A SEAT BELT ANCHORAGE

Abstract: An anchorage for a seat belt(8) for use to pro­ tect a person sitting in a front seat of a two-door vehicle comprises a slider bar(21) mounted in the in­ terior of the vehicle adjacent the door sill(4). The slider bar extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. One end(25) of the seat belt(26) is slidably attached to the bar. The bar is adapted to be moved to­ wards the sill then the bar is subjected to a force from above. Thus the upper portion of the slider bar defines an inclined planar surface(28).

Description: THE PRESENT INVENTION relates to a seat belt anchorage and more particularly to a seat belt anchorage for a seat belt provided for use by a driver or front seat passenger of a two-door vehicle. In a two-door vehicle, such as a car having only one door on each side, where a three-point seat belt is utilised it is not convenient to arrange a fixed floor anchorage for one end of the belt on the floor ad­ jacent the front seat, between the front seat and the door. Although, for safety reasons, it is desired to have one end of the belt in this location when the belt is in use, if one end of the belt is permanently an­ chored in this position, then, when the belt is not in use, and when the strap portion of the belt has been re­ tracted into the retractor reel, part of the seat belt will extend across the door opening and this will impede access to and from the rear seat. Because a part of the strap will extend across the lower rear corner of the door opening, there will be a risk that passengers will trip on the belt when getting into or when getting out of the rear seat of the car. It has been proposed previously to provide an anchorage which seeks to overcome these problems. An example of such an anchorage is disclosed in U.K.-A-­ 2003020. In this prior arrangement a slider bar is utilised which is located in position in the motor ve­ hicle to extend longitudinally of the vehicle adjacent and below the door sill. One end of the safety belt is formed into a loop which slides along the bar. This end of the belt is thus movable between a front position, in which the end of the belt is located beside the front seat, this being the position adopted by the end of the belt when the safety belt is in use, and a rear pos­ ition, located behind the front seat, which is the pos­ ition taken by the end of the belt when the safety belt is not in use. Because the slider bar passes through the loop formed at the end of the belt, the loop is automatically moved along the slider bar to the front position when the seat belt is fastened around a passenger or driver, and is automatically moved to the rear position, when the seat belt is not in use, as the rest of the belt is retracted by the retractor reel. Thus, at all times, the end of the belt is conveniently positioned. The end of the belt is in the correct position, from the safety point of view, when the seat belt is in use, and the safety belt does not extend across the door opening when the seat belt is not in use. Various prior art devices of this type have been proposed, but all of the prior art devices suffer from the disadvantage that there is a risk that a high-­ heel on a ladies shoe, for example a so-called stilleto heel, may get caught in the space between the slide bar and the adjacent door sill. If a heel does become caught in this way there is a significant risk that the lady wearing the shoe will be tripped up and may suffer injury. The present invention seeks to provide an an­ chorage point for a safety belt, of the type generally described above in which the risk of a thin heel getting caught in the space between the slide bar and the ad­ jacent door sill is reduced to a minimum or is com­ pletely eliminated. According to this invention there is provided an anchorage for a seat belt(8) for use to protect a person sitting in a front seat of a two-door vehicle, said anchorage comprising a slider bar(21) mounted in the interior of the vehicle adjacent the door sill(4) and extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, one end(25) of the seat belt(26) being slidably attached to the bar, so that the end of the belt can slide between a front position, adopted when the seat belt is in use, and a rear position, adopted when the seat belt is not in use, wherein the slider bar is adapted to be moved towards the sill when the slider bar is subjected to a force from above, so that the distance between the slider bar and the sill is reduced. Preferably the upper portion of the slider bar(21) defines a substantially planar surface(28), the planer surface being inclined to the horizontal, the normal to the planar surface being directed upwardly and away from the door sill. Conveniently the planar surface(28) is in­ clined to the horizontal at an angle of approximately 45°. Advantageously at least one end(22,23) of the slider bar is resiliently mounted in