Vehicle passive occupant restraining belt arrangement

Claim 2

In combination with a vehicle body including a floor supporting a seat located outboard of a first belt attachment portion and accessible through an adjacent vehicle body door opening which is selectively opened and closed by a vehicle body door having a second belt attachment portion, a passive occupant restraining belt arrangement comprising, restraint belt means extending across the seat between the first and second belt attachment portions and having inboard and outboard ends, belt retractor means mounted on one of the belt attachment portions and receiving one of the belt ends of the restraint belt means to extend and retract the belt means during opening and closing movement of the door, means for securing the other belt end of the restraint belt means to the other belt attachment portion, a generally flexible elongated element with one end attached to the restraint belt means intermediate the belt ends thereof, and element retractor means mounted on the vehicle body forward of the seat and receiving the other end of the elongated element so as to retract the elongated element in response to door opening movement and pull the restraint belt means forwardly to an easyenter position as the belt retractor means extends the restraint belt means, the element retractor means extending the elongated element in response to door closing movement to allow the belt retractor means to retract the restraint belt means and move the restraint belt means rearwardly to a restraining position relative to a seated occupant without any deliberate effort on the part of the occupant.

Claim 3

In combination with a vehicle body including a floor supporting a seat located outboard of upper and lower belt attachment portions and accessible through an adjacent vehicLe body door opening which is selectively opened and closed by a vehicle body door having a belt attachment portion, a passive occupant restraining belt arrangement comprising, restraint belt means including shoulder and lap belt portions, first and second belt attachment means respectively securing the inboard ends of the shoulder and lap belt portions to the upper and lower belt attachment portions of the vehicle body, third belt attachment means for securing the outboard ends of the shoulder and lap belt portions to the belt attachment portion of the door to dispose the shoulder and lap belt portions across the seat, one of the belt attachment means including belt retractor means receiving an adjacent belt end of the restraint belt means so as to extend and retract the restraint belt means in response to opening and closing movement of the door, a generally flexible elongated element with one end attached to a portion of the restraint belt means intermediate the belt attachment portions, and element retractor means mounted on the vehicle body forward of the seat and receiving the other end of the elongated element so as to retract the elongated element in response to door opening movement and pull the restraint belt means forwardly to an easy-enter position as the belt retractor means extends the restraint belt means, the element retractor means extending the elongated element in response to door closing movement to allow the belt retractor means to retract the restraint belt means and move the lap and shoulder belt portions of the restraint belt means rearwardly to a restraining position relative to a seated occupant without any deliberate effort on the part of the occupant.

Claim 4

In combination with a vehicle body including a floor supporting a seat located outboard of upper and lower belt attachment portions and accessible through an adjacent vehicLe body door opening which is selectively opened and closed by a vehicle body door having a belt attachment portion, a passive occupant restraining belt arrangement comprising, restraint belt means including shoulder and lap belt portions, first and second belt attachment means respectively securing the inboard ends of the shoulder and lap belt portions to the upper and lower belt attachment portions of the vehicle body, third belt attachment means for securing the outboard ends of the shoulder and lap belt portions to the belt attachment portion of the door to dispose the shoulder and lap belt portions across the seat, one of the belt attachment means including belt retractor means receiving an adjacent belt end of the restraint belt means so as to extend and retract the restraint belt means in response to opening and closing movement of the door, a generally flexible elongated element with one end attached to a portion of the restraint belt means intermediate the belt attachment portions, and element retractor means mounted on the vehicle body forward of the seat and receiving the other end of the elongated element so as to retract the elongated element in response to door opening movement and pull the restraint belt means forwardly to an easy-enter position as the belt retractor means extends the restraint belt means, the element retractor means extending the elongated element in response to door closing movement to allow the belt retractor means to retract the restraint belt means and move the lap and shoulder belt portions of the restraint belt means rearwardly to a restraining position relative to a seated occupant without any deliberate effort on the part of the occupant.

Claim 5

In combination with a vehicle body including a floor and a roof defining an occupant compartment in which is mounted a vehicle seat accessible through a vehicle body door opening selectively opened and closed by a vehicle body door whose front edge is pivotally secured to the vehicle body, a passive occupant restraining belt arrangement comprising, a first belt having one end fixed to an upper inboard portion of the seat and the other end fixed adjacent a lower inboard portion of the seat generally below the one end, an apertured member slidably receiving an intermediate portion of the first belt to define a shoulder belt portion between the one end of the first belt and the apertured member and to define a lap belt portion between the other end of the first belt and the apertured member, a second belt having one end secured to the apertured member, an inertia retractor mounted on the inboard lower rear portion of the door and receiving the other end of the second belt, the retractor normally retracting the second belt with the door in closed position to maintain the apertured member in a lower rearward position positioning the lap belt portion across the lap of a seated occupant and the shoulder belt portion across the chest of the occupant in restraining positions, retractable means mounted on the vehicle body adjacent the outboard forward portion of the occupant compartment and above the apertured member in the lower rearward position, an elongated flexible member having one end secured to the apertured member and the other end received by the retractable means, and control means for actuating the retractable means to retract the flexible member during opening movement of the door to move the apertured member longitudinally of the vehicle body from the lower rearward position to an upper forward position moving the shoulder and lap belt portions from the restraining positions to easy-enter positions as the inertia retractor allows protracting movement of the second belt, the control means actuating the retractable means during door closing movement to allow protraction of the flexible member from the retractable means as the inertia retractor retracts the second belt moving the apertured member from the upper forward position to the lower rearward position and the shoulder and lap belt portiOns to the restraining positions.

Claim 6

In combination with a vehicle body including a floor and a roof defining an occupant compartment in which is mounted a vehicle seat accessible through a vehicle body door opening selectively opened and closed by a vehicle body door whose front edge is pivotally secured to the vehicle body, a passive occupant restraining belt arrangement comprising, a first belt having one end fixed to an upper inboard portion of the seat and the other end fixed adjacent a lower inboard portion of the seat generally below the one end, an apertured member slidably receiving an intermediate portion of the first belt to define a shoulder belt portion between the one end of the first belt and the apertured member and to define a lap belt portion between the other end of the first belt and the apertured member, a second belt having one end secured to the apertured member, an inertia retractor mounted on the inboard lower rear portion of the door and receiving the other end of the second belt, the retractor normally retracting the second belt with the door in closed position to maintain the apertured member in a lower rearward position positioning the lap belt portion across the lap of a seated occupant and the shoulder belt portion across the chest of the occupant in restraining positions, retractable means mounted on the vehicle body adjacent the outboard forward portion of the occupant compartment and above the apertured member in the lower rearward position, an elongated flexible member having one end secured to the apertured member and the other end received by the retractable means, and control means for actuating the retractable means to retract the flexible member during opening movement of the door to move the apertured member longitudinally of the vehicle body from the lower rearward position to an upper forward position moving the shoulder and lap belt portions from the restraining positions to easy-enter positions as the inertia retractor allows protracting movement of the second belt, the control means actuating the retractable means during door closing movement to allow protraction of the flexible member from the retractable means as the inertia retractor retracts the second belt moving the apertured member from the upper forward position to the lower rearward position and the shoulder and lap belt portiOns to the restraining positions.