Autoliv Asp, Incorporated

Breed Automotive Technology, Inc.

Alliedsignal Inc.

Autoliv Development Ab

Autoliv Aspinc.

Jon E Burrow

Bin Wang

Kenneth Herbert Kohlndorfer

Christopher Donald Hall

Richard William Koning

H John Miller, Iii

Bradley W Smith

Christopher D Hall

Gerald Keller

Jonathon Boughner

Timothy J Cahill

Chad Moore

Daniel Robert Murphy

Günter Clute

Kurt W Schulz

Thomas H Zelmer

Wendell C Lane, Jr

Mark Francis Gray

Markell Seitzman

David Prentkowski

Kevin Joseph Dewey

Robert E Ver Hoven

Chris Koprowicz

Lynette M Norgan-Curtiss

Daniel K Webb

Michael D Wilkins

Trevor Ashline

Matthias Bäker

Christopher S Koprowicz

Robert Verhoven

Jennifer Grove

William Fox

Alice Dunmire

James W Burrum

Matthew R Schimento

Timothy P Sherrow, Jr

Bryan Vanwambeke

Frank Kiiskila

Ken Kohlndorfer

Jorge Lombarte

Tim Cahill

Robert J Desmarais

A vehicle sensitive retractor control system having reduced sensitivity to Z-axis acceleration experienced during normal driving. The retractor control system incorporates a rolling mass and a locking lever which, in a resting position, are arranged such that the locking lever does not engage a ratchet wheel of a seat belt retractor spool. In response to accelerations in the horizontal plane, the rolling ball mass becomes unseated from its resting position and allows the locking lever to rotate due to the position of its center of gravity relative to its pivot point allowing it to pivot and lock the retractor. In response to Z-axis acceleration, the rolling mass is prevented from contacting the locking lever by a mass restrictor.

Vehicle sensitive seat belt retractor control with suppressed Z-axis sensitivity

A seatbelt pretensioner system for use in a seatbelt retractor assembly having a spindle includes a frame assembly having a frame and an attachment bracket adapted to be interlocked to have an inner space for receiving the spindle, a housing adapted for being mounted to the frame and having an interior cavity, a pretensioner tube having a first tube end in fluid communication with a gas generator and a second tube end in fluid communication with the interior cavity of the housing, a pinion being rotatably mounted in the housing and fixedly coupled to the spindle adapted for taking up seatbelt webbing during pretensioning, and a pretensioner rod disposed inside the pretensioner tube. Further, the pretensioner rod has a proximal end disposed towards the gas generator and a distal end disposed away from the gas generator.

Seatbelt retractor frame assembly

A seatbelt pretensioner system for use in a seatbelt retractor assembly having a spindle and a frame includes a housing adapted for being mounted to the frame and having an interior cavity, a pretensioner tube having a first tube end in fluid communication with a gas generator and a second tube end in fluid communication with the interior cavity of the housing, a pinion being rotatably mounted in the housing and fixedly coupled to the spindle adapted for taking up seatbelt webbing during pretensioning, and a pretensioner rod disposed inside the pretensioner tube. Further, the pretensioner rod has a proximal end disposed towards the gas generator and a distal end disposed away from the gas generator. In addition, the housing is formed with at least two levels including an inboard portion and an outboard portion to store the pretensioner rod after pretensioning.

Pretensioner housing in retractor assembly

A seatbelt pretensioner system for use in a seatbelt retractor assembly having a spindle and a frame includes a housing adapted for being mounted to the frame and having an interior cavity, a pretensioner tube including a body portion and an exit portion, and having a first tube end in fluid communication with a gas generator and a second tube end in fluid communication with the interior cavity of the housing, a pinion being rotatably mounted in the housing and fixedly coupled to the spindle adapted for taking up seatbelt webbing during pretensioning, a pretensioner rod disposed inside the pretensioner tube, and a stopper disposed between the gas generator and the pretensioner rod. Further, the exit portion of the tube is formed to neck down such that the exit portion is configured to prevent the stopper from passing therethrough.

Pretensioner tube in retractor assembly

A seatbelt pretensioning retractor assembly for use in a vehicle is provided. The seatbelt pretensioning retractor assembly includes a housing adapted for being mounted to a frame and having an interior cavity, a pretensioner tube having an arcuate and curved shape, a pretensioner wheel rotatably mounted to the housing and fixedly coupled to a spindle, a pretensioner rod disposed within the tube and a guide plate having a guide portion and a rod guide. The pretensioner rod engages with the pretensioner wheel during pretensioning. In addition, the pretensioner wheel includes a body portion, a pair of flanges radially extending from the body portion and a plurality of vanes with the cavities formed between adjacent two of the plurality of vanes.

Retractor pretensioner assembly

A vehicle seat belt assembly having a seat belt retractor with a spool rotatable with respect to a retractor frame, the spool storing a seat belt webbing wrapped thereon. The retractor also includes a primary locking mechanism for selectively locking the spool with respect to the retractor frame to provide vehicle occupant restraint. The retractor further includes an auxiliary locking mechanism for selectively locking the spool with respect to the retractor frame upon a predetermined restraint load acting on the spool.

Seat belt retractor with auxiliary spool locking system

A seatbelt pretensioning retractor assembly for use in a vehicle is provided. The seatbelt pretensioning retractor assembly includes a housing adapted for being mounted to a frame and having an interior cavity, a pretensioner tube having an arcuate and curved shape, a sprocket rotatably mounted to the housing and fixedly coupled to a spindle, a rod disposed within the tube and a guide plate having a guide portion and a rod guide. The rod exits the tube along a perimeter of the sprocket, and toward an arcuate landing surface of the guide portion. In addition, the guide plate further includes a couple of tabs and ribs for avoiding rattling of the pretensioner tube in normal use of the retractor assembly.

