With Lock Prevention Or Sensitivity Reduction Patents (Class 242/384.1)
  • Patent number: 10974692
    Abstract: A seatbelt system comprising a buckle; a spool with a ratchet wheel and webbing that is windable onto or off of the spool as the spool rotates. A control mechanism is operatively engaged with a pawl located proximate the ratchet wheel. When the control mechanism is in a first condition, the pawl is disengaged from the ratchet wheel and the ratchet wheel and spool are rotatable to wind the webbing onto or off of the spool. When the control mechanism is in a second condition, the pawl is moved into engagement with the ratchet wheel and the ratchet wheel and spool are only able to rotate the webbing onto the spool. The control mechanism includes electronic switches and sensors that have to be actuated along with engaging the locking tongue in the buckle in order to move the pawl into engagement with the ratchet wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Tool, Inc.
    Inventors: William P. Liteplo, Jason G. Sidman, Eric A. Miller, Jr., Michael D. Tinstman, Arnold J. Herberg, Paul DiTullio, Marcus R. Hanna, Thomas Gernetzke, John D. Fiegener, Ryan Thompson, Daniel Bloch
  • Patent number: 9010672
    Abstract: A belt retractor has a frame (10), a belt spool (12) that is rotatably mounted in the frame (10), and a force limiter (22) that is adapted to reach a force limiting position. A guide-in mechanism (26) is provided which causes the force limiter (22) to reach the force limiting position as a function of the length of belt webbing withdrawn.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Nizam Bedak, Oliver Gross, Joachim Biller, Bernd Gentner, Andreas Henning
  • Patent number: 8752781
    Abstract: A safety belt retractor for motor vehicles having a locking system controllable in a belt webbing-sensitive and/or vehicle-sensitive manner, a locking pawl (12) mounted on the belt shaft (1) which locking pawl can be moved into engagement with a housing-fixed tooth, wherein the locking system can be deactivated at least within a range of a predetermined belt extraction length, wherein a locking element (10) is provided for deactivating the locking system which locking element can be moved depending on the belt extraction length from a first position releasing the locking pawl (12) to a second position fixing the locking pawl (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Guillem Aranda, Volkmar Heine
  • Patent number: 8662538
    Abstract: A belt retractor for a vehicle safety belt, comprising a belt reel 2 onto which the safety belt is wound when the belt strap is reeled in and from which the safety belt can be unwound when the belt strap is pulled out, a belt strap-sensitive blocking mechanism 12 which blocks extension of the belt strap when the belt strap is extended with excessive acceleration, wherein a retarding device 1 which prevents activation of the belt strap-sensitive blocking mechanism along a specified length of belt strap extension at the beginning of the belt strap extension process is rotatably connected to the belt reel 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Key Safety Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Martin Specht, Wolff Rainer
  • Patent number: 8579223
    Abstract: A self-locking belt retractor for motor vehicles with a vehicle-sensitive and a belt-webbing-sensitive control system for the blocking arrangement of the belt retractor, is characterized in that for the formation of its inertia, an inertial mass is swivellably mounted on a control disk, wherein the inertial mass can be deflected into a blocking position for the control disc. Additionally, a locking lever mounted on the control disc is provided for the cutoff of a vehicle sensor, and by way of a switching process in its cutoff position, the locking lever cuts off the vehicle sensor and secures the inertial mass in a disabling position, the disabling position being different than the blocking position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventor: Guillem Aranda
  • Publication number: 20130214081
    Abstract: To prevent the tilt of a locking member with respect to a spool even when the spool is tensioned by a seat belt in case of emergency. A second EA plate support member 16 that is integrated with a locking base 19 has a supported portion 21 having a cylindrical shape. The supported portion 21 is fitted into a locking base tilt prevention support portion 20 of a spool 9 and is supported so as to be rotatable relative to the locking base tilt prevention support portion 20 while the tilt of the supported portion 21 with respect to the spool 9 is being prevented. In this manner, even when the spool 9 is tensioned upward by a large tensional force of the seat belt 4 in case of emergency, the tilt of the center axis of the locking base 19 with respect to the center axis of the spool 9 is prevented. Thus, the EA operation of a seat belt retractor 3 is reliably and effectively performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2013
    Publication date: August 22, 2013
    Applicant: TAKATA CORPORATION
    Inventor: TAKATA CORPORATION
  • Patent number: 8308099
    Abstract: A seatbelt retractor includes an acceleration sensor. The acceleration sensor includes a sensor case having a supporting surface which is maintained horizontal. A self-standing inertia body whose bottom surface is placed on the supporting surface is installed inside the sensor case in a self-standing condition, and which tilts when a horizontal acceleration is exerted. An actuating member which, in accordance with a tilting movement of the self-standing inertia body, activates a lock mechanism to lock the extraction of the seat belt. An outer contour of a contact area where the supporting surface of the sensor case and the bottom surface of the self-standing inertia body are in surface contact is configured such that a distance from a center axis of the self-standing inertia body to the outer contour differ, in a horizontal plane, in a first direction and in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventor: Junya Ono
  • Publication number: 20120111985
