Emergency locking retractor for a vehicle occupant restraint belt

An emergency locking retractor for a vehicle occupant restraint belt including a frame, a belt reel having a shaft mounted for rotation in the frame, a rewinding spring urging the reel shaft to rotate in a direction to wind the belt onto the reel and a reel locking mechanism located adjacent a side portion of the frame characterized in that the locking mechanism comprises a circular row of equally spaced apart first locking ratchet teeth on the outer face of said side portion of the frame and disposed concentrically to the axis of rotation of the reel shaft, a flange affixed on a reel shaft portion located outwardly of said frame side portion, an inner disc received on said shaft portion outwardly of the flange for limited axial movement toward and away from the flange and having a row of second locking ratchet teeth engageable with the first locking ratchet teeth upon movement of the inner disc toward the frame, an inertia spring engaging the inner disc and urging it in a direction away from the flange, an outer disc received on said shaft portion outwardly of the inner disc and retained thereon against movement in a direction axially of the shaft away from the frame, coacting cam elements on the inner and outer discs adapted to cam the inner disc toward the frame upon rotation of one of the discs relative to the other, one of the discs being coupled to the shaft for rotation conjointly therewith and the other disc being rotatably carried on said shaft portion and having an inertia that causes it to lag the rotation of the disc that rotates with the shaft so that the inner disc is thereupon shifted toward the frame by the cam elements, and the flange having lugs received in corresponding slots in the inner disc and adapted to lock the reel shaft to the inner disc when the inner disc is locked to the frame by the locking ratchet teeth.