Shock absorbing height adjusters for restraint systems and associated systems and methods
First Claim
1. A shock absorbing seatbelt adjuster, comprising:
- a rail;
a seatbelt web receiver slidably engaged with the rail;
a stop engaged with the rail to a first side of the web receiver, wherein the stop is lockable at a plurality of stop positions along the rail;
a pre-loader engaged with the rail to a second side of the web receiver, opposite to the first side, wherein the pre-loader is lockable at a plurality of pre-load positions along the rail; and
a biasing member extending between the web receiver and the pre-loader, wherein the biasing member biases the web receiver toward the stop, and wherein the web receiver is slidable along the rail away from the stop in response to a force applied to the web receiver.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Shock absorbing seatbelt height adjusters for use with vehicle occupant restraint systems, and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a shock absorbing height adjuster includes a D-loop assembly slidably coupled to a rail, and a stop assembly and a pre-loader slidably coupled to the rail on opposite sides of the D-loop assembly. The stop assembly and the pre-loader can be releasably lockable at a plurality of positions along the rail. A biasing member can be compressed between the pre-loader and the D-loop assembly to urge the D-loop assembly toward the stop assembly and allow motion of the D-loop assembly toward the pre-loader under load. The position of the pre-loader can be adjusted to vary the compression in the biasing member.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A shock absorbing seatbelt adjuster, comprising:
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a rail; a seatbelt web receiver slidably engaged with the rail; a stop engaged with the rail to a first side of the web receiver, wherein the stop is lockable at a plurality of stop positions along the rail; a pre-loader engaged with the rail to a second side of the web receiver, opposite to the first side, wherein the pre-loader is lockable at a plurality of pre-load positions along the rail; and a biasing member extending between the web receiver and the pre-loader, wherein the biasing member biases the web receiver toward the stop, and wherein the web receiver is slidable along the rail away from the stop in response to a force applied to the web receiver. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A shock absorbing seatbelt height adjuster for a vehicle occupant restraint system, the shock absorbing seatbelt height adjuster comprising:
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a rail; a D-loop slidably coupled to the rail; an adjustable stop slidably coupled to the rail and lockable at a plurality of positions along the rail; and a biasing member positioned to urge the D-loop against the stop, wherein the biasing member is compressible to allow the D-loop to move away from the stop in response to tension in a seatbelt extending through the D-loop. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for providing a seatbelt with shock absorption capabilities, the method comprising:
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slidably coupling a web receiver to a rail; operably coupling the seatbelt to the web receiver; slidably coupling a stop to the rail to one side of the web receiver, wherein the stop is lockable at a plurality of stop positions along the rail; slidably coupling a pre-loader to the rail to another side of the web receiver, opposite the one side, wherein the pre-loader is lockable at a plurality of pre-load positions along the rail; and resiliently biasing the web receiver against the stop. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification