Chairs and seats – Body or occupant restraint or confinement – Front guard or barrier
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-15
2004-03-23
Nelson, Jr., Milton (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Body or occupant restraint or confinement
Front guard or barrier
C297S216100, C297S483000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06709063
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automobile seat belt structure and an assist apparatus thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventionally provided three-point seat belt is basically structured such that a belt is attached to a body of an occupant in a contact state, and a waist belt applied only to a waist portion mainly for protecting a lower half of a body of the occupant and a shoulder belt tucked up the occupant's sleeves from a shoulder portion to the chest and the waist of the occupant are combined. However, there are the following disadvantages.
Since both of the waist belt and the shoulder belt are attached with maintaining a state of being in contact with the body of the occupant, a freedom of the occupant's body is restricted by these belts at a time of a normal drive, so that there is a problem in view of a driving environment.
In particular, in the case of an occupant having a disease in the chest, an occupant having diseases of adult people such as a hypertension, a cardiac disease, an apoplexy and the like popular for people equal to or more than forty years old or the people having a little symptoms such as pain squeezing the chest, a headache, a retch and the like, a close attachment of the shoulder belt to the body applies a pressure similar to a squeeze to the occupant, so that a severe environment is forced to the occupant.
Further, in accordance with the basic structure mentioned above, since the shoulder belt is positioned on the shoulder of the occupant, the shoulder belt moves apart from the body of the occupant when slightly moving the seat to a reclining state, so that nothing holds a portion under the armpit. Accordingly, when an accident is generated, a so-called submarine phenomenon, that is, the matter that the occupant slips out from a lower area of the belt is caused. Further, even when the seat is at a regular position, the occupant can slide out from an upper area and a lower area of the shoulder belt without drawing the shoulder belt. That is, the shoulder belt is equipment for the purpose of restricting a forward movement of the occupant due to an inertia, and is not equipment for preventing the body from moving in a vertical direction, so that the shoulder belt is not structured such as to correspond to a submarine phenomenon. Further, as an example of the accident cases, when the body is swung in a direction opposite to the shoulder belt side due to a centrifugal force, the belt moves apart from the body of the occupant in the same manner as the case of moving the seat in the reclining state and the occupant slides out to the lower area.
Further, in the basic structure of the conventional seat belt, the belt is detachably engaged with a buckle member, however, a disengaging method is generally constituted by pressing a button provided in the buckle member.
As mentioned above, in order to cancel an engagement, it is unavoidable to always press a significantly limited portion by a finger of the occupant. However, when the accident is generated, the occupant falls into a panic state, so that the occupant can not easily perform even such a motion and it becomes delayed to escape from the vehicle by his or her own ability. In this case, in a state that the belt is not tensioned but loosened or locked, it is necessary to pull out the belt from the buckle while pushing the button and manually take out the belt suspended on the shoulder, so that troublesomeness is increased.
Here, an inherent object of the seat belt is to prevent a head portion and a body of the occupant from crashing into a hard object within the vehicle such as a steering wheel, side door glasses, a front glass and the like at a time when the accident is generated, and not to restrain a motion of the body at a time of driving. Accordingly, within a range that the head portion and the chest are not brought into contact with the steering wheel, the side door glasses, the front glass and the like when the accident is generated, no damage is applied to the occupant even in the structure in which a movable range is not limited. In other words, it is important how a fixing and a restraining of the body are reduced at the normal drive.
Further, since the steering wheel does not exist in a so-called assistant driver's seat not in a driver's seat, it is impossible to hold an attitude by using arms which can be performed by the driver. In particular, since a space between the seat and a dashboard is significantly wide for a child, there is a lack of a reliable feeling at the normal drive, and an impact of the collision is increased when the accident is generated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is made by taking the problems mentioned above into consideration, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automobile seat belt structure and an assist apparatus thereof which can provide a comfortable drive environment by restraining nothing of a chest of an occupant by a seat belt, remove a pressure feeling of the chest for an occupant having a disease in the chest, an occupant having a hypertension, a headache or a retch and the like, and can secure safety with respect to various body types such as a physical build of the occupant, a child and a tall figure, a fatness and the like.
Further, there is provided an automobile seat belt structure and an assist apparatus thereof which can completely prevent a so-called submarine phenomenon that an occupant slides out from a lower area of a belt and strongly collides with a dash board or the like, when an accident is generated.
Further, there is provided an automobile seat belt structure and an assist apparatus thereof in which a belt is easily disengaged, whereby an occupant can smoothly escape out of the vehicle.
Further, there is provided an automobile seat belt structure and an assist apparatus which can sufficiently secure a comfortable drive environment of an occupant in an assistant driver's seat, particularly a child, and a safety when an accident is generated.
In accordance with the present invention, in order to achieve the object mentioned above, there is provided an automobile seat belt structure and an assist apparatus thereof, wherein a seat belt portion is attached in a state of keeping a tension without being in contact with a body of an occupant, and prevention means for preventing a so-called submarine phenomenon that the occupant slides out from a lower area of the belt when an accident is generated is provided in the belt portion.
Further, there is provided an automobile seat belt structure and an assist apparatus thereof, wherein a seat belt portion is attached in a state of keeping a tension without being in contact with a body of an occupant, and there is employed means characterized in that a submarine corresponding cushion (
1
) bonded to a horizontal supporting column portion (Y) connected to a seat body (Z) side surface is drawn forward in accordance with a force by which the belt portion (B) is drawn forward the vehicle due to an inertia when the accident is generated, the cushion (
1
) is bent to a front face of the body of the occupant around a hinge (
2
) corresponding to a center line and the submarine corresponding cushion covers between the armpit and the chest, as prevention means for preventing the occupant from sliding out from a lower area of the belt when an accident is generate.
Further, there is provided an automobile seat belt structure and an assist apparatus thereof, wherein a seat belt portion is attached in a state of keeping a tension without being in contact with a body of an occupant, a cushion (
1
) simply fixed via a horizontal support column (Y) and a magnet disposed in a side portion of a seat body (Z) is provided in one end of the belt (B), as prevention means for preventing the occupant from sliding out from a lower area of the belt when an accident is generate, and there is employed means characterized in that an attraction state of the magnet in the cushion (
1
) is cancelled t
Dickstein , Shapiro, Morin & Oshinsky, LLP
Jr. Milton Nelson
LandOfFree
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