Abstract: A compact safety belt retractor is provided with a large coil of webbing on a rotatable reel and locking pawl teeth are able to have locking engagement with toothed wheels on the reel even when the coil of webbing has a larger diameter than the diameter of a circle defined by the teeth of the ratchet wheels. The coil of webbing preferably extends the full depth of the retractor from front edges of the sidewalls of the frame to the rear frame wall of the retractor. Thus, a large coil of webbing may be stored for the depth of the retractor. To reduce the side-to-side width of retractor, it is preferred to have reel ratchet wheels mounted in the plane of the frame sidewalls and to have the pawl teeth also mounted in openings in the sidewalls of the retractor frame. The pawl teeth are elongated columns and are loaded in columnar manner with substantially small shear or bending stresses thereon.

Abstract: An inertia retractor may be provided with an automatic locking mode by the addition of an assembly mounted as an attachment to sidewall of the inertia retractor. The assembly allows the retractor to be used as an inertia retractor until the belt is pulled to a predetermined extent whereupon a belt coil sensor senses this predetermined belt extraction and operates an actuator to shift a pawl into locking engagement with the ratchet wheels and thereby into the automatic locking mode. When the belt rewinds, the belt coil sensor deactivates the ALR mechanism by latching the pawl actuator thereby allowing an inertia member to again operate the pawl to the locking position upon a deceleration of sufficient magnitude.

Abstract: A safety belt retractor which has a belt gripping or braking mechanism that is movable between a belt gripping position and an inactive position. The braking mechanism includes a brake shoe which engages one side of the seat belt webbing and forces the opposite side of the webbing into tight frictional engagement with a compressible elastomeric pad having a high coefficient of friction. The filaments of the seat belt are compressed into the compressible pad and the pad protrudes into interstices between the filaments. This gripping action by the pad increases the pull load by a substantial amount, for example, about ten percent (10%).

Abstract: A safety belt retractor in which the reel is supported on a movable frame which cooperates with a braking mechanism such that when the reel locks, subsequent belt tension displaces the movable frame into camming engagement with a pivoting braking mechanism to shift a brake shoe into direct contact with the belt web. The brake shoe is supported on the braking mechanism for movement relative thereto. The brake shoe and its mounting portions preferably have complementary interfitting bearing surfaces which share a common axis of curvature, with the bearing surface on the brake shoe being convex, and the complementary surface on the cam being concave.

Abstract: A seat belt retractor that is sensitive to vehicle movements is provided, having a frame for mounting a reel about which the safety belt is wound. A frame also mounts a pawl which selectively blocks rotation of the reel to prevent payout of a seat belt when a predetermined condition of the vehicle is sensed. The frame includes a support plate integrally formed therewith and including a bearing seat for mounting an inertia member for actuating the pawl, thus locking the reel against rotation. A method of constructing the retractor frame with an integral support for the inertia member is also disclosed.

Abstract: A free-falling, self-locking adjustable tip assembly is provided for a safety belt apparatus, which has a seat belt retractor at one belt end and for rewinding the belt and pulling one belt portion into a generally vertical position at belt release. A tip-assembly engagement means contacts the belt and acts on a slide with a first set of teeth to move the slide to bite and grip the belt, and force the belt against a second set of teeth on a tongue plate for locking the belt against transfer, which tip-assembly tongue plate has an opening for the belt and is connectable to a buckle.

Abstract: A seat belt retractor system for restraining a passenger in a vehicle is provided with a tension-relieving means engageable by a manual overt actuator, which system includes the following: initiation of the tensionless mode requires conscious actuation by the passenger; incorporation of an activated position, which allows retraction of any belt slack prior to engagement of the tensionless mode; subsequent slight belt protraction beyond the activated position engages the tensionless mode; a "memory" allowing belt protraction, less than a predetermined length, from the tensionless mode and return thereto; a means whereby belt protraction greater than the predetermined distance automatically returns the retractor and belt to the tensioned mode; and, an automatically operable actuator, which may be activated by the opening of the vehicle door for automatic return of the retractor to the belt-tensioned mode.