GB1572630A

GB1572630A - Threepoint safety belt with double shoulder strap

Info

Publication number: GB1572630A
Application number: GB3493977A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Klippan GmbH Hamburg
Current assignee: Klippan GmbH Hamburg
Priority date: 1976-08-20
Filing date: 1977-08-19
Publication date: 1980-07-30
Also published as: ES238926Y; ES238926U; FR2361918A1; NL7709139A; DE2637474A1; IT1116933B; BE857972A; SE7709239L; FR2361918B1

Description

(54) THREE-POINT SAFETY BELT WITH DOUBLE SHOULDER STRAP (71) We, KLIPPAN G.M.B.H., a com- pany organised and existing under the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany, of Kohfurt 15, 2000 Norderstedt 2, Federal Republic of Germany, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The invention relates to a three-point safety belt, particularly, but not exclusively, for rear seats in vehicles, with a double shoulder strap and a pelvis strap which together constitute a continuous belt strap forming a sling, the strap movably passing through a belt guide and anchoring member at both sides.

Although the three-point safety belt according to the invention is in fact preferably intended for rear seats of vehicles, it can be used just as well to increase the safety of passengers in front seats.

According to the present invention there is provided a three-point safety belt for a vehicle seat, comprising two shoulder strap portions and a pelvis strap portion which are formed by a single belt, the pelvis strap portion extending through belt guide members and comprising two belt parts which can be connected together in a releasable manner by a buckle provided on one of said belt parts and a clasp provided on the other of said belt parts, both the buckle and the clasp being larger than the opening in the belt guide members through which the belt extends, and a belt reeling device to which the belt is connected, said device when the belt parts are disconnected reeling in the belt to bring the buckle and clasp adjacent respective guide members.

A basic feature is that the belt passes at the side of the passenger's pelvis through a belt guide member which, in the event of a non-uniform load force, enables the pelvis strap portion to be extended at the expense of one or both shoulder straps and vice versa, since the boundary between pelvis strap and shoulder strap, which is formed by the belt guide member, can be adjusted accordingly.

The two pelvis strap parts are connected together by engaging the buckle in the clasp in front of the passenger's stomach. The disadvantage experienced with the known "braces" type of belts, namely the risk of abdominal injury to a strapped-in passenger in the event of an accident, does not occur according to the invention because the belt guide members always ensure an equalization of the forces between the pelvis strap portion and the actual shoulder strap portions.

The releasable connection of the two pelvis strap parts by means of the belt locking arrangement that is closed roughly in the middle over the passenger's hip bend avoids advantageously a complicated procedure for putting on the safety belt with a double shoulder strap, since the head no longer has to be put through the sling, and it is merely sufficient that the passenger, after having sat down in the seat provided with the three-point safety belt according to the invention, slips both shoulder straps over his shoulders and fastens the pelvis strap parts. A three-point safety belt with these features is thus provided for the first time, which ensures simple fastening and unfastening and accordingly there is no longer any risk that passengers could feel a certain aversion to the safety belt according to the invention, which is undoubtedly more reliable than the known safety belts.

In an advantageous further embodiment of the invention, tlie belt guide members are secured to lateral vehicle anchoring points by means of short retaining straps in such a way that the pelvis strap portion of the belt rests against the contact edge be tween the seat and seat back. In order to prevent the user from sliding forward relative to the belt in the case of rapid retarda- tion of the vehicle, the pelvis strap portion of the safety belt should always be arranged as low as possible over the pelvis ,( to the thigh.

In another alternative arrangement of the invention the belt guide members are secured directly to lateral anchoring points.

These anchoring points may be located either on the seat or on the bodywork of the vehicle. At the present time several automobile manufacturers make seats which contain the lower anchoring points for safety belts. This arrangement without any flexible connection between the vehicle anchoring point and the belt guide members provides good fitting and installation conditions and a very good belt movement without excess slack at the front of the passenger seat, and accordingly adults too can enjoy using this very reliable safety belt.

In the event of an accident the whole tractive force is no longer exerted by the belt guide members on the retaining strap, which consequently stretches. Instead, in this embodiment without the retaining straps the stress now acts at the two belt ends, namely in the pelvis strap portion and the shoulder strap portion. The stretching effect in each of these two strap portions is thereby also advantageously reduced.

