assembled to the center pillar inner 30 and the safety pin 22 is removed as described above, the side surface of the center pillar inner 30 on the passenger compartment side is covered and the trim 32 for decoration is used. If the user forgets to remove the safety pin 22 and tries to attach the trim 32 to the center pillar 30, the safety pin 22 will interfere with the trim pin 32 while the safety pin 22 is still attached. Since the safety pin 22 is formed to be relatively long so that the trim 32 cannot be attached due to its obstruction, it is possible to prompt the operator to remove the safety pin 22 and prevent the wrong attachment by forgetting to remove the safety pin. can do.

Here, particularly in the present embodiment, the snap portion 2 is provided above the end portion of the safety pin 22 via the leaf spring portion 25.
6 is integrally provided, and stoppers 28 are formed on both sides as axial rib protrusions. Therefore, when the safety pin 22 is inserted, the snap portion 26 is provided at the edge of the safety pin insertion hole 24 of the upper bracket 15. By engaging, the safety pin 22 can be retained and the lever member 12 can be securely fixed,
In addition, when the snap portion 26 is engaged, the safety pin 22 and the stopper 28 are attached to the safety pin insertion hole 2 of the upper bracket 15.
If it is pushed in until it abuts against the four edges, the engagement position can be determined and reliable engagement can be performed, so that the safety pin 22 can be further enhanced in safety without inducing improper attachment.

Further, since the stopper 28 is engaged with the engagement groove 29 of the safety pin insertion hole 23 of the lever member 12, it is possible to prevent the safety pin 22 from rattling and to improve the quality. Even if the portion 26 is mounted upside down, the stopper 28 and the engagement groove 29 become misaligned, and the safety pin 22 can be prevented from being erroneously mounted.

Further, after the seat belt retractor 1 is assembled to the center pillar inner 30 and the safety pin 22 is removed, the lever member 12 is automatically rotated to the restraint release position by the spring force of the coil spring 21 in the rotation direction. It is also possible to improve the mounting workability without involving the rotation operation of the lever member 12.

Although the snap portion 26 is formed like a lever via the leaf spring portion 25 in the above embodiment, the snap portion is formed at the end of the safety pin 22 slightly more than the safety pin insertion hole 24 of the upper bracket 15. It may be integrally molded to have a large diameter, and may be inserted and fixed to the safety pin insertion hole 24.

Further, the lever member 12 is in the unlocked position U.
Although the coil spring 21 slightly moves in the axial direction at L, the lever member 12 simply rotates between the restraint position L and the restraint release position UL depending on the locking and unlocking modes of the collision sensor and the lock pin 11. You can do it.

Further, a preferable example in which the lever member 12 can be automatically rotated to the restraint release position UL by the biasing means 21 is shown, but the lever member 12 is manually rotated to the restraint position L and the restraint release position UL. The lever member 12 may be provided with a moderation mechanism so that the lever member 12 can maintain a fixed position.

[0042]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

According to the present invention, after the safety pin is inserted through the lever member and the retractor housing and the lever member is fixed at the collision sensor restraining position, the seat belt retractor is mounted on the vehicle body panel. When a trim for interior decoration is attached to cover the side surface of the vehicle body panel side of the vehicle body, but if the safety pin is forgotten to be removed, the trim interferes with the safety pin when the trim is attached and the trim is mounted on the vehicle. Since the safety pin has a length that cannot be attached to the side surface on the room side,
Since it is possible to prompt the operator to remove the safety pin, it is possible to prevent the seat belt retractor from being erroneously attached.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the snap pin engages with the edge of the safety pin insertion hole of the retractor housing so that the safety pin can be prevented from being pulled out and the lever member can be securely fixed, and the stopper is inserted when the safety pin is inserted. By pushing the safety pin until it comes into contact with the edge of the safety pin insertion hole of the housing, the snap portion can be securely engaged with the safety portion, and the safety can be further enhanced.

According to the third aspect, since the stopper formed as the rib protrusion engages with the engaging groove of the safety pin insertion hole of the lever member, rattling of the safety pin can be prevented and the quality feeling can be improved. .

According to the present invention, since the lever member is automatically rotated to the restraint release position by the urging means when the safety pin is removed, the workability of mounting is improved without rotating the lever member. can do.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an assembled state of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the seat belt retractor of the same embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a lever member mounting portion of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a lever member mounting portion of the embodiment.

6 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Seat Belt Retractor 2 Retractor Housing 3 Pretensioner 4 Gas Generator 6 Cylinder 7 Piston 8 Wire 9 Spool 10 Seat Belt 11 Lock Pin 12 Lever Member 22 Safety Pin 32 Trim

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A spool is operated by operating a gas generator based on a detection action of an inertially-operated collision sensor, moving a piston in a cylinder by a gas pressure generated by the gas generator, and pulling a wire connected to the piston. In a seat belt retractor equipped with a pretensioner for rotating the slack of a seat belt, a lever member for restraining and releasing the restraint of the collision sensor, a lever member and a retractor housing in which the lever member is mounted are passed through. A safety pin that is inserted and fixed to fix the lever member at the restraining position of the collision sensor, and
The projecting length of the safety pin interferes with the trim mounted on the side surface of the vehicle body panel on which the seat belt retractor is mounted, and is set to a length such that the trim cannot be mounted on the side surface of the vehicle compartment side. A belt pretensioner safety device characterized in that 2. The safety pin integrally includes a snap portion that engages with a safety pin insertion hole edge of the retractor housing at an end portion on the insertion side, and abuts on the safety pin insertion hole edge of the retractor housing. The safety device for a belt pretensioner according to claim 1, further comprising a stopper that integrally determines the engagement position of the snap portion. 3. The safety pin is formed as a rib protrusion in the axial direction on the safety pin, and the engagement groove of the stopper is formed in the safety pin insertion hole of the lever member.
Belt pretensioner safety device as described. 4. The safety device for a belt pretensioner according to claim 1, wherein a biasing force is applied to the lever member toward the restraint release position by a biasing means.