A seatbelt assembly (30 figure 1) includes webbing 32 elongated along a length, a clip 34 slidable along the length of the webbing, an indicator 38a extending along the length of the webbing, and a sensor (40a figure 5) coupled to the clip and sensitive to the indicator. The indicator may have a characteristic varying along the length of the webbing, such as electrical resistance or transparency, so that the seatbelt assembly measures a length of a lap band 58 stretched across an occupant. In an alternative embodiment a wire may extend along the length of the webbing, with a voltage source being connected to the wire via the clip, and an electrical sensor coupled to an end of the webbing. Safety features such as the inflation stiffness of an airbag, a load limit of a seatbelt retractor, and a stroke absorption of a steering column may be tailored to the position of the clip and thus the body type of the occupant.
Lap belt length detecting seatbelt assembly
2018-08-15
Patent
Electronic Resource
English
IPC: | B60R Fahrzeuge, Fahrzeugausstattung oder Fahrzeugteile, soweit nicht anderweitig vorgesehen , VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR |
SEATBELT ASSEMBLY WITH ENHANCED SHOULDER BELT POSITIONING
European Patent Office | 2021
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