Automobile seat belt apparatus

Claim 2

In an automotive vehicle having a vehicle body structure defining a plurality of utility openings therein respectively leading into a passenger compartment, an engine compartment, and a trunk compartment, a seat assembly disposed within the vehicle body structure, and a plurality of closure members hingedly connected to the body structure over the utility openings, respectively, so as to be movable between open and closed positions at which the utility openings are respectively opened and closed by the closure members, the closure members including front, side doors hingedly connected over respective ones of the utility openings leading into the passenger compartment, rear, side doors hingedly connected over respective ones of the utility openings leading into the passenger compartment, a hood hingedly connected over one of the utility openings leading into the engine compartment, and a trunk lid hingedly connected over the utility opening leading into the trunk compartment, a seat belt apparatus for restraining an occupant of the seat assembly, said seat belt apparatus comprising: a length of flexible belt having first and second opposite ends; a belt anchor fixing the first end of said flexible belt relative to the vehicle body structure; a seat belt retractor disposed within one of the rear, side doors, said seat belt retractor including automatic winding means connected to the second end of said flexible belt for exerting a tension force on said belt that tends to automatically forcibly wind the belt into the seat belt retractor, locking mechanism means for preventing said belt from being able to be pulled out from the seat belt retractor when a predetermined acceleration acts on the seat belt retractor, and a cancelling mechanism operative to disable said locking mechanism means from preventing said belt from being pulled out from the seat belt retractor when said predetermined acceleration acts thereon; and control means including belt detecting means for detecting whether at least one of the closure members other than said one of the rear, side doors is in the open position thereof, said control means operatively connected to said cancelling mechanism for operating said cancelling mechanism to disable said locking mechanism means when said detecting means has detected that said at least one of the closure members is in the open position thereof.

Claim 3

The seat belt apparatus in an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control means further includes hold means for maintaining the operation of said cancelling mechanism for a predetermined amount of time subsequent to the arrival of said at least one of the closure members to the closed position thereof from the open position thereof.

Claim 4

The seat belt apparatus in an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one of the closure members includes the hood.

Claim 5

The seat belt apparatus in an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one of the closure members includes the trunk lid.

Claim 6

In an automotive vehicle having a vehicle body structure defining a plurality of utility openings and a passenger compartment therein, a seat assembly disposed within the vehicle body structure, front, side doors hingedly connected over respective ones of the utility openings leading into the passenger compartment, rear, side doors hingedly connected over respective ones of the utility openings leading into the passenger compartment, so as to be movable between open and closed positions at which such utility openings are respectively opened and closed by the doors, and a plurality of closure members hingedly connected to the body structure over the utility openings, respectively, so as to be movable between open and closed positions at which such utility openings are respectively opened and closed by the closure members, a seat belt apparatus for restraining an occupant of the seat assembly, said seat belt apparatus comprising: a length of flexible belt having first and second opposite ends; a belt anchor fixing the first end of said flexible belt relative to the vehicle body structure; a seat belt retractor disposed within one of the side doors, said seat belt retractor including automatic winding means connected to the second end of said flexible belt for exerting a tension force on said belt that tends to automatically forcibly wind the belt into the seat belt retractor, locking mechanism means for preventing said belt from being able to be pulled out from the seat belt retractor when a predetermined acceleration acts on the seat belt retractor, and a sensitivity reducing mechanism operative to increase that magnitude of acceleration on the seat belt retractor at which the locking mechanism means will prevent the belt from being able to be pulled out from the retractor thereby lowering the sensitivity of the locking mechanism means; and control means including first detecting means for detecting whether said one of the side doors is in the open position thereof, and second detecting means for detecting whether at least one of the closure members is in the open position thereof, said control means operatively connected to said sensitivity reducing mechanism for operating the sensitivity reducing mechanism to lower the sensitivity of said locking mechanism when both said first and said second detecting means detect that said one of the side doors and said at least one of the closure members are in the open positions thereof, respectively.

Claim 7

In an automotive vehicle having a vehicle body structure defining a plurality of utility openings and a passenger compartment therein, a seat assembly disposed within the vehicle body structure, front, side doors hingedly connected over respective ones of the utility openings leading into the passenger compartment, rear, side doors hingedly connected over respective ones of the utility openings leading into the passenger compartment, so as to be movable between open and closed positions at which such utility openings are respectively opened and closed by the doors, and a plurality of closure members hingedly connected to the body structure over the utility openings, respectively, so as to be movable between open and closed positions at which such utility openings are respectively opened and closed by the closure members, a seat belt apparatus for restraining an occupant of the seat assembly, said seat belt apparatus comprising: a length of flexible belt having first and second opposite ends; a belt anchor fixing the first end of said flexible belt relative to the vehicle body structure; a seat belt retractor disposed within one of the side doors, said seat belt retractor including automatic winding means connected to the second end of said flexible belt for exerting a tension force on said belt that tends to automatically forcibly wind the belt into the seat belt retractor, locking mechanism means for preventing said belt from being able to be pulled out from the seat belt retractor when a predetermined acceleration acts on the seat belt retractor, and a sensitivity reducing mechanism operative to increase that magnitude of acceleration on the seat belt retractor at which the locking mechanism means will prevent the belt from being able to be pulled out from the retractor thereby lowering the sensitivity of the locking mechanism means; and control means including first detecting means for detecting whether said one of the side doors is in the open position thereof, and second detecting means for detecting whether at least one of the closure members is in the open position thereof, said control means operatively connected to said sensitivity reducing mechanism for operating the sensitivity reducing mechanism to lower the sensitivity of said locking mechanism when both said first and said second detecting means detect that said one of the side doors and said at least one of the closure members are in the open positions thereof, respectively.

Claim 8

The vehicle body structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein said control means further includes hold means for maintaining the operation of said sensitivity reducing mechanism for a predetermined amount of time subsequent to the arrival of said one of the side doors and said at least one of the closure members to the closed positions thereof.

Claim 9

The vehicle body structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein said at least one of the closure members includes the hood of the vehicle.

Claim 10

The vehicle body structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein said at least one of the closure members includes the trunk lid of the vehicle.

Claim 11

In an automotive vehicle having a vehicle body structure defining a plurality of utility openings and a passenger compartment therein, a seat assembly disposed within the vehicle body structure, front, side doors hingedly connected over respective ones of the utility openings leading into the passenger compartment, rear, side doors hingedly connected over respective ones of the utility openings leading into the passenger compartment, so as to be movable between open and closed positions at which such utility openings are respectively opened and closed by the doors, and a plurality of closure members hingedly connected to the body structure over the utility openings, respectively, so as to be movable between open and closed positions at which such utility openings are respectively opened and closed by the closure members, a seat belt apparatus for restraining an occupant of the seat assembly, said seat belt apparatus comprising: a length of flexible belt having first and second opposite ends; a belt anchor fixing the first end of said flexible belt relative to the vehicle body structure; a seat belt retractor disposed within one of the side doors, said seat belt retractor including automatic winding means connected to the second end of said flexible belt for exerting a tension force on said belt that tends to automatically forcibly wind the belt into the seat belt retractor, locking mechanism means for preventing said belt from being able to be pulled out from the seat belt retractor when a predetermined acceleration acts on the seat belt retractor, and a sensitivity reducing mechanism operative to increase that magnitude of acceleration on the seat belt retractor at which the locking mechanism means will prevent the belt from being able to be pulled out from the retractor thereby lowering the sensitivity of the locking mechanism means; and control means including detecting means for detecting whether at least one of the closure members is in the open position thereof, said control means operatively connected to said sensitivity reducing mechanism for operating the sensitivity reducing mechanism to lower the sensitivity of said locking mechanism when said detecting means detects that said at least one of the closure members is in the open position thereof.

Claim 12

In an automotive vehicle having a vehicle body structure defining a plurality of utility openings and a passenger compartment therein, a seat assembly disposed within the vehicle body structure, front, side doors hingedly connected over respective ones of the utility openings leading into the passenger compartment, rear, side doors hingedly connected over respective ones of the utility openings leading into the passenger compartment, so as to be movable between open and closed positions at which such utility openings are respectively opened and closed by the doors, and a plurality of closure members hingedly connected to the body structure over the utility openings, respectively, so as to be movable between open and closed positions at which such utility openings are respectively opened and closed by the closure members, a seat belt apparatus for restraining an occupant of the seat assembly, said seat belt apparatus comprising: a length of flexible belt having first and second opposite ends; a belt anchor fixing the first end of said flexible belt relative to the vehicle body structure; a seat belt retractor disposed within one of the side doors, said seat belt retractor including automatic winding means connected to the second end of said flexible belt for exerting a tension force on said belt that tends to automatically forcibly wind the belt into the seat belt retractor, locking mechanism means for preventing said belt from being able to be pulled out from the seat belt retractor when a predetermined acceleration acts on the seat belt retractor, and a sensitivity reducing mechanism operative to increase that magnitude of acceleration on the seat belt retractor at which the locking mechanism means will prevent the belt from being able to be pulled out from the retractor thereby lowering the sensitivity of the locking mechanism means; and control means including detecting means for detecting whether at least one of the closure members is in the open position thereof, said control means operatively connected to said sensitivity reducing mechanism for operating the sensitivity reducing mechanism to lower the sensitivity of said locking mechanism when said detecting means detects that said at least one of the closure members is in the open position thereof.

Claim 13

The seat belt apparatus in an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 9, wherein said control means includes hold means for maintaining the operation of said sensitivity reducing mechanism for a predetermined amount of time subsequent to the arrival of said at least one of the closure members to the closed position thereof from the open position thereof.

Claim 14

The vehicle body structure as claimed in claim 9, wherein said at least one of the closure members includes the hood of the vehicle.

Claim 15

The vehicle body structure as claimed in claim 9, wherein said at least one of the closure members includes the trunk lid of the vehicle.