Abstract: An improved dual tension retractor mechanism for emergency locking safety belt retractors which allows application of main spring rewind bias without the necessity of an initial low tension belt rewinding. Application of the main spring rewind bias for belt retraction from low tension use mode is controlled independently of retractor reel winding or unwinding movements. The improvement includes a ratchet ring which is selectively rotatable relative said housing to allow reapplication of main spring rewind bias to the belt when the belt reel is in the low tension mode. Retractive rotation of the ratchet ring applies power rewind bias to the belt reel even though a bias blocking pawl remains engaged with the ratchet ring.

Abstract: An emergency locking safety seat belt retractor for restraining passengers in a vehicle has a seat belt wound upon a spool biased toward a fully wound condition, a pawl and ratchet means operable in response to vehicle deceleration to lock the spool against belt unwinding movement and a unitary pawl control means carried by a helically threaded shaft mounted on the retractor frame and rotatably driven by protractive and retractive rotation of the spool to inhibit pawl and ratchet locking of the spool in predetermined manner in response to both the direction of rotation of the spool and the amount of protractive rotation of the spool as the seat belt is placed in use.

Abstract: The present surgical tool uses high frequency impulses to replace rotating or oscillating members in cutting through or inserting materials into bone. One embodiment comprises a chisel which uses high frequency impulses to remove bone or other hard material. Because of the high forces developed, a novel holder for the chisel to the tool is disclosed. Another embodiment is a wire driver which uses high frequency impulses to drive wire into bone or other tissue. A novel holder for the wire is disclosed which allows wire to be pulled from the tool so that it can be inserted into the bone but prevents wire from slipping back into the tool during the driving operation. The chisel and the wire are driven by a novel pneumatic impulse motor. The motor includes a piston hammer which is mounted in a chamber, and air ports at either end of the chamber alternately direct air to one side of the piston hammer and to the other side of the piston hammer to drive it along the chamber.

Abstract: A selectively manually operable tension-relieving mechanism with memory is disclosed. The improved tension-relieving mechanism is nominally disengaged from the retractor spool assembly to allow frictionless operation thereof and is manually engageable. An actuator lever causes the mechanism to become engaged with a seat belt retractor by engagement of a pair of ratchet disks. A pawl and groove assembly then cause operation in a tensionless mode upon a subsequent slight belt protraction. A latch retains the actuator in an engaged condition until override by the occupant or substantial subsequent protraction. Orienting means restores the mechanism to its initial condition upon disengagement.

Abstract: An inertia switch resettably breaks an electrical contact upon a change in the momentum of the switch body above a predetermined level or upon inversion of the switch body. An inertia sensing pendulum detects momentum changes upon the switch body and upwardly moves an actuator shaft upon a momentum change above a level determined by a biasing mechanism. The actuator shaft is coupled to an electric contact mechanism, which resettably interrupts an electrical connection upon the upward movement of the actuator shaft. A moveable mass in a cylindrical cavity is coupled to the contact mechanism and causes the electrical connection to be broken in response to an inversion of the body. A reset mechanism coupled to the contact mechanism, reestablishes the interrupted electrical connection when manual force is applied to the reset means.

Abstract: An improved housing is provided for a seat belt retractor mechanism. The retractor mechanism attaches to a seat belt retractor frame and has a belt rewind spring disposed therein which attaches at one end to a belt storage spool. The housing includes a housing body and a housing cap which rotatably abuts the body in covering relation and which engages the other end of the spring. The rotatable abutment is made possible by a plurality of socket members disposed along the outer periphery of the housing body and a plurality of resilient deformable locking flanges positioned upon the cap. The resilient flanges are formed on the cap in a manner creating a bias toward a position placing the locking fingers above the socket members when the cap is rotated relative to the body during the assembly process to tension the spring. When the spring has been sufficiently tensioned, the flanges are aligned with the sockets and deformed to an extent causing locking fingers on the flanges to latchingly engage the sockets.

