Seat belt apparatus for vehicle driver

Abstract

The present invention relates to a seat belt device for a vehicle driver, wherein the first connecting mechanism (100) coupled to the shoulder belt (11) of the webbing (10) and the second connecting mechanism (200) coupled to the driver's seat airbag cover (40) can relieve chest compression of the driver (5) caused by the shoulder belt (11) when the driver (5) wears the seat belt, and when the driver's seat airbag (50) is activated due to a collision accident, the connection between the first connecting mechanism (100) and the second connecting mechanism (200) is released so that the driver's (5) upper body can be safely restrained normally through the shoulder belt (11) and wrap belt (12) of the webbing (10).

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a seat belt device for a vehicle driver, and more specifically, to a technology for a seat belt device for a vehicle driver that can relieve chest pressure on the driver when worn. Background Technology

[0002] Vehicles are equipped with seat belts that protect passenger safety by restraining the upper body in the event of an accident; the seat belt is structured so that a passenger wears the seat belt by fastening a buckle tongue provided on the webbing to a buckle connected to the vehicle body.

[0003] Figure 1 illustrates an example of a three-point seat belt, wherein the webbing (10) includes a shoulder belt (11) that restrains the passenger's shoulders and chest, and a wrap belt (12) that restrains the waist and pelvis.

[0004] The tongue (21) attached to the webbing (10) is inserted and fastened into the buckle (22), and the shoulder belt (11) of the webbing (10) drawn out from the retractor (23) is supported by the webbing guide (24) installed on the upper part of the body pillar (1, center pillar) to wrap around the passenger's chest area, and the wrap belt (12) of the webbing (10) fixed by the anchor (25) on the lower side of the seat (3) wraps around the passenger's waist area.

[0005] In the past, when a passenger wore a seat belt, the shoulder belt (11) of the webbing (10) was in close contact with the passenger's chest area and strongly compressed the passenger's chest. As a result, there was a disadvantage in that the passenger was reluctant to wear the seat belt due to the discomfort of wearing the seat belt.

[0006] The matters described above as background technology are intended only to enhance understanding of the background of the present invention and should not be construed as an acknowledgment that they constitute prior art already known to those skilled in the art. Prior art literature

[0007] Republic of Korea Published Patent Application No. 10-2013-0047014 The problem to be solved

[0008] The present invention is a seatbelt device for a vehicle driver that uses a webbing shoulder belt connected to a driver's airbag cover provided on a steering wheel, and aims to relieve chest pressure on the driver when worn, thereby reducing discomfort associated with wearing the seatbelt.

[0009] In addition, the driver's seatbelt device according to the present invention is configured such that the connection between the webbing shoulder belt and the driver's airbag cover is automatically released when the driver's airbag is activated due to a collision accident, thereby having another purpose of ensuring that the passenger's upper body restraint by the webbing is faithfully performed in the event of a collision accident. means of solving the problem

[0010] The present invention, a seat belt device for a vehicle driver to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, comprises: a first connecting mechanism coupled to a shoulder belt of webbing; and a second connecting mechanism coupled to a driver's seat airbag cover provided on a steering wheel; and is characterized in that the shoulder belt is separated from the driver through the connection of the first connecting mechanism and the second connecting mechanism, thereby relieving chest compression of the driver caused by the shoulder belt.

[0011] The above-mentioned first connecting mechanism and second connecting mechanism are connected, and when the driver's airbag cover is damaged due to the operation of the driver's airbag, the connection between the first connecting mechanism and the second connecting mechanism is released, and the shoulder belt of the webbing is pressed against the driver's upper body by the operation of the retractor, thereby enabling the restraint of the driver's upper body by the webbing.

[0012] The first connecting mechanism is characterized by being able to move along the shoulder belt while combined with the shoulder belt.

[0013] The above first connecting mechanism is characterized by being coupled to be fixed at any one position of the shoulder belt.

[0014] The first connecting mechanism is characterized by comprising: a base portion having a through hole formed therein through which a shoulder belt passes; and a circular ring portion connected to the base portion so as to be rotatable with respect to the base portion.

