Abstract:
A combat vehicle restraint system accommodates a wide range of soldiers, both with and without battle, arctic, or chemical gear. The restraint system includes lengthened belts and an adjustable buckle position. The belts include loops for locating and grasping the belts, and separate lap and shoulder belts with small narrowing ends to prevent catching on gear. The belts are extendable from Inertial reels which are calibrated for off-road operation. The buckle engages each belt separately and includes a single action release. The buckle position is easily adjusted using an oversized knob so that a soldier may easily find and adjust buckle length in the dark, wearing heavy gloves, or with muddy slippery fingers. The latch/unlatch mechanism and associated hardware is an open frame type to reduce or eliminate affects of mud, dust, water or other contaminants on operation.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to occupant restraint systems for vehicles used in combat zones and in particular to a seat harness providing ease of use and improved occupant protection.  
         [0002]     From 1985 to the present, a standard automotive style 3-point restraint system (i.e., harness) with a push button release buckle has been supplied in military Humvee vehicles. This harness has resulted in numerous safety problems because it was not designed for the unique requirements of soldiers in combat situations  
         [0003]     A recent solicitation from the government to improve occupant safety and usage included many requirements. One of the top requirements was to fit a wide range of soldiers both with and without battle gear. Battle gear is equipment worn by the soldier when in hostile situations. The gear includes personal armor, a vest for carrying equipment, a backpack, a water container (Camel Back) and numerous other types of additional equipment. A result of wearing battle gear is that the soldier sits further forward in the seat than normal.  
         [0004]     The standard automotive style 3-point harness presently used connects to fixed vehicle attachment points. Unfortunately, such fixed points are in relation to the seat, not necessarily to the occupant, and may not be easy to use or provide the desired occupant protection. For example, the buckle position affects vehicle ingress and rapid emergency egress, and affects effective harness operation in the event of an accident. As a result, the known fixed buckle position may result in difficulty in using the harness and therefore may not be used, and when used may fail to protect an occupant from injury in the event of an accident.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The present invention addresses the above and other needs by providing a combat vehicle restraint system which accommodates a wide range of soldiers, both with and without battle, arctic, or chemical gear. The restraint system includes lengthened belts and an adjustable buckle position. The belts include loops for locating and grasping the belts, and separate lap and shoulder belts with small narrowing ends to prevent catching on gear. The belts are extendable from inertial reels which are calibrated for off-road operation. The buckle engages each belt separately and includes a single action release. The buckle position is easily adjusted using an oversized knob so that a soldier may easily find and adjust buckle length in the dark, wearing heavy gloves or with muddy slippery fingers. The adjustment is a positive position stop type which allows the wearer to easily verify the buckle position. The latch/unlatch mechanism and associated hardware is an open frame type to reduce or eliminate affects of mud, dust, water or other contaminants on operation.  
         [0006]     In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a restraint system for combat vehicles. The restraint system includes a shoulder inertial reel and a belt extendable from the shoulder inertial reel and having a shoulder belt connector, a lap inertial reel and a lap belt extendable from the lap inertial reel and having a lap belt connector, a buckle mount connected to a vehicle, a buckle adjuster connected to the buckle mount, and a buckle connected to the buckle adjuster. The buckle adjuster is adjustable in length, to adjust the position of the buckle. The buckle has two connection latches wherein each connection latch independently accepts a respective one of the belts.  
         [0007]     In accordance with an additional aspect of the invention, there is provided a restraint system for combat vehicles. The restraint system includes a shoulder belt extendable from a shoulder inertial reel and having a shoulder belt connector, a lap belt extendable from a lap inertial reel and having a lap belt connector, a buckle mount connected to a vehicle, a buckle adjuster connected to the buckle mount, and a buckle connected to the buckle adjuster. The buckle adjuster includes an arm, a latching mechanism, and a longitudinal slide. The arm has a mount end and a latch end, and the mount end is attached to the mount. The latching mechanism is fixedly attached to the latch end of the arm. The longitudinal slide has a stop end and a buckle end and at least two longitudinally spaced apart latching features for cooperation with the latching mechanism to latch the slide in one of at least two longitudinal positions. The buckle is connected to the buckle end of the longitudinal slide and receives the belts.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING  
       [0008]     The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following more particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the following drawings wherein:  
         [0009]      FIG. 1A  is a vehicle seat and a restraint system according to the present invention in a lowered position.  
