Trigger mechanism for belt pretensioner
AssigneeTRW Repa GmbH
InventorArtur Fohl
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A trigger mechanism for a belt pretensioner comprises a sensor mass which responds both on a head-on collision and on ramming of the vehicle from the rear. The sensor mass may be pivotally mounted and formed by functional parts of the pretensioner drive. In a belt pretensioner which is combined with a belt retractor (10) to an assembly and which has a pyrotechnical piston/cylinder drive, the sensor mass consists of a carrier block (40) pivotally mounted on a base (12) and having a guide cylinder (42) mounted therein and a piston accommodated therein. A striker lever (50) pivotally mounted in the base (12) is released for activating an impact igniter on a gas generator cartridge (44) when the carrier block (40) is pivoted in vehicle-sensitive manner in the one or other direction.
Claims10
A trigger mechanism for belt pretensioners in safety belt restraining systems for vehicles, comprising:
- a base fixedly connected to a belt retractor housing;
- a movably mounted sensor mass movable out of a rest position in response to vehicle deceleration exceeding a predetermined threshold and being further movable into at least two trigger positions which are situated on either side of said rest position, a first one of said trigger positions being associated with a head-on collision and a second one with a collision in which the vehicle is rammed from behind, said sensor mass being formed by a movable assembly which includes a pyrotechnical piston/cylinder drive having an impact igniter and a carrier block which is mounted pivotally on said base;
- and
- a striker lever pivotally mounted on said base and having an anvil which is biased by spring loading toward said impact igniter, said striker lever comprising a support arm with a free end which bears on a holding surface on said carrier block, said support arm being movable off of said holding surface in first and second directions in response to said sensor mass moving to said first and second trigger positions, respectively.
A trigger mechanism for a belt pretensioner in a safety belt restraining system comprising a belt retractor with a retractor housing, comprising:
- a base fixed to said retractor housing;
- a cylinder tube pivotally mounted on said base;
- an abutment member whereon an abutment face is defined, said cylinder tube being connected to said abutment member;
- a piston accommodated in said cylinder tube;
- a source of energy;
- and
- a release lever;
- said source of energy being associated with said piston and said cylinder tube to form an inertial sensor mass, said cylinder tube being biased to a rest position intermediate two opposite pivotal positions, said release lever bearing on said abutment face when said cylinder tube is in the rest position and being disengaged from said abutment face in either of said pivotal positions to release said source of energy to drive said piston through said cylinder tube, one of said pivotal positions being associated with a head-on collision of the vehicle and the other being associated with a collision in which the vehicle is rammed from behind.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.