Safety belt retractor having a rotation dampener

• US 6,663,038 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2002
• Issued: 12/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lucht, Andreas, Wittenberg, Geert Helge, Juchem, Alois
• Primary Examiner(s): RIVERA, WILLIAM ARAUZ
• Application Number:
  US10/203,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20030010860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• Field of Search: 242/381, 242/396, 280/806, 280/807, 297/478, 188/290
• US Class Current: 242/381
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/282 using fluids or vico-elastic materials
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/287 of torsion rods or tubes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/3413 operating between belt reel and retractor frame B60R22/4676 takes precedence

Abstract

A safety belt retractor is provided as a safety system in motor vehicles. The belt shaft is mounted in a U-shaped housing and serves as a carrier for a belt strap wound thereon. A rotation dampener is provided as a force limiting element and acts upon the belt shaft. The rotation dampener comprises: a cylindrical housing filled with a highly viscous medium, at least one apertured disk fixedly disposed in the cylindrical housing, and at least one disk piston disposed in the cylindrical housing parallel to the apertured disk, wherein the disk piston is fixedly connected to the belt shaft, the rotation of which is to be dampened, and wherein the disk piston is provided with a radially extending piston wing that rotates upon rotation of the disk piston.

Claims

1. A safety belt retractor as a safety system in motor vehicles, comprising:

a U-shaped housing;

a belt shaft mounted in the U-shaped housing and serving as a carrier for a belt strap wound thereon;

a rotation dampener, as a force limiting element, that acts upon said belt shaft, wherein said rotation dampener comprises;

a) a cylindrical housing filled with a highly viscous medium;

b) at least one apertured disk fixedly disposed in said cylindrical housing; and

c) at least one disk piston disposed in said cylindrical housing parallel to said apertured disk, wherein said at least one disk piston is fixedly connected to said belt shaft the rotation of which is to be dampened, and wherein at least one disk piston is provided with a radially extending piston ring that rotates upon rotation of said at least one disk piston.

2. A safety belt retractor according to claim 1, wherein said cylindrical housing is flanged laterally onto said U-shaped housing of said safety belt retractor, and wherein said at least one disk piston is connected with said belt shaft.

3. A safety belt retractor according to claim 2, wherein a torsion rod is provided that operates as a force limiting device and is connected to said belt shaft, and wherein said at least one disk piston is connected with said torsion rod.

4. A safety belt retractor according to claim 1, wherein said cylindrical housing is formed by a shaft body of said belt shaft, wherein said at least one apertured disk and said at least one disk piston are disposed in said shaft body, wherein provided in said shaft body is a shaft core as carrier for said at least one apertured disk, which is positively disposed thereon, wherein said shaft core is locked if said safety belt retractor is blocked, and wherein said at least one disk piston is connected to said shaft body via an interlocking connection.

5. A safety belt retractor according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of disk pistons and apertured disks are disposed in an alternating sequence in said housing of said rotation dampener.

6. A safety belt retractor according to claim 1, wherein a respective spacer element is disposed between said at least one disk piston and said at least one apertured disk.

7. A safety belt retractor according to claim 1, wherein said cylindrical housing is filled with a silicone as highly viscous medium.

8. A safety belt retractor according to claim 7, wherein said silicone that is filled into said housing is already at an increased pressure prior to an activation of force limitation by said rotation dampener.