KR102715421B1 - Seatbelt retractor with webbing guide - Google Patents

Abstract

A seat belt retractor with a webbing guide applied thereto includes a spindle on which seat belt webbing is wound on an outer surface, a fixed frame on which the spindle is rotatably installed, and a webbing guide installed on one side of the fixed frame to guide the seat belt webbing so that it can be introduced and withdrawn in different directions and at different angles, wherein the webbing guide comprises an introduction portion in which an introduction space from which the seat belt webbing is introduced is formed, a pair of extension portions extending downwardly from both ends of the introduction portion, and a pair of joining portions formed by bending outward and downwardly from each of the extension portions and joined to both side walls of the fixed frame, thereby changing the extraction path of the webbing using the webbing guide and avoiding interference between the webbing guide and the fixed frame, thereby expanding the range of change in the extraction path of the webbing guide.

Description

SEATBELT RETRACTOR WITH WEBBING GUIDE

The present invention relates to a seat belt retractor, and more specifically, to a seat belt retractor having a webbing guide applied thereto that guides the direction in which seat belt webbing is introduced or withdrawn.

Typically, vehicles are equipped with seat belt devices on the seats to ensure the safety of passengers.

The above seat belt device comprises a seat belt retractor that operates to wind or pull out a belt-shaped seat belt webbing (hereinafter referred to as “webbing”) that secures a passenger onto a spindle, and a buckle into which a tongue fixed to one end of the webbing is detachably inserted.

The above seat belt retractor prevents a passenger wearing a seat belt from being thrown forward or removed from the seat due to driving inertia, etc., when the vehicle stops suddenly or accelerates suddenly due to an accident, etc. The seat belt retractor allows webbing to be pulled out in a normal state when the seat belt is worn, but may include an emergency tensioning device and a pre-tensioning device that suppress further webbing pullout and reduce slack or sagging of the webbing when an acceleration of webbing pullout or a change in the inclination of the vehicle is detected due to a vehicle collision, etc.

For example, patent documents 1 and 2 below disclose a seat belt retractor technology that controls the inlet and outlet movements of a seat belt webbing.

These seat belt retractors can be mounted on a vehicle body, such as a center pillar, a seat backrest, a rear pillar, etc. Therefore, the mounting position of the seat belt retractor can be changed in various ways depending on the structure of the center pillar, the seat backrest, the rear pillar, etc. That is, the seat belt retractor is not always mounted in a horizontal state, but can be mounted in a state where it is tilted at a certain angle in the left-right direction or the front-back direction from the horizontal state.

Recently, seats installed in vehicles are being manufactured slim by designing the thickness of the backrest in the front-back direction (hereinafter referred to as 'thickness'). In addition, an integrated seat belt (Belt In Seat, BIS) device that is integrated into the seat is also being applied.

In particular, seats for autonomous vehicles are being developed to be able to rotate left and right, and the backrest to be able to rotate backwards up to 180°.

However, in the integrated seat belt device according to the prior art, the direction of pulling out of the webbing is always fixed since the seat belt retractor is fixedly installed on the backrest.

For example, when a passenger rotates the backrest rearward to rest, there was a problem that the position of the webbing pulled out from the fixedly installed seat belt retractor relatively changed, causing discomfort due to contact with parts of the passenger's body, such as the neck or face.

In addition, the integrated seat belt device according to the prior art applied a fixed type or roll type webbing guide to guide the webbing's withdrawal path, but since the withdrawal path is limited, there is a demand for the development of a technology that can expand the webbing's withdrawal range.

U.S. Patent No. 6,499,554 (registered December 31, 2002) U.S. Patent No. 6,443,382 (registered September 3, 2002)

The purpose of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to provide a seat belt retractor with a webbing guide applied that can safely protect a passenger by restraining him/her in the event of an emergency in a vehicle and can adjust the inlet and outlet angles of the seat belt webbing in various ways.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a seat belt retractor with a webbing guide applied thereto, which can adjust the angle and direction in which the seat belt webbing is introduced and withdrawn, and smoothly introduce and withdraw the seat belt webbing regardless of changes in the introduction or withdrawal angle of the seat belt webbing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a seat belt retractor having a webbing guide applied thereto, which can maintain a coupled state by preventing detachment due to a force applied during the insertion and withdrawal operation of the seat belt webbing.

