Patent Publication Number: US-2015084323-A1

Title: Motor vehicle safety belt

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a motor vehicle safety belt, and more particularly, to a motor vehicle safety belt which is configured to allow a shoulder belt to be distant from a neck portion of an occupant when a body of the occupant leans toward a side due to a traffic accident, thereby preventing an accident in which the shoulder belt strikes the neck portion. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     In general, the greatest reason why a traffic accident such as a collision accident or a rollover accident of a vehicle causes injuries to occupants is that the occupant is catapulted out of the vehicle due to inertia caused by a traveling speed of the vehicle and then falls onto a road surface while experiencing impact, or a driver collides with a front glass, an instrument panel, or the like and then suffers a head injury or a neck injury, or a chest of the driver collides with a steering wheel such that the driver suffers a chest injury. 
     Thus, although a motor vehicle safety belt does not directly or fundamentally prevent a traffic accident, the motor vehicle safety belt is used as an effective means that fixes the occupant to the seat at the time of a traffic accident, and prevents the occupant from being catapulted out of the vehicle or colliding with apparatuses in the vehicle, thereby reducing a fatality rate and severity of an injury at the time of a traffic accident occurring while the vehicle is travelling, and as a result, traffic regulations make it mandatory for the occupant to fasten the safety belt. 
     In this case, the motor vehicle safety belt should not cause any inconvenience when the driver drives the vehicle, and needs to surely protect the occupant at the time of an emergency. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the motor vehicle safety belt typically includes a belt  10  which restricts a body of an occupant, a slip guide  19  which guides the belt  10 , a retractor  12  which winds up the belt  10  passing through the slip guide  19 , a tongue plate  14  which is fastened to the belt  10 , a buckle  16  which fixes the belt  10  and binds with the tongue plate  14  fixed to the belt  10 , and an anchor  18  which is a supporting shaft of the belt  10 , and in this case, the belt  10  includes a shoulder belt  10   a , and a waist belt  10   b  for the occupant. 
     It is obvious that the motor vehicle safety belt in the related art as described above exhibits a significant effect in respect that the motor vehicle safety belt reduces injuries to the occupants at the time of a vehicle accident. 
     That is, severity of an injury to the occupant is relatively reduced when the occupant fastens the safety belt in comparison with when the occupant does not fasten the safety belt, but even though the occupant fastens the safety belt, the occupant may suffer injuries to the neck, the abdomen, the chest, the waist, and the like. 
     In particular, regarding the structure of the safety belt, the belt has the shoulder belt, and the waist belt, such that the shoulder belt supports an upper body of the occupant and the waist belt supports a pelvis of the occupant at the time of a collision accident, but there is a problem in that in a case in which the body of the occupant leans toward a side due to a traffic accident, the safety belt strikes the neck among other things, which directly and seriously affects the life of the occupant. 
     DISCLOSURE 
     Technical Problem 
     The present invention has been made in an effort to solve the aforementioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a motor vehicle safety belt which is configured to allow a shoulder belt to be distant from a neck portion of an occupant when a body of the occupant leans toward a side due to a traffic accident, thereby preventing an accident in which the shoulder belt strikes the neck portion. 
     Technical Solution 
     In order to achieve the aforementioned object, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a motor vehicle safety belt including: a belt which includes a shoulder belt, and a waist belt, and restricts a body of an occupant; a retractor which is installed at a door side of a vehicle body, and winds up one end of the belt; a tongue plate which is fastened to the belt; a buckle which is installed at one side of a seat, in which the occupant is seated, fixes the belt, and binds with the tongue plate; and an anchor which fixes the other end of the belt to the vehicle body, in which a belt strap is added at a side opposite to a vertex where the shoulder belt and the waist belt are coupled, so as to form a Δ shape between the shoulder belt and the waist belt. 
