WO1991012979A1

WO1991012979A1 - A safety belt arrangement

Info

Publication number: WO1991012979A1
Application number: PCT/EP1991/000363
Authority: WO
Inventors: Per-Olaf Wemen
Original assignee: General Engineering (Netherlands) B.V.
Priority date: 1990-02-27
Filing date: 1991-02-27
Publication date: 1991-09-05
Also published as: GB9004359D0; GB2242608A; GB2242608B

Abstract

A safety belt arrangement for use in a two-door motor car has an elongate bar or rod (8) extending longitudinally of the vehicle adjacent the seat (1) one end of the safety belt (16) being connected to the bar or rod (8) so that the said one end of the safety belt can move axially of the rod to facilitate entry to the rear seats (6) of the vehicle. Means are provided to engage the safety belt (14), or an element associated therewith, to retain the safety belt (16) in a predetermined position relative to the seat (1) regardless of the adjusted position of the seat, so that the safety belt, in use, presents the desired geometry.

Description

A SAFETY BELT ARRANGEMENT

THE PRESENT INVENTION relates to a safety belt arrangement and more particularly relates to a safety belt arrangement for use in a motor vehicle such as a car.

Vehicles such as cars usually incorporate safety belts to be worn by the driver of the car and by a front- seat passenger in the car. Such a safety belt must, in use, have one end anchored adjacent the seat on which the driver or front-seat passenger is sitting. When the car is a two-door car, the front seat may be folded down to permit entry to the rear of the car. However, people gaining access to the rear seats of the car may become entangled in the safety belts provided for the driver and the front-seat passenger of the car, unless special steps are taken.

USA-A-4244601 discloses an arrangement which seeks to overcome this problem in which one end of the safety belt is in the form of a loop which surrounds a horizontal bar which is mounted immediately adjacent the door sill, and which extends longitudinally of the vehicle. The situation is such that the loop may, when the safety belt is in the fully retracted position, slide to the rear of the bar, so that the safety belt does not hinder persons gaining access to the rear seats of the vehicle. However, when the safety belt is worn the loop travels to the front of the bar, so that the loop is located in substantially the correct position, so that the complete safety belt, when worn, has the desired geometry.

It is to be noted, however, that in the arrangement of US-A-4244601, the loop can slide forwardly of the bar until it reaches a cranked portion of the bar. The loop generally occupies this position when the seat belt is being worn. However, this cranked portion of the bar is fixed, relatively to the chassis of the- vehicle and so the position of the driver (or front-seat passenger) which depends upon the precise positioning of the front seat, can vary, relative to the cranked portion. Thus, in some cases, when the seat is fully adjusted either forwardly or backwardly, the safety belt may not have the desired geometry.

It is important that a safety belt should have the desired geometry. That is to say the safety belt should have a predetermined position relative to the person who is to wear the safety belt. It will be appreciated that in the prior art arrangement the position of the safety belt relative to the person wearing the safety belt does depend upon the adjusted postion of the seat, and this is clearly undesirable.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved safety belt arrangement.

According to this invention there is provided a safety belt arrangement for use in a "two-door" motor car, the safety belt arrangement being adapted for use by a front-seat passenger or driver, and thus being associated with a front seat in the vehicle the position of which is adjustable, longitudinally of the vehicle, the arrangement comprising an elongate bar or rod extending longitudinally of the vehicle adjacent the seat, a safety belt, and means to connect one end of the safety belt to the bar or rod, the said one end of the safety belt being movable axially of the rod, wherein engagement means are provided to engage the safety belt, or an element associated therewith, to retain the safety belt in a predetermined position relative to the seat, regardless of the adjusted position of the seat, said engagement means being adapted to move in response to movement of the seat.

In this Specification the words "two-door" motor car are used to mean a motor car which only has one door provided in each side of the motor car to permit entry to the motor car for the driver and any passengers. The phrase therefore embraces a "three-door" motor vehicle which has additionally a rear door for luggage or the like.

It is to be appreciated that in utilising the invention, since means are provided which engage the safety belt, and which move in response to movement of the seat, the safety belt, when in use, always adopts a predetermined position relative to the seat, and thus the safety belt has the desired geometry.

