Autoliv Asp, Incorporated

Jeff A Russell

Timothy J Cahill

Kevin Joseph Dewey

David B Figlioli

Michael Dziengowski

Steven J Combs

Regis Dutell

A slider bar for use with two-door style motor vehicles for anchoring the lap belt for front seat occupants. The slider bar allows the lower anchorage point of the lap belt to freely move in the fore and aft direction to enhance rear seat compartment passenger ingress and egress. The slider bar further incorporates a pyrotechnic lap pretensioner (PLP) function for exerting pretensioning motion of the lap belt in response to a vehicle impact. The slider bar incorporates an internal piston which acts on the belt webbing position on the outside of the slider bar tube. Various embodiments are described incorporating alternate means of mounting the lap belt lower end to the slider bar, as well as various configurations for transferring the motion of the internal piston to the lap belt lower anchorage.

Pyrotechnic lap belt pretensioner with slider bar function

A locking tongue seat belt assembly includes a tongue plate with a pair of side portions, an end flange that extends along the rear of the tongue plate, a pair of spaced apart side flanges that extend from the tongue plate along respective side portions of the tongue plate, and a lock bar that extends between the two side flanges. The ends of the lock bar are guided in respective slots of the side flanges such that the lock bar is movable between a locked position and an unlocked position. The lock bar and the end flange are configured to receive seat belt webbing between the lock bar and the end flange. The seat belt webbing is cinched between the lock bar and the end flange when the lock bar is in the locked position.

Free falling locking tongue

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, a seatbelt pretensioner is provided. The pretensioner comprises a cylinder having a proximal section which defines a gas chamber that forms at least a portion of an interior space defined by the cylinder. Extending distally from the proximal section is a guide section. Disposed within the interior space is a piston that is moveable toward a distal end of the guide section. The piston has a proximal portion and a distal portion that extends from the proximal portion. The proximal and distal portions are disposed respectively adjacent to the proximal and guide sections. The distal portion is configured for attaching to an anchor that is coupled to webbing of the seatbelt. In fluid communication with the gas chamber is a gas generator. The gas generator is configured for generating gas to move the piston, tensioning the seatbelt.

Seatbelt pretensioner for a vehicle

A detachable three point seat belt assembly is provided. The seat belt assembly may have a belt extending downward along a seat from a retractor. In an anchored configuration, the distal end of the belt is attached to a static attachment feature by an interlocking buckle. A movable attachment feature coupled to the belt is engaged within a static buckle to buckle a vehicle occupant into the seat. In a free configuration, the interlocking buckle is disengaged from the static attachment feature so that the belt can be retracted along the seat. The interlocking buckle contains a latching lever and a pair of ejectors that operate in such a manner that insertion of the movable attachment feature enables withdrawal of the static attachment feature, and vice versa.

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Warren, MI, United States of America

Jeff A Russell