An improved occupant restraint system is provided which includes a torso support unit that provides external support to an upper torso of an individual, who may be the occupant of a vehicle exposed to upward acceleration events. The torso support system provides support to the occupant's upper torso including rib cage, arm pit, upper arm and/or shoulder region. This support can be accomplished by one or more straps, one or more bars, one or more hooks or any other support device(s) that are connected to structure of the vehicle, such as a seat or standing platform, and in turn connected to the upper torso of the occupant to transfer upward vehicle forces to various parts of the upper torso independently of the forces transferred to the lower body such as the feet, legs and seat through other vehicle structure. With such a torso support system, when an upward acceleration event occurs, the compressive forces impinging on the occupant's spinal column are reduced wherein the likelihood of occupant paralysis or death due to spinal and other acceleration-induced injuries are significantly reduced.

An improved occupant restraint system is provided which includes a torso support unit that provides external support to an upper torso of an individual, who may be the occupant of a vehicle exposed to upward acceleration events. The torso support system provides support to the occupant's upper torso including rib cage, arm pit, upper arm and/or shoulder region. This support can be accomplished by one or more straps, one or more bars, one or more hooks or any other support device(s) that are connected to structure of the vehicle, such as a seat or standing platform, and in turn connected to the upper torso of the occupant to transfer upward vehicle forces to various parts of the upper torso independently of the forces transferred to the lower body such as the feet, legs and seat through other vehicle structure. With such a torso support system, when an upward acceleration event occurs, the compressive forces impinging on the occupant's spinal column are reduced wherein the likelihood of occupant paralysis or death due to spinal and other acceleration-induced injuries are significantly reduced.

A seat belt device includes a belt reel around which webbing is wound, a winding spring that rotationally biases the belt reel in a winding direction, a motor that is configured to transmit a driving force to the belt reel, a clutch that is interposed between the motor and the belt reel, and which performs connection/disconnection of the motor and the belt reel, a webbing speed detection unit that detects the winding speed of the webbing, a fastened/released state detection unit that detects a fastened state and a released state of the webbing, a basic winding control unit that drives the motor in the winding direction in a rotating manner and puts the clutch into a connected state, and a speed increase correction unit that increases the speed of the motor with respect to the speed of the motor obtained by the control of the basic winding control unit.

A seat belt installation structure of a vehicle may include a seat which has a seat cushion and a seat back, and on which occupants can be seated alongside in a vehicle width direction. The seat belt installation structure may also include a three point seat belt device provided with a retractor that can wind a webbing, a through anchor that guides a shoulder belt part and a supporting part that supports a lap belt part. In the three point seat belt device, a through anchor for at least a first seat out of a plurality of seats adjacent to one another in the vehicle width direction may be attached to a headrest for a second seat located next to the first seat or a fixing part that fixes the headrest for the second seat.

A motor vehicle seatbelt restraint arrangement including a continuous seatbelt. When the occupant is seated the seatbelt buckle tongue is drawable across the body to engage the buckle providing firstly a pre-impact configuration of the seatbelt characterised by a lap belt portion resting on the hips or upper legs of the occupant, wherein the lap belt portion is rearward vertically offset relative to an underside belt portion of the continuous seatbelt across the seating surface of the seat, and secondly an impact configuration of the seatbelt characterised by the lap belt portion and the underside belt portion being less rearward vertically offset and substantially vertically aligned one with respect to the other to provide a more vertically aligned loop of the continuous seatbelt around the hips or upper legs of the occupant at impact preventing submarining of the occupant out from the motor vehicle seat during impact.

A belt buckle feeder comprises a base (12) adapted to be fixedly attached to the vehicle and a carriage (14) being movably supported on the base (12) to which carriage a belt buckle (20) can be coupled and which can be moved by a drive arranged on the base (12). The drive includes an electric motor (26) and a worm gear comprising a worm shaft (34) which has a worm (36) as well as drive spur wheel teeth (40), with the shaft (28) of the electric motor (26) including a pinion (30) which is engaged in the drive spur wheel teeth (40) and drives the worm shaft (34).

A seat assembly for a vehicle includes a seat bottom; a seat back pivotably coupled to the seat bottom; and a seat belt buckle assembly coupled to the seat bottom and the seat back and movable from a first configuration to a second configuration when the seat back is pivoted relative to the seat bottom such that the seat belt buckle assembly does not interfere with the seat back when the seat back is collapsed against the seat bottom. Optionally, the seat belt buckle assembly is translated downwards with respect to the seat bottom from the first configuration to the second configuration when the seat back is pivoted forwards relative to the seat bottom. Optionally, the seat belt buckle assembly is pivoted forwards with respect to the seat bottom from the first configuration to the second configuration when the seat back is pivoted forwards relative to the seat bottom.

The present invention relates to accessory systems for enhancing the security of restraint system used in a vehicle with a lap seatbelt system. A plurality of straps can placed on the upper surface of a vehicle seat and configured to provide a secure connection between the shoulders of the restraint system and an upper portion of the vehicle seat, the anchoring system securing the torso of the individual to the seat back. An optional plurality of straps are configured to provide a supplemental connection between the anchoring system and a rear portion of the seat, tethering the anchoring system to the vehicle to anchoring structures in the floor of the vehicle or the bottom portion of the seat. The straps can be adjusted to accommodate different heights in wearers, seats backs, and vehicle seats, making the restraint user adjustable for use by different wearers and in different vehicles.

A vehicle seat belt device including: a buckle that is positioned so as to face a corner formed by a seat cushion and a seat back those constitute a rear center seat, and to which a tang of a seat belt is detachably attached; a webbing that connects the buckle to a lower floor; a loop portion formed on a side surface part of the buckle; and a first band that is inserted into the loop portion, is engaged with the buckle at one extending end, and is fixed to the seat back at the other end, is provided.

A seat belt device for a vehicle includes: a seat provided with a seatback and a seat cushion, and mounted on a floor panel; a buckle arranged at a lower edge of the seatback and coupled to a tongue member of a seat belt; a webbing having a base end thereof fixed to the floor panel, and a tip end thereof coupled to the buckle through between the seatback and the seat cushion; and a fixing band member arranged along a seat surface of the seatback. The fixing band member is provided with an auxiliary band member having the loop through which the webbing, coupled with the buckle at the tip end of the webbing, is inserted. The buckle inserted through the loop is held at an initial position by the auxiliary band member.