         [0010]      FIG. 1B  is the vehicle seat and the restraint system according to the present invention in a raised position.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2A  is a detailed view of an adjustable buckle in the lowered position.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2B  is a detailed view of the adjustable buckle in the raised position.  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a lower portion of the buckle adjuster  
         [0014]      FIG. 4A  is a latching mechanism of the buckle adjuster.  
         [0015]      FIG. 4B  is a connecting plate of the buckle adjuster.  
         [0016]      FIG. 4C  is an arm of the buckle adjuster.  
         [0017]      FIG. 5A  is a detailed top view of the latching mechanism.  
         [0018]      FIG. 5B  is a detailed front view of the latching mechanism.  
         [0019]      FIG. 5C  is a detailed end view of the latching mechanism.  
         [0020]      FIG. 5D  is a view of the latching mechanism in an unlatched position.  
         [0021]      FIG. 6A  is a top view of the connecting plate.  
         [0022]      FIG. 6B  is a front view of the connecting plate.  
         [0023]      FIG. 6C  is an end view of the connecting plate.  
         [0024]      FIG. 7  is the latching mechanism attached to the connecting plate.  
         [0025]      FIG. 8  is an upper portion of the buckle adjuster.  
         [0026]      FIG. 9A  is a buckle suitable for use with the present invention.  
         [0027]      FIG. 9B  is a slide of the buckle adjuster.  
         [0028]      FIG. 10A  is a top view of the buckle.  
         [0029]      FIG. 10B  is a front view of the buckle.  
         [0030]      FIG. 10C  is a side view of the buckle.  
         [0031]      FIG. 11  is a detailed view of the buckle adjuster mount.  
         [0032]      FIG. 11A  shows the cooperation of the mount end of the arm with the mount.  
         [0033]      FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view of the mount and mount end of the arm taken along line  12 - 12  of  FIG. 11 .  
         [0034]      FIG. 13A  is a front view of a cover piece of the mount.  
         [0035]      FIG. 13B  is a top view of the cover piece of the mount.  
         [0036]      FIG. 13C  is a side view of the cover piece of the mount. 
     
    
       [0037]     Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0038]     The following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing one or more preferred embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims.  
         [0039]     A restraint system according to the present invention is shown adjusted to a first position for a small soldier without gear in  FIG. 1A , and adjusted to a second position for a large soldier wearing substantial gear in  FIG. 1B . The restraint system may further be adjusted to intermediate positions. Soldiers often wear (or carry) gear such as backpacks, body armor, guns, canteens radios and maps. Soldiers may further wear arctic gear or chemical gear, both of which may substantially add to the overall girth of the soldier. Soldiers wearing such gear may be hampered by thick multiple layer gloves and experience constrained body movements. The restraint system according to the present invention is designed to ease both ingress (buckling up) and egress from a combat vehicle, and in particular to facilitate ingress and egress in a hostile environment, while safely securing a soldier when the vehicle is underway.  
         [0040]     An adjustable buckle assembly  10  according to the present invention is shown in a lowered (or retracted) position attached to a mount  16  in  FIG. 1A , and the buckle adjuster  10  is shown in a raised (or extended) position in  FIG. 1B . The buckle adjuster  10  is positioned on the side of a vehicle seat comprising a seat back  12  and a seat bottom  14 . The buckle adjuster  10  may be extended as shown by arrow  18  between approximately 2.5 inches and between approximately seven inches, and preferably may be extended approximately 2.5 inches. The buckle adjuster  10  may be rotated in the mount  16  approximately 30 degrees as shown by arc  20 . The restraint system is thereby able to accommodate small female soldiers by moving the buckle to a rear position to insure a snug fit to restrain small stature individuals and the buckle may be adjusted forward for a soldier wearing substantial battle gear.  
