Seat belt track with electrically conductive track, method for producing same, and track

Abstract

The invention relates to a belt (10), a production method and a belt assembly (50) for a safety belt, comprising an electrically conductive track (12, 22) and a contact point (26) on a surface (16, 18) of the belt (10) for electrically conductive connection of at least one functional element (30) to the electrically conductive track (12, 22). The invention is characterized in that a first portion (12) of the electrically conductive track extends substantially in the longitudinal direction (L) of the lacing (10), at least partially interposed between the surfaces (16, 18) of the lacing (10) within a predetermined arrangement area of the functional elements (30), and a second portion (22) of the electrically conductive track extends at a transverse (Q) angle to the first portion (12) or to the longitudinal direction (L), the contact points (26) are formed on at least one surface (16, 18).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a seat belt tether with a conductive track according to claim 1 , a method for producing such a tether according to claim 7 , and a tether assembly with a functional element according to claim 10 .

[0002] The tether for the safety belt is known in the prior art, for example in the publication DE102014004960A1, which has electrically conductive conductive threads which are integrated or woven into the tether and extend substantially in the longitudinal direction of the tether. It is also known that functional elements can be fixed on such a tether and integrated into the circuit.

[0003] Conductive threads or tracks integrated or woven into the lanyard are essential for the durability of the electrical system, as their resistance would be affected if they were mounted on the surface of the lanyard. Due to continuous forces, such as when the lanyard passes over deflection devices such as D-rings or belt buckles, these conductive threads would quickly wear out due to direct contact with other objects and become unusable. Therefore, it is very advantageous to place the conductive threads or tracks between the surfaces of the lanyard to avoid direct contact with other objects.

[0004] For the conductive connection or electrical contact of the conductive wire to the functional element (the functional element is usually an electrical appliance and must therefore be integrated into the circuit), the prior art solutions provide relatively complex designs. In this case, a contact surface can be provided on one surface of the strap for connecting the functional element, so that the functional element can be connected to the circuit simply by placing it on the contact surface.

[0005] According to the prior art, making contact surfaces on the surface of the lace is very complicated, expensive and time-consuming. For example, it may be necessary to use special tools to pull the conductive wires integrated or woven into the lace to the surface to form the contact surface and set suitable connection points for the conductive connection. For example, it is well known to hook the integrated conductive wire with a hook and then pull it to the surface to form contact points on the surface. Therefore, the contact points are coupled with the integrated conductive wire to form a unified system. Therefore, these contact points should not be regarded as independent.

[0006] It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve a method for producing a similar strap, in particular to increase its efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

[0007] This problem is solved by the lacing strap according to claim 1, the method for manufacturing the lacing strap according to claim 7 and the lacing strap assembly according to claim 10. The dependent subclaims constitute advantageous embodiments of the invention.

[0008] According to the invention, a tether for a vehicle seat belt having a conductive track has contact points on at least one surface of the tether, which contact points are used to electrically conductively connect at least one functional element to the conductive track.

[0009] According to the invention, the strap has a conductive track extending over a plurality of sections, wherein each section is to be interpreted as a separate section, since the conductive tracks are not firmly connected to one another at the transition between two sections, e.g. the conductive tracks merely touch, lie on one another or are in electrical contact at the transition between the individual sections, thereby producing a conductive connection.

[0010] The first part of the conductive track extends substantially in the longitudinal direction of the strap and is at least partially disposed between the two surfaces of the strap in the predetermined arrangement area of ​​the functional element. The conductive track is arranged between the two surfaces of the strap to ensure that the conductive track does not form an outlet or contact with the surface.

[0011] The surface of the seat belt strap is to be understood in particular as meaning the side of the seat belt strap which normally rests against the body of the vehicle occupant and the other side of the strap.

[0012] The second portion of the conductive track extends from the first portion of the conductive track and is considered to be separate from the first portion to form a contact point for connecting a functional element on at least one surface. The second portion of the conductive track extends at a transverse angle to the first portion of the conductive track, i.e., in the direction of one or both surfaces as described in the previous paragraph.

[0013] In particular, the design of the conductive track in two parts enables a contact point to be formed in a simple manner at any point on the surface of the strap in the longitudinal direction. In particular, this makes it possible to mechanically and easily set the contact point on the surface.

