A seat belt retractor that has a simple structure, easy to manufacture and operates accurately is provided, and a seat belt apparatus provided with the seat belt retractor is also provided. The seat belt retractor includes energy absorbing mechanisms that absorb and alleviate the energy of a vehicle occupant by limiting a load applied to a seat belt. The energy absorbing mechanisms is coaxially incorporated in a spool, whose one end portion is retained by the spool and the other end can be locked by the lock mechanism, and obtains a rotational force when being twisted. The second energy absorbing mechanism includes a first rotating member rotatable together with the spool, an abutting member relatively rotatable with respect to the first rotating member by a predetermined angle, a second rotating member relatively rotatable with respect to the abutting member, and an energy absorbing member whose one end portion is fixed to and supported by the second rotating member and the other end portion abuts against the abutting member.

A seat belt assembly for a vehicle includes a pretensioner, and a cable connected to the pretensioner. The seat belt assembly includes a torsion bar having a plurality of teeth. The cable has slots interlocking with the teeth. During a sensed impact of the vehicle, the pretensioner is activated to retract the cable to pretension the seat belt assembly relative to an occupant of the vehicle. The interlocking of the slots with the teeth exerts torsional forces on the torsion bar, which yields to reduce forces on a chest of the occupant.

A safety belt retractor, comprising a frame (8) and a belt retracting cylinder (1), the retracting cylinder (1) being rotatably supported in the frame (8) and being composed to be used for winding a woven belt (2). The frame (8) comprises: a back plate (8h), which has a first side and a second side which are opposite to each other, and a first opening (20); a plurality of first supporting legs (8a,8b), extending from the first side of the back plate (8h); a first support plate (11), which is provided with a second opening (21) and is connected to free end regions of the first supporting legs (8a, 8b); a plurality of second supporting legs (8c, 8d, 8e, 8f), extending from the second side of the back plate (8h); and a second supporting plate (9), connected to the free end regions of the second supporting legs (8c, 8d, 8e, 8f). The first opening (20) and the second opening (21) receive the belt retracting cylinder (1). The safety belt retractor is simple in structure and easy to assembly. Also provided is a safety belt device comprising the safety belt retractor.

A switching mechanism (100) in a force limiter mechanism of a seat belt retractor including: a locking mechanism including a locking element (68) that locks a torque tube (64) with respect to a spindle (61) so that the torque tube (64) rotates together with the spindle (61) and a spindle ring (70); a switch ring (120) rotatable to unlock the locking mechanism; and a switch housing (101) that stores the switch ring (120), a switch piston (115) adapted to activate the switch ring (120). A switching gas generator (116) generates gas for pushing out the switch piston (115) upon activation of the switching mechanism. The switch housing (101) of the switching mechanism (100) has a protrusion (110) that protrudes in an incoming direction of an operated part (122) at an abutment part hit by the switch ring (120) rotated by the switch piston (115) to control movement of the switch ring.

A belt retractor (40) having a belt reel (14), a seat belt (12) which can be wound thereon to form a belt reel, and at least one first assembly, the first assembly being arranged coaxially with the axis of rotation of the belt reel (14) and in series with the belt reel (14). The belt retractor is especially adapted for mounting inside the frame member of a motor vehicle seat.

An adaptive load-limiting seatbelt assembly for a passenger vehicle includes a rotatable spool drum storing a length of seatbelt fabric and a piezoelectric device including a controller that can dynamically control torque applied to the spool drum resisting pay-out of the seatbelt from the spool drum during a dynamic event such as a vehicle crash.

A torsion shaft for a seat belt retractor assembly, the torsion shaft being connectable at a first location to a spool for receiving a seat belt and connectable at a second location to a locking mechanism, the first and second locations being spaced apart along a length of the torsion shaft, wherein the torsion shaft is configured to deform when a torsion force is applied between the first and second locations during an impact event, wherein the torsion shaft comprises a cavity and a fluid is provided in said cavity so as to support the torsion shaft as the torsion shaft deforms during the impact event.

A seatbelt retractor comprises a housing having a first end and a second end. The seatbelt retractor includes a spool having a first end and a second end each rotatably supported by the housing, the spool being elongated on an axis from the first end to the second end. The seatbelt retractor includes a torsion bar having a first end fixed to the first end of the spool and a second end operatively engaged with the housing. The torsion bar includes a wire elongated along the axis and connected to the first end of the torsion bar and the second end of the torsion bar.

A spool 20 and a locking base 40 are connected through a torsion bar 70. A stop gear 82 and a positioning member 86 are engaged through threads with the male thread 42c of a locking base 40 so as to be separated from each other a predetermined distance. The locking base 40 and the torsion bar 70 are mounted to the spool 20 while the distance of separation between the stop gear 82 and the positioning member 86 is accurately set to a specified distance. When the tension of webbing increases due to the movement of a vehicle occupant in a vehicle collision and provides the torsion bar 70 with EA rotation while twisting the torsion bar 70, the stop gear 82 advances toward the positioning member 86 and comes into contact therewith.

A seat belt system for protecting an occupant of a vehicle, the system having seat belt webbing connected to a seat belt retractor that includes (a) a frame; (b) a spool with the seat belt webbing wound around, wherein the spool is rotatably mounted to the frame and configured to rotate in a webbing extraction direction and a webbing retraction direction; (c) an energy absorbing device for absorbing energy when the spool is rotated in the webbing extraction direction after an emergency event has occurred; and (d) a mechanism for selectively cancelling the operation of the energy absorbing device by preventing motion of the spool in the webbing extraction direction.