[0015] The second connecting mechanism is characterized by comprising: a hook portion that is hooked onto a circular ring portion; and a ball portion provided on the hook portion and coupled with the driver's seat airbag cover.

[0016] The driver's seat airbag cover is formed to accommodate a ball portion and a guide groove that guides the movement of the ball portion is formed to be connected in a circular manner; the position of the ball portion does not change when the steering wheel is rotated, and the guide groove moves along the direction of rotation, thereby the second connecting mechanism is characterized in that its position is maintained at a certain point on the driver's seat airbag cover regardless of the rotation of the steering wheel.

[0017] It is characterized by further including a metal bearing installed between the ball portion and the guide groove to minimize frictional interference.

[0018] The driver's seat airbag cover is provided with a tier line that crosses the center of the driver's seat airbag from left to right; and the second connecting mechanism is characterized by being coupled to be located at a position below the tier line on the front of the driver's seat airbag cover.

[0019] The driver's seat airbag cover is provided with a tear line that crosses the center of the driver's seat airbag from left to right; the driver's seat airbag cover is separated into an upper cover that rotates upward and a lower cover that rotates downward while tearing along the tear line when the driver's seat airbag is activated; and the second connecting mechanism is coupled to the lower cover so that when the lower cover rotates downward, the circular ring part detaches from the hook part, thereby releasing the connection between the first connecting mechanism and the second connecting mechanism. Effects of the invention

[0020] The driver's seat belt device according to the present invention has the effect of relieving chest compression of the driver caused by the shoulder belt when the driver wears the seat belt through the connection of a first connecting mechanism coupled to the shoulder belt of the webbing and a second connecting mechanism coupled to the driver's airbag cover.

[0021] In addition, the present invention provides that when the driver's airbag is activated due to a frontal collision while the first and second connecting mechanisms are connected, the connection between the first and second connecting mechanisms is released as the driver's airbag cover tears along the tear line. Simultaneously, the webbing shoulder belt is tightly bound to the driver's shoulder and chest area by the winding operation of the retractor, and the webbing wrap belt is bound to the driver's waist and pelvis area. As a result, in the event of an accident, the driver is safely and normally restrained by the seat belt. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0022] FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining an example of a three-point seat belt, FIG. 2 is a drawing of an example of use of a seatbelt device for a vehicle driver according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a drawing for explaining a first connecting mechanism coupled to a shoulder belt of a webbing and a second connecting mechanism coupled to a driver's seat airbag cover according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the portion where the first connecting mechanism is connected in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the portion where the second connecting mechanism is connected in FIG. 3, FIG. 6 is a drawing showing the first connecting mechanism of the shoulder belt and the second connecting mechanism of the driver's seat airbag cover connected to each other according to the present invention. Figure 7 is a diagram showing the state in which the connection between the first connecting mechanism and the second connecting mechanism is released when the driver's airbag is activated due to a collision accident. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0023] Specific structural or functional descriptions of the embodiments of the present invention disclosed in this specification or application are merely illustrative for the purpose of explaining embodiments according to the present invention, and embodiments according to the present invention may be implemented in various forms and should not be interpreted as being limited to the embodiments described in this specification or application.

[0024] Since embodiments according to the present invention may be subject to various modifications and may take various forms, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in this specification or application. However, this is not intended to limit embodiments according to the concept of the present invention to specific disclosed forms, and it should be understood that they include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0025] Terms such as "first," "second," etc., may be used to describe various components, but said components shall not be limited by said terms. For the sole purpose of distinguishing one component from another, for example, without departing from the scope of rights according to the concept of the present invention, the first component may be named the second component, and similarly, the second component may be named the first component.

[0026] When it is stated that one component is "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that while it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, there may also be other components in between. Conversely, when it is stated that one component is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between. Other expressions describing the relationship between components, such as "between" and "exactly between," or "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to," should be interpreted in the same way.

[0027] The terms used herein are merely for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as “comprising” or “having” are intended to specify the existence of the described features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0028] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this specification.

