US 2003/0226409 A1Published application

Seat Belt Tension Sensor

AssigneeAutomotive Systems Laboratory, Inc.

InventorsRyan N. Steele, James G. Stanley, Kurt L. VanVoorhies

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Abstract

A lever is adapted to rotate about a first pivot at a first location responsive to a tension load from a webbing applied to an attachment pivoted or arcuately slotted about a second location. Tension load is reacted by a spring against a reaction element, and is sensed by either a displacement sensor or a force sensor. The sensed load range can be limited by a stop that engages the lever. The anchor bolt can be utilized as a stop in cooperation with a slot in the lever, wherein the lever is adapted to rotate about a stud depending from the reaction element. A tang portion of the lever engages a slot of a slide, and the displacement of the slide caused by a rotation of the tang reacted by springs at the ends of the slide is measured by a magnetic field sensor on the reaction element in cooperation with a pair of magnets on the slide.

Claims41

Dependent claims

An apparatus for measuring a tensile load in a seat belt of a vehicle, comprising:

a. a lever adapted to rotate about a pivot at a first location on said lever;
b. a webbing attachment operatively either connected to or a part of said lever, wherein said webbing attachment is adapted to operatively couple with a webbing of the seat belt so as to receive the tensile load therefrom and to transfer said tensile load so as to act on said lever at a second location on said lever, wherein said second location is displaced from said first location and said webbing attachment is adapted to direct said tensile load substantially through a center of rotation at said second location;
c. a reaction element wherein said reaction element is adapted to inhibit rotation thereof relative to the vehicle when the apparatus is operatively coupled to the vehicle;
d. a first spring operatively coupled to said lever and adapted to bias said lever about said pivot so as to react against said tensile load when said tensile load is received by said webbing attachment, wherein said first spring is adapted to operate between said reaction element and said lever;
and
e. a displacement or proximity sensor operatively associated with said lever and said reaction element, wherein said displacement or proximity sensor is responsive to a rotation of said lever with respect to said reaction element.

3 more elements

An apparatus for measuring a tensile load in a seat belt of a vehicle, comprising:

a. a lever adapted to rotate about a pivot at a first location on said lever;
b. a webbing attachment operatively either connected to or a part of said lever, wherein said webbing attachment is adapted to operatively couple with a webbing of the seat belt so as to receive the tensile load therefrom and to transfer said tensile load so as to act on said lever at a second location on said lever, wherein said second location is displaced from said first location and said webbing attachment is adapted to direct said tensile load substantially through a center of rotation at said second location;
c. a reaction element wherein said reaction element is adapted to inhibit rotation thereof relative to the vehicle when the apparatus is operatively coupled to the vehicle;
and
d. a force sensor operatively coupled to said lever at a third location, wherein said force sensor is adapted to measure a force between said lever and said reaction element, and said third location is displaced from said first location.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.