Passive lap and shoulder belt system

摘要

A passive three-point lap and shoulder belt system has the outboard ends of the lap and shoulder belts mounted on the vehicle body door respectively adjacent the hip and shoulder of the occupant. A retractor mounted on the body generally adjacent the inboard hip of the occupant winds a control belt which is connected with the lap and shoulder belts at the juncture of their inboard ends to establish the lap and shoulder belts in their occupant restraining positions when the door is closed. A door mounted belt stiffener is encased within the lap belt and includes a plurality of stacked abutting elements normally hingedly movable relative one another to allow the lap belt to fall limp across the occupant lap. The elements are connected by one or more tension cables which are tensioned upon opening movement of the door to compress and erect the abutting elements into a stiff column which lifts the lap belt as well as the shoulder and control belts further upwardly and forwardly of their respective stowed positions normally obtained by the swing geometry of the open door. Mechanism for tensioning the tension cables includes a door mounted pulley or like rotary member having the tension cables attached at a point eccentric from the axis of rotation. A control cable is wound upon the pulley and attached to the door hinge pillar of the body so that opening movement of the door rotates the pulley in the direction to tension the tension cables.