         [0041]     A large easy to operate buckle  24  is connected to the adjustable buckle assembly  10 . The buckle  24  which is preferably a dual buckle which independently accepts a shoulder belt  11   a  and a separate lap belt  11   b . Troops wearing full battle, arctic &amp; chemical gear may be hampered by thick multiple layer gloves and constrained body movements. The large easy to operate buckle  24  facilitates both ingress (buckling up) and egress.  
         [0042]     The belts  11   a  and  11   b  are preferably very long straps to accommodate large soldiers wearing substantial equipment such as backpacks, body armor, guns, canteens radios and maps, and may be up to approximately 80 inches long. Grabs  15   a  and  15   b  are attached to the belts  11   a  and  11   b  respectively. The grabs  15   a ,  15   b  allow a soldier to more easily locate and grasp the belts  11   a  and  11   b  in a dark or smokey environment and allow gloved occupants the ability to handle the belts  11   a  and  11   b  day or night. Each of the belts  11   a  and  11   b  include separate connectors  72  (see  FIG. 9A ) which are small and narrow so the belts don&#39;t catch on military gear to slow the occupant&#39;s exit from the vehicle. The separate connectors  72  do not create a loop to catch on the occupant&#39;s arm or gear during vehicle exit.  
         [0043]     The belts  11   a  and  11   b  pay out from reels  13   a  and  13   b  respectively which are preferably locking inertial reels which lock during a crash event. Further, the shoulder belt reel  13   a  and the lap belt reel  13   b  are more preferably latching inertial reels which latches in the presence of specified accelerations and remains latched until released. Such latching inertial reel is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/378,578 filed Mar. 17, 2006 and assigned to the assignee of the present application. The reels  13   a  and  13   b  most preferably latch and remain latched in the presence of a large vertical acceleration.  
         [0044]     The shoulder inertial reel  13   a  preferably has a special high locking calibration to allow for comfortable off road and on road operation. The calibration of the shoulder inertial reel  13   a  is preferably set to approximately 0.85 G (instead of the typical 0.3 G to 0.7 G for normal restraints) for momentary locking to allow freedom of movement during off road operations. The reel  13   a  remains momentarily locked until the sensed acceleration drops below the calibration level. Additionally, the unlocking preferably requires that the Vehicle must be level plus or minus approximately 20 degrees (stays locked in roll over) and that the load on the retractor strap must be zero (occupant not applying load to the seatbelt). In some instances, the shoulder reel  13   a  may be a latching reel which remains locked following a high sensed acceleration, until manually un-locked. A typical inertial reel may lock during normal off-road driving, thereby unnecessarily restraining an occupant to their seat. Such a locked shoulder inertial reel would not allow leaning forward to operate controls or positioning to shoot weapons while underway. Additionally, a locked inertial reel may cause the occupant to be chaffed, choked and/or bruised by the shoulder strap during rough or bouncy off road operation.  
         [0045]     The lap inertial reel  13   b  preferably momentarily locks at between approximately 0.3 G and approximately 0.7 G, and more preferably at approximately 0.45 G to securely hold an occupant in the seat during rough off road operations. The reel  13   b  remains momentarily locked until the sensed acceleration drops below the calibration level. Additionally, the unlocking preferably requires that the Vehicle must be level plus or minus approximately 20 degrees (stays locked in roll over) and that the load on the retractor strap must be zero (occupant not applying load to the seatbelt). The reel  13   b  is preferably a latching reel which remains locked following a high sensed acceleration, until manually un-locked.  
         [0046]     The reels  13   a  and  13   b  further preferably include fast retract springs to retract the belts quickly for rapid egress in a combat situation. The reels  13   a  and  13   b  preferably retract the belts  11   a  and  11   b  in less than approximately two seconds and more preferably retract the belts  11   a  and  11   b  in less than approximately one second. Such rapid retraction allows a soldier to quickly exit the vehicle without the belts catching on equipment or clothing. The mount  16  may be attached to the vehicle and are preferably attached to the vehicle floor or to the vehicle seat.  
