Patent ID: 7128343

Claim:
A safety-belt arrangement for use in a motor-vehicle, the safety-belt arrangement comprising a safety-belt, one end of which is connected to a retractor, a sensor adapted to generate a signal representative of the amount of the safety-belt paid-out from the retractor, a force limiter associated with the retractor adapted to permit the safety-belt to be paid-out with a variable force limiting effect, means to change the level of force applied by the force limiter, between a first level of resistive force and a second level of resistive force, and a control unit to generate an output signal to control the means which change the level of force, the arrangement determining a reference point either by measuring a period of time following sensing of a predetermined parameter relating to a crash, and then determining when a specific length of safety-belt has been paid out, or by sensing when the first level of resistive force is supplied by the force limiter and optionally then determining when a predetermined length of safety-belt has been paid-out and, after the reference point has been determined, measuring a predetermined period of time after the reference point has been reached before said output signal is generated.