Guide means for flexible elements

This invention concerns an improved guide means for a flexible element.

There is often a requirement for a versatile means of guiding a flexible element via an indirect path whilst ensuring that the element is adequately protected from snagging or catching on adjacent members. Ideally the element should also be concealed from view by any such guide means in an elegant manner.

A particular example of such a requirement can be found in the context of a vehicle seat for a passenger vehicle such as a minibus, where, unlike the automobile, the seat belt cannot be mounted to a pillar forming a structural member of the vehicle body. In this case the seat belt must be supported from the seat frame itself and there is a need to guide a retractable seat belt through the seat from the shoulder level of the occupant to a seat belt mounting which is generally located at floor level behind the seat. If the seat belt is to be adequately protected from snagging over the path from the shoulder of the occupant of the seat to the anchorage of the reel mechanism for storage of the belt the seat must be provided with a suitable guide means for containing the belt. This has hitherto proved difficult to achieve in a construction that is both elegant and which allows the belt to be guided through the upholstery of the seat in such a manner that replacement of the seat belt mechanism can be effected when necessary without major reconstruction of the seat.

There are other requirements for the guidance of flexible members such as actuating cables where it may be necessary to insert the flexible member through a guide means the cross-section of the effective guide passage of which is smaller than the dimension of fittings attached to the flexible member. The arrangement according to the invention, although described below in the context of a seat belt fitting, should therefore be understood as having more general application.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a guide assembly for a flexible element comprising a mounting member providing an aperture extending along an axis, said mounting member being adapted to be supported from a structural member with respect to which the flexible element is to be guided, and an escutcheon means for trimming an orifice through which the flexible member is to pass, the escutcheon means being adapted to be received and retained in the said aperture of the mounting member to provide a guide aperture for the flexible member extending coaxially with the aperture in the mounting member, the mounting member being divided in such a manner that the said flexible element can be inserted into the aperture therein, in a direction transversely to said axis, the escutcheon means also being divided for insertion of the flexible member therein when disassembled from the mounting member, and the arrangement being such that surfaces defining the division in the escutcheon means are held in engagement with one another when the escutcheon means is received in the said aperture of the mounting member.

Advantageously the guide assembly further includes a divided conduit means into which the flexible member can also be inserted transversely to an elongate passage extending through the conduit means. Such a conduit means may be mounted with its elongate axis at an angle, for example a right angle to the said axis of the mounting member so that the flexible member can be guided along an angular path.

When the guide assembly is to guide the web of a seat belt the said apertures and passageway will be of rectangular cross-section, but other configurations may be adopted in accordance with the cross-section of the element to be guided.

Conveniently the mounting member may be formed of pressed sheet metal, whereas the escutcheon member may be moulded from one or more portions of synthetic plastics material, and the conduit means may be formed from one or more sections of extruded synthetic plastics material.

Further preferred features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded diagrammatic perspective view of a guide assembly according to the invention applied to the seat frame of a seat for a passenger vehicle such as a minibus,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section of a vehicle seat incorporating the assembly of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a front view of a mounting member of the assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2,

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the member of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is an end view of the member in the direction of the arrow A of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a front view of an escutcheon member of the assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2,

FIG. 7 is a rear view corresponding to FIG. 6,

FIG. 8 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 6, and

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a conduit member of the assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2 .

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings a vehicle seat comprises a frame member 1 of rectangular section steel tube that provides a back rest of the seat that is arranged to support the upholstery of the seat in known manner. Also in known manner the frame 1 supports a head rest member 2 of inverted U-shape configuration formed for example of steel rod fastened through the frame member 1 in a manner not illustrated, by way of nuts engaging bolts welded at the ends of member 2 .

The seat frame 1 supports a mounting member 3 (FIGS. 3 to 5 ) formed of folded sheet metal that defines a base portion 3 A engaging over the frame member 1 a pair of downwardly extending flanges 3 B locating over the vertical sides of the frame member 1 , a folded portion forming a rectangular aperture 3 C located at one end of the base portion 3 A and a closing strip 3 D extending from the aperture 3 C to the other end of the base portion 3 A. The base portion 3 A and the closing strip 3 D have registering open ended slots 3 E that enable them to be slid into engagement with the member 2 and clamped in place thereby when the latter is secured to the frame member 1 . The vertical sides of the aperture 3 C have notched openings 3 F referred to below.

