Patents Assigned to Autoliv Development AB
  • Safety arrangement for a motor vehicle
    Patent number: 6877579
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided for lowering the height of the front part of a motor vehicle. A radar sensor is provided to sense the proximity of an adjacent vehicle. A signal is passed to a control unit which responds when a potential accident situation is detected. An output passes to a valve unit which is actuated to permit gas from an inflatable element to escape through a nozzle. As the gas escapes the element reduces in length, and a lowering housing element connected to a wheel of a vehicle moves upwardly into an upper housing element which is fixed to part of the structure of the vehicle. Thus, the front part of the vehicle is lowered so that the bumper on the vehicle is at an appropriate height.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventor: Yngve Håland
  • Belt lock with fastening device
    Publication number: 20050067878
    Abstract: A belt lock is provided and has a lock holder that is rotatably mounted on a vehicle part. A restoring spring, as a flat spiral spring, has spiral spring windings that are disposed in a single plane and are disposed between a cover and the lock holder. The spiral spring biases the lock holder into a rest position of the belt lock, and has one end supported against the lock holder and another end supported against the cover. The cover has a first radially extending extension for the outer end of the spring, and a second extension as a stop for restoring of the lock holder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2003
    Publication date: March 31, 2005
    Applicant: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Matthias Borgward, Henry Knop, Gerhard Siebrand, Eckhard Alpers
  • Seat security arrangement comprising a safety belt with lateral seat occupant support
    Publication number: 20050067827
    Abstract: A seat security arrangement for a vehicle seat occupant sitting on a vehicle seat. The arrangement includes a three-point safety belt having an extent forming a shoulder belt extending from the outboard side of the vehicle seat that restrains one shoulder of the seat occupant and another extent forming a lap belt. The arrangement further includes a two-point safety belt extending from the inboard side of the vehicle seat past the respective non-belt restrained shoulder of the seat occupant and thereafter crossing the shoulder belt of the three-point safety belt. Additionally, the arrangement includes a support device located in the respective region of the seat back turned toward the inboard side of the vehicle seat, the support device extending in the direction of the vehicle's forward travel so as provide lateral support to the upper torso of the seat occupant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2003
    Publication date: March 31, 2005
    Applicant: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Ola Bostrom, Yngve Haland
  • Security module component for a motor vehicle security device
    Publication number: 20050067817
    Abstract: A security module for a motor vehicle security device includes a module housing, a belt take-up roller for the taking up onto, and the unwinding therefrom, of a safety belt operable to belt in a seat occupant seated in a vehicle seat in the motor vehicle, and a side airbag module having an airbag inflatable into a deployed position in which it provides lateral support for the seat occupant. The side airbag module also includes an associated gas generator for supplying compressed gas to effect deployment of the airbag. The take-up roller, the safety belt, and the side airbag module are commonly mounted in the module housing, which can be mounted relative to the seat back of the vehicle seat either during installation of the vehicle seat itself during the vehicle production or as an aftermarket installation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2003
    Publication date: March 31, 2005
    Applicant: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Ola Bostrom, Yngve Haland
  • Seat belt closure-securement arrangement with integrated force evaluation
    Patent number: 6851714
    Abstract: A securement arrangement for a seat belt closure of a three-point seat belt system in a vehicle comprises an anchor piece secured to the vehicle, a closure body, and a generally U-shaped closure body retaining assembly for mounting the closure body on the anchor piece. A spring disposed between a pair of U-forming legs of the closure body retaining assembly biases the closure body into its home position. A contact element emits a signal to be processed by an onboard signal processing unit when the closure body, due to the application thereto of a load imposed by the seat belt, is displaced so as to overcome the biasing force of the spring. The contact element correspondingly moves out of contact and emits a signal in response to its movement out of contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventor: Klaus-Peter Singer
  • Fastening assembly for a safety belt reactor comprising a reinforcement plate
    Patent number: 6837520
    Abstract: The invention relates to an assembly for fastening a belt retractor to the body part of a motor vehicle. Said assembly comprises a mounting plate, which is involved in the fastening of the belt retractor, and which is provided as a separate reinforcement plate (13) with a continuous opening (14) for a fastening means. The reinforcement plate (13) comprises a slot-like opening (25) for placing it on the fastening bracket (12) of the belt retractor (10) such that the fastening bracket (12), when mounting the belt retractor (10) on the body part (26), rests between the reinforcement plate (13) and the body part (26), and the continuous openings (14) of the fastening bracket (12) and reinforcement plate (13) are aligned with one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2005
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventor: Klaus-Peter Singer
  • Air-bag arrangement
