Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Seats with body modifications
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-09
2001-05-01
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Seats with body modifications
C296S068100, C280S801200, C297S473000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06224130
ABSTRACT:
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. HEI 10-183994 filed on Jun. 30, 1998 including the specification, drawings and abstract is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mechanism for mounting a seat belt of a center seating space of a vehicle seat, which exhibits sufficient strength while allowing for the greatest degree of reduction both in its weight and production costs.
2. Description of the Related Art
A Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. HEI 2-143252 discloses a mechanism for mounting a seat belt of a center seating space of a three-passenger seat of a vehicle that can be separated into two seat sections, each independently slidable back and forth by means of a seat sliding rail defined by a pair of lower rails fixed to floor and a pair of upper rails fixed to the bottom of a seat. In the above-described seat belt mount mechanism, a seat belt of the center seating space of the seat is mounted to the inner upper rail of the respective seats.
The aforementioned seat belt mount mechanism requires sufficient distance between the right and left anchors of the seat belt of the center seating space of the seat, and the inner upper rail of the seat has to be arranged away from the center thereof. Therefore, the upper rails have to be positioned under the seats upon which the passengers of the right and left seating spaces are seated, resulting in deteriorated seating comfort. Furthermore, the resultant cantilever-like seat structure is likely to be affected by the moment exerted from the center seating space of the seat, so the structures of the seat and the upper rails are required to have sufficient strength.
Another type of seat belt mount mechanism, in which the anchors of the seat belt of the center seating space are mounted to the reinforcement provided between a pair of the upper rails via brackets has been proposed in order to arrange those anchors of the seat belt of the center seating space of the seat away from the center. This seat belt mount mechanism, however, may require an extra element for reinforcement. Moreover, the upper rails and reinforcement are required to exhibit enough strength to bear the bending moment generated by exertion of a high tensile load to the seat belt. The resultant seat belt mount mechanism may thus have heavy weight, leading to increased production costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In consideration of the foregoing disadvantages of the aforementioned conventional art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mechanism for mounting a seat belt of a center seating space of a vehicle seat, which improves the seating comfort for passengers sitting in the right and left seating spaces of the seat by keeping sufficient distance between the right and left anchors of the seat belt of the center seating space of the seat, ensures enough strength to bear the tensile load exerted to the seat belt of the center seating space of the seat, and reduces weight and production costs to the greatest degree without using extra elements such as reinforcement or reinforcing the respective members.
The aforementioned object is achieved by providing a mechanism for mounting a seat belt of a center seating space of a vehicle seat including a seat sliding rail formed of a pair of lower rails fixed to a vehicle floor side and a pair of upper rails fixed to the bottom of a seat such that the right seating section and the left seating section of a three-passenger seat separated into two sections are independently slidable back and forth and a base member that is bent at a bent portion to define a belt mount plate portion, an end of which is provided with an anchor of a seat belt of a center seating space of a vehicle seat, and a rail connector plate portion connected to a side surface of the upper rail. The rail connector plate portion is connected to the side surface of an inner upper rail and the belt mount plate portion extends outward.
In the present invention, the base member is allowed to unbend at the bent portion straightening the belt mount plate portion in a direction where a seat belt is tensioned in response to exertion of a tensile load equal to or greater than a predetermined value to the seat belt of a center seating space of a seat.
As a result, the seating comfort of passengers sitting in the right and left seating spaces can be improved by ensuring sufficient distance between the right and left anchors of the seat belt of the center seating space. The resultant seat belt mount mechanism makes it possible to exhibit enough strength to bear the tensile load of the seat belt as well as reduce the weight and production costs to the greatest degree without using extra reinforcements or reinforcing the respective members.
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Hoshihara Naoaki
Onodera Kenji
Sasaki Atsuki
Sugihara Masamichi
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Pape Joseph D.
Patel Kiran
Takashimaya Nippatsu Kogyo Co., LTD
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