Abstract: An actuating means for a vehicle body closure latch includes a driver or passenger controlled electric motor driving a reciprocable rack through a gear train. The rack is resiliently biased to a neutral position and shifts an actuator from neutral to an operating position when the rack is moved from the neutral position to a driving position. The actuator is engageable with a latch operator to control movement of the latch bolt to unlatched position when the actuator moves to an operating position. When the actuator reaches the operating position, the actuator is positively stopped to stall the motor or power operator. When the power is removed from the stalled motor or power operator by the driver or passenger releasing a switch, the bias of the resilient centering means returns the rack to its initial neutral or starting position and back drives the motor through the gear train.

Abstract: In a seat belt retractor winding prevention mechanism, the winding prevention pawl is mounted upon a collapsible support mechanism which is collapsed by the onset of a sensed vehicle deceleration condition so that force imposed on the pawl by the windup spring shifts the pawl against a cam which moves the pawl axially out of engagement with the ratchet teeth carried by the reel to thereby release the winding prevention mechanism so that the windup spring will rewind the belt to a taut condition about the occupant.

Abstract: A vehicle seat is mounted on the vehicle floor by a seat adjusting mechanism permitting fore and aft adjusting movement of the seat. A channel member is connected to the vehicle floor behind the seat and extends forwardly along the path of longitudinal seat adjustment movement. The channel member has opposed facing walls which are slidably engaged by a pair of wedge members having associated ramp surfaces. A seat belt is connected to the rearward one of the wedge members so that an occupant restraint load imposed upon the seat belt induces longitudinal forward movement of the rearward wedge member into locking engagement with the forward wedge member and the walls of the channel member so that the seat belt is fixed relative to the channel member and the occupant restraint load is transmitted through the channel member to the vehicle floor.

Abstract: A junction ring adapted for use in a seat belt system wherein a continuous-loop belt is slidable through the junction ring to define shoulder belt and lap belt portions includes a housing having slots mounting a pin for movement toward and away from the buckle. The belt passes around the pin. A buckle is selectively engageable with the junction ring to establish the lap belt and shoulder belt in occupant restraining positions across the seat. The shoulder belt is wound by a seat belt retractor having a tension reliever permitting introduction of slack into the shoulder belt. A spring urges the pin in the direction toward the buckle so that the belt is carried into frictional engagement with a friction member to provide a one-way friction detent which prevents transference of the shoulder belt slack into the lap belt so that the lap belt remains taut about the occupant.

Abstract: A belt carriage is movable along a vehicle body mounted track to move an occupant restraint belt between an occupant restraint position and a stowed position permitting occupant ingress and egress. A plastic drive tape is attached to the carriage and has perforations which mesh with a toothed tape drive gear for driving the drive tape and carriage back and forth along the track. An electric motor and a speed reduction gear unit are connected to the tape drive gear by a clutch which couples with the drive gear only when the electric motor is energized so that whenever the electric motor is not energized the occupant may grip the belt carriage and manually move the belt carriage and the drive tape to move the restraint belt between the occupant restraint and stowed positions independently of the motor. The clutch is preferably a centrifugal clutch in which clutch pawls are thrown outwardly by centrifugal force to engage with the tape drive gear when the motor is energized.

Abstract: A junction device is connected to an anchor belt retractably mounted inboard an occupant seat and slidably encircles a continuous-loop belt having upper and lower ends mounted on the door to define lap and shoulder belt portions. A yieldable spring, preferably a rubber O-ring, is sewn to the anchor belt and hooked over the junction device to establish the junction device at a normal angular position relative the anchor belt in which the junction device assumes a streamlined lie-flat position with respect to the occupant torso to thereby facilitate low interference travel of the junction device across the occupant torso during movement of the door from the closed position to the open position.

Abstract: A guide ring assembly adapted to mount a seat belt on a vehicle body for longitudinal sliding movement therethrough includes an outer ring having a mounting portion by which the assembly is mounted on the vehicle body and a load bearing portion over which the belt is longitudinally slidable. The load bearing portion of the outer ring includes a generally central rectilinear segment having a length equivalent to about one width of the belt and a curvilinear segment located each side of the rectilinear segment. An inner spacer means is mounted on the mounting portion of the outer ring and includes a spacer wall which extends in parallel spaced relation from the rectilinear and curvilinear segments of the outer ring load bearing portions at a distance therefrom less than twice the thickness of the belt to define therewith a relatively narrow arcuately arranged belt passage slot.

