Seat belt anchorage support supported by a longitudinal member and a longitudinal member.

Abstract

The invention relates to a seat belt anchor bracket (1) for a motor vehicle, designed to enable and reinforce the anchoring of a vehicle seat belt (2). The anchor bracket (1) comprises a first interface (5) designed to bear against and be fixed to a side member (6) of the vehicle. The bracket (1) further comprises a second interface (8) designed to bear against and be fixed to a side member (9) extending along a wheel arch (10) of the vehicle. The first (5) and second (8) interfaces are designed to reinforce the connection between the side member (6) and the side member (9). The anchor bracket (1) further comprises a third interface (16) designed to extend along a portion of the wheel arch (10) and comprising anchoring means (17) for enabling the seat belt (2) to be anchored to the third interface (16). (Figure 1)

Description

Title of the invention: Seat belt anchorage support supported by a longitudinal member and a longitudinal member.

[0001] The technical field relates to the anchoring supports for a seat belt, motor vehicle bodies equipped with such supports and motor vehicles having such a body.

[0002] In terms of road safety, car manufacturers must take into account numerous regulations when developing new vehicles to ensure the safety of vehicle passengers in the event of a collision. According to these regulations, each passenger in a vehicle must have a seat belt designed to restrain the passenger in the event of a crash. Each seat belt is secured to the vehicle by at least three anchor points, one of which is called the buckle anchor, located at the bottom of the belt.

[0003] The buckle anchor is subjected to significant stress transmitted by the seat belt during strong vehicle deceleration and when the seat belt is used by a passenger. On many vehicles, the rear seat belt buckle anchors are located on the rear wheel arches. To withstand these deceleration forces, the wheel arch sheet metal must be sufficiently thick to prevent deformation or tearing under such stress. However, for some vehicles, where weight constraints are significant and the manufacturer seeks to reduce vehicle weight as much as possible, the thickness of the wheel arch sheet metal may prove insufficient. The solution generally employed is to increase the thickness of the wheel arch sheet metal. This then constitutes a substantial increase in weight and is therefore unsatisfactory.

[0004] Thus, there is a need for a solution to reinforce a rear seat belt anchorage without significantly increasing the weight of the vehicle.

[0005] The present invention aims to overcome the problems described above. In this technical context, one objective of the present invention is to provide an anchoring support that reinforces the anchoring of the rear seat belt without requiring an increase in the thickness of the wheel arch sheet metal.

[0006] To this end, the present invention relates to a seat belt anchor bracket for a motor vehicle, designed to enable and reinforce the anchoring of a vehicle seat belt, the anchor bracket comprising a first interface designed to bear against and be fixed to a vehicle side member, the bracket further comprising a second interface designed to bear against and be fixed to a side member extending along a vehicle wheel arch, the first and second interfaces being designed to ensure reinforcement of the connection between the longitudinal member and the longitudinal member, the anchoring support further comprising a third interface designed to extend along part of the wheel arch and comprising anchoring means to allow the belt to be anchored to the third interface.

[0007] The invention also relates to a motor vehicle body on which is fixed at least one anchoring support according to the invention, the first interface being fixed in support on a longitudinal member, the second interface being fixed in support on a side member of the vehicle extending the longitudinal member, the third interface extending in support on a part of a wheel arch of the vehicle in contact with the longitudinal member and the side member.

[0008] The invention finally relates to a motor vehicle having a body according to the invention.

[0009] Most vehicles include a body panel designed to reinforce the connection between a side member and a longitudinal member extending from the side member. The support according to the invention advantageously replaces such a body panel. Indeed, the first and second interfaces, extending respectively along the side member and the longitudinal member, reinforce the connection between them. Thanks to the third interface, which extends along part of the wheel arch and includes anchoring means, it is possible to secure the rear seat belt anchor to the side member and the longitudinal member, which are dimensioned to resist pull-out or deformation during deceleration.Thus, the anchoring support according to the invention makes it possible to reinforce the anchoring of the seat belt by controlling the addition of mass on the body according to the invention, since it is no longer necessary to increase the thickness of the wheel arch: the addition of mass is limited to the mass of the third interface and is in fact very limited.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the anchoring support according to the invention, it comprises a central part, the first, second and third interfaces coming from the material with the central part and each extending from the central part.

[0011] Advantageously, the central part forms a platform designed to support a rear floor of the vehicle.

[0012] According to one possibility of the anchoring support according to the invention, the anchoring means comprise at least one fixing hole sized to allow the fixing of a belt loop strand, the hole being disposed at one end of the third interface.

[0013] In one embodiment, the anchoring support is formed by stamping a sheet metal.

[0014] According to one possibility of the case according to the invention, it includes two anchoring supports welded onto the case.

[0015] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following detailed description, given solely by way of non-limiting example and made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0016] [Fig-1] [Fig.1] represents a perspective view of part of a crate of vehicle according to the invention the figure showing an anchoring support according to the invention welded onto the body;

[0017] [Fig.2] [Fig.2] represents a perspective view of the case of [Fig.1] with a rear floor positioned to rest on the anchoring support.

[0018] In these figures, the same references are used to designate the same elements.

[0019] An anchoring support 1 according to the invention, illustrated in the figures, allows a motor vehicle safety belt 2 to be anchored, in particular a belt loop strand 3 partially illustrated in the figures.

[0020] In the example illustrated in the figures, the support 1 is formed by stamping a sheet 4.

[0021] The anchoring support 1 comprises a first interface 5, illustrated in [Fig. 1], designed to bear against and be fixed to a side member 6 of the vehicle, partially shown in the figures. To this end, the first interface 5 has a first extension 7 of the sheet metal 4 having a profile enabling it to bear against the side member 6. Thus, in the example illustrated in the figures, the first extension 7 is Z-shaped, with right angles, so as to bear against the periphery of the side member 6. The fixing of the first interface 5 to the side member 6 is, for example, effected by welding.

