Safety belt fastening and guide plate with planned deformation

Abstract

The invention relates to a safety belt fastening plate (1) for a motor vehicle (2), said safety belt fastening plate comprising a first portion (5) having a guide member (6) for guiding the sliding of a safety belt, said plate (1) having a second portion (14) having a locking member (16) for locking the backrest of a bench on said plate (1), said plate (1) further having a deformable section (22) coupling said first portion (5) and said second portion (14), said deformable section being designed for deforming under the effect of a traction force applied on said locking member (16) and whose intensity is greater than a predetermined threshold, so that said deformation causes the relative rotation of said first portion (5) and said second portion (14).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention claims priority to French application 2102936, filed on March 24, 2021, the contents of which (text, drawings and claims) are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The technical field relates to tape reel support plates designed to deform in the event of a collision, and vehicles equipped with such plates. Background Technology

[0003] Regarding road safety, motor vehicle manufacturers must consider multiple concerns and regulations when developing new vehicles to ensure the safety of vehicle occupants in the event of a collision. To this end, regulations in most countries require that every seat in the vehicle be equipped with a seatbelt designed to hold the occupant in place during a collision. The seatbelt and all elements that allow it to be secured must be able to withstand a traction force of approximately 15,000 N.

[0004] To meet the requirements mentioned above, the fastening elements are typically sized accordingly and fixed to the vehicle body.

[0005] For the rear seats of a vehicle, which are typically equipped with seats whose backrests are foldable to allow large items to be loaded in the trunk and part of the passenger compartment. The first solution implemented by vehicle manufacturers for such foldable seats is to directly attach safety reels to the seat back, as described in document FR2736312.

[0006] Another solution is to ensure a sliding connection between the seat belt and the upper portion of the seat back, for securing the seat belt and / or the reel to the vehicle body.

[0007] When the vehicle experiences a frontal collision, the seatbelt holds the passenger while simultaneously exerting a significant force on the upper body of the passenger, potentially causing injury. Therefore, it is necessary to limit the force exerted by the seatbelt. To this end, vehicle manufacturers typically secure the fastening element to a tearable metal plate designed to gradually tear under the traction force on the seatbelt, while simultaneously allowing the fastening point of the belt to shift a certain distance (approximately several tens of centimeters).

[0008] This solution may be unsuitable when there is insufficient available space and / or when the vehicle body does not have sufficient resistance to prevent tearing of the body in place of tearing of the tearable metal sheet.

[0009] Therefore, a new seatbelt fastening device is needed that can limit the force of the seatbelt toward the passenger in the event of a frontal collision in the vehicle and is compatible with all vehicle bodies. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The present invention aims to overcome the problems mentioned above. In this context, the object of the present invention is to provide a seatbelt fastening plate that can limit the volume of the seatbelt and its fasteners, and can prevent any tearing and / or breakage at the fastening point.

[0011] Therefore, the present invention relates to a seat belt fastening plate for a motor vehicle, the seat belt fastening plate comprising a first portion having a guide member for guiding the sliding of the seat belt, the plate having a second portion having a locking member for locking a bench seat back onto the plate, the plate further having a deformable section connecting the first portion and the second portion, the deformable section being designed to deform under the action of a traction force applied to the locking member with an intensity greater than a predetermined threshold, such that the deformation causes relative rotation of the first portion and the second portion to absorb a portion of the collision energy.

[0012] The present invention also relates to a vehicle comprising at least one plate according to the invention.

[0013] Thus, the fastening plate according to the invention provides a sliding connection between the seat back of the bench and the seat belt by means of the guide member, and the locking member enables the plate to be integrally connected to the seat back of the bench. In the event of a frontal collision in the vehicle, the fastening plate can limit the force of the seat belt toward the passenger by means of a deformable section with planned deformation: when the traction force exceeds a predetermined threshold, the relative rotation of the first and second portions can reduce the pressure on the seat belt. The deformation of the deformable section can absorb a portion of the energy transmitted to the fastening plate during the frontal collision. The fastening plate is particularly suitable for two-seat benches of the two-thirds width type, because the strap of the passenger sitting in the middle will induce a force on the seat back of the bench and at a distance from the locking point for locking the seat back, resulting in a torsional moment on the seat back. The relative rotation of the first and second portions accompanies this torsional moment while absorbing a portion of the energy.

