Remote tension-relieving apparatus for safety belt retractor

Claim 1

In a vehicle safety belt system adapted to restrain an occupant in a vehicle, the safety belt system including a shoulder belt and a retractor having a rewind mechanism biased to rewind the shoulder belt on a reel of the retractor, an improved tension-relieving apparatus comprising: a housing disposed in a position remote from said retractor and having an approximately U-shape including a back wall and two sidewalls, said sidewalls extending approximately perpendicularly from said back wall; a shoulder belt support disposed within said housing and extending between said sidewalls, said shoulder belt moving more than 90° around said support as said shoulder belt is unwound from said retractor and rewound into said retractor; a locking means disposed adjacent to said shoulder belt support, said locking means including a clamp pivotably disposed with said housing and extending between said sidewalls, said clamp having a locking position and an unlocking position, said clamp movable between its locking position and its unlocking position, said clamp in its locking position preventing movement of the shoulder belt in a rewind direction around said shoulder belt support; a force transmitting means mounted in said housing adjacent to said locking means, said force transmitting means connected to said locking means and an actuating means, said force transmitting means moving said clamp between its locking position and its unlocking position, said clamp in its locking position relieving tension on the shoulder belt produced by the rewind mechanism of the retractor; and an actuating means located in the vehicle remote from said housing and having electrical means connected to said force transmitting means for actuating said force transmitting means.