Patent ID: 8116948

Claim:
An energy-absorbing force limiter for a safety device as part of a vehicle seat-belt system comprising a first component and a second component that is moveable relative to the first component, the force limiter including an arrangement that provides an energy-absorbing movement-resisting effect to control movement of the second component relative to the first component, the arrangement including an adjustable control element, for controlling a magnitude of the movement-resisting effect as a function of a current value of at least one parameter, a control mechanism to effect adjustment of the adjustable control element to control the magnitude of the movement-resisting effect representative of a desired resistance to movement together with a signal representative of the parameter, the movement-resisting effect being a friction effect acting on the second component to control movement of the seat-belt of the seat-belt system, the arrangement to control movement of the second component being a brake element, the adjustable control element driving the brake element into engagement with a co-operating surface, the control mechanism being responsive to the signal relating to the parameter in the form of a parameter which affects a coefficient of friction between the brake element and the co-operating surface, and the control mechanism being responsive to the signal in the form of a first signal relating to a speed of movement of the second component relative to the brake element, and of a second signal relating to a temperature of the brake element.