A seat belt retractor comprises (a) a rotatable spool on which seat belt webbing is wound and (b) a load-limiting system to limit a load applied to a vehicle occupant by the webbing. The load-limiting system includes a flow control orifice through which fluid is forced when a load in excess of a predetermined load is applied to the rotatable spool by the webbing. The cross-sectional flow area of the flow control orifice is adjustable in response to unwinding of webbing from the rotatable spool prior to a vehicle crash event and ceases to be adjustable after the crash event is in progress. The load-limiting system also includes a piston in a cylinder. The piston and cylinder are operatively coupled to the spool such that rotation of the spool causes the piston to move relative to the cylinder, which movement causes fluid to be forced through the flow control orifice.

Method for controlling a vehicle including a smartphone-engaging coupling element. Data about operational status of the vehicle is transferred from one or more vehicle-resident systems to a smartphone when the smartphone is engaged with the coupling element. Commands are received by the vehicle from the smartphone when the smartphone is engaged with the coupling element, which commands being based in part on data previously transferred from the vehicle-resident system(s) to the smartphone when the smartphone is engaged with the coupling element. A vehicular system, e.g., seat positioning system, mirror positioning system, passenger compartment temperature control system, route guidance or navigation system, changes its operation in accordance with the commands received by the vehicle from the smartphone when the smartphone is engaged with the coupling element.

A restraint system includes a retractor housing; a spool rotatably coupled to the retractor housing and defining an axis of rotation; an inner torsion bar elongated along the axis of rotation and positioned coaxially in the spool; an outer torsion bar elongated along the axis of rotation, extending coaxially around the inner torsion bar, and positioned coaxially in the spool; an engagement member selectively engageable with the outer torsion bar; and a solenoid operable to move the engagement member into engagement with the outer torsion bar and out of engagement with the outer torsion bar.

A belt retractor comprising a safety belt reel (1) rotatably mounted on a frame (7) and a load limiter (2) which acts on a rotational movement of the belt reel (1) and has a switchable energy consumption, said load limiter having a granulate (3), which is enclosed in a closed load limiter chamber (8) and consists of dry, granular solid, and at least one rotating member (4) which can be rotated relative to the granulate (3), the energy consumption resulting from shear forces acts between the grains of granulate.

Provided are a seat belt retractor and a seat belt device with which it is possible to improve energy absorption characteristics and a restraining property. The seat belt retractor includes a spool that performs winding of a webbing for restraining an occupant, a shaft inserted through an axial center of the spool, and a locking base connected to the shaft and capable of switching between a rotating state and a non-rotating state. The seat belt retractor further includes a load adjustment member disposed between the shaft and the locking base and that blocks or reduces load transmission in a case where a load equal to or greater than a threshold is applied to the shaft, and an energy absorption device disposed between the spool and the locking base and capable of changing an energy absorption amount according to a relative rotation speed between the spool and the locking base. The energy absorption device is connected in parallel with the load adjustment member.

To provide an energy absorption apparatus, a seatbelt retractor, and a seatbelt apparatus that are capable of changing the energy absorption amount according to increases and decreases in the rotation speed between objects that rotate relative to each other and capable of improving endurance. The energy absorption apparatus includes a first plate connected to one of the objects and having a wave-shaped groove formed in an annular shape, a second plate connected to another one of the objects, disposed so as to be adjacent to the first plate, and having a plurality of radial grooves formed at locations that face the wave-shaped groove, a plurality of driving pins that are inserted, at one end, in the wave-shaped groove and inserted, at another end, in the radial grooves, and a plurality of follower bodies that are housed in the wave-shaped groove or the radial grooves and that slide along the wave-shaped groove as the driving pins move.

In a webbing take-up device, a FL lock pawl is actuated by rotation of a spool in a pull-out direction relative to a lock base, coupling the spool and a lock ring of an energy absorption mechanism together by the FL lock pawl. A reduction in number of times the FL lock pawl is actuated is thereby enabled in comparison to a case in which the FL lock pawl always actuates on actuation of a lock mechanism. The occurrence of wear or the like of ratchet teeth of the FL lock pawl is suppressed as a result. Accordingly, improvement of margin for durability of the FL lock pawl that actuates the energy absorption mechanism is enabled.

In a webbing take-up device, a lock ring of an energy absorption mechanism is disposed coaxially to a spool. An anchor hook (one end portion) of a wire is anchored to the lock ring, and the wire is wound around a wire attachment face (outer peripheral portion) of the lock ring from the anchor hook to another end portion of the wire. Most of the wire excluding a second energy absorption portion is accordingly disposed around the wire attachment face of the lock ring that is disposed coaxially to the spool, thereby enabling an increase in size of the body of the webbing take-up device to be suppressed in comparison to a case in which the lock ring is disposed parallel to the spool.

A restraint system includes a retractor housing, a webbing spool rotatably coupled to the retractor housing and defining an axis of rotation, a wire spool lockable to the webbing spool, a die fixed relative to the retractor housing, and a wire fixed to the wire spool and engaged with the die.