The object is to provide a seat belt retractor which, by a
relatively simple structure, makes it possible to increase
the freedom with which an EA load is set and to set the EA
load more stably. A seat belt retractor according to the
present invention in which a torsion pipe (20) is disposed
inside an annular space between a spool (4) and a torsion
bar (7), with the left end portion of the torsion pipe (20)
being connected and secured to securing pins (21) and (22).
The right end portion of the torsion pipe (20) engages an
externally threaded shaft (15) at a locking base (14) in a
direction of rotation and can move axially relative to the
externally threaded shaft (15). When the spool (4) rotates
relative to the locking base (14) in a direction in which a
webbing is extracted, the torsion bar (7) and the torsion
pipe (20) are both twisted and deformed, so that impact
energy is absorbed. Since the twisting and deformation of
the torsion pipe (20) makes it shorter in length, the right
end portion of the torsion pipe (20) disengages from the
externally threaded shaft (15), so that energy is absorbed
by twisting and deforming the torsion bar (7) alone.

Seat belt retractor

A seat belt retractor is provided in which two winding performances are achieved while reduced power consumption of a motor and simplified control of the motor are also achieved. A clutch gear is meshed with a carrier gear by rotation of a motor in the normal direction. Accordingly, a low reduction ratio power transmission mode is set so that a seat belt is wound up at a high speed and with low torque. As slack of the seat belt is removed and the belt load increases, the clutch pawl becomes possible to be engaged with the internal gear. As the motor current increases and exceeds a preset value, the motor rotates reversely so that the clutch gear separates from the carrier gear. Therefore, a high reduction ratio power transmission mode is set so that the belt is wound up at a low speed and with high torque.

Seat belt retractor and seat belt device

In a vehicle occupant protection system comprising a seat for seating a vehicle occupant in a passenger compartment of a vehicle, and a seat belt for restraining a vehicle occupant seated in the seat, the seat belt is pulled rearward by a power actuator in an early stage of a vehicle crash to apply deceleration to the vehicle occupant before the vehicle body has started decelerating so that the vehicle occupant is prevented from being subjected to a deceleration level which is higher than an unacceptable level of deceleration throughout the entire period of the vehicle crash.

Vehicle occupant protection system

A vehicle seat is mounted on a floor in a laterally inwardly moveable manner, and is accelerated by a power actuator inwardly upon detection of a vehicle side crash. The vehicle occupant is firmly held to the seat. By thus appropriately controlling the time history of the lateral acceleration of the vehicle occupant at the time of a side crash, the maximum acceleration acting on the vehicle occupant can be controlled. The inward movement of the seat provides a wider space between the vehicle occupant and door panel, and this contributes to the prevention of the injury to the vehicle occupant owing to the intrusion of the door panel into the passenger compartment at the time of a side crash.

Vehicle occupant side crash protection system

An end of a seat belt is connected to an actuator that can selectively remove a slack from the seat belt. The actuator includes a main actuator unit, and a cushioning member for decelerating a movement of the moveable end of the seat belt following a certain initial travel of the moveable end. The main actuator unit includes a cylinder integrally attached to a part of the vehicle body, a piston member slidably received in the cylinder and connected to the moveable end, a pyrotechnic gas generator provided on one end of the cylinder, and an accumulator chamber defining a prescribed volume and communicating with an output end of the pyrotechnic gas generator. The main actuator unit produces an early rise in the vehicle occupant deceleration, and the cushioning member smoothly connects the time history of the vehicle occupant deceleration to a ride-down condition whereby the deceleration acting on the vehicle occupant is favorably spread over time, and the maximum level of the deceleration can be minimized. The accumulator chamber contributes to a favorable shaping of the time history of the vehicle occupant deceleration.

Automotive vehicle occupant protection system

For a safety belt (2) in a vehicle, the belt is tightened in the event of a collision for at least 300 ms, at the same time as the maximum pull on the safety belt is limited to a predetermined value during the whole tightening process. This is made possible by a tightening device (15) being arranged to be able to operate for at least 300 ms and by there being a load-limiting device (14) between the tightening device (15) and the belt.

Method and device for a safety belt

In an ignition electrode arrangement at a cylinder in an internal combustion engine, for example an Otto-engine, a first electrode (7) and a second electrode (8) co-operate with each other, the first electrode (7) being arranged on an ignition means (6) secured to a cylinder head. Both electrodes (7, 8) are movable in order to enable a change in the size of the spark gap and/or the position of the spark gap. The electrodes are each manipulated by means of an operating device (10, 14) that is controlled by a control unit (13) included in the ignition system of the engine.

Ignition electrode arrangement at an internal combustion engine

In an ignition electrode arrangement for a cylinder in an internal combustion engine, for example an Otto engine, a cylinder head ( 3 ) bears a first electrode ( 7 ) and a second electrode ( 8 ) which interact with one another At least the first electrode ( 7 ) is arranged on an ignition means ( 6 ) fastened in the cylinder head According to the invention, the second electrode ( 8 ) is movable relative to the cylinder head ( 3 ) and the first electrode ( 7 ) in order to make it possible to change the spark gap The second electrode ( 8 ) can be mounted on the cylinder head ( 3 ) itself or on the ignition device ( 6 ) The size of the spark gap is controlled during operation by the ignition system of the engine

Spark electrodes with adjustable gap

Verfahren
zum sicheren Zuruckhalten eines
Gurtbenutzers in einem Fahrzeug mittels eines Dreipunktsicherheitsgurtes
(2), wo im Falle des Risikos einer Kollision zuerst ein sanftes
Straffen eingeleitet wird, um den Gurtbenutzer fur eine etwaige spatere Kollision
in eine verbesserte Sitzposition zu bringen und dann ein starkeres Straffen
eingeleitet wird, dadurch gekennzeichnet, das Energie fur ein sanftes Straffen durch
Herausziehen des Gurtes (2) erzeugt wird, wenn der Gurt angelegt
wird, und das diese
Energie dann gespeichert und freigegeben wird, wenn ein Risiko einer
Kollision besteht.

Verfahren und Vorrichtung für einen Sicherheitsgurt

In an ignition electrode arrangement for a cylinder in an internal combustion engine, for example an Otto engine, a first electrode (7) and a second electrode (8) interact with one another, the first electrode (7) being arranged on an ignition means (6) fastened in a cylinder head. The first electrode (7) is arranged movably in the ignition means (6) in order to make it possible to change the size of the spark gap. The size of the spark gap is controlled during operation by the ignition system of the engine.

Alf Hedlund

Papers

Method and device for a safety belt

Ignition electrode arrangement at an internal combustion engine

Spark electrodes with adjustable gap

Verfahren und Vorrichtung für einen Sicherheitsgurt

Spark electrode arrangement