Nsk Corporation

Kenichi Morizane

Katsuyasu Ono

Masuo Matsuki

Kiyoshi Ogawa

Takashi Arima

The present invention provides a seat belt system comprising: a moving element ( ) rotatably received in a housing ( ); a device ( ) for applying a pressurized gas to the moving element ( ) when abrupt deceleration occurs on a vehicle; a tensile member ( ) responsive to movement of the moving element ( ) extruded due to the pressurized gas to generate a rotational torque; and a clutch mechanism ( ) for transmitting the rotational torque generated by the tensile member ( ) to a retractor shaft ( ) to rotate the shaft ( ) in a webbing-winding direction.

Seat belt system

A rack can transmit a rotational torque in a webbing winding and tightening direction to a take-up spindle of a retractor via a pinion gear. In the event of a vehicular collision, this rack is pushed and driven by gas pressure. To rotate at an increased speed an outer clutch ring which can intermittently transmit a torque to the take-up spindle via a clutch mechanism, a speed-increasing gear unit is arranged between the pinion gear and the outer clutch ring.

Seat belt retractor with pretensioner

Accommodated within a trigger casing are a firing pin arranged movably toward a detonator, an inertia body formed of a permanent magnet and defining along a central axis thereof a through-hole through which the pin extends freely, and a cylindrical permanent magnet having an inner diameter greater than an outer diameter of the body. A ring-shaped non-magnetic weight is also accommodated within the casing in such a way that the weight is arranged on a side opposite to the detonator with the body located between them. When a deceleration or acceleration of at least a predetermined value occurs, the body and the weight together move toward the detonator against magnetic repulsion between the magnet and the body. The inertia body then moves toward the detonator through an opening of a cylindrical permanent magnet under magnetic attraction between the magnet and the body, thereby causing the firing pin to move toward the detonator.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Kenichi Morizane