US 12,139,098 B2
Fluid damper for modulating a retaining force of a seat belt
Lars Löhken, Linz (DE); Raphael Piroth, Koblenz (DE); Markus Müller, Koblenz (DE); Ulrich Probst, Hillscheid (DE); and Christian Junghans, Duisburg (DE)
Assigned to STABILUS GmbH, Koblenz (DE)
Filed by STABILUS GMBH, Koblenz (DE)
Filed on Jul. 11, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/861,300.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2021 117 898.3 (DE), filed on Jul. 12, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0018695 A1, Jan. 19, 2023
Int. Cl. B60R 22/46 (2006.01)
CPC B60R 22/4676 (2013.01) 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A fluid damper for modulating a retaining force of a seat belt,
a. the fluid damper comprising an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder arranged in the outer cylinder coaxial to a common longitudinal axis;
b. the inner cylinder enclosing an inner space filled with a damping fluid;
c. the fluid damper comprising a piston shiftable in the inner space along the longitudinal axis along a stroke length;
d. the fluid damper comprising at least one duct; and
e. the at least one duct conductively connecting for the damping fluid a front fluid chamber disposed in front of the piston along the longitudinal axis to a rear fluid chamber disposed behind the piston along the longitudinal axis and/or a reservoir for the damping fluid disposed outside of the inner space;
wherein
f. the at least one duct comprises an outer duct portion in a shell wall of the outer cylinder and an inner duct portion in a shell wall of the inner cylinder;
g. an outer shell surface of the inner cylinder abuts on an inner shell surface of the outer cylinder to be sealing for the damping fluid; and
h. the inner cylinder is deflectable relative to the outer cylinder from a rest position by a force acting on the piston along the longitudinal axis, so that the deflection of the inner cylinder causes an adjustment of an overlap of the outer duct portion and the inner duct portion along the shell surfaces depending on the magnitude of the force.