Safety harness

Claim 2

In vehicle reel safety harnesses of the kind having an angularly displaceable housing fixed to a vehicle during use, a reel mechanism disposed in said housing and comprising a reel spindle, a ratchet wheel having teeth fixed with respect to and rotating with said reel spindle, and a spring acting against unwinding of said harness, the improvement comprising means defining a cavity in said housing and having an open end portion facing towards said ratchet wheel, and blocking means arranged in a free-floating state unconnected to said housing and disposed in said cavity a portion of one wall of said cavity supporting said blocking means for slidable and tippable movement from a rest position in response to a predetermined angular displacement of said housing into engagement with one of the teeth of said ratchet wheel.

Claim 3

A improved blocking means in accordance with claim 1, wherein said blocking means comprises a wedge-shaped head portion disposed at the open end portion of said cavity and an elongated rear portion and wherein the portion of said rear portion closest to said head portion and an end portion of said head portion contact said cavity when said blocking means is in said rest position, and wherein said cavity has a rearward portion having a narrower cross section than said open end portion thereof.

Claim 4

An improved blocking means in accordance with claim 2, wherein said blocking means comprises a narrow central surface on the lower face of said rear portion, said narrow central surface extending longitudinally along said blocking means, and two oblique surfaces each disposed on one side of said central surface.

Claim 5

An improved blocking means in accordance with claim 2, wherein said blocking means further comprises a longitudinally extending tipping edge between said narrow central surface and one of said oblique surfaces.

Claim 6

An improved blocking means in accordance with claim 2, where said blocking means further comprises an oblique surface on said head portion and a wedge-shaped bottom portion formed in said head portion, and wherein said cavity has a V-shaped notch therein receiving said wedge-shaped portion, and an oblique surface formed in said V-shaped nOtch in said cavity coactive with the oblique surface of said head portion to bring said blocking means upwards and backwards to allow said head portion to fully engage with a ratchet tooth upon application of pressure and contact by the ratchet tooth against the head portion.

Claim 7

An improved blocking means in accordance with claim 2, wherein said rearward portion of said blocking means is somewhat shorter than the rearward portion of said cavity to ensure complete engagement of said blocking means with said ratchet wheel before said rearward end of said blocking means abuts against said rear wall of the cavity, said abutment resulting in prevention of further unwinding movement of said reel spindle.

Claim 8

An improved blocking means in accordance with claim 2, comprising a V-shaped notch in the lower portion of said head, a guide pin mounted in said housing and projecting into said cavity to engage with said notch in order to return said blocking means into the rest position in said cavity after resetting of said harness device to its normal position, and to lift said head portion upon lateral tilting of said harness device.

Claim 9

An improved blocking means in accordance with claim 2, further comprising a ring surrounding said ratchet wheel and being arranged for adjustment into various angular position in the plane of said ratchet wheel to urge said blocking means into engagement with a ratchet tooth when said spindle reel unwinds at an angular velocity greater than a preselected value.

Claim 10

An improved blocking means in accordance with claim 1, wherein said blocking means comprises a wedge-shaped head portion and a rearward elongated portion, and wherein said blocking means abuts the bottom of said cavity both at a section of its said rearward portion positioned close to said head portion and at the wedge apex of said head portion when said blocking means is in the rest position, a narrow central surface on the lower face of said rear portion of said blocking means, said narrow central surface extending in the longitudinal direction of said blocking means, two oblique surfaces, one such surface being provided on each side of said central surface, a longitudinally extending tipping edge on the blocking means between said narrow central surface and one of said oblique surfaces, a wedge-shaped bottom portion on said head portion of said blocking means, a V-shaped notch in said cavity to accomodate said wedge-shaped portion, a rearward oblique surface on said wedge-shaped bottom portion of said blocking means, a corresponding oblique surface formed in said V-shaped notch in said cavity coactive with the oblique surface of said head portion to bring said blocking means upwards and backwards to allow said head to fully engage with a ratchet tooth upon application of pressure and contact by the ratchet tooth against the head portion, wherein said rear portion of said blocking means being somewhat shorter than the said rearward portion of said cavity to ensure complete engagement of said blocking means with said ratchet wheel before said rear portion of said blocking means abuts against the rear wall of the cavity, said abutment resulting in prevention of further unwinding movement of said reel spindle, a V-shaped notch in the lower portion of said head portion, a guide pin mounted in said housing and projecting into said cavity to engage with said notch in order to return said blocking means into the rest position in said cavity after resetting of said harness device to its normal position, and to lift said head portion upon lateral tilting of said harness device, and a ring surrounding said ratchet wheel and being arranged for adjustment into various angular positions in the plane of said ratchet wheel to urge said blocking means into engagement with a ratchet tooth when said spindle reel unwinds at an angular velocity greater than a preselected value.

