WO1988007947A1

WO1988007947A1 - Safety belt with an automatic stretching and protective device

Info

Publication number: WO1988007947A1
Application number: PCT/SE1988/000137
Authority: WO
Inventors: Karlo Smit
Original assignee: Karlo Smit
Priority date: 1987-04-14
Filing date: 1988-03-18
Publication date: 1988-10-20
Also published as: SE460535B; AU1629988A; SE8701561L; SE8701561D0

Abstract

A safety belt designed for vehicles, e.g. cars, with automatic stretching and protective means and comprising a conventional belt (1, 6) as well as a protective body (7) connected thereto, which is continuous and consists of two inflatable balloons or blow bodies (11, 12), a channel (8) being arranged between said balloons, through which channel said belt (1) extends, the result being that the one balloon will be placed between a passenger's body (10) and said belt (1) and the other balloon is placed between said belt (1) and fixed parts of the vehicle in front, as well as means, known per se and including an electronic sensor designed to detect strong shocks from the front, from the rear or from the side or in case the vehicle is thrown upsidedown, an inflation device and a release device, which is connected to said sensor and designed to activate said inflation device of said two balloons (11, 12).

Description

Safety belt with an automatic stretching and protective device

The present invention relates to a safety belt with an automa¬ tic device, which is designed^~to provide protection for pas-

5 sengers in cars and similar vehicles. The device can, as de¬ sired, be mounted and used in cars, busses, airplanes or in any conveying means* etc, in which drivers and passengers may be injured in case the vehicle is subjected to very strong re¬ tardations, particularily those retardations, which arise,

,_r when the vehicle collides with some object or another vehicle. Although the safety belt according to the present invention can be used for many different purposes, it will, for the sake of simplicity, as follows be described with reference to its use as a car safety belt. This is to be considered an exempli-

15 fication without limiting the invention to the described type of application.

When a vehicle collides, it is subjected to exceedingly strong retardations and the driver and the passengers are thrown for-

?f' ward but are normally caught after a minor movement by the safe¬ ty belt, which .keeps the person and his chair or seat fas¬ tened, to the vehicle. As is well known, also car safety belts having a most satisfactory quality are somewhat flexible and the strapped person can be moved a small distance forward in

25 his strapped condition. Normally the car safety belt retains the person with some play, or else feelings of discomfort may arise while driving. As far as so called reeling belts are concerned, the belt retains the person in a flexible manner also due to the stretching of the turns of the belt, which

3^rι are reeled onto the roll, since there is a tightening on the roll, when the belt is strongly pulled.

In order to compensate for the stretching of the safety belt, which for various reasons arises, when it is subjected to ex- 35 ceedingly strong retardations, e.g. in collisions, it is well known to connect the .safety belt to a safety belt stretcher, which pneumatically, hydraulically or by means of explosive charges brings about a stretching of the belt in the initial phase of the collision and which thereby to some extent pre¬ vents the strapped person from being thrown forwards and hitting hard objects in the vehicle. Safety belt stretchers of this type are disclosed e.g. in USP 3 942 819 (band tigh¬ tener) or USP 3 845 836 (roll tightener) .

These types of safety belt stretchers may injure the passen¬ ger's chest, neck and belly and they do not offer an extra protection for the strapped person against hard objects in the car. Also, a belt stretcher as a rule cannot compensate for the extension of the working length of the belt, which arises due to the existence of a plurality of turns of the belt material wound onto the belt roll.

Regardless of whether the safety belt is of the 2-point va¬ riety, particularly the hip belt type, of -the 3-point varie¬ ty or even of the 4-point variety, the belt does not protect the person in a forward direction, and in collisions the pas- enger may be severly injured in his chest, neck and face. Also, in many types of safety belts of the 3-point variety the breast portion and the hip portion of the belt form a con¬ tinuous belt loop. In a collision the upper portion of the bo- ^dy i-^s thrown forwards and the hip loop, which is in contact with soft portions of the body, is tightened and consequently the length of the breast loop is increased and the upper por¬ tion of the body is thrown forwards still further.

