Automatic locking retractor with spiral cam and friction clutch

Claim 2

A safety seat belt system, comprising: a. an elongated safety seat belt; b. a support; c. a reel rotatably journaled on the support, and connected to the belt to retract the belt as the reel is rotated in a first, winding direction, and to allow the belt to be extended as the reel is rotated in the opposite, unwinding direction; d. bias means for urging the reel in its winding direction; e. a locking member mounted on the support for motion between a locking position in which it is operable to prevent the reel from being rotated in its winding direction, and an unlocked position in which it is inoperable to prevent the reel from being rotated; f. a clutch member rotatably mounted on the support, connected to the reel so that rotation of the reel urges the clutch to rotate, and connected to the locking member to urge the locking member either toward its locking position as the reel is rotated in its unwinding direction, or toward its unlocked position as the reel is rotated in its winding direction; and g. a stop member mounted on the support for motion between a stop position in which it is operative to prevent rotation of the clutch member with the reel, and a release position in which it is inoperable to prevent rotation of the clutch member with the reel, means connecting said stop member to the reel independently of said belt for urging said stop member toward its stop position whenever the reel is rotated in its winding direction and for urging said stop member toward its release position as the reel is rotated in the unwinding direction, through any position beyond a predetermined rotary position of the reel in which a predetermined amount of the belt has been extended from the reel.

Claim 3

A seat belt system as defined in claim 1 wherein said last mentioned means includes: a. a cam rotatably mounted on the support, and connected to the reel so as to be rotated in a first direction as the reel is rotated in its winding direction, to be rotated in the opposite, second direction as the reel is rotated in its unwinding direction; b. a follower engaged with the cam, and connected to the stop member to urge the stop member toward its stop position as the reel is rotated in its winding direction, said follower being urged by the cam, as the reel is rotated in the unwinding direction, toward a first position in which the follower prevents the stop member from having sufficient freedom to move toward its release position as the reel is rotated toward its predetermined rotary position, and a second position in which it allows the stop sufficient freedom to move toward its release Position as the reel is rotated away from its predetermined rotary position; and c. second bias means operable to move the stop member toward its release position from its stop position as such time as the stop member has sufficient freedom to move toward its release position.

Claim 4

A safety seat belt system as defined in claim 2, in which the clutch member is engageable with the stop member in the stop position to prevent the stop member from being moved to its release position by the second bias means unless the reel is rotated in the winding direction from a position in which the reel has been rotated in the unwinding direction away from said predetermined rotary position.

Claim 5

A safety seat belt system as defined in claim 2, in which the cam has a spiral track with a center substantially coinciding with the axis of rotation of the reel; and the follower is engaged with the spiral track so as to be moved between a first pair of positions as the reel is rotated between a first rotary position in which the belt is fully retracted, and said predetermined rotary position, and a second pair of positions as the reel is rotated between said predetermined rotary position and a second rotary position in which the belt is fully extended; and the stop member is connected to the follower such that as the reel is rotated in the unwinding direction, the stop member cannot be moved from its stop position when the follower is between its first paid of positions, and is movable from its stop position to its release position when the follower is between its second pair of positions.

Claim 6

A safety seat belt system, comprising: a. an elongated safety seat belt; b. a support having a pair of spaced walls fixed with respect to one another in parallel relationship; c. a reel rotatably journaled on the wall, and connected to the belt to retract the belt toward a retracted position between the opposed sides of the two walls as the reel is rotated in a first, winding direction and to allow the belt to be extended as the reel is rotated in the opposite, unwinding direction; d. a ratchet carried by the reel, said ratchet having a plurality of teeth supported in an annular array about the axis of rotation of the reel; e. a pawl mounted on the support for motion between a locking position in which it is engageable with the ratchet to prevent rotation of the reel in its unwinding direction, and an unlocked position in which it is inoperable to prevent rotation of the reel; f. a clutch member formed of a plate-like section, and mounted on the reel between the retracted position of the belt and one of the support walls, said clutch member being connected to the reel such that rotation of the reel urges the clutch member toward rotation, and connected to the pawl to urge the pawl either toward its locking position as the reel is rotated in its unwinding direction or toward its unlocked position as the reel is rotated in its winding direction; g. a cam mounted on the reel between the retracted position of the belt and one of the support walls, said cam having a spiral track supported with its center substantially coinciding with the axis of rotation of the reel, and being connected to the reel to rotate with the reel; and h. a follower engaged in the spiral track of the cam so as to be moved in a first direction toward a first position as the cam is rotated with the reel in the winding direction, and to be moved in the opposite direction toward a second position as the cam is rotated with the reel in the unwinding direction, said follower being connected to the clutch to prevent the clutch from being rotated with the reel as the cam is rotated through a first predetermined angular interval as the belt is being extended, and to allow the clutch to be rotated by the reel as the cam is rotated through the second predetermined angular interval as the belt is being extended.

