Tension eliminator for a vehicle safety belt retractor

Claim 2

In combination with a safety belt retractor mechanism of the type having a takeup reel normally rotationally biased in the retractive direction to wind the safety belt thereon to a belt-fully-retracted position, an apparatus for selectively relieving the rectractive tension in said belt, comprising: activating means associated with said apparatus, selectively engagable and disengagable, for activating said apparatus into or out of a belt-tensionless mode at any first extensive angular position of said reel k2π radians greater than said fully-retracted position, where k is a predetermined constant ≧1; and locking means associated with said reel and said activating means, operable when said apparatus is activated at said reel first angular position, otherwise inoperable, operatively responsive to an extensive angular displacement of said reel to a second angular position greater than said reel first angular position by a predetermined first amount, for locking said reel against retractive movement below said reel second angular position, and for permitting normal extensive and retractive movement of said reel between said reel second angular position and a third angular position of said reel greater than said reel second angular position by a predetermined second amount, being further operatively responsive to an extensive angular displacement of said reel beyond said reel third angular position, or to a selective disengagement of said activating means, for unlocking said reel to permit normal retractive movement thereof below said reel second angular position, wherein said predetermined first amount corresponds to the amount of slack in said belt in said tensionless mode and the sum of said predetermined first and second amounts is k2π radians.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said locking mechanism further comprises: a ratchet wheel fixed to said reel for rotation therewith; a pawl, movably attached to said apparatus, movable between a position engaged with said ratchet wheel and a position disengaged therefrom, for respective locking and unlocking of said reel against said retractive movement below said second angular position, said pawl being locked into said pawl disengaged position and released therefrom by disengagment or engagement of said activating means, respectively; and pawl controlling means for urging said pawl to said pawl engaged and disengaged positions, further including means for detecting reel angular displacement and controlling said pawl movement in response thereto.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said pawl controlling means further comprises: biasing means for urging said pawl into said pawl engaged position; a follower arm, having a nose part thereon, attached to said pawl for moving said pawl between said pawl engaged and disengaged positions; a cam, rotatably-attached to said apparatus and coupled to said reel for co-rotation therewith, said cam being programmed to cooperate with said follower arm and said pawl biasing means to urge said pawl into said pawl engaged position at a predetermined first angular orientation of said cam, whereby said reel and said cam are locked against further retractive movement, and to urge said pawl into said disengaged position by extensive angular displacements of said cam greater than said cam first angular orientation and slightly less than 2π radians; and orienting means for orienting said cam relative to said follower and said reel, further including clutching means for coupling and uncoupling said cam rotatably to said reel, such that, for extensive movements of said reel from below said reel first and third angular positions, said cam is fixed against extensive movement at a cam second angular orientation less than said cam first angular orientation by 1/k times said reel first predetermined amount, and for retractive movements of said reel from above said reel third angular position, said cam is fixed against retractive movement below said cam second angular orientation.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said cam orienting means further comprises: a control arm, movably attached to said apparatus for movement between a first and a second position of engagement with said cam, said control arm cooperating with said cam to prevent cam retractive movement below said cam second angular orientation when said arm is in said arm first position and to prevent cam extensive movement beyond a third angular orientation of said cam greater than said cam first angular orientation by 1/k times said reel second predetermined amount when said arm is in said second position, wherein the total angular displacement of said cam between said cam second angular orientation and said cam third angular orientation is slightly greater than 2π radians; first control arm biasing means for biasing said control arm toward said control arm first position; and wherein said cam is further programmed to cooperate with said arm biasing means to urge said control arm from said first position to said second position upon extensive movement of said cam beyond said cam second angular orientation and to release said arm to said first position upon retractive movement of said cam to a position slightly below said cam third angular orientation.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising: second control arm biasing means to bias said arm towards said cam in a direction parallel to said cam rotational axis; and said cam having an inclined ramp upon a surface of said cam normal to said cam rotational axis in the extractive direction, said ramp being followed by a ledge in said direction, said ramp and said ledge being disposed upon said surface to engage and cooperate with said control arm and said second control arm biasing means to permit extensive movement of said cam between said cam second angular orientation and said cam first angular orientation and to prevent retractive movement of said cam below said cam first angular orientation.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising: a friction clutch to couple rotational movement of said reel to said cam when said cam is permitted to rotate by said control arm and to permit relative rotational slipping therebetween otherwise; and driving means for driving said cam through said clutch with said reel.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said driving means further comprises: reducing means for rotatably coupling said cam to said reel and for driving said cam with said reel at a reduced ratio such that k turns of said reel result in one turn of said cam.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said reducing means further comprises: a gear drive.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said reducing means further comprises: a geneva mechanism.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 9, wherein: said drive ratio is 3-to-1, said reel first predetermined amount is about 1.4 radians and said reel second predetermined amount is about 17.4 radians.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said activating means further comprises: operating means for selectively urging said pawl into said pawl disengaged position, operatively responsive to stimuli external of said apparatus.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said operating means further comprises: means for retaining said pawl in said pawl-disengaged position, further including means for releasing said pawl from said retained, disengaged position, operatively responsive to said external stimuli.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said operating means further comprises: a second cam, movably-attached to said apparatus, operatively responsive to said external stimuli to move between a first and a second position, programmed to cooperate with said pawl follower arm nose part to urge said pawl into said pawl disengaged position and to release said pawl therefrom upon movement between said first and a second positions, respectively.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said external stimuli is provided by manual operation of said second cam.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said external stimuli is provided automatically by a mechanical transducer.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said external stimuli is provided automatically by an electromechanical solenoid.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said operating means further includes an activating arm attached to said pawl and extending exteriorly of said apparatus for urging said pawl into said disengaged position, responsive to movement thereof by said external stimuli.