[0014] According to an embodiment, the deformable segment includes a first zigzag line disposed in a metal plate connecting the first portion and the second portion. The first zigzag line forms an axis about which the relative rotation is performed during deformation of the deformable segment. This first zigzag line constitutes a simple solution for allowing the deformation.

[0015] Advantageously, the deformable section includes a second fold line disposed within the metal plate, which simultaneously forms a triangular region with the first fold line and the lateral edge of the metal plate. The first and second fold lines increase resistance to tearing at the edges of the metal plate of the deformable section.

[0016] Depending on the possibility, the first and second portions are formed from a metal sheet, which also includes the deformable section.

[0017] According to an embodiment, the plate also includes a fixing portion integrally connected to the first portion, the fixing portion being designed to integrate the plate with the vehicle body.

[0018] Advantageously, the guiding component includes a fil de sangle formed from a first metal rod.

[0019] Further advantageously, the locking component includes a locking hook wire formed by a second metal rod. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The invention will be better understood by reading the detailed description and accompanying drawings given below, which are given only as non-limiting examples, in which: - Figure 1 A front perspective view of a tape reel support plate according to the present invention is shown, the tape reel support plate being fixed in the passenger compartment of a vehicle; - Figure 2 It shows Figure 1 A perspective view of the fastening plate taken from the trunk of the vehicle. Detailed Implementation

[0021] In these figures, the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same elements.

[0022] A seatbelt fastening plate 1 (shown in the accompanying drawings) is used for mounting on a motor vehicle 2 (partially shown in the accompanying drawings) according to the invention. The fastening plate 1 is designed to guide the seatbelt 3 (which, in...) Figure 2 (As shown above).

[0023] The plate 1 is partially formed from a stamped metal sheet 4. The plate 1 includes a first portion 5 that extends along a substantially vertical plane when the plate 1 is fastened in the vehicle 2.

[0024] The first part 5 has a guide member 6 designed to guide the sliding of the seat belt 3. The guide member 6 is formed, for example, by strips 7 arranged on the edge 8 of the metal plate 4 and constituted by a first metal rod 9 forming an open-loop elongated loop 10, which allows the seat belt 3 to be introduced into the loop 10. The edge 8 on which the strips 7 are arranged is used to position the plate 1 at the top portion when the plate is mounted on the vehicle 2.

[0025] The seat belt 2 can be wound and unwound from the reel 11 (which is arranged to face the rear face 12 of the fastening plate 1) while sliding in the strip 7. The rear face 12 (which is in...) Figure 2 (as shown above) extends to the front surface 13 of plate 1 (which is in Figure 1 As shown above, this surface is the opposite of the normal travel direction of vehicle 2. The tape reel 11 is fixed, for example, to the rear surface 12 of the fastening plate 1.

[0026] The plate 1 has a second portion 14, which is formed from the metal plate 4, for example, by stamping. The second portion extends on one hand along a plane that is significantly inclined relative to the plane of the first portion 5, and on the other hand has a wall 15 that extends along the vertical and longitudinal axes of the vehicle 2 when the plate is mounted in the vehicle 2.

[0027] Part 14 includes a locking component 16, which is designed to lock the backrest 17 of the vehicle's bench onto the plate 1. Figure 2 (As shown above). The chair back 17 is in the seated position (its position is shown above). Figure 2 (As shown above) Rotatably movable between a seated position and a retracted position, in which the passenger can sit on the bench, and in the retracted position, the backrest 17 is folded over the bench. The backrest 17 extends, for example, over two-thirds of the width of the bench, which has another retractable backrest 18 (which in...) Figure 2 As shown above, the other retractable backrest extends over one-third of the width of the bench and is also rotatably movable in the same manner as backrest 17.

[0028] For this purpose, the locking component 16 has a locking hook 19, which is formed by a second metal rod 20 forming the U. The length of the U protruding from the front face 13 can be adjusted, for example, by means of an adjusting screw 21 arranged on the wall 15 (which in Figure 1 and Figure 2(See above) Adjustment. The locking hook 19 is designed to engage with the chair back 17, for example, by means of a locking hook (not shown) arranged in the chair back 17, in order to maintain the seated position.

[0029] Plate 1 also has a deformable section 22 for connecting the first portion 5 and the second portion 14, which are also formed from the metal plate 4. The deformable section 22 is designed to deform under a traction force applied to the locking member 16 with a strength greater than a predetermined threshold, such that the deformation causes relative rotation of the first portion 5 and the second portion 14 to absorb a portion of the impact energy. In Europe, regulations typically require a predetermined threshold of approximately 15,000 N.

