Omni locking adjustable seat belt load transfer mechanism

In combination with a longitudinally adjustable vehicle seat mounted on a vehicle floor, a seat belt anchorage comprising:

• a member connected to the vehicle floor and having a rod extending along the path of longitudinal seat adjusting movement, the rod being provided with a plurality of annular grooves along the length of the rod;
• a locking device having a housing containing a sleeve member encircling the rod, the sleeve member being normally longitudinally slideable relative to the rod and having a plurality of slits at one end thereof forming a plurality of tooth members having a ramped outer surface, so that movement of the housing relative to the sleeve moves the tooth members into locking engagement with the rod to thereby lock the locking device against longitudinal movement relative to the rod of the member connected to the vehicle floor;
• means operatively connecting the seat belt with the locking device so that an occupant restraint load imposed upon the seat belt induces longitudinal movement of the housing relative to the ramped outer surfaces of the tooth members of the sleeve to move the tooth members into locking engagement with a groove of the rod whereby the seat belt is fixed relative to the member connected to the vehicle floor and the occupant restraint load is transmitted through the member to the vehicle floor;
• and
• means operatively connecting the seat belt adjustment mechanism with the sleeve of the locking device so that adjusting movement of the seat in either direction will move the sleeve and housing longitudinally relative to the rod with tooth members of the sleeve in a non-locking position to enable free longitudinal adjusting movement of the locking device and the seat belt during adjustment of the seat relative to the vehicle floor.