    Patent number: 6832776
    Abstract: An air-bag unit (1) adapted to be positioned on a floor pan of a motor vehicle in the foot-well to be located beneath the feet of an occupant of the vehicle has a substantially sealed damp-proof housing containing an air-bag (11) formed of fabric, the housing having a substantially rigid upper cover (8), the unit being such that on inflation of the air-bag (11) the cover of the housing is lifted, from its initial position to an elevated position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2004
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventor: Pontus Söderström
  • Off-set elimination system for a vibrating gyroscope
    Patent number: 6834247
    Abstract: A gyroscope that may include various sources of error, with those sources of error each being dependent upon a different parameter, is associated with a simulation or “model” of the gyroscope which is typically a computer simulation. The computer simulation is provided with errors which can be adjusted to be identical with the errors present in the real gyroscope. An arrangement is provided to adjust the errors in the model of the gyroscope to be identical with the errors in the real gyroscope, that arrangement including Kalman filters which receive signals generated by subtracting the outputs of the real gyroscope and the model gyroscope, while simultaneously varying the various inputs to the real gyroscope. The Kalman filters also generate a signal which is an estimate of the angular rotation being sensed by the real gyroscope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2004
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Nils Hiedenstierna, Gert Andersson, Per Svensson
  • Air-bag unit mounted on a seat
    Publication number: 20040239081
    Abstract: There is disclosed an air-bag unit mounted on a seat. The air-bag unit is connected to a mounting member which is secured to or forms part of the structure of the seat. The air-bag unit has a first set of locking formations and the mounting member has a second set of locking formations. The locking formations of one of the sets are apertures and the locking formations of the other of the sets are projections. Each aperture at least partially receives a respective projection. There is a spring mounted to either mounting member or air-bag unit so as to extend across each of the apertures and to form a snap-connection between the air-bag unit and the mounting member in the region of each aperture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2004
    Publication date: December 2, 2004
    Applicant: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventor: Jean Yves Tredez
  • Drive apparatus for a belt placer
    Patent number: 6820903
    Abstract: A belt placer is provided for positioning the belt portion of a vehicle safety belt system and includes a drive apparatus and an engagement component that is drivably movable by the drive apparatus into engagement with a respective one of the belt and the closure tongue arranged on the belt. The engagement component positions the belt in a ready position relative to the vehicle occupant in which the belt is positioned for buckling and the engagement component being returned into its resting position in connection with buckling or unbuckling of the belt. The drive apparatus includes a feed roller and a flexible push- and pull-device in the form of a bending-resistant band which is brought from the flat disposition in which it is wound around the feed roller into an arched or cambered position around its longitudinal axis as it is unwound from the feed roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2004
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventor: Geert-Helge Wittenberg
  • Vehicle safety arrangement
    Patent number: 6819992
    Abstract: A safety arrangement for a motor vehicle, comprises sensor (21, 22) to sense acceleration and a control system to control a triggering circuit (24) which is adapted to actuate or deploy a safety device in the form of an air-bag (27). The control system incorporates a processor (23) which has an input for activating a non-maskable interrupt (NMI) routine (31). An input (30) from the processor (23) which carries a command signal generated by the processor in response to a predetermined output from the sensors (21, 22) is connected an input which activates the NMI routine (31). The routine is designed to determine whether there are hardware and/or software thoughts that may invalidate the command, and to interrupt actuation or deployment of the safety device if any such fault is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2004
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventor: Francois Giordano
  • Safety arrangement
    Patent number: 6817625
    Abstract: An air-bag unit (1) is adapted to be positioned on the floor pan of a vehicle in the foot-well, to be located beneath the feet of an occupant of the vehicle. The air-bag unit has an upper cover (8) located above an air-bag. On inflation of the air-bag the cover (8) is lifted from its initial position to an elevated position. The cover (8) comprises two sections (9, 10) inter-connected by a hinge-line (11). On inflation of the air-bag part of the cover (8) adjacent the hinge-line (11) is elevated so a greater extent than the portions of the cover which are remote from the hinge-line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2004
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventor: Erik Hjerpe
  • Air-bag arrangement
    Patent number: 6796577
    Abstract: An air-bag in the form of an inflatable curtain has a plurality of zones each provided with vertically extending cells defined by seams. Uninflatable regions are provided, the uninflatable regions being provided with oval apertures. On deployment of the inflatable curtain, the oval apertures will distend to become circular, enabling the uninflated region effectively to stretch to moderate the tension generated between two anchoring points connected by straps to the lower edge of the air-bag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2004
