A seat belt structure for a center seat of a vehicle is disclosed. The seat belt structure includes a safety belt webbing mounted to a first side of the seat portion and extending to a first end of the back portion and a buckle mounted to a second side of the seat portion. A tongue is movably connected to the safety belt webbing and is adapted to couple with the buckle to restraint an occupant of the central seat. The seat belt structure also includes a grab structure adapted to be held by the occupant. The safety belt webbing defines a lap belt portion adapted to traverse a lap of the occupant, and a shoulder belt portion adapted to extend diagonally across an upper torso of the occupant, when the tongue is engaged with the buckle. The grab structure is engaged with the lap belt portion.

A seat belt structure for a center seat of a vehicle is disclosed. The seat belt structure includes a safety belt webbing mounted to a first side of the seat portion and extending to a first end of the back portion and a buckle mounted to a second side of the seat portion. A tongue is movably connected to the safety belt webbing and is adapted to couple with the buckle to restraint an occupant of the central seat. The seat belt structure also includes a grab structure adapted to be held by the occupant. The safety belt webbing defines a lap belt portion adapted to traverse a lap of the occupant, and a shoulder belt portion adapted to extend diagonally across an upper torso of the occupant, when the tongue is engaged with the buckle. The grab structure is engaged with the lap belt portion.

A pretensioning lapbelt apparatus where the pretensioning of the lapbelt is performed by the rapid inflation of an airbag that is integral to the lapbelt itself. The design of the airbag, including the attachment locations of the ends of the webbing are chosen such that, upon inflation of the airbag, the free end of the webbing—the end of the webbing that is passed through the cinching latch—is pulled taught, thereby reducing the effective length of the lapbelt. The anchor is designed to be a cinching anchor such that once the airbag deploys and pulls the webbing through the anchor (thereby pretensioning the lapbelt) a sliding pin in the anchor “cinches” the webbing, effectively locking the webbing in the pretensioned state.

A seat belt for use in a vehicle including one or more seat cushions adapted to receive one or more vehicle occupants and a method for manufacturing the same is disclosed. The seat belt includes webbing, an anchor loop, and a fold. The anchor loop is formed at an end of the webbing affixed to a body of the webbing and adapted to pass through a belt receptacle anchor adapted to be fastened to a chassis of the vehicle. The fold is formed in the webbing adjacent to the anchor loop, such that a width of the webbing at the fold is less than a width of the webbing in other regions of the body.

A seat belt for use in a vehicle including one or more seat cushions adapted to receive one or more vehicle occupants and a method for manufacturing the same is disclosed. The seat belt includes webbing, an anchor loop, and a fold. The anchor loop is formed at an end of the webbing affixed to a body of the webbing and adapted to pass through a belt receptacle anchor adapted to be fastened to a chassis of the vehicle. The fold is formed in the webbing adjacent to the anchor loop, such that a width of the webbing at the fold is less than a width of the webbing in other regions of the body.

Methods for marking a seat belt webbing with an infrared compound are described herein. The methods comprise ablating a surface of the seat belt webbing by directing one or more laser pulses toward the seat belt webbing; and coating the ablated surface of the seat belt webbing with the infrared compound, wherein the infrared compound increases absorptivity or reflectivity of the seat belt webbing to infrared radiation. Methods for optically monitoring operation of the seat belt webbing in a vehicle and distinguishing between proper positioning and improper positioning of the seat belt webbing are also disclosed.

Methods for marking a seat belt webbing with an infrared compound are described herein. The methods comprise ablating a surface of the seat belt webbing by directing one or more laser pulses toward the seat belt webbing; and coating the ablated surface of the seat belt webbing with the infrared compound, wherein the infrared compound increases absorptivity or reflectivity of the seat belt webbing to infrared radiation. Methods for optically monitoring operation of the seat belt webbing in a vehicle and distinguishing between proper positioning and improper positioning of the seat belt webbing are also disclosed.

Energy absorbing devices for use with child seat restraint webs, seat belt webs, and other webs are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, an energy absorbing device includes a body having first and second apertures that receive a portion of a web, such as a web of an occupant restraint system. When a load is applied to the web, such as in a vehicle crash, the body deflects under the load from a first shape to a second shape to absorb the energy transmitted by the web.

Energy absorbing devices for use with child seat restraint webs, seat belt webs, and other webs are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, an energy absorbing device includes a body having first and second apertures that receive a portion of a web, such as a web of an occupant restraint system. When a load is applied to the web, such as in a vehicle crash, the body deflects under the load from a first shape to a second shape to absorb the energy transmitted by the web.

A seat belt positioning mechanism that has a vehicle seat and an elastic tensioning member. The vehicle seat has a frame structure, a cushion portion covering the frame structure and a cover material covering the cushion portion. The cushion portion defines a main seating section and an outboard side seat section extending laterally outboard from a corresponding side of the main seating section. The side seat section defines an opening extending through the cushion portion. The opening is dimensioned to receive a seat belt extending therethrough. The cover material has a cover extension extending into the opening. The elastic tensioning member has a first end fixed to the frame structure and extends under the cover extension into the opening. The elastic tensioning member is dimensioned and shaped to bias the cover extension in an outboard direction against a part of the seat belt located within the opening.