In order to eliminate those kinds of injury, which result, when the person hits fixed objects in the vehicle, it is known to use some type of inflatable balloon or cushion somewhere in front of the person, either connected to the safety belt as is shown in USP 3 430 979, 3 706 463 or 3 866 940 or con- nected to some fixed portion of the vehicle as is shown in German patent 20 41 741. In one suggested embodiment an in- flatable balloon is mounted in the steering wheel of the ve¬ hicle and it is also possible, in such a construction, to com¬ bine the inflatable balloon and a safety belt stretcher. These balloon constructions can in many instances be an advantageous solution to the problem of protecting passengers in collisions, but they are expensive, comparatively extensive measures in the vehicle or even a redesign of the vehicle are required and they do not eliminate the risk of injury to the body, particu¬ larly the chest and the neck caused by the safety belt itself. Also, these devices cannot make upright the sitting position of a person, who is sitting more or less bent forward away from the back of the chair or seat and also they cannot com¬ pensate for the gap between the belt and the body, which quite often exists, e.g. when the passenger has thick winter clothes, a fur,^" an overall coat or the like.

Hence, the basis of the present invention has. been the problem of providing a safety belt, e.g. a car safety belt, which is designed with devices, which automatically, in connection with exceedingly strong retardations, e.g. in collisions, produce:

- a tightening of the safety belt;

- compensation as to the play between the belt and the per¬ son's body;

- a backward-pressing of the passenger against the back of the chair;

- a protection against bodily injuries caused by the belt it¬ self;

- an efficient protection of the passenger against hard and fixed parts in the front part of the vehicle; - and which belt is designed in such a way that it can be mounted in a simple way and comparatively inexpensive in prac¬ tically any existing vehicle.

This is attained with a vehicle safety belt, e.g. a car safe- ty belt, which has stretching and protective devices and in¬ cludes a conventional belt and a protective body connected thereto, by making the protective body continuous, and com¬ posed of two balloons or blow bodies, which can be automati¬ cally inflated in a collision etc, a duct being provided bet¬ ween the balloons, through which the belt extends, the result

5 being that one of the balloons will be placed between the pas¬ senger's body and the belt and the other balloon placed bet¬ ween the belt and the fixed parts in the front part of the vehicle, as well as a device known per se and having an elect¬ ronic sensor, which detects strong retardations, an inflation

IC device and a release device, which is connected to the sensor and designed to activate the inflation device of the two bal¬ loons.

The present invention will now be described in more detail,

-_jc reference being made to the enclosed drawings. However, it is obvious that the shown and described embodiments of the inven¬ tion only are illustrative examples and that a plurality of various modifications thereof are to be included within the scope of the concluding patent claims.

20

In the drawings Figure 1 relates to a driver's seat in a car, which seat is provided with a safety belt according to the in¬ vention. Figure 2 is a section of a protective device, which is attached to a safety belt according to the invention, the

25 continuous lines indicating a closed normal condition and the dashed lines indicating an inflated protective condition. Fi¬ gure 3 shows the two front seats of a car, provided with a modified embodiment of the invention. Figure 4 shows diagram- matically the initial phase of a car smash, before the protec-

30 tive device has been activated and Figure 5 shows in the same diagrammatic way the device in its active position and with fully inflated protective balloons or blow bodies.

The device according to the invention comprises a protective 35 belt, e.g. a car safety belt, which is provided with a col¬ lision protective device. The safety belt embodiment shown in the figures is of the 3-point variety, breast band portion 1 with its one end being connected in a reeling device 2 and its other end being provided with a connection coupling 3 for a belt lock 4.. Breast band portion 1 runs in the usual way across a guide plate 5. Hip band portion 6 can be a loop, which turns in the connection coupling and is fixedly mounted in the ve¬ hicle with its other end, but as an alternative the hip band portion can be fixedly connected to connection coupling 3 as well as to the vehicle and be provided with an adjusting de¬ vice to adjust the length of this portion. An alternative em- bodiment of the invention is shown -in Figure 3 and this device is provided with two band rolls, one of them 2a being designed for breast band 1 and the other one 2b for hip band 6, and in this case the two bands 1 och 6 are fixedly mounted in connec¬ tion coupling 3.

