Granted Patent B1

US 12,344,188 · App. 18/601,133 · Granted Jul 1, 2025

Inventors: Mohammad Omar Faruque (Ann Arbor, MI); S. M. Iskander Farooq (Novi, MI); Dean M. Jaradi (Macomb, MI)

Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC

B60R22/46B60R2022/468

Abstract

Claims (37)

1. A seatbelt retractor comprising:

a frame;

a spool rotatably supported by the frame and having a rotational axis;

a ring coaxial with the spool on the rotational axis and selectively lockable with the spool; and

a locking device operatively coupled between the spool and the ring to rotationally engage the spool with the ring in a locked position and rotationally disengage the spool from the ring in an unlocked position; and

an arm extending between the ring and the frame;

one of the ring or the frame defining a recess and the arm being fixed to and extending from the other of the ring or the frame into the recess;

when the locking device is in the locked position, the arm is elastically bendable relative to the ring and the frame when rotational force on the ring relative to the frame about the rotational axis exceeds a non-zero threshold to allow rotation of the ring relative to the frame; and

when the locking device is in the locked position, the arm locks the ring relative to the frame about the rotational axis when rotational force on the ring relative to the frame about the rotational axis is below the non-zero threshold.

2. The seatbelt retractor as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the arm extends radially from the ring to the frame.

3. The seatbelt retractor as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:

the ring includes an inner surface extending annularly around the rotational axis and an outer surface extending annularly about the inner surface;

the locking device engages the inner surface; and

the arm extends radially from the outer surface to the frame.

4. The seatbelt retractor as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the inner surface includes teeth and the locking device includes teeth, the teeth of the locking device being engaged with the teeth of the inner surface in the locked position and disengaged with the teeth of the inner surface in the unlocked position.

5. The seatbelt retractor as set forth in claim 4 , wherein the frame includes a second ring extending annularly about the ring, one of the ring or the second ring defining the recess and the arm being fixed to and extending from the other of the ring or the second ring into the recess.

6. The seatbelt retractor as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the locking device is a centrifugal clutch.

7. The seatbelt retractor as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the locking device directly engages the ring in the locked position.

8. The seatbelt retractor as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the arm is elongated radially relative to the ring.

9. The seatbelt retractor as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the frame includes a second ring coaxial with the spool on the rotational axis, one of the ring or the second ring defining the recess and the arm being fixed to and extending from the other of the ring or the second ring into the recess.

10. The seatbelt retractor as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of arms, including the arm, between the ring and the frame, the arms being spaced circumferentially about the ring;

one of the ring or the frame defining a plurality of recesses and the arms being fixed to and extending from the other of the ring or the frame into the recesses;

when the locking device is in the locked position, the arms are elastically bendable relative to the ring and the frame when rotational force on the ring relative to the frame about the rotational axis exceeds a non-zero threshold to allow rotation of the ring relative to the frame; and

when the locking device is in the locked position, the arms lock the ring relative to the frame about the rotational axis when rotational force on the ring relative to the frame about the rotational axis is below the non-zero threshold.

11. The seatbelt retractor as set forth in claim 10 , wherein the arms are spaced equidistantly annularly about the ring.

12. The seatbelt retractor as set forth in claim 10 , wherein the recesses and arms are positioned so that the arms are simultaneously received in respective recesses.

13. The seatbelt retractor as set forth in claim 10 , wherein:

the ring includes an inner surface extending annularly around the rotational axis and an outer surface extending annularly about the inner surface;

the locking device engages the inner surface; and

the arms extend radially from the outer surface to the frame.

14. The seatbelt retractor as set forth in claim 10 , wherein each of the arms have a common size and shape and each of the recesses have a common size and shape.

15. The seatbelt retractor as set forth in claim 14 , wherein the frame includes a second ring extending annularly about the outer surface of the ring, one of the ring or the second ring defining the recesses and the arms being fixed to and extending from the other of the ring or the second ring into the recesses.

16. The seatbelt retractor as set forth in claim 14 , wherein the recesses have a trapezoidal shape.

17. The seatbelt retractor as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the arm is a flat spring.

18. The seatbelt retractor as set forth in claim 1 , wherein when the locking device is in the locked position and a rotational force on the ring relative to the frame about the rotational axis exceeds the non-zero threshold, the arm disengages the recess and exerts a frictional force on the ring to resist rotation of the spool with respect to the frame.

19. The seatbelt retractor as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the ring is bonded to the frame with an adhesive that is frangible relative to the ring and/or the frame.

20. The seatbelt retractor as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the locking device is a centrifugal clutch supported at an end of the spool.

Assignments (1)

References Cited (60)