Seat belt tension sensor
First Claim
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1. A seat belt tension sensor comprising:
- a main plate;
a travel member disposed in a travel member opening defined in said main plate, said travel member having portions defining a belt loop opening for receiving seat belt webbing therethrough, and said travel member defining a generally u-shaped opening;
at least one magnet coupled to said travel member and positioned at least partially in said generally u-shaped opening;
a sensor coupled to said main plate and being positioned at least partially in said generally u-shaped opening and adjacent to said at least one magnet;
at least one leaf spring disposed in a fixed position relative to said main plate; and
at least one bias spring biasing said travel member against said at least one leaf spring, whereby upon application of tension to said seat belt webbing, said travel member is configured to move relative to said main plate against said at least one leaf spring.
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Abstract
A seat belt tension sensor for sensing tension in a seat belt. The sensor includes a main plate and a travel member moveable relative to the main plate against a spring force. A sensor provides an output in response to the relative movement indicative of the tension applied to the seat belt. The spring force may be provided by one or more leaf springs.
30 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A seat belt tension sensor comprising:
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a main plate; a travel member disposed in a travel member opening defined in said main plate, said travel member having portions defining a belt loop opening for receiving seat belt webbing therethrough, and said travel member defining a generally u-shaped opening; at least one magnet coupled to said travel member and positioned at least partially in said generally u-shaped opening; a sensor coupled to said main plate and being positioned at least partially in said generally u-shaped opening and adjacent to said at least one magnet; at least one leaf spring disposed in a fixed position relative to said main plate; and at least one bias spring biasing said travel member against said at least one leaf spring, whereby upon application of tension to said seat belt webbing, said travel member is configured to move relative to said main plate against said at least one leaf spring. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A seat belt tension sensor comprising:
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a main plate; a sensor coupled to said main plate;
said sensor providing an output in response to flux imparted thereto;and a travel member disposed in a travel member opening defined in said main plate, said travel member having portions defining a belt loop opening for receiving seat belt webbing therethrough, said travel member comprising first and second magnets separated by a generally u-shaped opening, said sensor being disposed at least partially within said opening.
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13. A seat belt tension sensor comprising:
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a main plate; a travel member disposed in a travel member opening defined in said main plate, said travel member having portions defining a belt loop opening for receiving seat belt webbing therethrough; at least one leaf spring disposed in a fixed position relative to said main plate; at least one bias spring biasing said travel member against said at least one leaf spring, whereby upon application of tension to said seat belt webbing, said travel member is configured to move relative to said main plate against said at least one leaf spring; and a shroud disposed over at least a portion of said travel member extending out from said travel member opening and also over at least a portion of said main plate.
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Specification