AUTOMATIC BELT RETRACTOR
First Claim
Patent Images
2. A belt retractor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cable means comprises a tensioning cable.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An elongated retractor serves as a guide for a retracting slide within it. When the belt is fully extracted, the slide is pulled to a position where it engages a pivotable locking member and is locked against retracting the belt. A cable is arranged to push or pull the locking member about its pivot axis out of engagement. A spring holds the locking member in position for engagement when the cable is not actuated.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
2. A belt retractor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cable means comprises a tensioning cable.
-
3. A belt retractor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cable means comprises a compression cable.
-
4. A belt retractor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cable means is operably arranged to pull upon said tab means and said biasing means is fitted between said tab means and a rigid member spaced from the pivot axis in the direction of said pull.
-
5. A belt retractor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cable means is operably arranged to push upon said tab means and said biasing means is fitted between said tab means and a rigid member spaced from the pivot axis in the direction of said push.
-
6. A belt retractor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cable means end remote from said locking means is actuated by a seat spring upon vacating said seat.
-
7. A belt retractor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said belt is served upon a seat through a bracket fastened at the base of the backrest portion of said seat, said bracket being adapted to support said belt and to stop the buckle member of said belt from being retracted from said seat.
-
8. A belt retractor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cable means is connected to push upon said locking means and has a portion extending beyond the place of connection and said biasing means is helically wound about said cable means to resist said push.
-
9. A belt retractor as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cable means passes behind the headliner of a vehicle interior and has an actuating device at its remote end which extends into the vehicle interior at a convenient place for hand operation.
-
10. A belt retractor comprising means for anchoring a portion of said belt to a rigid member, elongated retraction means engaging with said belt, said retraction means having slide means reciprocally slidable along said retraction means between a predetermined position in response to extension of said belt to a full extended position and a second position remote therefrom and engaging said belt and biased towards said remote position to draw said belt along said retraction means into a stored condition, lOcking means comprising a locking element constructed and arranged to engage said belt-engaging slide means when the latter is moved by extraction of said belt to said predetermined position to render said belt-engaging slide means inoperative for movement towards said remote second position, said locking means having tab means extending from the side thereof, remotely operable means having an operable end portion at one end and an actuating end portion at its other end operably connected to said tab means for actuating said locking means out of engagement with said belt engaging slide means to release said belt engaging slide means for retraction, and means for actuating said locking means into position for engagement with said belt-engaging slide means in the absence of said operation of said remotely operable means, said actuating end portion of said remotely operable means and said actuating means lying substantially along said elongated retraction means.
-
11. A belt retractor as claimed in claim 10 wherein said locking means comprises pivotable means adapted to pivot into the path of said belt engaging slide means in the vicinity of said predetermined position, said remotely operable means comprises cable means adapted upon actuation at an end remote from said pivotable means to pivot said means out of said path, and said actuating means comprises spring means for biasing said pivotable means into said path.
-
12. A belt retractor as claimed in claim 10 wherein said locking means pivots at an axis normal to the path of said belt-engaging slide means.
-
13. A belt retractor as claimed in claim 10 wherein said remotely operable means is arranged to draw upon said locking means and said actuating means is helically wound about said remotely operable means to resist that draw.
-
14. A belt retractor as claimed in claim 10 wherein said belt is served upon a seat through a transverse cutout in the base of the backrest portion of said seat and holding means are secured in said cutout to retain the buckle members of said belt on said seat.
-
15. A belt retractor as claimed in claim 10 wherein the retractor is positioned below the floor level of vehicle in which it is used.
-
16. A belt retractor as claimed in claim 10 wherein the retractor is positioned behind the seat it serves and has an upwardly directed sleeve hinged at its forward end through which the belt passes.
-
17. A belt retractor as claimed in claim 10 wherein said remotely operable means is attached at its end remote from said locking means to a seat spring by a sleeve means which is adapted to fit over a portion of said seat spring.
-
18. A belt retractor as claimed in claim 17 wherein said sleeve means is U-shaped to conform to a U-shaped portion of said seat spring.
-
19. A belt retractor as claimed in claim 18 wherein said sleeve means is journaled in bearing means at the remote end of said remotely operable means.
-
20. A self-locking belt retractor comprising means for anchoring a portion of said belt to a rigid member, retraction means cooperating with said belt to provide an extended operative position and a retracted storage position for said belt, said retraction means comprising and elongated guide and a belt-engaging slide reciprocally moveable along said guide between a predetermined position in response to full extraction of said belt from said retractor and a position remote from said predetermined position, a lever arm pivotably secured to said guide and oriented to pivot at an axis substantially perpendicular to the movement of said slide and constructed and arranged to pivot into engagement with said slide when the latter is in said predetermined position to render said slide inoperative for movement towards said remote position, said lever arm having tab means extending from the side thereof, means for biasing said lever arm towards engagement with said slide and means having an operable end portion at one end and an actuating eNd portion at its other end operably connected to said tab means to apply a force substantially perpendicular to said pivot axis to pivot said lever arm out of engagement with said slide, said actuating end portion of said means and said biasing means lying substantially along said elongated guide.
Specification