The bar or rod may have one end thereof securely fixed to the seat so that the entire bar or rod moves with the seat. However, the bar or rod may have the rear end thereof securely fixed to the chassis of the vehicle (or an element connected to the chassis of the vehicle) . Where the bar or rod has the rear end fixed to the chassis of the vehicle the front end may merely pass through an element which slidably receives the rod and which is mounted on the seat, or the front end may be also connected to the chassis of the vehicle. Preferably the said one end of the belt is in the form of a loop which surrounds the bar or rod. The loop may move freely along the bar or rod. In alternative embodiments a carriage may be provided which moves along the bar or rod, with the safety belt being connected to that carriage.

Preferably the engagement means may comprise a bent part of the bar or rod. The bend may define a crank which is engaged by the safety belt. Alternative enage ent means may be provided, such as a special stop element mounted on the seat.

Preferaby the rod or bar is adjustably mounted in position, the bar being movable between two positions, in one of which a major part of the bar slopes upwardly towards the front of the vehicle, and in the other of which the major part of the bar slopes upwardly towards the rear of the vehicle. Preferably the bar is a cranked bar and means are provided to rotate the cranked bar. Means may be provided to adjust the position of the bar in response to lowering the back part of the front seat of the vehicle. When the bar is in the initial position, the safety belt will move along the upwardly sloping part of the bar towards a predetermined position at the end of the upwardly sloping major part of the bar. When the bar is in the second position, the bar will offer a minimum of inconvenience to a person seeking to enter the vehicle.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, and so that further features thereof may be appreciated, the invgention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic side view of a seat in a motor vehicle provided with a safety belt arrangement in accordance with the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the arrangment of Figure 1,

FIGURE 3 is a side view, corresponding to Figure 1, but showing a modified embodiment of the invention, and

FIGURE 4 is a further side view, corresponding to Figure 1, but showing another modified embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a seat 1 to be occupied by a front-seat passenger or driver of a motor vehicle comprising a squab 2 and a back 3. The seat is mounted for forward and rearward adjustment on parallel rails 4, as is conventional. The seat is mounted adjacent a door opening 5 in a two-door vehicle. Thus, the door opening 5 is used not only to gain access to the seat 1 but also to gain access to a rear seat 6 for the motor vehicle.

As indicated by the arrow 7, the seat 1 can be adjusted in position, forwardly and rearwardly.

An elongate rod or bar 8 is provided which extends horizontally adjacent the door sill 9 which is located beneath the door opening 5. The rear end of the bar 8 extends through an aperture 10, which is of significantly greater diameter than the diameter of the rod or bar 8, formed in part 11 of the chassis of the vehicle, the rod or bar then extending freely into a space 12 located under the rear seat 6. The aperture 10 is provided with a sleeve 13 of low friction material, such as polytetrafluroethylene, through which the rod passes.

The front end of the bar 8 is cranked 14 to form a downwardly and rearwardly inclined portion which is secured to the side of the seat 1 by means of a bolt 15 or the like.

It will be appreciated that as the seat 1 moves backwardly and forwardly along the rails 4 as the position of the seat is being adjusted the rod or bar 8 will also move forwardly and rearwardly, passing freely through the aperture 10.

A safety belt 16 is provided having a loop 17 formed at one end which passes around the bar or rod 8.

When the safety belt is being worn, the loop is brought forwardly to abut the downwardly and rearwardly inclined portion of the bar 8, as illustrated in solid lines in Figure 1. The cranked portion 14 forms a stop, to prevent further forwawrd movement of the loop 17, and serves to retain the loop in a substantially predetermined position, relative to the seat, regardless of the actual adjusted position of the seat on the rails 4. Should an accident arise, force will be transferred from the safety belt 16 to the bar 8. The force will be resisted by the bolt 15, and by the engagement of the bar 8 and the aperture 10. The seat 1 must be securely mounted on the rails 4, since this mounting must ultimately absorb the forces generated during the accident.

When the safety belt is not in use, the loop 17 may be moved back down the bar 8 so that the safety belt 16 occupies a substantially vertical position adjacent the edge of the door opening 5, as shown in phantom in Figure 1. When in this position the safety belt will not impede any person trying to gain access to the rear seat 6 of the vehicle.

It is to be noted that the safety belt will occupy a predetermined position relative to the seat, regardless of the actual position of the seat on the rails 4. Thus the geometry of the safety belt can be the same, regardless of the position of the seat.

Figure 3 illustrates a modified embodiment of the invention, but similar reference numerals will be used in this embodiment as used in Figure 1.