position. Conveniently at least said one end of the slider bar is provided with a supporting arm(22,23), the supporting arm being mounted on the sill(4) in such a way that the supporting arm can tilt towards the sill but cannot tilt away from the sill. Preferably the supporting arm(23) terminates in a ring-shaped element(29) defining an aperture, the shank of a bolt(35) passing through the aperture to se­ cure the ring-shaped element in position, there being a projection(30) spacing part of the ring-shaped element from a fixed part of the support and there being a res­ ilient element(33) adjacent the ring-shaped element, the arrangement being such that the ring-shaped element can tilt in one direction, with the resilient element being compressed, to enable the slider bar to move to­ wards the sill, but cannot tilt in the opposite dir­ ection due to the effect of the projection. Advantageously the projection comprises a pro­ truding lip(33) provided on the ring-shaped terminal element(29) of the supporting arm(23). Conveniently substantially identical support­ ing arms(22,23) are provided at each end of the slider bar. Preferably the central axis of the slider bar(21) is positioned between the sill and a vertical plane passing through the point(29) at which the bar is mounted to the vehicle. Conveniently the upper portion of the door sill(24) is provided with a lip(40) projecting towards the interior of the vehicle and at least partially covering the space between the slider bar(21) and the sill. In order that the invention may be more readily understood, and so that further features thereof maybe appreciated, the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which FIGURE 1 is a schematic elevational view of a prior art anchorage, illustrating the front and rear positions of one end of the seat belt, FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of the an­ chorage shown in Figure 1, FIGURE 3 illustrates a high heel on a ladies shoe getting caught in the space between the slider bar and the adjacent sill of the arrangement shown in Fig­ ures 1 and 2, FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an anchorage in accordance with the invention, FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of the embodiment shown in Figure 4 and FIGURE 6 is a view corresponding to Figure 5 illustrating a modified embodiment of the invention. Referring initially to Figures 1 to 3, a prior proposed anchorage for a safety belt comprises an elon­ gate bar 1 mounted in the motor vehicle to extend long­ itudinally of the vehicle. The front end of the bar is curved or bent to form a mounting arm 2. The free end of the arm 2 de­ fines an aperture through which passes a bolt 3 to se­ cure the end of the arm to a door sill 4. The bolt 3 is located below the level of the horizontal bar 1. The rear end of the bar 1 is also bent downwardly to form a supporting arm 5 provided with an aperture through which passes a bolt 6 which secures this arm also to the door sill 4. A loop 7 formed at one end of a safety belt 8 encircles the horizontal bar 1. The loop 7 is such that the belt 8 may be moved from a forward position, shown in solid lines in Figure 1, to a rear position, shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. It can be seen that the slider bar 1 is mounted on the door sill 4 of a motor vehicle in alignment with a door opening 9 which is located in front of a rear seat 10. Thus, effectively, the slider bar 1 is mounted adjacent the front seat of the motor vehicle, which is not shown in Figure 1 for the sake of clarity of illus­ tration. However, it will be understood that when the safety belt is in use the belt will occupy the solid line position shown in Figure 1, whereas when the belt is no longer in use, and the free length of the belt has been withdrawn into the conventional retractor reel, the belt will occupy the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. In this position the belt does not obstruct a significant part of the door opening, and thus the belt does not provide an obstruction to a person entering or leaving the rear seat of the vehicle. As shown more clearly in Figure 2 the rear sup­ porting arm 5 of the slider bar 1 terminates in a ring-­ shaped portion 11 which defines a central aperture through which passes the shank 12 of the securing bolt 6, the shank passing into a threaded bore of a mounting member 13 which is positioned within the sill 4. However, the front supporting arm 2 is of the same design. As can be seen from Figure 2 the central axis of the horizontal part of the slider bar 1 is located at a greater distance from the sill than is the ring-shaped part 11. Also the axis of the horizontal part of the slider bar 1 is located on the side of a vertical plane passing through the ring-shaped part 11 which is remote from the door sill 4. Thus, if the horizontal portion of the slider bar 1 is subjected to any pressure from