Abstract: A safety system for a motor vehicle includes a plurality of safety devices each adapted to be activated in the event that an accident should occur. Each safety device includes at least one element selected from the group comprising an electric activator for activating the safety device and a sensor to sense a parameter related to the safety device. The system includes a first conductive arrangement comprising at least one first conductor and a first group of a plurality of switches, with each switch of the first group being connected to one of the first conductors. The system includes a second conductive arrangement comprising at least one second conductor, and a second group of a plurality of switches, with each switch of the second group being connected to one of the second conductors. The elements are connected in a circuit so that each element is connected between one switch of the first group of switches and one switch of the second group of switches.

Abstract: In a night vision arrangement for a motor vehicle a camera is provided which captures an image which is subsequently displayed on a display arrangement which may be a head-up display arrangement. The camera directs light on to a beam deflector which may be constituted by a mirror which deflects the beam so that it passes along a neck on to a sensor. The camera may relatively easily be mounted in position in a motor vehicle.

Abstract: A lock component comprises a mounting plate (50). An intermediate resilient element (56) is mounted on the plate and has a peg (59) engaging a recess (53) on the plate to prevent rotation of the intermediate element. The intermediate element presents a collar (60) and projection (61) having an outer periphery configured to snugly engage an aperture (64) in an arm (62) which carries a lockable element (68). A connecting element (74) has a shaft (76) passing through a central aperture in the intermediate element (56), thus also extending through the aperture (64) in the arm (62). The shaft is connected to an aperture (55) formed in the mounting plate (50). The lockable element (68) has at least one degree of freedom of movement, which may be a rotational movement about the axis of the connecting element (74), or which may be a lateral movement. When the lockable element (68) is engaged within the locking arrangement, the intermediate element (56) is deformed.

Abstract: An airbag arrangement in a motor vehicle, the air bag arrangement comprising an inflatable element including fabric and a gas generator component adapted to inflate the inflatable element in response to the sensing of predetermined conditions. The inflatable element is initially stored in a non-linear recess, channel or housing provided in the motor vehicle extending above a door opening of the motor vehicle. The inflatable element includes an upper edge provided with anchoring means connected to points within the recess, channel or housing, the inflatable element having a first chamber adjacent to the upper edge thereof adapted to be inflated, and also having a second discrete chamber adjacent to a lower edge thereof. The second chamber is of elongate form and associated with anchoring means to anchor opposite ends of the second chamber to fixed points in the motor vehicle.

Abstract: A safety device for a motor vehicle which has a door frame and a door contained within the door frame. The safety device includes: a gas generator; a sensor for sensing at least one of a side impact and a roll-over for activating the gas generator; and an inflatable element connected to the gas generator for being inflated with gas from the gas generator upon activation of the gas generator. The inflatable element can thus assume a non-inflated mode and an inflated mode and can further be positioned adjacent the door in an inflated-mode thereof. The inflatable element is further made of fabric and includes: a first fabric layer defining a front part thereof; a second fabric layer defining a back part thereof, selected parts of the first fabric layer and second fabric layer being interconnected for defining one of linear and point shaped links where the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer are directly secured together.

Abstract: The invention relates to a belt retractor (10) with a switchable force limiter. Said belt retractor (10) comprises as the force limiter at least one energy absorbing element (13; 14, 15; 61) that is linked with the reel shaft (12) and with the locking device of the belt retractor (10) via a profiled bead (50). The belt retractor is further provided with a switch device with which the energy absorption is adjusted. The aim of the invention is to provide a switch device that functions independent of the transmission of power between the reel shaft and the torsion bar. Said switch device (latch 21) is designed in such a manner that it can be switched at any time during the already existing energy absorption via the drive (26) that is independent of the reel shaft (12) and/or the switch device.

Abstract: The invention relates to a rotation tensioner for a safety belt, especially for motor vehicles. Said ration tensioner comprises a belt retractor whose belt retraction pin is rotated in the belt retracting direction by means of an allocated drive when the rotation tensioner coupled to said pin is actuated. Said drive consists of a drive wheel with an external toothing for the belt retraction pin and of a channel that extends across at least part of the periphery of the drive wheel. Inertia elements are passed through said channel that are accelerated inside said channel and that engage with the external toothing of the drive wheel when the system is triggered. The invention provides a shaped element (16) that consists of an inertia body (18) and a leading finder element (17, 28) that allows a synchronous, shape-congruent insertion of the inertia elements (18) into the outer toothing (13) of the drive wheel (11).

Abstract: A self-locking belt roller is provided and includes a belt winding shaft rotatably mountable in a housing, a profiled head, and a torsion rod which becomes operational to resist further extraction of a belt from the belt roller so as to effect thereby a first force limiting operation of the belt roller. The belt roller also includes a resistance facilitating element on the belt winding shaft or the profiled head and a deformation element for increasing the resistance force of the belt roller to further extraction of the belt either at the time before the actuation of the torsion rod to resist further belt unwinding or at the time during which the torsion rod resists further belt extraction. The deformation element is engaged by the resistance facilitating element during further rotation of the belt roller in a manner to increase the resistance of the belt roller to further extraction of the belt.

Abstract: A seat for a motor vehicle comprises a squab carried by a frame (31) and a back (54). The squab (31) is mounted for movement along a rail (21, 22, 23) from an operative position to a stored position remote from the operative position. The seat back (54) is pivotally mounted for movement from an operative position to a stored position. Part of the seat-back, when in the stored position, occupies space that was occupied by the squab of the seat when the squab of the seat was in the operative position. The seat may be mounted in a motor vehicle in such a way that part (55) of the back of the seat, when in the stored position, is substantially flush with part of the floor (53) of the motor vehicle to provide a load carrying platform.