     In addition, any one of one end of the shoulder belt coupled to the belt strap and one end of the waist belt coupled to the belt strap may be configured with an attachment configuration using a Velcro tape. 
     In addition, both one end of the shoulder belt coupled to the belt strap and the other end of the waist belt coupled to the belt strap may be configured with attachment configurations using a Velcro tape. 
     In addition, installation positions of the anchor and the retractor may be switched, and the belt having the Δ shape may be wound by the retractor. 
     According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a motor vehicle safety belt including: a belt which restricts a body of an occupant; a retractor which winds up one end of the belt; a tongue plate which is fastened to the other end of the belt; a buckle which is installed at one side of a seat in which the occupant is seated, fixes the belt, and binds with the tongue plate fixed to the belt; an anchor which fixes the other end of the belt to a vehicle body; and a slip guide which is fixed at one side of a shoulder portion of a seat backrest by a fixing means, in which the retractor is installed at a rear side of the seat backrest, and the belt is guided to the retractor by the slip guide. 
     In addition, an installation hole having a predetermined depth may be formed at the rear side of the seat backrest, the retractor may be installed in the installation hole, a hinge shaft may be provided at an upper end inside the installation hole, and the retractor may be rotatably fastened and fixed to the hinge shaft. 
     In addition, the motor vehicle safety belt may include a movement prevention member which is fixed to the hinge shaft, and prevents the retractor from being moved leftward and rightward on the hinge shaft. 
     In addition, the motor vehicle safety belt may include a guide groove which is formed in a diagonal direction, which is symmetric with a direction in which the belt surrounds the occupant, so as to be associated with the installation hole, and guides the belt, which is withdrawn from the retractor, to the slip guide. 
     In addition, the motor vehicle safety belt may include a cover member which covers the rear side of the seat backrest, and covers the installation hole and the guide groove. 
     In addition, the belt may have a shock absorbing member. 
     According to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a motor vehicle safety belt including: a belt which restricts a body of an occupant; a retractor which is disposed at a door side of a vehicle body in a vehicle, and winds up one end of the belt; a tongue plate which is fastened to the other end of the belt; a buckle which is installed at one side of a seat in which the occupant is seated, fixes the belt, and binds with the tongue plate fixed to the belt; an anchor which fixes the other end of the belt to a vehicle body; a first slip guide which is fixed at one side of a shoulder portion of a seat backrest by a fixing means; and a second slip guide which is positioned above the first slip guide, and installed on the door side of the vehicle body, in which the belt is guided to the retractor by the first slip guide and the second slip guide. 
     In addition, the belt may have a shock absorbing member. 
     Advantageous Effects 
     The motor vehicle safety belt according to the present invention is configured to allow the belt to maintain the Δ shape when the tongue plate and the buckle of the safety belt are coupled, and allow the shoulder belt to be distant from the neck portion, thereby preventing the safety belt from striking the neck in a case in which the body of the occupant leans toward a side due to a traffic accident. 
     In addition, the shoulder belt is fixed at the position of the shoulder portion of the seat backrest by the slip guide, such that the shoulder belt keeps a predetermined distance from the neck portion of the occupant, and is distant from the neck portion of the occupant, thereby eliminating the possibility that the shoulder belt may strike the neck portion. 
     In addition, the first slip guide is installed at the position of the shoulder portion of the seat backrest such that the belt keeps a predetermined distance from the neck portion of the occupant, and by a process of winding the belt with two steps through the second slip guide, injuries to the neck portion due to the safety belt may be prevented, and driving convenience for the occupant may be achieved. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a view illustrating a motor vehicle safety belt in the related art. 
