Automatic locking belt supported retractor

• US 3,913,977 A
• Filed: 02/14/1974
• Issued: 10/21/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Deceased Takada
• Original Assignee: Deceased Takada
• Inventors: Takada, deceased
• Primary Examiner(s): Nunberg, Casmir A.
• Application Number:
  US05/442,974
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 297/386,388,389 242/107.2 24/196 280/15SB
• US Class Current: 297/476
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/357 in response to fastening of the belt buckle
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/4084 Looped strap

Abstract

A vehicle safety belt has one end anchored to the vehicle and has a belt retractor device at its free end provided with a buckle coupling member. The retractor device includes an open bottom shell supporting at its rear end a spring biased belt retractor reel, and at its front end a longitudinally fixed transverse rough surfaced guide bar. A buckle engaging tongue is swingably and longitudinally, movably, supported by the shell relative to the guide bar and includes at its rear a transverse guide slot whose rear is defined by a transverse lock bar. The belt extends from the reel upwardly through the guide slot, around the upper part of the guide bar and downwardly through the guide slot and rearwardly. When the tongue and shell members are longitudinally aligned, the belt is locked between the bars and it is released by the swinging of the tongue downwardly relative to the shell to separate the bars. In one form the tongue is connected to the cover member by slots formed in upright side walls engaging the non circular ends of the guide bar, which is pivotally connected to the cover member. Another feature is the provision of axially spaced sleeves between the reel support axle and the helical spring which biases the reel.

Claims

1. A retractable safety belt device comprising a bracket, a transversely extending reel mounted at a rear portion of said bracket and spring biased in a belt retracting direction, a transversely extending guide bar mounted at a forward portion of said bracket and fixed against longitudinal movement therein, a forwardly projecting coupling member mounted on the forward portion of said bracket and movable relative thereto between advanced and retracted positions, said coupling member including a cross web at its rear portion having a transverse guide slot therein whose rear edge is defined by a transverse lock bar parallel to said guide bar and movable toward and away from said guide bar with the advance and retraction of said coupling member respectively and a belt connected to and windable by said reel and extending forwardly therefrom upwardly through said guide slot and between said bars, about said guide bar and downwardly through said guide slot and rearwardly toward a vehicle anchor point.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said coupling member is swingable relative to said bracket between a position in longitudinally alignment with said bracket defining said advanced position and a position rearwardly inclined to said bracket and defining said retraCted position.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said guide bar has a roughened outer face.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein said guide bar is fixed against rotation in said bracket.

5. The device of claim 2 wherein said coupling member is longitudinally movable relative to said bracket member.

6. The device of claim 3 wherein said guide bar is supported for rocking about its transverse axis and is provided at opposite ends with axial projections of non-circular cross section and said coupling includes a pair of parallel side walls projecting upwardly from the rear side edges of said coupling member and having transversely aligned longitudinal slots formed therein and slideably engaging said guide bar projections whereby said guide bar is rotatably fixed relative to said coupling member.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein said coupling member includes a forwardly projecting tongue releasably engagable by a mating buckle.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein said bracket comprises a cover shell including parallel side walls supporting said reel and guide bar and a top wall overlapping the reel wound belt.

9. A safety belt reel comprising a buckle engageable tongue member with a U-shaped portion having, in its upright sides, aligned fulcrum holes and elongated arcuate slots around said fulcrum holes and, in its bottom, a belt hole whose one edge is used as an abutment, a winding frame having a top cover provided with double peaks and two upright sides provided with aligned first holes aligned second holes and projections for retaining a winding spool a roughened rod having opposite non-circular end parts and having the same length as the width of the winding frame, an elongated pin coupling the fulcrum holes of the tongue member and said first holes of the winding frame, and said winding spool consisting of a belt-retaining outer cylinder, a shaft a plurality of slide tubes, a helical spring and a journal bushing piece, said tongue member and said winding frame being relatively swingable through a certain angular extent and the tongue member being thereafter aligned with the winding frame when the belt is reeled out from the tongue member side and the tongue member is coupled to the buckle proper, whereby the rod fitted to the winding frame thrusts said belt to the abutment for locking the belt.

10. A safety belt reel comprising a U-shaped tongue piece having long holes on both side plates and a lock surface at the bottom, a winder cover having transversely aligned holes in both walls and equipped with projections holding a winding-in cylinder, a lock bar with a coarse surface having sliding portions on both ends and provided with screw holes on both ends, stepped pins rotatably attaching a winder cover to the lock bar by means of a pair of holes, a belt cover covering the U-shaped portion of the tongue piece, a connector secured to one end of a belt and fastening the belt to the winding-in cylinder, the winding-in cylinder composed of an outer cylinder equipped with a hooking element engaging the connector, a spring, a winder plate, a shaft and a bushing, wherein the winder cover is attached to both ends of the lock bar fitted to the tongue piece, and the movement of the winder cover with respect to the tongue piece causes the lock bar to lock to the belt or release the locking and fastening of the connector attached to one end of the belt to the winding-in cylinder permitting the belt to be wound nearly in a circular form.

11. A retractable safety belt device comprising a bracket, a transversely extending reel mounted at a rear portion of said bracket and spring biased in a belt retracting direction, a transversely extending guide bar having a roughened surface and mounted at a forward portion of said bracket and fixed against rotation and longitudinal movement therein, a forwardly projecting coupling member swingably mounted to the forward portion of said bracket and swingable relative thereto between an advanced position in longitudinal aliGnment with said bracket and a retracted position rearwardly inclined to said bracket, said coupling member including a cross web at its rear portion having a transverse guide slot therein whose rear edge is defined by a transverse lock bar parallel to said guide bar and moveable toward and away from said guide bar with the advance and retraction of said coupling member respectively and a belt connected to and windable by said reel and extending forwardly therefrom upwardly through said guide slot and between said bars, about said guide bar and downwardly through said guide slot and rearwardly toward a vehicle anchor point, said coupling member including a pair of parallel side walls projecting upwardly from the rear side edges thereof and being pivoted to said bracket for swinging about a transverse axis above said guide bar.