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EP-4530137-B1 - WEBBING HEIGHT ADJUSTING DEVICE

EP4530137B1EP 4530137 B1EP4530137 B1EP 4530137B1EP-4530137-B1

Inventors

  • WANG, LIANG-HSIUNG
  • CHU, CHIA-CHUN

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240619

Claims (8)

  1. A webbing height adjusting device adapted to be connected to a main webbing (1A) extending out from a webbing retractor (1B) of a seat belt system (1) of a vehicle, and the webbing height adjusting device comprising: a shock absorbing component (2) having a D-loop (2C) configured to be connected to an upper position in the vehicle and configured for the main webbing (1A) to be mounted therethrough, thereby the D-loop (2C) dividing the main webbing (1A) to a rear section (11A) and a front section (12A); a supplementary webbing (2A) configured to be located between the rear section (11A) and the front section (12A) of the main webbing (1A) and having a top end connected to the D-loop (2C); and a bottom end opposite to the top end; an elastic element (2B) connected to the bottom end of the supplementary webbing (2A) and having a bottom configured to be connected to a lower position in the vehicle; and a webbing height adjusting unit (3) disposed below the D-loop (2C), configured to be connected to the front section (12A) of the main webbing (1A) and the supplementary webbing (2A) to form an adjustable top position, and characterized in that the webbing height adjusting unit (3) of the webbing height adjusting device has an adjuster base (30) having a frame (31); a webbing-abutting portion (32) formed on an upper section of the frame (31); and a sliding space (321) formed between the webbing-abutting portion (32) and the frame (31); a webbing-mounting portion (33) formed on a lower section of the frame (31); and a main webbing slot (331) formed in the webbing-mounting portion (33) and the frame (31) and configured for the front section (12A) of the main webbing (1A) to be mounted therethrough; a slider (40) mounted in the sliding space (321) of the adjuster base (30), configured to move up and down, and having an inclined slot (44) configured for the supplementary webbing (2A) to be mounted therethrough; an elastic member (50) disposed between the slider (40) and the adjuster base (30) and configured to provide a restoring force to allow the slider (40) and the webbing-abutting portion (32) of the adjuster base (30) to clamp the supplementary webbing (2A); and an outer shell (60) mounted on the adjuster base (30), configured to move up and down relative to the adjuster base (30), and being operable to actuate the slider (40) and the adjuster base (30) to move relatively so as to unclamp the supplementary webbing (2A); wherein when the outer shell (60) is released, the restoring force provided by the elastic member (50) pushes the slider (40) and the adjuster base (30) to move relatively and re-clamp the supplementary webbing (2A).
  2. The webbing height adjusting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outer shell (60) has an operation space (600) formed on an upper section of an interior of the outer shell (60); and two abutting portions (60C) located below two opposite sides of the operation space (600) respectively; the webbing-abutting portion (32) of the adjuster base (30) is configured to move up and down in the operation space (600) and is located above the two abutting portions (60C); the outer shell (60) is configured to be pulled upward and to push the webbing-abutting portion (32) of the adjuster base (30) via the two abutting portions (60C) to actuate the adjuster base (30) and the slider (40) to move relatively; and the outer shell (60) is operable to move downward, to abut the slider (40), and to allow the adjuster base (30) and the slider (40) to move relatively.
  3. The webbing height adjusting device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the adjuster base (30) has two opposite sides being a first side (301) and a second side (302) respectively; the second side (302) of the adjuster base (30) is configured to face the rear section (11A) of the main webbing (1A); the adjuster base (30) is configured for the front section (12A) of the main webbing (1A) and the supplementary webbing (2A) to extend thereinto from the first side (301) of the adjuster base (30) and to extend thereout from the second side (302) of the adjuster base (30); an end of the webbing-abutting portion (32) near the sliding space (321) forms a webbing-abutting end (322); the slider (40) has a first side board (41) and a second side board (42) arranged at a spaced interval and located at the first side (301) and the second side (302) of the adjuster base (30), respectively; and two connecting portions (43) formed between the first side board (41) and the second side board (42) and located through the sliding space (321) of the adjuster base (30); the inclined slot (44) inclinedly extends between the two connecting portions (43) along a direction from an end of the first side board (41) near the webbing-abutting portion (32) toward an end of the second side board (42) near the webbing-mounting portion (33); a top end of the second side board (42) is located higher than a top end of the first side board (41) and a top opening of the inclined slot (44); and the first side board (41) has a clamping surface (411) formed on an end of the first side board (41) near the inclined slot (44) and configured to clamp the supplementary webbing (2A) with the webbing-abutting end (322) of the webbing-abutting portion (32).
  4. The webbing height adjusting device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the frame (31) has a through hole (311) and a connecting hole (312) located below the through hole (311); the webbing-abutting portion (32) is formed to cover the upper section of the frame (31) and extends to a top end of the through hole (311); the sliding space (321) is formed between an edge of the through hole (311) and the webbing-abutting portion (32); and the webbing-mounting portion (33) is formed to cover the lower section of the frame (31) and covers the connecting hole (312) to form the main webbing slot (331).
  5. The webbing height adjusting device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the webbing-mounting portion (33) has an abutting surface (332) formed on a top of the webbing-mounting portion (33); and a position-limiting post (333) protruding from the abutting surface (332) and laterally extending toward the frame (31) to form a gap between the position-limiting post (333) and the abutting surface (332); and the elastic member (50) is an arc-shaped flat spring (51) and has a middle portion (511) disposed in the gap between the position-limiting post (333) and the abutting surface (332); and two end portions (512) connected to the middle portion (511) and abutting a bottom of the first side board (41) of the slider (40).
  6. The webbing height adjusting device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the outer shell (60) has a first plate portion (61) located beside the second side (302) of the adjuster base (30) and abutting against a top of the second side board (42) of the slider (40); a second plate portion (62) located beside the first side (301) of the adjuster base (30); a top side wall (63) connected to a top end of the first plate portion (61), located beside the webbing-abutting portion (32) of the adjuster base (30), located above the operation space (600), and having a side surface facing the operation space (600); and a webbing-mounting space formed between the second plate portion (62) and the top side wall (63) and communicating with the sliding space (321) from the first side (301) of the adjuster base (30); and an operation gap (S) is formed between the side surface of the top side wall (63) and the webbing-abutting portion (32).
  7. The webbing height adjusting device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the outer shell (60) has two side walls (65) located on two opposite sides of the outer shell (60) respectively, connected to the second plate portion (62) and the first plate portion (61), and each one of the two side walls (65) having a slip-proof surface (651) on its periphery; and a receiving groove (611) formed by the first plate portion (61) and the two side walls (65) and configured for the second side board (42) of the slider (40) to be inserted thereinto.
  8. The webbing height adjusting device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the outer shell (60) has a bridge portion (66) connected to the second plate portion (62) and forming a space between the bridge portion (66) and the second plate portion (62); and the main webbing (1A) is mounted through the space between the bridge portion (66) and the second plate portion (62) and then mounted through the main webbing slot (331) of the adjuster base (30).

