VEHICLE OCCUPANT RESTRAINT DEVICE

Abstract

A vehicle occupant restraint device (10) comprises a safety belt (22), a belt support air cushion (42), and a belt cover element (30). The safety belt (22) restrains the occupant (P) sitting on a seat cushion (14) of a vehicle seat (12) on the vehicle seat (12). The belt support air cushion (42) is provided in a folded state in a lap belt (22B) or a shoulder belt (22A) of the safety belt (22) and is inflated and deployed by supplied gas during a frontal collision of a vehicle. The belt cover element (30) covers at least a predetermined area of ​​the lap belt (22B) on a belt anchor side and urges the lap belt (22B) downward when the safety belt (22) is released.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a device for restraining vehicle occupants. 2. Description of the related art

[0002] An occupant protection device in which an air cushion is incorporated into a lap belt portion of a seat belt of a seat belt device with a vehicle seat is known. In this occupant protection device, even if the seat belt is returned (retracted) to the original position by the spring force of a refractor, the seat belt cannot return smoothly and quickly to its original position when the seat belt is released due to the weight of the folded air cushion. Therefore, the following measures have been proposed.

[0003] An interference suppression portion (recessed portion) that suppresses interference with a shoulder belt portion during belt extension and retraction is formed exclusively in a region near a lower side of a belt extension opening provided in a shoulder portion of a seatback (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2023-132760 (JP 2023-132760 A)). A belt extension opening provided in a shoulder portion of a seatback is designed to have an opening direction that can be rotated from a forward direction in which a seat belt can be extended forward to an oblique direction in which a tongue of the seat belt can be fastened to a buckle (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2023-160205 (JP 2023-160205 A)).

[0004] However, in a case where the mass of a seatbelt-mounted airbag is large, it may not be sufficient to suppress the interference between the shoulder belt portion and the vicinity of the belt extension opening or to design the belt extension opening to have a rotating opening direction when the seatbelt is released to smoothly and quickly return the seatbelt to an original position due to the weight of the airbag. Furthermore, there is a possibility that the released seatbelt may protrude outward in the vehicle width direction and become entangled in a side door during entry and exit. Using a motorized retractor is also conceivable, but this involves considerable additional effort. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The present disclosure provides a vehicle occupant restraint device capable of improving storability when a seat belt provided with a belt support air cushion is released.

[0006] A first aspect of the invention relates to a vehicle occupant restraint device comprising a safety belt, a belt support air cushion, and a belt cover member. The safety belt is configured to restrain an occupant seated on a seat cushion of a vehicle seat on the vehicle seat. The belt support air cushion is provided in a folded state in a lap belt or a shoulder belt of the safety belt and is configured to be inflated and deployed by supplied gas during a frontal collision of a vehicle. The belt cover member is configured to cover at least a predetermined region of the lap belt on a belt anchor side and urge the lap belt downward when the safety belt is released.

[0007] When the seat belt is released, at least the lap belt is stowed to the side of the seat cushion due to the weight of the belt cover element. This means that the seat belt, which is not retracted by the spring force of a retractor due to the weight of the folded seat belt support air cushion, is stowed to the side of the seat cushion. As described above, storability is improved when the seat belt provided with the seat belt support air cushion is released. The phrase "in a frontal collision event" of the vehicle mentioned here includes a time when a frontal collision of the vehicle is predicted (predicted) to be unavoidable.

[0008] The belt cover member may be a resin plate having a substantially C-shaped cross section and extending along the seat belt.

[0009] Even with such a simple design, when the seat belt is released, at least the lap belt is stowed to the side of the seat cushion due to the weight of the belt cover element.

[0010] The belt cover element can be easily bent inward in the vehicle width direction and can only be bent outward in the vehicle width direction with difficulty.

[0011] When the seat belt is fastened, the belt cover element adapts to the occupant's abdomen, thus preventing any weakening of the waist restraint function. Furthermore, when the seat belt is released, at least the lap belt is suppressed or prevented from projecting outward in the vehicle's width direction and getting caught in a side door.

[0012] The belt covering member may be configured to urge the lap belt downward by a shaft portion spring member provided on a shaft portion of a belt anchor for the safety belt.

[0013] When the seat belt is released, at least the lap belt is quickly stowed to the side of the seat cushion because a spring force of the shaft section spring element acts on the weight of the belt cover element.

