Inertia reel

Claim 2

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; and control means for controlling movement of said locking means to said locked position, said control means including first clutch means for preventing said locking means from moving to said locked position during continuous unwinding rotation of said reel means from the fully wound position, inertia means for disposition in an operative condition in response to a predetermined rotational acceleration of said reel means in the unwind direction, and second clutch means for moving said locking means to said locked position in response to said inertia means being in said operative condition.

Claim 3

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; and control means for controlling movement of said locking means to said locked position, said control means including first clutch means for preventing said locking means from moving to said locked position during continuous unwinding rotation of said reel means from the fully wound position and until winding rotation of said reel means subsequent to said continuous unwinding, inertia means for disposition in an operative condition in response to a predetermined rotational acceleration of said reel means in the unwind direction, second clutch means for moving said locking means to said locked position in response to said inertia means being in said operative condition, and deactivating means for rendering said second clutch means nonresponsive to said inertia means while said first clutch means is preventing said locking means from moving to said locked position.

Claim 4

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; and control means for controlling movement of said locking means to said locked position, said control means including first clutch means for preventing said locking means from moving to said locked position during continuous unwinding rotation of said reel means from the fully wound position and until winding rotation of said reel means subsequent to said continuous unwinding, inertia means for disposition in an operative condition in response to a predetermined rotational acceleration of said reel means in the unwind direction, second clutch means for moving said locking means to said locked position in response to said inertia means being in said operative condition, and deactivating means for rendering said second clutch means nonresponsive to said inertia means while said first clutch means is preventing said locking means from moving to said locked position.

Claim 5

An assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein said reel means has an axis of rotation, said first clutch means being supported for rotation about said axis, said second clutch means being supported for rotation about said axis, said inertia means being supported for rotation about said axis.

Claim 6

An assembly as set forth in claim 3 wherein said first clutch means is disposed in frictional driven relationship with said reel means.

Claim 7

An assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein said second clutch means is disposed in frictional driven relationship with said inertia means when moving said locking means to said locked position.

Claim 8

An assembly as set forth in claim 5 including return means for returning said locking means to said unlocked position when said reel means returns to said fully wound position.

Claim 9

An assembly as set forth in claim 5 wherein said reel means includes a shaft rotatably supported by said support means, said first clutch means includes a first clutch plate supported by said shaft for rotation relative thereto, said second clutch means includes a second clutch plate supported by said shaft for rotation relative thereto, and said inertia means includes an inertia wheel supported on said shaft and displacement means for moving said inertia wheel along said shaft in response to said predetermined acceleration.

Claim 10

An assembly as set forth in claim 7 wherein said deactivating means includes a bar with an elongated slot therein disposed about said shaft, said bar being disposed between said support means and said second clutch plate, said second clutch plate being disposed between said Bar and said inertia wheel, said bar having a first thickness along a first portion of said slot for allowing axial movement of said inertia wheel without causing rotation of said second clutch plate thereby, said bar having a second thickness along a second portion of said slot which is thicker than said first thickness for reacting with said second clutch plate to cause rotation of said second clutch plate in response to axial movement of said inertia wheel.

Claim 11

An assembly as set forth in claim 8 including connection means operatively interconnecting said bar and said locking means for controlling the radial movement of said bar relative to said axis.

Claim 12

An assembly as set forth in claim 9 including a first friction disk disposed about said shaft between said first clutch plate and said reel means for transmitting rotary motion of said reel means to said first clutch plate.

Claim 13

An assembly as set forth in claim 10 including a second friction disk disposed between said inertia wheel and said second clutch plate for transmitting rotary motion of said inertia wheel to said second clutch plate.

Claim 14

An assembly as set forth in claim 11 including first spring means disposed between said support means and first clutch plate, second spring means disposed between said inertia wheel and said second friction disk.

Claim 15

An assembly as set forth in claim 12 wherein said locking means includes a projection and said second clutch plate has a slot therein through which said projection extends.

Claim 16

An assembly as set forth in claim 13 wherein said bar has a second slot therein through which said projection extends to define said connection means.

Claim 17

An assembly as set forth in claim 14 including first biasing means urging said bar to move radially relative to said axis in the direction to dispose said second thickness thereof about said shaft.

Claim 18

An assembly as set forth in claim 15 including second biasing means for urging said second clutch plate to rotate in the unwinding direction.

Claim 19

An assembly as set forth in claim 16 wherein said first clutch plate includes a shoulder therein for reacting with said projection to prevent said locking means from moving to said locked position.

Claim 20

An assembly as set forth in claim 17 including a cup-shaped washer disposed about said shaft between said bar and said second clutch plate with the outer periphery thereof engaging said second clutch plate.

Claim 21

An assembly as set forth in claim 18 wherein said shaft has a large diameter along the portion extending through said first friction disk and said first clutch plate; said shaft has a smaller diameter along the portion thereof extending through said bar, said cup-shaped washer, said second clutch plate, said second friction disk and said inertia wheel.

Claim 22

An assembly as set forth in claim 19 wherein said displacement means comprises a pin extending diametrically through said shaft and a diametrical slot in said inertia wheel with ramps extending axially outwardly therefrom for coacting with said pin to move said inertia wheel axially along said shaft toward said second clutch plate in response to relative rotation between said shaft and said inertia wheel.

Claim 23

An assembly as set forth in claim 20 wherein said support means includes a generally U-shaped bracket having a base and parallel first and second sidewalls; said shaft extends between said side walls and is rotatably supported thereby, said smaller diameter portion of said shaft extends outwardly of said second wall; said reel means includes a cylinder disposed concentrically about said shaft, a circular platelike ratchet member secured to each end of said cylinder, said ratchet members being nonrotatably attached to said large diameter portion of said shaft, said cylinder having a slot extending therealong, said elongated flexible member comprising a seat belt connected to said shaft and extending through said slot to be wound and unwound about said cylinder, and windup means disposed outwardly of said firSt side and reacting between said bracket and said shaft for urging said shaft to rotate in the winding direction; said locking means includes a rod extending between said walls and a locking pawl supported by said rod for movement into said locked position in engagement with said ratchet members; said first clutch plate being disposed between said second side and the adjacent ratchet member, said first spring means reacting between said second side and said first clutch plate, said first friction disk being disposed between said first clutch plate and the adjacent ratchet member, a washer member disposed between said first friction disk and the adjacent ratchet member, said bar being disposed outwardly of said second side and about said smaller diameter portion of said shaft for reacting against said larger diameter portion of said shaft, said second side having a slot therethrough and said projection extends through said slot in said second side and through said second slot in said bar and through a slot in said second clutch plate; and including return means for returning said locking means to said unlocked position when said reel means returns to said fully wound position.