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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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: 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.

Abstract: A pretensioner for a safety-belt includes an elongate housing (1) defining a chamber (2) and a unit (3) for movement along the housing. The unit has an end element in the form of a piston (4) which is provided with balls (5) received in a groove (6) which enables the piston to move only in one direction. The piston is connected by a resilient spring (7) to a connector element (8) of a form corresponding to that of a piston (4). The connector element is connected (12) to one end of a wire (11) which is connected to part of a safety-belt. A peg (17) maintains the spring (7) compressed. When the pretensioner is actuating gas from a gas generator it is applied to the piston (4) moving the whole unit (3) within the housing whilst braking the peg (17). At the end of the movement the piston (4) cannot move back towards its initial position. Any subsequent slack appearing within the safety-belt is taken up by expansion of the spring (7).

Abstract: An air-bag (8) is mounted in the roof of a motor vehicle to be deployed in front of an occupant (7) of the vehicle. The air-bag is constrained by tear straps (15) within the air-bag to inflate initially as a “curtain” in front of the occupant of the vehicle, that curtain only having a relatively narrow thickness (t). When the tear-straps break, the bag has a more rounded configuration. The bas is releasably retained within a recess (9) which initially houses the bag. When the bag is fully inflated, the bag becomes totally separated from the recess, to prevent the bag forcing the head of the occupant rearwardly as the torso of the occupant moves forwardly during an accident.

Abstract: An air-bag 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 is an upper cover located above an air-bag. On inflation of the air-bag, the cover is lifted from its initial position to an elevated position. The cover includes two sections inter-connected by a hinge-line. On inflation of the air-bag, part of the cover adjacent the hinge-line is elevated to a greater extent than the portions of the cover which are remote from the hinge-line.

Abstract: A motor vehicle has a seat (1) and a dashboard (8) mounted airbag (9) which has a first mode of operation and a less aggressive second mode of operation. There is a seat-belt (6) having a retractor (7) which can enter the automatic locking mode (ALR) in which the reactor will wind in but not pay out. A weight sensing arrangement (4, 5) determines the weight on the seat. If the weight is less that a threshold (MI) and the ALR mode is activated an airbag control (17) makes the airbag inflate, in an accident, with the second less aggressive mode. If the weight exceeds the threshold, then the airbag inflates in the ordinary way. If a child seat is mounted on the seat the seat-belt will be in the ALR mode and the weight will be less than the selected threshold, so that the airbag will not injure an occupant of a child seat.

Abstract: A head-rest arrangement for a motor vehicle includes a rear part and a front part mounted on the rear part by a parallel arm linkage. A spring biases the front part forwardly. A releasable catch holds the two parts together until a sensor senses a rear impact. The front part is movable forwardly relatively freely once the catch is released. Any subsequent rearward movement of the front part is resisted by an energy-absorbing element which converts energy to a form no longer available to bias the front part of the head-rest forwardly.

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.