With Lock Prevention Or Sensitivity Reduction Patents (Class 242/384.1)
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Patent number: 10974692Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: October 3, 2018Date of Patent: April 13, 2021Assignee: 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
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Patent number: 9010672Abstract: 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which causes the force limiter (22) to reach the force limiting position as a function of the length of belt webbing withdrawn.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2007Date of Patent: April 21, 2015Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbHInventors: Nizam Bedak, Oliver Gross, Joachim Biller, Bernd Gentner, Andreas Henning
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Patent number: 8752781Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: October 15, 2009Date of Patent: June 17, 2014Assignee: Autoliv Development ABInventors: Guillem Aranda, Volkmar Heine
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Patent number: 8662538Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: July 21, 2010Date of Patent: March 4, 2014Assignee: Key Safety Systems, Inc.Inventors: Martin Specht, Wolff Rainer
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Patent number: 8579223Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: November 28, 2007Date of Patent: November 12, 2013Assignee: Autoliv Development ABInventor: Guillem Aranda
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Publication number: 20130214081Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: February 13, 2013Publication date: August 22, 2013Applicant: TAKATA CORPORATIONInventor: TAKATA CORPORATION
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Patent number: 8308099Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: July 14, 2008Date of Patent: November 13, 2012Assignee: Autoliv Development ABInventor: Junya Ono
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Publication number: 20120111985Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: July 21, 2010Publication date: May 10, 2012Applicant: KEY SAFETY SYSTEMS, INC.Inventors: Martin Specht, Wolff Rainer
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Patent number: 8141806Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: October 13, 2009Date of Patent: March 27, 2012Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Shotaro Odate, Yo Ito, Osamu Tsurumiya, Yutaka Wakisaka
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Publication number: 20090230227Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: August 31, 2007Publication date: September 17, 2009Inventor: Hirokazu Yoshioka
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Patent number: 7562840Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: January 19, 2006Date of Patent: July 21, 2009Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-SeisakushoInventors: Hitoshi Takamatsu, Shinji Mori
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Patent number: 7537179Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: December 22, 2007Date of Patent: May 26, 2009Assignee: Autoliv Development ABInventors: Martin Schmidt, Stefan Hofs, Thomas Schneider, Miriam Ors, Santi Gasol, Jordi Casiano
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Publication number: 20090051156Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: June 27, 2008Publication date: February 26, 2009Inventors: Daisuke Murakami, Koji Inuzuka, Koji Tanaka, Masato Takao
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Patent number: 7392958Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: March 15, 2006Date of Patent: July 1, 2008Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbHInventors: Wolfgang Holbein, Martin Butz, Daniel S. Helbich
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Patent number: 6732969Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: November 27, 2001Date of Patent: May 11, 2004Assignee: Takata CorporationInventors: Hiromasa Tanji, Koji Tanaka