In order to achieve the above-described object, a seat belt retractor to which a webbing guide is applied according to the present invention comprises a spindle on which a seat belt webbing is wound on an outer surface, a fixed frame on which the spindle is rotatably installed, and a webbing guide installed on one side of the fixed frame to guide the seat belt webbing to be introduced and withdrawn in different directions and at different angles, and the webbing guide is characterized in that it comprises an extraction portion in which an extraction space from which the seat belt webbing is withdrawn is formed, a pair of extension portions extending downwardly from both ends of the extraction portion, and a pair of joining portions formed by bending outwardly and downwardly from each of the extension portions and joined to both side walls of the fixed frame.

As described above, according to the seat belt retractor to which the webbing guide according to the present invention is applied, the structure of the webbing guide and the combined structure of the webbing guide and the fixed frame are improved, thereby changing the webbing extraction path according to the extraction direction and angle of the webbing, and avoiding interference between the webbing guide and the fixed frame, thereby obtaining the effect of expanding the range of change in the extraction path of the webbing guide.

And according to the present invention, when a user pulls the seat belt webbing obliquely in both directions from above, the supporting projections provided on the lower sides of both sides of the webbing guide are used to support the joining projections coupled to the fixed frame, thereby increasing the joining force with the fixed frame, thereby effectively preventing the webbing guide from being separated from the fixed frame.

Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of a seat belt retractor according to the prior art, respectively.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a seat belt retractor with a webbing guide applied according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the fixed frame and webbing guide shown in Figure 3.
Fig. 5 is a rear view of the webbing guide shown in Fig. 3;
Figure 6 is an operational state diagram showing a state in which an operating force is applied in an oblique direction to the webbing guide.

Hereinafter, a seat belt retractor with a webbing guide applied according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

Hereinafter, the direction in which the webbing guide is installed centered on the spindle is referred to as 'rear (B)', and the opposite direction is referred to as 'front (F)'. In addition, terms indicating directions such as 'left (L)', 'right (R)', 'upper (U)', and 'downer (D)' are defined as indicating each direction based on the aforementioned front (F) and rear (B).

First, before explaining the configuration of a seat belt retractor with a webbing guide applied thereto according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of a seat belt retractor according to the prior art and a webbing guide applied thereto will be schematically explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of a seat belt retractor according to the prior art, respectively.

Fig. 1 illustrates a seat belt retractor with a fixed webbing guide applied, and Fig. 2 illustrates a seat belt retractor with a rotating webbing guide applied.

A seat belt retractor (1) according to the prior art includes a spindle (3) on which a seat belt webbing (hereinafter referred to as “webbing”) (2) is wound, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and a fixed frame (4) on which the spindle (3) is installed.

The spindle (3) is rotatably installed between the two side walls (5) of the fixed frame (4), and a webbing guide that guides the withdrawal path of the webbing (2) is installed on one side of the fixed frame (4), the upper rear side as viewed in Fig. 1.

The fixed webbing guide (6) illustrated in Fig. 1 is fixedly installed on one side of the fixed frame (4), at the upper rear side as viewed from Fig. 1, and guides the webbing (2) to be drawn upward through the drawing space formed inside.

Since the path through which the webbing (2) is pulled out is limited to the pull-out space in this type of fixed webbing guide (6), it is impossible to change the pull-out path of the webbing (2).

The rotary webbing guide (7) illustrated in Fig. 2 is rotatably installed on the upper rear side of the fixed frame (4). That is, the rotary webbing guide (7) is rotatably connected to a pair of connecting holes formed on each side wall (5) of the fixed frame (4) by using connecting projections formed on the lower ends of a pair of extensions extending downward from both sides. Accordingly, the rotary webbing guide (7) can change the pulling-out path of the webbing (2) by rotating around the connecting projections.

However, since the rotary webbing guide (7) illustrated in Fig. 2 engages the engaging projections formed at the lower ends of a pair of extensions from the inner side to the outer side of both side walls (5) of the fixed frame (4), the angle range for changing the extraction path is limited due to interference with the fixed frame (4).

