Automobile seat belt devices

Abstract

To provide a seat belt device having two independent seat belt retractors that can be easily and inexpensively attached to a vehicle. [Solution] The automobile seat belt device includes a lap belt (3) having one end retractable by a first seat belt retractor, a shoulder belt (2) having one end retractable by a second seat belt retractor, and a seat belt buckle that can be fixed to the vehicle. The lap belt (3) and shoulder belt (2) are assigned seat belt tongues (1) that can be removably locked to the seat belt buckle, and the lap belt (3) and shoulder belt (2) are formed by different portions of a belt strap (100), and the seat belt tongue (1) is fixed to the belt strap (100) and divides the belt strap (100) into a portion forming the shoulder belt (2) and a portion forming the lap belt (3).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The invention relates to a seat belt device for a motor vehicle having the features of the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] The prior art is known to provide a three-point configuration for automobile seat belt systems, which includes two seat belt retractors fixed to the vehicle, into which the lap belt and shoulder belt can be retracted at their ends independently of each other. A seat belt buckle is also provided, which is fixed to the vehicle, and into which the free ends of the lap belt and shoulder belt can be locked by a common seat belt tongue. To achieve the three-point configuration, the lap belt and shoulder belt are threaded onto the occupant from the same side, while the seat belt buckle, into which the ends of the lap belt and shoulder belt can be locked by the seat belt tongue, is fixed on the other side of the occupant. For this purpose, the seat belt retractors can be fixed to the vehicle structure or the vehicle seat on the same side of the occupant, while the seat belt buckle is fixed on the other side of the occupant.

[0003] Such a seat belt system is described in DE 199 15 275 A1, in which a dedicated seat belt retractor is arranged for each of the lap belt and shoulder belt. The belt ends of the lap belt and shoulder belt are threaded through a common seat belt tongue, which can be fastened to a seat belt buckle for fastening the seat belt. The seat belt system is designed so that, during installation on the installation line by the vehicle manufacturer, the two seat belt sections are connected to the seat belt tongue by connecting the lap belt or the shoulder belt.

[0004] The invention is based on the problem of creating a seat belt device with two independent seat belt retractors that can be easily and inexpensively installed in a vehicle.

[0005] This problem is solved by a seat belt system having the features of claim 1. Preferred developments of the invention are set out in the dependent claims, the drawings and the accompanying description.

[0006] According to the basic idea of ​​the invention, it is proposed that the lap belt and shoulder belt of a seat belt system are formed by different parts of a single belt strap, with a seat belt tongue being fixed to the belt strap and dividing the belt strap into a part forming the shoulder belt and a part forming the lap belt.

[0007] An advantage of the present invention is that the installation of a seat belt system having two seat belt retractors connects the lap belt portion and the shoulder belt portion to a common seat belt tongue without requiring any additional installation steps other than fastening the seat belt retractors and the seat belt buckle to the vehicle seat or vehicle structure. This is because the belt strap is formed by a single belt strap, and the non-changing length lap belt and the non-changing length shoulder belt are formed by dividing the belt strap by the seat belt tongue fastened to the belt strap. Therefore, the installation of the seat belt system only requires fastening the two seat belt retractors and the seat belt buckle to the vehicle seat or vehicle structure, after which the seat belt system can be used without any additional installation steps.

[0008] It is further proposed that the seat belt tongue has a tongue base body with a through-opening, the tongue base body having a guide web on one side of the through-opening and a blocking tongue on the other side of the through-opening, the belt strap extending through the through-opening, the guide web and the blocking tongue being arranged on different sides of the seat belt strap.With the proposed solution, when a pulling force is applied to the belt strap, the seat belt tongue is exposed to this pulling force directly, and not via the fixed connection point between the seat belt tongue and the belt strap, thereby preventing or at least reducing stress on the fixing points of the seat belt tongue itself in the event of an accident.

[0009] In this case, the seat belt tongue is fixed, preferably by a guide web, to the side of the belt strap facing away from the seat belt buckle when the seat belt tongue is in the locked position. The fastening point of the seat belt tongue is therefore located in the region of the belt strap between the end of the lap belt and the end of the shoulder belt, which extend at an acute angle from the seat belt tongue. This eliminates the exposure of the fastening point of the seat belt tongue to tensile forces during restraint, thereby reducing the likelihood of mechanical damage to the fastening point under load.

