GB2408241A

GB2408241A - A seatbelt arrangement with an air bag

Info

Publication number: GB2408241A
Application number: GB0327209A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ola Bostrom; Land Yngve H
Original assignee: Autoliv Development AB
Current assignee: Autoliv Development AB
Priority date: 2003-11-21
Filing date: 2003-11-21
Publication date: 2005-05-25
Anticipated expiration: 2023-11-21
Also published as: GB0327209D0; GB2408241B

Abstract

A safety belt arrangement (1) for a vehicle seat (2) includes a 3-point safety belt (4) and also a 2-point safety belt (13). An inflatable element (21) mounted in a sleeve (19) is located to be adjacent the inner face of the 2-point belt (13). The inflatable element (21) is positioned so that when it is inflated, in an accident situation, the inflatable element fills the space between the upper part of the torso of the seat occupant (3) and the inner face of the 2-point belt (13) so that the 2-point belt becomes fully tight whilst the inflatable element (21) forces the upper part of the torso towards the back-rest of the seat (2). The inflatable element (21) also provides a pretensioning effect. The inflatable element may only inflate when a sensor located on the buckle senses that the 2-point belt is buckled.

Description

240824 1

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

"IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO A SAFETY BELT ARRANGEMENT" THE PRESENT INVENTION relates to a safety belt arrangement, and more particularly relates to a safety belt arrangement incorporating a conventional 3-point safety belt and an additional 2-point safety belt.

It has been proposed to provide a safety belt arrangement having a 3-point belt and also a 2-point belt, to protect a seat occupant in the event that a side impact occurs to the vehicle or the vehicle rolls over. In order for such an arrangement to protect the seat occupant most effectively, the belts should be tight against the seat occupant. This helps prevent the seat occupant from moving substantially relative to the seat in the event of a vehicle impact or rollover. However, for comfort, the guide on the 2-point belt is often positioned away from the shoulder of the seat occupant, so that the belt is comfortable. Consequently, there is a risk that the 2-point belt will be slack, thus possibly enabling the upper torso of the seat occupant to become disengaged from the safety belt arrangement, especially in a side impact or rollover situation.

It is known to attach an air-bag to a safety belt. The air-bag is inflated in the event of a vehicle collision or rollover, to provide protection for the seat occupant. German Patent Application No. DE 4116162, discloses an air-bag attached to a safety belt, the air-bag being inflated to form a protective cushion in front of the seat occupant.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved safety belt arrangement.

According to the present invention, there is provided a safety belt arrangement for a vehicle seat, the arrangement comprising a 3-point belt and a 2-point belt, and an inflatable element, at least part of the inflatable element being mounted on the inner face of the 2-point belt.

Preferably, in use, at least part of the inflatable element, after it has been inflated, lies between the inner face of the 2-point belt and the upper torso of an occupant of the seat.

Advantageously the inflatable element is positioned such that at least part of the inflatable element, after it has been inflated, lies between the inner face of the 2-point belt and the upper torso of a 50 percentile male dummy on the seat.

Conveniently wherein the inflatable element is mounted on one side of a mounting sleeve, the mounting sleeve fitting around the 2-point belt.

Preferably wherein the inflatable element is an inflatable sleeve.

Advantageously the inflatable element is inflatable by a micro gas generator, the micro gas generator being mounted on the sleeve.

Conveniently a micro gas generator is contained within the vehicle seat, the micro gas generator being connected to the inflatable element and the sleeve by a flexible tube.

Preferably the sleeve is made of an elastic material such as plastic or rubber.

Advantageously the sleeve is directly attached to the seat.

Conveniently the sleeve is attached to the seat by a fastening means.

Preferably the fastening means is made from an elastic material, such as plastic or rubber.

Advantageously the maximum length of the sleeve is such that it extends to the point at which the 2-point belt and the 3-point belt cross, whilst in use.

Conveniently the inflatable element is contacted to inflate only when the 2-point belt is buckled.

Preferably a sensor is located on the buckle, to sense when the 2-point belt is buckled.

