Multiply Positionable Operator Patents (Class 242/384.4)
  • Patent number: 11148635
    Abstract: An inclination controlling mechanism of a seatbelt device is provided with: a pulley that converts an advancing/retracting movement of a cable of the cable advancing/retracting mechanism; a drive gear mounted around a pivot shaft of the pulley and synchronized with rotation of the pulley; and a driven gear mounted around a pivot shaft of a sensor housing so as to move in conjunction with a rotation of the sensor housing. The drive gear and driven gear engage with each other in a condition where a rotational track surface of the drive gear and rotational track surface of the driven gear intersect at a predetermined angle. As a result, an inertial body supporting surface serving as a sensor reference plane can be accurately maintained horizontally even at an arbitrary seatback recline angle, and thus the accuracy of the acceleration sensor can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: AUTOLIV DEVELOPMENT AB
    Inventors: Katsuhiro Ito, Masuo Matsuki, Ganta Hibata
  • Patent number: 10919489
    Abstract: A seatbelt retractor configured to ease the tightness of a seatbelt felt by an occupant when the occupant wearing the seatbelt reclines a seatback. An acceleration sensor 70 includes a sensor cover 71 which tilts with a seatback, a sensor housing 72 supported swingably with respect to the sensor cover 71 and having an inertial body support surface 78 and an inertial body 73 which is displaced when the acceleration reaches at least a prescribed value. The sensor housing 72 includes an external teeth part 84 having a plurality of external teeth 81 and 82 and a gap part 83 without external teeth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: AUTOLIV DEVELOPMENT AB
    Inventors: Yusuke Shinya, Ganta Hibata
  • Patent number: 10744973
    Abstract: A belt retractor for a vehicle seat belt comprises a frame, a belt reel which is rotatably supported within the frame, a shell (16), a sensor (18) for vehicle-sensitive locking which includes a sensor lever (20), and comprising an idler arm (22) contacting a sensor (18) and being adjustable between an initial position in which the sensor lever (20) is locked and an extracting position in which the sensor lever (20) is released. The idler arm (22) is coupled to a damping element (26) having speed-sensitive damping characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: TRW AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventor: Frederic Michel
  • Patent number: 9499123
    Abstract: An assembly for a belt retractor includes a vehicle-sensitive sensor and a holding fixture (10) for the sensor. The sensor and the holding fixture (10) have geometric designs that interact and are adjusted to each other so that the sensor can be mounted at various spatial orientations in the holding fixture (10). In a belt retractor for a vehicle seat belt comprising such assembly the holding fixture (10) is coupled with the sensor at a fixed position to the frame of the belt retractor in which a belt reel of the belt retractor is rotatably supported.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Boris Siebeck, Demal Sehic, Julius Adomeit
  • Patent number: 9358950
    Abstract: In a placement face of which a general face is configured with a circular cone shape, restriction faces are formed. When a sensor ball rolls along an axial direction of rotating shafts, the sensor ball accordingly contacts one of the restriction faces or another of the restriction faces. From this state, in order for the sensor ball to roll further along the axial direction of the rotating shafts, the sensor ball has to rise up the one of the restriction faces or the other of the restriction faces that respectively have a larger angle of incline than the general face. By contrast, in order for the sensor ball to roll in directions orthogonal to the axial direction of the rotating shafts as seen in plan view, the sensor ball only has to roll over the general face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI-RIKA-DENKI-SEISAKUSHO
    Inventors: Takashi Yoshida, Akira Sumiyashiki
  • Patent number: 9132802
    Abstract: A deviation in rotational angle caused between an adjustment gear and a sensor housing is compensated for with a profile of a cable winding groove of a pulley of an attitude control mechanism to accurately synchronize the inclination angle of a seat back and the rotational angle of the sensor housing with each other. Thus, it is possible to keep an inertial element support surface, which serves as a sensor reference surface, accurately horizontal even at any seat back inclination angle to improve the accuracy of an acceleration sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: AUTOLIV DEVELOPMENT AB
    Inventors: Katsuhiro Ito, Yusuke Shinya, Ganta Hibata, Jin Hayashihara
  • Patent number: 9073514
    Abstract: A self-locking seat-belt retractor for a vehicle has a U-shaped seat belt retractor frame (2) with two opposite frame pieces (2a, 2b) each with an opening (2c, 2d), in which a belt shaft (1) is rotatably mounted. A sensor device (3) is configured to actuate a locking device (4) to lock the belt shaft (1) if a predetermined vehicle deceleration is exceeded. A mass (6) is supported in a housing of the sensor device. The sensor device (3) with the housing (9) is held in a support element (7) mounted on the frame piece (2a) of the seat belt retractor frame (2). The support element (7) protrudes into an opening 25 on the frame piece (21) from one side with a portion receiving the sensor device (3). A cover element (11) closes the opening (25) from the other side of the frame piece (2a).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: AUTOLIV DEVELOPMENT AB