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Venkata Challa, Simon Valkenburg, David Stow, Olivier Bastien
  • Metal air-bag
    Patent number: 6783154
    Abstract: An air-bag is made from a first metal layer (1) and a second metal layer (30). At least one of these layers is plastically deformable. The layers are provided with a peripheral (2, 3) sealing the layers together to define a chamber. There are gas generating means, such as a gas generator, located within the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Dan Persson, Staffari Carlsson
  • Airbag arrangement
    Patent number: 6773026
    Abstract: An airbag arrangement for a motor vehicle includes an inflatable element having two opposed side faces. Mounting straps extend from each side face to mounting points provided in the roof of the motor vehicle. The mounting points are spaced apart transversely. When inflated the inflatable element extends down from the roof of the motor vehicle to be located between heads of the occupants of two adjacent seats. Part of the inflatable element between the straps is in contact with the roof and the straps associated with each side face are tensioned so that the airbag is held firmly in position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventor: Bernhard Meyer
  • Vehicle seat
    Patent number: 6767054
    Abstract: A vehicle seat includes a squab and a back mounted for pivotal movement relative to the squab. A support plate is mounted to the squab, and the back of the seat is pivotally mounted to the support plate. A mechanism for providing a resistive force resists a first pivotal movement. The providing mechanism provides a first resistive force during a first energy impact and a second resistive force during a second energy impact. The first energy impact is a higher energy impact than the second energy impact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2004
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Yngve Håland, Ola Boström
  • Vehicle seat
    Patent number: 6752454
    Abstract: A vehicle seat has a back-rest (1) and a squab (2), a transverse beam (3) provided at the front of the squab is provided with a chamber (13), at least part of one wall being constituted by a plastically deformable metal sheet (12). The chamber is associated with a gas generator adapted to inflate the chamber (13) with an associated plastic deformation of the sheet. The inflated chamber minimizes the risk of an occupant of the seat “submarining” beneath a safety belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2004
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Laurent Ruel, Dominique Dufaut
  • Safety belt system with pre-tensioning device for secondary collision
    Patent number: 6749225
    Abstract: A safety belt arrangement is provided that has a belt retractor that includes a force-limiting device. When triggered in a collision, the belt retractor is associated with limited belt release therefrom. Associated with the belt retractor is a tensioning device that is actuated subsequent to the primary collision and that eliminates slack in a belt that occurs when the force-limiting device is triggered during the primary collision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2004
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Günter Clute, Alois Juchem
  • Air bag device, production method of an air bag device, activation method of an air bag device and vehicle with an air bag device
    Patent number: 6739619
    Abstract: This invention relates to an air bag system for accommodation behind a vehicle covering. The air bag system contains an air bag, which advances in a main inflating direction when the air bag system is triggered, and a gas generator for supplying the air bag with pressure gas during triggering of the air bag system. The gas generator and the air bag are connected by a gas distributing duct which extends at least partially at an angle with respect to the main inflating direction of the air bag. In this case, the gas distributing duct is formed of air bag material. Furthermore, the invention relates to a manufacturing process and a triggering process for such an air bag system as well as to a motor vehicle having such an air bag system, of which at least the air bag is arranged on a sliding roof frame part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2004
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventor: Olaf Mueller
  • Safety belt system with a pretensioning device and AP force limiter
    Patent number: 6729649
    Abstract: A safety belt arrangement includes a controllable blocking apparatus that is controlled sensitive to the vehicle and/or to the safety belt. A safety belt buckle is provided and a tensioning apparatus is inserted in the safety belt arrangement, such that the tensioning apparatus, when triggered, eliminates the slack in the belt. The arrangement also includes a continuously working device for limiting the force exerted on the safety belt by the forward displacement of the belted occupant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventor: Thomas Schmidt
  • Devices for use in chemical test procedures
    Patent number: 4978503
    Abstract: A specifically-reactive sample-collecting and testing device possessing a cavity or cavities each having a dimension small enough to enable sample liquid to be drawn into the cavity by capillary action, wherein a surface of the cavity carries an immobilized reagent appropriate to the test to be carried out in the device, and wherein said surface is a surface of a transparent solid plate to act as a light-transmissive waveguide and forming a wall of the cavity, said plate having an edge which is substantially optically smooth and transverse to the plane of the plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1988
    Date of Patent: December 18, 1990
    Assignee: Ares-Serono Research & Development Limited Partnership
    Inventors: Ian A. Shanks, Alan M. Smith