Seat belt and vehicle occupant safety system, vehicle seat and vehicle with such a seat belt

Abstract

The invention relates to a safety belt (10) for a vehicle, in particular a multi-track motor vehicle, with several belt elements (11, 12) which form at least chest belt sections (11a, 12a) and lap belt sections (11b, 12b) of the safety belt (10), and a central belt buckle (14), wherein the chest belt sections (11a, 12a) and the lap belt sections (11b, 12b) can be joined together in the central belt buckle (14), and wherein the central belt buckle (14) comprises at least one gas bag of a gas bag module.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a safety belt for a vehicle, in particular a multi-track motor vehicle. Furthermore, the invention relates to a vehicle occupant safety system, a vehicle seat, and a vehicle with such a safety belt.

[0002] In existing vehicle occupant safety systems, seat belts are an essential component for preventing accident-related injuries to vehicle occupants. For several decades, seat belts have been successfully supplemented by gas bag modules, known as airbags, which provide additional safety in the event of a collision. Such gas bag modules are typically installed in the dashboard for the driver and front passenger, or in the roof rails or seats as side airbags.

[0003] To provide reliable protection, it is important that the airbag modules are arranged so that the airbag inflates centrally in front of the corresponding vehicle occupant in the direction of impact. This is easily achieved in previous vehicle designs, as the position of the passengers is usually determined by the corresponding position of the seats and other interior components of the vehicle. For example, a driver airbag can be easily integrated into a steering wheel, as the relative position of the steering wheel to the driver's seat is usually fixed within a predetermined range. In particular, in typical vehicle geometries, the seats for the vehicle occupants are oriented in the direction of travel.

[0004] With the increasing development of driver assistance systems toward fully autonomous vehicles, considerable freedom in the design of vehicle interiors is emerging. In particular, autonomous vehicles can dispense with a steering wheel, for example. The seating position is also significantly more variable, as vehicle occupants can, for example, also be positioned sideways to the direction of travel. It is also possible to select seating configurations that allow for flexible seat positioning within the vehicle interior. Such innovative vehicle concepts make it difficult to correctly integrate gas bag modules into the vehicle interior so that they are effectively effective in all relevant impact situations.The integration of a gas bag module, for example in a dashboard, can be ineffective in certain cases, for example if a passenger seat is rotated by 180° so that the vehicle occupant is positioned facing the opposite direction of travel.

[0005] To meet these new requirements, new developments are moving towards integrating the gas bag module, or at least the gas bag, into a seat belt. For this purpose, the gas bag is often positioned in the lap section of a safety belt and can thus function independently of the position or orientation of the respective vehicle seat. However, this gives rise to a further problem, as the gas bag should be positioned essentially centrally relative to the vehicle seat to allow the gas bag to exert its full effect. An off-center arrangement of the gas bag, on the other hand, can result in a vehicle occupant sliding past the gas bag in the event of an impact. The gas bag is therefore unable to cushion the vehicle occupant.

[0006] This problem arises in particular from the fact that in previous designs, the airbag is typically fixed to the lap belt section. The position of the airbag relative to the vehicle seat or the vehicle occupant therefore depends on the occupant's body type.

[0007] Against this background, the object of the invention is to provide a safety belt for a vehicle equipped with a gas bag that provides impact protection for vehicle occupants of different body types. Furthermore, the object of the invention is to provide a vehicle occupant safety system, a vehicle seat, and a vehicle with such a safety belt.

[0008] According to the invention, this object is achieved with regard to the safety belt by the subject matter of patent claim 1, with regard to the vehicle occupant safety system by the subject matter of patent claim 9, with regard to the vehicle seat by the subject matter of patent claim 10 and with regard to the vehicle by the subject matter of patent claim 11.

[0009] The invention is specifically based on the idea of ​​providing a safety belt for a vehicle, in particular a multi-track motor vehicle, with multiple belt elements that form at least chest belt sections and lap belt sections of the safety belt. Furthermore, a central belt buckle is provided, wherein the chest belt sections and lap belt sections can be joined together in the central belt buckle. The central belt buckle comprises at least one gas bag of a gas bag module.

[0010] By arranging at least the gas bag of a gas bag module in a central belt buckle, the gas bag is positioned essentially centrally relative to the vehicle occupant when the seat belt is fastened. This allows the gas bag to fulfill its safety-related function particularly efficiently.