[0014] The belt cover member may include a lower half portion on the belt anchor side and an upper half portion on a side opposite the belt anchor side. The lower half portion and the upper half portion may be rotatably connected to each other by a support shaft.

[0015] If at least the lap belt is stowed to the side of the seat cushion, the upper half section can be rotated toward the lower half section, and the seat belt can be positioned closer to one side of the seatback when stowed. Therefore, the seat belt is less likely to be an obstruction when the occupant gets in and out of the vehicle seat.

[0016] The upper half portion can be urged toward the lower half portion by a support shaft spring member provided on the support shaft.

[0017] If at least the lap belt is stowed to the side of the seat cushion, the upper half section can be quickly rotated toward the lower half section, and the seat belt can be quickly moved closer to the side of the seat back when stowed.

[0018] The vehicle seat may include a fixed armrest.

[0019] The occupant can only enter and exit the vehicle seat from the front. Therefore, even if the belt cover element does not have a design in which the belt cover element is divided into a lower half section and an upper half section that are pivotally connected to each other, the seat belt is less likely to cause an obstruction when the occupant enters and exits the vehicle seat.

[0020] As described above, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the storability when the seat belt provided with the belt support air bag is released. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Features, advantages and technical and industrial significance of embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like characters designate like elements and in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic front view showing a seat belt fastening state of a vehicle occupant restraint device according to the present embodiment; Fig. 2 is a schematic side view showing a part of a belt cover member of the vehicle occupant restraint device according to the present embodiment; Fig. 3 is a schematic enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of Fig. 2; Fig. Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view along the line IV-IV of Fig. 3; Fig. 5A is a schematic plan view showing the belt cover member of the vehicle occupant restraint device according to the present embodiment; Fig. Figure 5B is a schematic cross-sectional view along the line VB-VB of Fig. 5A; Fig. 6 is a schematic side view showing a seat belt stowage state in a case where the vehicle occupant restraint apparatus according to the present embodiment is mounted on a vehicle seat with a fixed armrest; Fig. 7 is a schematic side view showing a seat belt stowage state in a case where the vehicle occupant restraint apparatus according to the present embodiment is mounted on a vehicle seat without an armrest; and Fig. 8 is a schematic side view showing a seatbelt stowage state in a case where a vehicle occupant restraint apparatus according to a modification example of the present embodiment is mounted on the vehicle seat with the armrest fixed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. For convenience of description, with respect to arrows illustrated in the drawings, an arrow UP indicates an upward direction of a vehicle and a vehicle seat, an arrow FR indicates a forward direction of the vehicle and the vehicle seat, and an arrow RH indicates a rightward direction of the vehicle and the vehicle seat. Therefore, in the following description, in a case where the up-down, front-back, and right-left directions are described without particular mention, the up-down, front-back, and right-left directions in the vehicle and the vehicle seat are illustrated. Moreover, the right-left direction is identical to the vehicle width direction and the seat width direction.

[0023] As in Fig. 1, a vehicle occupant restraint device 10 according to the present embodiment is provided on a vehicle seat 12. The vehicle seat 12 is a front seat or a rear seat of a vehicle (automobile) and includes a seat cushion 14, a backrest 16 provided to be rotatable about a vehicle width direction as an axial direction at a rear end portion of the seat cushion 14, and a headrest 18 provided to be movable up and down at an upper end portion of the backrest 16. As shown in Fig. 6, there are cases in which the vehicle seat 12 is provided with a fixed armrest 17.

[0024] In Fig. 1 and the like, a collision test dummy (human body manikin) is shown sitting on the seat cushion 14 of the vehicle seat 12 as a model of an occupant (seated person) to be protected. The dummy is, for example, an AM50 (50th percentile of an adult US male) (Hybrid III) dummy for frontal collision tests. The dummy sits in a standard sitting posture determined by an impact test procedure. The vehicle seat 12 is located in a reference position corresponding to the sitting posture. The test dummy is hereinafter referred to as "occupant P."

