Vehicle webbing guide structure

A vehicle body includes a pillar member disposed on an outer side of a cabin in a vehicle width direction and a side wall member located closer to inside in the vehicle width direction than the pillar member and coupled to the pillar member. The guide member for guiding drawing of a webbing includes a front edge fixing portion coupled to the pillar member, a rear edge fixing portion coupled to the side wall member, and a guide body whose two ends are coupled to the front and rear edge fixing portions and which forms a webbing drawing opening together with the pillar member and the side wall member. The front and rear edge fixing portions are separated from each other with an interval greater than or equal to a width of the webbing and coupled to the pillar member and the side wall member.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-136941, filed Jul. 2, 2014, entitled “Vehicle Webbing Guide Structure.” The contents of this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle webbing guide structure for guiding a webbing of a seatbelt unit.

2. Description of the Related Art

In a known seatbelt unit of a vehicle, a retractor around which a webbing is wound is disposed below a pillar member on a side of a vehicle body, and the webbing is drawn upward from the retractor to a location below a front part of the seat by way of a guide member disposed above the pillar member (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 8-216828).

In a webbing guide structure described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 8-216828, a reinforcing member for supporting the guide member is made of a combination of a plurality of panel members on top of the pillar member, and the guide member is fixed by being bolted to the reinforcing members. The guide member has a long webbing insertion hole and is slidably attached to the reinforcing member of the pillar member.

SUMMARY

In the known webbing guide structure, the guide member having the webbing insertion hole is bolted and fixed to an upper portion of the pillar member with a single bolt (an insertion member). Thus, when a large load in a drawing direction is applied from a passenger to the webbing during the use of the seatbelt unit, this load is transferred to the upper portion of the pillar member through the guide member and the single bolt. In the known webbing guide structure, since the reinforcing member is composed of the combination of the multiple panel members, the upper portion of the pillar member can receive the applied load with sufficient rigidity.

In the known webbing guide structure, however, since the load applied from the webbing is received with the sufficient rigidity, the pillar member needs to be reinforced by the multiple panel members. The increase in the number of components might increase the weight and manufacturing cost.

The present application describes a vehicle webbing guide structure that enables a vehicle body to support a load applied from a webbing with high rigidity with a reduced increase in the number of components.

A vehicle webbing guide structure according to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure guides a webbing (e.g., a webbing16of the embodiment) of a seatbelt unit drawn upward from a webbing retractor (e.g., a retractor15of the embodiment) by changing the direction of the webbing by means of a guide member (e.g., a guide member20of the embodiment) attached to a vehicle body. In this vehicle webbing guide structure, the vehicle body includes a pillar member (e.g., a pillar member10of the embodiment) disposed on an outer side of a cabin in a vehicle width direction and a side wall member (e.g., a holding block19, a wheelhouse gusset12, and a rear wheelhouse11of the embodiment) located closer an inner side of the cabin in the vehicle width direction than the pillar member and coupled to the pillar member, the guide member includes a front edge fixing portion (e.g., a front edge fixing portion22of the embodiment) coupled to the pillar member, a rear edge fixing portion (e.g., a rear edge fixing portion23of the embodiment) coupled to the side wall member, and a guide body (e.g., a guide body24of the embodiment) whose two ends (a front end and a rear end) are coupled to the front edge fixing portion and the rear edge fixing portion and which forms a webbing drawing opening (e.g., a drawing opening21of the embodiment) together with the pillar member and the side wall member, and the locations of the front edge fixing portion and the rear edge fixing portion are separated, i.e., distanced from each other with an interval greater than or equal to a width of the webbing and coupled to the pillar member and the side wall member.

