Force-limiting energy absorber for safety belt systems
AssigneeTRW Repa GmbH
InventorArtur Fohl
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The force-limiting energy absorber for safety belt systems comprises a series of stretch members lying one behind the other in the direction of the tensile stress. Each stretch member comprises an opening which is surrounded by a border deformable under a tension load. In the openings limiting elements are disposed which limit in abutment manner the deformation of the border transversely of the direction of the tensile stress. The limiting elements may be made mushroom-shaped and integrally formed on the border of the stretch members.
Claims12
A force-limiting energy absorber for a safety belt system comprising:
- two end fittings and a plurality of stretch members which are connected in series between said end fittings, each stretch member comprising a border portion defining an opening and which border portion is deformable under tensile load, and limiting elements arranged within each opening to limit the deformation of said deformable border portion under tensile stress transversely of the direction of the tensile stress by abutment of said limiting elements against each other;
- said limiting elements being integrally formed on said border portion and extending towards the interior of the opening from opposite border faces which faces extend in the direction of the tensile stress, one limiting element extending from each border face;
- each of said limiting elements being mushroom-shaped and having a narrow neck portion having at one end thereof an enlarged head portion, said limiting elements having facing head portions in each opening.
A force-limiting energy absorber for a safety belt system, said force-limiting energy absorber comprising:
- two end fittings;
- a plurality of stretch members connected in series between said two end fittings, each stretch member comprising a border portion deformable under a tensile load and defining an opening, each border portion having on opposite sides of the opening defined thereby parts which move toward each other upon deformation of said border portion by the tensile load;
- and
- means for limiting deformation of the border portion of each stretch member under the tensile load, said limiting means comprising two limiting elements in the opening of each stretch member to limit movement of the parts of the border portion of each stretch member toward each other, each limiting element being connected with the border portion of each stretch member on a respective opposite side of the opening defined by the border portion and extending into the opening in a direction transverse to the direction of action of the tensile load, said two limiting elements being formed integrally with said respective parts of said border portion, said two limiting elements being mushroom-shaped and having a narrow neck portion having at one end thereof an enlarged head portion, said head portions abutting each other to limit deformation of said border portion.
A force-limiting energy absorber for a safety belt system comprising two end fittings and a plurality of stretch members which are connected in series between said end fittings, each stretch member comprising a border portion defining an opening and being deformable under tensile load, said border portion having an inner wall, and a pair of limiting elements projecting into said opening from opposite sides of said border portion in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of said series-connected stretch members, each of said limiting elements having a base portion connected to said inner wall of said border portion and a head portion which prior to deformation of said stretch members under tensile load is spaced from the head portion of the other of said pair of limiting elements and which, after said deformation, abuts the head portion of said other of said pair of limiting elements to limit under tensile stress the deformation of said deformable border portion in a direction transverse to the direction of the tensile stress.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.