[0025] As in Fig. 1, the occupant P sitting on the seat cushion 14 of the vehicle seat 12 is restrained on the vehicle seat 12 by a seat belt (webbing) 22 provided in a seat belt device 20. The seat belt device 20 is a three-point seat belt device and is a so-called seat-integrated seat belt device. Furthermore, in the following description, a part of the seat belt 22 extending from a shoulder Ps to a abdomen Pt of the occupant P is referred to as a shoulder belt 22A. A part of the seat belt 22 extending from right to left across the abdomen Pt of the occupant P is referred to as a lap belt 22B.

[0026] On an outer side in the vehicle width direction (first end portion side in the seat width direction), a panel 24 serving as an outlet of the seat belt 22 is provided on an upper end surface of the seat back 16. A buckle 26 for fastening a tongue 25 provided on the seat belt 22 is provided on an inner side in the vehicle width direction (second end portion side in the seat width direction) of the seat cushion 14. As shown in Fig. 2, a retractor 28 for winding a first end portion of the seat belt 22 is attached to a lower portion of a side frame (not shown) provided on the outer side in the vehicle width direction inside the seat back 16.

[0027] As in Fig. 3, a second end portion of the seat belt 22 is attached to a substantially rectangular, flat, plate-shaped belt anchor 23. Specifically, the second end portion of the seat belt 22 is inserted into a slit portion (not shown) formed in a first end portion of the belt anchor 23 and folded back. The folded portion is sewn to the seat belt 22. A second end portion of the seat belt 23 is attached to a side frame 13 provided inside the seat cushion 14 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction so as to be rotatable about a shaft portion 23A with the seat width direction as the axial direction.

[0028] Additionally, the shaft portion 23A is provided with a torsion spring 23B as a shaft portion spring member that urges a first end portion side of the belt anchor 23 downward. When the seat belt 22 is released, a belt cover member 30, which will be described later, urges the lap belt 22B downward by the spring force of the torsion spring 23B in addition to the weight of the belt cover member 30. The spring force of the torsion spring 23B is set weak enough to assist the rotation of the belt cover member 30 due to the weight of the belt cover member 30, so that the spring force does not become a resistance when the seat belt 22 is fastened.

[0029] As in Fig. 1 to 3, a predetermined area of ​​the lap belt 22B on a belt anchor 23 side relative to a belt support air cushion 42, which will be described later, is covered with the belt cover member 30. The belt cover member 30 is made of a resin plate extending along the seat belt 22 (lap belt 22B). As shown in Fig. 4, a flat, plate-shaped inner plate 34 constituting an inner part in the vehicle width direction is joined to a side wall 32A which is an open side of an outer plate 32 having a substantially "U"-shaped cross section and constituting an outer part in the vehicle width direction by fitting, welding or the like in a thickness direction to form a substantially "C"-shaped cross section.

[0030] That is, a slit portion 34A extending along an extending direction of the seat belt 22 is formed in a central portion of the inner plate 34. The belt cover member 30 is attached to a predetermined area of ​​the lap belt 22B by relatively inserting the lap belt 22B into the slit portion 34A. When the seat belt 22 is released, the lap belt 22B is urged downward together with the belt cover member 30 by the weight of the belt cover member 30 and also by the spring force of the torsion spring 23B provided on the shaft portion 23A.

[0031] As in Fig. 2 and Fig. As shown in Fig. 3, a resin seat side shield 15 is provided in a side portion of the seat cushion 14 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. Then, a storage pocket portion 15A capable of storing the lap belt 22B and the belt cover member 30 covered downward is formed at a lower portion of the seat side shield 15 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction.

[0032] Furthermore, the belt cover member 30 is designed to be easily bent inward in the vehicle width direction and difficult to be bent outward in the vehicle width direction. Specifically, the outer plate 32 is formed of a soft resin material that is easily elastically deformed. The inner plate 34 is formed of a hard resin that is difficult to elastically deform. The outer plate 32 is made of, for example, a resin in which a rubber component is uniformly blended with polypropylene (PP). The inner plate 34 is made of a resin such as polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC), or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).

[0033] The belt cover member 30 can be configured to be easily bent inward in the vehicle width direction and difficult to bent outward in the vehicle width direction by using different shapes instead of different materials. For example, the belt cover member 30 can be configured to be easily bent inward in the vehicle width direction and difficult to bent outward in the vehicle width direction by forming a plurality of cutouts (not shown) at predetermined portions of the outer plate 32 arranged at a predetermined interval in the extending direction of the seat belt 22. Different shapes enable simpler and lower-cost manufacturing than different materials.