[0010] It is further proposed that the seat belt tongue has a guide web, and that the seat belt tongue is secured by the guide web in a belt loop sewn onto one side of the belt strap. Due to the guide web and the seat belt tongue's fastening to the belt loop sewn onto one side of the belt strap by this guide web, the seat belt tongue can still pivot slightly relative to the belt strap even when secured. These pivoting movements are necessary for adjusting the seat belt tongue when locking it into the seat belt buckle. In this case, the belt loop forms an independent fastening component secured to the belt strap, and no other modifications are required to the belt strap itself. The belt strap only needs to have a flat, unmarked outer surface where the lap belt and shoulder belt separate, onto which the belt loop can be sewn.

[0011] Furthermore, it is proposed that in this case the belt loop is formed by a portion of the belt strap folded over itself, and that the folded over portion is sewn to the belt strap with a first seam, resulting in a three-layer overlap. Due to the proposed embodiment of the belt loop and the sewing of the belt strap portion at the folded over portion, the belt loop can be sewn to the belt strap with only one seam, which reduces the manufacturing operations and the associated manufacturing costs.

[0012] Furthermore, in this case, it is proposed that the tip of the folded portion of the belt loop extend beyond the triple-layer overlap and be sewn to the belt strap at the tip with a second seam, forming a double-layer overlap. The tip extending beyond the triple-layer overlap and its sewing further improve the fastening strength of the belt loop. Furthermore, the edge of the triple-layer overlap extending across the belt strap is covered with a uniform wavy shape by the tip that extends above it, resulting in a significantly lower edge height for the remaining double-layer overlap. This reduces the mechanical load on the edge itself even when the belt strap slides across clothing or seat surfaces, reducing wear on these surfaces due to edge sliding.

[0013] Alternatively, it is proposed that the belt loop be formed by a belt strap portion having a narrower protruding portion at one end and a cutout at the other end, the width of which is equal to or greater than that of the protruding portion. The belt strap portion having the protruding portion is folded into the cutout to form the belt loop and sewn with at least one stitch, connecting the protruding portion and the edge portion of the belt strap portion defining the cutout to the belt strap. In the proposed belt loop embodiment, the folded portion sinks into a deliberately formed recess, so that the belt loop itself is a single layer even in the sewing area, and is sewn to the belt strap in a double layer. This allows both the belt strap portion in the side edge area of ​​the cutout and the folded-over area of ​​the protruding portion to be sewn to the belt strap independently and independently of each other, so that weakening of the stitching does not necessarily weaken the fastening strength of the belt loop in other areas. Furthermore, this allows the belt strap to be thinner in the belt loop sewing area.

[0014] It is further proposed that the through-opening on the side facing the guide web is delimited by two edges which extend conically outwards from the through-opening, causing the through-opening to be widened in its central longitudinal section perpendicular to the belt strap, so that the seat belt tongue can make a slight pivoting movement towards the belt strap and against it.

[0015] In this case, the block tongue preferably has one locking opening for engaging with the locking part of the seat belt buckle, and this locking opening and the through opening are continuous with each other, so that the through opening and the locking opening form a common opening.

[0016] In this case, the conically extending edges of the through opening preferably merge into the edges of the locking opening, so that the geometric shape of the through opening and the locking opening can be achieved with edges that are as uniform as possible and a width that is as constant as possible.

[0017] It is further proposed that the seat belt tongue is fixed to the belt strap with an angular adjustment of 5 to 20 degrees relative to the longitudinal direction of the belt strap. This angular adjustment of the seat belt tongue can at least slightly reduce the angular adjustment of the seat belt tongue relative to the belt strap when locked in the seat belt buckle and the resulting wrinkle formation of the belt strap. Furthermore, this allows the seat belt tongue to be positioned in an ergonomic and easy-to-grasp position when in the parking position before fastening the seat belt.

[0018] The present invention will now be described based on preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a belt strap of a seat belt system according to the present invention with an angled seat belt tongue, lap belt, and shoulder belt; FIG. [Figure 2] 2A and 2B are views of the straight belt strap with seat belt tongue of FIG. 1 from three different perspectives. [Figure 3] 2A-2C are diagrams of the seat belt tongue and belt strap of FIG. 1 with the seat belt tongue and belt strap tilted at an angle in various positions. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a side view of a belt strap with a belt loop according to a first alternative. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the belt strap with belt loop of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a side view of a belt strap with a belt loop according to a second alternative. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the belt strap with belt loop of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a view of a belt strap portion for forming a belt loop according to a second alternative. [Figure 9] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a belt strap with a seat belt tongue and belt loop of FIG. 6.