The protective device comprises a continuous protective body 7 having a through channel 8, in which belt band 1 runs. The protective body ought to be sufficiently long to cover all the passenger's upper body from belt lock 4 up to his shoulder, and it can, at its upper end, be designed with a stop means

9, which prevents protective body 7 from running into the slot of guide plate 5. However, it is also possible to design the protective body in such a way, that it runs through the slot of the guide plate and is protected in its position inside the lateral panel of the car, when the belt is not used. On that side of the protective body, which is facing the passenger's body 10, it is provided with a first small balloon or blow body 11 and on its front side it is provided with a second larger balloon or blow body 12. The smaller rear balloon 11 s designed to produce a tightening of belt 1, a bringing back of the passenger's body 10 and a distribution of the pres¬ sure of belt 1 against the body 10 and the larger front bal¬ loon 12 is in its turn designed to act as a protective barri¬ er between the passenger 10 and the fixed parts of the car in front, i.e. for the driver and the passenger in the front chairs in relation to the steering wheel, the instrument panel and the windshield and for the rear seat passengers the front chairs and possibly other parts in front.

The two balloons are made of a known strong and airtight ma- terial, which is able to withstand the large compressive for¬ ces, which can be generated between the passenger and the ve¬ hicle in a collision or in case the vehicle is thrown upside- down.

Figure 2 shows clearly, that the small and the large balloon 11 and 12 respectively is designed as a folded closed bag, which at its two ends is sealed but at its lower end adjacent connecting coupling 3 is provided with connections to an in¬ flation device, not shown but known per se, which can be en- closed in belt lock 4 or mounted in another suitable loca¬ tion. Between the two folded halves of the balloons, e.g. 12a and 12b, a gas pocket 13 and 14 respectively is provided in order to allow, as quickly as possible, a distribution of the gas into the multitude of folds and an inflation of the - balloon. All the 'protective body is enclosed by an envelope, e.g. a soft and thin plastic envelope 15, which can be used for a long time without the envelope being damaged but breaks due to a gas pressure acting in the interior of the balloons. The envelope is suitably provided with centrally disposed, longitudinal fracture indications 16 and 17, by means of which a complete tearing apart of the envelope it attained, when the gas flows into air pockets 13 and 14.

The gas connections to the two balloons 11 and 12 can consist of valves 18 and 19, which valves are mounted in connection coupling 3 and cooperate with valve shoulders in belt lock 4, which shoulders open the valves to the inflation device, not shown, when. coupling 3 is pushed down into belt lock 4. The inflation device is designed in such a manner, that it can on- ly be activated, when connection coupling 3 has been pressed into belt lock 4. The belt lock contains, besides the lock device, the connec¬ tion shoulders for valves 18 and 19 and the inflation device, mentioned above, also an electronic sensor, driven by a long- duration battery, to detect exceedingly strong retardations or accelerations and provided with an indicator lamp, a buz¬ zer or sound-signal device to indicate, that the device is in working order, which sensor is connected to a release device, which in its turn is connected to the inflation device, which in a known manner contains a firing device and a container for chemical inflation substances or another type of inflation substances known per se. The sensor, the release device and the inflation device are of the same known type as in the pa¬ tents mentioned in the introduction and will not be described in this specification. The entire device can be isolated from the rest of the equipment of the vehicle and will then work, although the battery of the vehicle is disconnected, and be driven by a long-duration battery. The sensor suitably is con¬ nected to several release devices, one for every separate in¬ flation device and as a precautionary measure the vehicle can be provided with two or several sensors connected in parallell, e.g. one sensor fpr the protective devices in the front seat and one for the back seat. The sensor is of that type, which generates a release signal, if a collision happens, from the front as well as from the rear and from the side and in case the car is thrown upsidedown.

