US 4,398,680 AGranted

Webbing locking device

AssigneesKabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho, Toyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsHisashi Ogawa, Hiroshi Tsuge

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Abstract

A section of a webbing between a takeup shaft and an occupant fastened portion thereof is guided around a roller pivotally supported on a rotatable plate, and the rotatable plate adapted to be rotated by an increased tension of the webbing is caused to approach a lock bar to clamp the webbing between the roller and the lock bar, whereby the movement of the webbing in the longitudinal direction thereof is prevented, so that an occupant can be restrained. The roller is prevented from rotating by lock means when the occupant is restrained, whereby the webbing is decreased in tension at the portion of the roller, so that an abrupt change in tension at the clamped portion of the webbing between the roller and the lock bar can be prevented, thereby enabling to avoid breakage of the webbing.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A webbing locking device used in a seatbelt system for protecting an occupant during a vehicular emergency comprising:

a frame secured to a vehicle body,
a takeup shaft rotatably supported on said frame and biased to rotate in a direction winding said webbing therearound, said takeup shaft having first emergency lock means for stopping the rotation of said takeup shaft in an emergency, and thereby allowing the tension in said webbing adjacent to said takeup shaft to be increased due to an inertial force generated in the occupant,
a rotatable plate pivotally supported on said frame,
a roller rotatably supported on said plate and having the intermediate portion of the webbing guided therearound, whereby during stopping the rotation of said takeup shaft, a tensile force of the webbing pivots said rotatable plate through said roller,
clamping means comprising a lock bar secured to said frame and adjacent to said roller for clamping the intermediate portion of the webbing between the circumference of said roller and said lock bar when said rotatable plate is pivoted, and
second lock means for stopping the rotation of said roller with respect to said rotatable plate, including a working arm projected from said frame, small ratchet wheels solidly secured to the roller and a small pawl pivotally supported on the rotatable plate, said small pawl being adapted to engage said working arm so as to be rotated when the rotatable plate is turned to thereby engage the small ratchet wheels.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.