Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Murugan Sundaram Ramasamy

Srinivas Reddy Malapati

Mangesh Kadam

A vehicle includes a vehicle seat and a plate fixed relative to the vehicle seat. A seatbelt buckle is rotatably supported by the vehicle seat and is rotatable relative to the plate to one of a first or second position. A first and second slot are both in one of the plate or the seatbelt buckle. A pin supported by and movable to an extended position relative to one of the plate or the seatbelt buckle. The pin is spaced from the first and second slot when the seatbelt buckle is in a stowed position and is positioned to extend into the first or second slot when the seatbelt buckle is in the first or second position. A computer executes instructions to rotate the seatbelt buckle to one of the first or second position based on a size of an occupant and, then, move the pin to the extended position.

Rotatable seatbelt buckle

A vehicle includes a vehicle seat and a plate fixed relative to the vehicle seat. A seatbelt buckle is rotatably supported by the vehicle seat. The seatbelt buckle is rotatable relative to the plate from a first position to a second position. A slot is in one of the plate and the seatbelt buckle and a pin is supported by the other of the plate and the seatbelt buckle. The pin is moveable relative to the other of the plate and the seatbelt buckle from a retracted position to an extended position. The pin is spaced from the slot and in the retracted position when the seatbelt buckle is in the first position. The pin is in the extended position and extends into the slot when the seatbelt buckle is in the second position. A pyrotechnic device is operatively coupled to the seatbelt buckle to rotate the seatbelt buckle.

A vehicle includes a vehicle seat having a first side and a second side spaced cross-seat from each other. A seatbelt buckle is fixed to the first side. A seatbelt assembly includes a latch plate engageable with the seatbelt buckle and a webbing having a lap portion defined by the latch plate when the latch plate is engaged with the seatbelt buckle. A hook is retractably supported by the second side of the vehicle seat. The hook is retractable relative to the vehicle seat from a first position to a retracted position. The hook is engageable with the lap portion of the webbing as the hook retracts. A lock includes a pin engageable with the hook when the hook is in the first position and the retracted position. A spring biases the pin toward the hook. A pyrotechnic device is operatively coupled to the lock to disengage the pin from the hook.

Pyrotechnically activated hook for seatbelt assembly

A seat assembly includes a seatback and an airbag supported by the seatback. The airbag is inflatable from an uninflated position to an inflated position. The seat assembly includes a bar pivotally supported by the seatback and fixed to the airbag. The bar is pivotable about a vertical axis of the seat assembly from a stowed position at the seatback with the airbag at the uninflated position to a deployed position forward of the seatback with the airbag at the inflated position.

Growing community of inventors

Canton, MI, United States of America

Murugan Sundaram Ramasamy