METHOD, SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR STABILIZING VEHICLE OCCUPANT'S SHOULDER DURING SIDE COLLISION IMPACT

摘要

A vehicle occupant restraint method, system, and apparatus. The system includes a seat belt associated with a seat of a vehicle and a shoulder belt portion of the seat belt comprising a shoulder stabilizing zone and a thorax belt portion, wherein the shoulder stabilizing zone includes a larger width dimension than the thorax belt portion. The system also includes a pretensioning device associated with the shoulder belt portion of the seat belt. The pretensioning device is configured to cinch and lock the shoulder stabilizing zone around a shoulder region of the occupant, thereby preventing forward rotation of the shoulder region, in response to a side impact collision.

主权项

1. A method of restraining an occupant on a vehicle seat comprising:
providing a seat belt associated with the vehicle seat; activating a pretensioning device associated with a lap belt portion of the seat belt and a shoulder belt portion of the seat belt in response to a side impact collision, the shoulder belt portion of the seat belt including a wide shoulder stabilizing zone and a thorax belt portion, the wide shoulder stabilizing zone wider than the thorax belt portion and configured to cover a shoulder region of the occupant; preventing substantial forward rotation of the shoulder region of the occupant by cinching the wide shoulder stabilizing zone of the seat belt about the shoulder region of the occupant with the activated pretensioning device; and locking the pretensioning device in place to prevent substantial motion of the shoulder region and a pelvis region of the occupant.