[0034] As in Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B, the belt cover member 30 includes a lower half portion 36 on the belt anchor side 23 and an upper half portion 38 on a side opposite the belt anchor side 23. The lower half portion 36 and the upper half portion 38 are rotatably connected to each other by a support shaft 37. Therefore, the inner plate 34 is not provided in an end portion 36A of the lower half portion 36 and an end portion 38A of the upper half portion 38, which are connected by the support shaft 37. The outer plate 32 at each of the end portions 36A, 38A does not have the side wall 32A (see Fig. 4) to which the inner plate 34 is attached. That is, the outer plate 32 at each of the end portions 36A, 38A is simply formed in the shape of a flat plate.

[0035] In addition, the support shaft 37 is provided with a torsion spring 37A (see Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B) as a support wave spring element. As a result, in the belt cover element 30 stored in the lower portion (the storage pocket portion 15A) of the seat side cover 15 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction, the upper half portion 38 is urged to rotate from an upper side toward the lower half portion 36 (clockwise in a direction shown in Fig. 7). The spring force of the torsion spring 37A is also set weak enough to assist manual rotation of the upper half portion 38, so that the spring force does not become a resistance when the seat belt 22 is fastened.

[0036] As in Fig. 1, Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B, the vehicle seat 12 is provided with an air cushion device 40. The seat belt device 40 includes an inflator (not shown) embedded in the seat cushion 14 or the seatback 16, and the belt support air cushion 42 mounted on a surface side (a side substantially opposite to an occupant P side) of a portion of the lap belt 22B from the seat width direction in an inflated state in a normal situation. Therefore, the belt cover member 30 is provided on the belt anchor 23 side relative to the belt support air cushion 42.

[0037] The inflator is, for example, a gas-tight (cold) cylindrical inflator having a substantially cylindrical shape and is mounted, for example, on the side frame 13 of the seat cushion 14 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction or on the side frame of the seat back 16 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. The inflator is connected to the belt support air bag 42 via a flexible hose (not shown) or the like.

[0038] The inflator generates gas by being activated by a control device (not shown) provided in the vehicle when a frontal collision of the vehicle is detected or a frontal collision is predicted (predicted) as inevitable by a collision sensor (not shown) including a camera or the like (hereinafter referred to as "in a vehicle frontal collision event").

[0039] That is, the controller is electrically connected to the inflator and the collision sensor and is configured to activate the inflator based on information from the collision sensor during a frontal collision of the vehicle. One type of frontal collision of the vehicle in which the controller activates the inflator includes, in addition to a full-overlap frontal collision, an offset frontal collision, such as an oblique collision or a small-overlap collision.

[0040] The gas generated by the inflator is supplied to the interior of the support air bag 42. As a result, the support air bag 42 inflates and expands forward to restrain and protect the occupant P, who tends to move forward due to inertial force. The support air bag 42 is formed into a bag shape by, for example, superimposing two sheets of the base fabric and sewing the edge portions of the two sheets together. Each layer of the base fabric is formed from, for example, a polyamide- or polyester-based fabric material.

[0041] In the vehicle occupant restraint device 10 according to the present embodiment having this configuration, its operation will be described below.

[0042] As in Fig. As shown in Fig. 6, the belt support air bag 42, which inflates and deploys by supplying gas upon a frontal collision of the vehicle, is provided on the surface side of the lap belt 22B in a folded state. Then, the belt cover member 30, which covers the predetermined area of ​​the lap belt 22B on the belt anchor 23 side relative to the belt support air bag 42, presses the lap belt 22B downward by the weight of the belt cover member 30 and also by the spring force of the torsion spring 23B provided on the shaft portion 23A when the seat belt 22 is released.

[0043] As a result, the lap belt 22B and the belt cover member 30 are stored in the lower portion of the seat side shield 15 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction, namely in the storage pocket portion 15A formed in the seat side shield 15. That is, the seat belt 22, which is not wound by the spring force of the retractor 28 due to the weight of the folded belt support air bag 42, is stored to the side of the seat cushion 14.

[0044] As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the storability when the seat belt 22 provided with the belt support air cushion 42 is released. As shown in Fig. 6, the lap belt 22B and the belt cover member 30 are preferably stored in the storage pocket portion 15A. Accordingly, the lap belt 22B and the belt cover member 30 are prevented from projecting outward in the vehicle width direction, and the appearance of the vehicle seat 12 is not suppressed.