[0014] According to the method of manufacturing a seat belt tether of the present invention, the tether has a conductive track and contact points on the tether surface, the following steps are provided:

[0015] - the conductive track of the strap comprises a first portion which is at least partially interposed between the belt surfaces in the area of ​​the intended arrangement of the functional elements and which extends in the longitudinal direction of the strap; and

[0016] The second portion of the conductive track extends transversely to the first portion or at a transverse angle to said longitudinal direction so as to form a contact point on at least one surface and to be at least partially in electrical contact with the first portion of the conductive track.

[0017] Here, the second part of the conductive track is arranged separately from the first part of the conductive track, and the first part and the second part are in electrical contact with each other, but are not firmly connected together. That is, they are inseparable in the sense of a destructive connection, and the conductive line must be cut.

[0018] This is preferably achieved by a thread insertion device (such as a sewing needle) that inserts the second portion of the conductive wire or conductive track into the strap and at least penetrates the strap to make electrical contact with the first portion of the conductive track extending longitudinally of the strap. The second portion of the conductive track is preferably guided from the first surface side to the second surface side and returned in the opposite direction after being deflected there.

[0019] Both the first and the second part of the conductive track may comprise one or more conductive threads, so-called conductive wires. Conductive wires are in any case electrically conductive and may be partially or completely insulated.

[0020] Preferably, the conductive tracks or threads of the first portion are woven into the strap, projected into the strap and / or extend along a channel in the longitudinal direction of the strap.

[0021] Preferably, the conductive wire or conductive track of the second part is preferably connected to the strap by a seam, in particular a zigzag seam. Therefore, the conductive wire is inserted into the strap at a certain angle to the first surface of the strap, preferably until it penetrates the second surface opposite to the strap, then deflected, the conductive wire returns at a certain distance from the exit, and finally passes out from the first surface again. In the next process, that is, the entire process of entering the first surface and passing out of the second surface and in the return direction, a certain distance of deflection occurs again.

[0022] The spacing between the two inlets on each surface should depend on the cross-section of the first portion of the conductive track and the number of perforations to be expected. Experiments herein surprisingly found that the probability of electrical contact between the conductive wire of the second portion and the conductive track of the first portion is greatest if the spacing is between one and six times the cross-section of the first portion of the conductive track, and more preferably between one and three times the cross-section.

[0023] In the process of inserting the conductive wire into the lacing multiple times, the conductive track may be offset. This offset should be selected to extend at an acute angle or an obtuse angle to the longitudinal direction of the lacing. In order to make the probability of the first part and the second part of the conductive track contact as high as possible, the offset angle should be about 45°.

[0024] The angle at which the conductive track second portion penetrates the lace (preferably by sewing needles) is preferably 90 ° with the lace surface. However, this angle may also vary, for example between 75 ° and 105 °.

[0025] Another independent claim is for a tether assembly, comprising a tether according to one of the previously described embodiments. A functional element is placed at the contact point of the tether and is fixed to the tether or otherwise electrically conductively connected to the conductive track of the tether. The functional element must be integrated into the circuit in order to function properly.

[0026] For example, the functional element can be fixed to the strap by means of a material connection such as welding, vulcanization or bonding, or by a molding connection. When selecting the material connection, attention must be paid to whether the material combination of the strap and the functional element is suitable, more precisely, whether the adhesive layer of the strap and the functional element is suitable, because the adhesive layer is used to fix it to the strap. The material combination must be selected so that the two materials can be connected in an appropriate way.

[0027] The connection method is to connect the upper side of the strap to the lower side of the functional element or its adhesive layer. Unlike a form-fit connection such as fixing by a mandrel (through the material layer of the strap and the material layer of the functional element or its adhesive layer), fixing by material-fit methods is only related to the surface, i.e., it does not damage the material. This design prevents the functional element from twisting on the strap and also prevents impurities such as dust particles or moisture from entering between the functional element or the contact area.

[0028] A particularly popular design is the so-called laser welding process. Here, the functional element is brought into contact with the strap and the two contact surfaces are then melted and connected to each other in a force-conductive manner under a certain pressure using a laser and a focusing device.

