Pyrotechnic lap belt pretensioner with slider bar function

A seat belt pretensioner slider bar for permitting a lower anchorage end of a seat belt webbing lap belt section of a seat belt system for a motor vehicle to be slid in a longitudinal direction in a normal operating condition and further for applying pretensioning retraction to the lower anchorage end in a pretensioning condition, comprising:

• an elongated tube having an exterior cylindrical surface and a hollow interior defining a longitudinal axis having a gas cylinder section extending from a first end of the tube and a webbing sliding section extending from the gas cylinder section to an opposite second end, the webbing sliding section forming a slot extending in the longitudinal direction,
• an attachment for mounting the tube to a structural component of the motor vehicle,
• a piston movable within the gas cylinder section of the tube between a normal position adjacent the first end of the tube to a pretensioning position toward the second end,
• a gas generator for generating gas within the tube gas cylinder section for urging the piston to move from the normal to the pretensioning position,
• a sliding webbing anchor in the form of a loop of webbing at the lower anchorage end, the tube extending through the loop, the sliding webbing anchor being slidable along the webbing sliding section to a variety of positions relative to the piston when the piston is in the normal position, and
• a webbing driver connected to the piston through the tube slot and engaging the webbing anchor when the piston is moved to the pretensioning position for moving the webbing anchor to a position adjacent the second tube end thereby providing the pretensioning retraction to the webbing anchor and the webbing.

A seat belt pretensioner slider bar for permitting a lower anchorage end of a seat belt webbing lap belt section of a seat belt system for a motor vehicle to be slid in a longitudinal direction in a normal operating condition and further for applying pretensioning retraction to the lower anchorage end in a pretensioning condition, comprising:

• an elongated tube having an exterior cylindrical surface and a hollow interior defining a longitudinal axis having a gas cylinder section extending from a first end of the tube and a webbing sliding section extending from the gas cylinder section to an opposite second end, the webbing sliding section forming a slot extending in the longitudinal direction,
• an attachment for mounting the tube to a structural component of the motor vehicle,
• a piston movable within the gas cylinder section of the tube between a normal position adjacent the first end of the tube to a pretensioning position toward the second end,
• a gas generator for generating gas within the tube gas cylinder section for urging the piston to move from the normal to the pretensioning position,
• a sliding metal webbing anchor engageable with the lower anchorage end and slidable along the exterior cylindrical surface of the tube along the webbing sliding section to a variety of positions relative to the piston when the piston is in the normal position, and
• a webbing driver connected to the piston through the tube slot and engaging the webbing anchor when the piston is moved to the pretensioning position for moving the webbing anchor to a position adjacent the second tube end thereby providing the pretensioning retraction to the webbing anchor and the webbing.