GB2192123A

GB2192123A - Restraint system for vehicle occupants

Info

Publication number: GB2192123A
Application number: GB08708913A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Artur Fohl
Original assignee: TRW Occupant Restraint Systems GmbH
Current assignee: TRW Occupant Restraint Systems GmbH
Priority date: 1986-04-30
Filing date: 1987-04-14
Publication date: 1988-01-06
Anticipated expiration: 2007-04-14
Also published as: SE8701777L; IT8720354A0; SE464509B; JPS63121550A; GB8708913D0; GB2192123B; AU574018B2; JPH062458B2; FR2598130B1; BR8702116A; DE8611919U1; ES2003054A6; AU7228287A; FR2598130A1; SE8701777D0; IT1203992B

Abstract

The present invention relates to a safety device for occupants of a vehicle. It comprises an automatic device for winding in the seat belt 10 and a stiffening device which comprises a pyrotechnic gas generator 30, a piston and cylinder device 28, a cable pulley coupled to the shaft of the seat belt and a traction cable 20. The device 10 is fixed by means of a reinforcement 16 to the seat, the generator 30 being arranged with the piston and cylinder device 28 separately from the winding device 10 and the cable 20 being surrounded by a jacket 24 making at least one hoop. Application: safety devices which can be mounted easily in motor vehicles. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Restraint system for vehicle occupants The present invention relates to a restraint system for vehicle occupants comprising a safety belt retractorand a belttightening means having a pyrotechnical gas generator driving a piston/cylinder arranged ment, a pulley selectively coupled to the reel ofthe retractor and a cable engaging the periphery ofthe pulley and connected to the piston of the piston/ cylinder arrangement.

In conventional restraint systems of this type the safety belt retractor is combined with the gas gener atorandthe piston/cylinder arrangementto provide an assemblywhich is usually accommodated in the B column of a motorvehicle.

In certain restraint means, for example the socalled passive safety belt systems, in which an end fitting of the safety belt can be moved by means of a slide member guided in a rail between a beltfastening position and a belt unfastening position, the safety belt retractor is preferably attached to a veh icle seat. The spatial accommodation of an assembiy consisting of a safety belt retractor,a pyrotechnical gas generator and a piston/cylinder arrangement on a vehicle seat presents however difficulties because of the relatively large dimensions ofthis assembly.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved restraining system of the kind mentioned above wherein difficulties due to the overall size of conventional assemblies of safety belt automatic takeup means, pyrotechnical gas generator and piston/cylinderarrangementareavoided upon mounting to a vehicle seat.

According to the present invention, the safety belt retractor is secured by means of a fitting to a vehicle seat,the pyrotechnical gas generator is located with the piston/cylinder arrangement separately from the safety belt retractor, and the cable is surrounded by a compression resistant cover and arranged to form at least one arc or bow.

By the spatial separation provided in the restraint system according to the invention of the safety belt retractoron the one hand and the pyrotechnical gas generatorwiththe piston/cylinderarrangementon the other hand and by the drive connection between these separate assemblies by means of a cable and a compression resistant cover surrounding the latter, itisachievedthatthespatial accommodationofthe safety belt retractor and the assembly consisting of pyrotechnical gas generator and piston/cylinder arrangement presents no difficultieswhateverbecause these separate assemblies can have any orientation relatively to each other. The cable with the compression resistant cover surrounding it can be laid on practically any path.Such a spatial separation was not considered hitherto because it was assumed thatthe extremely high tightening forces arising on actuation ofthe pyrotechnical gas generator could not be transmitted sufficiently loss-free and delayfree by means of such a drive connection. It has however surprisingly been found that even when the cable and cover or sheath are laid in a plurality of differently orientated arcs there are hardly any losses and delays, i.e. the tightening function is not impaired in anyway.

According to an advantageous embodimentthe pyrotechnical gas generator with the piston/cylinder arrangement is attached to the vehicle seat beneath the seat surface thereof. It is further advantageous to secure the safety belt automatictakeup means laterally to the frame of a vehicle seat.

Aparticularly preferable embodimentwhich per mits various installation variants without changing the safety belt retractor resides in that a plurality of connection points leading to the periphery ofthe pulley is provided for the selective connection of cover or sheath and cable to various peripheral positionswith respect to the pulley.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of examples of embodiment and from the drawings, to which reference is made.

In the drawings: Figure lisa schematic partial view of an embodiment with spatially separately disposed safety belt retractor and assembly consisting of pyrotechnical gas generator and pistonicylinder arrangement and connected to the safety belt retractor via a pulling cable and a sheath orcoversurrounding said cable; Figure 2 is an embodiment in which the safety belt retractor is attached to the side of a vehicle seat and the pyrotechnical gas generator with piston/cylinder arrangement is attached to the vehicle seat beneath the seat surface; Figures 3,4, 5and6show various embodiments of thecoverorenvelopesurroundingthepullingcable.

