Seat belt structure

Abstract

To facilitate wearing of a seat belt in a seat belt structure capable of storing a buckle.SOLUTION: A seat belt structure 10 includes: a buckle section 12 to which a tongue plate mounted on a belt 11 is fitted; and a belt winding device 13. The buckle section 12 has a body section 14, a storage section 15 for storing the body section 14, a support section 16 which supports the body section 14 so that the body section 14 can swing between a storage position and a mounting position, a wire 17 which has one end connected to the body section 14 and pulls up the body section 14 from the storage position to the mounting position, and a spring 18 which biases so that the body section 14 is returned from the mounting position to the storage position. The belt winding device 13 has a wire winding device 19 to which the other end of the wire 17 is connected, winds the wire 17 according to unwinding of the belt 11, and unwinds the wire 17 according to winding of the belt 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a seat belt structure provided for each seat of a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Seat belts are equipped as safety devices for holding the bodies of passengers on the seats of various vehicles such as passenger cars and trucks. Generally, a vehicle seat belt is fastened by fitting a tongue plate attached to a belt-like belt into a buckle provided on the side of the seat surface. Conventionally, a technique is known in which a storage portion for storing this buckle is provided on the seat surface side so that the buckle can be stored in the storage portion when the seat belt is not worn (for example, Patent Document 1). According to the technique of Patent Document 1, when wearing (using), the user takes out the buckle from the storage portion by hand.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in a structure in which the buckle is lifted by hand and taken out from the storage portion as in the above conventional technology, the operation of lifting the buckle by hand becomes difficult, and it may take time to wear the belt. For example, when the inside of the vehicle is dark at night or in an indoor parking lot, it is difficult to find the buckle, so it may take time to wear the belt. Also, when there is a passenger in the adjacent seat, the operation space is limited, so it may take time to wear the belt. Therefore, in the conventional technology, there is room for improvement in facilitating the wearing of the seat belt in a seat belt structure capable of storing the buckle.

[0005] This invention was created in view of the above problems, and aims to facilitate the wearing of a seat belt in a seat belt structure capable of accommodating a buckle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] This invention was made to solve at least part of the above problems and can be realized as the following aspects or application examples.

[0007] The seat belt structure according to this application example is provided for each seat of a vehicle, and includes a buckle portion in which a tongue plate attached to a continuously belt-shaped belt is detachably fitted, and a belt winding device for winding and unwinding the belt. In this seat belt structure, the buckle portion includes a main body portion into which the tongue plate is fitted, a housing portion recessed in a side portion of the seat surface of the seat for housing the main body portion, a support portion for swingably supporting the main body portion between a housing position where the main body portion is housed in the housing portion and a mounting position where the main body portion is pulled upward from the housing portion, a long string-like member having one end connected to the main body portion, a cord body for pulling up the main body portion from the housing position to the mounting position, and a biasing member for biasing the main body portion to return to the housing position in a state where the main body portion is pulled up to the mounting position. Further, the belt winding device includes a cord winding device to which the other end of the cord body is connected, and which winds the cord body in response to the unwinding of the belt by the belt winding device and unwinds the cord body in response to the winding of the belt by the belt winding device.

[0008] According to this seat belt structure, when the belt is unwound from the belt winding device during wearing, the cord body is wound by the cord winding device. Thereby, the main body portion is pulled up to the mounting position by the cord body. When the belt is removed, the belt winder winds the belt, and the rope is unwound by the rope winder, which releases the main body from being pulled up by the rope. The main body moves from the worn position to the stored position by the biasing force of the biasing member, and is stored in the storage section. As described above, the main body can be stored in the storage portion when the belt is not worn, and when the belt is worn, the main body is automatically removed from the storage portion as the belt is unwound. Therefore, in a seat belt structure capable of accommodating the buckle (the main body of the buckle portion), fastening of the seat belt can be facilitated. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the seat belt structure of the present invention, in a seat belt structure capable of accommodating a buckle, fastening of the seat belt can be facilitated. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

[0011] The embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to exclude the application of various modifications and techniques not specified in the embodiments. The configurations of the following embodiments can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the embodiments. In addition, they can be selected or combined as necessary.

[0012] Hereinafter, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle to which the seat belt structure according to the present embodiment is applied is also referred to as the vehicle length direction, and the lateral direction of the vehicle is also referred to as the vehicle width direction. Further, the vertical direction orthogonal to both the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction is also referred to as the vehicle height direction. Note that the lateral direction is defined based on the posture facing the front of the vehicle. In the drawings, the front is indicated by "FR", the rear is indicated by "RR", the left is indicated by "LH", the right is indicated by "RH", the upper is indicated by "UP", and the lower is indicated by "DW".

