Seat belt retractor for reclinable seat backs

A seat belt retractor having an inertia sensor for being mounted to a reclinable sat back in a vehicle, the seat back having a predetermined inclination range between forward and rearward positions in which it is operable, the retractor comprising:

• a rotatable reel of the retractor carrying a toothed wheel for rotation therewith;
• a pendulum assembly of the inertia sensor for staying in a substantially vertical orientation by pivoting about a pivot axis as the seat back is inclined through the predetermined inclination range;
• an inertia member that is supported in a predetermined inoperative position by the pendulum assembly as the seat back is inclined through the predetermined inclination range and shifts from the predetermined inoperative position in response to a predetermined vehicular acceleration to an operative position for locking of the retractor reel;
• a housing for pivotally mounting the pendulum assembly and fixed to the retractor so that as the retractor changes inclinations with adjustment of the seat back, the pendulum assembly pivots relative to the housing to maintain its vertical orientation;
• a primary actuator for being shifted by the inertia member at the predetermined vehicular acceleration;
• a secondary actuator including a distal end thereof with the secondary actuator being shiftable by the primary actuator so that the distal end is engaged with the toothed wheel to lock the toothed wheel to stop rotation of the reel with the seat back inclined to its rearward inclined position without shifting of the primary actuator or the inertia member;
• a contoured engagement surface of the primary actuator on which the secondary actuator rides, the contoured engagement surface defining an arc of circle about the pendulum assembly pivot axis with the engagement surface sized so that the distal end of the secondary actuator maintains a substantially consistent spacing form the toothed wheel during inclinations of the seat back and retractor therewith for substantially the entire extent of its predetermined operative inclination range for maintaining sensitivity of the retractor to locking at the predetermined vehicle acceleration substantially constant despite seat back and retractor inclinations;
• and
• a stop of the housing at a predetermined position relative to the pendulum assembly to be engaged therewith at the forward position of the predetermined range of seat back inclinations to stop relative pivoting between the housing and pendulum assembly and so that the inertia member will shift from its predetermined inoperative position in response to a predetermined amount of continued inclination of the retractor beyond the forward position to cause shifting of the secondary actuator for locking the retractor wheel.

An inertia sensor for a seat belt retractor that is to be mounted to an adjustable seat back in a vehicle, the inertia sensor comprising:

• an inertia member for sensing predetermined vehicular accelerations and movable between inoperative and operative positions;
• a pendulum support for the inertia member for staying in a substantially vertical orientation at different seat back inclinations, and the inertia member being supported by the support in the predetermined inoperative position and shifting from the inoperative position to the operative position when the predetermined acceleration is sensed;
• a first actuator pivotally mounted to the support with the first actuator pivoting in response to shifting of the inertia member to its operative position during predetermined vehicle accelerations;
• a housing for the pendulum support and for being affixed to the retractor;
• a second actuator pivotally mounted to the housing for pivoting into locking engagement with the retractor;
• a first stop of the housing at a predetermined position to engage the support at a first inclination position of the seat back with the second actuator out of locking engagement with the retractor so that only continued pivoting of the retractor forwardly beyond the first inclination position can cause retractor locking via movement of the inertia member to its operative position;
• and
• a second stop of the housing at a predetermined position to engage the support at a second inclination of the seat back that is greater than the first seat back inclination so that engagement of the second stop with the support coincides with the first actuator pivoting the second actuator into locking engagement with the retractor at the second seat back inclination with the inertia member in its inoperative position.

A seat belt retractor for mounting on an inclinable vehicle seat back pivotable between a forwardmost inclined position and a rearwardmost inclined position from an intermediate, nominal position, the retractor adapted to be locked when it reaches a predetermined angular inclination thereof in either of forward or rearward directions from the nominal position, the retractor comprising:

• a retractor frame;
• a rotatable reel mounted on the frame and having a seat belt mounted thereon for protraction and retraction;
• a locking mechanism to lock the reel against protracting the belt;
• a standing man inertia member for shifting between an inoperative position and an operative position by sensing a predetermined vehicle acceleration or by a predetermined amount of inclination thereof from the vertical;
• and
• an actuating mechanism operable to lock the reel when the seat is inclined rearwardly by the predetermined inclination thereof from the nominal position to the rearwardmost inclined position with the standing man in its inoperative position and maintained thereat through the entire range of inclinations between the forwardmost and rearwardmost inclination positions of the seat back to keep sensitivity of the standing man to the predetermined vehicle acceleration substantially the same through the entire range of seat back inclinations, the actuating mechanism being operated by the standing man shifted to its operative position by forward inclination of the retractor frame by the predetermined amount past the forward inclination position to cause the locking mechanism to lock the retractor reel by the predetermined inclination thereof forwardly from the nominal position.

A seat back mounted retractor system for a vehicle, the system comprising:

• a pivotal seat back having a predetermined operative range of seat back inclinations from a full forward position to a full rearward position, the seat back having a design installation position intermediate the forward and rearward position;
• a retractor from which a seat belt is protracted and retracted, the retractor being mounted to the seat back for pivoting therewith;
• an inertia member having a predetermined inoperative position and a predetermined operative position with the inertia-member shifting from the inoperative position to the operative position during a predetermined vehicle acceleration;
• a locking mechanism that locks the retractor against seat belt protraction, the locking mechanism including a pawl an toothed wheel;
• an actuating mechanism that causes the locking mechanism to lock the retractor upon a predetermined amount of inclination thereof either forwardly or rearwardly from the design position regardless of whether the predetermined vehicle acceleration occurs, the actuating mechanism having a surface on which the pawl rides, the surface including a first surface portion configured for keeping the pawl consistently spaced from the toothed wheel during seat back retractor inclinations from the full forward position to close to the full rearward position, and a second surface portion configured to cause the pawl to engaged in the toothed wheel with the seat back and retractor inclined to the full rearward position with the full rearward position substantially coinciding with the predetermined amount of retractor inclination rearwardly from the design position;
• and
• a support for the inertia member that is pivotally mounted to keep the inertia member in the predetermined inoperative position for substantially the entire operative range of sat back inclinations to keep the sensitivity of the inertia member to the predetermined vehicle acceleration substantially the same at the operative inclinations of the seat back and retractor therewith.