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Seatbelt apparatusSeatbelt apparatus description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060226694, Seatbelt apparatus. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND [0001] The present invention relates to a seatbelt apparatus mounted on a vehicle such as an automotive vehicle for constraining and protecting a passenger by a seatbelt and to a seatbelt apparatus provided with two pretensioners. [0002] A seatbelt apparatus provided on a vehicle seat of the automotive vehicle or the like prevents the passenger from jumping out from the seat of the passenger by constraining the passenger with the seatbelt in case of emergency such as vehicle collision where a significant deceleration is applied to the vehicle, thereby protecting the passenger. [0003] In the related art, as one of the seatbelt apparatus in the related art, for example, there is a three-point type seatbelt apparatus as shown in FIG. 9. In the drawing, reference numeral 1 designates a seatbelt apparatus provided on a vehicle seat 2, reference numeral 3 designates a seatbelt retractor fixed to a vehicle body near the vehicle seat 2 for constantly urging a seatbelt 4 so as to be withdrawably retracted, and locking the seatbelt 4 from being withdrawn in case of emergency, reference numeral 5 designates a tongue slidably supported by the seatbelt 4, reference numeral 6 designates a buckle located on the side of the vehicle seat 2 and fixed to the vehicle seat 2 or the vehicle body for being engaged by the tongue 5, and reference numeral 7 designates a belt guide mounted to an upper side of a vehicle side portion such as a center pillar 8 for guiding the seatbelt 4 withdrawn from the seatbelt retractor 3. A belt anchor portion 4a at a distal end of the seatbelt 4 withdrawn from the seatbelt retractor 3 is fixed to the vehicle seat 2 or the vehicle body. [0004] With the seatbelt apparatus 1 configured as described above, when the passenger attaches the seatbelt 4, the passenger sits on the vehicle seat 2, withdraws the seatbelt 4 from the seatbelt retractor 3, engages the tongue 5 with the buckle 6, and then releases his/her hand from the tongue 5, whereby the part of the seatbelt 4 excessively withdrawn is retracted by the seatbelt retractor 3 and hence a slack of the seatbelt is removed, and the seatbelt 4 is attached to the passenger. In this case, the seatbelt 4 between the belt guide 7 and the tongue 5 functions as a shoulder belt 4b for constraining the shoulder and the chest of the passenger, and the seatbelt 4 between the belt anchor portion 4a fixed to the vehicle body and the tongue 5 functions as a lap belt 4c for constraining a lap ("lumber") of the passenger. [0005] Then, in case of emergency such as the vehicle collision of where a significantly large deceleration is applied to the vehicle, an emergency locking mechanism of the seatbelt retractor 3 is activated to lock the seatbelt 4 from being withdrawn and prevent the forward movement of the passenger by a force of inertia, whereby the passenger is constrained and protected. In particular, in the recent years, the pretensioner is provided in the seatbelt retractor 3, the belt anchor portion 4a, or the buckle or the like so that the pretensioner is activated in case of occurrence of emergency and pulls the seatbelt 4 to remove the slack of the seatbelt 4 quickly so that the forward movement of the passenger is kept as little as possible, whereby the effects of constraining and protecting the passenger are improved. [0006] In the seatbelt apparatus provided with the pretensioner as described above, there is a seatbelt apparatus in which the pretensioners are provided in the seatbelt retractor and the belt anchor portion respectively, so that the pretensioner in the seatbelt retractor is activated first in case of emergency to retract the seatbelt by the seatbelt retractor, and then the pretensioner of the belt anchor portion is activated to pull the seatbelt and remove the slack of the seatbelt quickly for constraining the passenger (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-287622). [0007] In the seatbelt apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-287622, since the two pretensioners are activated under two time frames, even when the slack of the seatbelt cannot be sufficiently removed by the first pretensioner, the slack of the seatbelt can be removed by the second pretensioner, whereby constraint of the passenger is ensured. [0008] However, in the seatbelt apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-287622, when a first pretensioner 9 of the seatbelt retractor 3 is activated and the seatbelt 4 is retracted by the seatbelt retractor 3 as shown in FIG. 10(a), both of the