A seat belt arrangement

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle with a seat belt system for the driver's seat, which is located substantially centrally between the passenger side and the driver's side of the vehicle.

[0002] WO 2008/110814 discloses a compact seat system for a vehicle, the seat system comprising three seats: a driver's front seat centrally and at least to some extent in front of two transversely rear passenger seats, the driver's seat it stretches transversely so that it is situated at the front of each of the rear passenger seats, the driver's seat transversely overlapping the passenger seats to such an extent that it is required to form each side of the driver's seat so that it can accommodate at least part of the passenger's leg sitting in a forward position on the appropriate one of the passengers' seats.

In the case of such a system, it is unsuitable to provide the upper fastening element of the seat belt (for example on the B-pillar), as is the case with a traditional two-seater or four-seater car, in which the driver's seat is located on the side of the car (left side) or right side). In the known three-seat system, the upper fastening element of the seat belt is located on the cab roof. This requires the roof to include a structural member with sufficient strength to provide a secure fastener that is able to withstand the forces applied to the seat belt in the event of a collision, and also requires the seat belt to reach the roof, which blocks the head space and can limit visibility and freedom of movement in the cabin of the vehicle.

[0004] DE10008562 discloses a seat belt for a motor vehicle with a three-point fastening, having a shoulder strap extending above the seat back and a belt retractor behind the seat on the vehicle body, with a sliding tongue fastened to the shoulder strap, the tongue being adapted to engage with the seat belt. belt lock or socket integrated with the upper part of the backrest.

[0005] EP0590237 discloses a car seat having an integral seat belt assembly, wherein the seat assembly is a support device designed to transfer a load from the seat belt to the reinforced vehicle floor structure during rapid braking of impact tubes.

[0006] The present invention provides an alternative system that aims at eliminating one or more limitations of the prior art,

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] The present invention provides a vehicle comprising a driver seat and at least two passenger seats, the driver's seat having a seat portion, a rear portion and a seat belt system substantially centered between the passenger side and the vehicle driver side and the passenger seat 1 are located behind the driver's seat and are laterally offset from it, the seatbelt assembly comprising: the first and second hitching points on opposite sides of the seat portion, the first hitching point providing a hook for one end of the seat belt and the other the latch includes a latching mechanism for seating a latch held on the seat belt; the third point of the latch including the retractor system behind the seat, each of the points of latching, first, second and third, are in a relatively low position; and an upper fastening element provided on said rear portion, at or at the upper end thereof, i.e. at a higher level than the first, second and third hook points, so that in the attachment position the seat belt can extend behind the rear portion of the seat, from the retractor system to the upper fastening element, through the upper fastening element, obliquely at the front of the rear part, from the upper fastening element to the latching mechanism of the second hook point, and above the seat part, from the latching mechanism to the first latching point, characterized by the fact that the upper one the fastening element comprises a handle which is fastened to the rear part of the seat back having a hole or a passage through which the seat belt passes,

[0008] Such a seatbelt system makes it possible to transfer the retaining forces to the structural members at the bottom of the vehicle structure, for example on the cab floor (or the members leaving it), and the seat structure does not require the cab roof to contain! a structural member, and eliminates the need for the seat belt to lock the space between the seat back and the cab roof.

[0009] The preferred and optional features of the invention will become apparent from the appended claims and the following description.

Brief description of the drawings [0010] The invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figs. 1A and 1B show, in schematic top and side view, a three-seat system in a compact vehicle, such as described in WO 2008/110814;

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 show the driver's seat of such a system in front, top and side views in which the seatbelt arrangement is shown in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 5 shows, in plan view, a three-seat system with the driver's seat as shown in Figures 2 to 4 (but with inverted positions of the first and second hitching points and with the third hitch on the driver side and not the passenger side of the seat back part).

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0011] Figs. 1A and 1B show a three-seat vehicle system described in W02008 / 110814, in which the driver's seat 1 is located essentially midway between the near side and the distal side 3 of the vehicle cabin 4, and behind the driver 1 there are two passengers 5 and 6, which are laterally offset from the driver's seat, both ways in relation to the center line A of the cabin 4. Fig. 5 shows a system in which the seat belt system described below for the driver's seat is used.

