Seat belt pretensioner system

• US 5,415,431 A
• Filed: 07/14/1993
• Issued: 05/16/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Industria Grafica Meschi SRL
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Omura, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): Focarino, Margaret A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): English, Peter C.
• Application Number:
  US08/091,018
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: 280/806, 280/805, 280/807, 242/374, 242/381.1, 297/480, 297/478, 297/477
• US Class Current: 280/805
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4685 with means to adjust or regulate the tensioning force in relation to external parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0155 sensing belt tension
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/16 using belts which become permanently deformed, i.e. one time use
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/42 having means for acting directly upon the belt, e.g. by clamping or friction not combined with the retractor B60R22/185
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/46 Reels with means to tension the belt in an emergency by forced winding upelectrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01 ; tensioners using reels only guiding the belt during normal use, e.g. splitted reels B60R22/195

Abstract

A seat belt system having a collision sensor that detects an impact which a vehicular body undergoes, and a pretensioner mechanism which starts retraction of a webbing responsive to the impact detected by the collision sensor and completes retraction of the webbing when tension of the webbing coincides with a fuse load thereof.

Claims

1. A seat belt system for a vehicle having a vehicular body, comprising:

a webbing comprising a base material having high extensibility and an additional material having high extensibility and an additional material having low extensibility, said webbing elongating a predetermined amount to restrain a load increase of said webbing when a tension of said webbing coincides with a fuse load as previously set;

an anchorage mounted to the vehicular body, said anchorage being connected to said webbing at one end thereof;

a retractor mounted to the vehicular body, said retractor being connected to bias webbing at another end thereof for winding said webbing;

an impact detecting means for detecting an impact which the vehicular body undergoes; and

a pretensioner means for starting a retraction of said webbing responsive to dais impact detected by said impact detecting means, and competing said retraction of said webbing when said tension of said webbing coincides with said fuse load.

2. A seat belt system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a tension detecting means for detecting said tension of said webbing,

said pretensioner means completing said retraction of the webbing in response to said tension detecting a tension which coincides with said fuse load.

3. A seat belt system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said tension detecting means includes a load cell.

4. A seat belt system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a holding means for holding said webbing when said tension of said webbing coincides with said fuse load,

said holding means being part of said pretensioner means and completing said retraction of said webbing.

5. A seat belt system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said holding means includes a clamp mechanism.

6. A seat belt system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pretensioner means includes a setting means for setting a retraction amount of said webbing until said tension of said webbing coincides with said fuse load to a total value of a slack amount of said webbing upon setting of said webbing and an elongation amount of said webbing until said tension of said webbing coincides with said fuse load.

7. A seat belt system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said pretensioner means includes an estimating means for estimating said retraction amount until said tension of said webbing coincides with said fuse load from passenger informations, and completing said retraction of said webbing at said retraction amount as estimated.

8. A seat belt system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said estimating means includes a control part.

9. A seat belt system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said passenger informations include a passenger'"'"'s build, clothes, and seating posture.

10. A seat belt system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said setting means includes a cylinder.

11. A seat belt system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said impact detecting means includes a collision sensor.