[0029] Another preferred solution is the so-called ultrasonic welding process. Here, the functional element is in contact with the strap and then connected to each other by force transmission under a certain pressure via a high-frequency vibration generator. The connection is local, that is, the connection is produced wherever the vibration generator acts.

[0030] Both embodiments are particularly cost-effective and achieve all the advantages of the substance-to-substance process.

[0031] The functional unit may be a device in the form of a sensor, an actuator and / or a lighting unit. In the latter embodiment, LEDs or LED lighting devices are particularly used. The invention will be explained in more detail below by means of an embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show:

[0032] Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a tie according to the invention comprising a first portion of a conductive track;

[0033] FIG2 shows the lacing of FIG1 , which comprises a second portion of the conductive track;

[0034] FIG3 is a perspective view of the lace shown in FIG2 ;

[0035] FIG4 is a perspective view of the lace shown in FIG2 in another embodiment;

[0036] Fig. 5 is a front view of a cross section of the lace shown in Fig. 1;

[0037] Fig. 6 is a front view of a cross section of the lace shown in Fig. 2;

[0038] Fig. 7 is a front view of a cross section of the lace shown in Fig. 2, which includes functional elements for fixation;

[0039] FIG. 8 shows the functional element shown in FIG. 7 fixed to a strap.

[0040] 1 shows a longitudinal sectional side view of a tether 10, with a first portion 12 of the conductive track extending in the longitudinal direction L of the tether 10. It can be seen that the conductive track 12 extends in the tether fabric 14 and is therefore arranged between the two surfaces 16 and 18 of the tether 10, at least in the region of the tether 10 where the functional element 30 is intended to be arranged.

[0041] The tether surfaces 16 and 18 are to be understood here in particular to mean that in the normal use state of the tether, the surface 16 lies against the body of the vehicle occupant and the surface 18 of the tether 10 is opposite to the surface 16 .

[0042] Furthermore, a conductor insertion device 20 can be seen, which is designed to incorporate a conductive track 22 of the second part (see FIG. 2 ) into the lace fabric 14. The conductive track 22 of the second part is preferably a conductive thread 24, and the conductor insertion device 20 is preferably a sewing needle. The second part 22 of the conductive track forms a contact point 26 on the surface 16, 18 of the lace 10 for electrically conductively connecting at least one functional element 30 (see FIGS. 7 and 8 ) to the conductive track 12, 22.

[0043] According to the invention, the second portion 22 of the conductive track is arranged separately from the first portion 12 of the conductive track and extends at a transverse angle Q to the first portion. In a side view, as shown in FIG1 , the first portion 12 of the conductive track extends along the horizontal longitudinal direction L, while the second portion 22 of the conductive track is arranged vertically, i.e., extends along the transverse direction Q, or the second portion 22 of the conductive track extends at a transverse angle Q to the longitudinal direction L of the tie 10, so that current should be conducted between the two portions. In this case, the two portions of the conductive track 12 and 22 are not inseparably connected to each other, that is, they do not form a fixed unit.

[0044] According to the invention, this is achieved by a manufacturing method in which, in a first step, a first part 12 of a lace 10 is provided which includes a conductive track, which extends essentially along the longitudinal direction L of the lace, is arranged in the lace fabric 14, and / or extends between the two surfaces 16, 18 of the lace 10.

[0045] In the second step, the second part 22 of the conductive track is inserted into the lace 10 or the lace fabric 14, preferably the conductive wire 24 is inserted through the conductor insertion device 20. Inserting the conductive track 22 in the second process can realize the above-mentioned separate embodiment and can also complete the task of the present invention. There must be electrical contact between the two conductive tracks 12 and 22.

[0046] 2, the conductive track 22 is multiple times joined to the lacing fabric 14. This is not absolutely necessary, but it increases the probability that the two conductive tracks 12, 22 actually make conductive contact.

[0047] FIG3 shows a perspective view of the above-mentioned lace. It can be seen that in the lace fabric 14, the first part 12 of the conductive track has a corresponding second part 22, and these conductive tracks are at a certain distance from each other and parallel to each other, which are indicated by reference symbols 12.1 and 12.2. Each first part 12 of the conductive track is equipped with a second part 22 of the conductive track, and the two parts of the conductive track 12, 22 together with the functional element 30 form a circuit, and the two parts of the conductive track 12, 22 are electrically in contact with each other.