Claim 19

For restraining a passenger within a vehicle, a safety belt retractor mechanism having a selectively-engagable tensionless mode, comprising: a frame attached to said vehicle; a flexible safety belt; a spool, rotatably-journeled in said frame, having one end of said belt attached thereto, for winding said belt radially thereon; a spring, attached between said spool and said frame, for continuously biasing said spool in a belt-retractive direction and against a belt-extensive direction, to wind said belt toward a fully-retracted belt position; buckling means for buckling the other end of said belt to said vehicle about said passenger at a first extensive position of said belt at least k2πr 1 longer than said fully-retracted belt position, where k is a predetermined constant ≧1 and r 1 is the mean radius of said belt on said spool between said fully-retracted belt position and said first extensive belt position; first locking means attached to said frame, operatively-responsive to accelerations of said vehicle and/or said spool of a level corresponding to those encountered during emergency conditions, to lock said belt against further extensive movement, whereby said belt serves to restrain said passenger in said vehicle during said emergency conditions; selector means for selecting between a tensioned mode and a tensionless mode in said mechanism, operatively-responsive to manual activation/deactivation by said passenger by the step of buckling said belt up at, or beyond, said first extensive belt position; second locking means attached to said frame, operable when said belt is in said tensionless mode, otherwise inoperable, engagable to lock said belt against further retractive movement and to permit normal extractive movement of said belt therebeyond; measuring means for measuring movement of said belt relative to a given belt position, further including means for detecting an extensive displacement of said belt to a second belt position longer than said given position by a first predetermined amount and for engaging said second locking means thereat, further including means for detecting an extensive displacement of said belt to a third belt position longer than said second belt position by a second predetermined amount and for disengaging said second locking means thereat; indexing means for setting said given belt position equal to said first extensive belt position; and wherein the sum of said first and second predetermined amounts is k2πr 2 , where r 2 is the mean radius of said belt on said spool between said first and third belt positions.

Claim 20

For restraining a passenger within a vehicle, a safety belt retractor mechanism having a selectively-engagable tensionless mode, comprising: a frame attached to said vehicle; a flexible safety belt; a spool, rotatably-journeled in said frame, having one end of said belt attached thereto, for winding said belt radially thereon; a spring, attached between said spool and said frame, for continuously biasing said spool in a belt-retractive direction and against a belt-extensive direction, to wind said belt toward a fully-retracted belt position; buckling means for buckling the other end of said belt to said vehicle about said passenger at a first extensive position of said belt at least k2πr 1 longer than said fully-retracted belt position, where k is a predetermined constant ≧1 and r 1 is the mean radius of said belt on said spool between said fully-retracted belt position and said first extensive belt position; first locking means attached to said frame, operatively-responsive to accelerations of said vehicle and/or said spool of a level corresponding to those encountered during emergency conditions, to lock said belt against further extensive movement, whereby said belt serves to restrain said passenger in said vehicle during said emergency conditions; selector means for selecting between a tensioned mode and a tensionless mode in said mechanism, operatively-responsive to manual activation/deactivation by said passenger by the step of buckling said belt up at, or beyond, said first extensive belt position; second locking means attached to said frame, operable when said belt is in said tensionless mode, otherwise inoperable, engagable to lock said belt against further retractive movement and to permit normal extractive movement of said belt therebeyond; measuring means for measuring movement of said belt relative to a given belt position, further including means for detecting an extensive displacement of said belt to a second belt position longer than said given position by a first predetermined amount and for engaging said second locking means thereat, further including means for detecting an extensive displacement of said belt to a third belt position longer than said second belt position by a second predetermined amount and for disengaging said second locking means thereat; indexing means for setting said given belt position equal to said first extensive belt position; and wherein the sum of said first and second predetermined amounts is k2πr 2 , where r 2 is the mean radius of said belt on said spool between said first and third belt positions.

Claim 21

The mechanism of claim 18, wherein: said measuring means further includes means for deactivating said selector means upon said extensive movement of said belt to said belt third position and for retaining said selector means in said condition until manually reactivated by said passenger.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said measuring means further comprises: a cam rotatably-coupled to said spool for corotation therewith and programmed to cooperate with said second locking means to operate said locking means to lock said belt at an angular position of said spool corresponding to said belt second position and to operate said second locking means to unlock said belt otherwise; and a Geneva mechanism for coupling said cam to said spool for co-rotation therewith and for driving said cam with said spool at a reduced rate of 1/k.