Variable Rigidity Belt Guide for Vehicle Seatbelt Load Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing passenger restraining devices for vehicles face challenges in uniformly distributing the load during a front collision, as the chest abutting member may not be positioned correctly due to variations in passenger physique and posture, leading to inadequate load transmission to the collarbone.
Innovation Solution
A three-point seatbelt device with a belt guide that is fixed to the seat shoulder opening, featuring a front side portion harder to bend than the rear side, ensuring the belt guide self-fits at an appropriate position to transmit load to the collarbone, and adjustable pads with varying ease of bending to accommodate different passenger physiques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a chest abutting member is provided at the shoulder belt to distribute deformation uniformly, then the burden to the passenger body is decreased, but the chest abutting member cannot be positioned correctly due to differences in passenger physiques and seated postures
Solution Approach 1:
The belt guide is designed with different bending rigidities at different positions: the front side portion is harder to bend while the rear side portion is easier to bend. This dynamic flexibility allows the belt guide to adapt to various passenger physiques and seated postures, automatically positioning itself correctly along the shoulder while maintaining uniform load distribution to the chest.
2Device complexity
If the chest abutting member is fixed at an initial position, then the structure is simple, but at the time of front collision the chest abutting member cannot follow the forward movement of the passenger and will come away from the chest portion
Solution Approach 1:
The belt guide incorporates a front side portion that is harder to bend and a rear side portion that is easier to bend, creating a dynamic structure that can follow passenger movement during collision while maintaining proper positioning. This differential rigidity design allows the system to remain simple in structure while achieving reliable load reception during front collisions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the belt guide is made uniformly flexible to accommodate different passengers, then adaptability is improved, but the ability to transmit load to the collarbone is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The belt guide is designed with non-uniform bending rigidity: the front side portion is harder to bend to ensure proper load transmission to the collarbone, while the rear side portion is easier to bend to accommodate different passenger physiques and seated postures. This local differentiation of mechanical properties allows the system to achieve both adaptability and effective load transmission.
Data Source
AI summary
A passenger restraining device for a vehicle having a three-point seatbelt device, a shoulder belt extending from above, a seat transverse direction one end side of a seatback of a vehicle seat toward a lower portion; a belt guide at an upper portion side of the seat transverse direction one end side of the seatback, through which the shoulder belt is inserted, that's disposed along a restrained surface of a passenger seated in the vehicle; a fixing portion fixes a rear end portion of the belt guide to a seat shoulder opening at the seat transverse direction one end side of an upper portion of the seatback; and a front side portion at a length direction front side of the belt guide, in a usual state, disposed further toward a vehicle front side than a collarbone of the passenger seated in the vehicle, and structured to be hard to bend.