WO2010070654A1

WO2010070654A1 - Device to enhance passengers' safety in vehicular accidents

Info

Publication number: WO2010070654A1
Application number: PCT/IN2009/000081
Authority: WO
Inventors: Chandran Baloo
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-12-15
Filing date: 2009-02-05
Publication date: 2010-06-24
Anticipated expiration: 2011-06-15

Abstract

A device to enhance passengers' safety in vehicular accidents, unlocking the locked seatbelts from the outside of the vehicle rescuing occupants from their locked seat belt buckles. All the seat belt buckling units (4) have connectors (18) attached to its unlocking mechanism, such that when the connectors are pulled, the mechanism shifts from its locked position to it unlocked position releasing the locked seat belt buckle tongue (3). All the connectors are locked into a single assembly unit (10) placed inside a reinforced casing (13) such that only a shaft (11) from the assembly unit protrudes out of the casing. The reinforced casing with the shaft is placed along an oval opening (15) along the body of the vehicle (14) with a handle (16) fixed from the outside of the vehicle to the shaft. On pulling the handle, all the connectors move the mechanism in the buckling units from its locked position to its unlocked position releasing the passengers from their respective locked seat belt. The device does not restrict the passengers from unlocking the seat belt on their own in normal condition or even after an accident.

Description

DEVICE TO ENHANCE PASSENGERS' SAFETY

IN VEHICULAR ACCIDENTS S Field of Invention

A device to enhance passengers' safety in vehicular accidents, unlocking the locked seatbelts from the outside of the vehicle rescuing )C occupants from their locked seat belt buckles.

Background •©£ the Invention

The exemplary embodiment of the present invention

^ relates to the rescue of the passengers who are unable to unlock the seat belt from the seat belt buckling unit on their own after an accident. The main purpose of this invention is to enable easy unbuckling of all the seat belts in one go and to

^o 9^et passengers out of a wrecked vehicle.

The reasons for the passengers' inability to unbuckle the seat belt on their own after an accident, is usually based on the size and r2S condition of the motor vehicle, physique and state of the passenger both mental and physical. In the prior art the seat belt buckling unit is placed below the far end of the passenger seat away from their door and close to or below the arm rest (if

30 present), anchored to their seat below or to the floor of the motor vehicle placed along the conveniences provided for storage space, cup / can / bottle holder, etc., and in the gear arm area. In most cases, after an accident, all these could

35 change positions and get damaged restricting easy access to the buckling unit and to unbuckle the seat belt. The inability to rescue the passenger after an accident due to a locked seat belt, even by a rescue team is difficult, as access to the

-40 seat belt buckling unit is not within arm' s reach, as reasoned above, in addition to other obstructions such as, if the vehicle being underwater or smoke or inflated airbags, if present and active.

S The present invention enables the rescue team to unlock all the seat belts from outside the motor vehicle with ease and rescue the passengers. Since it is commonplace for panic to set in during crises like an accident, the use and utility of

IO such a device is extraordinarily vital for the saving of lives.

The seat belt buckling unit is attached by a connector (a cable, wire, or any similar tool is

¹^ referred as connector in this invention) , in such a manner that when pulled it unlocks the seat belt tongue from the buckling unit, thus releasing the passengers from their seats. The connector from the seat belt buckling unit is connected to a

S-O handle. On pulling the handle, the seat belt buckling unit unlocks the locked seat belt. The handle is fixed to the exterior body of the motor vehicle and is easily accessible to rescue teams.

<?S Summary of the Invention

The present invention represents an opportunity to create a unique feature that ensures total safety for passengers and rescue teams to handle adverse 3>o situations immediately after a motor vehicle accident. The wearing of the seat belt is seen as the most important safety feature while driving or when seated in a motor vehicle

35^" But, as has been seen worldwide in post-accident situations, a passenger's fate mainly depends on the state of the buckled seat belt. If the passenger is unable to unlock the seat belt's buckle from the buckling unit and get out of the

4® motor vehicle to safety, the occupants are totally dependent on outside help for rescue. Easy access to the buckling unit for the rescue team is based on the size and condition of the motor vehicle, physique and state of the passenger both mental and physical after an accident. In

5^* addition, the placement of the buckling unit that is at. the far end from the door and below the arm rest (if present) of the passenger seat. The purpose of this invention is to enable easy unbuckling of all the seat belts in one go and to

O get passengers out of a wrecked vehicle.