Advantageously the inflatable element is of similar colour or appearance to the 2-point belt.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, and so that further features thereof may be appreciated, embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 is a schematic view of a combined 3-point and 2-point safety belt arrangement on a vehicle seat (the vehicle seat is shown to be partially cut away and partially shown in phantom); FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a mounting sleeve on which an inflatable element is mounted; FIGURE 3 is a schematic view of another combined 3-point and 2-point safety belt arrangement on a vehicle seat, with the mounting sleeve situated on the 2-point belt, and the inflatable element having been inflated; FIGURE 4 shows a schematic view of another combined 3-point and 2-point safety belt arrangement on a vehicle seat, with an inflatable sleeve positioned on the 2-point belt after inflation; FIGURE 5 shows a sectional view of the inflatable sleeve of Figure 4.

Referring initially to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, a safety belt arrangement 1 for a vehicle seat 2 is provided to offer protection to a seat occupant 3 (shown to be partially cut away and partially shown in phantom) in the event of a vehicle accident. The seat occupant 3 illustrated is a 50 percentile male dummy of conventional size, as used in crash tests.

The safety belt arrangement 1 incorporates a 3-point belt 4 which has a first torso section S that extends from a retractor 6 (shown in phantom) and through a pillar loop 7, above one of the seat occupant's shoulders, downwardly across the torso of the seat occupant 3 to a point 8 at the base of the vehicle seat 2. At point 8, a tongue 9 (shown in phantom) on the belt 5 engages a fixed buckle 10 (shown in phantom). The 3-point belt 4 also incorporates a second lap section 11 which extends over the lap (not shown) of the seat occupant 3, from point 8 to be fixed at point 12.

The safety belt arrangement 1 also incorporates a 2-point belt 13 that extends diagonally downwardly across the torso of the seat occupant 3 from a retractor 14 (shown in phantom) and through a guide 15 which is formed in the seat 2 at a position above the opposite shoulder of the seat occupant 3 to the pillar loop 7. The belt extends diagonally across the torso of the seat occupant 3 to a point 16 at the base of the vehicle seat 2, where it is releasably attached by a tongue 17 (shown in phantom) to a fixed buckle 18 (shown in phantom). The diagonally extending belts thus cross in the region of the centre of the torso of the seat occupant.

A mounting sleeve 19 is positioned around the upper end of the 2-point belt 13 in the region of the occupant's shoulder, adjacent to the occupant's neck. The mounting sleeve 19 is attached to the seat 2, or guide 15, either directly, or by a fastening means 20. The fastening means 20 may be in the form of a strap (as shown), or in the form of a band extending at least partly around the 2-point belt 13.

The fastening means 20 may be made of an elastic material, such as rubber or plastic, to allow a certain movement of the sleeve 19 as the occupant 3 moves against it. This may help stop abrasion injuries occurring to the seat occupant 3.

The 2-point belt 13 is able to slide through the sleeve 19 to enable the 2-point belt 13 to be paid in and out.

Alternatively the mounting sleeve 19 may be made of an elastic material, such as plastic or rubber, to allow the mounting sleeve 19 to stretch or move relative to the seat 2 or fastening means 20.

The mounting sleeve 19 is shown to extend a short distance along the 2-point belt 13. However, the maximum length of mounting sleeve 19 may extend from the point at which it is attached to the seat 2, guide 15, or fastening means 20 to the point at which the 2-point belt 13 crosses the first torso section 5 of the 3-point belt 4, whilst in use.

The mounting sleeve 19, incorporates an inflatable element 21, as shown in more detail in Figure 2. When the mounting sleeve l9 is positioned around the 2-point belt 13, as shown in Figure 1, the inflatable element 21 is located adjacent the inner face of the 2-point belt 13, that is to say the side of the belt that is directed towards the seat occupant 3 when the seat 2 is occupied.

The inflatable element 21 is positioned so that when the seat belt arrangement 1 is in use, as shown, the inflatable element 21 is between the inner face of the belt and the upper part of the torso of the seat occupant 3. In the event of an accident, such as a side impact or rollover situation, the inflatable element 21 is inflated by a source of gas, such as a gas generator, or a micro gas generator (not shown) that may be contained within the mounting sleeve l9.

Alternatively, the inflatable element 21 may be inflated by a source of gas, such as a micro gas generator, contained within the seat 2. In this arrangement, the source of gas contained within the seat 2 is connected to the sleeve 19 and inflatable element 21 by a flexible tube. In this case the tube may act as an elastic fastening means for sleeve 19, in place of the fastening means described above.