         FIGS. 2A to 2C  are views illustrating a motor vehicle safety belt according a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating a motor vehicle safety belt according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  are exploded perspective views illustrating the motor vehicle safety belt according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 5A and 5B  are views illustrating a slip guide of the motor vehicle safety belt according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating a motor vehicle safety belt according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     BEST MODE 
       FIGS. 2A to 2C  are views illustrating a motor vehicle safety belt  100  according a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2A , the motor vehicle safety belt  100  according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a belt  110  which restricts a body of an occupant, a retractor  12  which is installed at a door side of a vehicle body in a vehicle and winds up one end of the belt  110 , a tongue plate  14  which is fastened to the belt  110 , a buckle  16  which is installed at one side of a seat to fix the belt  110  and binds with the tongue plate  14  fixed to the belt  110 , and an anchor  18  which fixes the other end of the belt  110  to the vehicle body. 
     In particular, the motor vehicle safety belt  100  according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that in the safety belt in the related art, which includes a shoulder belt  10   a , and a waist belt  10   b , a belt strap  111  is added to a side opposite to a vertex where the shoulder belt  10   a  and the waist belt  10   b  are coupled, as illustrated by a circular dotted line in  FIG. 2A , thereby configuring the belt  110  having a Δ shape between the shoulder belt and the waist belt. In this case, portions to which the belt strap  111  is coupled need to be installed at positions where the belt strap  111  may maintain the Δ shape of the belt  110  and may maximally maintain a tense state of the belt  110  when the tongue plate  14  is coupled to the buckle  16 . With the aforementioned configuration, the shoulder belt  10   a  may be maximally distant from a neck portion of the occupant. 
     MODE FOR INVENTION 
     Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     Constituent elements identical to constituent elements of a motor vehicle safety belt in the related art will be indicated by the same reference numerals 
       FIGS. 2A to 2C  are views illustrating a motor vehicle safety belt  100  according a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2A , the motor vehicle safety belt  100  according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a belt  110  which restricts a body of an occupant, a retractor  12  which is installed at a door side of a vehicle body in a vehicle and winds up one end of the belt  110 , a tongue plate  14  which is fastened to the belt  110 , a buckle  16  which is installed at one side of a seat to fix the belt  110  and binds with the tongue plate  14  fixed to the belt  110 , and an anchor  18  which fixes the other end of the belt  110  to the vehicle body. 
     In particular, the motor vehicle safety belt  100  according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that in the safety belt in the related art, which includes a shoulder belt  10   a , and a waist belt  10   b , a belt strap  111  is added to a side opposite to a vertex where the shoulder belt  10   a  and the waist belt  10   b  are coupled, as illustrated by a circular dotted line in  FIG. 2A , thereby configuring the belt  110  having a Δ shape between the shoulder belt and the waist belt. In this case, portions to which the belt strap  111  is coupled need to be installed at positions where the belt strap  111  may maintain the Δ shape of the belt  110  and may maximally maintain a tense state of the belt  110  when the tongue plate  14  is coupled to the buckle  16 . With the aforementioned configuration, the shoulder belt  10   a  may be maximally distant from a neck portion of the occupant. 
     Meanwhile, regarding the belt  110  having the Δ shape, in a case in which the Δ shape is formed by the belt strap  111 , it may not be easy to allow the belt to pass through the slip guide  19  when the belt is wound by the retractor  12 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2B , the retractor  12  and the anchor  18  may be installed so that positions of the retractor  12  and the anchor  18  of the motor vehicle safety belt  100  according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention illustrated in  FIG. 2A  may be switched, thereby allowing the belt to be wound at the waist belt  10   b  side by the retractor  12 . As described above, by changing the position of the retractor  12 , the belt  110  having the Δ shape is wound at a lower position of the seat by the retractor  12  instead of being wound at the existing position at the door side of the vehicle body, and as a result, there is no interruption when the belt  110  having the Δ shape passes through the slip guide  19 . In addition, the belt  110  having the Δ shape may be quickly and easily wound without enlarging a belt passing hole in the slip guide  19 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2C , in the motor vehicle safety belt  100  according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, both ends  112  and  114  of the belt strap  111 , which is connected to form the belt  110  having the Δ shape, may be coupled to the shoulder belt  10   a  or the waist belt  10   b  by an attachment configuration using a Velcro™ tape that is also called a “loop-and-hook fastener”. In this case, even in a case in which the retractor  12  is installed at the position at the door side of the vehicle body as illustrated in  FIG. 2A , both the ends  112  and  114  of the belt strap  111  all have the Velcro tape shape, and as a result, the shoulder belt  10   a  may be easily wound by the retractor  12  after detaching the belt strap  111 . That is, because the belt  110  has the Δ shape, it may not be easy to allow the belt  110  to pass through the slip guide  19  when the belt  110  is wound by the retractor  12 , and as a result, after all of the Velcro tapes attached to the shoulder belt  10   a  and the waist belt  10   b  are detached, the belt  110  may be easily wound by the retractor  12 . 
