Automatic seat belt driving device

Abstract

In a driving device for moving an automatic seat belt between a seat occupant restraining position and a seat occupant liberating position, a rotatable member to which one end of an elongate drive member is attached and by which the drive member is taken up or pushed out is formed with a portion for containing the drive member therein, and the drive member is guided from the portion to an exit lying at a position deviated in the direction of the rotational axis of the rotatable member and is pushed out from the exit.

We claim: 
     
       1. A driving device for moving a seat belt in an automatic seat belt system between a seat occupant liberating position and a seat occupant restraining position, said device comprising: an elongate flexible drive member, one end of said drive member being operatively connected to the seat belt,   a rotatable member formed with a portion for containing the drive member, the other end of the drive member being attached to said rotatable member and the drive member being taken up into and pushed out from said containing portion by the rotation of said rotatable member,   driving means for rotating the rotatable member,   a fixed side member formed with a port through which the drive member is taken up into and pushed out from said containing portion, said port lying at a position deviated from said containing portion in the direction of the rotational axis of the rotatable member.   
     
     
       2. A driving device according to claim 1, wherein said rotatable member is a drum member and said containing portion is an annular groove. 
     
     
       3. A driving device according to claim 1, wherein said rotatable member is a drum member and said containing portion is a spiral groove. 
     
     
       4. A driving device according to claim 2, wherein said drive member is a belt-like member and the depth of said groove is smaller than the width of said belt-like member. 
     
     
       5. A driving device according to claim 2, wherein said fixed side member is formed with a guide portion for guiding the drive member from said groove to said port. 
     
     
       6. A driving device according to claim 5, wherein said drum member has an inner wall and an outer peripheral wall and said guide portion is a trumpet-shaped guide groove defined by an inner wall formed along a tangential line drawn from the vicinity of said port to said inner wall of the drum member and an outer wall formed along a tangential line drawn from the vicinity of said port to said outer peripheral wall of the drum member. 
     
     
       7. A driving device according to claim 1, said drive member is a belt-like member, the thickness of the central portion of said belt-like member being somewhat greater than that of the opposite end portions thereof. 
     
     
       8. A driving device according to claim 2, wherein said groove is defined by an inner wall and an outer peripheral wall and said outer peripheral wall is formed by a plurality of rollers rotatably disposed on a plurality of projections of the drum member. 
     
     
       9. A driving device according to claim 2, wherein said groove is defined by an inner wall and an outer peripheral wall and said outer peripheral wall is formed by a ring member rotatably mounted on an outer peripheral annular projection of the drum member. 
     
     
       10. A driving device according to claim 2, wherein said drive member is guided toward said port by an inwardly biased pressing member. 
     
     
       11. A driving device according to claim 3, said drive member is guided toward said port by a movable guide member provided so as to move inwardly in response to the decrease of the roll diameter of the drive member in said sprial groove. 
     
     
       12. A driving device according to claim 3, further comprising a movable guide member disposed to move with the change of the diameter of a roll formed by the drive member in said spiral groove for guiding said drive member toward said port. 
     
     
       13. A driving device according to claim 12, wherein said movable guide member has a portion engaged with said spiral groove so as to move with the change of the roll diameter of the drive member. 
     
     
       14. A driving device according to claim 1, wherein said drive member is a rope-like member having a substantially circular cross-section. .Iadd. 
     
     
       15.  A driving device according to claim 3, wherein said fixed side member is formed with a guide portion for guiding the drive member from said groove to said port..Iaddend. .Iadd.16. A driving device according to claim 15, wherein said guide portion includes an inclined surface extending between one plane of said containing portion and a plane corresponding to a bottom end of said port..Iaddend. .Iadd.17. A driving device according to claim 16, wherein said inclined surface is curved at least partly..Iaddend. .Iadd.18. A driving device according to claim 16, wherein said drive member is a belt-like member and said port is rectangular in shape..Iaddend. .Iadd.19. A driving device according to claim 1, wherein said port is integrally formed in said fixed side member..Iaddend. .Iadd.20. A driving device according to claim 1, wherein said port is formed as a through-hole extending through a portion of said fixed side member..Iaddend. .Iadd.21. A driving device according to claim 19, said drive member is a belt-like member and said port is rectangular in shape substantially corresponding in shape to said belt-like 
     
     
        member..Iaddend. .Iadd.22.  A driving device according to claim 19, further including an outer tubular guide which has its one end fixedly attached to a portion of said fixed side member as located adjacent to said port..Iaddend. .Iadd.23. A driving device according to claim 1, said driving means includes a rotatable drive shaft to which said rotatable member is fixedly attached, whereby said rotatable member is driven to rotate by said drive shaft, whose rotational axis defines said rotational axis of the rotatable member..Iaddend. .Iadd.24. A driving device according to claim 23, wherein said driving means further includes a motor which is operatively coupled to said drive shaft so that said rotatable member is driven to rotate by said motor through said drive shaft..Iaddend. .Iadd.25. A driving device according to claim 24, wherein said driving means further includes a gear train through which said motor 
     
     
        is operatively coupled to said drive shaft..Iaddend. .Iadd.26.  A driving device according to claim 25, wherein said fixed side member is formed with a guide portion for guiding the drive member and wherein said guide portion includes an enclosed guide region which is located adjacent to said port and defined by a top wall, a bottom wall and a pair of side walls to thereby define said enclosed guide region..Iaddend. .Iadd.27. A driving device according to claim 26, wherein said containing portion is a spiral groove and further comprising a movable guide member disposed inside of said enclosed guide region to move with the change of the diameter of a roll formed by the drive member in said spiral groove for 
     
     
        guiding said drive member toward said port..Iaddend. .Iadd.28.  A driving device according to claim 27, wherein said movable guide member has a portion engaged with said spiral groove so as to move with the change of the roll of the drive member..Iaddend.