    Abstract: A belt retractor for a vehicle safety belt, comprising a belt reel 2 onto which the safety belt is wound when the belt strap is reeled in and from which the safety belt can be unwound when the belt strap is pulled out, a belt strap-sensitive blocking mechanism 12 which blocks extension of the belt strap when the belt strap is extended with excessive acceleration, wherein a retarding device 1 which prevents activation of the belt strap-sensitive blocking mechanism along a specified length of belt strap extension at the beginning of the belt strap extension process is rotatably connected to the belt reel 2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2010
    Publication date: May 10, 2012
    Applicant: KEY SAFETY SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Martin Specht, Wolff Rainer
  • Patent number: 8141806
    Abstract: A seat belt apparatus for a vehicle including: a belt reel; a emergency locking retractor which performs a mechanical locking of the belt reel so as not to rotate in a direction of unwinding a webbing when an unstable behavior of the vehicle is detected by a vehicle condition detection device, and then automatically release the locking if the belt reel rotates in a direction of winding the webbing greater than or equal to a predetermined amount; and a locking continuity determination device which determines whether or not the locking continues after the emergency locking retractor performs the locking based on the vehicle condition and variation of the rotational position of the belt reel, wherein a control device makes a driving motor rotate so as to release the locking if the locking continuity determination device determines the locking continues for greater than or equal to a predetermined amount of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shotaro Odate, Yo Ito, Osamu Tsurumiya, Yutaka Wakisaka
  • Publication number: 20090230227
    Abstract: A seat belt retractor of the present invention is provided with a stopper (16). When a cam follower (16a (sic)) of the stopper (16) is located in an arcuate retraction groove portion (22a) or a linear groove portion (22b) of a cam groove (22), a seat belt (4) is withdrawn by an amount exceeding a predetermined amount for the normal belt wearing. A stopper portion (16b) of the stopper (16) is located at an engagement allowing position (B) so as to allow engagement between ratchet teeth (27) of a locking gear (26) and an engaging pawl (24d) of a vehicle sensor (24). When the cam follower (16a (sic)) is located in an arcuate protraction groove portion (22c) of the cam groove (22), the maximum amount of the seat belt (4) is wound. The stopper portion (16b) of the stopper (16) is located at an engagement preventing position (A) so as to prevent the engagement between the ratchet teeth (27) and the engaging pawl (24d), thereby preventing end lock.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2007
    Publication date: September 17, 2009
    Inventor: Hirokazu Yoshioka
  • Patent number: 7562840
    Abstract: A webbing take-up device includes: a spool to which a base end portion of a long band-like webbing belt is attached and which is rotatable such that the webbing belt can be taken up and pulled out; and a rotating body that is coaxially relatively rotatable with respect to the spool. A coupling member, which causes the rotating body to rotate in a pullout direction together with the spool rotating in the pullout direction of the webbing belt when the coupling member is directly or indirectly engaged with the spool, is disposed on the rotating body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Hitoshi Takamatsu, Shinji Mori
  • Patent number: 7537179
    Abstract: In at least one embodiment of the present invention a seat-belt retractor is provided. The seat-belt retractor comprises a locking system that is controlled by means of at least one vehicle-sensitive sensor. The sensor has an alignment mass for autonomous alignment and is configured to pivot on the seat-belt retractor when the angular installation position of the seat-belt retractor is changed and when the seat-belt is extended, the sensor can be fixed in position by a blocking device. The blocking device is friction-controlled by the rotation of the belt shaft in the extension direction. The blocking device includes a rotatably mounted blocking lever which can be displaced into a release position for the sensor by a control lever that is coupled to the belt shaft by a friction coupling when the belt shaft rotates in a retraction direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2009
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Martin Schmidt, Stefan Hofs, Thomas Schneider, Miriam Ors, Santi Gasol, Jordi Casiano
  • Publication number: 20090051156
    Abstract: A seat belt retractor including an integral electronic control unit (ECU). The ECU is detachably installed between lower edges of respective both side walls of a frame. Further, a motor is detachably fixed to a lower surface of a case of the ECU. Since the ECU is disposed between the frame and the motor, the ECU can be protected from an external force by means of the frame and the motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2008
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Inventors: Daisuke Murakami, Koji Inuzuka, Koji Tanaka, Masato Takao
  • Patent number: 7392958
    Abstract: A belt retractor for a safety belt has a brake surface (38), a blocking mechanism (18), a brake element (24) which can prevent a steering in of the blocking mechanism (18), and a magnetic actuator (28). The brake element (24) is pressed against the brake surface (38) by means of the magnetic actuator (28).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Wolfgang Holbein, Martin Butz, Daniel S. Helbich
  • Patent number: 6732969
    Abstract: In a seat belt retractor, when a collision predicting signal is generated from a collision predicting device, a motor rotates counterclockwise, and a pawl is thereby raised via a lever so as to move to a position contacting saw-blade teeth of a ratchet gear. In this state, when a rotational force is applied in the seatbelt-extraction direction, the rotation is prevented. On the other hand, the rotation in the seatbelt-retraction direction can be performed by pushing down the pawl with a diagonal portion of the saw-blade tooth of the ratchet gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2004
    Assignee: Takata Corporation
    Inventors: Hiromasa Tanji, Koji Tanaka