Seat-belt load limiter
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsMangala A. Jayasuriya, Brian Robert Spahn, James Chih Cheng
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device that limits a load of a seat belt includes various elements. For example, the device includes a seat-belt webbing and a shoulder anchor to which a portion of the webbing is secured. A button is attached to the webbing at a position that is a distance away from the portion secured to the shoulder anchor. The button is able to engage a lever, when the webbing is pulled out, to control energy absorption of the seat belt.
Claims20
An apparatus for controlling a torsion bar, which limits force of seat-belt webbing paid out from a spindle, the apparatus comprising:
- a button attached to the webbing that travels in a path when the webbing is paid out;
- a lever engaged by the button traveling in the path;
- and
- a gear ring operatively coupled to the lever, wherein engaging the lever by the button rotates the gear ring to disengage a torsion-bar stiffening element.
An apparatus that controls a position of a blocking ring of a seat-belt force-controlling mechanism, the apparatus comprising:
- a control ring coupled adjacent the blocking ring;
- and
- a gear ring coupled adjacent the control ring, the gear ring including a protruding element, wherein the protruding element engages the control ring when the gear ring rotates to axially displace the control ring, and wherein axial displacement of the control ring axially displaces the blocking ring.
A seat-belt restraint system comprising:
- a seat-belt webbing;
- a spindle to which one end of the webbing is secured;
- a floor anchor to which the other end of the webbing is secured;
- a shoulder ring through which the webbing passes;
- a button attached to the webbing;
- and
- a lever that is engageable by the button when the webbing is pulled out to control energy absorption of the seat-belt apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.