[0029] A control unit (controller) according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be implemented through a non-volatile memory (not shown) configured to store data relating to an algorithm configured to control the operation of various components of a vehicle or software instructions for executing said algorithm, and a processor (not shown) configured to perform the operation described below using the data stored in said memory. Here, the memory and the processor may be implemented as separate chips. Alternatively, the memory and the processor may be implemented as a single chip integrated with each other. The processor may take the form of one or more processors.

[0030] Hereinafter, we will examine a seatbelt device for a vehicle driver according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings, and we will describe it by assigning the same reference numerals to components identical to those in the prior art.

[0031] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 7, the vehicle driver seat belt device according to the present invention includes a webbing (10) that restrains the upper body of the driver (5) as the driver (5) wears it, and the webbing (10) includes a shoulder belt (11) that restrains the passenger's shoulders and chest, and a wrap belt (12) that restrains the waist and pelvis.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 1, the tongue (21) attached to the webbing (10) is inserted and fastened into the buckle (22), and the shoulder belt (11) of the webbing (10) drawn out from the retractor (23) is supported by a webbing guide (24) installed on the upper part of the body pillar (1, center pillar), and the wrap belt (12) of the webbing (10), fixed by an anchor (25) on the lower side of the seat (3), wraps around the waist area of ​​the driver (5).

[0033] The driver's seat belt device according to the present invention includes a first connecting mechanism (100) coupled to a shoulder belt (11) of a webbing (10); and a second connecting mechanism (200) coupled to a driver's seat airbag cover (40) provided on a steering wheel (30).

[0034] After the driver (5) sits in the driver's seat, the webbing (10) is pulled to release it from the retractor (23), and the tongue (21) is fastened to the buckle (22). Then, the first connecting mechanism (100) connected to the shoulder belt (11) and the second connecting mechanism (200) connected to the driver's seat airbag cover (40) are connected to each other, causing the shoulder belt (11) of the webbing (10) to move away from the driver (5) toward the front, thereby freeing the driver's (5) chest from pressure caused by the shoulder belt (11). (Refer to FIGS. 2 and 6)

[0035] In addition, in the driver's seat belt device according to the present invention, when the driver's seat airbag cover (40) is damaged by the operation of the driver's seat airbag (50) while the first connecting mechanism (100) and the second connecting mechanism (200) are connected to each other, the connection between the first connecting mechanism (100) and the second connecting mechanism (200) is released (see FIG. 7), and at the same time, the shoulder belt (11) of the webbing (10) is pressed against the upper body of the driver (5) by the winding operation of the retractor (23), so that the upper body of the driver (5) is restrained by the webbing (10), and thus the driver (5) can be safely restrained normally by the seat belt in the event of an accident.

[0036] The first connecting mechanism (100) according to the present invention includes a base portion (110) having a through hole (111) through which a shoulder belt (11) of a webbing (10) passes, and a circular ring portion (120) connected to the base portion (110) so as to be rotatable with respect to the base portion (110).

[0037] As the shoulder belt (11) has a structure that penetrates the through hole (111) of the base part (110), the first connecting mechanism (100) can be a structure that moves along the longitudinal direction of the shoulder belt (11), and the structure in which the first connecting mechanism (100) moves along the shoulder belt (11) can be adopted as the basic structure.

[0038] Additionally, the first connecting mechanism (100) may be a structure that is coupled to be fixed at any position on the shoulder belt (11), but a structure in which the first connecting mechanism (100) is fixed at any position on the shoulder belt (11) may make it inconvenient to connect the first connecting mechanism (100) and the second connecting mechanism (200) when adjusting the length of the webbing (10) according to the body shape of the driver (5).

[0039] The second connecting mechanism (200) according to the present invention includes a hook portion (210) that is hooked onto a circular ring portion (120) of the first connecting mechanism (100), and a ball portion (220) that is provided on the hook portion (210) and coupled with a driver's seat airbag cover (40).

