Vehicles including pillar garnish assemblies with seat belt latch-receiving structures
AssigneeToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
InventorLogan R. Astrike
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A seat belt assembly, a garnish to cover a vehicular pillar and a method of making a vehicular pillar garnish. The garnish used in the assembly cooperates with a belt with a connected latch such that when the latch is disengaged from a corresponding seat belt buckle, a latch-receiving structure with a recessed portion formed in the garnish prevents contact with latch such that vibratory movement imparted to the disengaged latch as a result of vehicular movement does not result in the latch knocking or banging against the garnish. The recessed portion includes more than one region that may be used to provide extra functionality to the garnish, such as one or more of temporary storage for a portable electronic device and seat belt rerouting.
Claims19
A vehicular seat belt assembly comprising:
- a belt with a latch slidably connected thereto;
- a buckle selectively cooperative with the latch between an engaged position and a disengaged position;
- and
- a garnish configured to cover a vehicular pillar and disposed adjacent the belt and latch when the latch is in the disengaged position, the garnish defining an A-surface configured to face substantially away from such vehicular pillar and a B-surface configured to face substantially toward such vehicular pillar, the garnish comprising a latch-receiving structure defining a recessed portion shaped to define a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is disposed adjacent an aperture formed in the A-surface and of sufficient dimension to avoid contact between the latch and the garnish when the latch is in the disengaged position;
- wherein the second region defines a portion of the B-surface.
A garnish configured to cover a vehicular pillar, the garnish comprising:
- an A-surface configured to face a passenger compartment when the garnish is placed over the pillar in a vehicle, the A-surface defining an aperture formed therein;
- a B-surface configured to face away from a passenger compartment when the garnish is placed over the pillar in a vehicle;
- and
- a latch-receiving structure formed within the aperture and defining a recessed portion shaped to define a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is disposed adjacent the aperture and of sufficient dimension to avoid contact between the latch and the garnish when the latch is in the disengaged position;
- wherein the second region defines a portion of the B-surface.
A method of making a vehicular pillar garnish, the method comprising:
- providing a heated material to at least a portion of an injection molding assembly;
- forcing the heated material into a mold within the injection mold assembly, the mold shaped as a garnish configured to cover a vehicular pillar, the shape of the garnish comprising an A-surface configured to face a passenger compartment when the garnish is placed over the pillar in a vehicle, the A-surface defining an aperture formed therein, a B-surface configured to face away from a passenger compartment when the garnish is placed over the pillar in a vehicle and a latch-receiving structure formed within the aperture and defining a recessed portion shaped to define a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is disposed adjacent the aperture and of sufficient dimension to avoid contact between a seat belt latch and the garnish when such latch is disengaged from a seat belt buckle, wherein the second region defines a portion of the B-surface;
- cooling the material in the shaped mold;
- and
- ejecting the cooled material from the shaped mold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.