    Inventor: Frank Wulff
  • Patent number: 8991735
    Abstract: A length direction base end side of a wire passes through a retaining spring mounting hole formed in a case, and is anchored to an anchor tag that is indirectly retained by a pulley. A spring is provided in the retaining spring mounting hole, and a base end of a tube is retained to the spring through a metal cylinder body. A spring-side step portion of the spring is pressed contact to a mounting portion-side step portion of the retaining spring mounting hole so the spring is retained. When the tube is pulled towards an opening side of the retaining spring mounting hole, the spring moves and the spring-side step portion makes press contact with, and is once again retained, by a different step of the mounting portion-side step portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Takashi Ono, Yasunori Hata, Akira Sumiyashiki
  • Patent number: 8469302
    Abstract: This is the current invention of the components or their construction for the seat belt retractor. The invention enables the fitting angle of the seat belt to be adjustable to the specified range of the vehicle stabilization, deceleration/acceleration sensor. The bracket holder is constructed on the holder sensor, and contains the formation of the No. 1 hole, and the No. 2 hole that locks onto the No. 1 or 2 cylinders selectively. The retractor is adjustable to the biased angle to maintain its horizontality according to the vehicle's dynamic slope and rapid deceleration/acceleration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Samsong Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hyung Chan Lee, Sang Hee Park, Il Hwan Park, Gyu Ryul Cho
  • Patent number: 8308099
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventor: Junya Ono
  • Patent number: 7537179
    Abstract: In at least one embodiment of the present invention a seat-belt retractor is provided. The seat-belt retractor comprises a locking system that is controlled by means of at least one vehicle-sensitive sensor. The sensor has an alignment mass for autonomous alignment and is configured to pivot on the seat-belt retractor when the angular installation position of the seat-belt retractor is changed and when the seat-belt is extended, the sensor can be fixed in position by a blocking device. The blocking device is friction-controlled by the rotation of the belt shaft in the extension direction. The blocking device includes a rotatably mounted blocking lever which can be displaced into a release position for the sensor by a control lever that is coupled to the belt shaft by a friction coupling when the belt shaft rotates in a retraction direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2009
    Assignee: Autoliv Development AB
    Inventors: Martin Schmidt, Stefan Hofs, Thomas Schneider, Miriam Ors, Santi Gasol, Jordi Casiano
  • Publication number: 20090014574
    Abstract: A vehicle mountable personal property securement device includes a plurality of walls that device a housing with an aperture. A real is operably disposed in the housing for spring-biased rotation. A cable is threaded through the aperture of the housing and includes a first end that is secured to the reel. The second end of the cable is disposed external the housing and is terminated by a head of dimension greater than a diameter of the aperture. A ratchet is disposed in operable configuration in cooperation with the reel to enable ratcheted rotation of the reel in a first direction during cable extraction and further operable at periodic intervals of rotation to enable reversal of wheel rotation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Publication date: January 15, 2009
    Inventor: Dale Anton Tollefson
  • Patent number: 7416150
    Abstract: A seat belt retractor (10) has an actuator (14) for unlocking and locking the seat belt retractor (10) An inertial sensor (18) detects changes in vehicle acceleration and interacts with the actuator (14) to lock and unlock the seat belt retractor (10). The inertial sensor (18) has one inertial sensor mass, each mass (26, 27, 29, 30, 32, 33) has a wide portion (70) and a narrow portion (72). Preferably each inertial sensor mass (26, 27, 29, 30, 32, 33) has a high density body (31) embedded in the wide portion (70) of the elastomeric material (34). The inertial sensor mass (26, 27, 29, 36, 32, 33) has a greater density than the elastomeric material (34) Moreover, the elastomeric material (34) at least partially surrounds an exterior circumferential surface (38) of the inertial sensor mass (26, 27, 29, 30, 32, 33).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2008
    Assignee: Key Safety Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher D. Morgan, Huiyao Liu, Stephan F. Vetter, Kristopher Shaffer, David R. Arnold
  • Publication number: 20080135665