[0022] The support 1 further comprises a second interface 8, illustrated in [Fig. 1], designed to bear against and be fixed to a side member 9, illustrated in [Fig. 1] and extending along a wheel arch 10 of the vehicle. Like the first interface 5, the second interface 8 is formed by a second extension of the sheet metal 4 having a cross-section adapted to bear against the side member 9. The fixing of the second interface 8 to the side member 9 is effected, for example, by welding.

[0023] The first 5 and second 8 interfaces are designed to ensure reinforcement of the link between the longeron 6 and the sparonnet 9.

[0024] The anchoring support 1 according to the invention comprises a central portion 11 from which the first 5 and second 8 interfaces are formed. The first 5 and second 8 interfaces each extend from the central portion 11 in opposite directions. When the anchoring support 1 according to the invention is fixed to a box 12 according to the invention, the first 5 and second 8 portions extend in a substantially horizontal direction and in respective vertical planes.

[0025] In the example illustrated in the figures, the central part 11 forms a corner of cube 13, with rounded edges, forming a platform 14 designed to support a rear floor 15, illustrated in [Fig.2].

[0026] The anchoring support 1 further includes a third interface 16 designed to extend along a portion of the wheel arch 10. In the example illustrated in the figures, the third interface 16 extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first 5 and second 8 interfaces. When the support is installed on the body 12 according to the invention, the third interface 16 extends in a substantially vertical direction and in a vertical plane.

[0027] In the illustrated embodiment, the third interface 16 is also made of the same material as the central part 11 and extends from this central part 11. The attachment of the third interface 16 to the wheel arch 10 is achieved, for example, by welding.

[0028] The third interface 16 includes anchoring means 17 for anchoring the belt 2 to the third interface 16. In the embodiment illustrated in the figures, the anchoring means 17 include at least one fastening hole 18 sized to allow the attachment of the belt loop 3. The hole 18 is located at one end 19 of the third interface 16. The dimensions of the third interface 16, in particular its thickness, are adapted to ensure sufficiently strong anchoring of the belt 2. By way of example, the thickness of the third interface 16 is on the order of 2 mm, for example 2.1 mm. Anchoring the belt 2 in the hole 18 also advantageously utilizes a hole, not shown, provided in the wheel arch 11 in which the loop 3 is also fixed.

[0029] Thus, the vehicle body 12 according to the invention comprises at least one anchoring support 1 according to the invention, the first interface 5 being fixed in support on the longitudinal member 6, the second interface 8 being fixed in support on the longitudinal member 9 of the vehicle extending from the longitudinal member 6, the third interface 16 extending in support on a part of the wheel arch 10 of the vehicle in contact with the longitudinal member 6 and the longitudinal member 9. Advantageously, the body 12 comprises two anchoring supports 1 allowing the anchoring of the rear belts 2 of the vehicle.

[0030] Thus, the support 1 according to the invention makes it possible to reinforce the anchorage of the belt 2 by securing the latter to the longitudinal members 6 and longitudinal member 9, which are dimensioned to withstand the pull-out or deformation forces imparted to the anchorage by the loop strand 3 during strong deceleration. The anchorage support 1 limits the addition of material and avoids increasing the thickness of the wheel arch 10.

[0031] The invention is not limited to the embodiment of the anchoring support described above, which is given only as an example, but other embodiments may be designed by a person skilled in the art without going outside the scope and scope of the present invention.

Claims

Demands

1. Motor vehicle body (12) comprising at least one side member (6), at least one side member (9) and at least one wheel arch (10) and comprising at least one motor vehicle seat belt anchor bracket (1) designed to permit and reinforce the anchoring of a vehicle seat belt (2), the anchor bracket (1) comprising a first interface (5) designed to bear against and be fixed to said side member (6) of the vehicle, the bracket (1) further comprising a second interface (8) designed to bear against and be fixed to said side member (9) extending from the side member (6) and extending along said wheel arch (10) of the vehicle, the first (5) and second (8) interfaces being designed to ensure reinforcement of the connection between said side member (6) and said side member (9),the anchoring support (1) further comprising a third interface (16) designed to extend in support along a portion of said wheel arch (10) in contact with the side member (6) and the side member (9) and comprising anchoring means (17) to allow the belt (2) to be anchored to the third interface (16).

2. Motor vehicle body (12) comprising at least one longitudinal member (6), at least one longitudinal member (9) and at least one wheel arch (10) and comprising at least one anchoring support (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the support (1) comprises a central part (11), the first (5), second (8) and third (16) interfaces coming from material with the central part (11) and each extending from the central part (11).

3. Motor vehicle body (12) comprising at least one longitudinal member (6), at least one longitudinal member (9) and at least one wheel arch (10) and comprising at least one anchoring support (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the central part (11) forms a platform (14) designed to support a rear floor (15) of the vehicle.

4. Motor vehicle body (12) comprising at least one longitudinal member (6), at least one longitudinal member (9) and at least one wheel arch (10) and comprising at least one anchoring support (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the anchoring means (17) comprise at least one fixing hole (18) dimensioned for to allow the attachment of a belt loop strand (3), the orifice (18) being disposed at one end (19) of the third interface (16).

5. Motor vehicle body (12) comprising at least one longitudinal member (6), at least one longitudinal member (9) and at least one wheel arch (10) and comprising at least one anchorage support (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the support (1) is formed by stamping a sheet (4).

6. Carcass (12) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises two anchoring supports (1) welded to the carcass (12).

7. Motor vehicle having a body (12) according to claim 5 or 6.