above the horizontal part of the slider bar would tend to move away from the sill. Since the supporting arms 2 and 5 are inevitably slightly resilient, when the slider bar is subjected to a downward force, the space between the slide bar and the sill will be slightly increased. As can be seen from Figure 3 if a ladies shoe heel 14 engages the slider bar 1, the slider bar 1 may move away from the door sill thus providing sufficient space to catch the free end of the heel 14. This may cause a lady wearing the shoe to trip and injure herself if she is getting into the car or if she is getting out of the car. Figures 4 to 6 illustrate an embodiment of the invention. In the invention, a slider bar 21 has a central horizontal portion, the forward end of which forms a downwardly extending support arm 22 and the rear end of which forms a downwardly extending support arm 23. The support arms 22,23 are connected to a door sill 24 in the same way, and the arrangement mounting the support arm 23 of the door sill is shown in cross-section in Figure 5. As can be seen, from Figure 4, however, the slider bar 21 is encircled by a loop 25 formed at one end of the seat belt 26, and the slider bar is position­ ed on the door sill 24 adjacent a door opening 27 in a motor car. It will thus be appreciated that the slider bar 21 and the associated safety belt 26 will operate in the same way as the slider bar 1 and the associated safety belt 8 as described with reference to Figure 1. Referring now to Figure 5 it is to be noted that the horizontal portion of the slider bar 21 is not of circular cross-section, but instead is of semi-cir­ cular cross-section, presenting a substantially planar face 28 which is inclined at substantially 45° to the horizontal, the normal to the face 28 being directed up­ wards and away from the door sill 24. The support arm 23 for the slider bar 21 term­ inates in an annular flat ring-like portion 29 which defines a central aperture. The portion 29 terminates, adjacent its lower edge, with a forwardingly extending lip or flange 30. Located adjacent the portion 29 is a support member 31 of circular form, having a circular projection or boss 32. The lip 30 engages the edge of this pro­ jection 32. A washer 33 of resilient material, such as, for example, rubber is located between the portion 29 and the projection 32. A bolt 34 is provided, which has a tubular spacing element 35 surrounding part of the shank 36 of the bolt. The tubular spacing element passes through the annular element 30, the washer 33, and the member 31. The threaded shank of the bolt 36 passes into a threaded bore formed in a supporting block 37 which is mounted in the sill 24. It will be appreciated that if the upper horiz­ ontal part 21 of the slider bar tends to move outwardly the ring-shaped element 30 will tend to pivot about the axis of the bolt 35, but the lip 30 will engage the sup­ porting member 31, and since the main part of the ring-­ shaped portion 29 engages the head of the bolt, it will not be possible for the main part 21 of the slider bar to move away from the sill 24. However, if the slider bar tends to move in towards the sill, in the direction of the arrow 38 shown in Figure 5, the resilient wash­ er 33 will compress, thus permitting the slider bar to move in slightly in the direction of the arrow 38. It will be observed that since the slider bar 21 has the inclined planar face 28 if a downward force is applied to the face 28, a resultant force will be generated, effective in the direction of the arrow 38. This is partly because of the nature of the inclined face, and partly because the inclined face is located, with regard to a vertical plane passing through the ring-shaped portion 29, on the side of that plane towards the sill 24. It will thus be appreciated that there is only a very small chance that the heel of the shoe will become caught between the slider bar 21 and the sill 24. How­ ever, Figure 6 illustrates a further modified embodi­ ment of the invention, in which the same reference num­ erals are used for the same parts as shown in Figure 5. It will be seen that in the embodiment shown in Figure 6 the door sill 24 is provided with an outwardly extending rib or projection immediately above a slider bar 21, thus minimising the risk of a shoe heel being inserted in the gap between the slider bar 21 and the sill 24. Whilst essentially one embodiment of a slider bar in accordance with the invention has been described, many variations and modifications are possible within the scope of the invention. For example, it is possible for only the front end of the slider bar to be attached resiliently to the sill in the manner described. The rear end of the slider bar may be rigidly attached to the sill. In such a case only the front portion of the slider bar can move towards the sill when subjected to downward pressure, but the rear end of the slider bar may sometimes be positioned