Vehicle sensitive retractor with improved universal inertia mechanism

Claim 1

In a vehicle-sensitive, inertia-operated safety belt retractor having a support structure having two opposed, parallel side walls, a reel for winding the safety belt, means adapted to lock the reel and thereby restrain an occupant of the vehicle during emergency situations, an inertia mechanism, a support assembly mounted on said retractor for supporting the inertia mechanism, and an actuating means responsive to said inertia mechanism for operating the means for locking the reel; the improvement wherein: the inertia mechanism is a sphere in contact with said actuating means and adapted to roll in an infinite variety of directions in an approximately horizontal plane; said support assembly includes a sphere support upon which said sphere rolls; a swivel axis for said sphere support adapted to allow said sphere support to pivot in two lateral directions; a trunnion for supporting said sphere support, a swivel axis for said trunnion adapted to allow said trunnion to pivot in two lateral directions, said swivel axis for said trunnion being disposed approximately perpendicular to said swivel axis for said sphere support, said support assembly thereby being adapted to pivot in any lateral direction to an infinite variety of operable static positions to which said support assembly is adjustable according to the position in which the retractor is oriented by virtue of installation in the vehicle; and said actuating means is disposed above said sphere and has a rest position and a locking position, wherein in said locking position said actuating means causes actuation of said reel locking means, said actuating means thereby being adapted to respond to the rolling of said sphere on said sphere support to actuate said reel locking means.