Abstract: A seat belt buckle assembly for resisting unintentional opening during rapid acceleration or deceleration. The seat belt buckle assembly includes a female buckle, a male tongue plate, a pawl assembly, a spring and a load rate sensitive foam member. The female buckle is a casing with an open end that is adapted to receive the substantially planar male tongue plate provided with a slot. The pawl assembly housed within the casing includes a pawl that fits within the slot. The spring disposed between casing and pawl assembly urges the pawl into slot and elastically deforms when subjected to force. The load rate sensitive foam member interposed between spring and pawl assembly transmits load applied on pawl to spring for facilitating compression of spring and therefore unlatching of the buckle in case of gradual loading, but inhibiting involuntary compression of spring by absorbing most of the impulsive loading.

Abstract: A seat belt buckle assembly for resisting unintentional opening during rapid acceleration or deceleration. The seat belt buckle assembly includes a female buckle, a male tongue plate, a pawl assembly, a spring and a load rate sensitive foam member. The female buckle is a casing with an open end that is adapted to receive the substantially planar male tongue plate provided with a slot. The pawl assembly housed within the casing includes a pawl that fits within the slot. The spring disposed between casing and pawl assembly urges the pawl into slot and elastically deforms when subjected to force. The load rate sensitive foam member interposed between spring and pawl assembly transmits load applied on pawl to spring for facilitating compression of spring and therefore unlatching of the buckle in case of gradual loading, but inhibiting involuntary compression of spring by absorbing most of the impulsive loading.

Abstract: A buckle for a seat belt that resists unintentional unlatching when subjected to rapid acceleration or deceleration. The buckle assembly includes a female buckle and a removable male tongue plate. The female buckle includes a spring-loaded pawl that lockingly engages a slot in the removable tongue plate. The spring urges the pawl into locking engagement with the slot in the tongue plate. The present invention discloses a pawl-loading spring made from a material that resists elastic deformation when the buckle is subjected to a force perturbation such as the sudden acceleration or deceleration of the buckle that occurs during a crash. The spring material exhibits resistance to deformation when loaded at a high loading rate.

Abstract: A buckle for a seat belt that resists unintentional unlatching when subjected to rapid acceleration or deceleration. The buckle assembly includes a female buckle and a removable male tongue plate. The female buckle includes a spring-loaded pawl that lockingly engages a slot in the removable tongue plate. The spring urges the pawl into locking engagement with the slot in the tongue plate. The present invention discloses a pawl-loading spring made from a material that resists elastic deformation when the buckle is subjected to a force perturbation such as the sudden acceleration or deceleration of the buckle that occurs during a crash. The spring material exhibits resistance to deformation when loaded at a high loading rate.

Abstract: A modular patient support system adapted to be quickly mounted to utility vehicles such as trucks, buses, vans or trailers, to permit emergency medical workers to rapidly transform standard utility vehicles into specialized ambulances. When not in use, the modular patient support system is easily dismounted and collapsed for warehousing. The modular patient support system comprises a base frame that is used to attach the system to a vehicle. The base frame is oriented parallel and adjacent to a side wall of the vehicle. Two telescoping litter supports are attached to the base frame by hinges having a vertical axis of rotation. The two litter supports can either be extended normal to the base frame in order to support a patient on a litter, or collapsed and folded parallel to the base frame. A seat frame is adjustably attached to the base frame using multiple connecting links. When positioned vertically, the seat bottoms serve as mounting surfaces for medical equipment.