[0040] The first connecting mechanism (100) and the second connecting mechanism (200) are connected to each other by the locking structure of the circular ring portion (120) and the hook portion (210), and when the locking of the circular ring portion (120) and the hook portion (210) is released, the first connecting mechanism (100) and the second connecting mechanism (200) can be disconnected.

[0041] On the front of the driver's seat airbag cover (40), a ball portion (220) of the second connecting mechanism (200) is received, and a guide groove (41) that guides the movement of the ball portion (220) is formed to be connected in a circular manner.

[0042] The ball portion (220) of the second connecting mechanism (200) and the guide groove (41) of the driver's seat airbag cover (40) serve to maintain the position of the second connecting mechanism (200) at a specific position regardless of the rotation of the steering wheel (30).

[0043] That is, when the steering wheel (30) rotates, the position of the ball portion (220) does not change, and instead, the guide groove (41) moves along the direction of rotation, so that the second connecting mechanism (200) can maintain its position at any point on the driver's seat airbag cover (40) regardless of the rotation of the steering wheel (30).

[0044] According to the present invention, a metal bearing (60) may be installed between the ball portion (220) of the second connecting mechanism (200) and the guide groove (41) of the driver's seat airbag cover (40) to minimize frictional interference between the ball portion (220) and the guide groove (41) when the steering wheel (30) rotates.

[0045] The reason for maintaining the position of the second connecting mechanism (200) at any point on the driver's seat airbag cover (40) regardless of the rotation of the steering wheel (30) is to facilitate the release of the connection between the first connecting mechanism (100) and the second connecting mechanism (200) when the driver's seat airbag (50) is activated due to a collision accident.

[0046] That is, a tear line (70) is provided on the front of the driver's seat airbag cover (40) that crosses the center of the driver's seat airbag (50) from left to right, and the ball portion (220) of the second connecting mechanism (200) is inserted into the guide groove (41) of the driver's seat airbag cover (40) and coupled so that it is positioned below the tear line (42) on the front of the driver's seat airbag cover (40).

[0047] When a collision occurs and the driver's seat airbag (50) is activated and the airbag cushion is deployed, the driver's seat airbag cover (40) is torn along the tear line (42) as shown in Fig. 7 due to the deployment pressure of the airbag cushion.

[0048] When the driver's seat airbag cover (40) is torn along the tear line (42), the front of the driver's seat airbag cover (40) is separated into an upper cover (43) that rotates upward and a lower cover (44) that rotates downward.

[0049] The second connecting mechanism (200) according to the present invention is structured to be coupled to a lower cover (44) that rotates downward. When the lower cover (44) rotates downward, the hook portion (210) of the second connecting mechanism (200) faces downward, and at this time, the circular ring portion (120) of the first connecting mechanism (100) is disengaged from the hook portion (210). By this operation, the connection between the first connecting mechanism (100) and the second connecting mechanism (200) is released.

[0050] When the connection between the first connecting mechanism (100) and the second connecting mechanism (200) is released by the operation of the driver's seat airbag (50) in the event of a collision, the shoulder belt (11) of the webbing (10) is pressed against the upper body of the driver (5) by the winding operation of the retractor (23). As a result, the shoulder and chest area of ​​the driver (5) is restrained by the shoulder belt (11) of the webbing (10), and the waist and pelvic area of ​​the driver (5) is restrained by the wrap belt (12), so that the driver (5) can be safely restrained normally by the seat belt in the event of an accident.

[0051] As described above, the driver's seat belt device according to the embodiment of the present invention has the advantage of relieving chest compression of the driver (5) caused by the shoulder belt (11) when the driver (5) wears the seat belt through the connection of the first connecting mechanism (100) coupled to the shoulder belt (11) of the webbing (10) and the second connecting mechanism (200) coupled to the driver's seat airbag cover (40).

[0052] In addition, the present invention has the advantage that when the driver's seat airbag (50) is activated due to a frontal collision while the first connecting mechanism (100) and the second connecting mechanism (200) are connected, the driver's seat airbag cover (40) is torn along the tear line (42), thereby releasing the connection between the first connecting mechanism (100) and the second connecting mechanism (200). At the same time, the shoulder belt (11) of the webbing (10) is restrained by being closely attached to the shoulder and chest area of ​​the driver (5) by the winding operation of the retractor (23), and the wrap belt (12) of the webbing (10) restrains the waist and pelvic area of ​​the driver (5). As a result, in the event of an accident, the driver (5) is safely restrained normally by the seat belt.

