The present invention relates generally to vehicle occupant restraints, in particular to a mounting system for a seat-mounted emergency locking retractor.
Vehicle occupant restraints, including seat belt devices, are important and well-known components of vehicle safety systems. If a vehicle experiences a severe impact a properly belted-in occupant is generally held in place by the seat belt's webbing, thereby avoiding many serious, if not fatal, physical collisions with the vehicle interior and/or being ejected from the vehicle. Since their introduction seat belts have saved countless lives and reduced the severity of injury in countless more.
Current seat-mounted occupant restraint systems often locate the seat belt emergency locking retractor on the frame of the seat cushion and route the seat belt webbing upwardly along a rear portion of the seat back. However, locating the retractor in this manner may expose it to contact with rear seat passengers or objects stored behind the seat, increasing the potential for damage to the retractor either during normal use or in the event of a collision. Furthermore, the orientation of the retractor is often critical to its proper operation. Accordingly, it must be securely anchored such that its orientation is maintained both during normal use and in the event of a collision. There is a need for a way to protect the seat belt retractor from damage due to contact with passengers or objects behind the seat. There is a further need to maintain the orientation of the retractor to better ensure its proper operation.
An embodiment of the present invention is a seat belt emergency locking retractor mounting system. The system comprises a bracket and a plate that cooperate with seat cushion frame components of a vehicle seat to form an enclosed mounting environment for the retractor. The bracket and plate form three sidewalls of the enclosure, with a side member of the cushion frame forming a fourth sidewall. The retractor is mounted within the enclosure and is attached to the bracket. The components of an aspect of the disclosed invention are located generally below the reclining apparatus of the seat's seatback in order to allow for adjustment of the seatback. An embodiment of the present invention ensures that the orientation of the retractor is maintained under various operating conditions and that the retractor is securely anchored in all directions. An embodiment of the present invention additionally protects the retractor from contact with passengers and objects located behind the seat.
One aspect of the present invention is a seat belt retractor mounting system for a vehicle seat. The system includes a bracket having a first sidewall and a second sidewall. A generally planar plate is located generally parallel to and spaced apart from the first sidewall of the bracket. The plate is coupled to the second sidewall. In addition, at least one of the bracket and plate are secured to, and cooperate with, a seat cushion frame of the seat to surround and protect an emergency locking retractor mounted to the first sidewall.
Another aspect of the present invention is a method for mounting a seat belt retractor to a vehicle seat. The method comprises the steps of providing a bracket having a first sidewall and a second sidewall, and coupling a generally planar plate to the bracket such that the plate is generally parallel to and spaced apart from the first sidewall of the bracket. Additional steps include securing at least one of the bracket and plate to a seat cushion frame of the seat, and mounting an emergency locking retractor mounted to the first sidewall such that the retractor is generally surrounded by the bracket, plate and frame.
Further features of the inventive embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the embodiments relate from reading the specification and claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The general arrangement of a seat belt retractor mounting system 10 is shown in
With reference to
With reference to
Plate 18 may be formed as a unitary piece from any suitable material compatible with other components of seat belt retractor mounting system 10 and the expected environment including, without limitation, metals such as steel, plastic, and composites, and may be fabricated using any conventional processes such as, without limitation, molding, stamping, casting and machining. Plate 18 may also be finished by such processes as painting, plating and coating, or left unfinished.
With reference now to
With reference to
In operation, retractor 44 is maintained in a predetermined orientation for proper operation of the emergency locking mechanism of the retractor in the event of a sudden deceleration, while allowing web 62 to move slidably in and out of the retractor during normal operation. The rigid, boxlike construction of the sidewalls formed by bracket 16, plate 18 and frame side member 32 protect retractor 50 from contact with passengers and objects located behind the seat. Retractor mounting system 10 is rigidly secured to cross member 48, support braces 34 and frame side member 32, is accordingly securely anchored in all directions, and resists undesirable changes in the position or orientation of retractor 50 in the event of a vehicle collision. Furthermore, as can be seen in
It should be noted that the sizes and shapes of the components of retractor mounting system 10 are not critical and may be varied to accommodate the needs of a particular seat frame 12 and emergency locking retractor 50. For example, cutouts and openings may be installed in the bracket and/or plate to accommodate the various components of seat 14. Likewise, stiffening elements such as ribs 68 (
In some embodiments of the present invention seat cushion frame 12 may optionally include a reinforcing brace 70 coupled to the frame, as shown in
Brace 70 may be formed as a unitary piece from any suitable material compatible with other components of seat belt retractor mounting system 10 and the expected environment including, without limitation, metals such as steel, plastic, and composites, and may be fabricated using any conventional processes such as, without limitation, molding, stamping, casting and machining. Brace 70 may also be finished by such processes as painting, plating and coating, or left unfinished.
It should be noted that the figures variously depict embodiments of the present invention installed into seat frames 12 configured for installation into left and right sides of the vehicle interior. The disclosed embodiments of the present invention are generally located at the outboard edge of the seat frame. However, it is understood that the present invention may be likewise located at other positions along seat frame 12, such as at an inboard edge, if dictated by the configuration of a particular safety restraint system.
While this invention has been shown and described with respect to a detailed embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes in form and detail thereof may be made without departing from the scope of the claims of the invention. For example, the various features of the components of retractor mounting system 10, seat 14 and retractor 44 may be keyed, indexed or rendered in separate mirror-image components for use in one of left- and right-hand seats in a vehicle. Alternatively, such left- and right-hand features may be incorporated into reconfigurable components having features compatible with installation of mounting system 10 into both left- and right-hand seats.
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