[0048] For this purpose, a power source is connected to the conductive tracks 12, 22. The power source is preferably located in an area on the tether 10 which, in the assembled state, is located in the vehicle close to the end fitting, i.e. the end of the tether which is not pulled into the retractor. Thus, the circuit is closed by the functional element 30 as a load.

[0049] 3 also shows contact points 26, which can be seen in the form of seams, in particular zigzag seams, joined to the lacing fabric 14. The course of the seams extends in the longitudinal direction L, wherein the conductive track 12 extends in the surface 16 between two adjacent perforations of the conductive track 22, which increases the probability of electrical contact between at least one conductive line 24 and the conductive track 12.

[0050] As shown in the figure, the angle to which the wire enters the surface 16 of the tie 10 is preferably 90° to the plane of the surface, that is, basically transverse Q to the longitudinal direction L of the tie 10.

[0051] The distance between two adjacent perforations of the conductive line 24 on the surface 16 preferably corresponds to the cross-section of the first portion 12 of the conductive track and / or depends on the diameter of the conductor insertion device 20 or the sewing needle.

[0052] FIG4 shows another embodiment in which the seam is rotated 90° from the seam in FIG3 . This may be advantageous if the geometry of the first portion 12 of the conductive track changes. For example, the geometry of the first portion 12 of the conductive track may be circular, square or rectangular. Depending on this, the seam of the conductive track 22 may need to be adjusted.

[0053] Fig. 5 shows an example of a cross-sectional front view of the tie 10, which only contains the first parts 12.1 and 12.2 of the conductive tracks.

[0054] 6 also shows a front view of a cross section of the strap 10, but showing the conductive track second portion 22 in the cross section area. It can be seen that in each case at least one conductive track 22 of the plurality of conductive tracks 22 is in electrical contact with the conductive track first portion 12. It can also be seen that the plurality of individual conductive tracks 22 form a bead-like structure on each surface 16, 18 of the strap 10, forming a contact point 26 electrically connected to the functional element 30.

[0055] FIG7 shows an exemplary view of a tether assembly 50 according to the invention. It can be seen that a functional element 30 with a circuit board 34 is in current-conducting contact with two contact points 26 of the tether 10. The functional element 30 is, for example, circular with an opening 38 in the center. The upper side of the circuit board 34 has at least one lighting device 32 in the form of an LED. Via the circuit, the functional element 30 can be controlled or activated as appropriate.

[0056] In the embodiment shown, the functional element 30 is fixed to the lace 10 by means of a mandrel 40. The mandrel 40 has a tip for mounting, which passes through the lace fabric 14 for fixing and is inserted into the opening 38 of the functional element 30. In the end position, the top end of the mandrel 40 is deformed or a corresponding counter-part is placed on the top end, thereby permanently fixing the functional element 30 to the lace 10. The pressing force of the mandrel 40 on the functional element 30 and the lace is usually selected in such a way that a twisting of the functional element 30 is prevented, which means that the functional element 30 cannot be accidentally rotated around the axis when fixed.

[0057] According to another embodiment, the mandrel 40 is mounted on the cover 36 so that during assembly, the mandrel 40 can be passed through the strap 10 from one side of the functional element 30, moved in the direction of the opposite surface 18, and fixed on this side. This fixing method is similar to the embodiment described in the previous paragraph. Therefore, this embodiment represents the opposite situation, that is, the cover 36 and the mandrel 40 are preferably a single component, which can improve assembly.

[0058] Furthermore, the anti-twist device can also be implemented by (additional) fixing methods such as gluing, welding or sewing. Another advantage of the first two embodiments described above is that the circuit board 34 or the functional element 30 is not subject to the intrusion of unnecessary particles (such as moisture or dust) between the contact area and the strap 10.

[0059] Furthermore, an anti-twist device can be provided by fixing with a second mandrel.

[0060] The functional element 30 creates a protrusion on the surface of the strap 10 that is deviated from the rest of the strap surface, and a deflection device such as a D-ring or belt buckle has a contour or groove corresponding to the protrusion so that the functional element can slide over the deflection device without being damaged.

