Abstract: A vehicle seat (1) having a squab (2) and the backrest (3) may be provided with a child squab or booster cushion (4). Various elements are provided on the seat which may move in response to the child squab (4) being provided. A first element that may move is a guide (10) which guides part of a seat belt (7). The guide (10) moves inwardly towards the central axis (8) of the seat. Other moveable restraints may be lateral restraints (62,63) which move forwardly from the backrest of the seat to be located to either side of the torso of a child occupying the child squab (4) and head restraints (64,65) which may move forwardly from the head rest.

Abstract: A supplemental inflation part is formed in a portion of an upper-end side inflation section of an airbag, the portion overlapping a B-pillar garnish. The supplemental inflation part has a semicircular shape that forms a push-out part. Folding the push-out part allows the upper-end side inflation section to be inflated largely at the initial stage of deployment of the airbag. Thus, the airbag is pushed toward the passenger compartment with greater force upon its deployment. Therefore, a terminal part of a headliner that covers the folded airbag is largely opened so that the airbag deploys smoothly downward along the side of the vehicle body in the passenger compartment without interference from the top end of the B-pillar garnish.

Abstract: In an airbag arrangement for a front seat passenger in a motor vehicle, an airbag 10 which is mounted, in its stowed condition, in the dashboard 18 of the vehicle, the airbag 10 is so configured that it its inflated, deployed condition in which it is interposed between, the dashboard and the front seat passenger, the inflated bag is wider on its upper side, over an impact region 24C nearer the front seat passenger, than on its lower side adjacent the dashboard, and is narrower at its end adjacent the vehicle dashboard than at its end nearer to the front seat passenger.

Abstract: Methods and systems for mitigating undesirable video flash in infrared camera systems are disclosed. A frame of video can be stored in a buffer and information related to the frame of video can be processed prior to displaying the video such that the processed information facilitates display of the video substantially without flashing. A display of a non-flashed frame can be frozen while a flash event would otherwise cause a flashed frame to be displayed. The shift in a histogram caused by a flash event or some portion thereof can be subtracted from pixels of an image. Thus, image quality can be substantially enhanced.

Abstract: A safety arrangement is provided in a motor vehicle. The motor vehicle has a floor pan (1) terminating at its forward end with an inclined splash-wall (3, 4, 5). There is a moveable floor element (10) which has regions (12, 13, 14) which initially conform to and lie adjacent the splash-wall. There is a drive arrangement (15) associated with an accident sensor (16) to drive the moveable floor element rearwardly to a predetermined position. There is a fixed platform (17) located above a horizontal part of the floor pan to be located beneath the foot of a vehicle occupant and to provide a secure point for operation of a pedal. The movement of the moveable floor element (10) is restricted so that no part of the movable floor element impedes movement of a foot pedal (6) to the fully depressed condition.

Abstract: An inflatable cushion for an air bag module, the inflatable cushion comprising: an inflation opening for providing fluid communication to an interior of the inflatable cushion; a first tether having a cushion securement end and a mounting end, the cushion securement end being fixedly secured to the inflatable cushion and the mounting end having a mounting member, the mounting member being capable of pivotal movement with respect to the mounting end, wherein the mounting member is an integral portion of the first tether folded and secured upon itself to define the mounting member; and wherein the mounting member is capable of being positioned between a first position and a second position, the first position being orthogonal to a portion of the first tether and the second position being parallel to a portion of the first tether.

Abstract: A mounting arrangement for mounting an air-bag module to a hub of a steering wheel. The hub being provided with apertures and cutaway sections and a spring. The spring is moveable from a release position in which parts of the spring do not extend across the apertures or the cutaway sections to a locking position in which parts of the spring extend across the apertures and the cutaway sections. The spring is initially deformed and is held in the release position against blocking elements. The air-bag module is provided with hooks which are positioned on the air-bag module to correspond to the positions of the apertures and the cutaway sections on the hub. The air-bag module is provided with an actuation member which, when the hooks are inserted into the apertures, engages part of the spring to urge the spring out of engagement with the blocking elements.

Abstract: A personal restraint system for a seat in a motor vehicle including a three-point belt system and a two-point belt system. The three-point belt system including a first belt retractor, and a first belt web having a first belt latch plate, and a first belt buckle. The two-point belt system including a second belt retractor, and a second belt web having a second belt latch plate, and a second belt buckle. The second belt retractor including a blocking device which engages a spool of the second belt retractor when both belt webs are wound up on their respective retractors to prevent engagement of the two-point belt system if the three-point belt system is not engaged.

Abstract: In at least one embodiment, the present invention provides a side airbag for protection of a vehicle occupant. The side airbag is adapted to be inflated by gas from an inflator. The side airbag comprises a side panel which forms an exterior of the side airbag. The side panel defines a vent hole for venting the gas to outside the side airbag. A closing panel is disposed about the vent hole. The closing panel is configured such that the vent hole is unobstructed to vent the gas during inflation of the side airbag until the side airbag is substantially inflated. The side and closing panels cooperate to obstruct the vent hole with the closing panel such that the gas is substantially not vented. When the side airbag is obstructed from substantially inflating, for example due to the proximity of an out-of-position occupant, the vent hole remains unobstructed to vent the gas.

