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Ferrari has filed a patent utility for a four-point seat belt for highway vehicles, bringing a chunk of security gear usually seen solely in observe vehicles to the road.
Security laws in most main international automotive markets mandate three-point seat belts, so named as a result of the belts are connected at both aspect of the occupant’s lap and over one shoulder. 4-point belts add one other belt that goes over the opposite shoulder.
Ferrari four-point seatbelt patent picture
A lot of these belts are typically not accepted for avenue use and restricted to trace vehicles. Ferrari’s patent utility, which was revealed by the USA Patent and Trademark Workplace (USPTO) on July 20, 2023, after being filed the earlier January, particularly mentions use in a “highway automobile.”
Accompanying drawings present a design much like present four-point seat belts, with two over-the-shoulder belts and a bisected lap belt related by a quick-release mechanism on the middle. Within the utility, Ferrari explains that it will assist maintain the motive force regular within the right driving place, which turns into harder in high-g cornering.
Ferrari four-point seatbelt patent picture
Ferrari claims its design additionally addresses a serious downside of four-point seat belts in road-car use. Whereas the belts firmly safe the occupant’s torso, limiting ahead motion in a crash, the pinnacle and neck stay unanchored. Which means better power is transferred to them, rising the potential for damage or demise. In observe vehicles, drivers can shield towards this by carrying a HANS system, however that would not be sensible for highway use.
Ferrari’s resolution is a “damping system” that, when a given quantity of power is imparted on the belts, permits a certain quantity of ahead motion of the occupant’s chest, which Ferrari claims limits the acceleration of the pinnacle. For this design to succeed in manufacturing, although, Ferrari will doubtless need to persuade regulators that this can be sufficient to forestall critical accidents. It might additionally need to persuade prospects of the advantages of this extra cumbersome type of seat belt.
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