    Abstract: In at least one embodiment of the present invention a seat-belt retractor is provided. The seat-belt retractor comprises a locking system that is controlled by means of at least one vehicle-sensitive sensor. The sensor has an alignment mass for autonomous alignment and is configured to pivot on the seat-belt retractor when the angular installation position of the seat-belt retractor is changed and when the seat-belt is extended, the sensor can be fixed in position by a blocking device. The blocking device is friction-controlled by the rotation of the belt shaft in the extension direction. The blocking device includes a rotatably mounted blocking lever which can be displaced into a release position for the sensor by a control lever that is coupled to the belt shaft by a friction coupling when the belt shaft rotates in a retraction direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2007
    Publication date: June 12, 2008
    Applicant: AUTOLIV DEVELOPMENT AB
    Inventors: Martin Schmidt, Stefan Hofs, Thomas Schneider, Miriam Ors, Santi Gasol, Jordi Casiano
  • Patent number: 7300013
    Abstract: A seat belt retractor (10) has an actuator (14) for unlocking and locking the seat belt retractor (10). An inertial sensor (18) detects changes in vehicle acceleration and interacts with the actuator (14) to lock and unlock the seat belt retractor (10). The inertial sensor (18) has one inertial sensor mass, each mass (26, 27, 29, 30, 32, 33) has a wide portion (70) and a narrow portion (72). Preferably each inertial sensor mass (26, 27, 29, 30, 32, 33) has a high density body (31) embedded in the wide portion (70) of the elastomeric material (34). The inertial sensor mass (26, 27, 29, 30, 32, 33) has a greater density than the elastomeric material (34). Moreover, the elastomeric material (34) at least partially surrounds an exterior circumferential surface (38) of the inertial sensor mass (26, 27, 29, 30, 32, 33).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: Key Safety Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher D. Morgan, Huiyao Liu, Stephan F. Vetter, Kristopher Shaffer, David R. Arnold
  • Patent number: 6915979
    Abstract: An acceleration sensor assembly for a restraint retractor of a seat restraint system in a vehicle includes an acceleration sprocket operatively connected to the restraint retractor. The acceleration sensor assembly also includes an acceleration pawl cooperating with the acceleration sprocket to operatively cause lock up of the restraint retractor. The acceleration sensor assembly includes an inertia member cooperating with the acceleration pawl to move the acceleration pawl when an acceleration force is present and a gimbal to support the inertia member. The acceleration sensor assembly further includes a non-contact damping mechanism cooperating with the gimbal to dampen movement of the gimbal until the acceleration force exceeds a predetermined value and the inertia member actuates the acceleration pawl to engage the acceleration sprocket to operatively cause lock up of the restraint retractor and prevent unwinding of a belt from the restraint retractor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2005
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: James L. Webber, Kevin Wei-Loong Ng
  • Patent number: 6688547
    Abstract: The inertia sensor is a sensor for a seatbelt retractor used for sensing deceleration. The inertia sensor is composed of a primary mass, a secondary mass, and a lifter. The primary mass provides the inertia for the self compensating function. The secondary mass provides the inertia for sensing deceleration. The inertia sensor is not triggered when subjected to tilting angles of 30 degrees or less in any direction. Upon experiencing decelerating motion, the secondary mass tilts relative to the primary mass whereby this relative angular displacement causes the lifter to raise. The lifter rotates a locking pawl into an engagement position, which initiates the locking mechanism of the seatbelt retractor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: Breed Automotive Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Simon Xunnan He
  • Patent number: 6679447
    Abstract: A seat belt retractor has a housing and a spool in the housing. A toothed ratchet wheel is coupled to the spool. A locking assembly has a lock bar pivotally mounted to the housing and moveable by means of a camming arrangement from an initial position clear of the ratchet wheel to a position whereby the lock bar locks the ratchet wheel to the housing. An adjustment mechanism enables adjustment of the initial position of the lock bar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2004
    Assignee: Breed Automotive Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Frederic Jallot, John Foster Bell, Michael Thwaites
  • Patent number: 6598921
    Abstract: A protecting device for securing a storage space in the interior of a vehicle has a winding shaft associated, both in the pullout and in the rollup direction, with a control device which determines the rotations of the winding shaft as well as a selected protective position of the flat shaped article, and which, independently of the determined position, limits the pullout path for the flat shaped article to a length corresponding to the selected protective position, or releases it to be completely pulled out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Assignee: BOS GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Holger Seel, Marina Ehrenberger
