| Patent application number | Description | Published |
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| 20100044489 | DEVICE FOR PRETENSIONING A SEATBELT - In at least one embodiment of the present invention, a device for pretensioning a seatbelt is provided. The device comprises a spindle for receiving a portion of the seatbelt. A retractor frame that has a weakened portion is supported by the spindle for rotational movement within the retractor frame. A pretensioner is operatively connected to the spindle for rotating the spindle to tighten the seatbelt. The pretensioner includes pretensioner balls. The pretensioner is configured to drive the pretensioner balls toward a ball collection area adjacent to the weakened portion. The weakened portion is deformed by the pretensioner balls to increase the size of the ball collection area. | 02-25-2010 |
| 20110215184 | BELT RETRACTOR HAVING A FORCE LIMITATION DEVICE AND A TIGHTENING DEVICE - A seat belt retractor with a load limiting device and a tensioning device includes a two-part belt shaft with a first part ( | 09-08-2011 |
| 20110215185 | BELT RETRACTOR HAVING A FORCE LIMITATION DEVICE - Disclosed is a seat belt retractor with a two-part belt shaft including a first part ( | 09-08-2011 |
| 20120006925 | High Seal Retractor Pretensioner Piston - A pretensioner assembly for motor vehicle belt restraint systems is provided. The pretensioner assembly includes a tube in fluid communication with a gas generator. An elastic piston disposed within the tube is operable to drive a plurality of balls upon receiving pressurized gas discharged from the gas generator. The piston includes a proximate end and a distal end. The proximate end includes a flexible rim that expands upon receiving pressurized gas from the gas generator, and the distal end includes a flexible rim that expands in response to backpressure from the plurality of balls. The expansion of the flexible rims at the proximate and distal ends of the piston provides a tight seal between the piston and the inner peripheral wall of the tube. | 01-12-2012 |
| 20120006926 | HIGH SEAL RETRACTOR PRETENSIONER PISTON - A pretensioner assembly for motor vehicle belt restraint systems is provided. The pretensioner assembly includes a tube in fluid communication with a gas generator. An elastic piston disposed within the tube is operable to drive a plurality of balls upon receiving pressurized gas discharged from the gas generator. The piston includes a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end includes a flexible rim that expands upon receiving pressurized gas from the gas generator, and the distal end includes a flexible rim that expands in response to backpressure from the plurality of balls. The expansion of the flexible rims at the proximal and distal ends of the piston provides a tight seal between the piston and the inner peripheral wall of the tube. | 01-12-2012 |
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| 20080217458 | Hybrid vehicle sensitive seat belt retractor inertial locking system - A vehicle sensitive retractor locking system which may have reduced sensitivity to Z-axis accelerations experienced during driving conditions. The locking system incorporates a ball mass which is maintained within a nest surface of a ball cage. A locking lever is provided having a pair of arms, including an upper and lower arm. The lower arm forms a support post which directly engages with the ball mass in the normal condition of the locking system. The upper arm forms an actuation rim which encircles the upper portion of the ball mass. When the ball mass is displaced within the nest surface in response to inertial forces, two locking modes are provided. First, by relieving pressure exerted by the ball against the post support as the ball is displaced, the locking lever is free to rotate into a locking condition. A secondary locking mode is provided through direct contact between the ball mass and the actuation rim of the locking lever upper arm. The control system also optionally incorporates a vertical ball restrictor which directly contacts the ball mass and restricts its upper Z-axis motion. | 09-11-2008 |
| 20100084906 | RETRACTOR WITH PRETENSIONER FOR AUXILIARY LOAD LIMITATION - An assembly having a retractor and a pretensioner whereby the pretensioner can be employed to provide load limitation features. The pretensioner may also be used without the load limitation features. The pretensioner has a drive mechanism including a plurality of pretensioner balls sized to engage a pinion, the pinion operatively connected to the seat belt through a force limiting element. The pretensioner defines a guide surface structured to guide the pretensioner balls along a ball path along the pinion. The guide surface includes features to engage a pretensioner ball and block the pinion. | 04-08-2010 |
| 20100176236 | HIGH PERFORMANCE TIGHTENER - A self stopping seat belt retractor is provided with a spindle for winding a seat belt thereonto and unwinding a wound seat belt therefrom and a housing rotatably supporting the spindle and having a locking device that includes a locking means for the spindle that can be controlled in a vehicle sensitive and/or belt sensitive manner into engagement with a toothed gearing system on the side of the housing. A tightening device operating on the spindle includes a drive wheel, which is, prior to the release of the tightening device, secured in a force-transmitting manner on the housing, is connectable upon release of the tightening device with the spindle, whereby the drive wheel of the tightening device is connectable via the locking device with the spindle for the transmission of force to the spindle. | 07-15-2010 |
| 20110147509 | Adaptive Load Limiting Retractor - An adaptive load limiting seat belt retractor particularly adapted for motor vehicle applications. The retractor provides multiple levels of load limiting through the use of a pair of internal torsion bar elements. The torsion bar elements control the tension force on the seat belt webbing during an impact in a manner which provides desirable crash management characteristics. The retractor can be switched between high and low load limiting modes through activation of a pyrotechnic pretensioner. When the pyrotechnic pretensioner is not activated, the retractor provides a low load level characteristic. Pretensioner activation switches the retractor into a high load level operating condition. A high load limiting level is provided when the pretensioner is not activated if the spindle rotation exceeds a limited level in the low load limiting condition. A degressive load limiting feature may be provided to cause load limiting to begin at a higher level than the high load limiting level, and then step down the high load limiting level. | 06-23-2011 |
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| 20090204875 | Method, System And Computer Program Product For Diagnosing Communications - A method for diagnosing communications includes sending a message from a sending node to a receiving node. The sending node detects an error in the receiving node receiving the message. A force log request is sent from the sending node to the receiving node, the force log request including a request for the receiving node to log information. A force log response is received from the receiving node at the sending node, the force log response including the logged information. The sending node diagnoses the communications error in response to the force log response. | 08-13-2009 |
| 20090213753 | SUBNET MANAGEMENT IN VIRTUAL HOST CHANNEL ADAPTER TOPOLOGIES - A computer program product for subnet management in virtual host channel adapter topologies includes a tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method. The method includes receiving a request to add a new logical host channel adapter (HCA) to the subnet, updating a logical switch port topology control block to reflect a pointer to the new logical HCA, and updating a port topology control block of the logical HCA to reflect a pointer to the logical switch port. | 08-27-2009 |
| 20090216853 | SUBNET MANAGEMENT DISCOVERY OF POINT-TO-POINT NETWORK TOPOLOGIES - A computer program product for subnet management discovery of point-to-point network topologies includes a tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method. The method includes discovering a local portion of a subnet representing the point-to-point network, the discovering facilitated by a coupling subnet manager configured to act as a master subnet manager on the local portion of the subnet, interpreting a state of a physical port associated with the coupling subnet manager, and discovering a remote portion of the subnet physically connected to the physical port based on the interpreting. | 08-27-2009 |