In this structure, the front edge fixing portion and the rear edge fixing portion of the guide member are fixed to the vehicle body across the pillar member and the side wall member. In this state, the webbing drawing opening is formed by the guide body of the guide member, the pillar member, and the side wall member, and the webbing drawn upward from the retractor is inserted into the webbing drawing opening. When a load in the drawing direction is applied from a passenger to the webbing during the use of the seatbelt unit, the load is dispersed to and supported by the pillar member and the side wall member of the vehicle body through the front edge fixing portion and the rear edge fixing portion of the guide member. In particular, since the front edge fixing portion and the rear edge fixing portion are separated from each other with an interval greater than or equal to the width of the webbing and coupled to the pillar member and the side wall member, the load in the drawing direction applied to the webbing is dispersed to and supported in a wider range on the vehicle body. Thus, the load applied from the webbing is supported by the vehicle body with high rigidity. The pillar member and the side wall member of the vehicle body and the guide member attached to the vehicle body across the pillar member and the side wall member form a closed cross-section with a webbing drawing opening sandwiched among them. This closed cross-section can enhance the rigidity of the vehicle body.

According to a second aspect of the embodiment, in the vehicle webbing guide structure of the first aspect, the guide body includes a webbing-sliding guide portion (e.g., a webbing-sliding guide portion25of the embodiment) that substantially linearly extends and guides the webbing such that the webbing is slidable, and a bent portion (e.g., a second bent portion27of the embodiment) that bends and is continuous with an end in a direction in which the webbing-sliding guide portion extends, and the guide member includes a projecting region (e.g., a forward projecting region32of the embodiment) that projects relative to a line connecting a fixing point (e.g., a fixing point F1of the embodiment) of the rear edge fixing portion to the side wall member and a fixing point (e.g., a fixing point F2of the embodiment) of the front edge fixing portion relative to the pillar member.

In this case, since the guide member includes the projecting region, when a load is applied to the projecting region from above, torsion easily occurs about the line connecting the fixing point of the front edge fixing portion and the fixing point of the rear edge fixing portion. Thus, the guide member can be supported with high rigidity with application of a load in the front-rear direction or the vehicle width direction. When a load is applied from above, the guide member can flexibly receive the load by utilizing torsion deformation thereof. As described above, the webbing-sliding guide portion substantially linearly extends. The term “substantially” for this purpose is intended to mean that the linearly-extending portion does not have to exactly be linear in its entire length as long as any non-linear surfaces do not affect its function to stably support a belt-shaped webbing having certain width along the linearly-extending portion.

According to a third aspect of the embodiment, in the vehicle webbing guide structure of the second aspect, the guide member is substantially symmetric with respect to a lateral line as a whole in a state where the guide member is attached to the vehicle body. In other words, a pair of the vehicle webbing guide members having the mirror image can be provided.

In this case, in a situation where horizontally symmetric attachment parts are provided on both sides in the width direction of the vehicle body, the guide member having an identical shape can be used by rotating the guide member by a half turn at each of the left and right in the vehicle width direction so that the guide members of the same type can be used on the left and right of the vehicle body. Thus, a large number of components with different specifications do not need to be manufactured, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost. As described above, the guide member is substantially symmetric. The term “substantially” for this purpose is intended to mean that the symmetric shape does not have to exactly be symmetric to such an extent that the guide members of the same type can still be used on the left and right of the vehicle body.

According to a fourth aspect of the embodiment, in the vehicle webbing guide structure of the second aspect, a bend angle (e.g., a bend angle a1of the embodiment) of a base of the front edge fixing portion with respect to the webbing-sliding guide portion differs from a bend angle (e.g., a bend angle a2of the embodiment) of a base of the rear edge fixing portion with respect to the webbing-sliding guide portion.

In this case, in attaching the guide member, if the guide member is about to be fixed to the vehicle body with incorrect positioning of the front and rear, the angles of the front edge fixing portion and the rear edge fixing portion do not match those on the attachment surface of the vehicle body. Accordingly, this structure enables an operator who is about to attach the guide member to immediately realize that the front and rear of the guide member are reversed.

According to a fifth aspect of the embodiment, in the vehicle webbing guide structure of the second aspect, the front edge fixing portion and the rear edge fixing portion are respectively fixed to the pillar member and the side wall member by fastening members (e.g., bolts28and29of the embodiment) extending substantially along the extending direction in which the webbing-sliding guide portion extends.

In this case, during the use of the seatbelt unit, when a load is applied from the webbing to the webbing-sliding guide portion in a direction substantially orthogonal to the extending direction in which the webbing-sliding guide portion extends, this load is received by the fastening members as a shearing load that is advantageous for obtaining supporting strength.

According to a sixth aspect of the embodiment, in the vehicle webbing guide structure of the fifth aspect, the fastening member for one of the front edge fixing portion or the rear edge fixing portion has an insertion part that is an oval hole.

In this case, even in the presence of errors in manufacturing of the guide member and attachment of the side wall members to the pillar members, for example, the oval hole in the insertion part of one of the fastening members absorbs such errors, and the guide member can be easily attached to the pillar member and the side wall members.

According to the embodiment, during the use of the seatbelt unit, a load from the webbing is dispersed to and supported by the pillar member and the side wall member of the vehicle body through the front edge fixing portion and the rear edge fixing portion of the guide member. Thus, the load from the webbing can be supported by the vehicle body with high rigidity. In addition, since the pillar member and the side wall member of the vehicle body and the guide member attached to the vehicle body across the pillar member and the side wall member form the closed cross-section, the rigidity of the vehicle body can be efficiently enhanced without an increase in the number of components.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, “front,” “rear,” “top,” “bottom,” and other position-related words refer to the front, rear, top and bottom, for example, of a vehicle body, without specifically defining these words. In the drawings, arrow FR refers to the front of the vehicle, arrow UP refers to the top of the vehicle, arrow LH refers to the left of the vehicle.

FIG. 1illustrates rear seats and the interior of a vehicle of an embodiment. As illustrated inFIG. 1, the rear seats of the vehicle include a left seat1L, a right seat1R, and an intermediate seat1C sandwiched between the left seat1L and the right seat1R. The left seat1L and the intermediate seat1C are formed as one unit. The seats1L,1R, and1C include a seat cushion2that supports buttocks of a passenger m, seat backs3that are coupled to a rear portion of the seat cushion2such that the seat backs3can be tilted, and headrests4that are attached to upper portions of the seat backs3and support heads and necks of passengers m. Seat side trims5composed of resin are provided on portions of the vehicle body adjacent to the left side of the seat back3of the left seat1L and the right side of the seat back3of the right seat1R. InFIG. 1, only the seat side trim5of the left seat1L is shown.

FIG. 2illustrates a left vehicle body side from which the seat side trim5on the side of the left seat1L is detached. Although now shown, the right vehicle body side including a structure of a seatbelt unit14, which will be described later, has similar structure in which the left and right are reversed as compared to the left vehicle body side. InFIG. 2, reference numeral10denotes a pillar member of the vehicle body on the opening edge at the rear of a rear door (not shown). The pillar member10extends from the floor to the roof on the vehicle width direction outer side of the left seat1L in the cabin. A rear wheelhouse11that is a panel member covering an upper portion of an upper half of a rear wheel (not shown) and the inside of the cabin is attached to a lower half of the pillar member10. A front edge of the rear wheelhouse11is coupled to and integrated with a wheelhouse gusset12that is a panel member coupling the front edge of the rear wheelhouse11and a frame member13located above the front edge.

FIG. 3is a partial cross-sectional top view illustrating a side portion of the left seat1L in the cabin. As illustrated inFIGS. 2 and 3, the wheelhouse gusset12includes a front flange12ajoined to the rear edge of the pillar member10, a front wall12bbending inward in the vehicle width direction from the rear end of the front flange12a, and an inner wall12cbending toward the rear of the vehicle body from a vehicle width direction inner edge of the front wall12b. The front wall12band the inner wall12cproject inward in the vehicle width direction relative to the pillar member10. The seat back3of the left seat1L is disposed adjacent to the inner surface in the vehicle width direction of the inner wall12csuch that the seat back3of the left seat1L can be tilted.

A retractor15of the seatbelt unit14for the left seat1L is attached to the lower edge of the front wall12bof the wheelhouse gusset12. In the seatbelt unit14, a webbing16is wound around the retractor15, and the webbing16is drawn upward from the retractor15and then drawn toward the front surface of the seat side trim5from the upper end of the wheelhouse gusset12. As illustrated inFIG. 1, an opening17through which the webbing16is drawn forward is formed in the upper end of the seat side trim5. The distal end of the webbing16drawn through the opening17is coupled to a seatbelt anchor on the vehicle body floor (not shown) by way of the left side of the seat cushion2of the left seat1L. A tongue plate18is inserted into the webbing16drawn through the opening17. A buckle9whose proximal end is fixed to the vehicle body floor (not shown) is drawn from the right side of the seat cushion2of the left seat1L. The tongue plate18near the webbing16is detachable from the buckle9.

The webbing16in an initial state is wound around the retractor15, and restrains mainly the chest and abdomen of a passenger m to the left seat1L by fixing the tongue plate18to the buckle9. The retractor15incorporates a winding spring (not shown) that biases the webbing16in the winding direction and an emergency lock mechanism (not shown) that locks drawing of the webbing16when the webbing16is quickly drawn or an impact is applied to the vehicle.

A holding block19of a metal plate member is attached to a portion of the wheelhouse gusset12above the location to which the retractor15is attached. A flared proximal end of the holding block19is joined to the inner wall12cof the wheelhouse gusset12. The holding block19includes a supporting wall19aprojecting forward from the inner wall12cand forming a segment that is a substantially circular and a protruding wall19bprotruding forward from the front wall12bof the wheelhouse gusset12to form an arch. A vehicle width direction inner end of the protruding wall19bbends at a substantially right angle and connected to the supporting wall19a. A joint flange19cextends along the circumference of the holding block19except for a joining portion at which the joint flange19cis joined to the inner wall12cof the protruding wall19b. The joint flange19cis joined to the front wall12bof the wheelhouse gusset12. Thus, the holding block19forms a substantially semicircular cylindrical closed space along the vehicle width direction between the holding block19and the front wall12bof the wheelhouse gusset12. The supporting wall19ais coupled to the vehicle width direction inner end thereof. In this embodiment, the holding block19, the rear wheelhouse11, and the wheelhouse gusset12form a side wall member of the vehicle body.

A guide member20for guiding the webbing16drawn upward from the retractor15is attached to the holding block19(a side wall member) and the pillar member10. The guide member20changes the direction of the webbing16drawn upward from the retractor15to the forward direction, and guides the direction in which the webbing16is drawn toward the opening17of the seat side trim5. The guide member20is also provided on the right vehicle body side.

FIG. 4is a partial cross-sectional top view illustrating side portions of the left seat1L and the right seat1R in the cabin. InFIG. 4, a center region in the vehicle width direction is partially broken. Character C inFIG. 4refers to the center line along the width direction of the vehicle.FIG. 5is a perspective view of the guide member20.FIG. 6is a front view in an approximately horizontal direction in which the guide member20is attached to the vehicle body. The guide member20is made of a metal rod member, and includes a front edge fixing portion22joined to a cabin side wall of the pillar member10, a rear edge fixing portion23joined to the supporting wall19aof the holding block19that is a side wall member of the vehicle body, and a guide body24whose ends on both sides are joined to the front edge fixing portion22and the rear edge fixing portion23and which form a drawing opening21(a webbing drawing opening) together with the pillar member10, the wheelhouse gusset12, and the holding block19.

The guide body24includes a cylindrical webbing-sliding guide portion25that extends substantially linearly and slidably guides the webbing16along the outer peripheral surface, a first bent portion26that bends from an end of the webbing-sliding guide portion25toward the front of the vehicle body, and a second bent portion27(a bent portion) that bends from the other end of the webbing-sliding guide portion25toward the rear of the vehicle body. In the guide member20, the first bent portion26and the second bent portion27are formed by bending two separate portions of a linear metal wire in opposite directions. End portions in the extending directions in which the first bent portion26and the second bent portion27extend are radially crushed. These crushed end portions are used as the front edge fixing portion22and the rear edge fixing portion23.

The front edge fixing portion22and the rear edge fixing portion23are crushed in a direction approximately along the direction (the axial direction) in which the webbing-sliding guide portion25extends. The flat portions of the front edge fixing portion22and the rear edge fixing portion23formed by the crushing are bases22aand23athat are overlaid on the cabin inner side surface of the pillar member10and the cabin inner side surface of the supporting wall19aof the holding block19as illustrated inFIG. 3. The bases22aand23aof the front edge fixing portion22and the rear edge fixing portion23are fastened and fixed to the pillar member10and the holding block19with bolts28and29, which are fastening members. The bases22aand23aof the front edge fixing portion22and the rear edge fixing portion23have insertion holes30and31(insertion parts) into which the bolts28and29are inserted. The insertion hole30of the front edge fixing portion22is circular, and the insertion hole31of the rear edge fixing portion23is oval. The front edge fixing portion22and the rear edge fixing portion23are separated from each other with an interval greater than or equal to the width of the webbing16and fastened and fixed to the pillar member10and the holding block19.

The guide member20is fixed to the vehicle body by fastening with the bolts28and29of the front edge fixing portion22and the rear edge fixing portion23such that the entire guide member20is substantially horizontally oriented in a side view. In a configuration in which the guide member20is attached to the vehicle body as described above, the front edge fixing portion22and the first bent portion26continuous with the front edge fixing portion22linearly extend toward the rear of the vehicle body, and the rear edge fixing portion23and the second bent portion27continuous with the rear edge fixing portion23linearly extend toward the front of the vehicle body. The webbing-sliding guide portion25of the guide member20linearly extends substantially along the vehicle width direction while being slightly tilted toward the rear of the vehicle body from the first bent portion26to the second bent portion27. The bolts28and29that fix the front edge fixing portion22and the rear edge fixing portion23of the guide member20to the vehicle body extend substantially along the vehicle width direction, that is, substantially along the direction in which the webbing-sliding guide portion25extends. In this state, bolts28and29are fastened to the vehicle body.

As illustrated inFIG. 3, in the state where the guide member20is attached to the vehicle body, the guide member20includes a forward projecting region32(a projecting region) that projects forward in the vehicle body relative to a line L connecting a fixing point F1of the bolt29to the holding block19of the rear edge fixing portion23and a fixing point F2of the bolt28to the pillar member10of the front edge fixing portion22. The guide member20is oriented at an angle different from a bend angle a1of the base22aof the front edge fixing portion22with respect to the axis of the webbing-sliding guide portion25and a bend angle a2of the base23aof the rear edge fixing portion23with respect to the axis of the webbing-sliding guide portion25. The guide member20is substantially symmetric with respect to a lateral line as a whole in a state where the guide member20is attached to the vehicle body.

In the webbing guide structure of this embodiment, the webbing16drawn upward from the retractor15is drawn toward the front of the sheets1L and1R through the drawing opening21at the rear of the guide member20and the opening17of the seat side trim5. While the passenger m wears the seatbelt unit14, when the webbing16is strongly jerked forward by the upper body of the passenger m so that the lock mechanism of the retractor15operates, the jerking load of the webbing16acts on the guide body24of the guide member20.

At this time, the load applied from the webbing16to the guide body24of the guide member20is dispersed to and supported by the pillar member10on the side of the vehicle body and the holding block19, the wheelhouse gusset12, and the rear wheelhouse11, for example, located on the inner sides in the vehicle width direction of the pillar member10through the front edge fixing portion22and the rear edge fixing portion23. In particular, in the guide member20of this embodiment, the front edge fixing portion22and the rear edge fixing portion23are separated from each other with an interval greater than or equal to the width of the webbing16and coupled to the pillar member10and the holding block19. Thus, the load in the drawing direction of the webbing16is dispersed and supported in a wide range on the vehicle body. Accordingly, in the webbing guide structure of this embodiment, the load applied from the webbing16can be supported by the vehicle body with high rigidity without a significant increase in the number of components due to the presence of additional reinforcing members in the vehicle body.