Abstract: An emergency release mechanism in a passive seat belt system provides a vehicle occupant with an extra section of belting material by which the occupant may extricate himself from the vehicle in emergency situations where the position of the vehicle or the condition of the system is such that the seat belt could not otherwise be slackened. In passive systems, the seat belt is retractably mounted either to the vehicle floor or door, passed over the upper torso of the vehicle floor or door, passed over the upper torso of the vehicle occupant and permanently attached to an anchor bracket attached to the door or floor, respectively. The emergency release portion of the system releasably attaches an intermediate portion of the seat belt to the anchor bracket, thereby defining an open loop of belting material between the permanently-attached end and the releasably-attached intermediate sections of the belt.

Abstract: An adjustable emergency locking anchor is provided for mounting a safety restraint system buckle adjacent a seat occupant's hip during fore and aft adjustment of the seat. The adjustable emergency locking anchor includes a channeled floor anchor plate having one end secured to the vehicle floor and the other end slidably receiving a buckle plate which has the safety restraint buckle secured to its outer end. The buckle plate is secured to the seat via a seat anchor plate which is superposedly mounted on the buckle plate for movement relative to the buckle plate in one direction only, that direction being toward pawls which are mounted on the buckle plate so as to engage the floor anchor plate when they are pivoted into position.

Abstract: A safety belt retractor is disclosed of the type adapted for mounting in the door of a vehicle and operated by movement of a high inertia mass to lock up only under the influence of high lateral forces such as imposed in an emergency condition. During periods of door opening a superceding fulcrum point about which the high inertia member must rotate to lock up the retractor is imposed whereby undesired lock-up of the retractor during rapid opening of the vehicle door is virtually eliminated. The inhibiting action is directly tied to the door locking mechanism whereby almost instantaneous inhibition is applied upon opening of the vehicle door.

Abstract: An improvement in automated passive vehicle restraint systems of the type having a power-driven upper torso restraining belt moving between stowed and wearing positions is disclosed. The upper end of the belt is attached to the driven cable by a fastener having a stiffener attached. The fastener is rotated about the longitudinal axis of the cable as the fastener moves between the stowed and wearing positions. As the fastener is rotated, the stiffener maneuvers the belt away from the head and face of an occupant in the seat with which the belt is associated and correctly positions the belt on the occupant's shoulder at the wearing position.

Abstract: A fail-safe lock-up inhibitor for a vehicle door-mounted passive safety belt retractor. The improved inhibitor is formed of a plurality of mutually overriding inhibiting structure such that when the vehicle door is open, each alone is capable of allowing lock-up of the safety-belt protraction mechanism during an emergency condition.

Abstract: A surgical tool has a pneumatically driven rotor motor, a source of air under pressure to drive the motor, an output system for receiving rotation from the motor and transmitting it to a bur and a securing system for securing the bur to the output system. The securing system receives air pressure from the source of air and converts the pressure to a force acting on the bur to grip the bur. The motor has a shaft mounted for rotation in a housing, and the shaft is hollow so that some of the air directed into the motor goes through the shaft and into a chamber. A piston is mounted in the housing, and when air from the shaft is directed into the chamber, it moves the piston in the chamber. The piston is connected to a collet, so that introduction of air into the chamber moves the collet. The collet has an inclined surface, and there are grippers between the inclined surface and the bur.

Abstract: A passive safety belt system is disclosed providing both lap and upper torso belt portions adapted to provide maximum exit and entry convenience without utilization of mechanical means for pulling the belts away from the vehicle door opening. A generally Y-shaped belt is mounted at the upper door and lower door and connects for the third point to the spool of a retractor mechanism disposed in-board of the vehicle seat. The lap portion of the belt is connected to the upper torso portion by lifting straps which lift the lap portion out of the path of the occupant's legs as the occupant enters or exits the vehicle. The lap and shoulder portions are adapted to wrap in parallel combination onto the spool of the retractor to provide the necessary snugness of fit when the vehicle door is closed and the belt is in operable position. When deployed, the system provides a tight lap portion and a non-tensioned upper torso portion.

Abstract: An inhibitor intended for the prevention of early reel lock-up during door opening for passive vehicle safety belt systems incorporating door-mounted reels. In such systems where a high inertia mass moves a pawl into engagement with the take-up reel during emergency conditions thereby allowing freedom of occupant movement during other periods of time, biasing means are provided for resisting the movement of the high inertia mass/pawl combination when the vehicle door is in the process of being opened and closed. Embodiments disclosed include the use of a selectively activatable electromagnet, a movable permanent magnet, gravitational biasing of the pawl, spring biasing of the pawl, and spring biasing of the high inertia mass.