shoulder belt 4b and the lap belt 4c are pulled toward the seatbelt retractor 3 as indicated by an arrow A. [0009] Subsequently, a second pretensioner 10 of the belt anchor portion 4a is activated and hence the seatbelt 4 is pulled toward the belt anchor portion 4a as shown in FIG. 10(b), both of the lap belt 4c and the shoulder belt 4b are pulled toward the belt anchor portion 4a as indicated by an arrow B. Therefore, even though the lap belt 4c is pulled by the first pretensioner 9 and a slack of the lap belt 4c is removed, the shoulder belt 4b is pulled with the lap belt 4c in the opposite direction by the second pretensioner 10, and hence the lap belt 4c is loosened. Therefore, since the lap belt 4c which functions for constraining the passenger most is loosened, the effect of constraining the passenger cannot be sufficiently achieved. [0010] Therefore, there remains a need to provide a seatbelt apparatus in which removal of the slack of the lap belt is ensured even though the two pretensioners are activated under two time frames, whereby the effects of constraining the passenger are satisfactorily achieved. SUMMARY [0011] According to one embodiment of the invention, a seatbelt apparatus includes a seatbelt including a shoulder belt for constraining an upper half body of a passenger and a lap belt for constraining a lumber of the passenger, a seatbelt retractor for withdrawably retracting the seatbelt and locking the seatbelt from being retracted in case of emergency, a belt anchor portion for fixing a distal end of the seatbelt withdrawn from the seatbelt retractor to a vehicle body, a tongue slidably supported by the seatbelt and partitioning between the shoulder belt and the lap belt, a buckle fixed to the vehicle body and capable of being engaged by the tongue, a first and a second pretensioner, wherein each may be provided in at least two devices selected from the seatbelt retractor, the belt anchor portion and the buckle, wherein the first and second pretensioners are activated to pull the seatbelt in case of emergency, the first and second pretensioners being adapted to be activated under two time frames in such a manner that the second pretensioner is activated after having activated the first pretensioner, and a belt one-way movement preventing mechanism for preventing the shoulder belt from moving toward the lap belt when the second pretensioner is activated. [0012] According to another embodiment, a seatbelt apparatus is configured so that the tongue is a one-way tongue which prevents the shoulder belt from moving toward the lap belt when a predetermined pulling force toward the shoulder belt is applied to the seatbelt and, in this state, a force larger than the predetermined pulling force is applied to the seatbelt in the direction toward the lap belt, and the belt one-way movement preventing mechanism is the one-way tongue. [0013] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0014] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, appended claims, and the accompanying exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings, which are briefly described below. [0015] FIG. 1(a) is an explanatory drawing showing a state in which a pretensioner of a seatbelt retractor is activated according to one embodiment. FIG. 1(b) is an explanatory drawing showing a state in which a pretensioner of a belt anchor portion is activated according to one embodiment. [0016] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of the embodiment of the tongue in the seatbelt apparatus according to one embodiment. [0017] FIGS. 3(a)-3(c) show a tongue plate in the example in FIG. 2, in which FIG. 3(a) is a front view, FIG. 3(b) is a right side view, and FIG. 3(c) is a top view according to one embodiment. [0018] FIGS. 4(a)-(c) show a webbing guide in the example in FIG. 2, in which FIG. 4(a) is a front view, FIG. 4(b) is a right side view, and FIG. 4(c) is a bottom view according to one embodiment. [0019] FIGS. 5(a)-5(c) show a lock bar in the example in FIG. 2, in which FIG. 5(a) is a front view, FIG. 5(b) is a right side view, and FIG. 5(c) is a top view according to one embodiment. [0020] FIGS. 6(a)-6(d) show a bar spring in the example in FIG. 2, in which FIG. 6(a) is a front view, FIG. 6(b) is a right side view, FIG. 6(c) is a top view, and FIG. 6(d) is a perspective view according to one embodiment. [0021] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the tongue shown in the example in FIG. 2 according to one embodiment. Continue reading about Seatbelt apparatus... Full patent description for Seatbelt apparatus Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Seatbelt apparatus patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. 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