Occupant safety restraint system
Disclosed herein is an occupant safety restraint system that dampens forces applied to an occupant by belts used for restraining the occupant in the occupant safety restraint system. Energy dampening structures may be disposed in either a seat back portion of an occupant safety restraint system or a seat bottom portion of an occupant safety restraint system (or both) through which shoulder and/or hip belts pass. The energy dampening structures may include deformation members that deform when restraining belts (i.e., shoulder and/or hip belts) contact the deformation members during vehicle collisions or rapid deceleration or acceleration. Deformation of the deformation members reduces or dampens energy in the restraining belts applied to occupants of the occupant safety restraint systems.
1 . An occupant safety restraint system, comprising:
a seat structure defining a seat back and a seat bottom;
the seat back including one or more belt slots, each belt slot of the one or more belt slots receiving a restraining belt passing through the belt slot to a forward side of the seat back;
each belt slot of the one or more belt slots associated with a deformation member over which the restraining belt passes as the restraining belt passes through each of the pair of belt slots; and
each deformation member having a leading end projected from a respective belt slot and a trailing end connected to the seat back at a respective belt slot, wherein when a force is applied to the deformation member by the restraining belt during a movement of the seat structure, the leading end of the deformation member deforms toward the trailing end of the deformation member to absorb energy being applied to the deformation member by the restraining belt.
2 . The occupant safety restraint system of claim 1 , wherein each deformation member includes a deformation point at each of first and second sides of each deformation member, wherein each deformation point is adapted to deform when the force is applied to the leading end of the deformation member to allow the leading end of the deformation member to deform toward the trailing end of the deformation member.
3 . The occupant safety restraint system of claim 2 , wherein each deformation point is further adapted to break when the force is applied to the leading end of the deformation member to allow the leading end of the deformation member to deform toward the trailing end of the deformation member.
4 . The occupant safety restraint system of claim 1 , further comprising a deformation dampening member adapted to resist deformation of the leading end of the deformation member toward the trailing end of the deformation member when a force is applied to the leading end of the deformation member.
5 . The occupant safety restraint system of claim 4 , the deformation dampening member including one or more control ribs extending along a surface of the deformation dampening member from the trailing end to the leading end to resist deformation of the leading end of the deformation member toward the trailing end of the deformation member.
6 . The occupant safety restraint system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more belt slots are disposed in a headrest portion of the seat back.