Safety belt system with signal sending tension sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10137855-B2
Application number	US-201615155166-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 16, 2016
Priority date	May 19, 2015
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

A multi-point safety belt system is provided with a tension sensor that opens and closes a switch to send a signal indicating the force securing a seat occupant secured by the safety belt system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A safety belt system having first and second lap belts that are adjustable to vary a force on each of said lap belts, an end of one of the lap belts connected to a tension sensor, the tension sensor connected to an anchor, an end of the other lap belt connected to an anchor, the anchors each being fixed to a component of a vehicle, and the tension sensor being capable of generating a signal indicating a tension sensed in the first and second lap belts and sending the signal to an electronic device, and
wherein the tension sensor has a base plate integral with an anchor plate for attaching the tension sensor to any structural member of the vehicle including a floor or a base of a seat and further has a housing containing a switch mounted to a carrier, the carrier slides in the housing when a pulling force is placed on the carrier by an end of the lap belt, the end being looped about a bar and sewn to itself fixed to the carrier of the tension sensor, the housing having a switch contact and when the carrier slideably moves in the housing in response to the pulling force of the lap belt, the switch moves away from the switch contact allowing a conductor fixed to the switch in a conductive manner to send signals from the tension sensor to the electronic device.

2. The safety belt system of claim 1 wherein the anchor plate is provided with an opening for receiving a fastener that attaches the anchor plate and the tension sensor to the base or the seat.

3. The safety belt system of claim 1 wherein the housing and the base plate of the tension sensor have aligned complementary openings.

4. The safety belt system of claim 1 wherein each tension sensor is provided with springs wherein one end of each spring is mounted to a post fastened to the carrier and the other end of each post passes through the complementary opening in the housing to facilitate compression of the springs by force exerted by the lap belt.

5. The safety belt system of claim 1 wherein the switch is a microswitch, the microswitch being in a normally closed position contacting the switch contact when there is no tension or tension below a selected level dictated by the compression strength of the springs and when a selected amount of tension dictated by the strength of the springs is placed on the carrier by the lap belt via the bar, the carrier moves in the housing and the switch is moved away from the switch contact.

6. The safety belt system of claim 1 wherein the conductor fixed to the switch in a conductive manner extends from the switch to an electronic device which receives signals from the tension sensor and is the source of electrical power for the tension sensor.

7. A multipoint safety belt system comprising:
(a) a first safety belt member having a first end anchored to a first safety belt retractor that is fixed to a top portion of a seat back of a seat fixed to a motor vehicle or to a structural member of the motor vehicle in a region of the seat back and having a second end fixed to a safety belt buckle;
(b) a second safety belt member having a first end anchored to a second safety belt retractor that is fixed to the top portion of the seat back of the seat fixed to the motor vehicle or to the structural member of the motor vehicle in the region of the seat back and having a second end fixed to a buckle tongue that is received by the safety belt buckle to fix the buckle tongue to the safety belt buckle;
(c) a third safety belt member having a first end that is fixed by an anchor to a seat base of the seat or to the structural member of the motor vehicle in the region of the seat base, with the third safety belt member being a first lap belt extending through a cinching mechanism that is fixed to the safety belt buckle whereby a length of the third safety belt member extending between the anchor and the safety belt buckle is adjustable;
(d) a fourth safety belt member having a first end that is fixed by an anchor to the seat base of the seat or to the structural member of the motor vehicle in the region of the seat base, with the fourth safety belt member being a second lap belt extending through a cinching mechanism that is fixed to the buckle tongue whereby a length of the fourth safety belt member extending between the anchor and the buckle tongue is adjustable;
(e) a tension sensor fixed to each of the third and fourth safety belt members to sense the tension on the length of the third safety belt member extending between the anchor and the safety belt buckle and the tension on the length of the fourth safety belt member and the buckle tongue, each tension sensor being in circuit communication with an electronic device, the tension sensed by the tension sensor being an indication of the force securing a seat occupant secured by the safety belt members, and
wherein each tension sensor has a base plate integral with an anchor plate for attaching the tension sensor to any structural member of the vehicle including a floor or a base of a seat and further has a housing containing a switch mounted to a carrier, the carrier slides in the housing when a pulling force is placed on the carrier by an end of the first or second lap belt attached to the carrier, the end being looped about a bar and sewn to itself fixed to the carrier of the tension sensor, the housing having a switch contact and when the carrier slideably moves in the housing in response to the pulling force of the attached first or second lap belt, the switch moves away from the switch contact allowing a conductor fixed to the switch in a conductive manner to send signals from the tension sensor to the electronic device.

8. The multipoint safety belt system of claim 7 wherein the electronic device limits the speed of the motor vehicle to a set speed when the tension sensed by the tension sensor is below a fixed level and allows the vehicle to exceed the set speed when the tension sensed by the tension sensor meets the selected level.

9. The multipoint safety belt system of claim 7 wherein the anchor plate is provided with an opening for receiving a fastener that attaches the anchor plate and the tension sensor to the base or the seat.

10. The multipoint safety belt system of claim 7 wherein the housing and the base plate of the tension sensor have aligned complementary openings.

11. The multipoint safety belt system of claim 7 wherein each tension sensor is provided with springs wherein one end of each spring is mounted to a post fastened to the carrier and the other end of each post passes through the complementary opening in the housing to facilitate compression of the springs by force exerted by the lap belt.

12. The multipoint safety belt system of claim 7 wherein the switch is a microswitch, the microswitch being in a normally closed position contacting the switch contact when there is no tension or tension below a selected level dictated by the compression strength of the springs and when a selected amount of tension dictated by the strength of the springs is placed on the carrier by the lap belt via the bar, the carrier moves in the housing and the switch is moved away from the switch contact.

13. The multipoint safety belt system of claim 7 wherein the conductor fixed to the switch in a conductive manner extends from the switch to an electronic device which receives signals from the tension sensor and is the source of electrical power for the tension sensor.

14. A multipoint safety belt system comprising:
(a) a first safety belt member having a first end anchored to a first safety belt retractor that is fixed to a top portion of a seat back of a seat fixed to a motor vehicle or to

Assignees

• Key Safety Systems Inc

Inventors

• Schmidt Brian
• Pollard John Joseph

Classifications

• B60R22/48 Primary

  Control systems, alarms, or interlock systems, for the correct application of the belt or harness · CPC title

• B60R2022/027

  Four-point seat belt systems, e.g. with the two upper points connected together · CPC title

• B60R2022/4841

  for sensing belt tension · CPC title

• B60R22/023

  Three-point seat belt systems comprising two side lower and one side upper anchoring devices (B60R22/022, B60R22/03 take precedence) · CPC title