Vehicle seat belt retractor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10759381-B2
Application number	US-201816105082-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2018
Priority date	Aug 20, 2018
Publication date	Sep 1, 2020
Grant date	Sep 1, 2020

Abstract

A seat belt retractor includes a core having an outer surface, a cover having an inner surface facing the outer surface. and a plurality of tubes between the cover and the core. The plurality of tubes is deformable relative to at least one of the core and the cover. Each tube has an outer periphery. The entire periphery of each tube is movable relative to the outer surface and the inner surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A seat belt retractor, comprising:
a core having an outer surface;
a cover having an inner surface facing the outer surface; and
a plurality of tubes between the cover and the core and deformable relative to at least one of the core and the cover, each tube having an outer periphery, the entire periphery of each tube being movable relative to the outer surface and the inner surface.

2. The seat belt retractor of claim 1 , further comprising webbing extending from the cover.

3. The seat belt retractor of claim 2 , wherein the cover defines a slot, and the webbing extends through the slot.

4. The seat belt retractor of claim 1 , wherein the cover is deformable relative to the core.

5. The seat belt retractor of claim 1 , wherein the cover is a sheet.

6. The seat belt retractor of claim 1 , wherein the cover is a wire wound around the tubes.

7. The seat belt retractor of claim 1 , wherein the tubes include a first layer of tubes concentric about the core and a second layer of tubes concentric about the first layer of tubes.

8. The seat belt retractor of claim 7 , wherein each tube has a diameter, and the respective diameter of each tube in the first layer of tubes is greater than the respective diameter of each tube in the second layer of tubes.

9. The seat belt retractor of claim 7 , wherein each tube has a deformation strength, and the respective deformation strength of each tube in the second layer of tubes is lower than the respective deformation strength of each tube in the first layer of tubes.

10. The seat belt retractor of claim 1 , wherein each tube includes a bore and a deformable material disposed in the bore.

11. The seat belt retractor of claim 1 , wherein each tube is cylindrical.

12. The seat belt retractor of claim 1 , wherein the tubes are arranged circumferentially around the core.

13. The seat belt retractor of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of tubes includes a first tube and a second tube deformable relative to the first tube.

14. The seat belt retractor of claim 1 , wherein the core is rotatable about an axis and the tubes are elongated along the axis.

15. The seat belt retractor of claim 1 , further comprising an inertia lock releasably engageable with the core.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Jaradi Dean M
• Faruque Mohammad Omar
• Farooq S M Iskander

Classifications

• B60R2022/3402

  Retractor casings; Mounting thereof · CPC title

• B60R22/4676 Primary

  comprising energy-absorbing means operating between belt reel and retractor frame · CPC title

• B60R22/34 Primary

  Belt retractors, e.g. reels (anchoring devices {, e.g. guide loops} , with means to tension the belt in an emergency B60R22/195) · CPC title

• B60R22/3413 Primary

  operating between belt reel and retractor frame (B60R22/4676 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60R2022/286

  using deformation of material · CPC title