Figure 3 shows that breast belt 1 and hip belt 6 suitably each can be provided with a separate reeling device, 2a and 2b respectively, and this is advantageous, because he hip belt can be tightened to a smaller degree, which results in a decreased extension of the breast belt as compared to the case when the hip belt and the breast belt form loops of one and the same band, and thus the passenger experiences more freedom.

In a particular embodiment of the invention hip band portion 6 is also provided with an inner blow body or balloon 20 of the same type as inner blow body 11 of the breast band portion. Blow body 20 of hip band 6 is influenced in the same manner as blow bodies 11 and 12 and the object with it is, in the same manner, to attain a tightening of hip band portion 6 and pfevent the passenger from sliding downwards-forwards in a collision situation, which may injure him severely.

The present invention works as follows. An electronically cont¬ rolled sensor (not shown) records a predetermined force during a collision, e.g. during a head-on collision, a side colli¬ sion, during a smash from the rear or in case the car is thrown upsidedown, and the impulse from the sensor is trans¬ ferred to _^a release device, which in its turn brings about an inflation of the two balloons 11 and 12 and the three bal- -loon bodies 11, 12 and 20 respectively, first the inner bal¬ loon bodies 11 and 20 and subsequently the outer larger bal¬ loon body 12. The balloons are disposed on either side of the belt and are connected to the same. Small balloon 11, which is turned to the passenger, and balloons 11 and 20 respecti¬ vely, which is disposed between the passenger's body 10 and breast belt 1 and hip belt 6 respectively,will be inflated much quicker than larger balloon 12, which is turned forwards, and when these balloons are inflated, the belt is stretched automatically against the passenger, and simultaneously the reeling device of the belt is locked. This means that the otherwise usual first smash between the belt and the body is not happening at all. Simultaneously the inner balloon or balloons 11 and 20 fill up all openings and gaps between the belt portions and the body and they distribute the pressure over a considerably enlarged surface and consequently lessen the risk of injuries caused by the belt against the body. Al¬ so, the passenger's sitting position becomes much securer, since the upper portion of the body exactly when the collision takes place automatically is pushed backwards against the back of the chair. The outer large balloon 12, which is turned forwards from the belt, is also inflated automatically during a forceful collision and consequently forms a protective barrier in front of the strapped person. Ater a short while the air in the balloons is emptied automatically and thus, the balloons will not prevent the passenger from releasing himself from the belt and get out of the car and they will not cause breathing problems for the passenger or other feeling of discomfort or problems.

0 The above described apparatus may, by means of an electronic safety system, be connected to the ignition or starting system of the vehicle motor so that the motor can not be started unless all passengers of the vehicle have strapped their safety belts correctly. 5

In a modified embodiment the safety belt is formed with a passenger-tightening-dosing means in that the "tightening" balloon 11 facing the body of the passenger is split into several smaller balloons mounted on top of each other and each r, small balloon being connected to a common activating means having a retardation force sensor, such that, depending on the collision force, a varying number of said several tightening balloons are inflated at short intervals following each other, so that the passenger is effectively pressed to the back of the 5 seat independetly of the magnitude of the collision force.

In order to eliminate the so called "film reel effect" of the reeling devices 2a and 2b a part length of the breast band 1 and the hip band 6 resp. located closest to the winding mechanism of _Q said reeling device is, according to a still further embodiment of the invention, formed with a means, for instance a Velcro tape means or a similar means for preventing a mutual movement of the adjacent band turns of the reeling device, thereby elimination an elongation of the bands at the collision moment 5 depending on said film reel effect.

Claims

Patent claims:

1. A safety belt for a vehicle, e.g. a car, having stretching and protective devices and comprising a conventional belt (1,6) and at least one protective body (7) , which is attached to the belt, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said protective body (7) or at least one of the protective bodies consists of two inflatable balloons or blow bodies (11,12) with a channel (8) running between the balloons, through which channel said belt

IC (1) extends, the result being that one of the balloons will be placed between the body (10) of a passenger and said belt (1) and the other balloon will be placed between said belt (1) and fixed parts in the vehicle in front, and in that the arrange¬ ment includes a device, which is known per se and is provided 5 with an electronic sensor, which is able to detect strong re¬ tardations, en inflation device and a release device, which is connected to said sensor and able to activate said infla¬ tion device of said two balloons (11,12).

