Abstract: A tongue (200, 400) for an inflatable belt restraint system, the tongue comprising: a narrow cylindrical hollow tube (204a, 204b) comprising a first formed member and a second formed member joined together along respective mating edges of the first and second formed members and two mating portions (202a and 202b) forming the looped portion of the tongue.

Abstract: A tongue (200, 400) for an inflatable belt restraint system, the tongue comprising: a narrow cylindrical hollow tube (204a, 204b) comprising a first formed member and a second formed member joined together along respective mating edges of the first and second formed members and two mating portions (202a and 202b) forming the looped portion of the tongue.

Abstract: A seat belt retractor has a spool for carrying seat belt webbing rotatably mounted about a longitudinal axle and biased in a seat belt webbing rewinding direction. A toothed ratchet wheel is mounted to rotate with the spool. A sensor is provided for detecting an emergency condition, and a vehicle acceleration sensor lever is responsive to the sensor to engage the ratchet wheel in an emergency. The retractor can operate in a first, emergency locking mode in which the spool is not locked and can rotate to pay-out and to rewind seat belt webbing. In a second, automatic locking mode the spool is locked against pay-out of the seat belt webbing. A switching means has a subassembly attached to an end of the seat belt retractors. The subassembly has an axially directed spring to reduce axial spacing between the housing, an eccentric cam and axially adjacent disks.

Abstract: A seat belt system including a web guide (150) having a support surface (192) for supporting a portion of a seat belt (30). The shape of the support surface is based upon the natural curvature of the seat belt. To determine the natural curvature of the seat belt a segment of the belt is folded to form a loop. The unstressed shape of this looped portion of the seat belt is defined by and corresponds to the natural curvature of the seat belt. The support surface, in one embodiment, is realized by a circular cylinder of radius that is circumscribed within the loop.

Abstract: An energy absorbing web guide assembly comprising: a web guide for slidingly supporting a section of a seat belt; and a pair of mounting fasteners for mounting the web guide to a mounting surface and for permitting the web guide to resiliently move, in response to forces input thereto, between a first position to a second position.