Segmented Passenger Restraint Housing for Vehicle Safety Compliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The original passenger restraint housing in some vehicles, such as the Chevrolet Camaro from 1974-1981 and 1982-1992, no longer meets current safety regulations set by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, necessitating a new design that complies with present safety standards while ensuring occupant security during collisions.
Innovation Solution
A passenger restraint housing with a frame, retractor, and mounting brackets, where the frame has specific portions and transitions for secure mounting to the vehicle, and the retractor is fastened to the frame via apertures, allowing the seat belt to be threaded through a guide, ensuring compliance with safety standards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the original housing design is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but it does not meet current safety regulations
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into multiple portions (first portion, second portion, third portion) connected by transitions, allowing each segment to be optimized for specific functions while meeting safety requirements. This segmentation enables the structure to achieve both compliance and manufacturability.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure serves multiple functions: it provides mounting surfaces for brackets, secures the retractor, maintains structural integrity during collisions, and complies with safety regulations. The multi-functional design resolves the contradiction by integrating safety compliance into the basic structure rather than adding separate components.
2Reliability
If mounting brackets are added to comply with safety standards, then safety compliance is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting brackets are integrated with the housing portions through direct attachment, merging the mounting function into the existing housing structure. This reduces overall device complexity by eliminating separate mounting components and simplifying the assembly process.
Solution Approach 2:
Mounting brackets are strategically positioned at specific locations on the housing portions where they are most effective for safety compliance. This localized approach ensures safety requirements are met without adding brackets throughout the entire structure, thereby minimizing complexity increases.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the frame dimensions are increased to improve mounting stability, then stability is improved, but the housing volume increases
Solution Approach 1:
The frame dimensions and bracket positions are optimized to provide adequate mounting stability while maintaining a compact housing volume. The design allows for adjustable or optimized dimensions that achieve the minimum required stability without excessive volume increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing dimensions, bracket sizes, and spacing are carefully selected parameters that balance stability requirements with volume constraints. By optimizing these parameters, the design achieves mounting stability without unnecessarily increasing the overall housing volume.
Data Source
AI summary
A passenger restraint housing for a vehicle including a frame having a top surface and a bottom surface, a retractor secured to the bottom surface of the frame and operatively arranged to hold a seat belt, and at least one mounting bracket, where the mounting bracket is arranged to be secured to the body of the vehicle. The frame further includes a first portion, a first transition, a second portion, a second transition, and a third portion. The first and second portions are secured to one another via the first transition and the second and third portions are secured to one another via the second transition. The first and second portions are disposed at opposite ends of and integral with the first transition and the second and third portions are disposed at opposite ends of and integral with the second transition.