[0012] Figures 2, 3 and 4 show the driver's seat 1 in views from the front, back and side, respectively. The seat 1 comprises a seat part 1 A, on which the driver sits, and a part with a tine 1B, which supports the driver's oven. The seat 1 comprises a structural member 7 and cushions, a seat 8 and a tinder 9. In the illustrated embodiment, the structural member 7 comprises a substantially rigid tubular frame that extends from the seat portion 1A to the rear portion 1B. The frame 7 comprises a tube that extends along one side of the seat portion 1A, up one side of the rear portion 1B, across the top of the rear portion 1B, down the second side of the rear portion 1B and along the second side of the seat portion 1A. It should be noted that in this arrangement, the rear portion 1B is fixed relative to the seat portion 1A, so it can not be folded relative thereto.

The tubular frame 7 may be made in the form of a steel (e.g. ERW3) tube with an outer diameter of 38.1 mm and a wall thickness of 2 mm, although other materials may be provided to provide a structure with similar strength (and preferably similar weight). The tubular frame is preferably formed by shaping and bending the tube instead of cutting and joining to avoid concentration of stresses or potential weaknesses inherent in joints such as welds.

[0014] In other systems (not shown), an extruded frame or frame made of composite materials can be used to provide a structure that is sufficiently rigid. It should be noted that since the frame has to withstand the forces applied to it by the upper fastening element 16 and transfer them to the vehicle structure without significantly deforming the seat, it is a key component of the seatbelt arrangement described herein.

[0015] The seat belt system comprises three hitching points 12, 13, 14, the first and second (12 and 13) are located at the bottom on both sides of the seat portion 1A. They are attached to the structural member of the cabin floor 11. The first point of the catch 12 is the fastening for one of the ends of the safety belt 15, and the second point of the catch 13 comprises a latching mechanism 13A. This mechanism 13A (see Fig. 4) may have a conventional structure and is usually attached by a rigid or flexible member 13B to a second point of the latch 13. This member 13B may also have a conventional structure. [0016] The first point of the catch 12 comprises a fixed fastening element for the first end of the safety belt 15. It may also be of a traditional construction and also attached to the structural member on the floor 11 of the cabin.

The third point of the catch 14 includes a retractor system 14A that is mounted behind the driver's seat 1, preferably in a substantially central position with respect to the sides of the seat 1 {the retractor system comprises a non-retentable rod that engages the lock when the seat belt is unwound at a speed above predetermined). The retractor system 14A is preferably mounted at the bottom, at the base of the seat back 1B and preferably, near the floor 11 of the cabin (which may have an elevation step behind the driver's seat, as shown in Fig. 4). The retractor system 14A is thus also attached to the structural member on the floor 11 of the cabin.

[0018] In the illustrated embodiment, the retractor system 14A is mounted on the upper top of the triangular holder 14B, the bottom edge of which is attached to the structural portion of the cabin floor 11 (as shown in Figure 4).

The seatbelt system also includes an upper fastening element 16 which is located on one side of the seat back 1B at or at its upper end, i.e. at a higher level than the above-described hitch points, first 12, second 13 and third 14. Preferably, the upper fastening element 16 is attached to the structural member 7 of the seat back 1B and is located on or at the upper end of the seat back 1B so as to be at a height similar to or greater than the arm of the person sitting in the driver's seat 1 (see Fig. 4). The upper fastening element 16 comprises a holder 16A, which is attached to the tubular frame 7 and has a hole or channel through which the seat belt passes 15. In use, the safety belt 15 extends behind the rear portion 1B, from the system during use. retractor 14A behind the seat,

The seat belt 15 thus provides a three-point fastening, like the traditional seatbelt, although in this case the upper fastening is consequently provided by the upper fastening element 16 on the seat support 1B in combination with the retractor mechanism 14A attached to the third fastener point 14 located at the bottom of the vehicle structure. All three points of the fastening 12, 13, 14 are at the bottom, so they can be provided by the structural components of the cabin floor 11 (or protruding from the cab floor). Accordingly, there is no need to provide an upper fastening element on the B-pillar on one side of the cabin 3, or attached to the structural member located in the cab roof (as in the prior art).

