signature=343d1516e575143f8b30339049e0bd8d,Safety harness

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, a safety harness, includes a lap belt, and two shoulder belts intended for connection to the lap belt and resting flatly against the torso and shoulders of a person; wherein each said shoulder belt defines a sternum-proximal belt edge and a sternum-distal belt edge and has at least a length portion in which the sternum-proximal belt edge is shorter in length than the sternum-distal belt edge.

[0009] The present invention resolves prior art problems by providing shoulder belts, which are guided in an arcuate pattern across the torso of a user and rest flatly against the torso and shoulders of the user. The arcuate flow of the shoulder belts can be realized during production of the shoulder belts by configuring the sternum-proximal belt edges shorter in length than the sternum-distal belt edges. This configuration may be provided over the entire length of the shoulder belts or only along a certain length portion, in particular the central length portion. Shoulder belts of this type ensure a steady flat contact along the load-absorbing body portions of a user while properly embracing the neck. Sliding off of such shoulder belts from a HANS collar structure is effectively prevented so that the risk of belt rupture is eliminated. There is no need to increase the thickness of the shoulder belts so that the belt stretching capability is not inhibited. Moreover, the user's body is not exposed to higher peak loads.

[0010] According to another feature of the present invention, the shoulder belts may have one or more wedge-shaped tucks in the length portion in order to realize belt edges of different length and the arcuate configuration of the shoulder belts.

[0011] According to another feature of the present invention, each shoulder belt may be separated in the length portions by at least one transverse cut to define two belt portions which are connected by a bridge band whose opposite ends overlap confronting ends of the belt portions in a wedge-shaped manner. The attachment of the bridge band to the belt portions may be implemented by one stitch or several suitable stitches. Of course, other load-absorbing and permanent connections are conceivable as well.

[0012] According to another feature of the present invention, a carrier band may be connected to the shoulder belt in the area of the sternum-proximal belt edge for placement upon the tuck or the bridge band. The carrier band enhances the strength in the event of a load caused by a crash and has a narrower configuration than the shoulder belt. The carrier band may be stitched to the shoulder belt or coupled by any other suitable connection and imparted with such stretching properties that its makeup resembles those belt zones that extend along the longer sternum-distal belt edge, even when considering the tear behavior of the tuck or bridge band.

[0013] According to another feature of the present invention, the shoulder belts may be made, at least partially, of plastic fibers constructed to shrink under heat exposure, wherein a zone adjacent to the sternum-proximal belt edge and a zone adjacent to the sternum-distal belt edge in the length portion of the shoulder belts are exposed to a same temperature over different time periods or to different temperatures over a substantially same time period. In this way, the areas exposed to a higher temperature are subject to greater length shrinkage to thereby realize the arcuate configuration of the shoulder belt. A person skilled in the art has at its disposal many plastic fibers that are suitable for use here. Examples include plastic fibers of polyamide, e.g. nylon, or polyester, which can be exposed to a temperature range of 130° C. to 280° C. over a time period in the range of 1 to 10 minutes, depending on the selected temperature.

[0014] According to another feature of the present invention, the shoulder belts may have a woven structure, which in the area of the length portion has an increasing number of wefts extending from the sternum-distal belt edge to the sternum-proximal belt edge and/or wefts with thicker cross section. The increase in numbers of the wefts may hereby implemented step-by-step or continuously and results in a respectively greater number of meandering structures of the warps and thus to a relative shortening of the sternum-proximal belt edge of the shoulder belts.

[0015] When weaving thicker wefts, the resultant greater meandering of the warps also leads to a relative shortening of the sternum-proximal belt edge. Moreover, the thickness of the sternum-proximal belt edge as a result of the use of thickened wefts leads to an increased acceptance of the safety harness because the danger of getting cut, in particular in the neck area, is diminished.

[0016] Suitably, the thicker wefts may be configured as monofilaments in order to prevent a greater compression of the thicker wefts with respect to the thinner warps.

[0017] According to another feature of the present invention, the shoulder belts may have a woven structure, which in the area of the length portion is so configured that warps, which extend from the sternum-distal belt edge to the sternum-proximal belt edge, have a longitudinal tension which uniformly increases or increases step-by-step.

[0018] Of course the afore-described measures for realizing the arcuate configuration of the shoulder belts may also be combined in any suitable manner.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present invention, a safety harness may also be constructed in a way to have a so-called double crotch belt, which can be constructed in a same manner as the shoulder belts according to the present invention. Thus, such arcuate crotch belts also adapt to a user's body contour so that the provision of a safety harness, in particular a six point safety harness, is possible for application in sporty vehicles for water use or land use or in aircrafts.