Extendable seatbelt buckle
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsDean M. Jaradi, Mohammad Omar Faruque, S. M. Iskander Farooq
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system includes a base. The system includes a buckle movable from a retracted position away from the base to an extended position. The system includes an actuator supported by the base and operatively coupled to the buckle to move the buckle to the extended position. The system includes a computer having a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to actuate the actuator to move the buckle to the extended position in response to determining that tension of a seatbelt webbing is above a predetermined threshold and that a vehicle impact has not been detected.
Claims19
A system, comprising:
- a base;
- a buckle movable from a retracted position away from the base to an extended position;
- an actuator supported by the base and operatively coupled to the buckle to move the buckle to the extended position;
- and
- a computer having a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to actuate the actuator to move the buckle to the extended position in response to simultaneously determining both that tension of a seatbelt webbing is above a predetermined threshold and that a vehicle impact has not been detected.
A system, comprising:
- a base;
- a buckle movable from a retracted position away from the base to an extended position;
- an actuator including a rack and a pinion, the actuator supported by the base and operatively coupled to the buckle to move the buckle to the extended position;
- a lock selectively inhibiting movement of the rack;
- and
- a computer having a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to actuate the actuator to move the buckle to the extended position in response to simultaneously determining both that tension of a seatbelt is above a predetermined threshold and that a vehicle impact has not been detected, the instructions including instructions to actuate the actuator to move the buckle toward the base to the retracted position in response to detecting unbuckling of the buckle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.