Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

First Technology Safety Systems, Inc.

Institute for Injury Research

Other

Delphi Technologies, Inc.

Saab Automobile Ab

Delphi Automotive Systems Deutschland Gmbh

David Charles Viano

Edward A Jedrzejczak

James Lloyd Webber

Joseph G Smrcka

Richard J Neely

Scott David Thomas

Minoo Jaswantlal Shah

Allen Richard Starner

Philip Wendel Hopf

Mladen Humer

Joseph D McCleary

Axel Kaiser

James Peter Nini

David P Schenck

Tomas Yngve Agren

David P Kolena

Hans Gert Nilson

Madana Gopal

Alf Hedlund

Bryan T Waid

Blair Carlson

Kristina Wiklund

Paul A Glinski

William E Thomas

Robert Scott Crane

Mark J Sawade

Hans-Peter Gimbel

Mats F&auml;gerhag

Richard A McCormick

Dennis V Andrzejak

William E Hering

Craig M Hanson

Aspects of the disclosure include a frame that has an arc-shaped structure configured to create a space between the wrap-around shield and a child safety seat arranged inward from the frame. A first end of the frame is configured to curve toward a second end of the frame. The second end of the frame is also configured to curve toward the first end of the frame, and the first end and the second end having a respective profile that has a height which increases as the first end and the second end curve toward each other. A first connecting member connected to the first end of the frame, the first connecting member comprising a tether for connecting to a first latch of a rear seat.

Wrap-around shield

A vehicle seat and safety assembly includes a seat cushion, a seatback, and a wraparound seatbelt system to restrain an occupant in rear, side and rollover crashes. The seat cushion is connected to a vehicle floor. The seatback is connected to the seat cushion. The wraparound belt has a first strap end, a second strap end, and a strap, net or supporting body extending between the first strap end and the second strap end to direct restraining forces from an occupant through the seat to the vehicle floor or structure. The strap, net, or supporting body extends at least partially through or is integrated with the seatback and may incorporate pretensioning, load-limiting and other features to increase and control occupant restraint in non-frontal crashes.

Wrap around seatbelt

A vehicle seat that includes a cushion frame, a seatback frame, and a pelvic restraining strap or a restraining member. The cushion frame is connected to the vehicle floor and has a first side member and a second side member that is disposed opposite to the first side member. The seatback frame is connected to the cushion frame. The pelvic restraining strap or the restraining member is connected to the cushion frame and extends towards and may or may not connect to the seatback frame.

Pelvic restraining strap

A frontal air bag system for a vehicle including an inflator mounted to vehicle structure and an air bag operatively connected to the inflator and mounted to a pillar of the vehicle. The frontal air bag system also includes a trim molding covering the air bag and mounted to the pillar. The air bag, inflated by the inflator, is extended downward and sideways in front of an occupant seated in the vehicle.

Frontal air bag system

A new and improved seat belt retractor system having an electronic control unit which is adapted to receive a signal from a sensor responsive to the buckling of the seat belt and causes an electric motor acting through a chain drive to drivingly rotate a reel in one direction for providing a predetermined seat belt loading on the seat occupant and that is responsive to the braking of the vehicle under emergency conditions to increase the tensioning of the seat belt to a level that exceeds the predetermined seat belt loading.

Seat belt retractor system

An inflatable safety restraint assembly is provided and methods are provided for installing such an inflatable safety restraint assembly into a vehicle. The inflatable safety restrain assembly comprises a cushion pack configured for attachment to an A-pillar of the vehicle and an inflator configured for attachment to a body structure of the vehicle other than the A-pillar. The inflatable safety restraint assembly further comprises a flexible tube having a first end connected to the cushion pack and a second end connected to the inflator. The flexible tube is adjustable to provide a number of orientations between the cushion pack attached to the A-pillar and the inflator attached to the vehicle body other than the A-pillar.

Inflatable safety restraint assembly and methods of installing such an inflatable safety restraint assembly

For a safety belt ( ) in a vehicle, the belt is tightened in the event of a collision for at least 300 ms, at the same time as the maximum pull on the safety belt is limited to a predetermined value during the whole tightening process. This is made possible by a tightening device ( ) being arranged to be able to operate for at least 300 ms and by there being a load-limiting device ( ) between the tightening device ( ) and the belt.

Method and device for a safety belt

An air restraint system has an airbag which is deployable between an instrument panel and an occupant seat within an automotive vehicle. The airbag includes first and second air chambers which are separated to restrict flow therebetween by a single panel member. The first and second chambers of the airbag are selectively pressurizable with a gaseous fluid which is distributed from an inflator through a plurality of passages, and the flow therein is controlled by a valve member. The valve member is operable to distribute the pressurized fluid to one chamber, both of the chambers of the airbag or to the atmosphere.