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.

Abstract: A seat belt system for a motor vehicle is provided that includes a seat belt retractable from a seat belt winding roller and having an extent which passes to and through a connecting tongue for releasably connecting the seat belt to a seat latch and having an end secured to an end fixture fixedly connected to the motor vehicle. An electrical lead extends along at least a portion of the longitudinal extent of the seat belt. A measuring device measures a variation in an electrical property of the electrical lead, which varies in correspondence with the extension of the seat belt due to the application of a pulling force on the seat belt. An evaluation device evaluates the measurements performed by the measuring device to yield an output representative of the pulling force applied to the seat belt.

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.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a hybrid-type device for inflating vehicle safety equipment with gas chamber for acceptance of compressed gases and at least two charges for the production of gas. The inflation devices is distinguished in that the two charges each have a mass of at least 5% of the mass of the compressed gas so that each charge can substantially increase the temperature of the gas and in that they are each arranged outside the gas chamber, on different sides thereof They can thus be ignited simply and precisely at predetermined without reciprocal impact.

Abstract: A safety device for a motor vehicle which has a door frame and a door contained within the door frame. The safety device includes: a gas generator; a sensor for sensing at least one of a side impact and a roll-over for activating the gas generator; and an inflatable element connected to the gas generator for being inflated with gas from the gas generator upon activation of the gas generator. The inflatable element can thus assume a non-inflated mode and an inflated mode and can further be positioned adjacent the door in an inflated-mode thereof The inflatable element is further made of fabric and includes: a first fabric layer defining a front part thereof, a second fabric layer defining a back part thereof, selected parts of the first fabric layer and second fabric layer being interconnected for defining one of linear and point shaped links where the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer are directly secured together.

Abstract: In a sensor for measuring angular velocity a body is formed from a planer substrate The body defines a beam, the opposed ends of which are adapted to be fixed in position, the beam having a preferential bending direction which makes an acute angle with the plane of the planar substrate. The beam carries an inertia mass comprising two arms interconnected by a connecting bar, the central part of the connecting bar being formed integrally with part of the beam. Capacitative plates located adjacent a conductive layer on the arms are provided with potentials which cause the inertia mass to rotate about the axis of the connecting bar with a “see-saw” action which, because of the configuration of the beam leads to a rotational oscillation of the inertia mass in the plane of the substrate. If the arrangement is rotated about an axis coincident with the connecting bar, the inertia mass rotates about an axis coincident with the beam with an oscillating rotation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a belt roller having a wind-up spring disposed between a housing part and a shaft onto which the belt is wound, the wind-up spring effecting wind-up rotation of the shaft, and a comfort spring serially actuable in connection with the wind-up spring via a ratchet gear and exerting a lesser spring force than the wind-up spring. A reduction drive is provided for switching between the wind-up spring and the comfort spring, the reduction drive having a follower gear for controlling a switch lever, whereby the reduction relationship of the reduction drive is arranged such that the rotation which begins with uncoiling of the belt and continues until the reaching of the switch point for switching the wind-up spring effects less than a complete rotation of the follower gear.

Abstract: An airbag module has an airbag made of two fabric layers each having a lateral offset. The two fabric layers are circumferentially connected to one another by a seam. The lateral offsets together form a receiving pocket into which a gas generator is inserted. The gas generator has projecting pin-shaped securing elements. The pocket has penetrating openings and at least one fabric flap. The flap has an auxiliary opening. The pin-shaped securing elements are received in the penetrating openings to thereby secure the gas generator in the pocket. The flap, after insertion of the gas generator into the pocket and of pin-shaped securing elements in penetrating openings, is folded over such that the auxiliary opening is placed onto one of the pin-shaped securing elements.

Abstract: This invention relates to an inflation device for automobile safety equipment with a container in which a charge chamber for acceptance of a gas-producing charge and a discharge chamber with a discharge opening for connection with the safety device are provided, where a separating wall with an inside opening separates the two chambers axially from each other and is connected in a fluid-tight manner with a wall of said container by interlocking connecting means. According to the invention, such an inflation device excels through the fact that the connecting means are formed elastically in the axial direction in such manner that, when a predetermined pressure is reached in the charge chamber, they fail elastically and the separating wall is movable in the axial direction in the discharge chamber. The connecting means are released free of any radial expansion of the container wall.

Abstract: A device for counteracting whiplash injury to a person sitting in a seat (1) which can occur due to a rapid change in velocity, such as a collision, primarily from the rear, or similar. The device is characterized by containing means of allowing controlled displacement of the entire seat (1) against the direction of travel during rapid change of velocity, that the seat (1) is provided with control devices which are arranged to give the seat and its occupant an essentially simultaneous and essentially linear movement against the direction of movement and/or an essentially arcuate movement, and that the seat (1) is arranged to stay in a rear position after the change of velocity.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a device is configured to counteract the occurrence of whiplash injury to a person sitting in a seat, which can occur due to a rapid change in velocity, such as in a rear-end collision. The device comprises guide means that, during a change in motion of a vehicle, provide for a change in position of the seat in the form of translation and rotational movement of the seat in a generally backward direction opposite the direction of travel of the vehicle. As the seat and the occupant of the seat move backward relative to the vehicle, the head of the occupant accelerates over a longer distance than the hips of the occupant.