Belt tightener for vehicle safety belt systems
First Claim
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1. A belt tightener for a vehicle safety belt system comprising:
- a belt retractor;
a deflection fitting;
a safety belt which has a webbing section running freely between said belt retractor and said deflection filling;
belt gripping means for engaging said webbing section;
a belt tightener drive connected to said gripping means by a tension transmitting element;
a hollow cylinder defined by a cylinder wall, said cylinder being adapted to be secured to a vehicle bodywork;
a piston received in said cylinder and connected to said tension transmitting element;
said gripping means being movable with a portion of said belt webbing gripped by said gripping means under the action of tensile force transmitted by said tension transmitting element from said belt tightener drive to said gripping means; and
said piston being free to slide within said cylinder from an initial position in a first direction upon activation of said belt tightener drive but restrained against movement within said cylinder in a second direction opposite to said first direction up to a predetermined threshold value of tensile load transmitted to said piston through said tension transmitting element, and said piston, when said predetermined threshold value is exceeded, being forced to move within said cylinder in said second direction with plastic deformation of said cylinder wall during forced movement of said piston towards said initial position.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a vehicle safety belt system a gripping means (16) is arranged at a webbing section (10) extending between a deflection fitting (12) and the belt retractor (14). In the rest condition the webbing is led freely between the oppositely disposed clamping elements of the gripping means (16). The gripping means (16) is connected via a pulling cable (38) to a pyrotechnic or mechanical belt tightener drive. Return blocking means are formed by a cylinder (44) attached to the vehicle bodywork and a piston (42) displaceable therein, whereby the cylinder wall is deformed plastically for absorbing load peaks.
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Citations
5 Claims
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1. A belt tightener for a vehicle safety belt system comprising:
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a belt retractor; a deflection fitting; a safety belt which has a webbing section running freely between said belt retractor and said deflection filling; belt gripping means for engaging said webbing section; a belt tightener drive connected to said gripping means by a tension transmitting element; a hollow cylinder defined by a cylinder wall, said cylinder being adapted to be secured to a vehicle bodywork; a piston received in said cylinder and connected to said tension transmitting element; said gripping means being movable with a portion of said belt webbing gripped by said gripping means under the action of tensile force transmitted by said tension transmitting element from said belt tightener drive to said gripping means; and said piston being free to slide within said cylinder from an initial position in a first direction upon activation of said belt tightener drive but restrained against movement within said cylinder in a second direction opposite to said first direction up to a predetermined threshold value of tensile load transmitted to said piston through said tension transmitting element, and said piston, when said predetermined threshold value is exceeded, being forced to move within said cylinder in said second direction with plastic deformation of said cylinder wall during forced movement of said piston towards said initial position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A belt tightener for a vehicle safety belt system comprising:
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a belt retractor; a safety belt which has a webbing section extending from said belt retractor; belt gripping means for engaging said webbing section, said gripping means being movable with a portion of said belt webbing gripped by said gripping means; a belt tightener drive means for providing a tensile force for moving said gripping means, said belt tightener drive means being connected to said gripping means by a tension transmitting element for transmitting the tensile force from said belt tightener drive means to said gripping means; a hollow cylinder defined by a cylinder wall, said cylinder being adapted to be fixed relative to a vehicle bodywork; a piston received in said cylinder and connected to said tension transmitting element, said piston being free to slide within said cylinder from an initial position in a first direction upon activation of said belt tightener drive; and means for restraining movement of said piston within said cylinder in a second direction opposite to said first direction up to a predetermined threshold value of tensile load transmitted to said piston through said tension transmitting element, when said predetermined threshold value is exceeded said piston being forced to move within said cylinder in said second direction, said cylinder wall having means for plastically deforming during forced movement of said piston in said second direction for absorbing energy.
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Specification