  • Patent number: 6547175
    Abstract: An inertia sensor for vehicle-sensitive activation of a belt retractor blocking mechanism, has a mass body, a support for the mass body, and a sensor lever having a control pawl and being mounted on the support for swivelling motion about a swivel axis and resting on the mass body. The support is provided with a first circular cylindrical surface area with a axis which is parallel to the swivel axis and runs through the center of gravity of the mass body. An appendix is formed on the first circular cylindrical surface area of the support for mounting the support to the belt retractor. Further, a belt retractor with the inertia sensor and injection molds for molding the support and the sensor lever are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: TRW Occupant Restraint Systems GmbH & Co., KG
    Inventors: Thomas Kielwein, Juergen Rink, Johannes Schmid
  • Publication number: 20020179765
    Abstract: A seat belt retractor has a housing and a spool in the housing. A toothed ratchet wheel is coupled to the spool. A locking assembly has a lock bar pivotally mounted to the housing and moveable by means of a camming arrangement from an initial position clear of the ratchet wheel to a position whereby the lock bar locks the ratchet wheel to the housing. An adjustment mechanism enables adjustment of the initial position of the lock bar.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2002
    Publication date: December 5, 2002
    Inventors: Frederic Jallot, John Foster Bell, Michael Thwaites
  • Patent number: 6435442
    Abstract: A vehicle-sensitive sensor for a belt retractor for vehicle safety belt systems, comprises an inertia body displaceable in case of decelerations and accelerations of the sensor, and a two-armed lever. A first arm of the two-armed lever forms a coupling pawl, and a second arm of the two-armed lever is able to be engaged by the inertia body such that, in case of a displacement of the inertia body, the lever is pivoted so that the coupling pawl is directed into a clutch toothing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: TRW Occupant Restraint Systems GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Thomas Kielwein, Jürgen Rink, Johannes Schmid
  • Patent number: 6364239
    Abstract: A seat belt retractor has a frame, a spool rotatably mounted to the frame, a spool locking device for preventing rotation of the spool. An actuator actuates the spool locking device and has a support carrying an inertia mass and a pawl. The inertia mass is designed to move from an initial position to an actuating position to bring the pawl into engagement with a ratchet on the spool. Engagement of the pawl with the ratchet actuates the spool locking device. The support is arranged to pivot so as to adjust the distance between the pawl and the ratchet. In that way the position of the pawl can be adjusted to provide an optimum gap between the pawl tip and the ratchet on the spool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2002
    Assignee: Breed Automotive Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Frederick Jallot, Paul Slack, John Hodgson
  • Patent number: 6299093
    Abstract: A vehicle seat belt retractor has a frame, a spool rotatably mounted to the frame and a spool locking device for locking the spool against rotation. The spool locking device includes actuating means for actuating the locking device. The actuating means is a support carrying a mass and a pawl, the mass being arranged to move from an initial position to an actuating position to actuate the pawl into engagement with the ratchet on the spool. The actuating means is an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the distance between the pawl and the ratchet. The adjustment mechanism may adjust the support relative to a housing, and adjust the tip of the pawl relative to the pawl body or a deformable pawl tip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2001
    Assignee: Breed Automotive Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Patrick Harte, Kenneth Williamson, Steve Marshall, Gerrit Kooy, Peter Jungbauer
  • Patent number: 6283553
    Abstract: A vehicle-sensitive retractor is provided that can be mounted in a reclinable seat back which has a nominal position inclined to the vertical and that is actuated to a locked position in each of three mutually-perpendicular planes. The retractor has a universal acceleration sensor that compensates for different seat back inclinations so that it does not lock until a threshold vehicle acceleration condition is detected, and so that it will lock regardless of the sensed acceleration when the seat back and retractor are shifted to specified inclinations forward and rearward from the seat back nominally inclined position. The sensor preferably includes a weighted basket that supports an inertia member. At the rearward inclination position, the inertia member operates an actuating mechanism to lock the retractor. A stop engages and prevents adjustment of the support at the seat back's forwardmost inclined position so that at a predetermined angular distance forward therefrom, e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Assignee: Takata Seat Belts Inc.