     In addition, in a case in which one end of the belt strap  111  attached to the waist belt  10   b  is maintained as it is, and the other end of the belt strap  111 , which has been detached from the shoulder belt  10   a , is attached to another predetermined portion  113  of the waist belt  10   b , the belt may be easily wound by the retractor  12  for the belt strap  111  without completely detaching the belt strap  111 . In this case, since the belt  110  to which the belt strap  111  is coupled has a thickness including a thickness of the belt strap, a belt guide hole of the slip guide  19  is configured to be slightly larger than a belt guide hole of the existing slip guide. 
     In another exemplary embodiment, the attachment configurations using the Velcro tape are not formed at both the ends of the belt strap  111  that is connected to form the belt  110  having the Δ shape, but the attachment configuration using the Velcro tape may be formed only at one end  114  of the shoulder belt  10   a , or only at one end  112  of the waist belt. That is, in a case in which the Velcro tape indicated by reference numeral  112  in  FIG. 2C  is eliminated, and this portion is integrally coupled, the Velcro tape may be attached to the portion  114  of the shoulder belt  10   a  when the belt is fastened, and may be attached and coupled to the portion  113  of the waist belt  10   b  when the belt is released. On the contrary, in a case in which the Velcro tape indicated by reference numeral  114  in  FIG. 2C  is eliminated, the Velcro tape may be attached to the portion  112  of the waist belt  10   b  when the belt is fastened, and may be attached and coupled to a portion (not illustrated) of the shoulder belt  10   a  when the belt is released. 
     As described above, the belt strap  111 , which has been detached from the shoulder belt  10   a , is attached to the predetermined portion  113  of the waist belt  10   b , or the belt strap  111 , which has been detached from the waist belt  10   b , is attached to the predetermined portion (not illustrated) of the shoulder belt  10   a , such that the belt may be easily wound by the retractor  12 . In this case, the belt guide hole of the slip guide  19  through which the belt, to which the belt strap  111  is coupled, passes may be maintained to have a thickness slightly larger than that of the existing slip guide. In addition, in order to maintain the belt guide hole of the slip guide  19  like the existing slip guide, the retractor  12  and the anchor  18  are installed so that the positions of the retractor  12  and the anchor  18  are switched, as illustrated in  FIG. 2B , thereby allowing the belt to be wound at the waist belt  10   b  side by the retractor  12 . 
     Even in this case, the portions to which the belt strap  111  is coupled also need to be installed at positions where the belt strap  111  may maximally maintain a tense state of the belt strap  111  so as to maintain the Δ shape when the tongue plate  14  is coupled to the buckle  16 . With the aforementioned configuration, the shoulder belt  10   a  may be maximally distant from the neck portion of the occupant. 
     As described above, the belt strap may be easily detached, attached, and separated using the so-called “loop-and-hook fastener”. With the aforementioned configuration, the existing shoulder belt may be distant from the neck portion, thereby preventing injuries to the neck portion. 