Abstract: A three-point passive seat belt system includes a continuous-loop restraint belt having upper and lower ends attached to the door. A control belt has its outboard end attached to a junction ring which encircles the continuous-loop belt to define lap belt and shoulder belt portions. The inboard end of the control belt is mounted inboard the seat by a retractor reel which winds the control belt. When the door is closed the retractor winds the control belt to establish the lap and shoulder belt portions respectively across the lower and upper torso of the occupant. The outboard end of the lap belt portion is attached to the door by a resilient anchor strap forward of the MVSS 210 specified mounting location.

Abstract: A load locking junction device for coupling a continuous-loop belt having ends mounted on the door with an anchor belt retractably mounted inboard the seat includes a frame having an aperture defining spaced apart first and second load bearing walls. The continuous-loop belt is slidable over the first wall to define a lap belt portion and a shoulder belt portion. The anchor belt extends through the aperture and has a pin engaged in the end thereof to enlarge the end for simultaneous engagement against the second wall and the continuous-loop belt so that the belts are coupled together and maintained in engagement with the load bearing walls. A spring acts on the pin to space the anchor belt from the continuous-loop belt to permit movement of the continuous-loop belt through the frame.

Abstract: A passive lap and shoulder belt system for a motor vehicle includes a shoulder belt having an outboard end attached either to the roof rail or the door window frame and an inboard end suitably mounted inboard the occupant. The lap belt has an outboard end mounted on the door and an inboard end suitably mounted inboard the occupant. The shoulder belt and lap belt each have a retractor at one of their belt ends. A track extends longitudinally forward from the shoulder belt retractor and movably mounts a shoulder belt carriage which slidably engages the shoulder belt. A fixed length lift cable extends slidably through the shoulder belt carriage and has an upper end mounted adjacent the rear end of the track and a lower end connected to the lap belt.

Abstract: An inertia locking seat belt retractor for winding a shoulder belt having one end mounted on the vehicle door to move the belt between stowed and restraining positions upon movement of the door. The retractor has a winding prevention mechanism including a pawl and ratchet for selectively blocking belt winding rotation of the belt reel to hold the belt extended at a set length to establish a slackened comfort condition relative the occupant. A manually actuatable control device has a normal condition blocking control of the pawl by a control disc frictionally clutched to the reel and is manually actuatable to release the pawl for control by the disc. The control disc actuates the pawl to provide the set length, defines a range of unwinding wherein the pawl is temporarily deactuated to permit subsequent rewinding to return the belt to the set length, and disengages the pawl upon still further unwinding rotation so that the pawl is deactuated upon belt unwinding during opening of the door.

Abstract: A seat belt retractor has a reel for winding and unwinding a restraint belt and a winding spring urging winding rotation of the reel to tension the belt about the body of a seat occupant. A pawl is pivotally mounted for engagement with a ratchet wheel carried by the reel to prevent belt winding rotation and thereby relieve the tension on the belt. A spring acts on the pawl to normally urge the pawl toward engagement with the ratchet reel and goes overcenter upon predetermined movement of the pawl away from engagement with the ratchet wheel so that the spring holds the pawl in a disabled position. A control disc is connected to the reel by a friction clutch for rotation therewith and has a cam surface for controlling movement of the pawl into and out of engagement with the ratchet wheel and further cam surfaces for operating the pawl to and from the disabled position upon predetermined sequence of rotation of the control disc.

Abstract: A belt retractor for a vehicle occupant restraint system has a winding prevention mechanism which is interlocked to the vehicle door so as to cancel the winding prevention mechanism upon opening movement of the door. The retractor has a reel with a ratchet plate having ratchet teeth thereon. A control disc is frictionally clutched to the reel and is engageable with a spring biased pawl mounted on the housing to control movement of the pawl between a detenting position engaging the ratchet teeth to prevent reel rotation in the winding direction and an undetenting position disengaging the pawl from the ratchet teeth. A blocking disc is also frictionally clutched for rotation with the reel and is effective to capture and hold the pawl in undetenting position. Actuation and cancellation of this winding prevention mechanism is in response to a predetermined sequence of belt winding and unwinding movement.