         [0047]     A detailed view of the buckle adjuster  10  and buckle  24  is shown in the lowered position in  FIG. 2A , and in the raised position in  FIG. 2B . The buckle adjuster  10  includes a lower portion  10   a  which is attached to the mount  16  (see  FIG. 1 ) and an upper portion  10   b  which extends and retracts with respect to the lower portion  10   a . The buckle  24  is connected to the upper portion  10   b . A latching mechanism  30  is fixedly attached to the lower portion  28  and cooperates with a slide  26  to adjust the position of the buckle  24 . The buckle  24  may be retracted as shown by arrow  22  and may be extended as shown by arrow  18 .  
         [0048]     The lower portion  10   a  of the buckle adjuster  10  is shown alone in  FIG. 3 . The lower portion  10   a  comprises the latching mechanism  30  shown in  FIG. 4A , the connector plate  32  shown in  FIG. 4B , and the arm  28  shown in  FIG. 4C . The arm  28  has a mount end  28   a , a body  28   b , and a latch end  28   c . The mount end  28   a  may rotate approximately 30 degrees in the mount  16  to allow angular (or front/rear) adjustment of the buckle  24 . The body  28   b  is preferably a flexible body, and more preferably a heavy wire cable The connecting plate  32  is connected to the arm  28  by a rivet  29 , and the latching mechanism  30  is connected to the connecting plate  32  by small rivets  46 .  
         [0049]     A detailed top view of the latching mechanism  30  is shown in  FIG. 5A , a detailed front view of the latching mechanism  30  is shown in  FIG. 5B , a detailed end view of the latching mechanism  30  is shown in  FIG. 5C , and a view of the latching mechanism  30  in an unlatched position is shown in  FIG. 5D . The latching mechanism  30  includes a top plate  38  and a base plate  40  forming a housing which contains a spring  42  biasing a pin  36  in a latched or inward position. The housing is preferably formed by a raised center portion of the top plate  38  and is preferably an open housing which is open on two sides to prevent or reduce material from becoming trapped in the housing. A knob  34  is attached to a knob end of the pin  36  for pulling the pin  36  to unlatch the latching mechanism  30  to allow the buckle  24  to be extended and to be retracted. The knob  34  is preferably an oversized knob and preferably a non slipping knob and more preferably a knurled knob. The knob  34  is thus easily used by a vehicle occupant wearing gloves, or with muddy slippery fingers. The pin  36  has an engaging end opposite the knob end for engaging adjusting pin holes  60  in the slide  26  (see  FIG. 9B ). The spring  42  resides over the pin  36  and inside the housing. A spring stop  44  on the pin  36  provides a seat for the spring  42  to bias the pin  36  inward.  
         [0050]     A top view of the connecting plate  32  is shown in  FIG. 6A , a front view of the connecting plate  32  is shown in  FIG. 6B , and an end view of the connecting plate  32  is shown in  FIG. 6C . The connecting plate  32  includes small holes  54  for the rivets  46  (see  FIGS. 5B and 7 ), an adjusting pin hole  48 , and a large rivet hole  50  for connecting the connector plate  32  to the arm  28 . Two first lateral stops  52  reside on opposite sides of the arm  28  when the connector plate  32  is connected to the arm  28 .  
         [0051]     The latching mechanism  30  is shown attached to the connecting plate  32  in  FIG. 7 . The latching mechanism  30  preferably forms a guide  39 , and more preferably, spacers  41  reside between the latching mechanism  30  and the connecting plate  32  to form the guide  39  for the slider  26  (see  FIG. 8 ). The small rivets  46  pass through the top plate  38 , the base plate  40 , the spacers  41 , and the connecting plate  32  to connect the top plate  38 , base plate  40 , spacers  41 , and connecting plate  32  and to form the guide  39 .  
