Trw Vehicle Safety Systems Inc.

Autoliv Asp, Incorporated

Key Safety Systems, Inc.

Faurecia Interior Systems, Inc.

Michael K Hishon

Steven Stoll

Harley L Kapanka

David W Schneider

David L Dominissini

Krzysztof W Karwaczynski

Brian S Kikta

Samuel D Engler

A pyrotechnic activated body panel lift actuator assembly for a vehicle having a unique deployment profile and energy absorbing feature is disclosed. The assembly has a pyrotechnic actuator, a thin-walled tube and a piston. The tapered portion of the piston forms a recess between the piston and the tube. One or more balls sized to fit in the recess are provided. Upon activation, the piston is thrust proximally outwardly to lift a portion of a body panel to absorb an impact of a person hit by the vehicle and thereafter the piston retracts under controlled substantially constant force generated by balls moving up the tapered portion of the shaft thereby locally plastically deforming the thin-walled tube.

Body panel lifter mechanical energy management system

A vehicle console includes a panel that has a closed position and a stowed position. The panel at least partly covers a utility area when in the closed position, and an end of the panel is concealed from view in the stowed position. The panel pivots about a pivot point and is coupled with a movement mechanism. The movement mechanism includes one or more gears and a pivot arm with dimensional relationships that define a line of movement for the pivot arm as it moves between the closed and stowed positions. A planetary gear set may be used to define a curvilinear path, such as an elliptical path, or a rectilinear path for the pivot point.

Stowable vehicle console panel

An electric retractor extracts and retracts a seat belt in response to tension in the seat belt. The electric retractor may include a spool rotatably attached to a retractor frame. A seat belt is wound on the spool. The spool is rotated by a motor via a worm gear system that permits limited axial motion of the worm, but generally prevents the motor from being back-driven by tension in the seat belt to prevent forced seat belt extraction. The gear system may also cut off power to the motor in the event of excessive seat belt tension to prevent further payout of the seat belt. A senses tension in the seat belt and activates the motor to retract or extract the seat belt from the retractor. An emergency control system may override the web guide control in response to abnormal vehicle dynamics to provide reversible pre-crash pretensioning and/or crash pretensioning.

Electric seat belt retractor system

A tether assembly attachable to an inflatable cushion airbag module is disclosed that is usable in vehicles including trucks, SUVs, and other vehicles with abrupt rear surfaces. The tether assembly does not require that the rear tether be extended back from the rear edge of the airbag. The tether assembly may be used in connection with an inflatable cushion airbag secured to the front portion of the vehicle using a standard front tether system. The tether assembly is attached via a sliding mechanism to a rear tether used to secure an inflatable cushion module airbag to an anchoring point within the vehicle. The sliding mechanism is also connected to a retractor, preferably through a flexible connector made of the webbing material used in seat belts. The tether assembly is configured so that when the inflatable cushion airbag deploys during an accident, the retractor supplies rearward tension on the airbag by causing the sliding mechanism to move along the path of the tether. This tension on the airbag prevents it from shifting from the position designated to give the occupant optimal protection against lateral impact and rollover. Preferably, the retractor does not supply tension to the airbag until after it has deployed. A locking mechanism can be attached to the retractor to prevent a reduction in the tension applied to the inflatable cushion by restraining motion of the sliding mechanism in a direction away from the retractor.

Rear tether retractor for an inflatable cushion

An inflatable seat belt system providing protection to its inflatable members is disclosed. The system may include inflatable shoulder belts and lap belts, which may or may not be inflatable. Each inflatable belt includes seat belt webbing having an interior cavity in which an inflatable member is placed. The seat belt webbing also includes a frangible seam that bursts upon inflation of the inflatable member. The inflatable seat belt system may also include one or more anti-submarining (crotch) belts that prevent an occupant from slipping underneath the protection of the lap and shoulder belts.

Inflatable seat belt system

A hydraulic velocity damper for use in a seat belt retractor system to control and limit the maximum velocity of seat belt payout during loading. The seat belt webbing payout is independent of the amount of load applied to a spindle body of the hydraulic velocity damper. In one embodiment, two pistons within an elliptical housing of a rotatable spindle body rotate about two independent drive screws. As the pistons rotate about respective drive screws, the pistons move towards each other to pressurize a hydraulic fluid within a chamber defined by the housing. At a predetermined pressure, a web covering at least one metering hole in each piston ruptures and the hydraulic fluid is positively displaced from within the chamber into an inner cavity of each piston. The rate at which the spindle body rotates is limited by the fluid displacement, regardless of the pressure within the chamber.

