Seat belt assembly including resistive film for determining tension
AssigneeDelphi Technologies, Inc.
InventorsMark A. Koors, James F. Patterson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A seat belt assembly includes a webbing, a resistive film attached to the webbing, and a connector. The connector further includes a first contact connected to first contact point on the resistive film and a second contact connected to a second contact point on the resistive film. The electrical resistance of the film between the first contact point and the second contact point is proportional to tension applied axially to the webbing. The first contact and the second contact are electrically connected to an electrical resistance measuring device.
Claims20
A seat belt assembly, comprising:
- a webbing having a longitudinal axis, said webbing being formed of an electrically nonconductive material that elongates in response to axial tension;
- a film having a shape and attached to the webbing so as to vary the shape in response to elongation of the webbing, said film being formed of an electrically resistive material and comprising a first contact point and a second contact point;
- and
- a connector proximate to the webbing and including a first contact in contact with the first contact point and a second contact in contact with the second contact point for measuring an electrical resistance of said film therebetween, wherein the electrical resistance is proportional to tension applied axially to the webbing.
A method for determining tension on a webbing of a seat belt, said webbing comprising a longitudinal axis, said method comprising:
- providing a film attached to said webbing, said film being formed of an electrically resistive material and comprising a first contact point and a second contact point;
- connecting the first contact point and the second contact point to a resistance measuring device;
- measuring a first electrical resistance value of the film in the absence of an axial tension applied to the webbing;
- applying the axial tension to the webbing;
- and
- measuring a second electrical resistance value of the film, wherein the second electrical resistance value is indicative of the axial tension applied to the webbing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.