All the safety seat belts and their buckling units are required to meet reliability standards to operate under any and all conditions. In the

15^" prior art, , the three point seat belt is anchored along the shaft of the body of the motor vehicle. It then traverses across the shoulder-chest area of the passenger to lock its sliding buckle tongue to the buckling unit anchored across the far end

2-O of passenger seat from the door. From this point it traverses to get anchored closer to the door area, across the other end of the seat supporting the hip/lap area of the passenger.

•

£5 The invention enables easy unbuckling of the seat belts. The seat buckling unit is attached to a connector. The buckling unit has one or more points in its mechanism that when pulled towards the rear by the connector unbuckles the seat belt

3>Ό tongue from its locked position.

The connector is insulated by a fixed sleeve that enables its easy movement of the connector in its forward and backward direction. The sleeve 35^" traverses along the interior of the motor vehicle to end in a reinforced casing along the body of the vehicle. An assembled unit with grooves locks the connectors in place. The larger head of the connector .is locked into the assembled unit. Based on the size and seating capacity of the " motor vehicle, one or more such connectors can be locked into the assembled unit. The assembled unit is placed inside the reinforced casing so that no damage is caused to the assembled unit during an accident. A shaft is provided to the t^β assembled unit, which extends through a hole provided in the reinforced casing and along the body of the motor vehicle.

A spring larger than the shaft' s circumference and 15^" the hole is inserted between the assembled unit and the hole provided in the reinforced casing and along the body of the motor vehicle. The shaft with the assembled unit when pulled towards the outer body exerts a pressure on the spring cZO compressing it from its standby position. The locked connectors housed in the assembled unit exert the required shift on the unlocking mechanism inside the buckling unit, unlocking the locked seat belt tongue from its locked position.

The reinforced casing with the assembled unit with the connectors locked has the shaft towards the outside of the body of the vehicle. The entire seat belt buckling units connected with connectors

3,0 are housed" in the assembled unit. The casing is reinforced in such a manner so that it does not suffer, any damage even after an accident. More than one such reinforced casing can be placed around the vehicle' s body based on its size and

35^~ seating capacity.

The shaft from the reinforced casing is now connected with a handle accessible from the exterior of the motor vehicle placed inside an

-^p oval opening. Thus, when pulled with a certain force and distance, the handle unlocks the locked tongue of the sliding buckle from its locked position. Any alternate design of the handle and assembled unit can be done, such that the handle c^ when pulled unlocks the seat belt buckle from its locked position to an unlocked position.

One or more such handle can be placed around the body of the motor vehicle based on its size and \O seating capacity. The unlocking of the seat belts in a motor vehicle from the exterior can either be a human force, mechanical, electrical or electronic force exerted on the handle or similar tool .

IS

To retain the mechanism inside the buckles in its unlocked position, the handle can be locked by pulling and turning, clockwise or counter^¬ clockwise, to a 90 degree position. The locking

UO is done across the shortest distance of the oval opening. By pulling the handle, the entire seat belt buckling unit gets unlocked and to eliminate any chances of the tongue getting locked again into the buckling unit, the handle is locked such

<2i> that the mechanism of locking is maintained in an unlocked position.

The handle is such a device which can be set back into its original state by a simple twist and 30 turn, so that the device' s safety features are ready for use once again.

By unlocking the handle, the compressed spring comes to its standby position. The assembled unit

35^" with the connectors now releases the mechanisms in the buckling unit to their standby positions, enabling locking of the seat belt buckle tongue once again. This process of unlocking the seat belt from the buckling unit and resetting the

4& units back, to its original position to lock the seat belts, again does not require the use of any- trained personnel.