[0022] Because the upper fastening element 16 is on the seat 1, it ensures a constant belt run through the driver's upper trunk, regardless of the position of the seat 1 among the front and rear positions along the centerline A. This contrasts with the prior art in which the upper piece the fastening is affixed to the vehicle body, so the course of the belt varies depending on the position of the seat (or seat back) - unless an additional mechanism is provided to allow adjusting the position of the front and rear upper fastening element.

[0023] Furthermore, since all of the hitch points, first 12, second 13 and third 14, are mounted low, so they do not hinder the entry or exit of the driver (or passengers). Preferably, the hook points, first 12 and second 13, are mounted under the upper surface of the cushion 8 of the seat portion 1A.

[0024] The position of the upper fastening element 16 can be on the left or right side of the seat back 1B. Fig. 5 shows a system in which the upper fastening eiement 16 is on the left side of the seat back 1B.

In a further arrangement (not shown), the upper fastening element 16 may be on both the left and the right side of the seat back 1B, so the same seat may be used to provide a left-hand or right-hand configuration, e.g. depending on the country, in which the vehicle is to be sold.

[0026] Because the seat belt 15 does not extend over the upper fastening element 16, it does not also pass through the space above the seat back 1B and thus does not obstruct the entry or exit of passengers 5, 6 and does not block the head space or limit the visibility in the cabin 4 4

This is an important advantage over the prior art that requires the belt to pass through this upper space to the cab roof. It also allows roof structures to be provided in other forms (which would be incompatible with the maintenance of the seat belt anchor point).

[0027] As described in document W02008 / 1108, on the sides of the seat part 1A (at the rear end, where the seat part 1A contacts the rear part 1B) and / or on the sides of the rear part 1B (at the lower end where the part of the back 1B contacts with the seat part 1A) there are notches and cavities to accommodate parts of the legs, e.g. knees, passengers seated on passenger seats. As explained in document W02008 / 110814, this enables a very compact seating arrangement. Fig. 5 shows a seat portion 1A having notches at its rear corners. The seat belt system described herein is suitable for use in particular on the driver's seat in such a compact system. Figs. 3 and 5 schematically show the positions of the knee 5A and the upper passenger leg portion 5B relative to the driver's seat. As shown in these figures, the knee 5A and the upper portion 5B of the passenger leg are placed in recesses in the rear portion of the seat 1A and / or the lower portion of the rear seat back 1B. In this way, passengers may be closer to each other than would otherwise be possible. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 5, the passenger internal shoulders 19A, 19B are located inwardly with respect to the driver's arms 20A, 20B. The distance between the passenger arms 19A, 19B is therefore smaller than the distance between the driver's arms 20A, 20B. 19B passenger are positioned internally to the driver's arms 20A, 20B. The distance between the passenger arms 19A, 19B is therefore smaller than the distance between the driver's arms 20A, 20B. 19B passenger are positioned internally to the driver's arms 20A, 20B. The distance between the passenger arms 19A, 19B is therefore smaller than the distance between the driver's arms 20A, 20B.

[0028] The hook points, first 12 and second 13, are also preferably arranged such that a notch 15 and / or a latching mechanism 13A are provided in these notches, at least in the rear positions of the passenger seat. As shown in Figure 5, the rear corners of the seat portion 1A are angled to provide these notches (this is also shown more clearly in the enlarged part of Figure 5). It also helps to ensure that the seat belt and towing points are away from the legs or feet of a passenger seated in one of the passengers' seats.

Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 5, the front inner corners of the passenger seats 17, 18 can be shaped such that the passenger seats 17, 18 overlap with the driver's seat 1 both in the lateral direction and in the longitudinal direction (at least in the most rearward position of the driver's seat). This makes it possible to move the driver's seat 1 further back than would otherwise be possible.

[0030] The seatbelts 21, 22 for seats 17, 18 passengers may have a traditional structure, as shown in Figure 5.