Abstract: A child safety seat restraint adapter for restraining a child safety seat on a vehicle seat in association with a preinstalled passive diagonal torso safety belt anchored at one end on the vehicle door, extending across the vehicle seat and being anchored at an opposite end inboard of the vehicle seat, has an auxiliary safety belt buckle and an auxiliary anchor for anchoring the buckle outboard of the vehicle seat to the vehicle floor, an auxiliary tongue plate for releasably engaging with the buckle and a connector for connecting the tongue plate in a fixed relation to the preinstalled safety belt intermediate its ends whereby the child safety seat may be restrained on the vehicle seat by passing portions of the safety belt inboard of the connector over the child seat, when positioned on the passenger seat, and engaging the tongue plate with the buckle.

Abstract: A valve for supplying pressurized gas includes a pressure regulator and an outlet valved by a locking detent poppet valve responsive to pressure from the regulator. Upon a drop in pressure below a predetermined minimum valve the poppet valve moves from a locked open position to an unlocked closed position. The valve includes a manual reset for the locking detent poppet valve.

Abstract: A dual tension safety belt retractor including a belt storage reel rotatably mounted to a retractor frame by a reel shaft having a shaft end protruding from a frame side wall has dual tension retraction mechanism mounted to the frame side wall to apply either of two rewind biases upon said reel via said shaft in response to belt winding and unwinding movements of predetermined manner in which the retraction mechanism has a pawl carrier rotatably mounted on the reel shaft end with a pawl pivotally mounted on the pawl carrier for rotation with and relative to the carrier, providing a power spring receiving chamber, a power spring for biasing the carrier in a given direction, ratchet means to be engaged by the pawl on the pawl carrier, means for biasing the pawl carrier toward the ratchet means teeth, pawl silencer ring means for normally holding the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet means teeth and allowing such engagement on a slight retractive movement of the reel, cam means for selectively engaging the

Abstract: A float assembly for supporting a vehicle having three cylindrical float tubes tangentially secured together by a suitable adhesive with two of the float tubes being positioned so that the centerlines thereof are in a horizontal plane. The three float tubes are secured together to form a pyramid whereby the intersections thereof form a Y-shaped cross-sectional configuration so that the centers of the cylindrical float tubes form a triangle which is or approaches an equilateral triangle. Girths are secured to the float assembly in the horizontal plane and are suitably bolted to skids which are attached to the vehicle. The forward and aft ends of each of the cylindrical float tubes are frustoconical shaped cones which are inclined upwardly to increase the maneuverability of the vehicle and prevent pitch poling. The outboard and top float tubes have bulkheads to provide several sections to enable the float tubes to provide flotation in the event that one of the sections is deflated.

Abstract: A multi-purpose battery charger is disclosed, capable of simultaneously charging multiple batteries to a common peak voltage and operable from either an A.C. source of power or a D.C. source of power. The power supply portion of the battery charger includes means for causing the D.C. power source to be used as the primary source for charging if the power supply is connected to both an A.C. and a D.C. power source simultaneously. Means are also included for preventing interaction between the sources of power or damage to the charger if such simultaneous connection is made. The battery charger includes voltage regulator means for maintaining a maximum charging rate to all batteries connected to the charger at one time for as long as any one battery is in a discharged state and for reducing the charging current to all the batteries to a low maintenance charging rate when all the batteries are charged. Individual batteries being charged are protected against both overcharging and interaction between batteries.

Abstract: A prewound retractor spring housing assembly for mounting to a preassembled safety belt retractor having a storage reel shaft end protruding from a side wall of the retractor, the shaft end having a retraction spring end receiving slot, has a spring mounting base means for receiving a retractor coil spring to be prewound thereon, spring cup means for encompassing the coil spring when prewound on the base means and for cooperating with the base means to prewind the spring to a desired prewound condition, means for locking the cup means to the base means and means for mounting the assembly to the safety belt retractor in a manner to automatically place the prewound spring in biasing relation to the safety belt reel.