[0030] To control the deformation, the deformable section 22 has a first fold line 23, which is disposed in the metal plate 4 and connects the first portion 5 and the second portion 14. Advantageously, the first fold line 23 is straight and extends to the lateral edge 24 of the metal plate 4 adjacent to the wall 15. The first fold line 23 forms an axis about which the relative rotation is performed during the deformation of the deformable section 22. In the event of a frontal collision experienced by the vehicle 2, the traction force is applied to the seat back 17, and the seat belt 3 induces deformation of the deformable section 22 so as to guide the second portion 14 to at least partially fold back in front of the first portion 5 by relative rotation. The full rotation will cause the portion of the front face 13 of the guide plate 1 located on the second portion 14 to face the portion of the front face 13 of the guide plate 1 located on the first portion 5.

[0031] Advantageously, the deformable segment 22 includes a second fold line 25 disposed in the metal plate 4, which, together with the first fold line 23 of the metal plate 4 and the lateral edge 24, forms a triangular region 26. Further advantageously, the metal plate 4 is stamped in the region bounded by the triangular region 26 to form a conical segment. This conical shape facilitates the initiation of deformation of the deformable segment 22 while minimizing the risk of tearing at the lateral edge 24.

[0032] Finally, the fastening plate 1 also includes a fixing segment 27 integrally formed with the first part 5, said fixing segment being designed to integrate the plate 1 with the body of the vehicle 2. For example, as Figure 1 As shown above, the fixed segment 27 is formed by a flange of the metal plate 4, which is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the first part 5. The fixed segment 27 connects the plate 1 to the vehicle 2, for example, by welding points.

[0033] Thus, the fastening plate 1 according to the invention can fasten the seat belt 3 and retain the seat back 17 of the bench. In the event of a frontal collision with the vehicle 2, the traction force applied to the seat back 17 and the seat belt 3 will cause deformation of the deformable section 22, so that the second section 14 is at least partially folded back in front of the first section 5 by the relative rotation of the first section 5 and the second section 14. The rotational deformation of the deformable section 22 can thus absorb at least a portion of the impact energy transmitted to the plate 1 and can reduce the force exerted on the passenger by the seat belt 3. The plate 1 can ultimately prevent tearing of the metal plate 4 or the body of the vehicle 2.

[0034] This invention is not limited to the embodiments of the tape reel support plate described above as examples only, but other embodiments can be designed by those skilled in the art without departing from the framework and scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A seatbelt fastening plate (1) for a motor vehicle (2), the seatbelt fastening plate comprising a first portion (5) having a guide member (6) for guiding the sliding of a seatbelt (3), the seatbelt fastening plate (1) having a second portion (14) having a locking member (16) for locking a seat back (17) of a bench onto the seatbelt fastening plate (1), the seatbelt fastening plate (1) further having a deformable section (22) for connecting the first portion (5) and the second portion (14), the deformable section being... Designed to deform under the action of a traction force applied to the locking member (16) with an intensity greater than a predetermined threshold, such that the deformation causes a relative rotation of the first part (5) and the second part (14) to absorb a portion of the impact energy, the deformable section (22) includes a first zigzag (23) disposed in the metal plate (4) connecting the first part (5) and the second part (14), the first zigzag (23) forming an axis, the relative rotation being performed about the axis during the deformation of the deformable section (22), characterized in that, The deformable section (22) includes a second fold line (25), which is disposed in the metal plate (4) and forms a triangular area (26) with the first fold line (23) and the lateral edge (24) of the metal plate (4).

2. The seat belt fastening plate (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first part (5) and the second part (14) are formed from a metal plate (4), which also includes the deformable section (22).

3. The seat belt fastening plate (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The seat belt fastening plate also includes a fixing segment (27) integrally connected to the first part (5), the fixing segment being designed to integrate the seat belt fastening plate (1) with the body of the motor vehicle (2).

4. The seat belt fastening plate (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The guide component (6) includes a strip filament (7) formed by a first metal rod (9).

5. The seat belt fastening plate according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The locking component (16) includes a locking hook wire (19) formed by a second metal rod (20).

6. A vehicle comprising at least one seatbelt fastening plate (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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