Abstract: A side impact air bag mounted in a door of a motor vehicle in an unfurled, deflated position for reducing deployment time and providing reliable orientation of the air bag upon deployment. The air bag is mounted in an upper portion of the door, and an actuable inflator is mounted in the lower portion of the door. The inflator is in communication with the air bag via a connecting air bag or flexible duct, which provides added padding to the door upon inflation. A soft flexible material overlies the air bag to hide the air bag from the occupant's view as well as retain the air bag in the unfurled position. The soft flexible material is adhesively attached or stapled to an inner trim panel of the door and becomes detached from the inner trim panel upon the air bag inflating and pushing the soft flexible material away from the inner trim panel so that the air bag reaches its inflated position.

Abstract: A passive restraint belt system includes a shoulder belt having an outboard end mounted on the upper rear corner of the door and an inboard end retractably mounted on the body inboard the occupant seat. The retractor winds the belt to a diagonal restraining position across the occupant upper torso when the door is closed and permits outward and forward movement of the shoulder belt with the door to permit occupant ingress and regress when the door is opened. A tether belt has a first end attached to the shoulder belt intermediate the inboard and outboard ends and a second end connected to the door in vertically spaced relation from the outboard shoulder belt end. The length of the tether belt is adjustable by the occupant to deflect the diagonal path of the shoulder belt to fit the size of the particular occupant. The tether belt may be connected to the door by a reel which is rotatable to adjust the length of the tether belt.

Abstract: A diagonal shoulder belt has an upper end attached to the vehicle body roof inboard the seat and a lower end mounted on the lower rear corner of the door by a retractor. A stiffening sleeve surrounds the uppermost portion of the shoulder belt and is pivoted to the vehicle roof. A track extends longitudinally along the roof forwardly from the point of attachment of the shoulder belt. A belt carriage is movable along the track and engages the stiffening sleeve during the initial forward movement of the carriage to abruptly pivot the stiffening sleeve from the vertically depending position to a horizontally raised position, thereby abruptly raising the shoulder belt forwardly of the occupant to a stowed position along the roof. Continued forward movement of the carriage beyond the stiffening sleeve progressively stows the shoulder belt along the roof.

Abstract: A seat belt retractor has a primary winding spring which is wound up during belt unwinding reel rotation to store energy for biasing the reel in the belt winding direction. An assist spring acts between the reel and an assist spring housing which is mounted for rotation relative both the retractor housing and the reel. A lock lever is pivotally mounted on the assist spring housing and is movable to a first position connecting the assist spring housing with the retractor housing so that the assist spring is wound up during belt unwinding reel rotation to store energy for biasing the reel in the belt winding direction and a second position connecting the assist spring housing with the reel so that the assist spring is maintained at its then existing state of wind up and has no biasing affect on the reel.

Abstract: An operating mechanism for a roof opening closure panel includes a track extending longitudinally of the vehicle. A roller and a lifting link are respectively pivotally attached to the leading end and trailing end of the closure panel and are captured for sliding movement in the track. A ramp member is slidably captured in the track intermediate the roller and the lifting link and has an inclined surface which lifts the roller vertically when the ramp member is forced beneath the roller. A connecting rod extends between the ramp member and the trailing end of the lifting link to provide a fixed length therebetween. A drive cable is connected to the trailing end of the lifter link for moving the lifter link fore and aft in the track.

Abstract: A seat belt buckle assembly includes a male buckle member attached to a length of belt for movement with the belt and a female latch member mounted on a member of the vehicle body. The male buckle member is provided on the seat belt and has a round cylindrical pintle attached to a buckle member housing. A plunger is telescopically mounted inside the pintle and is normally retracted therein by a spring. An occupant actuatable device in the form of a push-button and linkage is provided in the buckle member housing for selectively moving the plunger from the normal retracted position to an extended position. The female latch member has a round cylindrical opening in the housing thereof for receiving the pintle of the buckle member at any degree of orientation of the pintle about its axis. A pair of latch plates are pivotally mounted in the latch member housing at diametrically opposed positions relative the round cylindrical opening.

Abstract: A bonding strip for mounting a window glass on a vehicle body panel flange is extruded from a resilient adhesive butyl rubber compound and includes a body portion which defines a recess for receiving the edge of the window glass and an underface which faces toward the body panel flange. The bonding strip also has a leg which is integral with the body portion and extends from one edge of the underface at an acute angle toward the other edge of the underface. A bead of highly viscous pumpable liquid butyl rubber is applied along the body panel flange. When the glass is installed against the body panel flange, the leg of the bonding strip is engaged against the bead of highly viscous liquid butyl and causes the bead of liquid butyl to flow to fill any spaces resulting from surface uneveness of the body panel flange.

