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All About Seat Belts

All About Seat Belts
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FAQSeat belt
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How Seat Belts Work

How exactly do seat belt systems work when accidents occur?
We would like to give an example of how seat belts equipped with a pretensioner and load limiter work.
When accidents occur, several systems incorporated in the seat belt assembly go into operation simultaneously.
In less time than it takes for a human being to blink an eye, the seat belt system goes into action to control the
energy load the occupant endures on impact. By retracting some webbing as the collision is occurring, the
pretensioner enhances the protective functions of the belt by removing some slack and helping restrain the
passenger. The load limiter absorbs and softens the load on the occupant as the passenger moves forward
because of inertia. In the latest designed motorized seat belts, there are also functions to warn the driver, as the
seat belt motor gives a tug on the belt, that there is immediate dangerous situation. (a pre-impact warning).

*This is one example of how pretensioners and load limiters operate. The figures are for reference.

How Seat Belts Work

When accidents occur, several systems incorporated in the seat belt assembly go into operation simultaneously.
In less time than it takes for a human being to blink an eye, the seat belt system goes into action to control the
energy load the occupant endures on impact.

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00:51

T+ secondSensors detect the impact

0.003 As the satellite sensors (collision sensors) attached to the
vehicle detects the collision, a signal is sent to the ECU
(Electronic Control Unit). When the speed of the vehicle
suddenly drops because of impact, a separate vehicle
sensitive locking feature located in the retractor detects
the negative acceleration (rate of deceleration) and locks
the webbing to keep it from further extraction. This
restrains the forward movement of passenger. (The vehicle
sensitive locking feature also goes into operation when the
driver applies the brakes suddenly or turns the steering
wheel sharply.)

Key Point!
When you pull the seat belt webbing suddenly from the housing during normal use, it also
locks. However, this is due to the operation of a separate webbing sensitive locking feature.
Retractors are equipped with both vehicle sensitive and webbing sensitive locking features to
further enhance safety.

T+ secondEvaluation of the impact

0.015 The ECU processes the signal from the satellite sensors
and, diagnoses the severity of the impact. If the impact is
identified by the ECU to be a collision, the ECU sends a
signal to activate the pretensioners (gas emitting devices)
attached to the seat belt.

T+ secondThe Pretensioners go into action.

0.020 Next, the pretensioners activate and retract some of the
seat belt webbing. By pulling the seat belt webbing back, the
pretensioners remove some of the slack between the
passengers and the belts, thereby, restraining the
passengers in their seats more effectively. Removing this
slack greatly enhances the passenger protection function of
the seat belt system. By using the crushing of the car body
efficiently, the system helps absorb the energy of motion
that comes to bear on the passengers.

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T+ secondThe load limiter goes into action as the occupant

0.040 moves forward.
The shock resulting from the accident reaches the
passengers and the inertial force moves them forward. At
this very moment when a specified level of weight is
transferred to the webbing, the seat belt load limiter
activates and is allowed to move webbing from the housing
to help absorb the early weight burden on the occupant.

Key Point!
Before load limiters were developed, more of the energy from the accident was absorbed by
the occupant as the belt stretched. Today, most vehicles are equipped with load limiter
functions.

T+ secondEnergy of movement is absorbed.

0.060 At this moment the seat belt has positioned the occupant
to take advantage of the supplemental restraint system
(airbags). The energy of movement of the passengers body
is absorbed by the crushing of the vehicle, the load limiter
and the airbags.

T+ secondAbsorption of the energy of passengers

0.120 movement is completed.
Key Point!
Seat belts are the primary device for passenger safety.
The airbag is a supplemental restraint system
(SRS). As the meaning of the name suggests, the
airbag plays a supplementary role in restraining and
protecting passengers and are most effective when the
occupants have their seat belts fastened.

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