Universal Propulsion Company, Inc.

Other

Goodrich Corporation

Alex Devonport

Charles E Van Druff

John A Churilla

Said Nakhla

Wesley Pack

James Warrick

Michael E Heidorn

Jesse Lee Davidson

Mark J Butera

A latching inertial reel temporarily holds an inertial reel in a locked position during a lateral acceleration and resetably holds the reel in a latched position as a result of a vertical acceleration. The reel is latched when a latching sensor experiences a vertical acceleration above a threshold. A latch holds the reel in the latched position after the acceleration reduces to prevent subsequent injury from secondary impacts of a vehicle occupant with objects or surfaces in the vehicle. The latch may later be reset to release the reel. A vehicle seat may further include a seat inertial reel to provide support to the seat during a crash. The seat inertial reel may be attached to a floor mounting point, or to an elevated mounting point.

Latching inertial reel

A seatbelt airbag is formed of a flexible fabric seat belt tube the first end of which is attached to the floor of the vehicle and the second end of which is wound over a conventional seatbelt retractor. In the uninflated condition, the fabric tube forms a flat belt that passes in a conventional manner through a slotted eyelet in a tongue member that is engaged in a conventional floor-mounted seatbelt buckle to form a conventional 3-point restraint having a lap portion and a torso portion. An inflatable airbag member is disposed within the flexible fabric tube extending from the fixed end of the fabric tube to a location past the tongue fitting into the torso portion of the seatbelt. The airbag member is encased for part of its length within a reinforcing sleeve that extends part way into the torso section. In operation, as the airbag is pressurized, in the area surrounded by the reinforcing sleeve, the inflatable airbag member expands only to the size of the reinforcing sleeve to form a gas channel, but does not rupture the reinforcing sleeve or the surrounding seatbelt tube. The portion of the inflatable airbag that extends beyond the open end of the reinforcing tube, however, ruptures the seatbelt tube and expands to its full diameter.

Seatbelt airbag

A method and apparatus for providing a stationary plenum to receive hot inflation gases from a vehicle safety system gas inflator and for such plenum to supply such gases to an inflatable member which protects a vehicle occupant.

Inflatable safety restraint system

A safety belt system for a vehicle to protect an occupant having an inflatable member attached at one portion to the vehicle with the remainder of the inflatable member free to move along the safety belt during the inflation of the inflatable member. The safety belt system may be buckled up or not during such inflation.

Arrangement for providing deployment of inflatable member coaxially with safety belt portion and related method

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Glendale, AZ, United States of America

Alex Devonport