Reduced width linear pretensioner for motor vehicle seatbelt restraint systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9126555-B2
Application number	US-201414210834-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2014
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Sep 8, 2015
Grant date	Sep 8, 2015

Abstract

A guide that can be included as part of a pretensioner for a motor vehicle belt restraint system. The pretensioner includes a frame having walls that define an interior compartment. Located within the interior compartment is a piston assembly having a gas generator in communication with a piston. The gas generator creates an expanding gas that causes movement of the piston and applies tension to a seatbelt of the belt restraint system. The guide includes an opening through which the seatbelt passes and that causes the seatbelt to form a reduced width configuration upon exiting the guide.

First claim

We claim:

1. A guide for passing a webbing therethrough and folding a lateral side of the webbing back upon a central portion of the webbing to produce a reduced width in the webbing, the reduced width being smaller than an unfolded full width of the webbing, the guide comprising:
a body having an enclosed passageway defined therethrough from an entrance orifice on one side of the body to an exit orifice on an opposing side of the body, the passageway defined by interior surfaces extending between the entrance orifice and the exit orifice, the interior surfaces defining a shape wherein the entrance orifice has an entrance width and height that are larger than an exit width and height defined by the exit orifice, the entrance width and the exit width being defined in the direction of the width of the webbing, the passageway being shaped to fold the webbing from the full width to the reduced width.

2. The guide according to claim 1 , wherein the passageway includes an upper wall, a lower wall and opposed sidewalls generally forming a flattened funnel shape proceeding from the entrance orifice to the exit orifice.

3. The guide according to claim 2 , wherein the opposed side walls are symmetrically shaped.

4. The guide according to claim 2 , wherein the lower wall is formed with a single central fin projecting toward the upper wall.

5. The guide according to claim 4 , wherein the central fin extends perpendicularly relative to the lower wall.

6. The guide according to claim 4 , wherein the central fin extends obliquely relative to the lower wall.

7. The guide according to claim 1 , wherein the passageway defines a funnel shape from the entrance orifice to the exit orifice.

8. The guide according to claim 1 , wherein the passageway defines a flattened funnel shape from the entrance orifice to the exit orifice.

9. A guide according to claim 1 incorporated in a pretensioner of a motor vehicle belt restraint system, the belt restraint system being of the type mountable to a structure of the motor vehicle and acting on a seatbelt, the pretensioner further comprising:
a frame having walls defining an interior compartment;
a piston assembly located within the interior compartment, the piston assembly including a gas generator in communication with the piston, the gas generator being fixedly positioned relative to the frame and the piston being movably mounted with respect to the frame, whereby an expanding gas created by the gas generator causes movement of the piston; and
the guide being mounted to the frame and oriented such that the exit orifice faces toward the piston assembly and the entrance orifice faces away from the piston assembly.

10. The pretensioner according to claim 1 , wherein the passageway of the seatbelt guide includes an upper wall, a lower wall and opposed sidewalls generally forming a flattened funnel shape proceeding from the entrance orifice to the exit orifice, the lower wall having a projection extending upward toward the upper wall and the projection extending one of perpendicularly or obliquely relative to the lower wall.

11. The pretensioner according to claim 10 , wherein the opposed side walls are one of asymmetrically or symmetrically shaped.

12. A guide for passing a webbing therethrough and folding a lateral side of the webbing back upon a central portion of the webbing, the guide comprising:
a body having an opening defined therethrough from an entrance on one side of the body to an exit on an opposing side of the body, the opening defined by interior surfaces extending between the entrance and the exit, the interior surfaces defining a shape wherein the entrance has an entrance area that is larger than an exit area defined by the exit, the opening including an upper wall, a lower wall and opposed sidewalls generally forming a flattened funnel shape proceeding from the entrance to the exit, and wherein the opposed side walls are asymmetrically shaped.

13. A guide for passing a webbing therethrough and folding a lateral side of the webbing back upon a central portion of the webbing, the guide comprising:
a body having an opening defined therethrough from an entrance on one side of the body to an exit on an opposing side of the body, the opening defined by interior surfaces extending between the entrance and the exit, the interior surfaces defining a shape wherein the entrance has an entrance area that is larger than an exit area defined by the exit, the opening including an upper wall, a lower wall and opposed sidewalls generally forming a flattened funnel shape proceeding from the entrance to the exit, wherein the opposed sidewalls are symmetrically shaped, and wherein the opposed sidewalls include shoulders formed therein, the shoulders extending longitudinally in the opening toward the exit, the shoulders defining a reduced region between the opposed sidewalls.

14. The guide according to claim 13 , wherein portions of the sidewalls that are immediately adjacent to the entrance are formed without shoulders.

15. A pretensioner for use as part of a motor vehicle belt restraint system, the belt restraint system being of the type mountable to a structure of the motor vehicle, the pretensioner comprising:
a frame having walls defining an interior compartment;
a piston assembly located within the interior compartment, the piston assembly including a gas generator in communication with the piston, the gas generator being fixedly positioned relative to the frame and the piston being movably mounted with respect to the frame, whereby an expanding gas created by the gas generator causes movement of the piston;
a seatbelt guide mounted to the frame, the seatbelt guide including an enclosed passageway defined therethrough from an entrance orifice to an exit orifice on opposite sides of the seatbelt guide, the passageway having interior surfaces extending between the entrance orifice and the exit orifice, the interior surfaces defining a shape wherein the entrance orifice defines an entrance width and height that are larger than an exit width and height defined by the exit orifice; and
a seatbelt extending into the entrance orifice through the passageway and out of the exit orifice of the seatbelt guide, the seatbelt extending about the piston, the seatbelt further having a first width before extending into the entrance orifice and having a second width after extending out of the exit orifice, the second width being less than the first width, the entrance width and the exit width being defined in the direction of the first width of the seatbelt, the seatbelt being guided along a path from the exit orifice around a semi-cylindrical end surface while maintaining the second width along the path.

16. The pretensioner according to claim 15 , wherein a lateral side of the seatbelt is folded under a central portion of the seatbelt where the seatbelt extends out of the exit orifice.

17. The pretensioner according to claim 15 , wherein at least a portion of the seatbelt is folded back upon itself as it extends about the piston.

18. The pretensioner according to claim 15 , wherein the passageway defines one of a funnel shape or a flattened funnel shape.

19. A pretensioner for use as part of a motor vehicle belt restraint system, the belt restraint system being of the type mountable to a structure of the motor vehicle, the pretensioner comprising:
a frame having walls defining an interior compartment;
a piston assembly located within the interior compartment, the piston assembly including a gas generator in communication with the piston,

Assignees

• Autoliv Asp Inc

Inventors

• Ver Hoven Robert E
• Cahill Timothy J
• Burrow Jon E
• Bäker Matthias

Classifications

• B60R2022/1818

  Belt guides · CPC title

• B60R22/1955

  Linear actuators · CPC title

• B60R22/1954 Primary

  characterised by fluid actuators, e.g. pyrotechnic gas generators (actuating a cable B60R22/1952) · CPC title

• B60R22/18

  Anchoring devices · CPC title