Abstract: The seat cushion of a bench type vehicle seat has a first end pivotally mounted on the vehicle body and a second end mounted by a track assembly permitting fore and aft sliding movement of the second end so that the entire seat swivels about the first end. A link is located adjacent the second end of the seat cushion and has a lower end pivoted to the vehicle floor. A seat back has one end pivotally connected to the first end of the seat cushion and another end pivotally connected to the link. The link has a cam slot in which a cam roller mounted on the seat cushion is slidably engaged so that pivotal movement of the link effects fore and aft sliding movement of the second end of the seat cushion. A first latch is provided between the link and the seat. A second latch is provided between the seat back and the vehicle body.

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.

Abstract: A device for reducing the aerodynamic drag on a tractor-trailer is mounted on the tractor roof and includes a upwardly inclined rearwardy extending top surface having its leading edge faired into the tractor roof. The device has sidewalls which extend generally vertically to connect the outer edge of the top surface of the device with the roof of the tractor. The width of the device is substantially less at its leading edge than at its trailing edge. The vertical sidewalls connecting the tractor roof and the top surface may follow a linear, convex, or concave-convex path as they progress from front to rear and function to provide airflow streamlining around the trailer sides. The invention provides formulas by which the angle of rearward inclination for the optimum streamlining of airflow over the trailer roof may be calculated. Formulas are provided for devices having a top surface of either planar or curvilinear configuration.

Abstract: A bolster wire assembly is embedded in the resilient foam cushion of a vehicle seat to permit attachment of a seat cover to the foam cushion. The bolster wire assembly includes a wire having a strip of molded plastic mesh attached to and extending continuously therealong. The strip of plastic mesh has a plurality of interstices therein permitting the foam to flow through the plastic mesh during the foaming of the resilient foam cushion so that the strip of plastic mesh is embedded in the foam cushion to thereby anchor the bolster wire in the foam cushion. Conventional fasteners such as hog rings may then be employed to attach a list on the seat cover to the bolster wire.

Abstract: A pendulum support for the pendulum of a vehicle inertia responsive seat belt retractor. The pendulum support includes laterally spaced side walls juxtaposed to the spaced side walls of the retractor housing, and an integral pendulum support portion extending between the side walls and mounting an inertia actuated pendulum. Integral apertured bushing portions on the side walls of the support member encircle the shaft of the belt reel. These bushing portions are journalled in apertures in the side walls of the housing to mount the belt reel shaft on the housing for rotation relative thereto and also to mount the pendulum support portion and the pendulum on the housing at a predetermined consistent radial distance relative the reel shaft. The support is anchored against rotary movement about the reel shaft by providing elongated apertures in the side walls thereof which receive the pivot shaft of a locking bar for the belt reel.

Abstract: An inertia locking mechanism of a vehicle occupant restraint belt retractor includes a blocking member that moves forwardly in response to frontal vehicle deceleration so as to block movement of the locking member of the mechanism back towards a nonlocking position after movement toward a locking position under the impetus of an inertia member. The blocking member has a lower end pivotally supported on the housing of the retractor about a transverse vehicle axis and extends upwardly between forward and rearward stops to an upper weighted portion that normally biases the blocking member rearwardly into engagement with the rearward stop. An actuating portion of the locking member normally engages the weighted portion of the blocking member and a blocking portion of the blocking member is located rearwardly of the actuating portion.

Abstract: A seat adjuster mechanism for a bench-type vehicle seat includes a first adjuster track assembly mounting the driver's end of the vehicle seat to the vehicle and a second adjuster track assembly mounting the passenger's end. The track assemblies are curved about an axis extending transversely of the vehicle so that the pitch and elevation of the vehicle seat are changed as the seat is adjusted fore and aft. First and second swivel mechanisms connect the respective adjuster track assemblies to the vehicle seat. First and second lock pawls are associated respectively with the first and second adjuster track assemblies for selective engagement in notches in a notched lock bar to latch the seat in desired position. A latch operating device is provided which is actuable in one direction to unlatch both the first and second latch means to permit simultaneous bodily fore and aft adjusting movement of the seat on the first and second adjuster track assemblies.