D-ring height adjuster

Details D-ring height adjuster D-ring height adjuster

1999-02-04

2001-02-13

Mai, Lanna (Department: 3611)

Land vehicles

Wheeled

Attachment

C280S808000, C297S483000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06186548

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a vehicle occupant safety apparatus and, in particular, to a vehicle seat belt system including a seat belt webbing height adjuster and a pretensioner for taking up slack in the seat belt in the event of a vehicle collision.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Vehicle seat belt systems use seat belt webbing to restrain movement of a vehicle occupant. It is known to include a pretensioner in such a system. In the event of vehicle deceleration above a predetermined threshold level, such as occurs in a vehicle collision, the pretensioner is actuated to tension the belt webbing and to take up slack in the belt webbing.
It is also known to include a manually adjustable seat belt webbing height adjuster in a seat belt system. The belt webbing passes through a. seat belt webbing guide or D-ring that is supported on the height adjuster at a location adjacent to the shoulder of the vehicle occupant. The height adjuster enables the vehicle occupant to set the vertical position of the D-ring to one of several vertically spaced locking positions. In some height adjusters, the D-ring can, at times, be positioned vertically between locking positions.
Some seat belt systems include both a pretensioner and a height adjuster. When the pretensioner is actuated, the tensioned belt webbing exerts a strong downward force on the D-ring. If the pretensioner is actuated when the D-ring is not at a locking position, the D-ring is pulled downward along the height adjuster until it locks. It is desirable to ensure that the D-ring locks at the next available downward locking position and does not skip past one or more locking positions before engaging.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,977 describes a height adjuster which has two columns of projections in a rail affixed to the vehicle side structure. The height adjuster also has two corresponding latches which are engageable with the projections to lock the height adjuster. The latches and projections are staggered so as to prevent skipping past one or more locking positions before engaging.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,428 describes a height adjuster having a single column of vertically spaced openings in a rail, and a carriage having a pair of vertically spaced pins engageable in the openings. In this height adjuster, a lever must be actuated to pull the pins out of the openings in order to adjust the carriage upward along the rail.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a seat belt webbing height adjuster comprising a base having a column of openings spaced along an axis. A carriage is supported on the base for movement along the axis relative to the base. A seat belt webbing guide is supported on the carriage. A first latch part on the carriage is movable between a first condition in which the first latch part is not located in any one of the openings and a second condition in which the first latch part is located in one of the openings to block axial movement of the first latch part and the carriage relative to the base. A second latch part on the carriage is movable between a first condition in which the second latch part is not located in any one of the openings and a second condition in which the second latch part is located in one of the openings to block axial movement of the second latch part and the carriage relative to the base. The first and second latch parts are configured and disposed on the carriage so as to be capable of locating in the same opening simultaneously. The height adjuster also includes biasing means for biasing the first and second latch parts into the second condition and actuatable release means for moving the first and second latch parts to the first condition. The first and second latch parts are movable from the second condition into the first condition in response to upward movement of the carriage relative to the base when the release means is unactuated.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4917403 (1990-04-01), Gyoda et al.
patent: 4973084 (1990-11-01), Biller
patent: 4989900 (1991-02-01), Steinhuser
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patent: 5482325 (1996-01-01), Moller et al.
patent: 5758901 (1998-06-01), Harenberg
patent: 5794977 (1998-08-01), Frank
patent: 5931502 (1999-08-01), Frank et al.
patent: 37 42389 A1 (1989-06-01), None
patent: 44 12672 A1 (1995-10-01), None
patent: 0249910 (1990-04-01), None

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