Vehicle sensitive retractor with enclosed double pendulum

Claim 1

In a vehicle-sensitive, inertia operated safety belt retractor having a reel for winding a safety belt, means to lock the reel and thereby restrain an occupant of the vehicle during dangerous situations, an inertia mechanism, a support 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: said inertia mechanism is a lower pendulum assembly which includes a pendulum head in contact with said actuating means, said pendulum assembly being actuated by forces exceeding a predetermined magnitude resulting from a sudden change in the motion or orientation of the vehicle, said actuation means operating directly on the means for locking the reel without any intermediate mechanism disposed structurally or operatively between said actuating means and said means for locking the reel; and said support for said lower pendulum assembly is an upper pendulum assembly which includes: a trunnion which is a concave vessel having a substantially circular support edge upon which said pendulum head is disposed, said lower pendulum assembly being adapted to pivot upon said support edge in any lateral directions, said pendulum assembly requiring a force exceeding a predetermined magnitude to lift a part of the pendulum head up and off a part of said support edge before said lower pendulum assembly will cause said locking means to lock the reel; said upper pendulum assembly being adjustable to a variety of operable static positions in one plane with reference to said retractor according to the position in which the retractor is oriented by virtue of installation in the vehicle; a swivel axis for said trunnion adapted to allow said trunnion to pivot in two lateral directions in one plane; a support member for said trunnion; and a pendulum housing which is attached to the trunnion; said inertia mechanism and said support having a compact configuration, sufficiently compact for said pendulum assembly and said gimbal assembly to be mounted either within said retractor or outside said retractor.