US 4,905,928 A · Locking apparatus for webbing retractor

Abstract

A locking mechanism applied to a retractor for winding up on a take-up shaft a webbing which fastens an occupant of a vehicle is designed to prevent the unwinding of the webbing when the vehicle suddenly decelerates. A lock wheel, that follows the rotation of the take-up shaft, maintains movable lock members rotating together with the take-up shaft at a position where the movable members are separated from fixed lock members. Upon sudden deceleration of the vehicle the lock wheel creates a rotational lag with respect to the take-up shaft, whereby the lock plates are engaged with the fixed lock members by the lock wheel, thereby preventing the rotation of the take-up shaft in a webbing unwinding direction. The movable lock members are pressed in the direction of the axis of the take-up shaft by an elastic body projected from the lock wheel, whereby clatter due to the vibrations of the vehicle is abolished.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A locking apparatus for a webbing retractor which retracts a webbing fastened around an occupant of a vehicle, designed to stop the unwinding of said webbing in an emergency situation of said vehicle, comprising:

(a) a take-up shaft for winding up one end of said webbing;
(b) movable lock means arranged at one end of said take-up shaft to be movable across the axial direction of said take-up shaft and to be prevented from large relative rotation to said take-up shaft;
(c) fixed lock means for preventing rotation of said take-up shaft when said movable lock means is moved across the axial direction of said take-up shaft to be engaged with said fixed lock means;
(d) a lock wheel following the rotation of said take-up shaft, maintaining said movable lock means in a resting position where said movable lock means is separated from said fixed lock means, and creating a rotational lag with respect to said take-up shaft to guide said movable lock means across the axial direction of said take-up shaft to cause said movable lock means to engage with said fixed lock means, when accelerated;
and
(e) an elastic body interpositioned between said lock wheel and said movable lock means, for pressing said movable lock means in the axial direction of said take-up shaft to abolish the clatter between said movable lock means and said take-up shaft, whereby, when the vehicle is vibrated, said movable lock means and said take-up shaft are prevented from impact therebetween so that the creation of clattering noise is prevented.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Locking apparatus for webbing retractor

Life of this patent

Locking apparatus for webbing retractor

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20