Patents by Inventor Stefan Suhr

Stefan Suhr has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10974691
    Abstract: A self-locking belt retractor for a seat belt device of a motor vehicle with a belt shaft body and a profile head, and a blocking device with a blocking catch mounted on the profile head. When activated, the blocking device engages in a blocked position with a vehicle-affixed interlock for the purpose of blocking the belt shaft in the belt extension direction. A force-limiting device is disposed in the force transmission path from the belt shaft body to the blocking catch. The profile head is made as two parts, with a carrier component and an insert component which are affixed together. The insert component exhibits a higher resistance to deformation than the carrier component and, when the belt shaft is blocked, forms part of the force transmission path between the blocking catch and the force-limiting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: AUTOLIV DEVELOPMENT AB
    Inventors: Michael Strutz, Stefan Suhr, Christopher Werner
  • Publication number: 20190291687
    Abstract: A self-locking belt retractor for a seat belt device of a motor vehicle with a belt shaft body and a profile head, and a blocking device with a blocking catch mounted on the profile head. When activated, the blocking device engages in a blocked position with a vehicle-affixed interlock for the purpose of blocking the belt shaft in the belt extension direction. A force-limiting device is disposed in the force transmission path from the belt shaft body to the blocking catch. The profile head is made as two parts, with a carrier component and an insert component which are affixed together. The insert component exhibits a higher resistance to deformation than the carrier component and, when the belt shaft is blocked, forms part of the force transmission path between the blocking catch and the force-limiting device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2019
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Applicant: AUTOLIV DEVELOPMENT AB
    Inventors: MICHAEL STRUTZ, STEFAN SUHR, CHRISTOPHER WERNER
  • Patent number: 8028950
    Abstract: A combination of belt retractor and belt pre-tensioner in which the pre-tensioning device is coupled to the belt shaft by means of the vehicle-sensitive or belt strap sensitive locking system of the belt retractor, is characterized in that a lever (16) entrained by the drive wheel (10) on its rotation in the pre-tensioning direction is mounted pivotally on the housing and on its pivoting movement effected by the rotation of the drive wheel (10) its free end (18) comes into engagement with the control disc (12) and in so doing, over part of its pivoting movement, drives the control disc (12) for its relative rotation relatively to the belt shaft and after the lever (16) has passed through its pivoting path serving to drive the control disc (12) it is released from the control disc (12) and the drive wheel (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Martin Schmidt, Stefan Suhr, Thomas Schneider
  • Publication number: 20100181408
    Abstract: A belt pretensioner for safety belts, in particular in motor vehicles, with a pretensioner drive which, in the event it is triggered, can be coupled to the belt shaft, and includes a drive wheel which is enclosed over at least part of its volume by a tubular housing which forms a channel in its interior, whereby, in order to drive the drive wheel, a plurality of solid balls, which are accelerated by means of a pyrotechnic drive, can be guided through the channel, and a drive piston for the solid balls is arranged at that end of the channel which is to be acted upon by the gas introduced, characterized in that the drive piston (19) is designed in the manner of a hollow cup and, on its closed end side (27), is provided with an inwardly directed curvature (28) adapted to the contour of a solid ball (18).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2008
    Publication date: July 22, 2010
    Inventors: Stefan Suhr, Erne Frey, Martin Schmidt
  • Patent number: 7735871
    Abstract: The invention relates to a seat belt retractor including a pretensioner especially for use in motor vehicles. The seat belt retractor includes a spool belt which supports belt webbing of the seat belt and rotates in the take-up direction of the safety belt when the pretensioning drive coupled to the belt spool is activated. The belt spool is associated with a drivewheel with recesses on the periphery thereof for accepting mass bodies acting as drive means for pretensioning the seat belt. The mass bodies are stored in a tube, which tangentially flows into the drivewheel, and the mass bodies are accelerated in the tube by means of a gas generator arranged at one end of the tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Martin Schmidt, Stefan Bösch, Thomas Schneider, Stefan Suhr, Erne Frey
  • Patent number: 7429012
    Abstract: A self stopping seat belt retractor is provided with a belt shaft for winding a seat belt thereonto and unwinding a wound seat belt therefrom and a housing rotatably supporting the belt shaft and having a locking device that includes a locking means for the belt shaft that can be controlled in a vehicle sensitive and/or belt sensitive manner into engagement with a toothed gearing system on that side of the housing. A tightening device operating on the belt shaft includes a drive wheel, which is, prior to the release of the tightening device, secured in a force-transmitting manner on the housing, is connectable upon release of the tightening device with the belt shaft, whereby the drive wheel of the tightening device is connectable via the locking device with the belt shaft for the transmission of force to the belt shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2008
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Kay Löffler, Michael Pech, Martin Schmidt, Thomas Schmidt, Thomas Schneider, Stefan Suhr, Stefan Bösch
  • Publication number: 20080042001
    Abstract: A combination of belt retractor and belt pre-tensioner in which the pre-tensioning device is coupled to the belt shaft by means of the vehicle-sensitive or belt strap sensitive locking system of the belt retractor, is characterised in that a lever (16) entrained by the drive wheel (10) on its rotation in the pre-tensioning direction is mounted pivotally on the housing and on its pivoting movement effected by the rotation of the drive wheel (10) its free end (18) comes into engagement with the control disc (12) and in so doing, over part of its pivoting movement, drives the control disc (12) for its relative rotation relatively to the belt shaft and after the lever (16) has passed through its pivoting path serving to drive the control disc (12) it is released from the control disc (12) and the drive wheel (10).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2005
    Publication date: February 21, 2008
    Applicant: AUTOLIV DEVELOPMENT AB
    Inventors: Martin Schmidt, Stefan Suhr, Thomas Schneider
  • Publication number: 20070272786
    Abstract: The invention relates to a seat belt retractor including a pretensioner especially for use in motor vehicles. The seat belt retractor includes a spool belt which supports belt webbing of the seat belt and rotates in the take-up direction of the safety belt when the pretensioning drive coupled to the belt spool is activated. The belt spool is associated with a drivewheel with recesses on the periphery thereof for accepting mass bodies acting as drive means for pretensioning the seat belt. The mass bodies are stored in a tube, which tangentially flows into the drivewheel, and the mass bodies are accelerated in the tube by means of a gas generator arranged at one end of the tube.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2004
    Publication date: November 29, 2007
    Inventors: Martin Schmidt, Stefan Bosch, Thomas Schneider, Stefan Suhr, Erne Frey
  • Publication number: 20050178870
    Abstract: A self stopping seat belt retractor is provided with a belt shaft for winding a seat belt thereonto and unwinding a wound seat belt therefrom and a housing rotatably supporting the belt shaft and having a locking device that includes a locking means for the belt shaft that can be controlled in a vehicle sensitive and/or belt sensitive manner into engagement with a toothed gearing system on the side of the housing. A tightening device operating on the belt shaft includes a drive wheel, which is, prior to the release of the tightening device, secured in a force-transmitting manner on the housing, is connectable upon release of the tightening device with the belt shaft, whereby the drive wheel of the tightening device is connectable via the locking device with the belt shaft for the transmission of force to the belt shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2003
    Publication date: August 18, 2005
    Inventors: Kay Loffler, Michael Pech, Martin Schmidt, Thomas Schneider, Stefan Suhr, Stefan Bosch