A further advantageous aspect of the embodiment, in which the flexible section between the belt guide member and the anchoring point is omitted, lies in the very efficient and economical manufacture of the three-point belt.

It is also advantageous according to the invention if the belt guide members are designed as shock absorber fittings, since in this way the forces acting on the vehicle anchoring points can be restricted.

It is also convenient if the belt is integrated in a safety seat so that the two belt ends passing vertically over the shoulders run together behind the passenger's neck at a turn point in order to run on from there in another direction to the belt reeling device, which may for example be in the form of a so-called automatic locking reeling device. For this embodiment the invention therefor provides that the belt reeling device is incorporated in the back of the seat and a turn point for the shoulder straps, preferably in the form of a mounted roller, is arranged at the top of the seat back.

The three-point safety belt according to the invention provides a belt which after unfastening always remains ready on the seat for the next use, since excess slack in the belt is taken up by the belt reeling device. No adjustment is needed when fastening the belt, such as is necessary with the conventional existing three-point safety belts provided with automatic belt reeling devices and in which the buckle has to be adjusted on the belt, because the buckle in the fastened state is not in the same posi alas as in the unfastened state. No special preparation is therefore required to pick up the stowing hook, and no loops remain after unfastening.

Some embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front view of a three-point safety belt according to the present inven tion, with the seat cushion and back par tially cut-away, Figure 2 shows the safety belt of Figure 1 in the unused, i.e, unfastened condition, the belt lying flat against the seat back, Figure 3 shows another embodiment of the three-point safety belt similar to Figure 1, in which however the textile retaining strap between the belt guide and the guide anchoring point is omitted, and Figure 4 is a side and partially cut-away view of a front seat in which the belt reel device is incorporated in the seat back.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 the rear anchoring point is provided with a belt reeling device 4 formed as a so called automatic reeling device, i.e. one which "locks" in the event of an acci dent. No limitation of the invention is intended by describing all the embodiments in conjunction with these 'automatic' reel ing devices.

In Figure 1 the three-point safety belt is shown in conjunction with a rear seat of a vehicle. The safety belt consists of two shoulder strap portions 1 and 2 that diverge from the middle and extend from the reel ing device 4, and a pelvis strap portion 3, which together form a single, continuous belt strap sling. As shown in Figures 1 to 3 the sling has a triangular shape, the apex point being formed by the automatic belt reeling device 4, and the bottom left and right points being formed by belt guide members 5, 5'. The pelvis strap portion consists of two parts 3 and 3' that can be releasably joined together by means of a buckle 6 and clasp 11. In this connection, it is immaterial whether the buckle 6 is on the left pelvis strap part 3 or on the right part 3' (and correspondingly the clasp 11 on the part 3' or 3);. In order that the opera tion of the belt is not hampered, i.e. that the ends of the pelvis strap parts 3 and 3' are not drawn through the belt guide mem bers 5 or 5' on account of the winding force exerted by the belt reeling device, the dimensions of both the buckle 6 and the clasp 11 are larger than the opening in the respective belt guide member 5 or 5'.

The part of the belt forming the pelvis strap portion 3, 3' runs approximately along the contact line between the seat cushion 7 and the seat back 8, since in particular the belt guide members 5,5' are secured to the vehicle side anchoring points 10,10' by means of short textile retaining straps 9,9', or by wire cable. It can be seen from Figure 1 that the pelvis strap portion 3,3' passes along the contact line between the seat cushion 7, and the seat back 8, the drawing being shown cut away at the righthand side and left-hand side below the seat and in front of the belt guide members 5, 5'. The upper edge of the front of the seat cushion 7 is in fact higher than the said contact line when looking at the rear seat from the front.

Whereas in Figure 1 the belt is drawn so far from the belt reeling device 4 that the buckle 6 is only a short distance from the clasp 11 and only a short path is required to fasten the two parts together, the view of Figure 2 shows the three-point safety belt in the unworn condition, i.e. one that has not been put on, in which as a result of the tractive force of the belt winding device 4 the clasp 11 and buckle 6 are fully retracted as far as the belt guide members 5' and 5.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 3 the pelvis strap portion 3,3' is fastened, although no person is wearing the belt.