[0020] 1 and 2 show a portion of a seat belt device for a motor vehicle according to the present invention from various perspectives. The seat belt device has a single belt strap 100, which is divided into a shoulder belt 2 and a lap belt 3 by a seat belt tongue 1 fixed thereto. The ends of the shoulder belt 2 and the lap belt 3 can be retracted into independent seat belt retractors (not shown). A seat belt buckle, also not shown, is also provided, and the seat belt tongue 1 can be locked into the seat belt buckle when the belt strap 100 is fastened.

[0021] To achieve the three-point configuration of the seat belt system, the seat belt retractor is fixed to the vehicle seat or vehicle structure on one side of the occupant, and the seat belt buckle is fixed to the vehicle seat or vehicle structure on the other side of the occupant. If the seat belt retractors are not fixed directly beside the occupant, they can also be fixed at a remote location, and the shoulder belt 2 and / or lap belt 3 can be redirected by one or more guide devices and guided to the occupant's shoulder and / or lap belt after the redirection.

[0022] The seat belt tongue 1 has a tongue base body 30 with a through-opening 8, through which a belt strap 100 extends. Furthermore, the tongue base body 30 of the seat belt tongue 100 has a guide web 6 that defines the through-opening 8 on one side and a block tongue 5 that is arranged on the other side of the through-opening 8, the seat belt tongue 1 being adjusted to the belt strap 100 in such a way that, in the locked state of the seat belt tongue, the guide web 6 is arranged on the side of the belt strap 100 that faces the occupant, while, in the locked state of the seat belt tongue 1, the block tongue 5 is arranged on the side of the belt strap 100 that is assigned to the seat belt buckle. Of course, the tongue base body of the seat belt tongue 1 can also include additional cover parts, outer coatings, surface treatments or additional attachment parts, such as sensors.

[0023] As a result, when the seat belt tongue 1 is in the locked position in the seat belt buckle, the belt strap 100 is arranged so that the shoulder belt 2 and the waist belt 3 intersect at an acute angle of less than 90 degrees with respect to the seat belt tongue 1 as seen from the occupant. At this time, the guide web 6 is arranged at an acute angle, and the edge of the guide web 6 that forms the through opening 8 forms a change in direction of the belt strap 100, while the seat belt tongue 1 is locked in the seat belt buckle by the block tongue 5.

[0024] The seat belt tongue 1 is pivotably fixed to the belt strap 100 with high tensile strength via a guide web 6. For this purpose, the surface facing the occupant, i.e., the surface on which the guide web 6 is arranged, is provided with a belt loop 4 sewn to the belt strap 100, through which the guide web 6 of the seat belt tongue 1 extends.

[0025] When an occupant is restrained, the occupant is held by the shoulder belt 2 and lap belt 3 of the belt strap 100, and the tensile force applied at this time is transmitted to the seat belt buckle via the block tongue 5, and further transmitted to the vehicle structure or a vehicle seat that is firmly fixed to the vehicle. At this time, the belt loop 4 is disposed in an acute angle between the lap belt 3 and the shoulder belt 2, and is covered by the belt strap 100 on the seat belt buckle side, so that no load is applied to the belt loop 4 itself and the fixing portion of the belt loop 4 to the belt strap 100, which will be described below, during restraint, or the load is minimized as much as possible.

[0026] The through-opening 8 has a straight edge on the side of the guide web 4, which edge is preferably aligned perpendicular to the insertion direction of the seat belt tongue 1 into the seat belt buckle. Furthermore, the seat belt tongue 1 has a block tongue 5 arranged on the other side of the through-opening 8, which block tongue 5 has a locking opening 7 in the form of a rectangular opening, the longitudinal extension of which is arranged parallel to the insertion direction of the seat belt tongue 1 into the seat belt buckle and therefore perpendicular to the straight edge of the guide web 6 which defines the through-opening 8.

[0027] The through-opening 8 of the seat belt tongue 1 extends towards one another on the side facing the locking opening 7, away from the guide web 6, and is widened by edge portions 24 and 25 which extend conically outwards with respect to the through-opening 8, allowing a slight pivoting movement of the seat belt tongue 1 towards the belt strap 100 and vice versa, as can be seen in Figure 3. The conically approaching edge portions 24 and 25 then merge into edge portions of the block tongue 5 and define the locking opening 7.

