Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Stephen Matthew Calso

Nripen Kumar Saha

Anindya Deb

A seat belt anchor assembly is provided for use in an automotive vehicle wherein the vehicle includes an occupant compartment having a side pillar forming a structural part of a vehicle body. The seat belt anchor assembly includes an anchor bolt fixedly secured to the side pillar and having a shank portion defining a bolt axis and a head portion including an outer cylindrical surface extending axially from the shank portion to an annular face facing toward an interior of the occupant compartment. The seat belt anchor assembly further includes a seat belt sling member supported by the shank portion for receiving a seat belt webbing forming an anchor point along the side pillar. The seat belt anchor assembly also includes a trim panel adapted to be secured to the side pillar for covering the anchor bolt and having an energy absorbing member extending axially between the trim panel and the head portion of the anchor bolt. The energy absorbing member includes a tubular member supported between the support ribs and spaced axially from the trim panel for encapsulating the head portion of the anchor bolt and a planar shelf closing an end of the tubular member adjacent the trim panel for contacting the annular face of the head portion to dissipate energy through the energy absorbing member in response to impact forces acting upon the trim panel through the interior of the occupant compartment.

Seat belt anchor assembly

An energy absorbing trim assembly 16 for covering an inner face of structural member 28 of a vehicle defining a passenger compartment having elongated wall portion 18 with a longitudinal axis. Wall portion 18 positionable in a covering relationship over structural member inner face 28. A plurality of swept arch members 20 are arrayed along longitudinal axis 19 in a laterally spaced relationship with respect to structural member inner face 28. Arch members 20 are elastically deformable in response to imposition of a load substantially normal to the structural member inner face 28 and plastically deformable upon contact with structural member inner face 28 to further distribute the load. Energy absorbing pedestal members 22,22' provide for the mounting of energy absorbing trim assembly 16 to a structural member inner face 28. Pedestals 22,22' are plastically deformable in response to imposition of a load substantially normal to a structural member 12. Pedestals 22,22' act in combination with swept arch members 20 to further reduce the magnitude of acceleration and thereby aid in protection of vehicle occupants.

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West Bloomfield, MI, United States of America

Stephen Matthew Calso