    Inventors: Erick Michael Anderson, Richard M. Grabowski
  • Patent number: 6254191
    Abstract: A seatbelt retractor to be mounted in a backrest is provided with a sensor member for actuating a locking mechanism. Depending on an angle of reclining of the backrest, the sensing member is pivotal such that the spatial orientation of the sensing member is adjusted into a suitable orientation. The seatbelt retractor is also provided with one or both of a buffer mechanism and a locking adjusting mechanism to properly actuate the locking mechanism irrespective of the position of the sensing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2001
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Yamamoto, Yoshito Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 6230997
    Abstract: An adjustment mechanism for a safety belt retractor locking sensor has a shaft rotatably mounted in a lock cup spade of a retractor and a cam part eccentrically mounted relative to the shaft. The cam part is received within an elliptical hole in the housing. Rotation of the cam part about the axis of the shaft causes the housing to move relative to the lock cup spade. Projections on the spade engaging in the vertical slots in the housing constrain the housing to move substantially vertically. Vertical adjustment of the housing relative to the retractor affects the position of the lever tip relative to the ratchet wheel of the retractor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Assignee: Breed Automotive Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Martyn Palliser
  • Patent number: 6216974
    Abstract: An apparatus (10) includes a first structure (90, 72) having a seat surface (74) configured to engage and support an inertia weight (70) for inertial movement under the influence of a vehicle crash condition. The apparatus (10) further includes a second structure (92) configured to support the first structure (90) in a vehicle seat belt retractor (14). The first structure (90) has an arcuate array of first orientation teeth (96). The second structure (92) has an arcuate array of second orientation teeth (116). The second orientation teeth (116) are configured to receive the first orientation teeth (96) in meshing engagement in any selected one of a plurality of different circumferential orientations relative to the arcuate array of second orientation teeth (116).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2001
    Assignee: TRW Vehicle Safety Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Luis Cendejas, Matthew C. Frank
  • Patent number: 6202952
    Abstract: The invention relates to a safety belt apparatus comprising a belt roller (12) which is preferably resiliently subjected to a bias force in the belt wind-up direction, which carries a more or less rolled up belt (11) and which can be blocked against a further drawing out by a tooth blocking mechanism which can be triggered by an acceleration sensor (13) preferably having a movable mass, such as a ball (35), which has a position control gear (18) which is preferably coaxial with the belt roller (12) and which is rotationally fixedly connected to an auxiliary blocking tooth crown (14) which is directly stressed by an auxiliary pawl (17) of the acceleration sensor (13) and which drives a main pawl (16) which is rotationally fixedly coupled to the belt roller (12) into a main blocking tooth crown (15) which is fixed to the housing when stopped by the auxiliary pawl (17) and in the presence of a drawing out force at the belt (11) whereupon the further drawing out of the belt is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: Takata (Europe) Vehicle Safety Technology GmbH
    Inventor: Robert Kopetzky