Patent ID: 8714595

Claim:
A method for reducing injury of an occupant of a vehicle in a crash event, the method comprising: deploying an airbag cushion in the vehicle in front of the occupant; activating a seatbelt system that comprises a seatbelt to restrain the occupant and act on the occupant with seatbelt loads at various locations, wherein activating the seatbelt system comprises retracting the seatbelt via pretensioning during a pretensioner loading phase; permitting the occupant to ride down into the seatbelt system during a ride down induced loading phase that occurs after the airbag cushion has deployed and that follows the pretensioner loading phase; and moderating, during an arrest and transition induced loading phase that follows the ride down induced loading phase, the seatbelt loads acting on the occupant during the crash event to synchronize a rebound of a torso of the occupant from the airbag cushion and a rebound of a head of the occupant from the airbag cushion, which limits head and torso differential loading by the airbag cushion and therefore limits occupant neck loads.