Figure 3 shows the safety belt arrangement 1 with the mounting sleeve 19 located on the 2-point belt 13 and the inflatable element 21 having been inflated. Once inflated, the inflatable element 21 fills the space between the upper part of the torso of the seat occupant 3 and the inner face of the 2-point belt 13. The 2-point belt 13 is thus moved slightly away from the torso of the seat occupant to become fully tightened, and the inflatable element 21 applies a force to the upper part of the torso of the seat occupant 3, tending to force the upper part of the torso towards the backrest of the seat 2. This helps prevent the seat occupant 3 from becoming disengaged from the safety belt arrangement 1. Once inflated, the inflatable element 21 may cause a pretensioning effect to pull out the slack of the 2-point belt 13.

A sensor (not shown) may be positioned on the fixed buckle 18 to sense when the 2-point belt 13 is buckled (i.e. when the tongue 17 is securely engaged within the buckle 18). The sensor may be associated with a control arrangement to allow the inflatable element 21 to be inflated only if the 2-point belt 13 is buckled at point 16.

The means onto which the inflatable element 21 is mounted (mounting sleeve 19 or a mounting element) may be able to be locked in specific positions along the 2-point belt 13.

Figure 4 shows an alternate embodiment of the invention in which the inflatable element 21 extends around the sleeve 19 to form an inflatable sleeve22. The inflatable element 21 as shown in Figure 4 is inflated and extends outwardly from the 2-point belt 13 to fill the space between the seat occupant 3 and the 2-point belt 13, again moving the belt 13 away from the torso of the seat occupant to tension the belt, as well as providing a cushioned surface at the edges and above the 2-point belt 13.

Figure 5 shows a sectional view of the inflatable sleeve 22, with inflatable element 21 extending around the sleeve 19. As well as offering protection to the seat occupant 3 behind the 2-point belt 13, this embodiment of the present invention also allows the inflatable element 21 to form a supporting cushion which may limit the lateral bending of the seat occupant's neck.

The inflatable element 19 or the sleeve 19 or 22 may be of the same or similar colour or appearance as the 2-point belt 13.

In the present Specification "comprises" means "includes or consists of" and "comprising" means "including or consisting of".

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following Claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A safety belt arrangement for a vehicle seat, the arrangement

comprising a 3-point belt and a 2-point belt, and an inflatable element, at least part of the inflatable element being mounted on the inner face of the 2-point belt.
2. A safety belt arrangement according to Claim 1, wherein, in use, at least part of the inflatable element, after it has been inflated, lies between the inner face of the 2-point belt and the upper torso of an occupant of the seat.
3. A safety belt arrangement according to Claim 1, wherein the inflatable element is positioned such that at least part of the inflatable element, after it has been inflated, lies between the inner face of the 2-point belt and the upper torso of a 50 percentile male dummy on the seat.
4. A safety belt arrangement according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the inflatable element is mounted on one side of a mounting sleeve, the mounting sleeve fitting around the 2-point belt.
5. A safety belt arrangement according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the inflatable element is an inflatable sleeve.
6. A safety belt arrangement according to Claims 4 or 5, wherein the inflatable element is inflatable by a micro gas generator, the micro gas generator being mounted on the sleeve.
7. A safety belt arrangement according to Claims 4 or 5, wherein a micro gas generator is contained within the vehicle seat, the micro gas generator being connected to the inflatable element and the sleeve by a flexible tube.
8. A safety belt arrangement according to any one of Claims 4 to 7, wherein the sleeve is made of an elastic material such as plastic or rubber.
9. A safety belt arrangement according to any one Claims 4 to 8, wherein the sleeve is directly attached to the seat.
10. A safety belt arrangement according to any one of Claims 4 to 8, wherein the sleeve is attached to the seat by a fastening means.
11. A safety belt arrangement according to Claim 10, wherein the fastening means is made from an elastic material, such as plastic or rubber.
12. A safety belt arrangement according to any one of Claims 4 to 11, wherein the maximum length of the sleeve is such that it extends to the point at which the 2-point belt and the 3-point belt cross, whilst in use.
13. A safety belt arrangement according to any of the preceding Claims, wherein the inflatable element is contacted to inflate only when the 2point belt is buckled.
14. A safety belt arrangement according to Claim 13, wherein a sensor is located on the buckle, to sense when the 2-point belt is buckled.
1 S. A safety belt arrangement according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the inflatable element is of similar colour or appearance to the 2-point belt.
16. A safety belt arrangement substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.
17. Any novel feature or combination of features disclosed herein.