Figure 3 also shows an embodiment in which the belt guide members 5,5' are secured directly to the vehicle side anchoring points 10, 10'. Figure 4 also illustrates this embodiment with direct securement and without the textile retaining straps 9,9' shown in Figures 1 and 2. Figure 4 shows a passenger seat in which the belt guide member 5' is directly connected at the bottom to the anchoring point 10", the shoulder strap portion 2 and pelvis strap portion 3' passing through said belt guide member 5. A mounted roller 22 acting as a turn point is shown at the top of the seat behind the driver's neck, over which the shoulder strap portions 1 and 2 run together, and thence downwardly in another direction into the belt reeling device 4 incorporated in the seat back 8.

The anchoring point 10" can also be designed so that it is connected to the belt guide members 5,5', by a textile retaining strap as in Figures 1 and 2. An oblong hole can be provided in the rear extended part of the anchoring means 10", by means of which the securing bolt for said anchoring means 10" can be driven into the seat or vehicle chassis. In this way a type of shock absorber-safety coupling or clutch is formed, since the bolt can be drawn through the slit in the direction of the tractive force under a strong load or stress in the event of an accident.

In the Figures the shoulder strap portions 1,2 are in fact in each case inserted from above into the belt guide members 5,5' in such a way that the pelvis strap portion 3,3' in the= relevant views lies behind the belt guide members 5,5' and the respective shoulder strap portion. It should however be pointed out that the reverse arrangement is also possible and may be advantageous, in which the pelvis strap portion 3, 3' is introduced from above or from the front into the belt path fitting 5, 5', in the manner opposite to that illustrated, and the shoulder strap is in each case passed behind and upwards to the reeling device 4.

Finally, reference may be made to a further advantage of the belt guide members in the new three-point safety belt: as is known, a winding spring is arranged in the belt reeling device 4, which is intended to draw the belt tight against the passenger's body. By virtue of the embodiment according to the invention, not only is the pelvis strap drawn tightly against the passenger's body via the appropriate belt guide members in the vicinity of the passenger's hip, but also a more powerful restoring spring can be incorporated in the reeling device than was hitherto the case in known threepoint safety belts, since the tractive force is divided between the two shoulder strap portions 1 and 2 and draws the latter tightly against the body of a passenger wearing a fastened seat belt.

This drawing effect of the pelvis strap portion on the bodies of the passengers wearing fastened seat belts also works favourably with the newly developed seats, which have a positive seat inclination, i.e.

a forwardly pointing wedge arrangement in the vehicle, so that in the event of an accident a certain proportion of the energy is already transmitted to the seat to 'relieve' the pelvis strap. A passenger held securely by his hips will thus better adopt the desired position in the event of an accident. The passenger wearing a fastened safety belt according to the invention is thus in part pressed into the forwardly inclined, wedgeshaped seat area in an accident, and on the other hand the upper part of the body moves forwards so that the head exerts a tractive effect on the spine.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A three-point safety belt for a vehicle seat, comprising two shoulder strap portions and a pelvis strap portion which are formed by a single belt, the pelvis strap portion extending through belt guide members and comprising two belt parts which can be connected together in a releasable manner by a buckle provided on one of said belt parts and a clasp provided on the other of said belt parts, both the buckle and the

