Richard Charles Grabowski

US Patent:

6283553, Sep 4, 2001

Filed:

Nov 22, 2000

Appl. No.:

9/721013

Inventors:

Erick Michael Anderson - Lake Orion MI
Richard M. Grabowski - Davisburg MI

Assignee:

Takata Seat Belts Inc. - Auburn Hills MI

International Classification:

A47C 3100
B60R 2100

US Classification:

297478

Abstract:

A vehicle-sensitive retractor is provided that can be mounted in a reclinable seat back which has a nominal position inclined to the vertical and that is actuated to a locked position in each of three mutually-perpendicular planes. The retractor has a universal acceleration sensor that compensates for different seat back inclinations so that it does not lock until a threshold vehicle acceleration condition is detected, and so that it will lock regardless of the sensed acceleration when the seat back and retractor are shifted to specified inclinations forward and rearward from the seat back nominally inclined position. The sensor preferably includes a weighted basket that supports an inertia member. At the rearward inclination position, the inertia member operates an actuating mechanism to lock the retractor. A stop engages and prevents adjustment of the support at the seat back's forwardmost inclined position so that at a predetermined angular distance forward therefrom, e. g. 22. degree.

US Patent:

61060135, Aug 22, 2000

Filed:

Sep 12, 1997

Appl. No.:

8/722085

Inventors:

Gerald Arthur Doty - Auburn Hills MI
Richard M. Grabowski - Davisburg MI
Mark Lynn Wilsey - Okemos MI

International Classification:

B60R 2236

US Classification:

280806

Abstract:

A seat belt retractor is provided with an energy management system that achieves a known, predictable dissipation of energy which allows the force load on the shoulder belt and an amount of belt protraction to be carefully controlled for a given vehicle's crash characteristics. At shoulder belt loads below the onset force level, the inertia or web-sensitive locks lock both the reel and reel shaft against rotation and belt protraction with no energy dissipation. At shoulder belt loads above the onset force level, the reel rotates relative to the locked shaft and moves an extrusion die and a bushing on the reel shaft relative to one another and deforms the wall of the bushing thereby dissipating energy. The extrusion die can be formed integrally on the reel shaft with the driver nut pushing the bushing axially onto the die section of the shaft to deform the bushing. The energy dissipation is consistent and predictable and done without a substantial increase in size of the seat belt system and at a modest additional cost.