Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Utility Patent
1998-03-02
2001-01-02
Mai, Lanna (Department: 3619)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S805000, C280S801100, C280S751000, C297S471000
Utility Patent
active
06168206
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an assembly for use in a vehicle and which comprises a webbing guide for guiding movement of a seat belt webbing, a fastener for mounting the webbing guide, and a cover member for covering the webbing guide and the fastener. The assembly helps to protect a vehicle occupant's head from a forcible impact against the assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A typical vehicle seat belt system includes a length of belt webbing which is extensible about a vehicle occupant in a vehicle seat to restrain the occupant. Intermediate its ends, the belt webbing passes through a webbing guide, sometimes referred to as a D-ring, which is part of a webbing guide assembly mounted in the vehicle adjacent the vehicle seat. In the event of a collision, particularly a side impact collision, the head of the occupant can forcibly strike the webbing guide assembly.
The United States Department of Transportation Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 201 (1996 requires such a webbing guide assembly, which includes the webbing guide and an associated fastener, to have a Head Impact Criterion (referred to as HIC(d)) value of under 1000 determined in accordance with the Standard No. 201.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an assembly for use in a vehicle. The assembly comprises a webbing guide for guiding movement of seat belt webbing in the vehicle and a fastener for mounting the webbing guide in position in the vehicle. The fastener has a head portion. The assembly further comprises a resilient cover that includes a cover portion covering the head portion of the fastener and at least a portion of the webbing guide. The resilient cover further includes a first rib portion projecting from the cover portion toward the head portion of the fastener and a second rib portion projecting from the cover portion toward the webbing guide. The first and second rib portions are resiliently crushable to absorb energy in response to an impact of a vehicle occupant's head against the cover portion. The resilient cover provides the assembly with an HIC(d) of under 1000 determined in accordance with the United States Department of Transportation Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 201 1996.
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Eberwein Henry G.
Greib Gary R.
Mai Lanna
Restifo Jeffrey
Tarolli, Sundheim, Covell Tummino & Szabo L.L.P.
TRW Vehicle Safety Systems Inc.
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