In addition, when the rotary webbing guide (7) is subjected to external impact or vibration or when the webbing (2) is pulled out in an inclined direction to the left or right by the user's operating force, the connecting protrusions on one or both sides may become separated from the fixed frame (4), and thus the webbing (2) may not be able to guide the pulling out path.

Therefore, the present invention solves the problems of the fixed and rotating webbing guides described above by improving the structure of the webbing guide and the structure by which the webbing guide is coupled to the fixed frame, and expands the range in which the webbing withdrawal path can be changed.

Next, the configuration of a seat belt retractor to which a webbing guide according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a seat belt retractor to which a webbing guide is applied according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the fixed frame and webbing guide illustrated in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a rear view of the webbing guide illustrated in FIG. 3.

A seat belt retractor (10) with a webbing guide applied according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a spindle (12) on which a seat belt webbing (hereinafter referred to as “webbing”) (11) is wound, a fixed frame (20) on which the spindle (12) is rotatably installed, and a webbing guide (30) installed on one side of the fixed frame (20) and guiding the inlet and outlet paths of the webbing (11).

In addition, the seat belt retractor (10) to which the webbing guide according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is applied may further include a winding spring unit that generates a restoring force for winding up the pulled-out webbing (11), a locking unit that stops the rotation of the spindle (12) according to the pull-out acceleration of the webbing (11), a vehicle sensor unit that detects the inclination of the vehicle and the change in the pull-out acceleration of the webbing (11), and a locking prevention unit that prevents the locking of the spindle (12) according to a preset condition. Each of these units may be respectively arranged on both sides of the fixed frame (20) and accommodated inside a pair of housings (13) coupled to both sides of the fixed frame (20).

The spindle (12) is formed in a roughly cylindrical shape so that it can wrap the webbing (21), and is rotatably connected to both side walls (22) of the fixed frame (20) through a pair of spindle axes that are protruded at both ends of the spindle (12).

The fixed frame (20) is a part where each device provided in the seat belt retractor (10) is installed, and can be fixed to an installation target such as a body or a seat backrest inside a vehicle.

This fixed frame (20) may be formed to have a cross section of approximately '∩' shape when viewed from above, with the front, upper and lower surfaces being open. That is, the fixed frame (20) may include a base wall (21) arranged at the rear side, and a pair of side walls (22) extending forward from both ends of the base wall (21). Accordingly, the spindle shafts on both sides of the spindle (12) may be rotatably coupled to the side walls (22) of the fixed frame (20), respectively.

One or more support members (23) may be installed on the upper and front sides of the fixed frame (20) to maintain a constant gap between the two side walls (22).

And, on both side walls (22) of the fixed frame (20), a pair of mounting portions (24) on which a webbing guide (30) is mounted are formed extending upwardly at the rear, and a mounting hole (25) can be formed in each mounting portion (24).

The webbing guide (30) is attached to the upper rear side of the fixed frame (20) and functions to guide the withdrawal path of the webbing (11).

In this embodiment, the webbing guide (30) is rotatably connected to the fixed frame (20) so that the withdrawal path of the webbing (11) can be expanded and changed as needed.

To explain in detail, the webbing guide (30) can be formed in a roughly square frame shape with an open lower surface, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

That is, the webbing guide (30) includes a draw portion (31) in which a draw space (311) from which the webbing (21) is drawn is formed, a pair of extension portions (32) extending downward from both ends of the draw portion (31), and a pair of connecting portions (33) that are formed by bending outward and downward from each of the extension portions (32) and connected to both side walls (22) of the fixed frame (20).

The withdrawal portion (31) can be formed into a roughly rectangular frame shape by forming a roughly rectangular withdrawal space (311) inside.

A pair of extension parts (32) can extend downward from each end of the withdrawal part (31), i.e., the left end and the right end.

Here, the withdrawal portion (31) and the extension portion (32) may be formed to be curved in an arc shape toward the upper side from the upper side of the fixed frame (20) toward the upper side of the spindle (12) when viewed from the side, or may be formed to be slightly inclined toward the upper side. Thus, the webbing (11) can be smoothly withdrawn and introduced through the withdrawal space (311) arranged at the upper side of the rear end of the spindle (12).

A pair of connecting parts (33) can be formed by extending outward from the lower part of the extension part (32), that is, to the left and right, and then bending downward again so that their cross sections form approximately the shape of '┏' and '┓', respectively.