so close to the door sill that there is no real risk of a heel engaging the gap between the slider bar and the door sill in that region of the slide bar. The precise technique for mounting the front and rear end of the slider bar in position may be altered significantly, provided that at least the front end of the slider bar may move in towards the sill. The resilient washer 33 may be of rubber or any other resilient material or may be replaced by a coil spring. The resilient washer may, alternatively, be located immediately adjacent the head of the bolt, be­ tween the head of the bolt and the ring-like end 29 of the slide bar. In such an embodiment a protrusion will be provided on the upper part of the ring-shaped end 29 of the slide bar adapted to engage the inner side of the head of the bolt. In certain circumstances it may not be nec­ essary to provide a spacing means, such as the ele­ ment 31, to space the slide bar from the interior wall of the sill, especially if the interior wall of the sill is inclined. In such a case, the end of the slide bar may be attached directly to the wall of the sill, with the central axis of the horizontal part of the slide bar nevertheless being positioned on the desired side of the vertical plane passing through the mounting point. The mounting points for the slider bar may be positioned above a slider bar, but this has the dis­ advantage that the slider bar must have a stronger design, so that it can better withstand the forces oc­ curring during accidents. In such a case, the forces are compressive forces which may break the mounting arms of the slider bar. Of course, the ends of the slider bar can also be attached to other portions of the ve­ hicle than the sill, for example the floor.

Claims: 1. An anchorage for a seat belt(8) for use to protect a person sitting in a front seat of a two-door vehicle, said anchorage comprising a slider bar(21) mounted in the exterior of the vehicle adjacent the door sill(4) and extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, one end(25) of the seat belt(26) being slidably attached to the bar, so that the end of the belt can slide between a front position, adopted when the seat belt is in use, and a rear position, adopted when the seat belt is not in use, wherein the slider bar is adapted to be moved towards the sill when the slider bar is subjected to a force from above, so that the distance between the slider bar and the sill is reduced. 2. An anchorage according to Claim 1 wherein the upper portion of the slider bar(21) defines a sub­ stantially planar surface(28), the planar surface being inclined to the horizontal, the normal to the planar surface being directed upwardly and away from the door sill. 3. An anchorage according to Claim 2 wherein the planar surface(28) is inclined to the horizontal at an angle of approximately 45°. 4. An anchorage according to any one of the pre­ ceding Claims wherein at least one end(22,23) of the slider bar is resiliently mounted in position. 5. An anchorage according to Claim 4 wherein at least said one end of the slider bar is provided with a supporting arm(22,23), the supporting arm being mounted on the sill(4) in such a way that the supporting arm can tilt towards the sill but cannot tilt away from the sill. 6. An anchorage according to Claim 5 wherein the supporting arm(23) terminates in a ring-shaped ele­ ment(29) defining an aperture, the shank of a bolt(35) passing through the aperture to secure the ring-shaped element in position, there being a projection(30) spac­ ing part of the ring-shaped element from a fixed part of the support and there being a resilient element(33) ad­ jacent the ring-shaped element, the arrangement being such that the ring-shaped element can tilt in one dir­ ection, with the resilient element being compressed, to enable the slider bar to move towards the sill, but cannot tilt in the opposite direction due to the effect of the projection. 7. An anchorage according to Claim 6 wherein the projection comprises a protruding lip(33) provided on the ring-shaped terminal element(29) of the supporting arm(23). 8. An anchorage according to any one of the Claims 5 to 7 wherein substantially identical support­ ing arms(22,23) are provided at each end of the slider bar. 9. An anchorage according to any one of the pre­ ceding Claims wherein the central axis of the slider bar(21) is positioned between the sill and a vertical plane passing through the point(29) at which the bar is mounted to the vehicle. 10. An anchorage according to any one of the pre­ ceding Claims, wherein the upper portion of the door sill(24) is provided with a lip(40) projecting towards the interior of the vehicle and at least partially covering the space between the slider bar(21) and the sill.

Inventors: WEMAN, PER OLOF
Applicants: GENERAL ENGINEERING (NETHERLANDS) B.V.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: B60R22
IPC codes: B60R22