Seat belt tension sensor
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A seat belt tension sensor comprising:
- a housing having a first slot;
a plate coupled with the housing, the plate having a second slot and a cutout, the first and second slots being adapted to be connected with a seat belt;
a sensor retained by the housing and extending into the cutout, a first portion of the plate being adapted to be engaged by the sensor as tension is increased on the seat belt, the sensor being adapted to generate an electrical signal that is indicative of seat belt tension.
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Abstract
A seat belt tension sensor for use with a seat belt assembly. The sensor includes a housing that has a slot and a plate coupled with the housing. The plate has another slot and a cutout. The slots are connected with a seat belt. A sensor is retained by the housing and extends into the cutout. A portion of the plate is adapted to be engaged by the sensor as tension is increased on the seat belt. The sensor generates an electrical signal that is indicative of seat belt tension.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A seat belt tension sensor comprising:
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a housing having a first slot; a plate coupled with the housing, the plate having a second slot and a cutout, the first and second slots being adapted to be connected with a seat belt; a sensor retained by the housing and extending into the cutout, a first portion of the plate being adapted to be engaged by the sensor as tension is increased on the seat belt, the sensor being adapted to generate an electrical signal that is indicative of seat belt tension. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A tension sensor comprising:
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a housing having a first slot; a plate having a first end and a second end, the first end located in the housing and the second end extending from the housing; a second slot located in the plate, the first and second slots being adapted to be connected with a seat belt; a cutout located in the plate; and a sensor retained by the housing and extending into the cutout, the sensor pressing on a first portion of the plate as tension is increased on the seat belt, the sensor being adapted to generate an electrical signal that is indicative of tension in the seat belt. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A seat belt tension sensor comprising:
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housing means for containing the seat belt tension sensor, the housing means configured to be coupled with a seat belt; plate means for transferring tension from the seat belt to a vehicle structure, the plate means coupled with the housing means; sensor means for measuring the amount of tension in the seat belt, the sensor means being coupled to the housing means, the sensor means configured to generate an electrical signal that is indicative of the amount of seat belt tension, the sensor means including a substrate, at least one strain sensitive resistor mounted on the substrate and an actuator mounted over the resistor; and the plate means cooperating with the housing means to form protection means for limiting the maximum force applied to the sensor means. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification