Seatbelt assemblies are in widespread use in motor vehicles. Present systems have certain common elements including seatbelt webbing which extends across the upper and lower torso of the occupant, and a retractor for allowing protraction and retraction of the webbing so that the belt may adapt to different sizes of occupants and be conveniently out of the way when not being used. Seatbelt assemblies further typically include a buckle which releasably attaches to a latch plate.
Seatbelt assemblies must be securely affixed to motor vehicle structural elements in order to provide the necessary restraint effect in vehicle impact conditions and further to meet government regulations. Most frequently, the buckle or other restraint system component is connected with the vehicle structure by a rigid metal strip or a cable which is mounted to the vehicle structure such as the floor pan, roof rail, body pillars, or seats using threaded fasteners. In the case of a cable anchorage a ferrule component connects the cable to the anchorage or restraint component. For some designs, it is necessary to align the ferrule generally with the intersection between the seat base cushion and the seat back for securing the lap belt and shoulder point to the buckle at that location.
In addition to aligning the ferrule with the desired location for buckling, it is also necessary to allow the ferrule to pivot in the event of a collision to align with the restraint loading forces. Prior solutions for locating the ferrule as well as meeting the dynamic requirements include the use of a steel pin riveted to the ferrule that will shear off in the event of a collision to allow the ferrule to align the loads, or a bent tab formed in the ferrule to accomplish the same functions. However, the steel pin must be made generally small to allow for the pin to shear off, and the corresponding locating hole must be made small, which can lead to manufacturing down time due to malfunctions in the hole punch. The bent tab solution requires a larger sheet metal stamping profile and additional forming of the ferrule, likewise leading to increased manufacturing costs and complexity.
The ferrules used for connecting the buckle are commonly made from sheet metal and produced using a sheet metal stamping process. After the ferrule has been stamped from the sheet metal, the ferrule must be bent to form a housing for the cable that attaches to the ferrule, where the ferrule can be subsequently crimped to secure the cable. However, bending the ferrule material can cause substantial stress to the ferrule material when the bend has a tight radius. Larger bend radiuses can reduce the stress, but results in a larger part which is undesirable due to size and weight requirements.
A seatbelt anchor assembly in accordance with this invention provides the above-mentioned features of adaptability, ease of assembly, and structural integrity.
Additional benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates from the subsequent description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.