In the webbing guide structure of this embodiment, the front edge fixing portion22and the rear edge fixing portion23of the guide member20are coupled to the pillar member10on the side of the vehicle body and the holding block19that is the vehicle body side wall member closer to the center in the vehicle width direction than the pillar member10. In addition, the guide member20, the pillar member10, and the holding block19, for example, form a closed cross section (the drawing opening21) substantially in a horizontal direction. Thus, the guide member20that guides the webbing16can efficiently enhance the rigidity in the vehicle width direction and the front-rear direction of the side portions of the vehicle body.

Furthermore, in the webbing guide structure of this embodiment, the guide member20is attached to the vehicle body such that the guide body24is substantially horizontally oriented. In addition, the guide body24includes the forward projecting region32that projects forward in the vehicle body relative to the line L connecting the fixing point F1of the rear edge fixing portion23to the vehicle body and the fixing point F2of the front edge fixing portion22to the vehicle body. Thus, in the guide member20, when the load is applied in the vehicle width direction or the front-rear direction, this load can be supported with high rigidity. On the other hand, when a large load is applied to the forward projecting region32from above, torsion deformation easily occurs about the line L connecting the fixing points F1and F2as indicated by the arrows inFIG. 6. Accordingly, in this webbing guide structure, when the passenger load acts on the forward projecting region32of the guide member20from above, torsion deformation of the guide member20enables the passenger load to be flexibly received.

In the webbing guide structure of this embodiment, the guide member20is substantially symmetric with respect to a lateral line as a whole in a state where the guide member20is attached to the vehicle body. Thus, as illustrated inFIG. 4, in a case where the attachment portion of the vehicle body is symmetric with respect to a top-bottom line, the common guide member20can be used by rotating the guide member20by a half turn at each of the left and right in the vehicle width direction. This configuration eliminates the necessity for separately preparing dedicated components for the left and right sides of the vehicle body, resulting in reduction of the cost of products.

In the webbing guide structure of this embodiment, the bend angle a1of the base22aof the front edge fixing portion22differs from the bend angle a2of the base23aof the rear edge fixing portion23in the guide member20. Thus, when attaching the guide member20to the vehicle body, if the guide member20is about to be fixed to the vehicle body by incorrect positioning of the front and rear as indicated by the vertical lines inFIG. 7, the angles of the bases22aand23aof the front edge fixing portion22and the rear edge fixing portion23do not match those on the attachment surface of the vehicle body. Accordingly, this structure enables an operator who is about to attach the guide member20to the vehicle body to immediately realize that the front and rear of the guide member20are reversed.

In the webbing guide structure of this embodiment, the front edge fixing portion22and the rear edge fixing portion23of the guide member20are fastened to the pillar member10and the holding block19with the bolts28and29substantially along the direction in which the webbing-sliding guide portion25of the guide member20extends. Thus, during the use of the seatbelt unit14, when a load is applied from the webbing16to the webbing-sliding guide portion25of the guide member20in a direction substantially orthogonal to the direction in which the webbing-sliding guide portion25extends, this load is received by the bolts28and29as a shearing load that is advantageous for obtaining supporting strength. As a result, the structure described above can efficiently enhance the supporting rigidity and strength of the guide member20.

In the webbing guide structure of this embodiment, the insertion hole31formed in the rear edge fixing portion23of the guide member20is oval. Thus, even in the presence of errors in manufacturing of the guide member20and attachment of the side wall members of the vehicle body, for example, the oval hole absorbs such errors, and the guide member20can be easily attached to the pillar member10and the side wall members of the vehicle body. In this embodiment, the insertion hole31of the rear edge fixing portion23of the guide member20is oval. Alternatively, the insertion hole30of the front edge fixing portion22may be oval.

The present application is not limited to the foregoing embodiment, and various design changes can be made within the scope of the present disclosure.