[0011] The belt buckle can be captively mounted on at least one belt element. In particular, it can be provided that a first belt element forms a first lap belt section between an end fitting and the belt buckle, and a first chest belt section between the belt buckle and a belt retractor. The belt buckle can be mounted on the belt element in a sliding or longitudinally displaceable manner, so that the length of the chest belt section and the length of the lap belt section can be varied. The sliding or longitudinally displaceable mounting of the belt buckle on the belt element is preferably carried out in such a way that the belt buckle cannot detach from the belt element.

[0012] The belt buckle can have a housing into which the gas bag is integrated. The belt buckle can generally be designed in several parts, with one part carrying the gas bag. For example, one belt element can captively carry a gas bag part of a belt buckle, with the gas bag part of the belt buckle being arranged so that it can be moved longitudinally along the belt element. Another belt element can carry a closing part of a belt buckle, with the closing part also being captively arranged so that it can be moved longitudinally along the belt element. The two belt buckle parts can be firmly connected to one another and easily detached from one another via a release mechanism. The respective belt buckle part can divide the respective belt element into a chest belt section and a lap belt section.

[0013] In one variant of the invention, the gas bag module comprises a gas generator arranged in or on the belt buckle, in particular integrated into the buckle housing. This variant results in a particularly high level of component integration of the seat belt. While the weight of the buckle is increased by the gas generator, this additional weight can be largely compensated for by adjusting the chest strap sections of the belt elements. The advantage of this design is that only electrical cables need to be routed to the buckle, which simplifies the overall design of the seat belt.

[0014] Another variant of the invention provides that the gas bag module has a gas generator that is arranged separately from the belt buckle and connected to the gas bag by means of a gas connection line. For example, the gas generator can be arranged underneath a seat surface of a vehicle seat. A gas connection line, preferably in the form of a filling hose, can then run along a lap belt cut of a belt element to the belt buckle and thus to the gas bag. This variant is comparatively complex in terms of manufacturing and assembly effort. However, the belt buckle itself is compact due to the omission of the gas generator. Furthermore, in this variant, the belt buckle is not burdened by the weight of the gas generator, which contributes to the comfort of wearing the seat belt.

[0015] Specifically, in the latter variant, the gas generator can be attached to a belt element and / or an end fitting. Mounting it on a belt element can be advantageous for keeping the belt buckle compact while still positioning the gas generator as close to the airbag as possible. When attaching the gas generator to an end fitting, the stable attachment to such an end fitting is advantageous.

[0016] The belt elements of the safety belt according to the invention can, in particular, together comprise a four-point belt or a five-point belt. In particular, the entire safety belt can be designed as a four-point belt or a five-point belt. Such safety belts, which have four or five end fittings or four or five end fittings and / or belt retractors, offer the ideal conditions for ensuring centering of the airbag relative to a vehicle occupant when the airbag is arranged in the belt buckle.

[0017] In the case of a four-point belt, it is usual and also provided within the scope of the present invention that two belt elements are present, each of the belt elements forming a lap belt section and a chest belt section.

[0018] In a five-point belt, a crotch strap section is preferably additionally provided. In a preferred embodiment, the invention therefore provides that a belt element of the five-point belt forms a crotch strap section. When the safety belt is fastened, the crotch strap section preferably extends between the thighs of a vehicle occupant toward the seating surface of the vehicle seat. The crotch strap section is preferably connected to the belt buckle. The length of the crotch strap section, the lap belt sections, and the chest belt sections in such a five-point belt is preferably adjusted such that the belt buckle is centered relative to the vehicle occupant, in particular at the level of the abdomen of a vehicle occupant.

[0019] Within the scope of the invention, it is also conceivable to provide additional support devices that ensure the centering of the belt buckle relative to the vehicle occupant. For example, a sensor system can be provided, which can in particular also include video surveillance, which detects the correct position of the belt buckle or airbag relative to the vehicle occupant. If the detection of the position of the airbag or belt buckle reveals that it is positioned off-center, a warning tone can be emitted, for example, to alert a vehicle occupant that the position of the belt buckle is incorrect.

[0020] A secondary aspect of the invention relates to a vehicle occupant safety system with a previously described safety belt. Furthermore, within the scope of the present application, a vehicle seat for a motor vehicle, in particular a multi-track motor vehicle, with a previously explained vehicle occupant safety system or a previously described safety belt is disclosed and claimed.

[0021] The invention also extends to a vehicle, in particular a multi-track motor vehicle with a previously described vehicle seat, a previously described vehicle occupant safety system or a previously described safety belt.