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. The part of the belt forming the pelvis strap portion 3, 3' runs approximately along the contact line between the seat cushion 7 and the seat back 8, since in particular the belt guide members 5,5' are secured to the vehicle side anchoring points 10,10' by means of short textile retaining straps 9,9', or by wire cable. It can be seen from Figure 1 that the pelvis strap portion 3,3' passes along the contact line between the seat cushion 7, and the seat back 8, the drawing being shown cut away at the righthand side and left-hand side below the seat and in front of the belt guide members 5, 5'. The upper edge of the front of the seat cushion 7 is in fact higher than the said contact line when looking at the rear seat from the front. Whereas in Figure 1 the belt is drawn so far from the belt reeling device 4 that the buckle 6 is only a short distance from the clasp 11 and only a short path is required to fasten the two parts together, the view of Figure 2 shows the three-point safety belt in the unworn condition, i.e. one that has not been put on, in which as a result of the tractive force of the belt winding device 4 the clasp 11 and buckle 6 are fully retracted as far as the belt guide members 5' and 5. In the embodiment shown in Figure 3 the pelvis strap portion 3,3' is fastened, although no person is wearing the belt. Figure 3 also shows an embodiment in which the belt guide members 5,5' are secured directly to the vehicle side anchoring points 10, 10'. Figure 4 also illustrates this embodiment with direct securement and without the textile retaining straps 9,9' shown in Figures 1 and 2. Figure 4 shows a passenger seat in which the belt guide member 5' is directly connected at the bottom to the anchoring point 10", the shoulder strap portion 2 and pelvis strap portion 3' passing through said belt guide member 5. A mounted roller 22 acting as a turn point is shown at the top of the seat behind the driver's neck, over which the shoulder strap portions 1 and 2 run together, and thence downwardly in another direction into the belt reeling device 4 incorporated in the seat back 8. The anchoring point 10" can also be designed so that it is connected to the belt guide members 5,5', by a textile retaining strap as in Figures 1 and 2. An oblong hole can be provided in the rear extended part of the anchoring means 10", by means of which the securing bolt for said anchoring means 10" can be driven into the seat or vehicle chassis. In this way a type of shock absorber-safety coupling or clutch is formed, since the bolt can be drawn through the slit in the direction of the tractive force under a strong load or stress in the event of an accident. In the Figures the shoulder strap portions 1,2 are in fact in each case inserted from above into the belt guide members 5,5' in such a way that the pelvis strap portion 3,3' in the= relevant views lies behind the belt guide members 5,5' and the respective shoulder strap portion. It should however be pointed out that the reverse arrangement is also possible and may be advantageous, in which the pelvis strap portion 3, 3' is introduced from above or from the front into the belt path fitting 5, 5', in the manner opposite to that illustrated, and the shoulder strap is in each case passed behind and upwards to the reeling device 4. Finally, reference may be made to a further advantage of the belt guide members in the new three-point safety belt: as is known, a winding spring is arranged in the belt reeling device 4, which is intended to draw the belt tight against the passenger's body. By virtue of the embodiment according to the invention, not only is the pelvis strap drawn tightly against the passenger's body via the appropriate belt guide members in the vicinity of the passenger's hip, but also a more powerful restoring spring can be incorporated in the reeling device than was hitherto the case in known threepoint safety belts, since the tractive force is divided between the two shoulder strap portions 1 and 2 and draws the latter tightly against the body of a passenger wearing a fastened seat belt. This drawing effect of the pelvis strap portion on the bodies of the passengers wearing fastened seat belts also works favourably with the newly developed seats, which have a positive seat inclination, i.e. a forwardly pointing wedge arrangement in the vehicle, so that in the event of an accident a certain proportion of the energy is already transmitted to the seat to 'relieve' the pelvis strap. A passenger held securely by his hips will thus better adopt the desired position in the event of an accident. The passenger wearing a fastened safety belt according to the invention is thus in part pressed into the forwardly inclined, wedgeshaped seat area in an accident, and on the other hand the upper part of the body moves forwards so that the head exerts a tractive effect on the spine. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A three-point safety belt for a vehicle seat, comprising two shoulder strap portions and a pelvis strap portion which are formed by a single belt, the pelvis strap portion extending through belt guide members and comprising two belt parts which can be connected together in a releasable manner by a buckle provided on one of said belt parts and a clasp provided on the other of said belt parts, both the buckle and the

clasp being larger than the opening in the belt guide members through which the belt extends, and a belt reeling device to which the belt is connected, said device when the belt parts are disconnected reeling in the belt to bring the buckle and clasp adjacent respective guide members.

2. A safety belt as claimed in claim 1, in which each belt guide member is connected by retaining means to anchoring members such that when fitted to a vehicle seat the pelvis strap portion of the belt lies along the edge of contact between the seat cushion and the seat back.

3. A safety belt as claimed in claim 1, in which each belt guide member is secured directly to an anchoring member.

4. A safety belt as claimed in claim 3, in which each belt guide anchoring member is formed as a shock absorbing member.

5. A safety belt as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the reeling device is incorporated in the seat back of a seat and a roller is provided on the seat back for guiding the belt to the reeling device.

6. A three-point safety belt for a vehicle seat, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 or Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.