Patents by Inventor Frank Fugel

Frank Fugel has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6241172
    Abstract: A self-locking belt retractor has a belt reeling shaft having a belt connected thereto. A locking device, activatable in a vehicle sensitive and/or belt-sensitive manner for preventing belt removal from the belt reeling shaft is provided. The locking device has a locking member and a profiled head connected to the belt reeling shaft. The belt reeling shaft is locked when the locking member engages the profiled head. At least two force-limiting elements are arranged in parallel or in series to one another, wherein one of the force-limiting elements is a torsion bar allowing a limited belt removal when the locking device locks the belt reeling shaft. A switching device for selectively engaging at least one of the force-limiting elements is provided to thereby connect the belt reeling shaft and the profiled head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Frank Fugel, Günter Clute
  • Patent number: 6105893
    Abstract: A safety belt reeling device has a belt reeling shaft lockable by a vehicle-sensitive and/or belt-sensitive locking device. A tightening device is provided and a tightening coupling connects the tightening device to the belt reeling shaft when the tightening device is actuated. The tightening device has a drive disc and a drive device for driving the drive disc. A force limiting device having a torsion bar is connected to the belt reeling shaft and to a stationary abutment. A pawl coupling is activated by a tightening movement of the tightening device and the pawl coupling has at least one force limiting pawl for switching on or off the force limiting device as a function of functional states of the safety belt reeling device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2000
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Thomas Schmidt, Frank Fugel
  • Patent number: 5823457
    Abstract: A safety belt reeling device with comfort function has a housing and a reeling shaft rotatably supported in the housing. A pawl wheel is fastened to the reeling shaft and switchable between a locked position in which rotation of the pawl wheel is blocked and a release position in which the pawl wheel is rotatable. A winding spring, connected with a first end to the housing and with a second end to the pawl wheel, is provided for rotating the reeling shaft when the pawl wheel is in the release position. A comfort spring with a weaker spring force than the winding spring is provided. The comfort spring is connected with a first end to the pawl wheel and with a second end to the reeling shaft. The pawl wheel has a stay with a first and a second end. The first end of the comfort spring is guided in a single loop about the first end of the stay. An elastically deformable dampening element is positioned between the first end of the stay and the single loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1998
    Assignees: Autoliv Development AB, Mercedes-Benz AG
    Inventors: Walter Jahn, Lars Axelsson, Frank Fugel
  • Patent number: 5522564
    Abstract: A self-locking safety-belt reeling device has a reeling shaft on which a safety-belt is wound. A blocking device that is controlled by at least a vehicle-sensitive control mechanism and/or a safety-belt-sensitive control mechanism for blocking the safety-belt reeling shaft is provided. A tightening device acting on the reeling shaft comprises a tightener coupling. The tightening device further has a drive disk. The drive disk, upon activation of the tightening device, is driven in rotation by a drive device and coupled with the tightener coupling to the reeling shaft. A power limiter is connected to the safety-belt reeling device for limiting removal of the safety belt, whereby the power limiter is activated and deactivated depending on the operational states of the safety-belt reeling device and the tightening device. The power limiter during blocking of the safety belt reeling device is inactive and is activated only after completion of a tightening movement of the safety belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 4, 1996
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Thomas Schmidt, Doris Kroger, Frank Fugel, Klaus Butenop