Seat Belt Retainer Alignment for Adjustable Belt Positioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing seat belt retainers in vehicles often struggle to adjust the position of seat belts effectively across occupants of varying heights, leading to suboptimal force distribution during collisions or sudden stops, and may not fit within the space constraints of the vehicle while withstanding incident forces.
Innovation Solution
A seat belt retainer with a body having an opening for an actuator and a guide supported by the body, where the actuator and guide are at least partly aligned along the longitudinal axis of the seat belt, allowing for adjustable seat belt positioning and reduced space requirements in vehicles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the position of seat belt is changed by varying the height of where the seat belt egresses from a B-pillar, then the seat belt position can be adjusted for different occupant heights, but this may not be appropriate depending on the design of the vehicle and location of seats in relation to the B-pillar
Solution Approach 1:
A retainer assembly is introduced as an intermediary component between the B-pillar and the seat belt. The retainer includes a guide that receives the seat belt and an actuator that can move the guide along the longitudinal axis of the seat belt, providing adjustable positioning without requiring modification of the B-pillar structure itself.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of adjusting seat belt position only in the vertical dimension (height variation), the invention introduces adjustment along the longitudinal axis of the seat belt through the movable guide mechanism, adding a horizontal dimension to the positioning capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a retainer is provided in the vehicle to constrain the path of the seat belt, then the seat belt position can be constrained, but the retainer needs to fit within the space constraints of the vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator is mounted within the opening of the retainer body, and the guide is integrated into the retainer structure. This nested arrangement allows the actuator and guide to occupy minimal additional space while still providing full functionality for seat belt positioning and constraint.
Solution Approach 2:
The retainer assembly combines multiple functions into a single integrated structure: the body provides mounting and structural support, the guide constrains the seat belt path, and the actuator provides adjustment capability. This merging reduces the total space required compared to separate components.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a device that modifies the path of a seat belt is provided, then optimal distribution of forces during collision can be achieved, but the device needs to withstand any incident forces received from the seat belt during collision or sudden stop
Solution Approach 1:
The guide is designed to be movable along the longitudinal axis of the seat belt rather than being fixed. This dynamic capability allows the seat belt path to be adjusted for optimal force distribution across different occupant sizes, while the retainer body maintains structural strength to withstand incident forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The retainer body is designed with localized strength at critical points where incident forces are transmitted to the support structure, while other portions of the structure can be optimized for weight and space efficiency. The actuator and guide mechanisms are positioned to leverage the structural strength of the retainer body.
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 2
AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention provide a seat belt retainer (10) for a vehicle, the retainer (10) comprising a body (11) having an opening (12), the body (11) being configured for attachment to a support. An actuator (17) is mounted within the opening (12), the actuator (17) being moveable within the opening (12) for actuating a seat latch mechanism. A guide (13) is supported by the body (11), the guide (13) defining an at least partial aperture (14) for receiving a seat belt (19) therethrough. The actuator (17) and the guide (13) are at least partly aligned along the longitudinal axis (100) of the seat belt (19) passing through the aperture (14), in use.