Hydraulic velocity damper

A seat belt retractor spool (14) has a seat belt (16) wound on the spool. Ratchet wheels (22) are fixed for rotation with the spool (14). A pawl (30) is movable into a position for blocking rotation of the ratchet wheels (22) and the spool (14) in a belt withdrawal direction (A). A lever (50) is pivotable to move the pawl (30) to the blocking position. A control ring gear assembly (94) is driven upon rotation of the spool (14) to cause the lever (50) to pivot after a predetermined length of the seat belt (16) is withdrawn from the spool (14). The control ring gear assembly (94) includes two members (96 and 118) which are mounted together, and which have projections (114, 122L), respectively, for engaging and pivoting the lever (50). The members (96 and 118) have interlocking portions (104 and 122) which are locked during mounting of the members (96 and 118) for preventing relative movement between the members. The interlocking portions (104 and 122) are unlocked during dismounting of the members to permit repositioning of the members relative to each other, which repositions the projection (122L). Changing the position of the projection (122L) changes the amount of rotation of the ring gear assembly (94) required prior to the projection (122L) pivoting the lever (50) to cause a lock-up of the retractor. This changes the predetermined length of the seat belt (16) that can be withdrawn.

Adjustable automatic locking retractor

A seat belt retractor (10) includes a spool (14) on which a seat belt (16) is wound. Ratchet wheels (22) are fixed for rotation with the spool (14). A pawl (30) is movable into a blocking position for blocking rotation of the ratchet wheels (22) and the spool (14) in a belt withdrawal direction (A). A lever (50) is pivotable to move the pawl (30) to the blocking position after a predetermined length of the seat belt (16) is withdrawn from the spool 14. A control ring gear assembly (94) causes the lever (50) to pivot. The control ring gear assembly (94) includes two members (96 and 108), which have projections (104, 116), respectively, for engaging and pivoting the lever (50). The member (108) is movable relative to the member (96) for changing the amount of rotation of the ring gear assembly (94) required prior to the projection (116) moving the lever ( 50) to cause a lock-up of the retractor. This, in turn, changes the predetermined length of the seat belt (16) which must be withdrawn to cause the retractor to lock up.

A seat belt retractor (10) includes a frame (12), a spool (50) supported for rotation on the frame (12), and a lock bar (100) which blocks rotation of the spool (50) when the lock bar (100) is actuated. The retractor (10) further includes a lock bar actuator (112) supported for movement relative to the frame (12), and a collision sensitive mechanism for moving the actuator (112) from an unactuated position to an actuated position. The actuator (112) actuates the lock bar (100) upon movement of the actuator (112) from the unactuated position to the actuated position. The actuator (112) includes a spring (118) for resisting movement of the actuator (112) relative to the frame (12).

Seat belt retractor with lock bar actuator

A vehicle seat belt retractor (10) includes a spindle (22), a ratchet wheel (30) and a locking pawl (44). The locking pawl (44) is movable between a disengaged position and an engaged position in which it blocks rotation of the ratchet wheel (30) and the spindle (22) in an unwinding direction. The locking pawl (44) is moved into its engaged position in response to a predetermined amount of rotation of the spindle (22) in the unwinding direction. The locking pawl (44) moves back to its disengaged position in response to rotation of the spindle (22) in an unwinding direction. The retractor (10) further includes a torsion spring (210) and a leaf spring (250) acting in series between the spindle (22) and the locking pawl (44).

Retractor

A seat belt retractor has a rotatable spindle from which a seat belt is unwound. During rotation of the spindle, a cam member is rotated by a gear assembly at a speed which is less than the speed of rotation of the spindle. After a predetermined amount of the seat belt has been unwound from the spindle, the cam member moves an actuator member from an unactuated position to an actuated position to effect movement of a locking pawl into engagement with a ratchet wheel. The locking pawl engages the ratchet wheel to block rotation of the spindle in a belt unwinding direction. A detent engages the actuator member to releasably hold the actuator member in its unactuated and actuated positions. The actuator member has a cam follower section which is received in a cam track on the cam member. The cam track has cam surfaces which engage the cam follower section of the actuator member to move the actuator member between its unactuated and actuated positions. Movement of the actuator member to its actuated position moves a spring member to effect movement of the locking pawl into engagement with the ratchet wheel.

Growing community of inventors

New Baltimore, MI, United States of America

Michael K Hishon