A retractor assembly for a seatbelt system having a webbing for restraining a secured occupant, the retractor comprising a spool configured to wind and unwind the webbing about an axis of rotation, the spool includes a side with an opening therein; a collar including an outer surface and an inner surface, the outer surface configured to engage the opening; a locking base configured to operatively engage the inner surface; and an energy absorbing member configured to provide a progressive level of load resistance upon relative rotation between the spool and the locking base.

In a webbing take-up device, a first rotation section and a second rotation section are coupled by forming a first detachment prevention portion at a vehicle rear side end portion of a circular cylinder portion of the second rotation section. Moreover, a mounting portion of a torsion bar is inserted inside the vehicle rear side end portion of the circular cylinder portion in this state. This enables deformation of the vehicle rear side end portion of the circular cylinder portion to be suppressed, and enables deformation of the first detachment prevention portion to be suppressed.

In a webbing take-up device, in a vehicle collision, pull-out of a webbing from a spool by an occupant is limited by a torsion shaft of a first force limiter mechanism, is limited by a wire of a second force limiter mechanism in correspondence with a build of an occupant, and is limited by a wire of a third force limiter mechanism in correspondence with a deceleration rate of the vehicle. This enables a load at which to limit the webbing from being pulled out from the spool in a vehicle collision to be a load suited to the build of the occupant and the deceleration rate of the vehicle.

A seat belt retractor includes a housing including a pair of side walls facing each other, a winding drum configured to wind up a webbing, a locking base prevented from being rotated in the pull-out direction, in an emergency of a vehicle, an impact energy absorbing member including a first end side coupled to the winding drum and a second end side coupled to the locking base, the impact energy absorbing member connecting the winding drum and the locking base so as to be integrally rotatable, in a normal state, at least one impact energy absorbing wire housed in at least one slot that is provided in the winding drum, and a stopper member configured to define an allowable amount of relative rotation between the winding drum and the locking base in a case where the impact energy absorbing member absorbs the impact energy.

A seat belt retractor includes a belt shaft pivot-mounted in a retractor frame, wherein the belt shaft shows an at least two-part design with a first and a second part. A load limiting device includes at least two parts, which can be moved relative to each other and have teeth, with which they alternately engage and disengage. Each of the parts of the load limiting device is allocated to a different part of the belt shaft. A tensioning device is located on the second part of the belt shaft and, upon activation, abruptly drives the belt shaft in the winding direction. One of the parts of the load limiting device, via a transmission device, is connected in a rotationally-fixed manner to the second part of the belt shaft through the first part, which is a hollow shaft.

An energy absorbing seat belt retractor used with a seat belt assembly of a motor vehicle. The seat belt retractor includes a reel for winding and unwinding the seat belt and an elongated shaft, with the reel attached to the shaft. In one example, a movable disc is connected to and moves longitudinally along the shaft. At least one of the reel or movable disc includes a friction layer providing a friction surface such that when the movable disc is driven axially toward the real there is frictional engagement between the reel and movable disc that absorbs impact energy on the occupant and limits the load applied to the seat belt.

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.

A belt retractor for a safety belt, having a belt reel for winding or unwinding the safety belt, and a belt force limiting installation which comprises a first and second torsion bar for limiting belt force. The belt retractor has a free-wheeling transmission which operates depending on the rotation angle and which after activation of the belt force limiting installation initially leaves the second torsion bar so as to be inactive, while the first torsion bar for limiting belt force is already being twisted, and the free-wheeling transmission activates the second torsion bar as soon as the free-wheeling transmission has been rotated about a predefined maximum free-wheeling rotation angle.

A retractor assembly comprising a spool configured to wind and unwind the webbing, a lock base, and an energy absorbing member having a first end operatively connected to the locking base and a second end operatively connected to the spool. The energy absorbing member provides a progressive level of load resistance upon relative rotation between the spool and the locking base.

A 3-point seat belt system having a seat belt retractor (20) with a spool (32), the spool (32) having a locked mode of operation and a freewheeling mode of operation; a seat belt (411) characterized as having a known elongation rate under stress; a collapsible member (40) wrapped about a center portion of the spool (32) of the retractor (20), the member (40) having an initial diameter dl when unstressed and collapsible to a lesser diameter of d2 under stress. The method having the step of generating a retarding force on the occupant (404) in proportion to the degree by which the collapsible member (40) collapses.