GB2309202A

GB2309202A - Adjustable, folding and retractable passenger and luggage restraint system for motor vehicles

Info

Publication number: GB2309202A
Application number: GB9601872A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Louis Pohlinger
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-01-18
Filing date: 1996-01-30
Publication date: 1997-07-23
Also published as: GB9600991D0; GB9601872D0; GB9601392D0

Description

This invention relates to an adjustable, folding and relocatable passenger head, passenger body and luggage restraint system for motor vehicles.

Head restraints, which are also known as headrests, in vehicles usually take the form of a padded steel frame which is fixed to the seat and may be adjustable for height and or angle to the seat occupant. The headrest may be solid or hollow to allow the driver a better rearward vision. The problem with headrests is that they obstruct the rear vision especially when three are required at the rear passenger seats and they must be adjusted to the particular requirements of a passenger for them to be effective in the event of an accident. Furthermore the passenger must be sitting squarely in the seat to afford maximum protection of the head and whiplash effects to the neck in the event of an accident. In estate vehicles with sideways mounted rear seats, forward restraint of the sideways seated passenger is not maintained adequately by either lap or lapisash seat belts.

In vehicles with an open boot, such as hatchbacks and estates further protection to the passengers from luggage being thrown about inside the vehicle especially in the event of an accident is usually attained by a fixed metal mesh or a series of parallel metal bars being fixed in the space between the passengers and the luggage space. The rigid nature of these protective grills which may be effective for luggage restraint whilst providing maximal rearward vision do not adequately protect the head, the necessity for a solid padded head restraint system must be maintained. The versatility of the vehicle in the form of fold down rear passenger seating is also impaired using fixed protective grills.

According to the present invention, there is provided a restraint device for a vehicle interior which could contain a membrane which is arranged to be secured to part of a vehicle interior in a retracted condition and to be extended to parts of the vehicle interior in an expanded condition to lie in a plane generally transverse of the vehicle interior, arranged to allow the membrane to undergo controlled restraining movement out of said plane when the membrane is impacted by an object and, subsequent to such impact, to approximately return to said plane. When the membrane is in its extended, expanded condition and held in tension, it should preferably not restrict the view through the vehicle interior and could take the form of a mesh or grid.The membrane could be mounted on a frame that is detachable to the vehicle interior and relocated to some other desirable location in the vehicle, the shape and/or size of the frame may be adjustable to fit different shapesisizes of vehicle interior.

The restraint device may contain an elongate member, such as a bar, attached to the membrane and extending generally transversely of the vehicle interior and mounted, preferably sliding upon the frame for movement between the parts of the vehicle and, hence, respective retracted and expanded conditions of the membrane.

The membrane preferably to be resiliently and/or elastically deformable, be foldable between its expanded and retracted conditions, and may be a continuous sheet of material andlor a mesh andlor a series of elongated members such as bars.

Membrane and frame could be made of composite materials.

The structure could restrain passengers heads, bodies and luggage all such that bodily injury is minimised and if required, vision through the membrane is maximised. Some form of mechanism can be incorporated to unfold the membrane automatically and rapidly to protect front passengers forward motion and possible injury in the event of an accident, similar protection that current technology in the form of "air bags" provides.

The device could also be fitted or incorporated to the exterior front of motor vehicles to restrain pedestrians, animals or other objects on impact thereby reducing injury andlor damage to vehicle.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows in perspective, the an adjustable, folding and relocatable passenger head, passenger body and luggage restraint system for vehicles.

Referring to the drawing the restraint system comprises a rigid frame 1 secured to the vehicle 10, and a movable rigid bar 2 secured to the frame at each end 3 when extended and secured at each end, 4 when folded. The mesh 5 is folded and secured with the movable rigid bar 2 to the frame head 6 at each end 4, when the restraint system is not required such as when the seats are folded down to maximise the load carrying capacity of the vehicle.

The movable rigid bar 2 to be fixed at 3 such that it is forced downwards at all times to maintain the mesh 5 in tension but to control the upwards movement when a force, in the form of a head, body or luggage is applied to the mesh 5.

The mesh 5 is attached to the rigid frame 1 but allowed to slide upwards over the vertical sides of 1 when folding 2 to position 4. The mesh 5 is also attached to frame head 6 and movable rigid bar 2. A compressible material 7 can be coated or fixed over 1 and 2 to allow for controlled rebound of the mesh 5 in the event of extreme force to prevent whiplash and resultant injury of passengers necks. In the event of a vehicular accident the mesh 5 will provide sufficient density to restrain passengers heads without allowing the head to pass through the material, have minimal elasticity that cases excessive rebound of the head and resultant neck injury, not rigid enough to cause severe injury to the passengers head upon impact and give the least obstructed rearward vision.

The mesh 5 could also be used together with or replaced by a series of rigid padded parallel bars 8, that can be suspended at a predetermined spacing from 6 using twine or cable and fixed to 9 such as to allow sliding upwards when opening and fixing to point 4 or downwards when closing to point 3 but preventing forward and rearward movement upon impact by head, body or luggage, spacing to be determined by sufficient density to restrain passengers heads without allowing the head to pass between the bars, have minimal elasticity that cases excessive rebound of the head and resultant neck injury, have sufficient padding not to cause severe injury to the passengers head upon impact and provide the least obstructed rearward vision.

The entire restraint system, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 can be detached from 10 to be positioned to an alternative position, in the vehicle, such as behind the front passenger seats, the rigid frame 6 and 9 to incorporate some form of adjustment which may take the form of telescopic joints to allow for variations in vehicular height and width dimensions, the grid width and height will need to be adjusted accordingly.

Claims

1. A restraint device for a vehicle interior comprising a membrane which is arranged to be secured to an upper part of a vehicle interior in a retracted condition and to be extended to a lower part of the vehicle interior in an expanded condition to lie in a plane generally transverse of the vehicle interior, and means arranged to allow the membrane to undergo controlled restraining movement out of said plane when the membrane is impacted by an object and, subsequent to such impact, to return to said plane.

2. A devise according to claim 1, wherein, when in its expanded condition, the membrane does not restrict the view through the vehicle interior.

3. A device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, when in its expanded condition, the membrane is held in tension by said means.

4. A device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the membrane is mounted on a frame securable, preferably detachably, to the vehicle interior.

5. A device according to claim 4, wherein the shape and/or size of the frame is adjustable to fit different shapes/sizes of vehicle interior.

6. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein said means comprises an elongate member, such as a bar, attached to the membrane and extending generally transversely of the vehicle interior.

7. A device according to claim 6 when dependent upon claim 4 or 5, wherein the elongate member is mounted, preferably slidably, upon the frame for movement between the upper and lower parts of the vehicle and, hence, respective retracted and expanded conditions of the membrane.

8. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the membrane is arranged to be restricted by said means in the expanded condition thereof.

9. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the membrane is resiliently deformable.

10. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the membrane is elastically deformable.

11. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the membrane is foldable between its expanded and retracted conditions.

12. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the membrane comprises a continuous sheet of material or a mesh.

13. A restraint device for a vehicle interior, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.