GB1415164A - Safety harness - Google Patents

Abstract

1415164 Vehicle safety harness SHORT BROS & HARLAND Ltd 11 Jan 1973 [11 Jan 1972] 1272/72 Heading A3V A vehicle safety harness comprises a belt 3 fixedly securable by means 4 to a first point on one side of a vehicle seat 14 and removably securable by means 10 to a second point 12 on the other side of the seat, the belt having a stiff self-supporting portion 15 for extending across the front of a wearer which portion through its own resilience or under external biassing means returns to a predetermined position forwardly of the seat on release of the means 10 so as to be a nuisance to the wearer and thereby to induce him to fasten the belt. Fig. 1 shows a lap and diagonal harness having a third fixing point 7. In modifications the means 10 engages an outboard fixing point and both ends of the belt are anchored at a single inboard point or alternatively the ends are anchored at respective vertically spaced inboard points. The stiff portion 15 which may form part of the lap strap, as shown, or the diagonal strap may be of inherently stiff woven material or may comprise metallic or non-metallic filaments or tapes in pockets or may be coated with a metallic or non-metallic sheath. The portion 15 is given a preformed curved shape. Instead of relying on the resilience of the stiff portion a spring loaded link 16 or spring reinforcement located at the fixing means 4 may be used to move the belt on release of the means 10. As shown in Fig. 6 the end 3b of the belt is secured through a link 8 to an anchoring element 41 on the door frame 9 which element engages a stud 43 on the door pillar 44 when the door is closed, thereby transferring the load applied to the belt in a collision to the pillar which is stronger than the door frame. A similar arrangement may be used for the fixing means 4 in Fig. 1.