[0013] [1. Configuration] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a seat belt structure 10 according to the present embodiment together with a seat 1 (shown by a broken line in FIG. 1) of a vehicle equipped with the seat belt structure 10. The vehicle is, for example, a passenger car, a truck, or the like, and the vehicle type is not limited. FIG. 1 shows a case where the seat 1 is a rear seat of the vehicle as an example. This seat 1 includes a seat cushion 1A forming a seat surface and a seat back 1B supporting the back surface of the seated occupant. In FIG. 1, only the right seat located on the right side is shown, and other seats (center seat or left seat) provided adjacent to the right seat are omitted.

[0014] The seat belt structure 10 is provided for each seat 1 for one person in the vehicle, and is a safety device that holds the body of the occupant seated on the seat with a belt 11 (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1. Note that a part of the belt 11 is omitted) that is continuous in a belt shape. The seat belt structure 10 includes the belt 11, a buckle portion 12 disposed on the left side portion (one side portion) of the seat cushion 1A (seat 1), and a belt retractor 13 disposed on the right side of the seat 1.

[0015] One end of the belt 11 is connected to the belt retractor 13 and is wound around an upper guide (not shown) disposed above the belt retractor 13, and the other end is fixed to the right side portion (the other side portion) of the seat cushion 1A (seat 1). A tongue plate (not shown), which is a plate-like metal fitting that fits into the buckle portion 12, is attached to the belt 11.

[0016] The buckle portion 12 is a member into which a tongue plate, which is a plate-like metal fitting attached to the belt, is detachably fitted. As is well known, the occupant can fasten (fix) the belt 11 at a desired length by fitting the tongue plate to the buckle portion 12. The state in which the belt 11 is fastened to the buckle portion 12 is referred to as the "worn state", and the state in which the belt 11 is not fastened to the buckle portion 12 is referred to as the "non-worn state".

[0017] The belt winder 13 is a retractor to which one end of the belt 11 is connected and which winds up and pays out the belt 11. The belt winder 13 is disposed on the rear surface side on the right side of the seat back 1B and, for example, inside the inner wall panel of the vehicle. The belt winder 13 includes a drum-shaped rotating body 13A to which one end of the belt 11 is connected, and the belt 11 is wound around the outer periphery of the rotating body 13A around its axis. The belt 11 is paid out in response to rotation of the rotating body 13A in one direction around its axis and is wound up in response to rotation in the other direction. Note that various mechanisms such as a mechanism that locks in an emergency, a pretensioner that draws in the belt during operation, and a force limiter that mitigates impact may be attached to the belt winder 13.

[0018] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing an enlarged buckle portion 12 with a part in cross section. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the buckle portion 12 includes a main body portion 14, a housing portion 15 (shown by a dashed-dotted line in the figure), and a support portion 16. The main body portion 14 has an insertion opening 14A for inserting the tongue plate and is a member into which the tongue plate is fitted. The housing portion 15 is a case body having a space for housing the main body portion 14 inside. The housing portion 15 is recessed in the left side portion of the seat cushion 1A in order to house the main body portion 14 below the seating surface of the seat cushion 1A. The housing portion 15 has an opening on its upper surface, and the main body portion 14 can be inserted into and removed from the housing portion 15 through the opening on the upper surface. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the state in which the main body portion 14 is housed in the housing portion 15 is shown by a solid line. Also, in FIG. 1, the state in which the main body portion 14 is taken out from the housing portion 15 to the outside is shown by a broken line.

[0019] The support portion 16 is a member that supports the main body portion 14 so as to be swingable, and is disposed behind the housing portion 15 at the left side portion of the seat cushion 1A. Specifically, the support portion 16 supports the main body portion 14 so as to be swingable between the "housing position" and the "mounting position". The housing position of the main body portion 14 is the position of the main body portion 14 in the state of being housed in the housing portion 15 as shown by a solid line in FIG. 1, and can also be said to be the position of the main body portion 14 in the state where the belt is not worn (used). In FIG. 2, the housing portion 15 is shown by a one-dot chain line.

[0020] The mounting position of the main body portion 14 is the position of the main body portion 14 in the state of not being housed in the housing portion 15 as shown by a broken line in FIG. 1, and can also be said to be the position of the main body portion 14 in the state where the belt is worn (used). The main body portion 14 is exposed on the seating surface of the seat cushion 1A at the mounting position, while being hidden under the seating surface of the seat cushion 1A at the housing position. That is, the mounting position is the position where the main body portion 14 is pulled up from the housing position onto the seating surface of the seat cushion 1A, and the housing position can also be said to be the position where the main body portion 14 is pushed down from the mounting position where it is exposed on the seating surface so as to be hidden under the seating surface.