         [0052]     The upper portion  10   b  of the buckle adjuster  10  is shown alone in  FIG. 8 . The buckle  24  is shown with the connectors  72  in  FIG. 9A , and the slider  26  alone is shown in  FIG. 9B . The buckle  24  is connected to the slider  26  by a large rivet  58 . The rivet  58  passes through the large rivet holes  62   b  in the buckle  24  and the large rivet hole  62   a  in the slider  26 , thereby attaching the buckle  24  to the slider  26 . The buckle  24  includes a release  67  pivotally attached to a buckle body  66  by a pin  68 . The release  67  is larger than known buckle releases to allow a soldier wearing gloves and/or on a dark, smoky, or muddy environment, or with limited vision, to find and actuate the release  67 . The buckle  24  preferably independently accepts the two connectors  72  which are inserted along arrows  74 . The release  67  preferably rotates approximately 90 degrees before releasing the connectors  72  and actuation of a single release  67  releases both connectors  72 , at which time the reels  13   a  and  13   b  quickly retract the belts  11   a  and  11   b . The connectors  72  are preferably narrow and more preferably tapered toward the ends and preferably do not have edges or any similar feature which might snag on clothing, gear, arms, etc. The slider  26  includes a stop end with two opposing second lateral stops  64  and an adjusting pin hole  60 , and a buckle end  26   b  with a large rivet hole  62   a  and a second adjusting pin hole  60 .  
         [0053]     A top view of the buckle  24  is shown in  FIG. 10A , a front view of the buckle  24  is shown in  FIG. 10B , and a side view of the buckle  24  is shown in  FIG. 10C . The buckle body  66  includes the large rivet hole  62   b  for connecting the buckle  24  to the slider  26  and third lateral stops  70  which reside on opposite sides of the buckle end  26   b  of the slider  26  when the slider is connected to the buckle  24  by the rivet  58 . Connection latches  69  engage the connectors  72  to retain the belts  11   a  and  11   b  in the buckle  24  unless the release  67  is lifted. Each of the connection latches  69  are independently biased into a locked position wherein each of the connection latches  69  holds a respective one of the connectors  72 , thus each connectors  72  may be independently inserted into the buckle  24  and caught (or retained) by one of the connection latches  69 .  
         [0054]     A detailed view of the buckle adjuster mount  16  is shown in  FIG. 11  and the cooperation of the mount end  28   a  of the arm  28  with a cover piece  16   a  of the mount  16  is shown in  FIG. 11A . A cross-sectional view of the mount  16  and mount end  28   a  of the arm  28  taken along line  12 - 12  of  FIG. 11  is shown in  FIG. 12 . A front view of the cover piece  16   a  of the mount  16  is shown in  FIG. 13A , a top view of the cover piece  16   a  is shown in  FIG. 13B , and a side view of the cover piece  16   a  is shown in  FIG. 13C . The mount  16  comprises the cover piece  16   a , a flat piece  16   b , and a bolt  17 . The cover piece  16   a  includes side flanges  80  which limit the rotation of the arm  28  along the arc  20 , and which butt up against the flat piece  16   b  to form a pocket for the arm  16 . The bolt  17  may engage threads in a vehicle to attach the mount  16 .  
         [0055]     When donning the restraint, if the buckle  24  requires adjustment due to body size or battle gear, such adjustment may be achieved by pulling and lifting the adjuster knob  34  until the buckle  24  is free to slide. When correctly adjusted, the knob  34  is then released and the buckle  24  position is fixed and may no longer move. This adjustment allows the buckle  24  to stay positioned to the occupant&#39;s hips as he moves forward relative to the seat back  12  due to any body-mounted equipment. Such relative positioning makes it easier for the occupant to don and doff the restraint and to find the buckle  34  in an egress situation.  
         [0056]     While the buckle adjuster  10  is described herein as having two positions, a buckle according to the present invention may also have three or more positions. Further, the arm  28  may be connected to a vehicle using any type of mount. The buckle adjuster may also be used with a single shoulder belt  11   a  or a single lap belt  11   b.    
         [0057]     While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.