And, at the bottom of each connecting portion (33), a connecting projection (331) may be formed facing inwardly so as to be connected to each mounting hole (25) formed in the fixed frame (20).

Therefore, the webbing guide (30) can change the pulling path of the webbing (11) by rotating around the pair of connecting projections (331) according to the pulling direction and angle of the webbing (11) while each of the pair of connecting projections (331) is connected to a pair of mounting portions (24) formed on the fixed frame (20).

Meanwhile, a supporting projection (321) may be provided at the bottom of each pair of extension parts (32) to prevent each connecting projection (331) from being detached from the mounting part (24).

That is, each supporting projection (321) extends downward to a height corresponding to each connecting projection (331) so that the connecting projection (331) can be supported so that it does not become separated from the mounting portion (24) by the oblique operating force applied to the webbing guide (30) when the user pulls the webbing (11) to the left or right instead of upward.

In this way, the present invention improves the structure of the webbing guide and the combined structure of the webbing guide and the fixed frame, thereby changing the pulling path of the webbing according to the pulling direction and angle of the webbing, and avoiding interference between the webbing guide and the fixed frame, thereby expanding the range of changes in the pulling path of the webbing guide.

Experiments using actual products have shown that the present invention can extend the angle adjustment range of the pull-out path in which the webbing guide rotates forward and backward to a maximum of 60°.

In addition, the present invention effectively prevents the webbing guide from being separated from the fixed frame by supporting the engaging projections coupled to the fixed frame using the supporting projections provided on the lower sides of both sides of the webbing guide when the user pulls the seat belt webbing obliquely in both directions from above, thereby increasing the coupling force with the fixed frame.

Next, the coupling relationship and operating method of a seat belt retractor provided with a webbing guide according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention are described in detail.

First, the worker attaches the spindle (12) between the two side walls (22) of the fixed frame (20). At this time, one end of the webbing (11) is fixed to the spindle (12) so that the webbing (11) can be wrapped around the outer surface of the spindle (12).

Then, the worker attaches the webbing guide (30) to both side walls (21) of the fixed frame (20).

At this time, a pair of connecting parts (33) provided on the webbing guide (30) are pressed from the outside to the inside of the mounting hole (25) formed on the upper rear side of each side wall (22) of the fixed frame (20), and the connecting projections (331) formed on the inside of each connecting part (33) are connected by passing through the mounting hole (25).

Next, the worker pulls the other end of the webbing (11) outward through the withdrawal space (311) of the webbing guide (30).

In this way, when the assembly of the spindle (12), fixed frame (20), and webbing guide (30) is completed, the worker assembles other devices such as a winding spring unit, a locking unit, and a vehicle sensor unit on each side of the fixed frame (20), and then connects a pair of housings (13) respectively.

The seat belt retractor (20) assembled through this process is mounted on an installation target such as a body or seat backrest inside a vehicle.

Therefore, the webbing guide (30) guides the insertion and withdrawal path of the webbing (11) so that the webbing (11) can be smoothly inserted and withdrawn during the insertion and withdrawal operation of the webbing (11).

To this end, the webbing guide (30) can change the withdrawal path by rotating forward and backward around a pair of coupling projections (331) coupled to the fixed frame (20) according to the withdrawal direction and angle of the webbing (11).

Here, the upper part of the base wall (21) of the fixed frame (20) is positioned at a lower height than the webbing guide (30). Therefore, the webbing guide (30) can avoid interference with the fixed frame (20), especially the base wall (21), during rotational motion.

According to experiments using actual products, it was confirmed that the present invention can expand the angle adjustment range of the withdrawal path in which the webbing guide (30) rotates in the forward and backward direction to a maximum of 60°.

Meanwhile, the webbing guide (30) can remain connected to the fixed frame (20) even if the force applied by the user to pull the webbing (11) is not exactly upward, that is, the operating force is applied in a direction inclined to the left or right.

For example, Fig. 6 is an operational state diagram showing a state in which an operating force is applied in an oblique direction to a webbing guide.

When the webbing (11) is pulled in the direction of arrow A as seen in Fig. 6, an operating force is applied to the webbing guide (30) toward the upper right.