[0021] The buckle portion 12 is provided with a wire 17 and a spring 18 for pulling up the main body portion 14 from the housing position to the mounting position and for returning it from the mounting position to the housing position. The wire 17 is a long string-like member (rope body) for pulling up the main body 14 from the storage position to the mounting position, and is formed of, for example, a wire rope (cable) made of metal. The spring 18 is a biasing member for returning the main body 14 from the mounting position to the storage position, and is formed of, for example, a compression coil spring.

[0022] Next, a detailed configuration example of the buckle portion 12 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the support portion 16 is formed of a sheet metal member having a U-shaped cross section with left and right side surfaces and a bottom surface, and each side surface extends in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, and the bottom surface extends in the front-rear direction and the vehicle width direction. It is arranged in a posture. The main body portion 14 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and an insertion port 14A having a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped space is provided inside thereof. Further, a plate 14B having an L-shape when viewed from the side is provided on the main body portion 14 on the side opposite to the insertion port 14A. The plate 14B of the main body portion 14 is disposed between the left and right side surfaces of the support portion 16 in a posture parallel to the side surface of the support portion 16.

[0023] A pin 16A is installed between the left and right side surfaces of the support portion 16. This pin 16A is inserted through the substantially central portion of the bent portion 14C in the plate 14B. The main body portion 14 is supported so as to be swingable in the up-down direction about the pin 16A. At one end of the wire 17 is connected to an end portion 14D that extends from the bent portion 14C to the side opposite to the main body portion 14 (upward in FIG. 2). The wire 17 is disposed so as to extend rearward from the end portion 14D.

[0024] The support portion 16 is provided with an inclined surface-like bracket 16B having an upward gradient along the front-rear direction. The rear end 16C of the bracket 16B forms a standing surface portion disposed behind the end portion 14D of the plate 14B. A spring 18 is interposed between the rear end 16C of the bracket 16B and the end 14D of the plate 14B. In FIG. 2, a wire 17 is inserted into the notch 16D of the rear end 16C of the bracket 16B, and the wire 17 and the spring 18 are coaxially arranged.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2, in the accommodation position, the main body 14 is in a posture of falling forward with respect to the pin 16A. When the wire 17 is pulled backward from this accommodation position, the main body 14 swings upward about the pin 16A and is lifted to the mounting position. In a state where the main body 14 is lifted to the mounting position, the end 14D of the plate 14B moves rearward and downward about the pin 16A, and the spring 18 is compressed and deformed. Therefore, due to the repulsive force (biasing force) of the spring 18, the main body 14 is biased to return from the mounting position to the accommodation position.

[0026] Returning to FIG. 1, a wire winding device (rope winding device) 19 is attached to the belt winding device 13. The wire winding device 19 is configured such that the other end of the wire 17 is connected, and the wire 17 is wound in accordance with the feeding of the belt 11 by the belt winding device 13 and the wire 17 is fed out in accordance with the winding of the belt 11 by the belt winding device 13. Here, the wire 17 is routed on the back side of the seat back 1B so as to connect the buckle portion 12 (main body 14) disposed on the left side of the seat 1 and the wire winding device 19 disposed on the right side of the seat 1.

[0027] The length of the wire 17 is set such that when the wire 17 is wound by the wire winding device 19, the wire 17 lifts the main body 14 to the mounting position, and when the wire 17 is fed out by the wire winding device 19, the lifting of the main body 14 to the mounting position by the wire 17 is released. In other words, the wire 17 is slack without applying tension to the main body 14 in the non-mounted state, and is arranged to lift the main body 14 from the accommodation position to the mounting position in the mounted state.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the wire winding device 19. The wire winding device 19 shown in Fig. 3 includes a drum portion 20 around which a wire 17 is wound, and a rotation mechanism 21 that rotates the drum portion 20 in conjunction with the rotation of the belt winding device 13. The drum portion 20 is a cylindrical member, and the wire 17 is wound around the periphery thereof around the axis. The rotation mechanism 21 includes a small pulley 21A, a large pulley 21B, and a transmission belt 21C. The small pulley 21A is provided coaxially with the rotation shaft 13B of the rotating body 13A of the belt winding device 13 and can rotate integrally with the rotating body 13A.

[0029] The large pulley 21B is rotatably supported by a rotation shaft 23 provided parallel to the rotation shaft 13B. The transmission belt 21C is wound around the outer peripheries of the small pulley 21A and the large pulley 21B, and the rotation of the small pulley 21A is transmitted to the large pulley 21B via the transmission belt 21C. The drum portion 20 is connected coaxially with the large pulley 21B, and the large pulley 21B and the drum portion 20 can rotate integrally.

