Patent Application
20180272988
The embodiments described herein are related to the field of seat belts assemblies for a motor vehicle.
In the past, seat belt shoulder anchors were bolted to a collar that was in turn welded to a bracket that was then fixed to the rollover protection system of the motor vehicle. There was a need identified to reduce the complexity of anchoring the seat belt shoulder anchor to the the rollover protections system, to lessen the number of parts to reduce vehicle weight, and to lessen the number of steps of assembling the motor vehicle.
The features and advantages described in the specification are not all inclusive and, in particular, many additional features and advantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings, specification, and claims. Moreover, it should be noted that the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter.
According to one aspect, a roll bar system for a motor vehicle includes a roll bar pipe having a first hole formed in the roll bar pipe, a collar disposed within the first hole of the roll bar pipe, a seat belt assembly including a seat belt and an anchor, the anchor including an engagement mechanism for engaging the seat belt and a flange having a fastener hole, and a fastener for attaching the flange of the anchor to the collar.
According to another aspect, a system for attaching a seat belt assembly, which includes a seat belt and an anchor including an engagement mechanism for engaging the seat belt and a flange having a fastener hole, to a frame member of a motor vehicle, includes a collar disposed within a first hole of the frame member and a fastener for attaching the flange of the anchor to the collar.
According to yet another aspect, a seat belt assembly, which includes a seat belt and an anchor including an engagement mechanism for engaging the seat belt, attached to a frame member of a motor vehicle, includes a seat belt, an anchor including an engagement mechanism for engaging the seat belt and a flange having a fastener hole, a collar disposed within a first hole of the frame member, and a fastener for attaching the flange of the anchor to the collar.
The figures depict various embodiments for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the embodiments described herein.
As illustrated, the seat belt assembly 122 includes a seat belt 200 and an anchor 202, which forms the connection point to the tubular roll bar pipe 111. The anchor 202 includes an engagement feature 204, such as a slot 206 in a lower flange 208 through which the seat belt 200 is threaded. The seat belt retractor (not illustrated) is located within the body 108. The anchor 202 further includes a flange 210 that forms an attachment point with a collar 212 seated in the tubular roll bar pipe 111.
The collar 212 is inserted into the first hole 302, through the tubular roll bar pipe 111, which may be a round, hollow tube, and into the second hole 304. In the embodiment illustrated, the collar 212 is welded to the inner edge 306 of the first hole 302 and to the inner edge 308 of the second hole 304, thereby fixedly attaching the collar 212 to the tubular roll bar pipe 111. In addition to welding, the collar 212 may be fixed to the tubular roll bar pipe 111 in any other suitable fashion, such as including nuts on external threads of the collar 212, or by any other method known to one skilled in the art.
As illustrated in
Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or to “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” or “an embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
In addition, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the embodiments, which is set forth in the claims.
While particular embodiments and applications have been illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the precise construction and components disclosed herein and that various modifications, changes, and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation, and details of the methods and apparatuses of the embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments as defined in the appended claims.
