Force limiter for a seat belt restraint system

• US 5,967,442 A
• Filed: 10/20/1998
• Issued: 10/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TRW Occupant Restraint Systems GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: TRW Occupant Restraint Systems GmbH
• Inventors: Wier, Franz
• Primary Examiner(s): Jillions, John M.
• Application Number:
  US09/175,739
• Time in Patent Office: 364 Days
• Field of Search: 242/379.1, 280/805, 280/806, 297/470, 297/471, 297/472
• US Class Current: 242/379.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/287 of torsion rods or tubes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/288 with means to adjust or regulate the amount of energy to be absorbed
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/16 Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags protective garments with automatically inflatable shock-absorbing means A41D13/018; connection of valves to inflatable elastic bodies B60C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/3413 operating between belt reel and retractor frame B60R22/4676 takes precedence

Abstract

A force limiter for a vehicular seat belt restraint system comprises a frame, a drum rotatably mounted in said frame for winding up a belt webbing, a blocking disk coupled to the drum, and a blocking mechanism for selectively locking said blocking disk to the frame in a non-rotatable arrangement. The blocking disk is axially held at one axial end of the drum and is coupled to the drum by at least two torsion elements anchored to the opposite end of the drum.

Claims

1. A force limiter for a vehicular seat belt restraint system, comprising a frame, a drum with two axial ends rotatably mounted in said frame for winding up a belt webbing, a blocking disk coupled to said drum, and a blocking mechanism for selectively locking said blocking disk to said frame in a non-rotatable arrangement, wherein said blocking disk is axially held at one of said axial ends of said drum and is coupled to said drum by at least two torsion elements, said torsion elements being anchored to an opposite one of said axial ends of said drum.

2. The force limiter as set forth in claim 1, wherein said blocking disk has openings passing through said blocking disk, said torsion elements being inserted in said openings and said torsion elements protruding from said openings at a side of said blocking disk facing away from said drum.

3. The force limiter as set forth in claim 2, wherein at least one of said torsion elements has a smaller axial length than the other ones of said torsion elements.

4. The force limiter as set forth in claim 3, wherein said torsion elements have axial lengths differing from each other.

5. The force limiter as set forth in claim 1, wherein said torsion elements are essentially rod shaped.

6. The force limiter as set forth in claim 5, wherein said torsion elements have a round cross-sectional shape.

7. The force limiter as set forth in claim 3, wherein said blocking disk is mounted so as to be shiftable in axial direction on said drum.

8. The force limiter as set forth in claim 7, wherein said axial shift of said blocking disk on said drum is caused by a positioning system responding to at least one of the following parameters:

weight of the occupant,

collision intensity,

gas bag activation.