The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 05, 1999
Filed:
Aug. 25, 1998
Harald Snorre Husby, Lakeland, FL (US);
Vihang C Patel, Lakeland, FL (US);
Ashok F Patel, Wesley Chapel, FL (US);
Breed Automotive Technology, Inc., Lakeland, FL (US);
Abstract
A seat belt buckle incorporates a spring mounted on the latch. When the latch engages with the tongue of a seat belt, the tongue can move against the spring in response to tension loading of the seat belt while remaining securely latched. This motion due to belt tension is resisted by the spring, with a selected spring constant. A sensor is used to monitor the presence and position of the tongue either directly or by measuring motion of the latch. The position information, which is related to spring compression, is used to determine loading on the tongue and thus seat belt tension.