[0030] In the wire winding device 19, the rotation direction of the drum portion 20 is set to rotate in a first direction in which the wire 17 is wound when the belt 11 is paid out in the belt winding device 13, and to rotate in a second direction in which the wire 17 is paid out when the belt 11 is wound in the belt winding device 13. In Fig. 3, the first direction is indicated by a white arrow, and the second direction is indicated by a black arrow. The first direction is the direction in which the wire 17 is wound and is also the direction in which the belt 11 is paid out. The second direction is the direction in which the wire 17 is paid out and is also the direction in which the belt 11 is wound.

[0031] [2. Operational effects] The seat belt structure 10 according to the present embodiment described above has the following operational effects. According to the seat belt structure 10 according to the present application example, in the non-wearing state of the belt 11, since the wire 17 does not apply tension to the main body portion 14 and is relaxed, the main body portion 14 is located at the storage position and is stored in the storage portion 15. When the user pulls the belt 11 and unwinds the belt 11 from the belt take-up device 13 when wearing the belt 11, the wire 17 is wound up by the wire take-up device 19. As a result, the main body 14 is pulled backward by the wire 17 and lifted to the wearing position. In the state where the belt 11 is worn, the main body 14 is held at the wearing position by the tension of the wire 17.

[0032] When removing the belt 11, when the user removes the tongue plate from the buckle portion 12 (main body 14) and the belt 11 is wound up by the belt take-up device 13, the wire 17 is unwound by the wire take-up device 19. As a result, since the lifting of the main body 14 by the wire 17 is released (loosened), the main body 14 moves from the wearing position to the storage position by the repulsive force (biasing force) of the spring 18 and is stored in the storage portion 15.

[0033] As described above, when the belt 11 is not worn, the main body 14 can be stored in the storage portion 15, and when the belt 11 is worn, the main body 14 is automatically taken out of the storage portion 15 in response to the unwinding of the belt 11. Therefore, in the seat belt structure 10 capable of accommodating the buckle (the main body 14 of the buckle portion 12), the wearing of the seat belt can be facilitated.

[0034] [3. Others] The seat belt structure 10 is not limited to the above-described structure. For example, the seat 1 to which the seat belt structure 10 is applied is not limited to the rear right seat, and may be, for example, the rear center seat or the left seat, or may be the driver's seat or the passenger seat provided in the front part. The cable is not limited to the metal wire 17, and may be formed of any material as long as it is a long string-like member. The biasing member is not limited to a compression coil spring as long as it is a member that biases the main body to return from the wearing position to the storage position, and may be formed of any biasing member. The structure of the wire take-up device 19 is not limited to the structure using a pulley as shown in FIG. 3, and may be any structure such as a structure combining gears. Further, the seat belt structure 10 is not limited to the belt structure of the present embodiment, and may be a three-point seat belt structure or a four-point seat belt structure.

Explanation of Signs

[0035] 1 Seat 1A Seat cushion 1B Seat back 10 Seat belt structure 11 Belt 12 Buckle part 13 Belt winder 13A Rotating body 13B Rotating shaft 14 Main body part 14A Insertion port 14B Plate 14C Bending part 14D End part 15 Accommodation part 16 Support part 16A Pin 16B Bracket 16C Rear end 16D Notch 17 Wire (cable) 18 Spring (biasing member) 19 Wire winder (cable winder) 20 Drum part 21 Rotation mechanism 21A Small pulley 21B Large pulley 21C Transmission belt 23 Rotating shaft

Claims

【Claim 1】 A seat belt structure provided for each seat of a vehicle, comprising: a buckle portion in which a tongue plate attached to a belt that is continuously formed in a belt shape is detachably fitted; and a belt winding device that winds and unwinds the belt. The buckle portion includes: a main body portion into which the tongue plate is fitted; a housing portion that is recessed in a side portion of a seat surface of the seat and houses the main body portion; a support portion that supports the main body portion so as to be swingable between a housing position in which the main body portion is housed in the housing portion and a mounting position in which the main body portion is pulled up from the housing portion to the outside; a cord body formed of a long string-shaped member having one end connected to the main body portion, for pulling up the main body portion from the housing position to the mounting position; and a biasing member that biases the main body portion to return to the housing position in a state where the main body portion is pulled up to the mounting position. The belt winding device includes: a cord winding device to which the other end of the cord body is connected, and that winds the cord body in accordance with the unwinding of the belt by the belt winding device and unwinds the cord body in accordance with the winding of the belt by the belt winding device. A seat belt structure characterized by the above.

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