Patent Grant
8419127
The present invention generally relates to vehicle restraint systems, and more particularly relates to belt restraint systems used in vehicles and aircraft potentially exposed to collisions and other high accelerations events.
Crew seats used in certain military and emergency vehicles and aircraft are designed with the intent to prevent injury to the occupant from impulse loads associated with crashes and other unexpected high acceleration events. For example, so-called variable-displacement seats incorporate mechanisms to attenuate the lethal energy pulse levels that may result from an under-vehicle mine blast or an aircraft hard landing. In such ultra-high acceleration events it is crucial that the occupant stay positively restrained in the seat at all times to prevent rebound injuries. Accordingly, such seats typically utilize multi-point belt restraint systems, minimally including two lap belts and two shoulder belts that connect to a centrally located buckle or latch.
However, crew members utilizing military and emergency vehicles that incorporate such seats often wear various forms of emergency and tactical gear. Examples include fire resistant jackets, breathing equipment, and ballistic armor vests. Gear of this type can be quite bulky and restrictive to movement, in some cases interfering with a crew member's ability to perform necessary and routine tasks such as attaching a belt restraint system. In particular, the shoulder straps of a multi-point restraint system typically extend from behind the seat through a guide located at or near the top of the seat back. Once a crew member is seated, the shoulder straps can become trapped between the occupant's back and the seat, or in some cases can slip around the side of the seat and behind the seat back. In either situation, it can be difficult or impossible for a seated occupant wearing restrictive gear to reach and then don the shoulder belts without assistance from another crew member. In addition, the confined seating quarters typical of vehicles and aircraft that utilize crew seats with multi-point belt restraint systems make performing such tasks even more difficult.
Accordingly, a need exists for a belt restraint system suitable for use on a crew seat of a vehicle or aircraft exposed to high acceleration conditions that can accommodate the use of bulky and restrictive equipment worn by a crew member. A further need exists for such a belt restraint system that can be readily reached and attached by a seated crew member without assistance.
Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described below. Use of the term “exemplary” means illustrative or by way of example only, and any reference herein to “the invention” is not intended to restrict or limit the invention to exact features or steps of any one or more of the exemplary embodiments disclosed in the present specification. References to “exemplary embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “various embodiments,” and the like, may indicate that the embodiment(s) of the invention so described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Further, repeated use of the phrase “in one embodiment,” or “in an exemplary embodiment.” do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although they may.
It is also noted that terms like “preferably”, “commonly”, and “typically” are not utilized herein to limit the scope of the claimed invention or to imply that certain features are critical, essential, or even important to the structure or function of the claimed invention. Rather, these terms are merely intended to highlight alternative or additional features that may or may not be utilized in a particular embodiment of the present invention.
According to one exemplary embodiment, the present disclosure comprises a crew seat for use in vehicles and aircraft potentially exposed to high acceleration or sudden impact conditions. The crew seat comprises a seat back with a rigid frame, a belt restraint system including a shoulder belt attached to an anchor point behind the seat back, and a shoulder belt support extending from the seat back. The shoulder belt support comprises an elongated portion disposed between a fixed end attached to the seat back and a free end with a guide slot. The shoulder belt support is moveable between a raised orientation and a lowered orientation by varying tension in the shoulder belt.
According to another exemplary embodiment, the present disclosure provides a belt restraint system for use on a crew seat suitable for vehicles and aircraft. The belt restraint system includes a shoulder belt attached to an anchor point behind the crew seat, and a shoulder belt support extending from the crew seat. The shoulder belt support comprises a fixed end rigidly attached to the seat, a flexible elongated portion, and a free end with a guide slot. The shoulder belt support is bendable between a raised orientation and a lowered orientation by varying tension in the shoulder belt.
According to another exemplary embodiment, the present disclosure provides a support for a shoulder belt of a belt restraint system. The support comprises a fixed end adapted for attachment to a seat, an elongated portion extending from the fixed end of the support, and a free end with a belt guide slot for the shoulder belt to pass through the support. The support for a shoulder belt further comprises means for the support to move between raised and lowered orientations by varying tension on the shoulder belt.
Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.
The present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and wherein
The present invention is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings and/or photographs, in which one or more exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be operative, enabling, and complete. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention. Moreover, many embodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present invention.
Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Unless otherwise expressly defined herein, such terms are intended to be given their broad ordinary and customary meaning not inconsistent with that applicable in the relevant industry and without restriction to any specific embodiment hereinafter described. As used herein, the article “a” is intended to include one or more items. Where only one item is intended, the term “one”, “single”, or similar language is used. When used herein to join a list of items, the term “or” denotes at least one of the items, but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list.