[0045] The belt cover member 30 includes the lower half portion 36 on the belt anchor 23 side and the upper half portion 38 on the side opposite the belt anchor 23 side, which are rotatably connected by the support shaft 37. Therefore, from the viewpoint of appearance, which will be described later, it is preferable that the upper half portion 38 be rotated toward the lower half portion 36 when the belt cover member 30 is stored in the storage pocket portion 15A. As shown in Fig. 6, in the case of the vehicle seat 12 in which the fixed armrest 17 is provided at right and left portions, the upper half portion 38 cannot be rotated toward the lower half portion 36.

[0046] In particular, in a case where the upper half portion 38 is not rotated toward the lower half portion 36 when the seat belt 22 is released, as shown in Fig. 6, the shoulder strap 22A of the seat belt 22 is stretched in a straight line between a front end portion of the seat side plate 15 and the bezel 24. That is, the shoulder strap 22A of the seat belt 22 is arranged obliquely in front of the seat back 16 in a side view.

[0047] In this case, in which the fixed armrest 17 is provided at the right and left sections as in the Fig. 6, the occupant P can only get into and out of the vehicle seat 12 from a front side. Therefore, even if the shoulder belt 22A of the seat belt 22 is arranged obliquely in front of the seat back 16 in a side view, the shoulder belt 22A is less likely to cause an obstruction when the occupant P gets into and out of the vehicle seat 12. Therefore, in the vehicle seat 12 in which the fixed armrest 17 is provided on the right and left side members, the upper half portion 38 cannot be rotated toward the lower half portion 36.

[0048] Furthermore, the belt cover member 30 is formed from a resin plate having a substantially C-shaped cross section and extending along the seat belt 22. Therefore, no significant additional cost is required. Even with such a simple design, when the seat belt 22 is released, the lap belt 22B and the belt cover member 30 can be smoothly and quickly stowed in the stowing pocket portion 15A by the weight of the belt cover member 30 and also by the spring force of the torsion spring 23B provided on the portion 23A.

[0049] In addition, the belt cover element 30 is designed to be easily bent inward in the vehicle width direction and difficult to bend outward in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, when the seat belt 22 is fastened, the belt cover element 30 adapts itself as shown in Fig. 1, to the abdomen of the occupant P, and can thus suppress a decrease in waist restraint performance. Furthermore, when the seat belt 22 is released, the lap belt 22B and the belt cover member 30 can be suppressed or prevented from protruding outward in the vehicle width direction, and the lap belt 22B and the belt cover member 30 can be suppressed or prevented from getting caught in a side door 44 or from not fitting into the stowage pocket portion 15A.

[0050] Furthermore, as described above, the belt cover member 30 includes the lower half portion 36 on the belt anchor side 23 and the upper half portion 38 on the side opposite to the belt anchor side 23, which are rotatably connected by the support shaft 37. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 7, when the lap belt 22B and the belt cover member 30 are stowed in the stowing pocket portion 15A, the upper half portion 38 is rotated toward the lower half portion 36 so that the shoulder belt 22A in the safety belt 22 in the stowed state is closer to one side of the seat back 16 (behind the Fig. 6 shown state).

[0051] In other words, when the seat belt 22 is released, the shoulder strap 22A of the seat belt 22 is prevented from being arranged obliquely in front of the seat back 16 in a side view. Therefore, even in a case where the fixed armrest 17 is not provided, as in the embodiment shown in Fig. 7, and the occupant P enters and exits the vehicle seat 12 from one side of the side door 44 (left in the drawing), is less likely to be an obstruction. Accordingly, the shoulder strap 22A of the seat belt 22 is prevented from being positioned obliquely in front of the seat back 16 in a side view, and the appearance of a vehicle interior is not impaired.

[0052] When the upper half portion 38 is urged to rotate toward the lower half portion 36 by the torsion spring 37A provided on the support shaft 37, the upper half portion 38 can be quickly rotated toward the lower half portion 36. That is, the shoulder strap 22A of the seat belt 22 can be quickly arranged closer to the side of the seat back 16 in the stowed state.