Then, the connecting projection (331) provided at the lower left side of the webbing guide (30) moves to the right along the direction of arrow A', so that the left connecting projection (331) is more firmly attached to the left wall (22) of the fixed frame (20).

At this time, the connecting projection (331) provided at the lower right side of the webbing guide (30) limits the distance that the webbing guide (30) moves in the right direction when the supporting projection (321) at the lower right extension (32) is pressed against the right wall (22) of the fixed frame (20). Accordingly, the webbing guide (30) can maintain a connected state without being separated from the right wall (22) of the fixed frame (20).

On the other hand, when the webbing (11) is pulled in the direction of arrow B, an operating force is applied to the webbing guide (30) toward the upper left.

Then, the connecting projection (331) provided at the lower right side of the webbing guide (30) moves to the left along the direction of arrow B', so that the right connecting projection (331) is more firmly attached to the right wall (22) of the fixed frame (20).

At this time, the connecting projection (331) provided at the lower left side of the webbing guide (30) limits the distance that the webbing guide (30) moves to the left while the supporting projection (321) at the lower left extension (32) is pressed against the left wall (22) of the fixed frame (20). Accordingly, the webbing guide (30) can maintain a connected state without being separated from the left wall (22) of the fixed frame (20).

Through the process described above, the present invention improves the structure of the webbing guide and the combined structure of the webbing guide and the fixed frame, thereby changing the pulling path of the webbing according to the pulling direction and angle of the webbing, and avoiding interference between the webbing guide and the fixed frame, thereby expanding the range of changes in the pulling path of the webbing guide.

In addition, the present invention effectively prevents the webbing guide from being separated from the fixed frame by supporting the engaging projections coupled to the fixed frame using the supporting projections provided at the lower ends of both sides of the webbing guide when the user pulls the seat belt webbing obliquely in both directions from above, thereby increasing the coupling force with the fixed frame.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described according to the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The present invention is applied to a seat belt retractor technology using a webbing guide to change a webbing extraction path by using a webbing guide and to expand the range of change in the extraction path of the webbing guide by avoiding interference between the webbing guide and a fixed frame.

1: Seat belt retractor 2: Webbing
3: Spindle 4: Fixed Frame
5: Sidewall 6: Fixed webbing guide
7: Rotating webbing guide
10: Seat belt retractor
11: Seat belt webbing 12: Spindle
13: Housing
20: Fixed frame 21: Base wall
22: Side wall 23: Support member
24: Mounting part 25: Mounting hole
30: Webbing Guide
31: Withdrawal section 311: Withdrawal space
32: Extension 321: Supporting protrusion
33: Joint 331: Joint protrusion

Claims (5)

The spindle on which the seat belt webbing is wound on the outside;
A fixed frame on which the spindle is rotatably installed; and
It includes a webbing guide installed on one side of the fixed frame to guide the seat belt webbing to be introduced and withdrawn in different directions and angles.
The above webbing guide has a withdrawal portion in which a withdrawal space is formed through which the seat belt webbing is withdrawn.
A pair of extensions extending downward from both ends of the above withdrawal portion, and
Each extension section comprises a pair of connecting sections formed by bending outwardly and downwardly and connected to both side walls of the fixed frame,
A pair of mounting parts are formed extending from each side wall of the above fixed frame, on which the pair of connecting parts are mounted, respectively.
Each mounting part has a mounting hole formed.
Each joint part has a joint projection formed protruding from the outside to the inside of each mounting hole.
Each extension section is provided with a support section to support the connecting section so that it remains connected to the mounting section.
A seat belt retractor with a webbing guide applied, characterized in that the supporting projection is formed to extend from the extension portion to a position corresponding to the joining projection. delete delete In the first paragraph,
A seat belt retractor with a webbing guide applied, characterized in that the above-mentioned withdrawal portion and the extension portion are formed to be curved from the upper portion of the base wall of the above-mentioned fixed frame toward the upper portion of the above-mentioned spindle. In paragraph 1 or 4,
The above fixed frame is connected to the base wall and
Including both side walls formed by bending at both ends of the above base wall,
A seat belt retractor with a webbing guide applied, characterized in that the upper part of the base wall is positioned lower than the lower part of the webbing guide.

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