Figure 1 shows schematically a safety belt retractor 10 to the belt reel of which, on which the webbing 12 is coiled, a pulley 14 is connected via a coupling means (not shown). The safety belt retractor 10its an chored by means of a fitting 16 and a threaded bolt 18to a part of the vehicle. A pulling ortension cable 20 engages the periphery ofthe pulley 14. Said pulling cable 20 is led via a sleeve 22 out of the housing of the safety belt retractor 10. Connected to the sleeve 22 is a compression resistant flexible cover 24. The cover 24 with pulling cable 20 is laid in sev- eral adjoining arcs between which reversal points can be disposed and leads to a sleeve 26 and the housing of a piston/cylinder arrangement 28.Said piston/cylinder arrangement 28 is arranged separatelyfrom the safety belt retractor 10 at a suitable point ofthe vehicle. Connected to the piston/cylinder arrangement 28 in conventional manner is a pyrotechnical gas generator30 which in turn is connected via electrical lines to an actuating sensor 32.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 2 the safety belt retractor 10 is secured to the side of a vehicle seat 34. In particular, the safety belt retractor 10 is articulately connected via an additional fitting 12 to the frame 35 ofthe vehicle seat 34. The assembly consisting of pyrotechnical gas generator 30 and piston/cylinder arrangement 28 is attached to the vehicle seat 32 beneath the seat surface thereof. Between said assembly 28,30 and the safety belt retractor 10 a drive connection consisting of pulling cable 20 and cover 24 extends. A particular advantage of this construction is that the safety belt retractor is freely pivotal relatively to the assembly 28,30 becausethe drive connection consisting of pulling cable 20 and cover or sheath 24 can easilyfollow these movements.

In the embodiment according to Figure 2theone end ofthe safety belt 12 is connected to an end fitting 36 which is displaceable via a slide piece not shown in detail and a guide rail indicated in dashed line between a belt fastening position and a belt unfastening position. This is a so-called passive safety belt system.

A particularfeature of the embodiment shown in Figure 1 is that offset from the sleeve 22 with respect to the periphery ofthe pulley 14 is a further sleeve 22A which permits a connection of the cover 24 and the pulling cable 20 to another peripheral point. In Figure 1 the cover is indicated in dashed line in this alternative connection position.

The embodiment ofthe cover 24 shown in Figure 3 consists of a round wire spiral 24A and a plastic sheath 40 disposed thereon.

The embodiment of the cover 24 shown in Figure 4 consists of a flat wire spiral 24B and a plastic sheath 40.

In the embodiments according to Figures 3 and 4 the sheath 24with the pulling cable 20 forms a Bowden cable. In the embodiment according to Figure 5 the cover 24 consists of a flexible double block tu be 24C and a plastic sheath 40 disposed thereon.

In the embodiment according to Figure 6 the cover 24 consists of a flexible tube 24D of a compression resistant plastic material with good sliding properties.

In the embodiments according to Figures 3,4 and 5 the pulling cable 20 is preferably plastic coated to prevent sliding friction.

The safety belt retractor 10 and the piston/cylinder arrangement 28 are of conventional type and thus require no detailed description.

Claims

1. A restraint system for vehicle occupantscomprising a safety belt retractor having a reel, and a belt tightening means having a pyrotechnical gas generator, a piston/cylinder arrangement drivable by said gas generator, a pulley, coupling means for selectively coupling said pulley to said reel for joint rotation upon energization of said gas generator and a cable engaging the periphery ofthe pulley and connected to the piston of the piston/cylinder arrangement, wherein the safety belt retractor is secured by means of a fitting to a vehicle seat, the gas generator is arranged with the piston/cylinder arrangement separately from the safety belt retractor and the cable is surrounded by a compression resistant cover and arranged to form at least one arc or bow, the safety belt retractor and the belt tightening means forming separate assemblies operatively connected by said cable and cover.

2. The restraint system of claim 1, wherein the cable and the cover are arranged to form two adjoining arcs with an inflection therebetween.

3. The restraint system of claim 1,whereinthe gas generator and the piston/cylinder arrangement are attached to the vehicle seat beneath the seat surface.

4. Therestraintsystem of claim 1, wherein the safety belt retractor is secured laterally to a frame of a vehicle seat.

5. The restraint system of claim 1, wherein the safety belt retractor comprises a plurality ofconnec- tion points leading to the periphery of the pulley for the selective connection of cover and pulling cable to various peripheral positions with respect to the pulley.

6. The restraint system of claim 1, wherein the cover is formed from a wire spiral in the manner of a Bowden cable.

7. The restraint system of claim 6, wherein the cable is provided as a plastic-coated steel cable.

8. The restraint system of claim 1 wherein the cover is formed from a compression resistant plastic tube.

9. The restraint system of claim 1, wherein the cover is provided as a flexible blocktube comprising two assembled helically wound cover structures having identical pitch and substantially identical diameter.