[0028] As a result, the through opening 8 of the seat belt tongue 1 and the locking opening 7 of the block tongue 5 form a common or only opening in the seat belt tongue 1 which has a surrounding edge which forms on one side a guide web 6 with a straight edge.

[0029] 4 and 5 show a side view and a perspective view of a belt strap 100 with a belt loop 4 according to a first embodiment. The belt loop 4 is formed by a belt strap portion 23 folded over on itself and has a through opening 9, in which a seat belt tongue 1, which is additionally envisioned in FIGS. 4 and 5 , is fixed by a guide web 6. The belt strap portion 23 is formed by a single-layer belt material, which may be, for example, of the same fabric as the belt strap 100 forming the shoulder belt 2 and the lap belt 3. The belt strap portion 23 has a base layer 10 onto which an upper layer 11 of the belt strap portion 23 is folded over, forming the opening 9, so that the upper layer 11, base layer 10 and belt strap 100 form a three-layer overlap 14, in which the belt loop 4 is fixed to the belt strap 100 by a first seam 12. In this case, the top layer 11 is of course passed through the through-opening 8 of the seat belt tongue 1 to secure the seat belt tongue 1, so that the guide web 6 of the seat belt tongue 1 is in the opening 9 of the belt loop 4. The belt strap portion 23 further has a tip 16 extending beyond the three-layer overlap 14, which tip 16 then forms a two-layer overlap 15 with the belt strap 100, at which the belt loop 4 is additionally sewn by a second seam 13. This tip 16 covers the edge side of the base layer 10 on the belt strap 100 to form a uniform surface and additionally secures the belt loop 4 to the belt strap 100 by the second seam 13.

[0030] Figures 6 to 9 show a second alternative for the belt loop 4, and Figure 8 shows the belt strap portion 23 of the belt loop 4 before fastening to the belt strap 10. The belt strap portion 23 has on one side a tongue-like central protruding projection 17 and on the other side a cutout 18 extending into the belt strap portion 23. This cutout 18 is bounded on both sides by edge portions 19 and 20 of one belt strap portion 23, The belt strap portion 23 has a width in the longitudinal direction that is equal to or slightly larger than the width of the protrusion 17 .

[0031] To fix the belt loop 4 in the position of the belt strap 100 shown in Figures 6 and 7, the belt strap portion 23 is placed on the belt strap 100. Next, the belt strap portion 23 is folded over itself so that the protrusion 17 is in the notch 18, thereby forming the belt loop opening 9. At this time, the belt strap portion 23 has the protrusion 17 threaded through the through opening 8 of the seat belt tongue 1, so that the seat belt tongue 1 is positioned with the guide web 6 in the opening 9 of the belt loop 4, as shown in Figure 9. Next, the protrusion 17 and the edge portions 19 and 20 are sewn to the belt strap 100 by two seams 21 and 22 to form a double-layered overlapping portion. Although the seat belt tongue 1 is fixed to the belt strap 100 by a narrower, thinner protrusion 17, this is not a drawback since with the proposed arrangement of the seat belt tongue 1 the actual force when the occupant is restrained is transmitted from the belt strap 100 directly via the guide web 6 to the seat belt tongue 1. However, the proposed embodiment of the belt loop 4 has the advantage that the belt loop 4 is sewn only at the double overlap with the belt strap 100, so that the belt strap 100 is thicker in the sewing area of ​​the belt loop 4 by the single thickness of the belt strap portion 23.

[0032] The belt strap 100 is embodied as a single, one-piece belt strap 100 and extends through the through-opening 8 of the seat belt tongue 1, so that the guide web 6 and the block tongue 5 are arranged on different sides of the belt strap 100. Furthermore, the folded-over part of the belt strap portion 23 that forms the belt loop 4 also extends through the through-opening 8 and is sewn to the belt strap 100 only in the overlap region directly and via the base layer 10 of the belt strap portion 23.

[0033] The seat belt tongue 1 is fixed by first threading the belt strap 100 through the through-opening 8 of the seat belt tongue 1. Subsequently, the belt strap portion 23 is placed over the belt strap 100 and the folded portion is threaded through the through-opening 8. To fix the seat belt tongue 1 to the belt strap 100, the free end of the portion threaded through the through-opening 8 is sewn to the belt strap 100 or to the base layer 10. Alternatively, the seat belt tongue 1 can also be fixed by first threading the belt strap portion 23, folding it over and temporarily fixing it by sewing the belt loop 4, and then threading the belt strap 100 together with the belt loop 4 through the through-opening and sewing the belt loop 4 to the belt strap 100.