Abstract: A curtain airbag for installation in the roof frame area of a motor vehicle exhibits at least one guide chamber which is located in the upper section of curtain airbag and which is connected with its inflatable area from the point of view of gas flow. The at least one guide chamber can be inflated on the outer side of the curtain airbag when this is in a mounted state. The upper section of curtain airbag is directed downwards when in the mounted state.

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.

Abstract: A recliner mechanism for a vehicle seat includes a support plate (7) mounted on the squab (2) of the seat, and a support plate (11) mounted on the back rest (3) of the seat. There is a pivotal interconnection (10) between the plates to enable the back rest to be reclined. The pivotal interconnection is initially retained by a spring (20), in a retaining part (15) of an elongate slot (14). When the back rest (3) is subjected to a rearward force, such as by a seat occupant in a rear impact situation, the spring is deformed and the pivot shaft moves along the slot (14), enabling the back rest (3) to move rearwardly. An energy absorbing element (17) is provided which deforms, whilst absorbing energy, during this second movement of the back rest.

Abstract: An air-bag is disclosed which is formed from fabric (12, 13) and has an inflatable region (1), and at least one protruding mounting tab (9). The or each mounting tab (9) is formed from fabric woven to have a random or quasi-random, distribution of floats. In a preferred embodiment, the floats each pass over between two and eight underlying yarns.

Abstract: A buckle device includes a switch having a Hall element which outputs a signal in accordance with a magnitude of a magnetic flux density, a magnet which applies a magnetic field to the Hall element, and a shielding plate which is attached to an ejector so as to change the magnitude of the magnetic flux density transmitted from the magnet to the Hall element in accordance with a position of the ejector. The Hall element and the magnet are magnetically shielded by at least a frame and a latch member which are formed of a magnetic material.

Abstract: Provided is a side airbag installed at a roof rail over a driver seat and a rear seat, which includes: a driver seat side airbag having a plurality of division chambers divided by chamber walls projecting therebetween, the chamber walls being curved in a direction opposite to a flow direction of a gas injected from an inflator, and a rear seat side airbag having a plurality of division chambers divided by chamber walls projecting therebetween, the chamber walls of the rear seat side airbag being curved in a direction opposite to the chamber walls of the driver seat side airbag. Therefore, it is possible to protect a driver and a passenger on the rear seat, when the side airbag is deployed, by aligning an inlet of the driver seat side airbag disposed at the driver seat to a flow direction of the gas to rapidly deploy the side airbag.

Abstract: A seat belt device includes a detecting unit and a controller which controls a motor to rotate in a winding direction of a webbing when the detecting unit detects that an adjust-through which adjusts a position of a D-ring through which the webbing is inserted is moved down.

Abstract: A knee airbag is described which is located in front of a front seat (S) in the footwell, whereby this footwell is limited on a first side by the vehicle inner structure (F) and on the side lying opposite the first side is limited by a center console (M). When it is completely filled and free from external forces, this knee airbag (10) exhibits a certain maximum width (b) horizontally and perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the motor vehicle (f). In order to improve the safety of the vehicle occupants in case of a laterally-offset frontal collision, knee airbag (10) is arranged in the footwell in such a way that its maximum width (b) in inflated state is greater than the separation (a) between vehicle inner structure (F) and center console (M).

Abstract: A steering wheel (1) has spokes (5) extending outwardly from a boss (3) to a rim (6). The rim has an inner frame (6) with an integrally moulded plastics coating (9) which has an internal cavity (11). The presence of the cavity minimises the overall weight of the steering wheel. The cavity is formed by initially injecting hot plastics material into a substantially vertical mould and subsequently blowing air into the lower part of the mould after some of the plastic adjacent the mould of walls has cooled.

Abstract: An airbag device comprises an airbag having at least one chamber, which can be filled with gas by a gas generator, and a ventilation opening in fluid communication with the chamber. The ventilation opening is sealed by an airbag section, which is detachably mounted to a fastening member, and is configured as an insertion opening for the gas generator.

Abstract: A tensioning device for a seatbelt system in motor vehicles with a driving arrangement that comprises a tube having at least one tube section bent with a radius of curvature, and a piston guided movably in said tube, whereby the piston is connected via a driving cable to the part of the seatbelt system which carries out the tensioning movement, and whereby the piston can be moved in a longitudinal movement through the tube by means of a pyrotechnic drive, and the driving cable is fixed to the piston by means of a holding part held by the piston. The piston (14) is configured in the form of an olive with a larger radius in the longitudinal direction of the tube (10) than the effective radius in the transverse direction of the tube (10) and is provided with a bore (15) for passing through the driving cable (20) that is held in a compression sleeve (16) fixed on the side of the piston (14) that points in the direction of movement of the piston (14).