Safety belt retractor
AssigneeAmerican Safety Equipment Corporation
InventorAkira Tanaka
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Improvements in a safety belt retractor having a locking pawl and a first ratchet engageable by the locking pawl for locking a belt storage reel against unwinding movement and an actuating pawl associated with means responsive to an emergency condition. The improvements include an intermediate actuating member movably mounted between the locking pawl and the actuating pawl resiliently engaging the locking pawl and adapted to cause the locking pawl to engage the first ratchet to lock the reel when the actuating member is actuated upon an emergency condition.
Claims8
In an emergency locking safety belt retractor including a belt storage reel having at least one associated locking ratchet, locking pawl means for engaging said ratchet to lock said reel against belt unwinding movement and emergency sensing means including a movable actuator movable in response to an emergency condition, the improvement comprising the provision of:
- actuating pawl means associated with said emergency sensing means for movement from a first to a second position in response to movement of said actuator produced by said emergency sensing means in an emergency condition warranting reel lockup;
- drive means driven off of reel rotation for engaging said actuating pawl means when the latter is in said second position, said drive means then driving said actuating pawl means toward a third position;
- and
- an intermediate actuating member and means for movably mounting it operably between said actuating pawl means and said locking pawl means for moving the latter into reel locking engagement with said ratchet on movement of said actuating pawl means under the action of said drive means from said third position wherein it engages said intermediate actuating member to a fourth position wherein it has moved said intermediate actuating member to a position wherein the latter has caused said locking pawl means to engage said ratchet to lock said reel.
In a reel having a frame, a shaft journalled for rotation in said frame, a belt having one end connected to said shaft and adapted to be wound about said shaft, spring means associated with said shaft and said frame for revolving said shaft in a direction retracting said belt about said shaft, a ratchet tooth gear mounted on said shaft and rotatable therewith, a locking pawl mounted on said frame and movable into engagement with said tooth gear, inertia responsive means mounted on said frame having a movable actuator movable in response to actuation of said inertia responsive means, the improvement which comprises:
- a rotatable member mounted on said shaft for rotation relative thereto;
- a resilient member operatively connected to said locking pawl extending in a direction toward said rotatable member, said rotatable member having an extension portion receiving the free end of said resilient member therein in a position whereby, upon rotation of said rotatable member, said extension portion engages said resilient member to thereby move said locking pawl interconnected thereto;
- a subsidiary ratchet wheel mounted on said shaft;
- for rotation therewith
- an actuating pawl pivotally mounted on said frame in a position adapted to engage said rotatable member and having a pawl tip movable from a first position out of engagement with the teeth of said subsidiary ratchet wheel to a second position in the path of rotation of the teeth of said subsidiary ratchet wheel, and means associated with both said actuating pawl and said actuator whereby, upon movement of said actuator, said actuating pawl tip is moved into the path of rotation of said subsidiary ratchet wheel and further rotation of said subsidiary ratchet wheel, moves said actuating pawl against said rotatable member to thereby move said extension portion engaging said resilient member moving said locking pawl into reel locking engagement with said ratchet tooth gear.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.