Patent Application
20060075609
The present invention relates generally to devices for controlling movement of a web, belt or strap therethrough, and more specifically to devices for controlling the position of a first web, belt or strap relative to a second web, belt or strap.
This invention relates to devices for controlling movement of a first web, belt or strap therethrough to control the position of the first web, belt or strap relative to a second web, belt or strap. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,660,889, 4,679,852 and U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2003/0019080 A1, which are all assigned to the assignee of the subject disclosure, disclose other known web clamping devices, and these references are each incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention may comprise one or more of the features recited in the attached claims, and/or one or more of the following features and combinations thereof. A web position adjusting device may comprise a frame defining a first web engaging surface. A web clamping member may be movably mounted to the frame, and the web clamping member may define a second web engaging surface. The device may be configured to receive a first web therethrough between the frame and the web clamping member with the web normally clamped between the first and second web engaging surfaces. The web clamping member may be movable relative to the frame to move the second web engaging surface away from the first web engaging surface to allow travel of the first web through the device. The device may be configured to receive and allow unimpeded travel therethrough of a second web. The frame may include a pair of sidewalls with the first web engaging surface extending therebetween. The web clamping member may be pivotally mounted to the frame between the pair of sidewalls. The web clamping member may define a handle portion configured for manual manipulation of the web clamping member.
The web clamping member may further define a protrusion extending into the frame between the pair of sidewalls. The protrusion may be configured to contact the first web so that the first web forces the second web engaging surface toward the first web engaging surface to normally clamp the first web between the first and second web engaging surfaces. The web clamping member may be movable relative to the frame to force the protrusion against the first web while moving the second web engaging surface away from the first web engaging surface to thereby allow travel of the first web through the device.
The frame may define a third web engaging surface extending between the pair of sidewalls and configured to contact the first web. The first and third web engaging surfaces of the frame may define a channel therebetween sized to receive the protrusion of the web clamping member therein.
The web clamping member may be configured to receive and allow travel therethrough of the second web. In this embodiment, the web clamping member may define a web slot therethrough. The web slot may have a first web opening positioned over the second web engaging surface and a second web opening. The web slot may be configured to receive the second web therethrough so that the second web may travel through the web clamping member along same directions of travel of the first web through the device. The web clamping member may further define a flange extending beyond the second web opening with the second web positioned between the flange and the frame. The web clamping member may be responsive to force applied by the second web against the flange to further urge the second web engaging surface of the web clamping member toward the first web engaging surface of the frame and thereby increase a clamping force of the first and second web engaging surfaces against the first web.
Alternatively, the frame may be configured to receive and allow travel therethrough of the second web.
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to one illustrative embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same.
Referring now to
The web engaging member 24 defines a web engaging surface 26 along a top portion thereof. The web engaging member 28 defines a back wall 28A that generally faces the web engaging member 24, and another web engaging surface 28B along a top portion of the web engaging member 28. In the illustrated embodiment, the web engaging surface 28B extends generally further away from the bottom 27 of the frame 20 than does the web engaging surface 26 as most clearly illustrated in
It will be understood that while the web engaging surfaces 26 and 28B are illustrated as being generally parallel relative to each other, this need not be the case and the surfaces 26 and 28B may alternatively be configured to be non-parallel relative to each other. It will further be understood that while the back wall 28A of the web engaging member 28 is illustrated as being generally perpendicular to the web engaging surfaces 26 and 28B, this also need not be the case and the back wall 28A may alternatively be configured to be non-perpendicular to either one or both of the web engaging surfaces 26 and 28B. In any case, the web engaging members 26 and 28 are spaced apart, relative to the sidewalls 22A and 22B, and define a channel 30 therebetween. It will be understood that while the channel 30 is illustrated in the figures as being an open channel through the frame 20, the present disclosure contemplates that the frame 20 may alternatively be configured such that the channel 30 is partially or fully closed adjacent to the bottom end 27 of the frame 20.
In the illustrated embodiment, the web engaging surface 26 of the web engaging member 24 is ribbed, with any desired number of ribs extending generally between the sidewalls 22A and 22B to facilitate gripping of a web, belt or harness. It will be appreciated, however, that web engaging surface 26 may alternatively be enhanced with any desired profile, pattern, one or more protrusions and/or material adapted to facilitate engagement of a web in contact therewith. Examples of such profiles and/or material include, but are not limited to, a knurled surface, a toothed surface, a sheath of a suitable web engaging material disposed on the web engaging surface 26, and the like. In some applications, the web engaging surface 26 may alternatively be generally smooth as long as such a generally smooth surface will not adversely affect operation of the device 10 as will be described in greater detail hereinafter. As further illustrated in
The web clamping member 40 is movably mounted or attached to the frame 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the web clamping member 40 is pivotally attached to the sidewalls 22A and 22B of the frame 20 via a pin 54. In this embodiment, the web clamping member 40 defines a bore 52 therethrough that generally aligns with the holes 32A and 32B through the frame 20, and the pin 54 extends through the holes 32A and 32B of the frame 20 and through bore 52 to thereby pivotally mount the web clamping member 40 to the frame 20, as most clearly illustrated in
In any case, the web clamping member 40 defines a web engaging surface 46 that is positioned generally opposite to the web engaging surface 26 of the frame 20 when the web clamping member 40 is mounted to the frame 20 so that the web engaging surfaces 26 and 46 define opposing web engaging surfaces. In embodiments wherein the web clamping member 40 is pivotally mounted to the frame 20 as illustrated in the figures, the web engaging surface 46 of the web clamping member 40 is positioned rotatably opposite to the web engaging surface 26 of the frame 20.
