Patent ID: 7717216

Claim:
A system to release a seatbelt in a vehicle automatically, the system comprising: a seatbelt sensor to determine whether mating pieces of the seatbelt are fastened together; mishap sensors, including at least one of a surround sensor to detect motion of the vehicle, a heat sensor to detect heat conditions for a fire, and a water sensor to detect immersion of the vehicle in water; a controller configured to communicate signals with the seatbelt sensor and mishap sensors; and a guillotine unit configured to receive signals from the controller, where the guillotine unit includes a webbing guide, a gas chamber having a supply of pressurized gas, and a gas supply line connected between the webbing guide and the gas chamber, where the webbing guide includes a guide housing having therein a piston spring positioned about a piston and a blade attached to the piston at a position that is configured to be above a seatbelt webbing of the seatbelt, where the guillotine unit is responsive to signals from the controller and where the piston is responsive to the supply of pressurized gas such that when the supply of pressurized gas is passed from the gas chamber through the gas supply line to the piston, the supply of pressurized gas overcomes forces from the spring and causes the piston to move the blade through the seatbelt webbing to slice through seatbelt webbing.