Belt retractor for a vehicle occupant seat belt

• US 7,637,451 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2007
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbH (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TRW Automotive GmbH (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gentner, Bernd, Bedak, Nizam
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, SANG K
• Application Number:
  US11/974,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20080093495A1
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: 242/379.1, 280/805, 297/471, 297/472
• US Class Current: 242/379.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/3413 operating between belt reel and retractor frame B60R22/4676 takes precedence

Abstract

A belt retractor for a vehicle occupant seat belt has a belt reel (14), a locking disc (16) and a force limiting element (22), the force limiting element (22) being provided with a thread (28) and the force limiting element (22) acting between the belt reel (14) and the locking disc (16) so that a translational movement is generated when a relative rotation between the belt reel (14) and the locking disc (16) takes place.

Claims

1. A belt retractor for a vehicle occupant seat belt, having

a belt reel (14),

a locking disc (16) and

a force limiting element (22),

said force limiting element (22) acting between said belt reel (14) and said locking disc (16),

said force limiting element (22) having a first axial end which is shiftably connected to said belt reel (14), and a second axial end which is provided with a thread (28) so that a translational movement of said force limiting element (22) and of said first axial end thereof is generated when a relative rotation between said belt reel (14) and said locking disc (16) takes place.

2. The belt retractor according to claim 1, wherein said force limiting element (22) is screwed in said locking disc (16) by means of said thread (28) so that a translational movement between said locking disc (16) and said force limiting element (22) takes place.

3. The belt retractor according to claim 1, wherein a bypass sleeve (44) is provided and said force limiting element (22) is divided up into a first portion (40) and a second portion (42) by said thread (28), said thread (28) being screwed in said bypass sleeve (44) so that a translational movement between said bypass sleeve (44) and said force limiting element (22) takes place.

4. The belt retractor according to claim 3, wherein said first portion (40) and said second portion (42) of said force limiting element (22) have a cross-section, the cross-section of said first portion (40) being smaller than that of said second portion (42).

5. The belt retractor according to claim 1, wherein said force limiting element (22) is a torsion bar.

6. The belt retractor according to claim 1, wherein a stop (34) is provided which stops a translational movement.

7. The belt retractor according to claim 6, wherein said stop (34) is adjustable.

8. The belt retractor according to claim 6, wherein one of a mechanical actuator (36) and an electrical actuator (36) and a magnetic actuator (36) is provided which can shift said stop (34).

9. The belt retractor according to claim 6, wherein said stop (34) has an abutment surface (37) which can engage said force limiting element (22), said abutment surface (37) being configured in one of a rounded manner and a stepped manner.