Patents by Inventor Geert Helge Wittenberg

Geert Helge Wittenberg 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: 10882490
    Abstract: A control method for an electric seatbelt retractor and an electric seatbelt retractor including a spindle (2) and a seatbelt (3) wound thereon, and an electric motor (4) driving the spindle (2) via a rotor (3) in pull-in or in pull-out direction when activated, and a sensor device (10) detecting the movement of the spindle (2), wherein a spring (11) is provided, which is arranged between the spindle (2) and the rotor (3) enabling a relative movement of the spindle (2) to the rotor (3) or to a retractor-fixed part, wherein the electric motor (4) is controlled by a signal of the sensor device (10) generated by the relative movement of the spindle (2) to the rotor (3) or a retractor-fixed part with torsional tensioning or expanding the spring (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: AUTOLIV DEVELOPMENT AB
    Inventors: Saravana Shanmugam, Abhijeet Atwadkar, Vijay Shetty, Thouseef Aqeeb, Andreas Lucht, Geert Helge Wittenberg, Carstensen Holger, Patrick Süllau, Günter Clute
  • Publication number: 20190092277
    Abstract: A control method for an electric seatbelt retractor and an electric seatbelt retractor including a spindle (2) and a seatbelt (3) wound thereon, and an electric motor (4) driving the spindle (2) via a rotor (3) in pull-in or in pull-out direction when activated, and a sensor device (10) detecting the movement of the spindle (2), wherein a spring (11) is provided, which is arranged between the spindle (2) and the rotor (3) enabling a relative movement of the spindle (2) to the rotor (3) or to a retractor-fixed part, wherein the electric motor (4) is controlled by a signal of the sensor device (10) generated by the relative movement of the spindle (2) to the rotor (3) or a retractor-fixed part with torsional tensioning or expanding the spring (11).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2017
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Applicant: AUTOLIV DEVELOPMENT AB
    Inventors: Saravana Shanmugam, Abhijeet Atwadkar, Vijay Shetty, Thouseef Aqeeb, Andreas Lucht, Geert Helge Wittenberg, Carstensen Holger, Patrick Süllau, Günter Clute
  • Publication number: 20050173580
    Abstract: A safety belt retractor, especially for use in motor vehicles, is provided, and has a blocking system and a tensioning device, which acts on a belt shaft, for carrying out a reversible pretensioning of an occupant. A spiral toothing meshes with an external toothing of the belt shaft, and is supported against a fixed counter-bearing such that upon an axial loading of the spiral toothing directed against the counter-bearing due to load acting on the belt shaft in a belt withdrawal direction, rotation of the spiral toothing, for receiving torque applied by the belt shaft, is prevented via a support force. An electric motor is coupled to the belt shaft via the spiral toothing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2003
    Publication date: August 11, 2005
    Inventors: Andreas Lucht, Geert-Helge Wittenberg, Frank Matzen, Erik Ziel, Peer Gross, Yogel Patel
  • Patent number: 6820903
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2004
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventor: Geert-Helge Wittenberg
  • Publication number: 20030230885
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2003
    Publication date: December 18, 2003
    Applicant: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventor: Geert-Helge Wittenberg
  • Patent number: 6663038
    Abstract: A safety belt retractor is provided as a safety system in motor vehicles. The belt shaft is mounted in a U-shaped housing and serves as a carrier for a belt strap wound thereon. A rotation dampener is provided as a force limiting element and acts upon the belt shaft. The rotation dampener comprises: a cylindrical housing filled with a highly viscous medium, at least one apertured disk fixedly disposed in the cylindrical housing, and at least one disk piston disposed in the cylindrical housing parallel to the apertured disk, wherein the disk piston is fixedly connected to the belt shaft, the rotation of which is to be dampened, and wherein the disk piston is provided with a radially extending piston wing that rotates upon rotation of the disk piston.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Alois Juchem, Andreas Lucht, Geert Helge Wittenberg
  • Patent number: 6572148
    Abstract: A seat belt system for a motor vehicle is provided that includes a seat belt retractable from a seat belt winding roller and having an extent which passes to and through a connecting tongue for releasably connecting the seat belt to a seat latch and having an end secured to an end fixture fixedly connected to the motor vehicle. An electrical lead extends along at least a portion of the longitudinal extent of the seat belt. A measuring device measures a variation in an electrical property of the electrical lead, which varies in correspondence with the extension of the seat belt due to the application of a pulling force on the seat belt. An evaluation device evaluates the measurements performed by the measuring device to yield an output representative of the pulling force applied to the seat belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2003
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventor: Geert Helge Wittenberg
  • Publication number: 20030010860
    Abstract: A safety belt retractor is provided as a safety system in motor vehicles. The belt shaft is mounted in a U-shaped housing and serves as a carrier for a belt strap wound thereon. A rotation dampener is provided as a force limiting element and acts upon the belt shaft. The rotation dampener comprises: a cylindrical housing filled with a highly viscous medium, at least one apertured disk fixedly disposed in the cylindrical housing, and at least one disk piston disposed in the cylindrical housing parallel to the apertured disk, wherein the disk piston is fixedly connected to the belt shaft, the rotation of which is to be dampened, and wherein the disk piston is provided with a radially extending piston wing that rotates upon rotation of the disk piston.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2002
    Publication date: January 16, 2003
    Inventors: Alois Juchem, Andreas Lucht, Geert Helge Wittenberg
  • Publication number: 20020008376
    Abstract: A seat belt system for a motor vehicle is provided that includes a seat belt retractable from a seat belt winding roller and having an extent which passes to and through a connecting tongue for releasably connecting the seat belt to a seat latch and having an end secured to an end fixture fixedly connected to the motor vehicle. An electrical lead extends along at least a portion of the longitudinal extent of the seat belt. A measuring device measures a variation in an electrical property of the electrical lead, which varies in correspondence with the extension of the seat belt due to the application of a pulling force on the seat belt. An evaluation device evaluates the measurements performed by the measuring device to yield an output representative of the pulling force applied to the seat belt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2001
    Publication date: January 24, 2002
    Applicant: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventor: Geert Helge Wittenberg