For exemplary methods or processes of the invention, the sequence and/or arrangement of steps described herein are illustrative and not restrictive. Accordingly, it should be understood that, although steps of various processes or methods may be shown and described as being in a sequence or temporal arrangement, the steps of any such processes or methods are not limited to being carried out in any particular sequence or arrangement, absent an indication otherwise. Indeed, the steps in such processes or methods generally may be carried out in various different sequences and arrangements while still falling within the scope of the present invention.
Additionally, any references to advantages, benefits, unexpected results, or operability of the present invention are not intended as an affirmation that the invention has been previously reduced to practice or that any testing has been performed. Likewise, unless stated otherwise, use of verbs in the past tense (present perfect or preterit) is not intended to indicate or imply that the invention has been previously reduced to practice or that any testing has been performed.
Referring to
The belt restraint system shown in
As best seen in
The belt support of the present invention is designed to move between a raised orientation and a lowered orientation by varying tension in the shoulder belt. For example, the length and flexibility of the belt support 9 of the present embodiment is preferably selected such that it can be bent down until touching the top of an occupant's shoulders by the occupant pulling downward on the shoulder belt 6 with moderate tension, and then returned to its original orientation by simply releasing belt tension.
Also illustrated in
In the present invention, the ability of the belt support to easily move to a lowered orientation by pulling on the shoulder strap effectively lowers the guide or anchor point to the height of the fixed end of the belt support. As depicted in the exemplary embodiment of
As shown in
It should be noted that in contrast to the embodiment of
As previously explained, ensuring that the effective guide height of the shoulder belt is at or below shoulder level enables the shoulder belt to effectively constrain a seated occupant under high acceleration conditions. Accordingly the mounting bracket 23 and support roller 24 of the present embodiment are preferably located such that the roller 24 is below shoulder height of a typical seated occupant. In the exemplary embodiment of
Like the previously described embodiments, the hybrid belt support 35 of the present embodiment is biased toward a raised position in which the shoulder straps are held well above the seat back and easily accessible to a seated occupant. In the raised position the belt support 35 may be essentially vertical, and in line with the seat back as shown in
For the purposes of describing and defining the present invention it is noted that the use of relative terms, such as “substantially”, “generally”, “approximately”, and the like, are utilized herein to represent an inherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed to any quantitative comparison, value, measurement, or other representation. These terms are also utilized herein to represent the degree by which a quantitative representation may vary from a stated reference without resulting in a change in the basic function of the subject matter at issue.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described above. No element, act, or instruction used in this description should be construed as important, necessary, critical, or essential to the invention unless explicitly described as such. Although only a few of the exemplary embodiments have been described in detail herein, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in these exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. For example, although the present invention has been discussed primarily as it relates to military camouflage, it should be appreciated that the embodiments and characteristics disclosed herein are equally applicable to hunting or any other endeavor where concealment and stealth are important and desired. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2195334 | Lethern | Mar 1940 | A |
| 2394523 | Pancoe | Feb 1946 | A |
| 2403653 | Geohegan et al. | Jul 1946 | A |
| 3639000 | Keltner | Feb 1972 | A |
| 4652053 | Mikami | Mar 1987 | A |
| 5468053 | Thompson et al. | Nov 1995 | A |
| 5641198 | Steffens, Jr. | Jun 1997 | A |
| 5645316 | Aufrere et al. | Jul 1997 | A |
| 5697670 | Husted et al. | Dec 1997 | A |
| 5823619 | Heilig et al. | Oct 1998 | A |
| 5823627 | Viano et al. | Oct 1998 | A |
| 6045186 | Butt et al. | Apr 2000 | A |
| 6145881 | Miller et al. | Nov 2000 | A |
| 6250680 | Moker | Jun 2001 | B1 |
| 6276721 | Romeo | Aug 2001 | B1 |
| 6336664 | Roder | Jan 2002 | B1 |
| 6446910 | Knoll | Sep 2002 | B1 |
| 6666520 | Murphy | Dec 2003 | B2 |
| 6913314 | Hansen | Jul 2005 | B2 |
| 7011338 | Midorikawa | Mar 2006 | B2 |
| 7614124 | Keene | Nov 2009 | B2 |
| 7618097 | Ghatge | Nov 2009 | B2 |
| 7722081 | Van Druff | May 2010 | B2 |
| 7735934 | Fuhrken | Jun 2010 | B2 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61284043 | Dec 2009 | US |