       FIG. 3  is a view illustrating a motor vehicle safety belt  200  according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the motor vehicle safety belt  200  according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a belt  10  which restricts a body of an occupant, a retractor  12  which is installed at a rear side of a seat backrest  20  and winds up one end of the belt  10 , a tongue plate  14  which is fastened to the other end of the belt  10 , a buckle  16  which is installed at one side of a seat to fix the belt  10  and binds with the tongue plate  14  fixed to the belt  10 , and an anchor  18  which fixes the other end of the belt  110  to a vehicle body. 
     In particular, when describing a difference from the related art, the retractor  12  is installed at the rear side of the seat backrest  20 , and winds up one end of the belt  10  through a slip guide  220  that guides the belt  10 . 
     In addition, the slip guide  220  is fixed to one side of a shoulder portion of the seat backrest  20  by a fixing means, and has a case  222  in which a hole is formed, and the belt  10  is guided by the hole, and wound by the retractor  12 . 
     Since a shoulder belt  10   a  is fixed at the position of the shoulder portion of the seat backrest  20  by the slip guide  220  as described above, the shoulder belt keeps a predetermined distance from a neck portion of the occupant and is distant from the neck portion and as a result, there is no possibility that the shoulder belt  10   a  will strike the neck portion. 
       FIG. 4A  is an exploded perspective view illustrating the motor vehicle safety belt according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 4B  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the retractor of the motor vehicle safety belt according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention is installed. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , an installation hole  204  having a predetermined depth is formed in a central portion at the rear side of the seat backrest  20 , and the retractor  12  is installed in the installation hole  204 . 
     That is, a hinge shaft  206  is provided at an upper end inside the installation hole  204 , the retractor  12  is rotatably fastened and fixed to the hinge shaft  206 , a fixture  230 , which has a through hole  232  into which the hinge shaft  206  is fitted, is formed at an upper end portion of the retractor  12 , and the hinge shaft  206  is fitted into the through hole  232  formed in the fixture  230 , such that the retractor  12  is rotatably fastened and fixed. 
     In this case, movement prevention portions  208 , which are fixed to the hinge shaft  206  and prevents the retractor  12  from being moved leftward and rightward on the hinge shaft  206 , are provided at both sides of the fixture  230 . In particular, since there is concern that the retractor, which is positioned at the central portion at the rear side of the seat backrest, may be damaged by strong force when a driver fastens and releases the belt, the movement prevention portions  208  need to have strong coupling force like a fastening configuration using adhesion or bolts. 
     In addition, even in a case in which an angle of the seat backrest  20  is adjusted based on the occupant&#39;s demand, the retractor  12  is rotated about the hinge shaft  206 , such that the retractor  12  is always maintained in a horizontal state. 
     For example, when the occupant puts the seat backrest  20  back in order to adjust an inclination angle of the seat backrest  20 , the retractor  12  is rotated about the hinge shaft  206  and always maintained in a horizontal state, such that the belt  10  may be safely withdrawn from the retractor  12 . 
     In addition, a guide groove  209 , which guides the belt  10  so that the belt  10  may be wound by the retractor  12 , is formed at the rear side of the seat backrest  20 , and the guide groove  209  is formed in a diagonal direction that is symmetric with a direction in which the belt  10  surrounds the occupant, such that the belt  10  may be easily wound by the retractor  12  installed in the installation hole  204 . 
     In addition, a retractor cover  207 , which covers the retractor  12 , is installed at the rear side of the seat backrest  20 , and the retractor cover  207  may be formed on the seat backrest  20  by means of a bolt-nut configuration or a groove-projection configuration while covering the guide groove  209  as well as the retractor  12  installed in the installation hole  204 . 
     Meanwhile, the shoulder belt  10   a  is withdrawn from the retractor  12  and positioned in the diagonal direction of the seat backrest  20 , and the waist belt  10   b  is fixed to the anchor  18  formed at one side below the seat. With the aforementioned configuration, the belt  10  is withdrawn from the retractor  12  and surrounds the chest in the diagonal direction of the seat backrest  20 . 
