US 10,377,339 B2Granted

Seatbelt tensioning assembly

AssigneeNissan North America, Inc.

InventorJeffery Dix

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Abstract

A seatbelt tensioning assembly having a seatbelt, a buckle tongue and a tensioning device. The buckle tongue is configured for releasable attachment to a seatbelt buckle within the passenger compartment. The tensioning device is rigidly connected to the buckle tongue with a mid-section of the seatbelt extending through a hollow interior of the tensioning device. The hollow interior of the tensioning device has a first tensioning member disposed therein at least partially defining a seatbelt path having a serpentine shape such that in the absence of tension being applied to the seatbelt the mid-portion of the seatbelt moves through the seatbelt path with the seatbelt path defining a first overall length. With a pre-determined level of tension being applied to the seatbelt, the tensioning device is configured to shorten the seatbelt path to a second overall length smaller than the first overall length.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A seatbelt tensioning assembly, comprising:

a seatbelt having a first end and a second end that are each configured to attach to portions of a passenger compartment defined by a vehicle body structure, the seatbelt restricting movement of a seated passenger within the passenger compartment;
a buckle tongue configured for releasable attachment to a seatbelt buckle within the passenger compartment, the seatbelt defining a first effective length with the buckle tongue attached to the seatbelt buckle restricting movement of the seated passenger, the first effective length including the lengths of at least a torso restraining portion and waist restraining portion of the seatbelt;
and
a tensioning device rigidly connected to the buckle tongue with a mid-section of the seatbelt extending through a hollow interior of the tensioning device, the hollow interior of the tensioning device having a first tensioning member disposed therein at least partially defining a seatbelt path within the hollow interior having a serpentine shape such that in the absence of tension being applied to the seatbelt the mid-portion of the seatbelt moves through the seatbelt path with the seatbelt having the first effective length, and with a pre-determined level of tension being applied to the seatbelt the tensioning device is configured to lengthen the seatbelt to a second effective length longer than the first effective length by a predetermined distance such that at least one of the torso restraining portion or the waist restraining portion lengthens.

1 more element

A seatbelt tensioning assembly, comprising:

a tensioning device having a housing that defines a first seatbelt opening and a second seatbelt opening;
and
a seatbelt configured for attachment to a vehicle body structure within a passenger compartment of a vehicle for restricting movement of a vehicle passenger during an impact event, the seatbelt extending through the housing of the tensioning device and with the seatbelt following a seatbelt path having a serpentine shape within the housing, with the seatbelt in a non-tensioned state the seatbelt passes through the housing, the seatbelt includes a torso restraining portion and a waist restraining portion with a section of the seatbelt between the torso restraining portion and the waist restraining portion being located within the housing of the tensioning device,
the tensioning device including:
a first guide member supported within the housing adjacent to the first seatbelt opening;
a second guide member supported within the housing adjacent to the second seatbelt opening;
a first tensioning member disposed with the housing operably between the first guide member and the second guide member such that the section of the seatbelt within the housing extends at least part-way around the first guide member, at least part-way around the first tensioning member and at least part-way around the second guide member within the housing thereby defining the seatbelt path;
and
a biasing member positioned to apply a biasing force to the first tensioning member such that with the biasing member in a non-compressed state the first tensioning member is located a first distance away from the first guide member and a second distance away from the second guide member, and with the biasing member in a compressed state by movement of the first tensioning member, the tensioning member is located a third distance away from the first guide member and a fourth distance away from the second guide member, with the first distance being greater than the third distance and the second distance being greater than the fourth distance.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.