DESC:FIELD
The present disclosure relates to the field of mechanical engineering. In particular, the present disclosure relates to the field of vehicles.
BACKGROUND
Vehicles have become an essential part of our day-to-day life. However, as the number of vehicles is increasing, the number of accidents associated with the vehicles is also on a rise. In order to reduce the fatality rate in accidents, safety regulations have been implemented in various countries throughout the world. A vehicle manufacturer has to abide by these safety regulations laid down by the government before launching a vehicle in that country. One such regulation is Automotive Industry Standard – 072 (AIS-072). In accordance with AIS-072 regulation, all M1 category vehicles have to meet the child restraint system (CRS or child seats) criteria. As per AIS-072 test “A regulatory driven fixture representing a rearward facing child seat is positioned in an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) nominated seating position, and the three point seat belt with buckle is used to secure the fixture in its position while the seat is in its rearmost position.” One requirement of the test is that the lap portion of the seat belt must contact the curved edge on both sides of the fixture. FIG. 1 illustrates a seat body 100 wherein a fixture F is positioned on a seat 101; the seat 101 is in its rearmost position.
In conventional vehicles, as a safety measure to protect the driver and the passengers therein, the vehicle seats are provided with three-point safety belts having a chest strap and a hip strap anchored in the vehicle. The strap is anchored in the vehicle such that one operative end of the strap is secured to a vehicle wall near operative top of the vehicle, and the other operative end of the strap is secured again to the vehicle wall near the vehicle seat at a location where a back-rest of the vehicle seat interacts with a seating portion the vehicle seat. The strap is made of an elastic material. In an operative restraining configuration of the strap, the strap is pulled from the operative middle thereof such that the strap is divided into two portions; one that runs over the chest portion starting from the vehicle operative top, and the other that runs over the lap portion of the passenger. The operative middle of the strap is provided with an engaging element which engages with another engaging element that may be secured to the seat body or to the vehicle floor. The engaging elements are generally buckle and tongue type arrangements, wherein the tongue is provided in the operative middle of the strap, and the buckle is secured to one of the vehicle floor and the seat body. In particular, when a child is to be seated on the vehicle seat, a booster seat is disposed on the vehicle seat. The booster seat and the child are then secured by using the safety belt strap as described hereinabove. More specifically, when an adult or a child is seated on the vehicle seat, the displacement of the adult/child during a crash event or an accident or braking event is arrested and/or minimized by the use of the straps or safety belts.
Attempts have been made in the art to position the buckle, via buckle positioning members, such that it is easy to access the buckle. However, it is observed that even by utilizing such conventional buckle positioning members, the position of the buckle does not meet the AIS-072 requirement. More specifically, it is observed that using the conventional buckle positioning members, the lap portion of the safety belt does not rest on the curved surface of the fixture (see FIG. 1). Further, it is observed that the conventional buckle positioning members are configured be fitted/mounted onto only on to a child-car-seat, and not on the body or the floor of the car. Still further, it is observed that the conventional buckle positioning/holding means fail to arrest the buckle from slipping down.
Hence, there is a need to provide a support bracket for supporting the buckle of the safety belt that overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks encountered in the conventional buckle positioning members.

OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows.
It is an object of the present disclosure to ameliorate one or more problems of the prior art or to at least provide a useful alternative.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a support bracket for supporting a buckle of a safety belt in a vehicle that facilitates in resting of the of the lap portion of the safety belt on the curved surface of the fixture, thereby meeting the AIS-072 requirement.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a support bracket for supporting a buckle of a safety belt in a vehicle that prevents the slipping of the buckle.
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure envisages a support bracket for holding a buckle of a safety belt, in a vehicle, in an operative vertical configuration. The support bracket comprises a first arm. A support loop is secured at a first operative end of the first arm and is configured to receive and support the buckle of said safety belt. A second arm extends from a second operative end of the first arm, wherein the second arm acts as the base of the support bracket for mounting the support bracket within the vehicle.
In an embodiment, the support bracket is mounted on the floor or the rear seat of the vehicle. Typically, an aperture is configured on the second arm to facilitate the fastening of the support bracket. In another embodiment, the second arm is welded on the floor of the vehicle.
In an embodiment, the first arm and the second arm define a supporting configuration or a T-shaped configuration.
In an embodiment, the support loop has a configuration selected from a group comprising a circular configuration, rectangular configuration, an elliptical configuration, a geometric configuration, and a non-geometric configuration.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWING
A support bracket of the present disclosure, for supporting a buckle of a safety belt in a vehicle that prevents the slipping of the buckle, will now be described with the help of the non-limiting accompanying drawing, in which:
Fig. 1 illustrates a seat body, wherein the fixture F is positioned on the seat, the seat is in its rearmost position in accordance with the child restraint test to meet the AIS-072 requirements;
Fig. 2 illustrates an isometric view of a support bracket for supporting a buckle of a safety belt in a vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Fig. 3 illustrates the support bracket of Fig. 2 in an operative configuration; and
Fig. 4A illustrates an isometric view of a support bracket for supporting a buckle of a safety belt in a vehicle, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;
Fig. 4B illustrates an isometric view of a support bracket for supporting a buckle of a safety belt in a vehicle, in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present disclosure;
Fig. 4C illustrates an isometric view of a support bracket for supporting a buckle of a safety belt in a vehicle, in accordance with still another embodiment of the present disclosure;
Fig. 4D illustrates an isometric view of a support bracket for supporting a buckle of a safety belt in a vehicle, in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present disclosure; and
Fig. 5 illustrates an isometric view of a support bracket for supporting a buckle of a safety belt in a vehicle, in accordance with still embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 illustrate different views of a support bracket 200 for holding a buckle of a safety belt, in a vehicle, in an operative vertical configuration (hereinafter referred to as support bracket 200), in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The support bracket 200 comprises a first arm 202, and a support loop 204 secured at or near the first operative end 202A of the first arm 202. The support loop 204 is configured to receive and support the buckle B of the safety belt arrangement. In an embodiment, the support loop 204 has a configuration selected from a group comprising a circular configuration, rectangular configuration, an elliptical configuration, a geometric configuration, and a non-geometric configuration. A second arm 206 extends from a second operative end 204B of the first arm 202, wherein the second arm 206 acts as the base of the support bracket 200 for mounting the support bracket 200 within the vehicle.
In an embodiment, the support bracket 200 is mounted on the floor or the rear seat of the vehicle. Typically, an aperture 208 is configured on the second arm 206 to facilitate the fastening of the support bracket. In another embodiment, the second arm 206 is welded on the floor of the vehicle, without configuring an aperture thereon.
In another embodiment, the first arm 202 and the second arm 206 define an L-shaped configuration, as seen in Fig. 2. In another embodiment, the first arm 202 and the second arm 206 define a T-shaped configuration.
In accordance with the present disclosure, the support bracket 200 is secured to the floor F of the vehicle or any other member of the vehicle by means of welding, bolting, gluing, screwing, riveting with or without spring washer/spacer.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the support bracket 200 is secured on the vehicle floor in the space between the driver’s seat and the co-driver’s seat in the operative front of the vehicle.
In accordance with the present disclosure, the support bracket 200 facilitates guiding of the buckle B above the support loop 204 (as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3). More specifically, the buckle B that receives and engages the tongue of the strap or the safety belt (not shown in the figure) is secured to the floor of the vehicle or any other part thereof. The buckle B is disposed above the support loop 204 as shown in the FIG. 2. The support loop 204 prevents the buckle from slipping down.
Fig. 4A illustrates an isometric view of a support bracket 300 for holding a buckle of a safety belt, in a vehicle, in an operative vertical configuration (hereinafter referred to as support bracket 300), in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure. The support bracket 300 comprises a first arm 302, and a support loop 304 secured at or near a first operative end 302A of the first arm 302. The first arm 302 can be of different dimensions, as per the application requirements. The support loop 304, which is a closed loop, is configured to receive and support the buckle ‘B’ of the safety belt arrangement. In an embodiment, the support loop 304 has a configuration selected from a group comprising a circular configuration, rectangular configuration, an elliptical configuration, a geometric configuration, and a non-geometric configuration. A second arm 306 extends from a second operative end 302B of the first arm 302, wherein the second arm 306 acts as the base of the support bracket 300 for mounting the support bracket 300 within the vehicle. The first arm 302 has an inclined portion 308 formed on the first arm 302, which is inclined at an angle in the range of 20o to 30o, and preferably 25o with respect to the operative vertical portion of the first arm 302. The inclined portion 308 of the first arm 302 supports the buckle in fixed angle position. A fillet portion 310 is formed at an operative end of the first arm 302, to protect the buckle protective sleeve from getting damaged. An extension 312 extends from the second arm 306, which acts as an antirotating extension while applying torque to mount the buckle.
In an embodiment, the support bracket 300 is mounted on the floor or the rear seat of the vehicle. Typically, an aperture 314 is configured on the second arm 306 to facilitate the fastening of the support bracket 300. In an embodiment, the aperture 314 is a slot which provides flexibility to position the bracket 300 in ‘X’ direction of the vehicle coordinate. A rib 316 is configured on the support bracket 300 for providing strength to the first arm 302 and the second arm 306 of the support bracket 300. In another embodiment, the second arm 306 is welded on the floor of the vehicle, without configuring an aperture thereon.
In another embodiment, the first arm 302 and the second arm 306 define an L-shaped configuration, as seen in Fig. 4A. In another embodiment, the first arm 302 and the second arm 306 define a T-shaped configuration. In another embodiment, the second arm 306 and the extension 312 define a T-shaped configuration. In another embodiment, as seen in Fig. 4B, the two extensions 312 are configured on the second arm 306 in a symmetrical configuration, which provides an antirotating feature for both, Left Hand side and Right Hand side, variants. In another embodiment, the aperture 314 is configured centrally on the second arm 306, which facilitates common mounting for both, Left Hand side and Right Hand side, variants. In another embodiment, as seen in Fig. 4C, the support loop 304A is an open looped ring configured to receive and support the buckle ‘B’ of the safety belt arrangement. The open looped configuration of the support loop 304A helps the passenger to remove the buckle out from the support loop 304A as per the requirement. In another embodiment, the support loop 304A has a configuration selected from a group comprising a circular configuration, rectangular configuration, an elliptical configuration, a geometric configuration, and a non-geometric configuration. In another embodiment, as seen in Fig. 4D, the support loop 304B (two quantity) has an opening in the centre and is configured to receive and support the buckle ‘B’ of the safety belt arrangement. Such a configuration of the support loop 304B provides a snap fit insertion for the passenger to insert and remove the buckle out from the support loop 304B as per the requirement. In an embodiment, the support loop 304B has a configuration selected from a group comprising a circular configuration, rectangular configuration, an elliptical configuration, a geometric configuration, and a non-geometric configuration.
Fig. 5 illustrates an isometric view of a support bracket 400 for holding a buckle of a safety belt, in a vehicle, in an operative vertical configuration (hereinafter referred to as support bracket 400), in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure. The features of the support bracket 400 are identical to that of the support bracket 300, only in that the configuration of a support loop 404 of the support bracket 400 is different. Hence, for the sake of brevity of the present disclosure, the entire construction of the support bracket 400 is not repeated. The support loop 404 has an open looped configuration and extends orthogonally from an operative end 402A of a first arm 402 of the support bracket 400. More specifically, the support loop 404 has a C-shaped configuration to receive the buckle of the safety belt of a vehicle.
In accordance with the present disclosure, the stiffness of the support brackets 200, 300, 400 is such that it does not completely restrict the motion of the buckle and provides a considerable amount of space for accommodating the free-play of the support brackets 200, 300, 400 during the dynamic tests that is in accordance with the IS: 15140.
In accordance with the present disclosure, the stiffness of the support brackets 200, 300, 400 is such that it does not completely restrict the motion the buckle and provides a considerable amount of space for accommodating the free-play of the support brackets 200, 300, 400 during a frontal crash, offset crash, angular frontal, under ride frontal crash, and angular and side impact.
In accordance with the present disclosure, the thickness of the support brackets 200, 300, 400 is such that the desired stiffness is achieved.
In accordance with the present disclosure, the stiffness of the support brackets 200, 300, 400 can be achieved by changing the material thickness, the geometry of the bracket, the shape of the bracket, the manufacturing process of the bracket and a combination of aforesaid attributes.
In accordance with the present disclosure, the support bracket as envisaged herein can be used to support, guide and prevent the buckle deformation by various means such as:
? by configuring various geometries such as solid/hollow circular ring, solid/hollow rectangular, solid/hollow square, solid/hollow oval;
? by configuring various shapes of bracket such as L-shape, cylindrical, conical, venturi tubed, etc.;
? by using different kind of material of the bracket such as steel, plastic, combination for steel & plastic, stiffened rubber, glass filled fiber reinforced plastic, spring steel, Aluminium and combination of any of these materials;
? by using attachment of different types of the bracket to the vehicle such as welding, bolting, gluing, screwing, riveting and with or without spring washer/spacer;
? by configuring various mounting locations of the bracket such as floor mounted, seat mounted, seat base mounted, floor console mounted, and seat frame mounted
? by varying dimensions of the bracket and its elements such as height, weight, thickness, and hole size; and
? by providing various kinds of mounting hole shapes and locations.
Further, the support brackets 200, 300, 400 of the present disclosure can be used for supporting buckles of different kinds example, stem buckle/wire buckle/cable buckle/web buckle, and buckle with pre-tensioners.
TECHNICAL ADVANCES
The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, the realization of An object of the present disclosure is to provide a support bracket for supporting a buckle of a safety belt that:
• facilitates in resting of the of the lap portion of the safety belt on the curved surface of the fixture, thereby meeting the AIS-072 requirement; and
• prevents the slipping of the buckle.
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
Throughout this specification the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.
The use of the expression “at least” or “at least one” suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.
Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form a part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.
The numerical values mentioned for the various physical parameters, dimensions or quantities are only approximations and it is envisaged that the values higher/lower than the numerical values assigned to the parameters, dimensions or quantities fall within the scope of the disclosure, unless there is a statement in the specification specific to the contrary.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation. ,CLAIMS:1. A support bracket for holding a buckle of a safety belt, in a vehicle, in an operative vertical configuration, said support bracket comprising:

a first arm;
a support loop secured at a first operative end of said first arm, said support loop configured to receive and support the buckle of said safety belt;
a second arm extending from a second operative end of said first arm, said second arm being the base of said support bracket for mounting said support bracket within the vehicle.

2. The support bracket as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support bracket is mounted on the floor of said vehicle.

3. The support bracket as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support bracket is mounted on the seat of said vehicle.

4. The support bracket as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein an aperture is configured on said second arm to facilitate fastening of said support bracket.

5. The support bracket as claimed in claim 2, wherein said second arm is welded on the floor of said vehicle.

6. The support bracket as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first arm and said second arm define an L-shaped configuration.

7. The support bracket as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first arm and said second arm define a T-shaped configuration.

8. The support bracket as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support loop has a configuration selected from a group comprising a circular configuration, rectangular configuration, an elliptical configuration, a geometric configuration, and a non-geometric configuration.