Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-03
2004-04-13
Dickson, Paul N. (Department: 3616)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
active
06719326
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention refers to a harness belt for racing cars wherein the harness belt is provided with a dual pelvis belt, shoulder belt and two crotch belts, wherein the belt segments of pelvis belts as well as the shoulder belts are joined by means of belt tongues to a belt buckle and the crotch belts are secured at their buckle proximate ends indirectly to the belt buckle.
Harness belts are personal restraining systems, and when used in racing cars typically have a dual pelvis belt, two shoulder belts and two crotch belts, which directly or indirectly merge into a central buckle (product list of the Schroth Safety Products GmbH, Im Ohl 14, 50714 Amsberg “Weight and price Comparison for Open Wheel Racing Harnesses”).
Thus, the crotch belts can be attached to a T-shaped fitting (Profi III-6 and Profi II-6), which is slipped from below into the corresponding receptacle of the belt buckle. By providing a distance relative to the points of attachment of the crotch belts to the T-shaped bracket, it is intended that the crotch belts laterally bear against the thighs of a driver to thereby reduce the danger of injuries to the genital area.
Such T-shaped fittings, extending downwardly from the belt buckle cannot always be kept in the optimal position relative to the driver, and it is possible that the T-shaped fitting ends come in contact with the thighs. This leads not only to discomfort, but in an accident, when the legs of the driver are yanked upwards during the rebound phase, also leads to injuries. In this context, it is known in the field that during an accident, such T-shaped fittings can deform by bending upwards into a U-shape so that the opening lever of the belt buckle, which, according to regulations of the racing sport organization FIA, must point in downward direction, is now substantially hindered in its free motion so that the belt buckle can no longer be opened.
In addition, such a T-shaped fitting can prevent an unrestricted gliding through openings that are designed for this purpose at seats configured as so-called “extrication seats”. These types of seats restrain their drivers after an accident in a fixed position and thus stabilized together with the seat, they can be removed from the racing vehicle in a manner that is gentle to the spine.
As part of the prior art, an embodiment of a harness belt is known having a dual pelvis belt, shoulder belts and crotch belts (profi III-6 F and profi II-6 F) wherein the crotch belts run across the thighs of a driver and are each guided through D-shaped rings attached to the belt segments next to the belt tongues and which run from these rings obliquely upwards past the belt buckle into the area of the belt tongues of the shoulder belts. At their buckle proximate ends, the crotch belts are provided with loops through which the belt tongues of the shoulder belts are placed and then locked into the belt buckle.
However, such an embodiment requires that the length of the belt tongues of the shoulder belts must be longer by at least the width of the loops, which are disposed end-proximate to the crotch belts, as would be required for locking the shoulder belts with the belt buckle. As a result, such elongated belt tongues are very uncomfortable for the driver of the racing vehicles: since he is generally seated in a crouched position, in particular when racing Formula 1 racing vehicles, because they can press onto the lower costal arches of the driver. In addition, no direct flow of strength from the shoulder belt via the belt buckle into the crotch belts is realized. Moreover, when applying any weight, the belt buckle is pulled upwardly. Also, the belt segments of the pelvis belt can glide in relation toward the crotch belts redirected via the D-shaped rings, whereby a correct positioning of the driver can be realized only to a limited extent. An upward pull of the belt buckle causes an extension of the shoulder belts, which in turn results in a) the driver not being optimally secured by the belt and b), in case of an accident, a pronounced forward shift of the driver's body and thus, the danger of a heavier head impact and faster acceleration of the head and chest, cannot be prevented.
From the DE-PS 1 142 762 a belt arrangement for an aircraft seat, especially for a pilot seat, is known. There it is taken into account that the pilot can take up various spatial positions in conjunction with the aircraft, as well as the situation wherein the pilot must be able to separate from the belt arrangement, in case he will be ejected from the aircraft and subsequently, when hanging from the parachute by means of additional belts, has to be carried safely to the ground. Furthermore, when the aircraft is on the ground, the pilot should be able to leave the aircraft in a normal way.
For this purpose, the belt arrangement is provided with a pelvis belt having dual belt segments, which are joined with the belt buckle via belt tongues and from which they can be also separated again.
The ends of the belt segments facing away from the belt tongues are placed via additional belt tongues, through vertical slots, into brackets that are attached to the pilot seat. In order to secure the belt tongues to the brackets, bolts that are guided through bores in the belt tongues are disposed at the rear side of these brackets. The bolts can be separated from the belt tongues by way of either manual or automatic action, upon ejecting the pilot seat holding the pilot from the airplane.
Loops, which are slid over the belt tongues form a portion of the belt segment of an essentially Y-shaped crotch belt. The belt segments, which are redirected through the brackets run between the buttocks of the pilot and the surface of the pilot seat and are guided into a circular control element which is seated within a recess and extends parallel to the front face of the pilot seat, from where only a shank portion still extends between the thighs of the pilot and runs obliquely in rearward direction relative to the belt buckle. A hand lever is also placed within the recess for activation of the ejection mechanism.
In the embodiment of
FIG. 4
, the shank portion can be coupled directly to the belt buckle via a belt tongue.
In the embodiment of
FIGS. 2 and 3
, two loops of V-shaped configuration are provided at the end of the shank portion near the belt buckle, for sliding over the ends of the belt segments of the pelvis belt. Then, the belt tongues can be coupled to the belt buckle
The assembly of the known belt arrangement is adapted to the requirements that a pilot, on the one hand, has to be held securely in the pilot seat in all positions and during all motions of the aircraft, and on the other hand, he must be able to release himself from the pilot seat when leaving the aircraft in a normal manner, or in an air emergency when the pilot seat is ejected from the aircraft, must be able to separate himself from the pilot seat
When exiting the aircraft on the ground in a normal manner, the pilot needs to open only the belt buckle so that the shoulder belts, the belt segments of the pelvis belt and the crotch belt are released from the body of the pilot.
In an emergency, that is, when the pilot seat is ejected from the aircraft, the bolts are separated manually or automatically from the belt tongues of the belt segments of the pelvis belt, so that the stops for the belt segments of the pelvis belt and the belt segments of the crotch belt fall away and the pilot can separate unencumbered from the pilot seat.
During the various movements of the airborne aircraft, the type of accelerations that act on the pilot seat are essentially those that press the pilot into the pilot seat. In other words, during these movements of the aircraft, no considerable forward motions of the pilot relative to the pilot seat occur. Accordingly, only a single crotch belt is provided which, according to embodiments of
FIGS. 2 and 3
, turn into dual loops near the belt buckle and surround the buckle proximate end of the pelvis belt. It is thus important that the loops of
Knight Paul
Schroth Carl-Jürgen
Day Ursula B.
Dickson Paul N.
Feiereisen Henry M.
Fleming Faye M.
Schroth Safety Products GmbH
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