A seatbelt pretensioning retractor assembly for use in a vehicle is provided. The seatbelt pretensioning retractor assembly includes a housing adapted for being mounted to a frame and having an interior cavity, a pretensioner tube having an arcuate and curved shape, a sprocket rotatably mounted to the housing and fixedly coupled to a spindle, a polymer rod disposed within the tube and a guide plate having a guide portion and a rod guide. The polymer rod exits the tube along a perimeter of the sprocket, and toward an arcuate landing surface of the guide portion. In addition, the rod guide is configured for preventing the polymer rod from trapping before engaging with the sprocket or after pretensioning.

A seatbelt pretensioning retractor assembly for use in a passenger vehicle is provided. The pretensioning assembly includes a one-piece tread head pinion including a ring portion having a plurality of teeth and a pair of flanges on each side of the teeth. The tread head pinion is formed as a single piece and includes a shaft extending from a side and a bearing portion extending from a second side. A bending element mounting portion extends from the bearing portion. The one-piece tread head pinion is attached to a spindle via a torsion bar, and the spindle bears against the bearing portion when the spindle rotates relative to the tread head pinion. The one-piece tread head pinion may include a staking cavity extending into the bearing portion with a staking wall that is deformable toward a digressive bending element inserted into the staking cavity.

Seatbelt pretensioning retractor assembly

A seat belt retractor for use with a seat belt webbing includes a spindle, a tread head part, a torsion bar, a stop nut and an energy management element. The spindle is configured for winding the seat belt webbing around the spindle. The tread head part is configured for having a locked condition or a free condition. The torsion bar is engaged with the spindle and the tread head part and configured to deflect torsionally by allowing relative rotation between the spindle and the tread head part when the tread head part is in the locked condition. The stop nut is operatively coupled with the tread head part and the spindle and configured to move in axial direction. Furthermore, the energy management element placed between the stop nut and the tread head part is configured to be deformed by the axial movement of the stop nut.

Seat belt retractor assembly

A seatbelt buckle device includes a housing, a frame, a latching arrangement and a release button. The frame includes a bottom wall and first and second laterally spaced walls. The latching arrangement selectively retains a latch plate within the housing. The release button is movable between a latched position and an unlatched position. A proximal end, a distal end and first and second laterally spaced apart legs of the release button cooperate to define an opening into which a projecting portion distally from the proximal end. At least one shield member laterally extends from the projection portion toward the first and second laterally spaced apart legs. Each shield member includes an outboard side spaced from an adjacent leg of the first and second legs by a gap. Each gap slidingly receives one of the first and second laterally spaced walls of the frame.

Debris resistant seatbelt buckle device

A seatbelt webbing retractor and a method of assembling a seatbelt webbing retractor including a unitary bobbin having a mounting portion, a first and second annular wall extending perpendicularly from a first and second end of the mounting portion, respectively. The mounting portion of the unitary bobbin defines a plurality of slots through which the seatbelt webbing is passed. The seatbelt webbing retractor also includes a spindle extending through the mounting portion of the unitary bobbin and a retractor frame to which the spindle is mounted. The unitary bobbin is rotatable with respect to the retractor frame and an outer surface of the unitary bobbin is configured to be wrapped with the seatbelt webbing.

Seatbelt webbing retractor and method of assembly

A tongue for a motor vehicle seat belt restraint system providing high friction restraining belt webbing transfer through the tongue in an impact condition. The tongue incorporates a deformable element which maintains the webbing away from contact with high friction elements in the normal use of the belt system. In a crash condition in which significant tension loads are applied to the belt webbing, the deformable element yields to provide contact between the belt webbing and a high friction surface which restricts the transfer of the webbing from the shoulder belt portion of the webbing to the let belt portion of the webbing which is normally more highly loaded in an impact condition. Several embodiments of deformable elements are described.

Grip tongue latch plate for seatbelt

A device for preventing protrusion of a seatbelt anchorage cable into a seat belt system buckle during operation of a pretensioner coupled with the cable and a buckle assembly, the cable of a type affixed at a first end to the pretensioner, and at a second end to the buckle assembly. The cable further having an end wrap forming a loop around a rivet affixed to a frame of the buckle assembly with the cable loop wrapping around the rivet. The device having a feature positioned adjacent to the cable loop and blocking movement of the loop into the buckle. Embodiments include; providing features of a buckle housing in the form of a tab which blocks motion of the cable loop, retainer ring element attached to the buckle frame having features which embrace the cable loop, and clips which can be attached to the buckle assembly, embracing the cable attachment.

Seatbelt buckle intrusion protection device

A seatbelt buckle apparatus for a motor vehicle is provided. The apparatus includes a buckle housing that provides at least part of a structure for selectively coupling a seatbelt latch plate to the apparatus. A switch housing houses at least part of a switch. The switch monitors whether or not the seatbelt latch plate is coupled to the seatbelt buckle apparatus. A switch wire harness is in communication with the switch. A strain relief-guide feature carries and guides a section of the switch wire harness so as to provide strain relief to the switch wire harness when a force is applied to the switch wire harness downstream from the strain relief-guide feature.

Seatbelt buckle apparatuses including switch wire harnesses and strain relief thereof

Growing community of inventors

Ortonville, MI, United States of America

Jon E Burrow