In the embodiment of Figure 3 the front end of the bar 8 passes through an aperture 18 formed in a stop 19 which is mounted on the side of the seat 1. The rear end of the bar 8 is bolted 20 or otherwise secured to part 11 of the chassis of the motor vehicle. The belt 16 is connected to a metal loop or ring 21 forming a carriage that will slide forwardly along the rod 8, when the belt is in use, until it engages the stop 19. Thus again, the position of the belt relative to the seat is predetermined. The seat may still slide freely forwardly and rearwardly along the rails 4 with the free end of the rod 8 passing freely through the aperture 18.

Figure 4 illustrates a further embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment the rod 8 is a cranked rod having a major elongate portion 22 which passes through an aperture 10 formed in part 11 of the chassis of the vehicle under the rear seat 6, the major portion 22 of the rod 8 terminating with a crank or bend 23, the crank or bend 23 leading to a further short part 24 of the rod which then terminates with a further portion 25 which is received within a bearing 26 so that the rod 8 can rotate about a substantially horizontal axis defined by the bearing 26 and the aperture 10. The bearing 26 is secured to the side of the seat 1. A pulley wheel 27 is provided at the front end of the rod, and a wire or cable 28 is wound around the pulley wheel 27. The wire or cable passes round further pulley wheels 29,30 provided under the seat 2, and the wire or cable 28 is then connected to a point 31 on the back 3 of the seat. The arrangement is such that as the back 3 of the seat is folded downwardly, as indicated by the arrow 32, tension is applied to the wire or cable 28, which causes the pulley wheel 27 to rotate in such a sense that the bar 8 is moved from an upper position, in which the major portion 22 of the bar slopes upwardly towards the front of the vehicle, shown in solid lines in Figure 4, to an alternative position, shown in phantom in Figure 4, in which the major part 22 of the bar slopes upwardly towards the rear of the vehicle.

When the seat is in the erected position, the safety belt 16, which has a generally upward tension applied thereto by the associated retractor, slides up the upwardly inclined major portion 22 of the bar 8 until it reaches the cranked portion 23, as shown in Figure 4. The position of this cranked portion 23 is predetermined relative to the seat, since the bearing 26 is securely mounted on the side of the seat. Thus, the safety belt adopts a substantially predetermined position relative to the seat. However, should the back of the seat be folded down, the bar 8 will be driven rotationally to an alternate position in which the major part of the bar slopes upwardly towards the rear of the vehicle. The safety belt will then effectively slide along the inclined major part 22 of the bar to a position adjacent the rear of the vehicle, as shown in Figure 4. Appropriate spring biassing means may be incorporated in the mechanism as described above.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A safety belt arrangement for use in a "two-door" motor car, the safety belt arrangement being adapted for use by a front-seat passenger or driver, and thus being associated with a front seat(l) in the vehicle, the position of which is adjustable, longitudinally of the vehicle, the arrangement comprising an elongate bar(8) or rod extending longitudinally of the vehicle adjacent the seat, a safety belt(16) , and means(17,21) to connect one end of the safety belt to the bar or rod, the said one end of the safety belt being movable axially of the rod, characterised in that engagement means(14,19,23) are provided to engage the safety belt, or an element associated therewith, to retain the safety belt in a predetermined position relative to the seat, regardless of the adjusted position of the seat, said engagement means being adapted to move in response to movement of the seat.

2. An arrangement according to Claim 1, wherein said bar or rod(8) has one end thereof securely fixed(15) to the seat.

3. An arrangement according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the bar or rod has the rear end thereof securely fixed(20) to the chassis of the vehicle or an element connected to the chassis of the vehicle.

.

4. An arrangement according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the said one end of the belt is in the form of a loop(17) which surrounds the bar or rod.

5. An arrangement according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein the engagement means comprise a bent part(14,23) of the bar or rod(8) .

6. An arrangement according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein the rod or bar(8) is adjustably mounted in position, the bar being movable between two positions, in one of which a major part(22) of the bar slopes upwardly towards the front of the vehicle and in the other of which the major part of the bar(22) slopes upwardly towards the rear of the vehicle.

7. An arrangement according to Claim 6 wherein the bar is a cranked(23) bar, means(27-31) being provided to rotate the cranked bar.

8. An arrangement according to Claim 6 or 7 wherein means(27-31) are provided to adjust the position of the bar in response to lowering the back part(3) of the front seat(l) of the vehicle.