0 2. A safety belt -according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that it is provided with two separate protective bodies, namely a first protective body (7) consisting of one large and one small blow body or balloon (11,12), which are disposed on the breast belt portion (1) of a protective belt, 5 the small balloon (11) being turned towards the passenger (10) and one second, also comparatively small balloon (20) being disposed on the hip belt portion (6) of the belt and turned towards the passenger, and in that the two comparatively small balloons (11,20) , which are turned towards the passenger, are 0 able to be activated quicker than the forwardly turned, large balloon (12) of the breast belt portion (1) in order to achieve a stretching of the belt (1,6) , a push backwards of the passen¬ ger (10) against the back of the seat and a distribution of the compressive force of the belt against the passenger (10) , 5 the large balloon (12) in front being able to provide, in its inflated condition, a shock-protection between the passenger (10) and the parts of the vehicle in front.

3. A safety belt according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the balloons (11,12;20) form a dense

5 body, which is folded like a concertina, an air pocket (13,14) being formed between the folded portions (e.g. 12a, 12b) in or¬ der to distribute quickly and uniformly the inflation gas, and in that the two balloons are enclosed by means of an envelope (15) having fraction indications (16,17) in order to tear

10 apart the envelope, when the balloons (11,12^';20) are inflated, and release the balloons.

4. A safety belt according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the two inflatable blow

15 bodies (11,12) of the protective body (7) in their inflated condition have a shape, which is adapted to the vehicle, in which the safety belt is mounted, in order to afford the pas¬ senger as good a protection as possible.

^■ 20 5. A safety belt according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the protective body (7) is mounted on a breast belt (1) , which is running diagonally across the passenger's body (10), and in that said protective body extends substantially over all the length of the belt - 25 between the passenger's shoulder and his hip..

6. A safety belt according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said protective body (7) with said balloons (11,12) disposed at its free end is pro-

30 vided with a connection coupling (3) , which locks the belt in a belt lock (4) , and in that said connection coupling is provi¬ ded with coupling means, e.g. valves (18,19) , in order to at¬ tain an introduction of inflation gas into said balloons (11, 12) , which valves (18,19) establish a connection with said

35 inflation device, when said connection coupling (3) is pushed into said belt lock (4) .

7. A safety belt according to claim 6, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that said inflation device is arranged in such a manner, that it can be activated solely when said connection coupling (3) has been pushed into said belt lock (4).

8. A safety belt according to any of claims 1-7, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that said sensor, said release device and said inflation device are arranged in or in direct connection with said belt lock (4) .

9. A safety belt in a vehicle, in which all the belts are provided with stretching and protective devices according to any of claims 1-8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that each belt is provided with particular means including a sensor, a release device and an inflation device, or in that all the belts in the vehicle are connected to common means including a sensor, a release device and an inflation device.

10. A safety belt according to any of the preceding claims, which includes a breast belt portion (1) as well as a hip belt portion (6) , c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said breast belt portion (1) and said hip belt portion (6) each are provided with its own protective body (7) .

11. A safety belt according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e - r i z e d in that the small balloon (11) facing the body of the passenger is composed of several small balloon parts mounted on top of each other, and each said small balloon part being connected to a and inflation means and sensing means for the collision force and provided such that an increasing number of said small balloons parts are inflated following and increasing collision force, so that the passenger is in all situations effective pressed- to the bach of the seat.

12. A safety belt according to any of the preceding claims, in which the end or one end of the breast belt part (1) and/or the hip belt part (6) is/are mounted in a reeling device (2a, 2b), c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that at least a part length of the belt at the reeling end thereof is formed with means, for instance a Velcro tape means, for preventing successive turns of the belt to move in relation to each other, thereby eliminating the so called "film reel effect".