[0022] The invention is explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment with reference to the attached schematic drawing. The single figure shows a front view of a vehicle seat with a schematic representation of a seat belt according to the invention according to a preferred exemplary embodiment.

[0023] The representation according to Fig. 1 shows a vehicle seat 20 with a seat surface 21, a backrest 22, and a headrest 23. A safety belt 10 extends over the vehicle seat 20 and comprises a plurality of belt elements 11, 12, 13. In the illustrated embodiment, the safety belt 10 specifically has a first belt element 11, a second belt element 12, and a third belt element 13.

[0024] The first belt element 11 and the second belt element 12 are each divided into a chest belt section 11a, 12a and a lap belt section 11b, 12b. The chest belt sections 11a, 12a and lap belt sections 11b, 12b are divided by a belt buckle 14, which connects the belt elements 11, 12, 13 when the seat belt 10 is fastened.

[0025] The first belt element 11 and the second belt element 12 can each be formed as a single-piece belt element 11, 12, with a variable division into a chest belt section 11a, 12a and a lap belt section 11b, 12b being achieved solely by the belt buckle 14. Alternatively, each of the chest belt sections 11a, 12a and the lap belt section 11b, 12b can be formed by a single belt element 11, 12.

[0026] The figure also shows a center plane M, which essentially designates the center of the vehicle seat 20. It can be seen that the belt buckle 14 is preferably centered relative to this center plane M.

[0027] The belt buckle 14 comprises a housing in which a gas bag is arranged. The gas bag is preferably connected to a gas generator such that in the event of a vehicle accident, the gas generator is activated, filling the gas bag with gas generated in the gas generator. The gas bag is preferably arranged in the belt buckle 14 such that the gas bag inflates toward the headrest 23 and can thus protect a vehicle occupant sitting on the vehicle seat 20.

[0028] The arrangement of the gas bag in the belt buckle 14 is Fig.The multi-point belt shown in Figure 1 is advantageous because the multi-point fixation of the safety belt 10 allows for easy centering of the belt buckle 14 and thus of the gas bag. This centering can be assisted by providing, as shown in the figure, a third belt element 13 that serves as a crotch strap section. The third belt element 13 is also connected to the belt buckle 14 and aligns the belt buckle 14 with respect to the vehicle seat 20 or a vehicle occupant not only horizontally but also vertically. Reference symbol 10 Seat belt 11 first belt element 11a first chest strap section 11b first lap belt section 12 second belt element 12a second chest strap section 12b second lap belt section 13 third belt element 14 Belt buckle 20 vehicle seat 21 Seat 22 Backrest 23 Headrest M Middle level

Claims

[1] Safety belt (10) for a vehicle, in particular a multi-track motor vehicle, with a plurality of belt elements (11, 12) which form at least chest belt sections (11a, 12a) and lap belt sections (11b, 12b) of the safety belt (10), and with a central belt buckle (14), wherein the chest belt sections (11a, 12a) and the lap belt sections (11b, 12b) can be brought together in the central belt buckle (14), and wherein the central belt buckle (14) comprises at least one gas bag of a gas bag module. [2] Safety belt (10) according to claim 1 characterized by that the belt buckle is captively mounted on at least one belt element. [3] Safety belt (10) according to claim 1 or 2 characterized by that the belt buckle (14) has a housing into which the gas bag is integrated. [4] Safety belt (10) according to claim 2 or 3 characterized bythat the gas bag module has a gas generator which is arranged in or on the belt buckle (14), in particular integrated into the housing of the belt buckle (14). [5] Safety belt (10) according to claim 2 or 3 characterized by that the gas bag module has a gas generator which is arranged separately from the belt buckle (14) and is connected to the gas bag by means of a gas connection line. [6] Safety belt (10) according to claim 5 characterized by that the gas generator is attached to a belt element (11, 12, 13) and / or an end fitting. [7] Safety belt (10) according to one of the preceding claims characterized by that the belt elements (11, 12, 13) together comprise a 4-point belt or a 5-point belt. [8] Safety belt (10) according to claim 7 characterized by that a belt element (13) of the 5-point belt forms a crotch belt section. [9] Vehicle occupant safety system comprising a safety belt (10) according to one of the preceding claims. [10] Vehicle seat for a motor vehicle, in particular a multi-track motor vehicle, with a vehicle occupant safety system or a safety belt (10) according to one of the preceding claims. [11] Vehicle, in particular a multi-track motor vehicle, with a vehicle seat, a vehicle occupant safety system or a safety belt (10) according to one of the preceding claims.

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