초록 ▼

A safety belt retractor mechanism for vehicle passengers is described which has an apparatus for selectively relieving belt retractive tension on the passenger. The apparatus may be either manually or automatically engaged at a first extensive position of the belt corresponding to the buckled up pos

A safety belt retractor mechanism for vehicle passengers is described which has an apparatus for selectively relieving belt retractive tension on the passenger. The apparatus may be either manually or automatically engaged at a first extensive position of the belt corresponding to the buckled up position such that, for a single extractive movement of the belt by a first predetermined amount of “slack”, the belt is locked against further retractive movement below that position, thereby relieving the retractive tension of the belt on the wearer. Further extensive and retractive movements of the belt beyond the tensionless position and less than a second predetermined amount, such as would result from passenger forward movements to reach controls, etc., result in normal retractive tension in the belt against the passenger until the passenger returns to the buckled up position. The apparatus then “remembers”this position and restores the slack to the wearer. Upon extractive movements of the belt greater than the second predetermined amount, or upon manual or automatic disengagement of the tensionless mode, the retractive tension of the belt below the slack position is restored until again reset by the passenger. The apparatus is distinctive in its use of a Geneva mechanism to drive a memory disk having a pair of cams on its surface at a reduced rate through a frictional clutch to operate a locking pawl cooperating with a ratchet disk attached to the spool of the belt retractor to lock and unlock the spool at the appropriate positions. A control arm indexes the memory disk relative to the locking positions and the Geneva mechanism permits significantly increased extensive movements of the passenger beyond the slack position without unlocking the mechanism, as well as increased accuracy of control over the belt slack and unlocking positions.

대표청구항 ▼

For restraining a passenger within a vehicle, a safety belt retractor mechanism having a selectively-engagable tensionless mode, comprising: a frame attached to said vehicle; a flexible safety belt; a spool, rotatably-journeled in said frame, having one end of said belt attached thereto, for winding

For restraining a passenger within a vehicle, a safety belt retractor mechanism having a selectively-engagable tensionless mode, comprising: a frame attached to said vehicle; a flexible safety belt; a spool, rotatably-journeled in said frame, having one end of said belt attached thereto, for winding said belt radially thereon; a spring, attached between said spool and said frame, for continuously biasing said spool in a belt-retractive direction and against a belt-extensive direction, to wind said belt toward a fully-retracted belt position; buckling means for buckling the other end of said belt to said vehicle about said passenger at a first extensive position of said belt at least k2pr1 longer than said fully-retracted belt position, where k is a predetermined constant ≥1 and r1 is the mean radius of said belt on said spool between said fully-retracted belt position and said first extensive belt position; first locking means attached to said frame, operatively-responsive to accelerations of said vehicle and/or said spool of a level corresponding to those encountered during emergency conditions, to lock said belt against further extensive movement, whereby said belt serves to restrain said passenger in said vehicle during said emergency conditions; selector means for selecting between a tensioned mode and a tensionless mode in said mechanism, operatively-responsive to manual activation/deactivation by said passenger by the step of buckling said belt up at, or beyond, said first extensive belt position; second locking means attached to said frame, operable when said belt is in said tensionless mode, otherwise inoperable, engagable to lock said belt against further retractive movement and to permit normal extractive movement of said belt therebeyond; measuring means for measuring movement of said belt relative to a given belt position, further including means for detecting an extensive displacement of said belt to a second belt position longer than said given position by a first predetermined amount and for engaging said second locking means thereat, further including means for detecting an extensive displacement of said belt to a third belt position longer than said second belt position by a second predetermined amount and for disengaging said second locking means thereat; indexing means for setting said given belt position equal to said first extensive belt position; and wherein the sum of said first and second predetermined amounts is k2p2, where r2 is the mean radius of said belt on said spool between said first and third belt positions.