[0053] Although the present invention has been illustrated and described in relation to specific embodiments, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be modified and changed in various ways without departing from the technical spirit of the invention as provided by the following claims. Explanation of the symbols

[0054] 1 - Filler 3 - Seat 5 - Driver 10 - Webbing 11 - Shoulder belt 12 - Wrap belt 21 - Tongue 22 - Buckle 23 - Retractor 24 - Webbing Guide 25 - Anchor 30 - Steering Wheel 40 - Driver's Airbag Cover 41 - Guide Home 42 - Tearline 43 - Upper Cover 44 - Lower cover 50 - Driver's airbag 60 - Metal bearing 100 - First connecting mechanism 110 - Base part 111 - Through hole 120 - Circular ring part 200 - Second connecting mechanism 210 - Hook part 220 - Ball part

Claims

Claim 1 A seat belt device for a vehicle driver comprising: a first connecting mechanism coupled to a shoulder belt of webbing; and a second connecting mechanism coupled to a driver's airbag cover provided on a steering wheel; wherein the shoulder belt is separated from the driver through the connection of the first connecting mechanism and the second connecting mechanism, thereby relieving chest compression of the driver caused by the shoulder belt; and wherein, when the driver's airbag cover is damaged by the operation of the driver's airbag while the first connecting mechanism and the second connecting mechanism are connected, the connection between the first connecting mechanism and the second connecting mechanism is released, and the shoulder belt of webbing is pressed against the driver's upper body by the operation of a retractor, thereby enabling upper body restraint of the driver by the webbing. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 A seat belt device for a vehicle driver according to claim 1, characterized in that the first connecting mechanism is movable along the shoulder belt while coupled with the shoulder belt. Claim 4 A seat belt device for a vehicle driver according to claim 1, characterized in that the first connecting mechanism is coupled to be fixed at any one position of the shoulder belt. Claim 5 A seat belt device for a vehicle driver according to claim 1, wherein the first connecting mechanism comprises: a base portion having a through hole through which a shoulder belt passes; and a circular ring portion connected to the base portion so as to be rotatable with respect to the base portion. Claim 6 A seatbelt device for a vehicle driver according to claim 5, wherein the second connecting mechanism comprises: a hook portion hooked onto a circular ring portion; and a ball portion provided on the hook portion and coupled to a driver's seat airbag cover. Claim 7 A seatbelt device for a vehicle driver according to claim 6, wherein the driver's seat airbag cover is formed to receive a ball portion and a guide groove that guides the movement of the ball portion is formed to be connected in a circular manner; and wherein, when the steering wheel is rotated, the position of the ball portion does not change and the guide groove moves along the direction of rotation, so that the second connecting mechanism maintains its position at any point on the driver's seat airbag cover regardless of the rotation of the steering wheel. Claim 8 A seatbelt device for a vehicle driver according to claim 7, further comprising a metal bearing installed between the ball portion and the guide groove to minimize frictional interference. Claim 9 A seatbelt device for a vehicle driver according to claim 6, wherein the driver's seat airbag cover is provided with a tier line that crosses the center of the driver's seat airbag from left to right; and the second connecting mechanism is coupled to be located at a position below the tier line on the front of the driver's seat airbag cover. Claim 10 A seatbelt device for a vehicle driver according to claim 6, wherein the driver's seat airbag cover is provided with a tear line that crosses the center of the driver's seat airbag from left to right; the driver's seat airbag cover is separated into an upper cover that rotates upward and tears along the tear line when the driver's seat airbag is activated, and a lower cover that rotates downward; and the second connecting mechanism is coupled to the lower cover so that when the lower cover rotates downward, the circular ring portion detaches from the hook portion, thereby releasing the connection between the first connecting mechanism and the second connecting mechanism.

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