Dual depth airbag

This present invention provides an air bag assembly for use in a vehicle having a front structural member which preferably comprises an A-pillar of the vehicle. The air bag assembly comprises an inflator for generating gas and an air bag cushion deployable upon generation of gas by the inflator. The air bag cushion is preferably stored along a length of the front structural member while the inflator is preferably located at a position remote from the front structural member. The air bag assembly further includes a gas conduit which provides a gas path for transferring the gas from the inflator to the air bag cushion. The gas conduit comprises an expandable member extending along at least a length of the front structural member which permits the gas conduit to be packaged within the A-pillar structure underneath interior trim molding used to cover the A-pillar.

Air bag assembly

A frontal air bag system for a vehicle including an inflator mounted to vehicle structure and a frontal air bag operatively connected to the inflator and mounted to an A-pillar and header of the vehicle. The frontal air bag system also includes a wrap air bag at least partially continuous with the frontal air bag. The frontal air bag and the wrap air bag are mounted to an A-pillar of the vehicle. The frontal air bag and the wrap air bag are inflated by the inflator and the frontal air bag is extended downward and in front of an occupant seated in the vehicle and the wrap air bag is extended above the frontal air bag.

A vehicle has an upper front interior corner and at least one seating position for a vehicle occupant. An air bag assembly includes an inflator for generating gas; and an air bag deployable upon generation of gas by the inflator. The air bag is stored in the upper front interior corner of the vehicle, and the air bag is a single integral air bag having a frontal portion and a side portion. The frontal portion and the side portion are in fluid communication with each other. Upon air bag deployment, the frontal portion deploys downwardly and in front of the vehicle occupant and the side portion deploys downwardly and to the side of the vehicle occupant such that the air bag wraps around the occupant during deployment. Preferably, the frontal portion and the side portion are generally 90 degrees relative to each other. Also preferably, the vehicle has air bag assemblies in opposite front upper interior corners that are mirror images of each other for commonization of parts.

A vehicle seat (10) has a lower seat frame (14) and a seat back (16) pivoted about a recliner axis (20). An occupant (22) restraining shoulder belt (26) has an upper attachment point provided by a sliding belt guide (40) fixed to the top of a resilient, flexible elongated tower (36) attached to one side of the seat back (16). The tower (36) is normally unflexed, with the same orientation as the seat back (16), but is capable of bending with the belt guide (40) down and forwardly relative to the seat back and closer to the recliner axis (20) when a forward and downward force is applied to the belt guide (40). An inertially locking belt retractor (24) is rigidly fixed to the seat (10) below the belt guide (40). The retractor (24) provides a reserve length of belt (50) that extends up along the back of the tower (36) and over the belt guide (40) and then continues into the shoulder belt (26). In the event of rapid vehicle deceleration, the belt retractor (24) locks to the belt reserve length (50) as the occupant (22) moves relatively forward into the shoulder belt (26), thereby rapidly increasing tension in the shoulder belt (26) and applying a forward and downward bending force to the upper belt guide (40) and tower (36). In response, the tower (36) bends over and downwardly, allowing the belt reserve length (50) to move more horizontally along with the bending tower (36) as the upper guide (40) and shoulder belt (26) move forwardly with the occupant. This compound belt motion reduces the resulting tension load in the shoulder belt (26) considerably, as well as the moment applied to the seat back (16) about the recliner axis (20).

Vehicle seat with integral, load limiting belt system

A lower leg assembly includes laceration indicators at a knee joint and at a front of a tibia. The tibia is connected to a thigh of a dummy by a pivot arm and a potentiometer is provided for measuring relative motion between the tibia and the pivot arm. A damper is positioned between the tibia and the pivot arm. A load cell is connected between the tibia and a lower leg to ankle connector. The connector is pivotally connected to an ankle joint and the ankle joint has a ball which cooperates with a socket formed in a foot assembly to simulate the range of motion of a human foot-ankle joint. Cushions are provided at the connector to ankle joint connection and the ball to socket connection to return the ankle and foot to a neutral position.

Lower leg for crash test dummy

An apparatus for simulating a pregnant female human during a crash test includes a torso having an abdominal cavity formed therein. A fetal insert assembly includes a fetal body simulating a human fetus with a head portion connected to a chest portion and a fetal insert defining a fetal cavity for retaining the fetal body. The fetal insert and fetal body are removably retained in an insert cavity in an abdominal shell which is removably retained in the abdominal cavity. A wall of the fetal cavity has an elongated slit formed therein can be deformed to separate the abutting sides and form an opening through which the fetal body is inserted into and removed from the fetal cavity. A first triaxial accelerometer is mounted in the head portion and a second triaxial accelerometer is mounted in chest portion of the fetal body for sensing acceleration in each of the three predetermined directions when force applied to the abdominal shell causes the fetal body to move. A mounting plate, bracket means attached to the lower abdominal portion of the torso and a plurality of load cells mounted on the bracket means are used to sense force applied to the abdominal shell. A jacket covers a chest flesh assembly, the torso and at least a portion of the abdominal shell and has zippers extending between an open bottom end and a neck opening, a right arm opening and a left arm opening.

Growing community of inventors

Bloomfield Hills, MI, United States of America

David Charles Viano