Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-02
2001-06-12
DePumpo, Daniel G. (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S804000, C297S473000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06244621
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to seat belt devices for protecting automobile passengers during collisions, and more particularly, to an air belt device having a bag-like portion, which is inflated by gas generated by a gas generator.
More particularly, the present invention relates to an air belt device having a bag-like shoulder belt and a vertically movable gas generator installed at one end of the shoulder belt.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-112200 describes a prior air belt device. A perspective view of the air belt device is shown in FIG.
12
(
a
). A cross-sectional view of the air belt device taken along line B—B in FIG.
12
(
a
) is shown in FIG.
12
(
b
).
As shown in the drawings, an air belt device
1
extends from the right side of a passenger. The device
1
includes a shoulder belt
2
, a seat belt retractor
3
, a lap belt
4
, a buckle
5
, a tongue
6
, a belt guide
7
, a gas generator
8
, and an adjustor
9
. One end of the lap belt
4
is connected to the shoulder belt
2
. The other end of lap belt
4
is connected to the seat belt retractor
3
, which is an emergency locking retractor (ELR), to wind and retract the lap belt
4
. The seat belt retractor
3
and the buckle
5
are arranged on opposite sides of a seat and arranged on the vehicle floor, or the like. The tongue
6
slides freely along the lap belt
4
and is engaged with the buckle
5
when fastening the seat belt. The belt guide
7
is secured to a body pillar, or the like, to guide the shoulder belt
2
. The shoulder belt
2
is further connected to the gas generator
8
. The gas generator
8
is actuated during emergency situations, such as when a collision occurs, to generate a gas product, which is drawn into the bag-like shoulder belt
2
. The adjustor
9
adjusts the vertical position of the gas generator
8
.
The shoulder belt
2
has a belt body
2
c.
The belt body
2
c,
for example, may be folded and covered by a cover
2
d.
The sides of the cover
2
d
are sewed to each other such that a stitching
2
e
is formed. This keeps the shoulder belt
2
in a strip-like state under normal situations.
The adjustor
9
has a vertically extending ball screw
9
a,
to which the gas generator
9
a
is screwed, and a motor
9
b
for rotating the ball screw
9
a.
When the motor
9
b
rotates the ball screw
9
a,
the gas generator
8
moves vertically in accordance with the rotating direction of the ball screw
9
a.
In other words, the end of the shoulder belt
2
connected to the gas generator
8
is moved vertically to adjust the shoulder belt
2
in accordance with the size of the passenger's body.
The above air belt device is kept in a strip-like state under normal situations.
The passenger sits on the seat and fastens the belt by inserting the tongue
6
into the buckle
5
. If the length of the shoulder belt
2
and the lap
4
is inappropriate for the passenger, the motor
9
b
of the adjustor
9
is driven to move the gas generator
8
vertically and adjust the length of the belts
2
,
4
to fit the passenger.
When a collision occurs, the gas generator
8
is actuated to generate gas and inflate the shoulder belt
2
.
The inflated shoulder belt
2
holds the passenger and securely protects the passenger from great impact loads. Furthermore, the slack of the shoulder belt
2
is absorbed during the inflation. This enhances the passenger constraining force of the belt.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-85301 describes an air belt device having a webbing connected to the bag-like shoulder belt. A shoulder belt retractor winds and retracts the webbing. Gas is drawn into the bag-like shoulder belt through a gas passage extending through the tongue and buckle. A gas generator is incorporated in the buckle. When the gas generator is actuated with the tongue and buckle in an engaged state, gas flows through the gas passage and enters the shoulder belt.
In the air bag device of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-112200, the gas generator
8
is connected to one end of the shoulder belt
2
. This allows the adjustor
9
, which includes the ball screw
9
a
and motor
9
b,
to adjust the vertical position of the gas generator
8
. Due to this structure, the tension applied to the shoulder belt
2
lacks elasticity. Thus, the passenger may feel uncomfortable when fastening the seat belt. In other words, when a passenger tries to move his body, the shoulder belt
2
, which is connected to the adjustor
9
, constrains the passenger.
In the air bag device of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-85301, the webbing is connected to one end of the shoulder belt. The retractor winds and retracts the webbing. Thus, if the passenger tries to move his body, the webbing is pulled and extended from the retractor. This allows the passenger to move his body with ease. However, this air bag device requires a gas passage to be formed in the tongue and buckle. In addition, gas must be drawn into the shoulder belt without the gas leaking out of the joint between the fastened tongue and buckle. As a result, the structure of the tongue and the buckle is complicated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an air belt device that enables the shoulder belt to extend freely and enables the employment of an ordinary tongue and buckle.
To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides an air belt device including an inflatable shoulder belt, a gas generator provided within one of ends of the shoulder belt and a first guide member suspending a portion of the shoulder belt. The air belt device is characterized in that a first end of the webbing is connected with the shoulder belt and a second end of the webbing is wound up on a retractor.
In the air belt device, the webbing connected to one end of the shoulder belt is wound into and retracted by a retractor. Thus, when the passenger moves his body, the shoulder belt is extended from the retractor. Accordingly, the passenger's body is not constrained. Furthermore, the gas generator is arranged in the shoulder belt. This permits the employment of ordinary tongues and buckles that do not have gas passages.
In the present invention, it is preferable that vertical movement of the gas generator be guided by a second guide member. The second guide member includes a gas generator guide having a vertically movable body attached to a vehicle's body and a holder connected with the vertically movable body. The holder and shoulder belt clamp the gas generator disposed in the shoulder belt.
In the present invention, it is preferable that the first guide member include rollers for carrying the shoulder belt. Accordingly, the rollers of the first guide member decreases the resistance produced when guiding a bag-like belt.
The rollers have a plurality of teeth extending in a surface thereof in parallel with an axis of the roller. The teeth prevent the formation of wrinkles.
In the present invention, the retractor is disposed within a seat. If the seat is a rear seat, the retractor is disposed on the vehicle body behind the seat. It is preferable that the bag-like shoulder belt be pulled out in front a back rest.
Additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate a presently preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3836168 (1974-09-01), Nonaka et al.
patent: 3841654 (1974-10-01), Lewis
patent: 3869145 (19
Kameyoshi Hikaru
Suyama Yoji
Yoshioka Daisuke
DePumpo Daniel G.
Foley & Lardner
Takata Corporation
Zeender F.
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