Automatic locking safety belt retractor

In an acceleration-responsive type retractor which includes a U-shaped frame, a shaft mounted to said frame, a reel fitted to said shaft, a belt wound onto said reel and biasing means urging said shaft and reel to rotate in a belt retraction direction, the improvement to said retractor comprising;

• a first ratchet wheel secured to said shaft, a pawl mounted to a side wall of said frame engageable and disengageable with said first ratchet wheel;
• a second ratchet wheel having the same number of teeth as that of said first ratchet wheel and fitted to said shaft in the proximity of said side wall of said frame and being rotatable in synchronism with said first ratchet wheel, an actuating member, means supporting said actuating member by the side wall of said frame for sliding movement in a tangential direction relative to the circumscribed circle of said second ratchet wheel, said actuating member including a coupling section releasably engageable with said second ratchet wheel to advance said pawl toward engagement with said first ratchet wheel when said coupling section engages with said second ratchet wheel and a displacement member located at the side of said frame and being displaceable in accordance with an acceleration of the retractor, said actuating member being interlocked with said displacement member and being responsive to the displacement thereof so as to thereby advance and engage with said second ratchet wheel so that said pawl engages with said first ratchet wheel to prevent said belt from being extracted.