Claim 11

In a vehicle safety harness apparatus of the kind having a housing fixed to a vehicle during use and angularly displaceable relative to a given plane, and a reel mechanism in the housing comprised of a reel spindle rotatable in both a winding and an unwinding direction, a toothed ratchet wheel fixed to and rotating with the reel spindle and means biasing the reel spindle in the winding direction, wherein the improvement comprises: means defining a cavity in said housing having an open end portion facing the ratchet teeth; and blocking means comprising a member disposed in said cavity in a free floating state unconnected to said housing wherein a portion of one wall of said cavity supports said member for slidable and tippable movement from a rest position for engaging with one of the ratchet teeth to block the rotation of said reel spindle in the unwinding direction in response to a predetermined angular displacement of said housing relative to said given plane.

Claim 12

In a vehicle safety harness apparatus of the kind having a housing fixed to a vehicle during use and angularly displaceable relative to a given plane, and a reel mechanism in the housing comprised of a reel spindle rotatable in both a winding and an unwinding direction, a toothed ratchet wheel fixed to and rotating with the reel spindle and means biasing the reel spindle in the winding direction, wherein the improvement comprises: means defining a cavity in said housing having an open end portion facing the ratchet teeth; and blocking means comprising a member disposed in said cavity in a free floating state unconnected to said housing wherein a portion of one wall of said cavity supports said member for slidable and tippable movement from a rest position for engaging with one of the ratchet teeth to block the rotation of said reel spindle in the unwinding direction in response to a predetermined angular displacement of said housing relative to said given plane.

Claim 13

In a vehicle safety harness apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said cavity has a V-shaped inset at the open end portion thereof comprising one oblique surface and an elongated closed end portion terminating in an end wall, and wherein said member comprises a wedge shaped head portion having an apex contacting the open end of said cavity when said member is in said rest position, a V-shaped portion adjacent thereto and configured to rest in said V-shaped inset and having an oblique surface coactive with said oblique surface in said cavity to permit said member to slide therealong into engagement with a ratchet tooth from the rest position and an elongated rear portion having the end portion thereof closest to said head portion contacting the cavity when said member is in the rest position and the other end thereof in contact with the end walls of said cavity when a ratchet tooth is in contact with the apex of said wedge shaped head portion to enable said head portion to fully engage with a ratchet tooth.

Claim 14

In a vehicle safety harness apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said member further comprises a V-shaped notch in said V-shaped portion having a vertex parallel to the longitudinal axis of said member, and means coacting with said notch for centering said member when said member is in said rest position and for urging said member towards said ratchet teeth when said member tilts in response to angular displacement of said housing.

Claim 15

In a vehicle safety harness apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said means for centering comprises a guide pin mounted in said housing and projecting into said cavity to engage with said notch.

Claim 16

In a vehicle safety device according to claim 10, means for urging said blocking means into engagement with one of said ratchet teeth in response to the angular velocity of said reel spindle greater than a predetermined value.

Claim 17

In a vehicle safety device according to claim 14, wherein said means comprises a shoulder projecting from said blocking means and a ring disposed concentrically about said ratchet wheel and movable towards same to engage with said shoulder to urge said blocking means into contact with one of the ratchet teeth.