Reel for winding up safety belts
First Claim
1. In a reel for winding up safety belts in vehicles having a housing with a chamber therein, a threaded spindle axially slideably supported in said housing and having piston-shaped head means thereon slideably engaging the walls of said chamber in said housing, a threaded nut member rotatably supported in said housing and threadedly engaging said thread on said spindle, an axial movement of said spindle effecting a rotation of said nut member, a winch mounted for rotation in said housing and relative to said nut member, said belt being wound onto said winch, a return spring connected between said housing and said winch to resiliently urge said winch in a first direction to wind up said belt thereon, pyrotechnically produced gas generating means in said chamber and on one side of said piston-shaped head means for effecting, upon a firing thereof in response to an impact of said vehicle with another object, a driving of said spindle in a first axial direction to rotate said nut member and inertia block means for locking said winch against rotation in response to a braking of said vehicle at a rate in excess of a predefined normal braking rate, the improvement comprising at least one pin for connecting said nut member to said winch in response to the generation of gas caused by a firing of said pyrotechnically produced gas generating means, said pin being mounted in a hole in said nut member and said hole communicates with said chamber in which said pyrotechnically produced gas generating means is located through an axially extending hole in said spindle.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A reel for safety belts. There is provided a safety belt for such use as motor vehicles or aircraft, which will normally have only light tension thereon to permit easy movement of the safetied person on the seat of the vehicle or aircraft but which upon sudden change in speed of the vehicle or aircraft will impose a sufficient strong restraint against unwinding thereof as to effect the desired support of the person to whom the safety belt is applied. The device is particularly adapted for fitting into relatively small spaces and is fully integrated for providing its operation without external connections. Particularly, the device embodying the invention is provided with a belt-carrying winch in which a spring maintains a light windup tension thereon. Acceleration sensitive means initially locks the winch to prevent unreeling of the belt and immediately thereafter releases said lock, winds the belt as needed to remove any slack therefrom and applies a brake against further unreeling of the belt.
24 Citations
11 Claims
- 1. In a reel for winding up safety belts in vehicles having a housing with a chamber therein, a threaded spindle axially slideably supported in said housing and having piston-shaped head means thereon slideably engaging the walls of said chamber in said housing, a threaded nut member rotatably supported in said housing and threadedly engaging said thread on said spindle, an axial movement of said spindle effecting a rotation of said nut member, a winch mounted for rotation in said housing and relative to said nut member, said belt being wound onto said winch, a return spring connected between said housing and said winch to resiliently urge said winch in a first direction to wind up said belt thereon, pyrotechnically produced gas generating means in said chamber and on one side of said piston-shaped head means for effecting, upon a firing thereof in response to an impact of said vehicle with another object, a driving of said spindle in a first axial direction to rotate said nut member and inertia block means for locking said winch against rotation in response to a braking of said vehicle at a rate in excess of a predefined normal braking rate, the improvement comprising at least one pin for connecting said nut member to said winch in response to the generation of gas caused by a firing of said pyrotechnically produced gas generating means, said pin being mounted in a hole in said nut member and said hole communicates with said chamber in which said pyrotechnically produced gas generating means is located through an axially extending hole in said spindle.
Specification