End-fitting tensioner for a safety belt system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9604595-B2
Application number	US-201214353046-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 22, 2012
Priority date	Oct 27, 2011
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

An end fitting tensioner ( 10 ) for a seat belt system includes a rotatable belt shaft ( 12 ) to which one end ( 14 ) of a webbing ( 16 ) is fixed, a belt shaft housing ( 18 ) in which the belt shaft ( 12 ) is supported, a rope reel ( 36 ) which is arranged at an axial end of the belt shaft ( 12 ) and is connected to the belt shaft ( 12 ) in a rotationally fixed manner, as well as a pull rope ( 41 ) which is secured by one rope end ( 45 ) on the rope reel ( 36 ) and can at least partly be wound onto the rope reel ( 36 ). The rope reel ( 36 ) includes a winding surface ( 62 ) for the pull rope ( 41 ) that is conically tapered in the axial direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An end fitting tensioner for a seat belt system, comprising
a rotatable belt shaft ( 12 ) to which one end ( 14 ) of a webbing ( 16 ) is fixed,
a belt shaft housing ( 18 ) in which the belt shaft ( 12 ) is supported,
a rope reel ( 36 ) which is arranged at an axial end of the belt shaft ( 12 ) and is connected to the belt shaft ( 12 ), as well as
a pull rope ( 41 ) which is secured by one rope end ( 45 ) to the rope reel ( 36 ) and can at least partly be wound onto the rope reel ( 36 ), a second end of the pull rope opposite the one rope end being secured to a driving element arranged to move along a linear path,
wherein the rope reel ( 36 ) includes a winding surface ( 62 ) for the pull rope ( 41 ) which is conically tapered in the axial direction.

2. The end fitting tensioner according to claim 1 , wherein the rope reel ( 36 ) is a cast part.

3. The end fitting tensioner according to claim 1 , wherein a radius of the winding surface ( 62 ) is reduced in the axial direction from a first radius (r 1 ) to a smaller second radius (r 2 ), wherein the pull rope ( 41 ) is secured in the area of the first radius (r 1 ) and is wound onto the rope reel ( 36 ) in the direction of the smaller second radius (r 2 ).

4. The end fitting tensioner according to claim 3 , wherein the winding surface is linear between the first end and the second end of the rope reel in a direction along the longitudinal axis of the belt shaft.

5. The end fitting tensioner according to claim 3 , wherein the winding surface is curved between the first end and the second end of the rope reel in a direction along the longitudinal axis of the belt shaft.

6. The end fitting tensioner according to claim 1 , wherein the driving element includes a tensioner tube ( 42 ) for receiving and guiding a pressurizing element ( 44 ), the pull rope ( 41 ) extending from a first rope end ( 45 ) secured to the rope reel ( 36 ) via at least one winding on the rope reel ( 36 ) into the tensioner tube ( 42 ) to the second rope end ( 52 ) secured on the pressurizing element ( 44 ).

7. The end fitting tensioner according to claim 1 , wherein the rope reel ( 36 ) and/or the belt shaft housing ( 18 ) includes a shear element ( 64 ) which, prior to activation of the end fitting tensioner ( 10 ), positively engages in a corresponding recess ( 66 ) of the belt shaft housing ( 18 ) and/or of the rope reel ( 36 ) and prevents relative rotation between the rope reel ( 36 ) and the belt shaft housing ( 18 ).

8. The end fitting tensioner according to claim 1 further comprising a pressurizing element guided by a tensioner tube, the second rope end of the pull rope being secured to the pressurizing element.

9. An end fitting tensioner for a seat belt system, the end fitting tensioner comprising:
a belt shaft housing;
a belt shaft supported by the belt shaft housing for rotation about a longitudinal axis of the belt shaft and attached to one end of a webbing;
a rope reel non-rotatably connected to an axial end of the belt shaft and having a winding surface that is conically tapered along the longitudinal axis of the belt shaft; and
a pull rope having a first rope end and a second rope end opposite the first rope end, the first rope end being secured to the rope reel and being wound onto the winding surface, the second rope end being secured to a driving element arranged to move along a linear path, the pull rope being arranged to unwind from the winding surface to cause the webbing to be wound onto the belt shaft upon movement of the driving element.

10. The end fitting tensioner according to claim 9 , wherein the conically tapered winding surface has a first radius at a first end of the rope reel and a second radius at a second end of the rope reel opposite the first end, the first radius being larger than the second radius, the pull rope being secured to the rope reel in an area of the first radius and wound onto the winding surface toward the second radius.

11. The end fitting tensioner according to claim 10 , wherein the winding surface is linear between the first end and the second end of the rope reel in a direction along the longitudinal axis of the belt shaft.

12. The end fitting tensioner according to claim 10 , wherein the winding surface is curved between the first end and the second end of the rope reel in a direction along the longitudinal axis of the belt shaft.

13. The end fitting tensioner according to claim 9 , wherein the driving element includes a pressurizing element guided by a tensioner tube, the second rope end of the pull rope being secured to the pressurizing element.

14. The end fitting tensioner according to claim 13 further comprising a gas generator that can be activated to apply pressurized gas to the pressurizing element to move the pressurizing element relative to the tensioner tube, the pull rope unwinding from the winding surface upon relative movement between the pressurizing element and the tensioner tube.

15. The end fitting tensioner according to claim 9 , wherein at least one of the rope reel and the belt shaft housing includes a shear element that engages in a recess provided on at least one of the belt shaft housing and the rope reel to prevent relative rotation between the rope reel and the belt shaft housing.

Assignees

• Trw Automotive Gmbh

Inventors

• Betz Hans-Peter
• Seitzer Dominik
• Ruediger Karl

Classifications

• B60R22/4628

  characterised by fluid actuators, e.g. pyrotechnic gas generators (actuating a cable B60R22/4619) · CPC title

• B60R2022/468

  characterised by clutching means between actuator and belt reel · CPC title

• B60R2022/4642

  the gas directly propelling a flexible driving means, e.g. a plurality of successive masses, in a tubular chamber · CPC title

• B60R22/1952

  Transmission of tensioning power by cable; Return motion locking means therefor · CPC title

• B60R22/1954

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