An escutcheon member 4 (see FIGS. 6 to 8 ) is formed of moulded plastics material and comprises a guide portion 4 A of hollow rectangular transverse section, around a front edge of which is formed an integral flange 4 B having the configuration shown in FIG. 6 . The hollow rectangular portion 4 A has, in the region of the end remote from the flange 4 B, vertically extending L-shaped openings 4 C that divide the rectangular section vertically so that the portion 4 A extends to provide independent upper and lower horizontal wall portions 4 D and laterally opposed vertical wall portions 4 E. The free ends of the wall portions 4 D are chamfered at 4 F, whereas the vertical wall portions 4 E end in externally projecting barbs 4 G. The upper and lower horizontal walls of the portion 4 A are provided, in the region adjacent the flange 4 B, with externally projecting ridges 4 H. Furthermore, as shown more clearly in FIGS. 6 and 7, the flange 4 B and one of the vertical walls 4 E extending therefrom are divided horizontally by means of a slot 4 I.

At the rear of the seat frame 1 there is mounted a vertically extending conduit 5 of generally rectangular cross-section. As shown more clearly in FIG. 9, the conduit 5 is formed of two identical sections of extruded synthetic plastics material 5 A, 5 B each of which has identical longitudinally extending male and female sections that snap together as shown in FIG. 9 to provide an enclosed longitudinal passage 5 C.

The guide assembly described above serves to guide the web of a seat belt from a real assembly mounted at floor level to the rear of the seat frame 1 , vertically upwards behind the back of the seat, and then through the upholstery of the seat to a point at shoulder level from which it can extend to be worn by a passenger in the conventional manner. To this end, one of the two sections of the conduit 5 is secured to the rear of the seat frame 1 in the position shown in FIG. 2, and the two sections of the conduit are assembled around the webbing of the seat belt and snapped together to provide an enclosed channel extending from the seat belt rear mounting to the region of the upper edge of the frame 1 .

The mounting member 3 is assembled around the seat belt webbing by passing the webbing between the base portion 3 A and the closing strip 3 D, and the mounting member 3 is then assembled to the top of the frame member 1 by engaging the flanges 3 B around the frame and passing the slots 3 E around a mounting bolt of the member 2 so that the latter serves to hold the member 3 in place on the frame member 1 when secured.

It will be appreciated that in use the frame member 1 and the head rest member 2 will be enclosed in foam material providing support for upholstery of the seat. The seat belt webbing having passed through the mounting member 3 and a layer of foam material 6 (see FIG. 2) is then inserted laterally into the escutcheon member 4 by passing the webbing through the slot 4 I. It will be appreciated that although the escutcheon member 4 is formed of semi-rigid synthetic plastics materials, the flange 4 B and the portion 4 A are sufficiently flexible that the slot 4 I can be opened sufficiently to enable seat belt webbing to be passed therethrough.

The escutcheon member 4 is then passed through the foam material 6 so that the walls 4 D and 4 E thereof engage within the aperture 3 C of the member 3 . The member 3 is shown in broken lines in FIG. 2, and it will be seen that the member 4 can be pushed into the aperture 3 C until the free ends of the ribs 4 H abut against the edges of the aperture 3 C. At this point the external barbs 4 G of the walls 4 E that had been pressed inwardly during insertion into the aperture 3 C now snap into the openings 3 F of the member 3 in order to retain the escutcheon member in position. It will be noted that the escutcheon member 4 provides a smooth guide for webbing of a seat belt that passes along a path shown in broken lines at 7 in FIG. 2 . Although not shown in detail in the drawings, it will be appreciated that the rectangular opening in the flange 4 B and the free ends of the walls 4 D have a radius to provide appropriate guide surfaces for the webbing.

The complete seat arrangement including the guide assembly illustrated and the foam cushioning material are enclosed in a glove-like case (not shown) of textile material having an opening to receive the seat belt webbing. The flange 4 B of the escutcheon member 4 will thus serve to trim the edges of the textile material that will extend between itself and the foam material 6 shown in FIG. 2 .

Although the invention has been described with reference to one particular embodiment, it will be appreciated that alterations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the general concept, of the guide means may be applied to the guiding of flexible elements other than the webbing of seat belts, in which case the relevant apertures in the guide means may be of appropriate cross-section, for example circular when flexible elements such as cables are to be guided.