The invention does not restrict the passengers 5^" from unlocking the seat belt on their own in normal condition or even after an accident.

A warning and simple instructions on the unit are displayed prominently along the oval opening. '^ Instructions on the handle' s use are put on the interior of the open flap door and across the outer circumference of the oval opening along the body of the motor vehicle.

15^"

The oval flap door is designed in such a manner that no lock or key is required. A groove is provided for easy opening and instant access to the handle/ A link is provided to indicate on the <2.σ driver's panel that the flap door is opened. The warning about the flap door being opened can be visual and/or aural.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig 1 is a drawing of a safety seat belt system comprising of a seat belt, a sliding buckle, a buckling unit.' 0 Fig 2 is a drawing of the seat belt buckling unit showing the internal mechanism and moving parts.

Fig 3 is a drawing of the unlocking devices in a buckling unit. S

Fig 4 is a drawing of the connector with a protective sleeve attached to the buckling unit.

Fig 5 is a drawing of the assembly unit. Fig 6 (a) & (b) are drawings of the reinforced casing with a protruding shaft and connectors attached.

Fig 6 (c) is a drawing of the reinforced casing ET attached to the body of the vehicle from the inside and a handle fixed from the outside.

Fig 7 (a) & (b) are drawings of the handle accessible from the outside of the vehicle in its standbyO position and locked position with warning notes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DEVICE AS IN DRAWINGS

Fig 1 - The prior art of a safety seat belt *^■-^> comprising of a seat belt 1, a sliding buckle 2 with a tongue 3 for locking, a buckling unit 4 with a seat belt ejector / release button 5 and a slot 6 to insert the tongue to lock the seat belt with the locking unit. o

The sliding buckle 2 with a tongue 3 gets locked when inserted into the slot 6 provided in the seat belt buckling unit 4. The ejector / release button 5 moves from its standby position to a pressed

£5 rearward position when locking the tongue in place and returns to its standby position after locking the tongue 3, thus locking the seat belt 1 to secure the passenger using it. The ejector or release button 5 when pressed by the passenger, on

30 the seat belt buckling unit 4, unlocks the seat belt from its locked position by a rearward movement unlocking the tongue 3 hence releasing the buckle of the seat belt from its locked position to its unlocked position.

Fig 2 - Is the internal mechanical view of the prior art of a seat belt buckling unit 4. The locking and unlocking mechanism like the ejector or release button 5, the cantilever 7 and the ^O locking device 8 with the spring, when pulled in a rear direction, changes its position from its locked position to an unlocked position, there by releasing the locked seat belt from the seat belt buckling unit.

Fig 3 - The connector 18 - either in the form of a cable or wire or any tool - is connected with the ejector or release button 5 at the rear, or to the cantilever 7, or to the locking device 8 lO attached with the spring 8.1. When the connector is pulled in ^■ the rear direction, it exerts a force on the mechanism connected, changing the position of the mechanism from its locked position to its unlocked position thus

\5 releasing the locked seat belt buckling from its locked position to its unlocked position.

Fig 4 - Illustrates the connector 18 connected to the seat belt buckling unit 4. The sleeve 9 °_. fixed to the anchor 17 of the seat belt buckling unit 4. A cross section view of the sleeve 9 shows the connector 18 inside.

Fig 4 (a) and (b) - Illustrates the connector 18 S with its sleeve 9 around it. The sleeve insulates the connector 18 from damage and provides easy movement of it in both the direction when pulled and released.

• O Fig 5 - Illustrates the assembled unit 10, locking the other end of the connector 18 with its larger head 19, such that it is locked in the grove provided. The shaft 11 from the centre of the assembled unit is inserted around a 5 spring 12 larger in size than of the shaft.