[0034] The seat belt tongue 1 can preferably be fastened to the belt strap 100 at an angle of 5 to 20 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction of the belt strap 100, which on the one hand allows for easier gripping of the seat belt tongue and on the other hand also improves the belt shape of the belt strap 100 in the fastening position of the seat belt system. This can be achieved, for example, by an oblique arrangement of the belt loops 4 on the belt strap 100, by adjusting the guide webs 6 obliquely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the belt strap 100 or by forming the belt loops 4 with a corresponding oblique shape.

[0035] The belt strap 100 is formed as a single belt strap 100, and each free end thereof can be wound around one seat belt retractor. To attach the belt strap 100, first, one end thereof is connected to the belt shaft of a first seat belt retractor. Next, the seat belt tongue 1 is threaded through the belt strap 100 and then secured to the belt strap 100. Finally, the remaining free end of the belt strap 100 is connected to the belt shaft of a second seat belt retractor.

Claims

1. A seat belt device for an automobile, comprising: a lap belt (3) one end of which can be retracted in a first seat belt retractor; a shoulder belt (2), one end of which can be retracted in a second seat belt retractor; - Seat belt buckle that can be securely fastened to the vehicle Equipped with - the lap belt (3) and the shoulder belt (2) are assigned a common seat belt tongue (1) which can be releasably locked to the seat belt buckle; In a seat belt device, - said waist belt (3) and said shoulder belt (2) are formed by different parts of a single belt strap (100); - the seat belt tongue (1) is fixed to the belt strap (100) and divides the belt strap (100) into the portion forming the shoulder belt (2) and the portion forming the lap belt (3); A seat belt device characterized by:

2. - said seat belt tongue (1) has a tongue base body (30) with a through opening (8), - the tongue base body (30) has a guide web (6) on one side of the through opening (8) and a block tongue (5) on the other side of the through opening (8), the belt strap (100) extends through the through opening (8), the guide web (6) and the block tongue (5) being arranged on different sides of the belt strap (100), The seat belt device according to claim 1.

3. 3. A seat belt device according to claim 2, characterized in that the seat belt tongue (1) is fixed by the guide web (6) on the side of the belt strap (100) facing away from the seat belt buckle when the seat belt tongue (1) is in the locked position.

4. A seat belt device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the seat belt tongue (1) has a guide web (6) by means of which it is fixed in a belt loop (4) sewn on one side of the belt strap (100).

5. 5. A seat belt device according to claim 4, characterized in that the belt loop (4) is formed by a belt strap portion (23) folded over on itself, said portion folded over on itself being sewn to the belt strap by a first seam (12) to form a three-layer overlap portion (14).

6. A seat belt device according to claim 5, characterized in that the tip (16) of the folded portion of the belt loop (4) extends beyond the three-layer overlapping portion (14) and is sewn to the belt strap at the tip (16) with a second seam (13), forming a two-layer overlapping portion (15).

7. 5. A seat belt device according to claim 4, characterized in that the belt loop (4) is formed by a belt strap portion (23) having, at one end, a protruding portion (17) narrower than the belt strap portion (23) and, at the other end, a cutout (18) with a width equal to or greater than that of the protruding portion (17), the belt strap portion (23) having the protruding portion (17) is folded into the cutout (18) while forming the belt loop (4) and is sewn with at least one seam (21, 22) connecting the protruding portion (17) and an edge portion (19, 20) of the belt strap portion (23) that defines the cutout (18) to the belt strap (100).

8. A seat belt device according to claim 2 or according to any one of claims 3 to 7 with reference to claim 2, characterized in that the through-opening (8) on the side facing the guide web (6) is bounded by two edges (24, 25) which extend conically outwards from the through-opening (8) towards each other.

9. - the block tongue (5) has a locking opening (7) for engaging a locking part of the seat belt buckle; - said locking opening (7) and said through opening (8) are contiguous with each other; 9. A seat belt device according to claim 2 or any one of claims 3 to 8.

10. A seat belt device according to claims 8 and 9, characterized in that the conically extending edges (24, 25) of the through opening (8) merge into the edges of the locking opening (7).

11. A seat belt device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the seat belt tongue (1) is fixed to the belt strap (100) with an angular adjustment of 5 to 20 degrees relative to the longitudinal direction of the belt strap (100).

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