Seat Belt System

• US 20150251626A1
• Filed: 03/05/2014
• Published: 09/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Board, Derek, Sundarajan, Srinivasan, DeSmet, Edward Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 9,988,012 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/1818 Belt guides
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/18 the inflatable member formed as a belt or harness or combined with a belt or harness arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/12 Construction of belts or harnesses B60R21/18 takes precedence ; woven fabrics for safety belts D03D1/0005

Abstract

A seat belt system including a seat belt secured for movement over a D-ring wherein the D-ring includes a magnet and the seat belt includes a plurality of magnetized metal filaments. As the seat belt travels through the D-ring the magnet attracts the plurality of metal filaments and counteracts at least a portion of the normal force of the webbing on the D-ring provided by gravity. The shape or configuration of the magnet may also increase the arc length or radial travel distance about the D-ring to reduce bunching and correspondingly the force necessary to wind and unwind the seat belt.

Claims

1. A seat belt system comprising:

a seat belt, said seat belt including a plurality of metal filaments; and

a D-ring, said D-ring including a magnet.

2. A seat belt system as set forth in claim 1 including:

said D-ring having a guide surface, said magnet positioned near said guide surface.

3. A seat belt system as set forth in claim 1 including:

said D-ring having a slot, said slot including a lower surface forming a guide surface; and

said magnet located adjacent said slot and opposite said guide surface.

4. A seat belt system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said magnet counteracts at least a portion of the normal force of the seat belt on the D-ring.

5. A method of counteracting the normal force of a seat belt on a D-ring provided by gravity comprising the steps of:

providing the D-ring with a magnet;

providing the seat belt with a plurality of metal filaments; and

using the magnet to act on the metal filaments and counteract the at least a portion of the normal force of the seat belt on the D-ring.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5 including the steps of providing a guide surface on said D-ring;

positioning said magnet on said the ring; and

using said magnet to counteract the at least a portion of the normal force of the seat belt on the guide surface of said D-ring.

7. The method as set forth in claim 5 including the steps of:

providing the D-ring with a guide surface;

supporting the magnet on said D-ring in a position spaced from the guide surface; and

using an attraction force between magnet and the metal filaments to counteract at least a portion of the normal force of the seat belt on the guide surface of the D-ring provided by gravity.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7 including the step of configuring the shape of the magnet to vary an arc length of seat belt travel about the guide surface of the D-ring.

9. The method as set forth in claim 5 including said seatbelt including an airbag.

10. A seat belt system comprising:

a seat belt, said seat belt having a first side and a second side and an airbag located between said first side and said second side, a plurality of polarized metal filaments on said first side and said second side; and

a D-ring, said D-ring having a guide surface and a magnet positioned adjacent said guide surface and said magnet having a polarity opposite that of said plurality of polarized metal filaments in said seat belt.