Rotating Disc Anchor Pretensioner for Trip Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Passengers tripping on the anchor pretensioner structure when entering the rear seat of 3-door or 2-door cars due to its protrusion, which affects safety and increases the risk of accidents and legal liabilities.
Innovation Solution
An anchor pretensioner structure that automatically adjusts the degree of protrusion of the pretensioner wire based on whether a passenger is sitting, using a rotating disc or linear drive mechanism to minimize protrusion into the entrance space, thereby preventing tripping and ensuring a safe mounting angle for the seat belt.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the protector protrudes by a great amount from the rear side of the door panel, then the mounting angle of the seat belt is optimized to prevent sub marine phenomenon, but the possibility of rear passenger tripping increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the protector movable rather than fixed. The rotating disc mechanism allows the protector to dynamically adjust its protrusion distance based on whether a rear passenger is present. When no passenger is detected, the protector protrudes more to optimize seat belt mounting angle; when a passenger is detected, it retracts to prevent tripping. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between safety optimization and trip prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback through sensors that detect the presence of rear passengers and send signals to the control unit. The control unit then adjusts the protector's protrusion distance accordingly. This closed-loop feedback system allows the system to automatically respond to changing conditions, optimizing safety when the rear is empty and preventing trips when a passenger is present, thus resolving the technical contradiction.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the protector protrudes by a smaller distance, then the possibility of tripping becomes lower, but the mounting angle of the seat belt increases, thereby increasing the possibility of sub marine occurring
Solution Approach 1:
The rotating disc mechanism enables the protector to dynamically change its position between two extreme states: a retracted position that minimizes tripping risk, and an extended position that optimizes seat belt mounting angle. This dynamic capability allows the system to avoid the need to permanently compromise either safety or trip prevention, resolving the contradiction by adapting to different operational conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of protrusion distance based on detected conditions. The control unit adjusts this physical parameter to optimize the mounting angle when the rear is empty, and reduces it when a passenger is present. This parameter adjustment strategy resolves the contradiction by allowing optimal values for different operational states rather than being locked into a single suboptimal position.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the anchor pretensioner is moved downwards to reduce protrusion, then tripping is prevented, but heavy investment costs are required for re-analyzing structural strength and re-establishing test platforms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the solution into two independent parts: the existing fixed anchor pretensioner structure remains unchanged, and a separate movable mechanism (rotating disc with protector) is added. This segmentation allows the new mechanism to provide trip prevention functionality without requiring changes to the proven car body structure, avoiding the need for expensive re-analysis and re-testing of the overall system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the trip prevention function with the existing anchor pretensioner system by adding a rotating disc mechanism that works in conjunction with the protector. This combination allows the system to achieve both safety functions (preventing trips and maintaining proper mounting angle) without fundamentally redesigning the car body structure, thereby avoiding heavy investment costs while still resolving the technical contradiction.
Data Source
AI summary
An anchor pretensioner structure for cars, may include an inflator mounted on a car-body plate to pull a seat belt upon a collision, a pretensioner wire made of a flexible material and connected to the inflator, a protector mounted to the pretensioner wire coupled to the seat belt, and an angle-adjuster to selectively rotate the pretensioner wire, depending upon whether or not a passenger may be sitting on a seat, so that the pretensioner wire may be allowed to rotate by a predetermined angle.