SEATBELT PRETENSIONER

摘要

A seatbelt pretensioner is provided including an inner tube with a gas generator housed therein, an intermediate sleeve extending over the inner tube, and a spool portion housing the sleeve and the tube. The spool portion includes spiraling flutes thereon that correspond to a protruding member in the form of flutes or pegs extending from the intermediate sleeve. In response to the gas generator firing, the sleeve will be driven longitudinally, causing the protruding member to act on the spiraling flutes of the spool, thereby causing the spool to rotate. The intermediate sleeve can include a spiraling slot that receives a peg from the inner tube, so that the intermediate sleeve will rotate to compound the spool rotation.

主权项

1. A seatbelt pretensioning system for acting on a seatbelt of an occupant restraint system of a motor vehicle, the system comprising:
a rotatable spool having a generally cylindrical sidewall defining a central longitudinal axis and a cavity centered on the longitudinal axis; a longitudinally translatable sleeve having a generally cylindrical sidewall that is coaxially aligned with the longitudinal axis and defining a cavity therein, the sleeve being mounted within the cavity of the spool for longitudinal translation therein; a spiraling flute formed by either the spool sidewall within the cavity or the translatable sleeve, and a follower member formed by the other of the spool sidewall or translatable sleeve, wherein the follower member is coupled to the spiraling flute; a tube member having a generally cylindrical sidewall and defining a cavity therein, the tube being mounted within the sleeve sidewall, wherein the sleeve is translatable along the tube; a gas generator fluidly coupled to the tube cavity and being configured to produce an increase in pressure within the tube cavity, wherein the sleeve translates longitudinally away from the gas generator and along the tube in response to the increase in pressure caused by the gas generator; and wherein the longitudinal translation of the sleeve causes the spool to rotate in response in accordance with the shape of the spiraling flute and its coupling to the follower member to cause the seatbelt to be pretensioned.