LOAD-LIMITING SEATBELT RETRACTOR

Organization Name

Inventor(s)

Mohammad Omar Faruque of Ann Arbor MI (US)

LOAD-LIMITING SEATBELT RETRACTOR

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18463345 titled 'LOAD-LIMITING SEATBELT RETRACTOR

Original Abstract Submitted

A seatbelt retractor includes a frame and a spool rotatably supported by the frame. A ring is coaxial with the spool on a rotational axis and is selectively lockable with the spool. A locking device is 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. One of the ring or the frame defines a recess and a tab is fixed to and extends from the other of the ring or the frame into the recess. When the locking device is in the locked position, the tab is elastically deformable relative to the ring and the frame when rotational force on the ring relative to the frame about the rotational axis exceeds a deformation threshold to allow rotation of the ring relative to the frame.