     Since the belt  10  is positioned in the diagonal direction of the seat backrest  20  as described above, the belt  10  may be supported by the slip guide  220  formed on the shoulder portion of the seat backrest  20 , such that the driver may drive the vehicle in a state in which the belt  10  keeps a predetermined distance from the neck portion. 
     Further, as illustrated in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , the slip guide  220 , which is formed on the shoulder portion at one side of the upper end portion of the seat backrest  20 , serves as a bridge which allows the tongue plate and the buckle to be fastened at a front side of the seatback rest  20 , and allows the belt to be wound by the retractor at the rear side of the seat backrest  20 , and the slip guide  220  serves to support and fix the belt. 
     Here, the slip guide  220  is fixed at one side of the shoulder portion of the seat backrest  20  by a fixing means, and has the case  222  having a hole  224  formed therein, and a guide shaft  226 , which guides the belt  10 , is provided in the hole  224  of the case  222 . 
     Therefore, the belt  10 , which is withdrawn from the retractor  110 , mat be always operated at a constant position by the slip guide  220 . 
     As described above, since the belt  10  is supported by the slip guide  220  installed at the position of the shoulder portion of the seat backrest  20 , the belt  10  may be distant from the neck portion, thereby reducing a risk of accident. 
     However, there is concern that the belt  10  may press the chest and the abdomen because the slip guide  220  is installed at the position of the shoulder portion of the seat backrest  20 , but because a shock absorbing member (a fibrous material having elasticity), which serves as a buffer, is included in the belt, the driver may drive the vehicle in a comfortable posture. 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating a motor vehicle safety belt according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , a motor vehicle safety belt  300  according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a belt  10  which restricts a body of an occupant, a retractor  12  which is disposed at a door side of a vehicle body in a vehicle and winds up one end of the belt  10 , a tongue plate  14  which is fastened to the other end of the belt  10 , a buckle  16  which is installed at one side of a seat to fix the belt  10  and binds with the tongue plate  14  fixed to the belt  110 , and an anchor  18  which fixes the other end of the belt  110  to the vehicle body. 
     In particular, the retractor  12  winds up one end of the belt  10  through a first slip guide  220  which is fixed at one side of a shoulder portion of a seat backrest  20  by a fixing means and guides the belt  10 , and a second slip guide  19  which is positioned above the first slip guide  220  and installed at the door side of the vehicle body of the vehicle. 
     As described above, in the third exemplary embodiment, the belt  10  is wound by the retractor  12  through the two guides including the first and second slip guides  220  and  19 . In this case, since a shoulder belt  10   a  is fixed at the position of the shoulder portion of the seat backrest  20  by the first slip guide  220 , the shoulder belt keeps a predetermined distance from a neck portion of the occupant and is distant from the neck portion, and as a result, there is no possibility that the shoulder belt  10   a  will strike the neck portion. In addition, there is concern that the belt  10  may press the chest and the abdomen because the first slip guide  220  is installed at the position of the shoulder portion of the seat backrest  20 , but because a shock absorbing member (a fibrous material having elasticity), which serves as a buffer, is included in the belt, the driver may drive the vehicle in a comfortable posture. In addition, a process of winding the belt  10  with two steps through the second slip guide  220  may serve as a buffer. 
     While the exemplary embodiments of the motor vehicle safety belt according to the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, but may be applied to the safety belt that is typically installed in the vehicle, and may be implemented by being modified in various forms within the scope of the claims, the detailed description of the invention, and the accompanying drawings, and the modification also belongs to the scope of the present invention. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     The present invention relates to a motor vehicle safety belt which is configured to allow a shoulder belt to be distant from a neck portion of an occupant when a body of the occupant leans toward a side due to a traffic accident, thereby preventing an accident in which the shoulder belt strikes the neck portion, and the present invention is industrially applicable.