Claim 7

A safety seat belt system, comprising: a. an elongated safety seat belt; b. a support having a pair of spaced walls fixed with respect to one another in parallel relationship; c. a reel rotatably journaled on the wall, and connected to the belt to retract the belt toward a retracted position between the opposed sides of the two walls as the reel is rotated in a first, winding direction and to allow the belt to be extended as the reel is rotated in the opposite, unwinding direction; d. a ratchet carried by the reel, said ratchet having a plurality of teeth supported in an annular array about the axis of rotation of the reel; e. a pawl mounted on the support for motion between a locking position in which it is engageable with the ratchet to prevent rotation of the reel in its unwinding direction, and an unlocked position in which it is inoperable to prevent rotation of the reel; f. a clutch member formed of a plate-like section, and mounted on the reel between the retracted position of the belt and one of the support walls, said clutch member being connected to the reel such that rotation of the reel urges the clutch member toward rotation, and connected to the pawl to urge the pawl either toward its locking position as the reel is rotated in its unwinding direction or toward its unlocked position as the reel is rotated in its winding direction; g. a cam mounted on the reel between the retracted position of the belt and one of the support walls, said cam having a spiral track supported with its center substantially coinciding with the axis of rotation of the reel, and being connected to the reel to rotate with the reel; and h. a follower engaged in the spiral track of the cam so as to be moved in a first direction toward a first position as the cam is rotated with the reel in the winding direction, and to be moved in the opposite direction toward a second position as the cam is rotated with the reel in the unwinding direction, said follower being connected to the clutch to prevent the clutch from being rotated with the reel as the cam is rotated through a first predetermined angular interval as the belt is being extended, and to allow the clutch to be rotated by the reel as the cam is rotated through the second predetermined angular interval as the belt is being extended.

Claim 8

The safety seat belt system as defined in claim 5, in which the first predeterMined angular interval of the cam is defined by a first rotary position in which the belt is fully retracted, and the second rotary position in which a predetermined amount of the belt has been extended from the reel.

Claim 9

A safety seat belt system as defined in claim 5, in which the first predetermined angular interval of the cam is defined by a first rotary position of the cam in which the belt is fully retracted on the reel and a second rotary position in which a predetermined amount of belt is retracted on the reel.

Claim 10

A safety seat belt system as defined in claim 5, in which the clutch is frictionally connected to the ratchet such that the ratchet urges the clutch toward rotation as the reel is rotated.

Claim 11

A safety seat belt system as defined in claim 8, including a second ratchet carried on the reel, spaced along the axis of rotation of the reel with respect to the first mentioned ratchet; and wherein the cam is mounted on the second ratchet.

Claim 12

A retracting reel assembly comprising: support means; reel means rotatably supported by said support means; an elongated flexible element connected to said reel means and adapted to be wound thereon and unwound therefrom; locking means movable between locked and unlocked positions for respectively preventing and allowing rotation of said reel means; clutch means movable to and from a first position for preventing said locking means from moving to said locked position; and means for controlling movement of said clutch means including a cam rotatable about an axis in response to rotation of said reel means and cam follower means engaged with said cam to be moved thereby and engageable with said clutch means.

Claim 13

A retracting reel assembly comprising: support means; reel means rotatably supported by said support means; an elongated flexible element connected to said reel means and adapted to be wound thereon and unwound therefrom; locking means movable between locked and unlocked positions for respectively preventing and allowing rotation of said reel means; clutch means movable to and from a first position for preventing said locking means from moving to said locked position; and means for controlling movement of said clutch means including a cam rotatable about an axis in response to rotation of said reel means and cam follower means engaged with said cam to be moved thereby and engageable with said clutch means.

Claim 14

An assembly as set forth in claim 10 wherein: said cam is coaxial with said reel means and includes a cam track with a spiral portion extending radially about said axis; said follower means includes a follower disposed in said track; and a stop member engageable with said clutch means and means interconnecting said stop member and said follower to move said stop member in response to radial movement of said follower.

Claim 15

An assembly as set forth in claim 11 wherein said clutch means includes a clutch plate coaxial with and frictionally driven by said reel means.

Claim 16

An assembly as set forth in claim 12 wherein said clutch plate includes a step and an adjacent slot so that said stop member may engage said step to maintain said clutch plate in said first position and may move into said slot to allow said clutch plate to move from said first position whereby said locking means may move to said locked position.

Claim 17

As assembly as set forth in claim 13 wherein said stop member includes a leaf spring attached to said support means.