Fig 6 (b) - Illustrates the reinforced casing 13 housing the connector. One or more connectors from the seat belt buckling unit 4 e.g. A,B, C,D /J0 & E are inserted into the assembled unit 10 and locked. The shaft 11 and spring 12 are placed inside the reinforced casing 13 as in Fig 6 (a) such that the shaft protrudes out of the reinforced casing into the exterior of the body of the motor vehicle 14 having an opening and an oval -5^" flip door 15. Only on opening the flip door, access to the vertically long handle 16 attached to the shaft 11 is possible.

Fig 7 - Illustrates the flap door 15 on the

\0 exterior body of the motor vehicle. On opening the same the vertical handle 16 is seen as in Fig

7 (a) . On pulling the handle the entire seat belt buckling unit attached with the connector 18 to the handle, now unlocks the seat belt from its

\5 locked position to its unlocked position. On twisting the handle by 90 degrees, the handle can be locked across the shortest distance on the oval opening as in Fig 7 (b) . Instructions on using the same are put on the interior of the open flap c?-C? door and across the outer circumference of the oval opening along the body of the motor vehicle

Claims

I claim

1. A device to enhance passengers' safety in vehicular accidents, unlocking the locked

5 seatbelts . from the outside of the vehicle rescuing occupants from their locked seat belt buckles, the device comprising

of a connector attached to an unlocking mechanism iO inside the seat belt buckling unit that shifts from its locked position to its unlocked position when the connector is pulled, with one or more such connectors, each protected by an outer sleeve from each buckling unit, traverses across

1-^ the interior of the vehicle to an assembly unit with a spring around the shaft, housed in a reinforced casing placed along the body of the vehicle, protecting it from damage during an accident, with only the shaft protruding to the

2-O outside of the vehicle, fixed with a handle from the outside, easily accessible to be pulled and locked, enabling the connectors to shift the locking mechanism inside the buckling unit from its locked position to its unlocked position _cl5^~ releasing the locked seat belt buckles.

2. The device as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the connector is attached to the unlocking mechanism inside the buckling unit either to the ejector or

30 release button, the cantilever or to the locking & unlocking device with the spring.

3. The device as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the -^ connector attached to the unlocking mechanism inside the buckling unit is of material and shape, rod or webbed, of strength to withstand a pressure when exerted to unlock the locked seat belt buckle from the buckling unit.

4. The device as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the connector is protected / insulated by a sleeve for easy and free movement in its forward and backward direction, is fixed to the rear of the

J=T seat belt buckling unit that is anchored at the side bottom of the seat or to the body of the motor vehicle.

5. The device as claimed from Claim 1 to Claim 4 to where in one or more seat belt buckling units in the vehicle with the connectors and protective sleeves traverses from each buckling unit to lock the connectors in an assembly unit with a shaft placed inside a reinforced casing protecting the 15^" assembly unit from damage during an accident.

6. The device as claimed in Claim 5 wherein the shaft of the assembly unit has a spring around it and the ' shaft alone protrudes out of the

2JO reinforced unit through the hole provided such that the reinforced casing is placed along the inside body of the vehicle to let the shaft out of the body of the vehicle to be fixed with a handle from the outside of the vehicle, easily

3S accessible and on pulling the handle the force exerted on the assembly unit pulls the connectors to shift the mechanism inside the buckling units from its locked position to its unlocked position

3D

7. The device as claimed in Claim 6 is also such that the connectors attached to the exterior handle directly and when a pressure exerted humanly, mechanically, electrically or electronically on the handle or any tool, shifts ^ the unlocking mechanism from its locked position to its unlocked position to release the locked seat belt buckles in the buckling units

8. The device as claimed in Claim 6 wherein the pressure exerted by the connector on the unlocking mechanism can be of manual or electrical or via an electronic pulse, to unlock ^" the locked seat belt buckle tongue from the buckling unit

9. The device as claimed in Claim 1 is also such that based on the size and capacity of the vehicle more such handles can be placed along the body of the vehicle.

10. The device to enhance the safety of passengers' in vehicular accidents substantially

LfT is as herein described and illustrated in the figures of the accompanying drawings.