Description

BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a seat belt system in a vehicle, and particularly to a webbing height adjusting device that provides a main webbing of the seat belt system with an adjustable top position. 2. Description of Related Art In a three-point seat belt system on a seat of vehicles such as cars, trucks, or sport utility vehicles (SUV) for protecting an occupant (e.g. a driver or a passenger), a webbing retractor is disposed on the inner side of a vehicle body near the seat, and a main webbing extends from the webbing retractor upward to be mounted through a D-loop on a top of a vehicle pillar of the vehicle body on a side of the seat; an end of the main webbing away from the webbing retractor is fixed on a bottom of the vehicle pillar. The occupant pulls the main webbing downward, obliquely places the main webbing in front of the shoulder and the chest of the occupant, and inserts a tongue mounted on the main webbing into a buckle on the other side of the seat away from the webbing retractor to allow a section of the main webbing between the tongue and the end of the main webbing to be laterally placed in front of the pelvis of the occupant, which forms the three-point seat belt system to secure the occupant on the seat. In the three-point seat belt system, a section of the main webbing between the D-loop and the tongue obliquely placed and abutting the shoulder and the chest of the occupant needs a sufficient tension to secure the occupant, and the tension often causes discomfort of the occupant. Additionally, when the main webbing is tightly fastened, if the height of a top position for the main webbing near the shoulder of the occupant is unadjustable, in emergency, the neck of the occupant may be slashed by the main webbing. Thereby, a webbing height adjusting unit needs to be disposed near the D-loop on the vehicle pillar to allow the occupant to adjust the top position for the main webbing according to occupant's body shape, which ensures safety of the seat belt system in use. As safety of the occupant is highly regarded, the webbing height adjusting unit becomes a necessary safety device in the seat belt system. A conventional webbing height adjusting unit for the main webbing in the seat belt system (as disclosed in the Webbing Adjustment Device of US Pat. NO. 10654442) has a guiding ring member, a frame, a slider movably connected to the frame, and a cover sheathed onto the frame. The guiding ring member is disposed above a side of the seat, and the main webbing from the webbing retractor is mounted through the frame or a connecting element connected to the frame and then mounted through the guiding ring member; the section of the main webbing between the guiding ring member and the tongue is mounted through a middle of the frame and the slider. A tension of the main webbing drives the frame and the slider to move relatively so as to tightly clamp and fasten the webbing, which forms the top position being height-adjustable for the vehicle occupant on the seat. When not in use, the webbing adjustment device can be hung on the guiding ring member by the cover sheathed onto the frame. The conventional webbing adjustment device of the seat belt system described above is connected between a rear section of the main webbing (the section between the webbing retractor and the guiding ring member) and a front section of the main webbing abutting the shoulder and the chest of the occupant, which does allow the top position to be height-adjustable but cannot provide an auxiliary function of shock absorbing. Further, since the conventional webbing adjustment device passively clamps and fastens the main webbing by the tension of the main webbing, when the conventional webbing adjustment device is not in use, the conventional webbing adjustment device can easily shift and needs to be hung on the guiding ring member on the vehicle pillar. Hence, the occupant on the seat needs to readjust the height position of the conventional webbing adjustment device. Moreover, to further improve the safety of the seat belt system in use, a shock absorbing component is applied in the conventional seat belt system of the vehicle on the base of a webbing height adjuster, providing the height-adjustable top position for the main webbing. The shock absorbing component is disposed on the vehicle pillar and is connected to the main webbing or further to the webbing height adjustment device so as to absorb shock for the occupant secured on the seat via an elastic member in the shock absorbing component. A webbing height adjusting mechanism having both functions of height adjustment and shock absorbing mentioned above is disclosed in the Web Position Adjustment and Attenuation Apparatus of US Pat. NO. 9499121 and US Patent NO. 9738248, the Shock Absorbing Webbing height adjusting units for Restraint Systems and Associated Systems and Methods of US Pat. NO. 9809193, the Webbing height adjust