Chairs and seats – Crash seat – Force-absorbing means incorporated into back
Patent
1999-09-15
2000-11-28
Nelson, Jr., Milton
Chairs and seats
Crash seat
Force-absorbing means incorporated into back
2972161, B60N 242
Patent
active
06152526&
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
THE PRESENT INVENTION relates to a vehicle seat, and more particularly relates to a vehicle seat intended for use in a passenger vehicle such as a motor car.
It has been proposed, in motor vehicles of this type, to provide a safety-belt in order to retain an occupant of a seat in position in the seat should an accident arise. Such a safety-belt may be associated with a retractor. The retractor may be mounted on the floor of the vehicle and the safety-belt may pass through a guide loop provided at the top of the seat adjacent the shoulder of an occupant of the seat. Alternatively, the retractor mechanism itself may be mounted on the back of the seat at a position adjacent the shoulder of the seat. If either of these expedients is adopted, in the event that an accident arises which causes the vehicle to decelerate, the retractor mechanism locks thus preventing the safety-belt being withdrawn from the retractor. As the vehicle decelerates, the occupant of the seat may tend to move forwardly relative to the seat and is restrained by the safety-belt. However, a very substantial force may be applied to the safety-belt. This force is transferred to the top part of the back of the safety-belt where the guide loop or where the retractor is located.
It is thus to be understood that in an arrangement of this type, it has been proposed previously to make the of the seat relatively sturdy or strong so that the back of the seat is able to withstand the forces applied to it. However, this has the disadvantage that the back of the seat is then very heavy and also the back of the seat is expensive to construct. Designs of this particular type are exemplified by EP-A-0,646,493 and DE-A-4,330,011.
There is a need to reduce the overall weight of a vehicle seat of this type, in order to improve vehicle efficiency and also there is a need to reduce the cost of a vehicle seat of this type. The present invention of withstanding a substantial load, and which is relatively light and relatively inexpensive.
According to this invention there is provided a seat for a motor vehicle, the seat being provided with a squab and a back, the back of the seat being provided, at a point adjacent the top of the back of the seat, with guide means for a safety-belt or a retractor mechanism for a safety-belt, the back of the seat being provided with a framework supporting the guide means or retractor, the framework being reinforced to prevent inadvertent forward movement of the top part of the back of the seat by means of an elongate substantially inextensible element, one end of the elongate inextensible element being secured to an upper part of the framework of the back of the seat, wherein support means are provided which extend rearwardly from the squab of the seat, which guide the elongate element and constrain the elongate element to pass a point located rearwardly of the lower part of the back of the seat, the lower end of the elongate element being connected to means supporting the squab of the seat, the elongate element thus being configured so that if the top part of the back of the seat tends to move forwardly, a tension is imparted to the inextensible elongate element, the inextensible elongate element thus acting substantially to prevent forward movement of the upper part of the back of the seat.
Advantageously the lower end of the elongate element is secured to a carriage which slidably supports the seat.
Preferably the lower end of the wire passes through clamping means mounted on means which support the seat, the clamping means being engageable and disengageable, the back of the seat being connected to the squab of the seat by means of a recliner mechanism to permit adjustment of the back of the seat.
Conveniently resilient means are provided to maintain tension in the wire when the clamping means are released.
Advantageously the said support means are connected to, and extend rearwardly from, the recliner mechanism.
Preferably the framework within the back of the seat is articulated and further support means are provided, associate
REFERENCES:
patent: 3957304 (1976-05-01), Koutsky et al.
patent: 5015010 (1991-05-01), Homeier et al.
patent: 5020856 (1991-06-01), George
patent: 5439272 (1995-08-01), Hallet et al.
patent: 5533775 (1996-07-01), Cyliax
patent: 5642916 (1997-07-01), Dybro et al.
Lindstrom Martin
Persson Dan
Autoliv Develpoment AB
Jr. Milton Nelson
Kinberg Robert
Spencer George H.
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