N.v. Klippan S.a.

Allied Chemical Corporation

Autoliv Development Ab

Per O Weman

Robert L Stephenson

Robert C Pfeiffer

Mats A Karlin

Fred F Neumann

A safety device is disclosed which is incorporated in a seat for a motor vehicle. The seat includes a seat frame and is slidably mounted for forward and backward movement. The seat is retained in a predetermined position by retaining means which are adapted to be released when the seat is subjected to predetermined deceleration forces is that the seat may then slide forward. The safety device has actuating means which are adapted to actuate the safety device as the car seat slides forward subsequent to the release of the retaining means.

Seat movement responsive belt tensioning arm

The belt system, advantageously including a retractor (13) mounted on the seat (1) and directly involving the lap belt section (8), comprises an attachment buckle (7) connected to its anchor point (10) by an expandable link device (11), which normally permits a range of movement of buckle (7) away from anchor point (10) or toward the latter (for example by means of a return spring), but provided with means to oppose the extraction of the buckle (7) under predetermined conditions of acceleration of the vehicle and/or of the belt.

Safety belt system

Apparatus to indicate the load on a restraining device subject to tensile loading, especially for a safety belt, the restraining device having an opening for communication with a restraining element, such as a seat belt, and being formed of two parts having different tensile strengths. The parts are displaceable with respect to each other upon loading of the restraining device in tension above a predetermined amount and one of the parts is provided with an indicator sign which becomes visible upon such displacement.

Belt load indicator

A locking mechanism for seat belt retractors responding to movement or accelerations of a vehicle, including a freely movable inertia body and a pivotable pawl, in which a mechanism on the pawl can engage the inertia body and movement of the inertia body is limited by a means arranged next to the inertia body.

Locking device reacting to inertia forces for retractors

An improved belt clamp apparatus for a vehicle occupant safety restraint system includes: a lever, a clamp bar, a mounting device for movably mounting the bar on the lever, a crest on the bar, and a first spring for biasing the lever to a non-clamping position. The bar is movable on the crest for applying a substantially uniform force over an area of contact on a safety belt. The belt clamp apparatus may be used in a variety of ways in an improved occupant restraint system such as to provide: a belt sensitive restraint system, a vehicle sensitive restraint system, a dual sensitive restraint system, or a force limiting restraint system. The invention also relates to a method for absorbing unwinding force and a method for reducing undesired unwinding of the belt.

Safety belt clamp apparatus, occupant restraint system and method

A reel type safety seat belt retractor in which a pawl is triggered to engage a ratchet wheel, serving as a reel flange, by an inertial device sensitive to an accelerated movement of the reel, wherein the inertial device has two levels of sensitivity, a low level to prevent the triggering of the pawl under all normal conditions of belt withdrawal for buckling, and a second level of high sensitivity which prevails after the belt webbing has been buckled about the passenger. This is accomplished by means of a biasing spring shared by both a webbing follower and the inertial device, and by a clutch which rotated when the webbing in initially withdrawn to restrain the webbing follower and the attached spring bias in a condition of high tension for the low level of sensitivity. When the clutch rotates to release the webbing follower as the belt is buckled, the follower moves toward the diminished roll of webbing, reducing the tension on the shared spring bias and providing a high level of sensitivity for the protection of the buckled passenger.

Bi-level web sensitive retractor

In a device for reducing spring tension in a belt strap, particularly in a belt retractor for safety belts in motor vehicles, comprising a winding shaft and a return spring secured in a housing, the device including means for producing a force acting against the tension of the spring, the means being couplable with the winding shaft through a coupling means, the improvement comprising a spring housing mounted so as to be freely rotatable on the shaft, a pivot bearing of a wheel rotatably disposed on the spring housing, the wheel being in driving arrangement through the coupling means with the winding shaft and with the retractor housing, and a release member operable for releasing the coupling means.

Device for reducing spring tension in a belt strap

This invention relates to a locking device for a safety belt retractor comprising a reel shaft and a ratchet wheel provided with locking teeth and engageable with pawls, characterized by the fact that a synchronization disk (5) bearing actuating parts (16) engageable with a pawl (13) and provided with at least a first disengagement device (9), and an axially undisplaceable ratchet wheel (4) with at least a complementary second disengagement device (8) are disposed on said reel shaft (1), that when the synchronization disk (5) and the ratchet wheel (4) rotate relative to each other, at least a part of the synchronization disk (5) is deformed or displaced to actuate locking by the pawl (13) and that actuation chronologically precedes locking.

Locking device for a safety belt retractor

Apparatus for relieving belt tension on the shoulder belt of a vehicle safety seat belt system is provided. The apparatus has a locking means pneumatically actuated from an unlocking position to a locking position which relieves belt tension on a vehicle occupant when the occupant leans against the back of the seat.

Growing community of inventors

Heverlee, Belgium

Per O Weman