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US 4,071,204 AGranted
Multiple locking retractor
AssigneeAllied Chemical Corporation
InventorFrederick C. Booth
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A reel type retractor for a safety belt having at least two locking pawls, staggered in relation to ratchet teeth incorporated into the reel and arranged for independent engagement therewith.
Claims14
A safety belt retractor comprising:
- a. a support;
- b. a reel adapted for winding seat belt webbing thereon and journalled in said support on a axis for axial rotation in a wind direction and in the opposite unwind direction, said reel having two ratchet wheels connected thereto, each of said ratchet wheels provided with ratchet teeth;
- c. a pawl bar associated with each ratchet wheel and biased for independent locking engagement with its associated ratchet wheel so as to lock said reel from rotation in the unwind direction, said pawl bars being longitudinally adjacent each other and rotatably positioned along a single axis which is substantially parallel to said axis of said reel, each of said pawl bars having a pawl, said pawl bars being positioned to provide independent locking action of said pawls such that when triggered one pawl is in full locking engagement with a tooth on its associated ratchet wheel and the other pawl is not in full locking engagement with a tooth on its associated ratchet wheel;
- d. means for blocking said pawls from engaging their associated ratchet wheels so as to permit unwinding of said webbing;
- and
- e. means for deactivating said blocking means and triggering said pawls for locking engagement with said ratchet wheels so as to prevent withdrawal of said webbing.
3 more elements
A safety belt retractor comprising:
- a. a support;
- b. a reel adapted for winding seat belt webbing thereon and journalled in said support on a axis for axial rotation in a wind direction and in the opposite unwind direction, said reel having two ratchet wheels connected thereto, each of said ratchet wheels provided with ratchet teeth;
- c. a pawl bar associated with each ratchet wheel and biased for independent locking engagement with its associated ratchet wheel so as to lock said reel from rotation in the unwind direction, said pawl bars being longitudinally adjacent each other and rotatably positioned along a single axis which is substantially parallel to said axis of said reel, each of said pawl bars having a pawl, said pawl bars being positioned to provide independent locking action of said pawls such that when triggered one pawl is in full locking engagement with a tooth on its associated ratchet wheel and the other pawl is not in full locking engagement with a tooth on its associated ratchet wheel;
- d. means for blocking said pawls from engaging their associated ratchet wheels so as to permit unwinding of said webbing;
- and
- e. means for deactivating said blocking means and triggering said pawls for locking engagement with said ratchet wheels so as to prevent withdrawal of said webbing;
- wherein said blocking means and said triggering means apply directly to one of said pawl bars and indirectly to the other pawl bar by a member extending from one pawl bar which engages the second pawl bar to block the second bar when the first bar is blocked and release the second bar when the first is released, while permitting the pawl of either bar to fully engage its associated ratchet wheel independent of the engagement of the other.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.