Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Patent
1999-01-12
2000-06-20
Rice, Kenneth R.
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
B60R 2236
Patent
active
060768568
ABSTRACT:
A belt tension and energy absorbing apparatus for a motor vehicle seat belt including a stationary tube attached to a body of the motor vehicle, a piston slidable in the stationary tube, a connecting member between the seat belt and the piston, a source of gas at elevated pressure, and an energy absorber. A bulkhead in the stationary tube between the ends thereof cooperates with the piston in defining a pressure chamber in the stationary tube. When sensors on the motor vehicle detect rapid deceleration, gas from the source of gas at elevated pressure is introduced into the pressure chamber and propels the piston through a tension stroke in a first direction. After the tension stoke, the thrust of an occupant on the seat belt propels the piston in a second direction through an energy absorbing stroke during which the piston displaces the bulkhead a fraction of the occupant's kinetic energy is converted into work. Because the volume of the pressure chamber can be made relatively small without compromising the length of the energy absorbing stroke of the piston, the required volume of gas at elevated pressure and the expense attributable to producing that volume of gas are reduced.
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Jedrzejczak Edward Aloysius
Wang Jenne-Tai
Zhou Qing
General Motors Corporation
Marra Kathryn A.
Rice Kenneth R.
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