[0061] The functional element 30 has a cover 36 on its upper side, which also serves as a diffuser for the light beams of the lighting device 32 .

[0062] Reference numerals

[0063] 10 Lace-up

[0064] 12 Conductive Track Part I

[0065] 14 Lace-up fabric

[0066] 16 Surface

[0067] 18 Surface

[0068] 20-conductor insertion device / sewing needle

[0069] 22 Conductive Track Part II

[0070] 24 Conductive thread

[0071] 26 touch points

[0072] 30 Functional elements

[0073] 32LED / lighting device

[0074] 34 Circuit Board

[0075] 36 Cover / Diffuser

[0076] 38 Opening

[0077] 40 Mandrel

[0078] 50 tie assembly

[0079] L Vertical

[0080] Q Horizontal

Claims

1. A safety belt tether (10) having a conductive track (12, 22), comprising contact points (26) arranged on a surface (16, 18) of the tether (10) for electrically conductively connecting at least one functional element (30) to the conductive track (12, 22), characterized in that: A first portion (12) of the conductive track extends substantially in the longitudinal direction (L) of the strap (10) and is at least partially disposed between the surfaces (16, 18) of the belt (10) in the predetermined arrangement area of ​​the functional element (30), and a second portion (22) of the conductive track extends at an angle transverse (Q) to the first portion (12) or at an angle transverse (Q) to the longitudinal direction (L) to form the contact point (26) on at least one of the surfaces (16, 18).

2. The tie (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second portion (22) of the conductive track comprises a conductive thread (24) which is threaded onto the strap (10) via a sewing needle (20) and is at least partially in electrical contact with the first portion (12) of the conductive track.

3. The tie (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that: The conductive wire (24) is passed through the tie (10) several times at a certain interval, and the interval is one to three times the cross-section of the first part (12) of the conductive track.

4. The tie (10) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The conductive wires (24) are offset from each other multiple times in the lace (10), and the offsets extend in directions at acute or obtuse angles relative to the longitudinal direction (L) of the lace (10).

5. The tie (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The lateral angle is substantially between 75° and 105°, preferably 90°.

6. The tie (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The first portion (12) and / or the second portion (22) of the conductive track comprises conductive threads (24) or conductive filaments and are woven or injected into the tie (10).

7. A method for manufacturing a seat belt tether (10), the tether (10) having a conductive track (12, 22) and a contact point (26) on a surface (16, 18), the contact point being used for electrically conductively connecting at least one functional element (30) to the conductive track (12, 22), comprising the following steps - the conductive track of the strap (10) comprises a first portion (12) which is at least partially interposed between the surfaces (16, 18) of the belt (10) in the predetermined arrangement area of ​​the functional element (30) and extends in the longitudinal direction (L) of the strap (10); and - the second portion (22) of the conductive track extends at an angle transversely (Q) to the first portion (12) or at an angle transversely (Q) to the longitudinal direction (L) so as to form the contact point (26) on at least one surface (16, 18) and at least partially in electrical contact with the first portion (12) of the conductive track.

8. The manufacturing method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The second portion (22) of the conductive track is inserted by means of a sewing needle (20).

9. The manufacturing method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The second portion (22) of the conductive track is sewn by means of a zigzag seam.

10. A tether assembly (50) having a functional element (30), using a tether (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6 or a method for manufacturing a tether (10) according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that: The functional element (30) is placed on the contact point (26) of the strap (10) and fixed.

11. The tether assembly (50) according to claim 10, characterized in that: The functional element (30) is or includes a sensor, an actuator and / or a lighting device (32).

12. The tether assembly (50) according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: The functional element (30) is fixed to the strap (10) by means of a mandrel (40), gluing, welding, ultrasonic welding, laser welding and / or sewing.

13. The tether assembly (50) according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that: An anti-twist device is connected to the functional element (30).

14. The tether assembly (50) according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that: The functional element (30) creates a protrusion on the surface (16, 18) of the strap (10) that is deviated from the rest of the strap surface, and the deflection device has a contour or groove corresponding to the protrusion so that the functional element (30) can slide over the deflection device without being damaged.

15. The tether assembly (50) according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that: The lighting device is or includes an LED (32).

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