In the illustrated embodiment, the web engaging surface 46 of the web clamping member 40 is a toothed surface, with any desired number of teeth extending generally between the opposite sides of the web clamping member 40 to facilitate gripping of a web, belt or harness. It will be appreciated, however, that web engaging surface 46 may alternatively be enhanced with any desired profile, pattern, one or more protrusions and/or material adapted to facilitate engagement of a web in contact therewith. Examples of such profiles and/or material include, but are not limited to, a knurled surface, a ribbed surface, a sheath of a suitable web engaging material disposed on the web engaging surface 46, and the like. In some applications, the web engaging surface 46 may alternatively be generally smooth as long as such a generally smooth surface will not adversely affect operation of the device 10 as will be described in greater detail hereinafter.
The device 10 is generally configured to receive a first web 60 therethrough between the pair of sidewalls 22A and 22B and in contact with the web engaging surfaces 26 and 28B of the frame 20 as illustrated in
The present disclosure contemplates other structures and/or mechanisms for biasing the web engaging surface 46 of the web clamping member 40 toward the web engaging surface 26 of the frame 20 so that the first web 60 is normally clamped between the web engaging surface 46 of the web clamping member 40 and the web engaging surface 26 of the frame 20. As one example, one or more conventional springs may be positioned between the frame 20 and the web clamping member 40, wherein such one or more conventional springs are configured to normally bias the web engaging surface 46 of the web clamping member 40 toward the web engaging surface 26 of the frame 20 with sufficient force to normally clamp the first web 60 therebetween. In this example, the protrusion or lobe 44 may or may not be omitted. Those skilled in the art will recognize other conventional structures and/or mechanisms for normally biasing the web engaging surface 46 of the web clamping member 40 toward the web engaging surface 26 of the frame 20 so that the first web 60 is normally clamped between the web engaging surfaces 46 and 26, and such alternate structures and/or mechanisms are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure.
The web clamping member 40 further defines a web slot 48 therethrough between a first web opening 48A, positioned generally above the web engaging surface 46 of the web clamping member 40, and a second web opening 48B positioned generally above the web engaging surface 28B of the frame 20. The web slot 48 is configured to slidingly receive therethrough a second web, belt or tether 70. The term “slidingly receive” is defined, for the purpose of this disclosure, as receiving the second web 70 through the slot 48 so that it may travel through the slot 48 in either direction 72 with no restrictions or impediments to its travel through the slot 48 other than from the walls and/or ends 48A and 48B of the channel 48 itself. The second web 70 may thus travel relatively freely through the web slot 48 of the web clamping member 40 in either direction 72. While the direction 72 is illustrated in
The web clamping member 40 further defines a flange 50 that extends from the top portion 42 of the web clamping member 40 in a rearward direction away from the second opening 48B of the web slot 48 such that the second web 70 extends through the device 10 between the flange 50 and the frame 20. In one embodiment, the frame 20 and the web clamping member 40 are formed from a rigid polymer, although the present disclosure contemplates that the frame 20 and/or web clamping member 40 may alternatively be formed from any suitable rigid material such as steel or other metal alloy, plastic resin, nylon, or the like, and/or from any suitable flexible material such as rubber, or the like. In general, the profiles of the web engaging surfaces 26 and 46 of the frame 20 and the web clamping member 40 respectively may be variously configured, taking into account the material compositions of frame 20 and web clamping member 40 and the web load force capacities thereof as well as web integrity concerns. For example, in cases where the frame 20 and the web clamping member 40 are both formed of a polymer material, it may be desirable to provide both of the web engaging surfaces 26 and 46 with web engaging profiles as illustrated in
The web clamping member 40 is manually actuatable to release the first web 60 from being normally clamped between the web clamping surfaces 26 and 46. As illustrated in
The flange 50 is also responsive to a generally upward force 90 applied thereto by the second web 70 to further urge the web engaging surface 46 of the web clamping member 40 toward the first web 60 and the web engaging surface 26 of the frame, as illustrated in
The web position adjusting device 10 illustrated and described herein provides a web routing or pass-through mechanism for a second web 70 that may be adjustably positioned relative to a first web 60. One example implementation of the device 10 is as a so-called web height adjuster for a shoulder harness portion of a vehicle seat restraint system. In this implementation, the first web 60 represents a stationary or fixed-position web relative to the vehicle seat, the second web 70 represents a shoulder or torso restraining web forming part of a multiple-point restraint harness, and the device 10 is positioned on the web 60 generally above the shoulder of the seat occupant and oriented with the end 25 of the frame 20 and the flange 50 of the web clamping member 40 directed toward the shoulder of the occupant. In this implementation, the device 10 may be adjustably positioned as described herein to locate the routing or pass-through point of the web 70 relative to the web 60 at any desired height above the occupant's shoulder. If the occupant moves forward in the seat, such as during a frontal vehicle impact, the web 70 will exert an upward force on the flange 50, as illustrated in
Referring to
While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the foregoing drawings and description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only one illustrative embodiment thereof has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.
This patent application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/617,160, filed Oct. 8, 2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60617160 | Oct 2004 | US |