[0053] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the seat belt 22 is fastened while the vehicle is traveling. Here, in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the inflator is activated by the control of the control device. That is, the gas is discharged from the inflator and supplied to the inside of the folded support air bag 42 disposed on top of the lap belt 22B. As a result, the support air bag 42 inflates and deploys forward, so that the support air bag 42 can restrain and protect the occupant P who tends to move forward due to the inertial force caused by an impact in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle.

[0054] Although the vehicle occupant restraint device 10 according to the present embodiment has been described with reference to the drawings, the vehicle occupant restraint device 10 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the illustrated example and can be appropriately modified within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present disclosure. For example, the storage pocket portion 15A may not be formed in the seat side cover 15.

[0055] The belt cover element 30 may not have a design in which the belt cover element 30 is divided into the lower half portion 36 and the upper half portion 38, which are pivotally connected. That is, the belt cover element 30 may be designed as a single elongated element, as shown in Fig.8. When the belt cover member 30 is configured as above, the manufacturing cost can be reduced compared to a configuration in which the belt cover member 30 is divided into the lower half portion 36 and the upper half portion 38, which are rotatably connected.

[0056] However, in a case where the belt cover member 30 is configured as above, as shown in the figure, the shoulder belt 22A of the seat belt 22 is disposed obliquely in front of the seatback 16 in a side view when the seat belt 22 is released. Therefore, the configuration is preferably applied only to the vehicle seat 12 with the fixed armrest 17, in which the shoulder belt 22A can be less obstructive when the occupant P gets in and out of the vehicle seat 12.

[0057] The seat belt device 20 (retractor 28) may be provided in a center pillar (not shown) of the vehicle body. The belt cover member 30 is not limited to having a substantially "C"-shaped cross section, and may be formed, for example, into a rectangular tubular shape through which the seat belt 22 (lap belt 22B) is inserted. Furthermore, the shaft portion 23A may not be provided with the torsion spring 23B. The support shaft 37 may not be provided with the torsion spring 37A.

[0058] Furthermore, the belt support air cushion 42 may be mounted on the shoulder belt 22A instead of the lap belt 22B. In this case, since the shoulder belt 22A provided with the belt support air cushion 42 is urged downward by the lap belt 22B, it is advantageous to increase the spring force of the torsion spring 23B of the belt cover member 30. In this case, the belt cover member 30 preferably has a configuration in which the belt cover member 30 is divided into the lower half portion 36 and the upper half portion 38, which are rotatable about the support shaft 37. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] JP 2023-132760

[0003] JP 2023-132760 A

[0003] JP 2023-160205

[0003] JP 2023-160205 A

[0003]

Claims

[1] Vehicle occupant restraint device (10) comprising: a seat belt (22) designed to restrain an occupant (P) sitting on a seat cushion (14) of a vehicle seat (12) to the vehicle seat (12); a belt support air cushion (42) provided in a folded state in a lap belt (22B) or a shoulder belt (22A) of the seat belt (22) and configured to be inflated and deployed by gas supplied in an event of a frontal collision of a vehicle; and a belt cover member (30) configured to cover at least a predetermined portion of the lap belt (22B) on a belt anchor side and urge the lap belt (22B) downward when the seat belt (22) is released. [2] The vehicle occupant restraint device (10) according to claim 1, wherein the belt cover member (30) is a resin plate having a substantially "C"-shaped cross section and extending along the seat belt (22). [3] The vehicle occupant restraint device (10) according to claim 2, wherein the belt cover member (30) is easy to bend inward in a vehicle width direction and difficult to bend outward in the vehicle width direction. [4] A vehicle occupant restraint device (10) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the belt cover member (30) is configured to urge the lap belt (22B) downward by a shaft portion spring member (23B) provided on a shaft portion (23A) of a belt anchor (23) for the seat belt (22). [5] Vehicle occupant restraint device (10) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: the belt cover element (30) comprises a lower half portion (36) on the belt anchor side and an upper half portion (38) on a side opposite the belt anchor side; and the lower half section (36) and the upper half section (38) are rotatably connected by a support shaft (37). [6] A vehicle occupant restraint device (10) according to claim 5, wherein the upper half portion (38) is urged to rotate toward the lower half portion (36) by a support shaft spring member (37A) provided on the support shaft (37). [7] Vehicle occupant restraint device (10) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the vehicle seat (12) comprises a fixed armrest (17).

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